At this year’s Gamescom, Microsoft announced the first wave of what they promise is only a small portion of games that will be available for download when Windows Phone 7 devices launch this holiday. Earlier today in Manhattan, we got a chance to sit down with Kevin Unangst, Sr. Director of PC and mobile gaming at the Redmond giant.
(Age of Empires, Microsoft Flight Coming to PC)
We played a bit of PressPlay’s Max and the Magic Marker, Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst, PopCap’s Bejeweled LIVE and a few others. The most notable being Crackdown which taps into Bing Maps and allows you to defend any real-life point on a map, which means you can defend your very own home against Freaks. Wondering if Max and his magic marker will be coming to XBL? Perhaps. The inclusion of Max for WP7 could herald a sea of change for the Xbox platform. It also goes to show how serious Microsoft is about its revamped mobile platform. Microsoft promises to add more Xbox Live titles each week after launch. Oh, and Halo: Waypoint will be coming, as well.
(Reboot: Windows Phone 7 Preview)
As we’ve mentioned in the past with previous coverage of Windows Phone 7, the implementation of Xbox Live is fairly extensive and immersive. Anything you’ve purchased for your avatar from your console, for example, is available to your WP7 avatar because everything is being pulled from the cloud and synced from console to mobile device. But you won’t be able to purchase frivolous things for your avatar on your device for the time being. You can even poke and prod your avatar or make him/her fall over if you shake your WP7 device. An in-app app for your avatar even includes a flashlight ala Alan Wake so you can find your way around when the power goes out in your home.
(First Hands-on With Windows Phone 7)
You’ll even be able to see all your Xbox Live friends and what they’re up to in real time. Send messages or invite friends to play through your WP7 device, which notifies you of regular messages and when it’s your move if you’re playing a turn-based game with a friend.
Spotlight will also be ported to the mobile platform and will include things like tips and tricks and breaking news and videos.
Here’s a list from the first wave of titles announced for Windows Phone 7: