Vista shipped six months ago, but new titles for it and DirectX 10 have been slow in coming.
Microsoft says the crop of upcoming games will knock gamers' socks off. Here's a sampling of some of the games already out for the new platform -- and the ones due out sometime this year.
--Kristin Kalning";
games_vista_dx10[i++] = new Array("","'Halo 2' for PC","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070629/VistaGameBrill/Halo2_Bungie.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Bungie", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
games_vista_dx10[i-1].body = "
'Halo 2' for PC
Microsoft launched this game, phenomenally successful on the Xbox, to PC users in late May. But critics say a three-year-old port is not likely to convince users to upgrade to Vista or DirectX 10. ";
games_vista_dx10[i++] = new Array("","'Shadowrun'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070629/VistaGameBrill/Shadowrun1_Microsoft.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Microsoft", "198", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
games_vista_dx10[i-1].body = "
'Shadowrun'
Critics and audiences gave lukewarm reviews to the game rendition of this popular pen-and-paper role-playing game. But it was one of the first titles to let PC and Xbox 360 players battle it out online.
";
games_vista_dx10[i++] = new Array("","'Flight Simulator X'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070629/VistaGameBrill/070629_flightSim_01.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Microsoft", "234", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
games_vista_dx10[i-1].body = "
'Flight Simulator X'
Not a pilot? You can play one on your PC. The latest version of this popular, long-lived Microsoft franchise supports both Windows XP and Windows Vista. "; games_vista_dx10[i++] = new Array("","'Lost Planet'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070629/VistaGameBrill/lostplanet_Capcom.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Capcom", "", "239", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); games_vista_dx10[i-1].body = "'Lost Planet'
This third-person shooter from Capcom features the amnesiac character Wayne Holden lost on the icy planet of E.D.N. III. Originally released as an Xbox 360 title earlier this year, \"Lost Planet\" shipped for the PC on June 26. ";
games_vista_dx10[i++] = new Array("","'Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070629/VistaGameBrill/Age%20of%20Conan2_Funcom.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Funcom", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
games_vista_dx10[i-1].body = "
'Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures
This massively multiplayer online game from Funcom is frequently touted by Microsoft as one of the most anticipated titles for the new PC platform. Gamers will have a bit of a wait, though: 'Age of Conan' is not due out until October 30, 2007.
";
games_vista_dx10[i++] = new Array("","'BioShock'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070629/VistaGameBrill/bio4_2Kgames.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "2K Games", "239", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
games_vista_dx10[i-1].body = "
'Bioshock'
\"BioShock\" is known as the \"spiritual successor\" to the popular 1999 PC game \"System Shock 2.\" In it, gamers fend off marauding genetically mutated citizens of an undersea utopia gone horribly wrong. "; games_vista_dx10[i++] = new Array("","'Company of Heroes'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070629/VistaGameBrill/company_of_heroes_THQ.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "THQ", "273", "366", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); games_vista_dx10[i-1].body = "'Company of Heroes'
This real-time strategy game set in World War II has received almost universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike.
This game, released in September 2006, was engineered to work on both Windows XP and Windows Vista. "; games_vista_dx10[i++] = new Array("","'Hellgate: London'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070629/VistaGameBrill/Hellgate_London3_FlagshipStudios.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Flagship Studios", "", "272", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); games_vista_dx10[i-1].body = "'Hellgate: London'
This role-playing game set in a post-apocalytic London is the first title from Flagship Studios, founded in 2003 by the original creators of Blizzard's \"Diablo\" series. That legacy has kept fan interest high in this yet-to-be-released game, which is currently due out in the fall. "; games_vista_dx10[i++] = new Array("","'World in Conflict'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070629/VistaGameBrill/WorldinConflict2_Sierra%20Entertainment.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Sierra Entertainment", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); games_vista_dx10[i-1].body = "'World in Conflict'
What if the Berlin Wall never fell? This real-time strategy game, created by best-selling author Larry Bond, begins in 1989 with the Soviets rolling into Western Europe. This title is set to release both on the Xbox 360 and the PC.
";
games_vista_dx10[i++] = new Array("","'Crysis'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070629/VistaGameBrill/Crysis2_Crytek.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Crytek", "", "254", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
games_vista_dx10[i-1].body = "'Crysis'
Crytek -- and Microsoft -- are promising mind-blowing performance and cutting-edge graphics from \"Crysis,\" easily the most-anticipated DirectX 10 title to date. Will it live up to the hype?
The game is currently projected to ship in September. "; // END editorial data