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Originally Posted by IGN.com
There was a lot of skepticism floating around the Internet regarding the Windows Phone 7 Series and how much resources Microsoft would dedicate to making it a viable game platform. This week, Microsoft took great strides towards answering the critics. First, it announced a launch lineup that includes 60 games -- with more likely to be added. Then it gave members of the press a tour of how Xbox Live carries over to the phone, what features are being included, and how the gaming actually works. I sat in on one of these demos and came away thoroughly impressed.
The games you'll see on the Windows Phone 7 are comparable, and many times identical, to what you see on the Xbox Live Arcade. And in some ways, they exceed XBLA in terms of features. There will be plenty of standard games as well, such as Uno, but unfortunately only turn-based multiplayer gaming will be available at launch.
Games like iloMilo, a puzzler where you must direct ilo and Milo to meet each other, and Rocket Riot are titles that look and play about the same on both XBLA and the phone, save for the change to touch controls. Others are being brought on specifically to showcase the touch features. I got to try Max and the Magic Marker, a WiiWare game that will come to the mobile device at launch. If you haven't played it, think of Crayon Physics Deluxe on the PC, a game where you draw on the screen to solve puzzles.
Most impressive, however, was Crackdown: Project Sunburst. This is a tower defense game that imports Bing maps into the game to dynamically build levels. Freaks come pouring down the streets and it's up to you to build defenses against them, all in real places around the world.
The games I played all looked gorgeous and handled comparably to any decent iPhone game. For any hardcore gamer, it's the Xbox Live features that will likely make them want one of these phones.
Microsoft-sanctioned Xbox Live games on the phone will carry achievement points (200 per game), as well as leaderboards and other standards of the service. You won't have to pay extra to play these games online. Unlike the Xbox 360 with Xbox Live Gold and Silver accounts, there is no concept of a tiered service or any fees.
Every game will have its own free demo, much the same way as it works on Xbox 360 with Xbox Live Arcade or Indie games. Simply download the free trial and if you want to play more all you have to do is hit a button to unlock the license. "You shouldn't have to go download a bunch of free demos that you download and then have to delete," explained Kevin Unangst, senior director of PC and mobile gaming at Microsoft.
The company won't hold an iron grip over the Marketplace, however. Indies that don't utilize the Xbox Live tools and aren't officially promoted by Microsoft can still be made. "It's an open marketplace," said Unangst. "They can give them away, or sell them for whatever they want." Games that carry achievements and other Xbox Live features will have specific, tiered price tags similar to the Xbox Live Arcade. What those prices are has not yet been announced.
Though Windows Phone 7 games have the advantage of iPhone games in terms of demos, selling downloadable add-ons won't be possible at launch Unangst explained, "For the initial release of the phone, you're going to see that sort of thing through updates to the games themselves rather than standalone title content, but that is the sort of thing I would expect to see moving ahead."
Microsoft is hoping to leverage its Xbox Live heritage in ways other than gaming as well. Halo Waypoint, a portal for all things Halo currently available on Xbox Live, will be coming to the Windows Phone 7 as well.
Avatar applications will also be a big marketing point for Microsoft. Called gadgets, these are common apps you can find on any phone with an Avatar twist. All of them feature your Xbox Live Avatar in some neat way. The flashlight app puts your Avatar on the screen holding a light. The level uses the accelerometer to tell you if something is flat, but also puts the Avatar up on the screen swaying back and forth as you tilt the phone.
The coolest gadget I saw was the coin toss. Here the coin has a 2D outline of your Avatars face on it for "heads". And if you look close enough, you can see your Gamerscore etched into the coin as well. (OMG!!)
I'd be pretty excited about picking up a Windows Phone 7 capable device later this year if I wasn't already locked into a contract with my iPhone. One thing is certain here: Apple will soon have some serious competition in the gaming space.
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