Petition Demands 2001's Shrek Be Backwards Compatible On Xbox
We were holdin' out for hero and we finally got one, as one old-school Shrek fan has created a petition calling on the 2001 Xbox game to be backward compatible.
The early 2000s was a happy time. A time when film studios quickly tried to cash in on the success of their films by creating and distributing simple, but nonetheless brilliant, games based on their movies. Some of these games would even go on to become certified fan favourites, including those based on classic Halloween films that haunted our dreams, like Monster House and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Another example was 2001's Shrek, based of course on the timeless DreamWorks animated film. However, the video game has been lost in the midst of time thanks to it being incompatible with other consoles other than the very first Xbox. Although, one fan has decided to change all that and started a petition for the game to be backward compatible.
Shrek Video Game: What Was It?
2001's Shrek video game was released in 2001, a few months after the animated film exploded at the box office and the globe was subsequently surrounded in ogre-themed merchandise galore. Sticking with the green theme, the film was then made into a video game exclusively for the first Xbox console, before later becoming available on GameCube and Game Boy Color consoles. While it didn't get the best reviews, as of October 2002, 1.2 million copies of the game had been sold. There were plans for the game to have a PlayStation 2 port, but this was sadly scrapped due to the publisher TDK Mediactive being acquired by Take-Two Interactive. As a result, TDK lost the rights to produce any more Shrek games.
The Shrek video game featured an entirely separate plot from the film but continued to prove that Shrek is one good onion as he performs a series of quests in order to become the "de facto" hero of the fairy-tale creatures. He also had to save Fiona from an evil wizard called Merlin (a different one from Shrek The Third) and, of course, save his swamp.
Why Was The Petition Made?
The petition was set up on Change.org by Josh Weston. In the description, Weston stated: "Shrek on the Original Xbox is one of the best Xbox launch titles ever made. Both Shrek and Xbox are all turning 20 this year, and deserve to have its legacy expanded for a wider audience of gamers. So, that's why I made this petition to make Shrek backwards compatible on Xbox to encourage more gamers to play as Shrek in 4K." As of writing, the petition has gained 52 signatures, just over halfway to meeting its target of 100.
Media is currently alive with nostalgia, as both film and game studios try to cash in on audiences' craving for the joys of the 'good ol' days'. For example, Sly Cooper fans were ecstatic to learn that a remake of the PS2 classic could soon be on the way. Not to mention, fans of the Indiana Jones film franchise can have their own go as the whip-cracking, snake-hating, tomb-raiding archaeologist in an upcoming Bethesda game.
No one can deny that Shrek isn't going far, far away any time soon. Sure, there are a plethora of sequels, spin-offs, and mini-episodes to help keep this green legend alive for a long time. However, if the petition is successful, Shrek fans could get the chance to see a layer of everyone's favourite ogre that we've never seen before.