游戏应用软件是智能手机流行和发展的主要推手之一，它是iPhone应用软件中规模最大的应用类型，在Android手机的增势也很迅猛。那么Windows Phone 7上的游戏应用又如何呢？

WP7_XBOX_live

PC World网站的资深编辑杰森·克劳斯（Jason Cross）认为，WP7手机游戏看起来不错，但还可以做得更好。

他表示，微软将于11月8日在北美发售的WP7手机比较强调游戏应用，绑定了Xbox Live功能，并与游戏行业巨头携手，将多款著名游戏植入其中。

据悉，WP7将首先供应1000款左右的应用，其中四分之一是手机游戏。

但克劳斯认为，在苹果iPhone这个手机游戏巨人面前，WP7的力量非常有限。他表示，“手机游戏可能是WP7目前最薄弱的一环，如果苹果iPhone正在成为手机游戏新霸主，微软确实还得再下苦功才能迎头赶上。”

尽管WP7缺乏一些非常受人欢迎的手机游戏，比如说《愤怒鸟》（Angry Birds）、《水果忍者》（Fruit Ninja）和《植物大战僵尸》（Plants vs. Zombies）等，但克劳斯认为WP7还有其他可替代的作品，比如说《Flight Control》、《模拟人生3》（The Sims 3）和《俄罗斯方块》（Tetris）等。

TopTechReviews网站成员迈克·威恩（Mike Vang）则认为，微软在游戏领域经验丰富，所以游戏应用应该是微软智能手机的最大发展机遇。他表示，“WP7的整体游戏模式远超其他手机平台，一些热门游戏的测试版在WP7上的运行效果与完整版几乎没有差别。”

克劳斯另外还称，WP7上的游戏价格比iPhone上的同款游戏价格要高出许多。

那么游戏开发商会选择加入WP7的阵营，向该平台投放游戏吗？

对此问题，克劳斯答道，“如果苹果和谷歌仍然是这一领域的主宰，微软将很难说服开发商支持WP7平台。”（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译）

WP7 games are good, but nothing special yet

Gaming apps are a major force driving smartphone growth and popularity. They make up the largest category of apps for iPhone and are growing for Android phones.

But what about games for Windows Phone 7?

Looking good, but could be better, according to Jason Cross in PC World.

He says that Microsoft (MSFT), which will launch WP7 in North America on November 8, has emphasized gaming apps in its new ecosystem, integrating Xbox Live and taking advantage of its relationships with the top guns in the gaming industry to include hit titles.

WP7 will offer about 1,000 apps initially, with about a quarter of them being games.

But Cross describes this as a limited presence in the face of the Apple (AAPL) iPhone juggernaut. He says this “is probably the worst part about gaming on Windows Phone 7 right now. If Apple is the new king of mobile gaming with the iPhone, Microsoft clearly has a lot of catching up to do.”

WP7 doesn’t have some of the popular phone games, such as Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja and Plants vs. Zombies. But Cross notes reasonable substitutes can be found for WP7 and the new WP7 has good versions of Flight Control, The Sims 3 and Tetris.

Mike Vang at TopTechReviews says game apps may be the best thing Microsoft can do for smartphones because of its vast experience in gaming.

He says: “The overall (WP7) model of gaming is far superior to that of the other platforms. Trial versions of popular titles on Windows Phone 7 work as a full version.” Prices for some WP7 games in the Windows Phone Marketplace are higher than their identical iPhone versions, Cross notes.

But will more game developers opt to join the WP7 party and port over their games?

Cross says, “If Apple and Google remain overwhelmingly dominant, Microsoft will find it hard to persuade developers to support the new platform.”（source:appolicious）