Windows Phone 7 games to have achievements - 200g each

[ManaByte]

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/10/windows-phone-7-games-preview/

We already broke out the news you're looking for: Each of the Windows Phone 7 Xbox Live-infused games will offer its players 200 Gamerscore points. You'll be able to boost your Xbox rep in significant chunks without having to hunker down in front of a big screen for long stretches. You'll never again have to go so long without hearing that satisfying "Achievement unlocked" sound. The world, as you know it, has changed.

Fortunately, the channel through which you'll access these on-the-go 'cheevos looks like it has loads of promise. The handful of work-in-progress Windows Phone 7 games we were shown today at GDC didn't leave much of an impression -- however, the effortless portability of games between the platforms supported by the recently announced XNA Game Studio 4.0 opens up a lot of possibilities for development on Microsoft's new mobile device.

Only a handful of rudimentary games were demonstrated during our appointment with XNA's Michael Klucher and Xbox Live's Ron Pessner. We're talking: crude prototypes crafted by Microsoft and a couple of prolific XNA developers. Still, despite the simplicity of these demos, it's easy to see exactly what Microsoft is attempting to accomplish with Windows Phone 7 devices.

The first game I sampled was a simple, asynchronous checkers title. The gameplay itself wasn't particularly noteworthy (it's a lot like, um, checkers), though it did a great job of showing off the device's social gaming potential. Which is important, since -- as you've probably already heard -- the Windows Phone 7 doesn't support "real-time" multiplayer, either ad-hoc or over Wi-Fi.

This is a pretty big detriment for the device -- however, it handles turn-based gameplay with style. Not only could we view the intense checkers bouts we were currently embroiled in via an in-game menu, but a special "Requests" pane of the device's game hub allows you to see when its your turn to move in a multiplayer title. These menus are gussied up by displays showing your friends' Xbox Live Avatars, appended to their Gamertags and other relevant information associated with your Live profile.

I next got a look at Harvest, a 3D action title developed by mobile studio Luma Arcade. Again, the game was exceedingly elementary -- from a top-down perspective, I watched as the protagonist ran around, shooting horribly mutated, waist-high spiders. The visuals were pretty sharp -- aided by Windows Phone 7's crisp, 480x800 display. Should XNA developers choose to port their pre-made titles from Xbox 360 to WP7, it doesn't look like they'll have to suffer much visual depreciation along the way.