Microsoft announces Xbox games for Windows 8

Microsoft is aiming to increase the integration between its video game console and the different platforms its Windows 8 OS will run on. The software giant recently announced a bunch of Xbox games for Windows 8. These games would be available from October 26, the date of the operating system’s launch.

The games would be playable through the Xbox Games app that would come preinstalled with Windows 8. You can select from 32 games through the app, some of which include Angry Birds, Collateral Damage, Dragon’s Lair, Fruit Ninja, Zombies!!!, and Gravity Guy.

In addition, all Xbox games for Windows 8 will have Xbox achievements, and many will also take advantage of other Xbox features, including leaderboards, multiplayer modes, connecting with friends and more.

Here’s the complete list of Xbox games supported for Windows 8:
4 Elements II Special Edition
A World of Keflings
Angry Birds
Angry Birds Space
Big Buck Hunter Pro
BlazBlue Calamity Trigger
Collateral Damage
Crash Course GO
Cut the Rope
Disney Fairies
Dragon's Lair
Field & Stream Fishing
Fruit Ninja
Gravity Guy
Gunstringer: Dead Man Running
IloMilo
iStunt 2
Jetpack Joyride
Kinectimals Unleashed
Monster Island
PAC-MAN Championship DX Edition DX
Pinball FX 2
Reckless Racing Ultimate
Rocket Riot 3D
Shark Dash
Shuffle Party
Skulls of the Shogun
Taptiles
Team Crossword
The Harvest HD
Toy Soldiers Cold War
Zombies!!!

“Xbox games on Windows brings you a growing portfolio that spans genres and delivers fun-to-play titles playable on any Windows 8 PC, laptop or tablet. Find games you already know and love, including 29 titles from Microsoft Studios, some of which will be exclusive to Windows 8,” reads the post on xbox.com.

The game brand Xbox Windows for the Windows 8 operating system and for the Microsoft Surface tablet is scheduled to release along with Windows 8. Microsoft had earlier said that it would not abandon Games for Windows Live, but it now seems that the service will take a back seat with the release of Windows 8.

Windows 8 seems to be attracting a lot of flak from game developers. We had previously reported that John Carmack, co-founder of id Software, said during his keynote speech at QuakeCon this year that he wasn’t very keen on Windows 8. Carmack said that he and his team had worked with Windows XP “until the bitter end”. He added, "Windows XP did everything we needed for quite a while".

CEO of Valve, Gabe Newell, is one of the first developers to have spoken about the upcoming OS being a “catastrophe” for gaming." He said, “I think that Windows 8 is kind of a catastrophe for everybody in the PC space. I think that we’re going to lose some of the top-tier PC [original equipment manufacturers]. They’ll exit the market. I think margins are going to be destroyed for a bunch of people”.