Windows Phone 7: The games you'll want to play

     OK, so the new Windows Phone 7 phones won't be able to play the beloved and best-selling "Angry Birds" game when they launch on Nov. 8. But that doesn't mean there won't be some excellent games to play on these mobile devices.

     Microsoft is pushing games as a big reason to buy the phones. At a press conference Monday morning, the company showed off some titles gamers can look forward to from Electronic Arts and others, and previewed the way the phones will integrate with the Xbox Live online gaming service for Xbox 360. (Msnbc.com is a joint venture of NBC Universal and Microsoft.)

Here's a look at a few of the most interesting/promising games that are coming to Windows Phone 7.

    

"The Harvest": While many of the games you'll be able to play on Windows Phone 7 devices have previously been available on other mobile platforms, there will be some games exclusive to these new phones. "The Harvest" is one of the most interesting looking exclusive games revealed so far and a top-down action/role-playing game that looks like it has some real depth to it. Check out this video peek at the gameplay:

"ilomilo": Here's your adorable overload. Check out the trailer (below) to see this delightful-looking Windows Phone 7 exclusive in action. It's a puzzle game in which you must help two characters (Ilo and Milo) find each other. I so want to play this game. And then I want to give it a great big hug.

"Bye Bye Brain": Indie game developer Plain Concepts has been showing off what looks to be a pretty cool zombie-fightin' tower defense game called "Bye Bye Brain." Check it out in the below video. The game uses the phone's accelerometer to give the whole thing an eye-popping 3-D look.

"Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst": I'm sensing a running theme here. This "Crackdown 2"-themed game, blends tower defense with real-world Bing maps. That right, in this game, real-world satellite images are used as the maps upon which you play the game. That means you can, for example, defend your real home (or at least a Bing map image of it) from the game's baddies known as "freaks."

"Star Wars: Battle For Hoth": Speaking of tower defense games, I enjoyed this "Empire Strikes Back"-themed tower-defense game when it arrived in Apple's App Store. And I expect it to translate nicely to the new Windows phones. Here's another chance to take down Snowtroopers, Viper Probe Droids, TIE Fighters and more.

"Flight Control": This sleek and beautifully designed game of airplane guidance has been a hit on the iPhone and the iPad and I have to believe it will be equally enjoyable on the new mobile devices. Touch the screen and draw a path to bring airplanes safely to their appropriate runway. It's harder than it sounds but utterly addictive. You'll want to grab this one for sure.

"The Sims 3" and "Need for Speed: Undercover": Microsoft revealed Monday that game publisher EA would be supporting the launch of Windows Phone 7, leading with four big launch titles. Its famed life simulation franchise "The Sims" has been well-received on the iPhone as "The Sims 3" which will make its way to Windows Phone 7. Meanwhile EA's top-notch mobile racing game "Need for Speed: Undercover" should please racing game fans when it zips onto Windows Phone 7 devices.

Having tried out the following games on other devices, I'd add these to the list of games worth picking up as well: "De Blob Revolution," "Fruit Ninja," "Earthworm Jim" and "Assassins Creed."

Since Apple's App Store is currently crammed full of thousands upon thousands of games (some of them excellent, many of them terrible), Microsoft certainly has its competitive work cut out for it as it tries to make its mark in mobile gaming.

Here's the complete list of games that have been officially announced for Windows Phone 7. Though Microsoft describes these as the "first wave" of games in the "launch portfolio," a spokesperson told me that it's still unclear how many of these will be available on the very first day of launch.

• "3D Brick Breaker Revolution" (Digital Chocolate)
• "Age of Zombies" (Halfbrick)
• "Armor Valley" (Protege 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)
• "Castlevania" (Konami Digital Entertainment)
• "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)
• "MONOPOLY" (EA)
• "More Brain Exercise" (Namco Bandai)
• "Need for Speed: Undercover" (EA)
• "O.M.G." (Arkedo)
• "Puzzle Quest 2" (Namco Bandai)
• "Real Soccer 2" (Gameloft)
• "Rise of Glory" (Revo Solutions)
• "Rocket Riot" (Codeglue)
• "Splinter Cell Conviction" (Gameloft)
• "Star Wars: Battle for Hoth" (THQ)
• "Star Wars: Cantina" (THQ)
• "Tetris" (EA)
• "The Harvest" (MGS)
• "The Oregon Trail" (Gameloft)
• "The Revenants" (Chaotic Moon)
• "The Sims 3" (EA)
• "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)

Source: MSNBC