Introduction:  I’m an engineer by day - hardcore gamer by night.  I’ve played games “professionally” and won thousands of dollars doing it.  I’ve beta tested for XBOX Live and Games for Windows – Live.  I own an XBOX 360 and a high performance PC.  I am currently playing both Games for Windows – Live titles – Shadowrun and HALO 2 along with the HALO 3 beta and Shadowrun for XBOX 360.  Please take a moment to read my list of 10 problems that I (and probably you) will have with Games for Windows – Live.  Note that I’m not trying to bash Microsoft or console users.  I’m a console user.  I’m an XBOX Live user.  I run several gaming websites supporting certain Microsoft games.  I’m an admitted Microsoft fanboy.  However, this list is to bring certain issues to light and will hopefully help Live on the PC be a better experience for all users.

Top ten things that are wrong with Games for Windows - Live

10.  Quiet launch.

It didn't launch on May 8th as originally planned.  When did/does/will it launch?  It launches when the first Games for Windows - Live launches.  If you went to any major retailer in the past few weeks, you might have bought Halo 2 for Windows Vista (with partial nudity) which would allow you to connect to GFW - Live.  However, since Halo 2 (PC) is having trouble (with the nudity and since has been delayed), Shadowrun will be the first official Games for Windows - Live title on May 29th.  Actually, we were told that Shadowrun hits the shelves on the 29th.  Microsoft is now saying that it will be available on the “week of the 29th”.  So confusing!  But why does didn’t it launch on May 8th even with the delay of HALO 2 (PC)?  That's my next point.

9.  It doesn't work from your desktop.  

Games for Windows - Live does not run as an application on your desktop.  You must run it from inside a game – a GFW – Live enabled game.  Shadowrun and HALO 2 are the only ways you can connect to GFW - Live.  Vista has been marketed a gaming platform by Microsoft.  They’ve even added a neat “Games” folder and special settings that make gaming a bit easier.  Why not integrate GFW – Live with the newly added gaming features in Vista?  Not being able to use GFW – Live from the desktop will kill the deal for many new Live users.  After all, they are used to using FREE applications from the desktop that do what Live does.

This reminds me of the old days of XBOX Live when you had to be inside of a game to make full use of its features.  So effectively an online gaming service designed to connect gamers requires them to buy software (the games) to use it.  GFW - Live won't work for you without buying software (a GFW - Live enabled game).  Sorry if you've already bought a Gold subscription and not a GFW – Live title.  Sorry if you are used to running Xfire or Gamespy Arcade from your desktop. 

The current version of XBOX Live runs perfectly just after boot up of your XBOX 360 (and original XBOX).  I think Games for Windows – Live should also.  After all, it runs on a computer.  A computer.

XBOX Live is the killer app for XBOX 360. Which gets me to my next point.

8.  XBOX Live users have it so much better. 

It’s not the same experience.  People communicate via webcams, voice messages, text messages, and Windows Messenger without having to be inside of a game to do it.  They download movies.  They rent movies.  They download demos and patches.  They can even buy games.  Not to mention that is has one slick user-interface. 

Games for Windows - Live doesn't offer the same experience.  Even the user interface is plain.  You can't add custom themes.  There are no “blades”.  You can't connect to a marketplace to download or rent movies or TV shows.  You can't download demos or buy arcade games.  Basically, you can only join up to games and send communications to other players from within a GFW – Live game.  I won't go into how the interface has XBOX 360 controller buttons sprinkled all over it.  But my point is that Games for Windows – Live is missing some major features that we’ve grown accustomed to with XBOX Live.

7.  And it’s missing the little things too.   

The latest version of XBOX Live is kicking butt.  They are doing something right over there.  It's the attention to little details that make the experience polished and refined.  GFW - Live isn't polished.  Not only are they missing the big features, but they are missing the little features. 

Example: When you get an achievement in an XBOX 360 title, a little bubble pops up telling you the point value of the achievement and the title of the achievement.  This feature doesn't exist in GFW - Live.  Microsoft says that research shows that as soon as someone gets an achievement very often go immediately to the guide to see what that achievement was.  PC users get left out in this case.

Example:  You can’t play music from inside the Live interface.  Yeah, you can run Winamp, iTunes, or Windows Media Player in the background if you want to play music, but I could also run Xfire, Trillian, Team Speak, and the Gamespy Arcade in the background of my video game.  All of those are FREE services that I could use.  Some PC gamers are going to be paying $50 per year for a service that has less features than they get for free.

I would think that being on the PC platform, GFW – Live would open the doors to some amazing features that aren’t possible (or at least practical) on the XBOX 360.  I think it’s almost unfair that the XBOX Live users have the better experience.

6.  The feel of www.gamesforwindows.com. 

The online home of Games for Windows just doesn't have the "it" factor.  XBOX.com has a good "feel" to it.  But, the Games for Windows homepage seems corporate and plain, like the GFW - Live user interface.  Bottomline:  there’s nothing on that site that hooks me into coming back to it.  Oh, and the page has the "inhaling console" shape in the background.  Come on.  This isn’t a service for the console.

XBOX.com is the hub of XBOX Live.  Gamers can go there and find game-specific forums.  They can meet other gamers and exchange information.  They can send private messages.  GamesForWindows.com isn’t much of a hub.  There’s very little utility there.

Hardcare PC gamers: If you want interaction with your subscription that you could be paying good money for, you'll have to do the unthinkable and go to XBOX.com and find the love.  It's there.  Waiting for you.  Embrace it and your Live experience will get slightly better. 

5.  The content on www.gamesforwindows.com. 

That URL is supposed to be the online home for GFW, yet it's full of misinformation or no information.  The two launch GFW - Live launch titles I mentioned earlier?  HALO 2 and Shadowrun both have missing information on their page.  Most importantly, as of this writing they don't even have release dates listed.  They haven't for weeks at a time.  (Note:  HALO 2 briefly had a release date listed on the page but it was removed after the first delay of the game and was only up for a short amount of time).

What's also important to PC gamers?  System requirements.  Yet, those games don't have recommended system requirements.  Shadowrun doesn't have recommended or minimum system requirements details.  At least HALO 2 does have minimum requirements details.

"Coming Soon."  That phrase is sprinkled throughout the site.  It's usually listed under the game trailers (which both GFW - Live launch titles already have) or the demo section (we know Shadowrun will have a demo and have seen verbiage in other places that there will be a HALO 2 demo).  Content and information is available on the web – even from other Microsoft properties – yet gamesforwindows.com doesn’t offer that information.

Besides that, the site has broken links. 

Example:  Go the the main page and go to their games catalog.  Ok.  12 games on Page 1.  Let's see what's on Page 2 and 3.  Doh!  You can't.  The links don't work.

Example: Although it's fixed now, a link on the Shadowrun page used to take me to a page about Alan Wake (which didn't contain much information either).

4.  Can't connect to Windows Messenger. 

This an excellent example of how two of Microsoft’s products (both developed on the same platform) aren’t playing well with each other.  Yeah we can send messages to our messenger contacts from outside of GFW - Live, but what if we wanted to chat inside of Live like our XBOX brethren can do?  Even though GFW - Live is on a platform that natively supports a keyboard, you can't connect to Windows Messenger to communicate with your contacts.  Recall that Microsoft just released an add-on peripheral for XBOX 360 users to be able to type faster.  They promoted the device as something that will enhance the Windows Messenger experience.  It was important enough for Microsoft to release an add-on peripheral for the XBOX 360, yet it wasn't important enough to fit into GFW – Live – a service on the PC.

By the way, Windows Messenger is one of the most popular instant messaging applications outside of the US.

3.  Limited buddy list capacity. 

Would MySpace or Facebook be popular social networking platforms if they limited the number of friends you could have?  I would guess not.  If Live is about social gaming, why don't we get more space on our friends list?  We are paying $50 a year for the service after all. 

Who has 100 gaming contacts?  Not most people, I would guess.  But my list is full.  Over 80 of my friends signed onto Live in the last 24 hours.  I know every single gamer on my list and accept no random friend requests.  A large chunk of my list is of people I've met in real-life.  Shadowrun and HALO 2 (PC) are now coming out.  I'm not going to have much room to add newfound friends to my list.  I’ll have to cull some longtime friends from my list now.

2.  It's Vista only for now. No XP.  

Sorry rest of the world.  Since you need to be in a game to run GFW - Live, you won't be using GFW - Live on Windows XP.  That's because the major launch titles, Shadowrun and HALO 2 are exclusive to Windows Vista.  (Note that Shadowrun is cross-platform and will be available for XBOX 360 also).

Funny thing, though.  You can't use the "Game Advisor" which is a main link promoted on almost every webpage on the Games for Windows website.  It gives you an error message if you are using Vista:   "Windows XP Game Advisor requires the use of the Windows 98/ME/2000/XP operating system and the Internet Explorer 6 browser."

I’m confused.  Do you or do you not want me to run Vista?

1.  Limited or no third party developers are using GFW - Live. 

This is the biggest problem that gamers (and perhaps Microsoft) will have with GFW – Live.  It looks like Microsoft Game Studios is the only one using GFW – Live.  Shadowrun and HALO 2 (PC) are both products of Microsoft Game Studios.  Great, but where are the Valve's, the iD's, the Ubisoft’s?  There are a lot of major PC games hitting the market soon (Quake Wars, Medal of Honor, Assassin’s Creed, and perhaps Unreal Tournament 3).  How can GFW – Live make it when Valve’s Steam grows in popularity and major games like Starcraft II don’t have GFW – Live support.  The hit games are out there.  The hit services are out there.  How is Microsoft going to win the PC gamer over?  The current version of GFW – Live won’t do it.  There’s only two Games for Windows – Live titles.  Go to the gamesforwindows.com website and you won’t see any other GFW – Live titles mentioned.  Will there be any more GFW – Live titles launched this year?

Those are my top 10 issues with Games for Windows – Live.  (Please digg the article here or by clicking the button below). I think that most people that use GFW – Live will see them as at least small problems.  Bottomlines:

1. If you are coming from XBOX Live to Games for Windows - Live you may be severly disappointed with the lack of features in the PC version of Live. XBOX Live has it so much better.
2. If you are not coming from XBOX Live but from traditional PC gaming, you may be severly disappointed that you are paying $50 per year for features that you can get for free with other applications. The only reason I see that one should use GFW - Live is to unlock achievements. But achievements aren't something that PC gamers are used to anyway.

I personally have more problems than these.  Here is a major problem that I and a few others are having: 

Games for Windows – Live reboots my modem.  My modem (a Linksys WCG200 recommend by Comcast) reboots periodically when trying to connect or after connecting to GFW – Live.  It took me two hours to download my XBOX Live profile to my computer.  Why?  Because my modem would reset over and over.  This bug was reported during the GFW – Live beta.  It happens in Bug Bash and HALO 2 (PC), both using GFW – Live.  So, it only happens when GFW – Live is being used.

This is a problem for me because I have other devices and computers connected to the internet. My VOIP can’t go down.  It needs to stay up.  And it is always up, until I play a GFW – Live title.  My wife’s wireless laptop and XBOX 360 also get kicked offline when playing GFW – Live titles.

This happens from multiple computers on the same network with GFW – Live titles.

Microsoft’s unofficial response:  Call Linksys or Comcast to get the latest firmware for my modem. 

My response:  I’ve got the latest firmware.  Your software is the only software that caused my modem to reboot.  This has been confirmed to happen on different machines running GFW – Live titles.  Yes, I’ve been Microsoft’s Knowledge base and manually installed an update to GFW – Live.

And it’s not just me.  Other users have posted to forums about this problems.  Additionally, my friends that come over to use GFW – Live experience the same problem on multiple computers.

Update: It has been found. Someone posted the screenshot.

Amazing. Now we are getting reports that HALO 2 (PC) has been recalled do to partial nudity.

“It has come to our attention that an unfortunate, obscure content error which includes partial nudity was included in our initial production of “Halo 2” for Windows Vista. As such, we have updated the initial game packaging at retailers with a label, so customers are aware before purchasing the game. Additionally, we’ve developed an online update which can be downloaded from www.halo2.com to remove the content.” (via Next-Gen)

HALO 2 (PC) is getting off to a rocky start. My halo2pc.org forum is full of people complaining. Those that have the game are complaining about technical problems with the game and Games for Windows - Live. Those without the game are complaining that the game is delayed. Now this. I guess it will result in more sales, though. I mean...it's going to get a ton of free publicity.

BTW: I found an old Easter Egg the other day when playing through the campaign. Do Easter Egg's like these HURT the game by causing the ESRB to think: "Hmm. They put this obscure graphic in the game. I wonder what else they can do. Better look really close. Decompile that source code!"

(click image for hi-res version)