Windows Phone 7 to launch with Xbox LIVE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMp8k1nH4Ig
iPhone and Android fanboys and their pundits who have counted Microsoft out of the smartphone explosion may have to eat their predictions. Microsoft has announced it will ship 60 titles of the popular Xbox LIVE when the Windows Phone 7 is released in October.

Titles like “Castlevania, Halo: Waypoint, Star Wars, Crackdown, and Guitar Hero, and the ultra-cute ilomilo” (Engadget) will ship with the Windows Phone 7. Microsoft says new games will be shipping every week after that. 

This will be an exciting fall for game lovers with both new mobile and Kinect versions of Xbox shipping within the month. XBox LIVE is worth $1 billion to Microsoft and Kinect is expected to do another $1 billion in its first year. Microsoft is projected to have 50% to 60% of the game market by 2011.
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrpPqR_WEsA
For Xbox fans, Win Mobile 7 will allow users to create personalized avatars with animation on the phone.  The mobile version of Xbox LIVE will allow game lovers to connect with each other anywhere.

Looks cool. For more detail on the games see Engadget.

Games to ship on launch day are:

* 3D Brick Breaker Revolution (Digital Chocolate)
* Age of Zombies (Halfbrick)
* Armor Valley (Protégé Games)
* Asphalt 5 (Gameloft)
* Assassins Creed (Gameloft)
* Bejeweled™ LIVE (PopCap)
* Bloons TD (Digital Goldfish)
* Brain Challenge (Gameloft)
* Bubble Town 2 (i-Play)
* Butterfly ( Press Start Studio)
* CarneyVale Showtime (MGS)
* Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst (MGS)
* De Blob Revolution (THQ)
* Deal or No Deal 2010 (i-Play)
* Earthworm Jim (Gameloft)
* Fast & Furious 7 (i-Play)
* Fight Game Rivals (Rough Cookie)
* Finger Physics (Mobliss Inc.)
* Flight Control (Namco Bandai)
* Flowerz (Carbonated Games)
* Frogger (Konami Digital Entertainment)
* Fruit Ninja (Halfbrick)
* Game Chest-Board (MGS)
* Game Chest-Card (MGS)
* Game Chest-Logic (MGS)
* Game Chest-Solitaire (MGS)
* GeoDefense (Critical Thought)
* Ghostscape (Psionic)
* Glow Artisan (Powerhead Games)
* Glyder 2 (Glu Mobile)
* Guitar Hero 5 (Glu Mobile)
* Halo Waypoint (MGS)
* Hexic Rush (Carbonated Games)
* I Dig It (InMotion)
* iBlast Moki (Godzilab)
* ilomilo (MGS)
* Implode XL (IUGO)
* Iquarium (Infinite Dreams)
* Jet Car Stunts (True Axis)
* Let’s Golf 2 (Gameloft)
* Little Wheel (One click dog)
* Loondon (Flip N Tale)
* Max and the Magic Marker (PressPlay)
* Mini Squadron (Supermono Limited)
* More Brain Exercise (Namco Bandai)
* O.M.G. (Arkedo)
* Puzzle Quest 2 (Namco Bandai)
* Real Soccer 2 (Gameloft)
* The Revenants (Chaotic Moon)
* Rise of Glory (Revo Solutions)
* Rocket Riot (Codeglue)
* Splinter Cell Conviction (Gameloft)
* Star Wars: Battle for Hoth (THQ)
* Star Wars: Cantina (THQ)
* The Harvest (MGS)
* The Oregon Trail (Gameloft)
* Tower Bloxx NY (Digital Chocolate)
* Twin Blades (Press Start Studio)
* UNO (Gameloft)
* Women’s Murder Club: Death in Scarlet (i-Play)
* Zombie Attack! (IUGO)
* Zombies!!!! (Babaroga)

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network