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Games for Windows Live - how to fall on your face at launch

By: Jarno Kokko Jun 09, 2007

How could you make it work?

Games for Windows Live's current offering is limited to generic online shooters like Shadowrun.

The basic concept of Games for Windows Live is not bad. I wouldn't mind being able to bash some skulls belonging to friends who happen to use an Xbox 360 while I play the same game using my PC. Many games genres such as racing (think Forza 2), hack'n'slash (think Diablo or the console versions of Baldur's Gate) and even online versions of board games such as Settlers of Catan would work perfectly on either platform. Launching the service instead with only two shooters (of which only Shadowrun offers cross-platform support), is pretty weak. Even worse, making the Live dashboard work only when you are actually running a Live-enabled game is just utter stupidity.

Games for Windows Live can still be saved if it's reworked as a taskbar program that offers a full range of services just like on the Xbox 360, including universal friends lists, invites, messaging, access to demos and other downloads, without the gazillion banner ads, queues and/or download service subscriptions that PC gamers have to endure today. Another requirement is that it be redesigned to function with all PC applications, working in the background for messaging even with games that are not exclusively developed for Games for Windows Live. With these fixes, the value proposition of a Gold subscription would improve tremendously.

Another problem is that Games for Windows Live is a Vista exclusive, without any technological reason for the exclusivity - it's purely a marketing decision. This automatically pushes it to the fringe for now as only a very small percentage of gamers have yet to upgrade to Vista, and Games for Windows Live is definitely not a compelling reason to upgrade at this time.

The web aspect

The Games for Windows Live website has drawn a lot of criticism. It's easy to compare the two platforms' Live web services by looking at xbox.com and gamesforwindows.com. Microsoft needs to spend a lot more resources to actually make Games for Windows Live site a working community hub for people who play Live-enabled PC games. Currently there is not much of a community, partially because of the lack of games and the fact that the games only work in Vista. Also, Microsoft muddies the waters by promoting many online games under the Games for Windows brand, even though these games have no Live integration. This all points to a brand that hasn't really been fully thought out or implemented - just like the average Microsoft 1.0 product. The same was true, incidentally, for the early days of the original Xbox: Feature-incomplete, messy, unreliable. The service did eventually get better, except that with Xbox Microsoft could dictate terms to the developers and publishers. On the PC it has to play nice with everyone or get pushed aside as irrelevant.

Uncertain the future is

For me the hot question is: Will Microsoft actually work towards a "unified" Live service that would encompass third party titles, or will it remain as a special service for a couple of cross-platform titles and as a pay-to-play online service for Microsoft's own first-party titles. There aren't too many of those on the horizon - the only other Live title announced so far is UNO, which is already playable without the Live service on the PC. Sure, Live will allow you to play against Xbox 360 users, but in the case of UNO that really isn't a killer feature.

As it stands now, Games for Windows Live is as DOA as this poor Shadowrun dwarf...

Third party developers seem to have shunned the whole idea of Games for Windows Live. While many publishers support the Games for Windows branding, the Live service on the PC seems dead on arrival based on both gamers' and developers' reactions so far. Until there is far more support for the PC service and a complete reworking of the user experience, spending money on a Live subscription for PC use only seems like placing a bet on a losing horse. Sure, great games that benefit from the Live service might miraculously pop up over the coming year, but don't hold your breath.

Want to read more about Games for Windows? Don't forget to check out the YouGamers review of Shadowrun.

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