Игры на windows vista стандартные

Windows Vista — это одна из версий операционной системы Windows компании Microsoft, которая была выпущена в 2006 году. Она предлагала множество новых функций и улучшений по сравнению с предыдущей версией Windows XP. Одним из ярких нововведений в Windows Vista стали стандартные игры, которые включали в себя различные популярные жанры и способствовали развлечению пользователей.

Но что делать, если у вас установлена операционная система Windows XP, и вы хотите насладиться играми, доступными только в Windows Vista? Есть решение — вы можете скачать и установить эти игры на свой компьютер с Windows XP, и это абсолютно бесплатно и без необходимости проходить регистрацию!

Существует множество онлайн-ресурсов, где можно скачать игры для Windows Vista и установить их на свой компьютер с Windows XP. Некоторые из этих ресурсов предлагают все стандартные игры Windows Vista в одном удобном пакете. Такой пакет может включать в себя такие игры, как «Паук», «Свой путь», «Черепашка-бегун», «Шахматы» и многие другие.

Скачивание и установка этих игр — простой процесс, который займет всего несколько минут. Вам просто потребуется скачать файл установки игры, запустить его на своем компьютере и следовать инструкциям на экране. Вскоре вы сможете наслаждаться игрой как настоящий пользователь Windows Vista!

Так что если вы хотите попробовать стандартные игры Windows Vista, но они не доступны на вашем компьютере с операционной системой Windows XP, не отчаивайтесь! Существуют ресурсы, где можно скачать эти игры бесплатно и без необходимости проходить регистрацию. Установите их на свой компьютер, и погрузитесь в мир развлечений, предлагаемый Windows Vista!

Восстановление популярных игр

Одним из важных аспектов операционной системы Windows Vista была наличие стандартных игр, которые пришли на смену любимым играм в Windows XP. Однако, пользователи Windows XP не могли воспользоваться этими играми, так как они были доступны только для Vista.

Тем не менее, существуют способы восстановить эти популярные игры и на компьютерах, работающих на Windows XP. Один из этих способов — установка специального пакета игр, который предлагает стандартные игры Vista для пользователя системы Windows XP.

Этот пакет игр можно скачать бесплатно и без регистрации на различных интернет-ресурсах, посвященных программному обеспечению. В нем содержатся все популярные игры Vista, такие как Шахматы, Косынка, Паук, Судоку, Гексомино, Межик и другие.

Установка пакета игр на компьютер с Windows XP проста и интуитивно понятна. После загрузки и установки пакета, пользователь может наслаждаться игрой в любое время, не зависимо от версии операционной системы.

Восстановление популярных игр из Windows Vista для Windows XP на русском языке доступно каждому пользователю, кто хочет вернуться к знакомым и любимым развлечениям. Установка пакета игр даст возможность насладиться игрой в любое удобное время и почувствовать себя виртуальным геймером.

Преимущества установки игр Windows Vista на Windows XP

Установка игр Windows Vista на Windows XP имеет несколько преимуществ, которые могут заинтересовать пользователей.

1. Расширенные графические возможности. Игры Windows Vista могут использовать новые графические эффекты, такие как прозрачность окон, тени и анимации, которые делают игровой процесс более реалистичным и привлекательным.
2. Улучшенная совместимость. Благодаря возможности установить игры Windows Vista на Windows XP, пользователи имеют доступ к широкому выбору игр, которые изначально были разработаны для более новой операционной системы. Это позволяет расширить игровую библиотеку и наслаждаться играми, которые ранее были недоступны.
3. Обновленные функциональные возможности. Игры Windows Vista могут включать в себя новые возможности и улучшения, которых нет в стандартных играх для Windows XP. Это может включать в себя новые режимы игры, улучшенные графические эффекты, дополнительные уровни сложности и многое другое.
4. Поддержка новых технологий. Игры Windows Vista могут использовать новые технологии, такие как DirectX 10, что может привести к более плавным и реалистичным графическим эффектам. Это может улучшить игровой опыт и сделать игры более привлекательными для пользователей.
5. Доступность бесплатно и без регистрации. Игры Windows Vista для Windows XP на русском языке доступны для скачивания бесплатно и без регистрации. Это позволяет пользователям легко получить доступ к этим играм и наслаждаться ими без необходимости покупки или регистрации.

Установка игр Windows Vista на Windows XP является отличным способом расширить игровой опыт и насладиться новыми возможностями, предлагаемыми этими играми. Пользователи могут наслаждаться улучшенной графикой, расширенными функциональными возможностями и доступными бесплатно и без регистрации играми.

Процесс установки игр Windows Vista на Windows XP

Если вы хотите насладиться играми Windows Vista на операционной системе Windows XP, вам потребуется выполнить несколько простых шагов:

1. Загрузите файлы игр на компьютер.

Перейдите на официальный сайт, предлагающий бесплатно загрузить игры Windows Vista для Windows XP на русском языке. Найдите нужные игры и скачайте их на свой компьютер.

2. Распакуйте архив с играми.

После загрузки файлов вам потребуется распаковать архив с играми. Используйте программу для архивации, например, WinRAR или 7-Zip, чтобы извлечь файлы из скачанного архива.

3. Установите игры на компьютер.

Запустите установочный файл каждой игры, следуйте инструкциям на экране и установите игры на свой компьютер. Обычно процесс установки стандартных игр Windows Vista для Windows XP на русском языке не требует дополнительных настроек или специальных действий.

4. Запустите игры после установки.

После завершения процесса установки найдите ярлык каждой игры на рабочем столе или в меню «Пуск». Щелкните на ярлыке, чтобы запустить игру. Убедитесь, что ваш компьютер соответствует минимальным требованиям системы для запуска игр Windows Vista.

5. Наслаждайтесь играми Windows Vista на Windows XP!

Теперь у вас есть возможность играть в стандартные игры Windows Vista на своем компьютере с операционной системой Windows XP. Радуйтесь новым возможностям и наслаждайтесь игровым процессом!

Бесплатная и безрегистрационная загрузка

Для загрузки игры достаточно перейти на страницу ее описания и нажать кнопку «Скачать». Вам не придется заполнять никакие формы регистрации или вносить платежные данные — все игры доступны для скачивания в один клик.

Мы также гарантируем, что загрузка игр с нашего сайта является полностью безопасной и несет минимальные риски для вашего компьютера. Все игры периодически проверяются на наличие вирусов и других вредоносных программ, чтобы обеспечить защиту ваших данных и устройства.

Так что если вы хотите попробовать классические игры Windows Vista на своем компьютере с операционной системой Windows XP, просто выберите игру по своему вкусу и начинайте играть — все абсолютно бесплатно и без необходимости регистрации!

Windows Vista. XP’s full retard autistic cousin. Not many games were made exclusively for this platform because Vista is slow, unreliable and unstable. Due to these issues, Microsoft quickly threw Vista under the bus and made a newer, faster and more sleek version of their OS, Windows 7.

PC GAEMS FROM 2007 TO 2008

Picture	Title	Genre	Description	Where To Buy
	Aquaria	Metroidvania	Massive award-winning indie title created by Spelunky programmer Derek Yu and Crayon Physics Deluxe composer Alec Holowka. Aquaria features huge underwater environments with an emphasis on exploration, challenging-but-not-stupid boss battles and an absolutely phenomenal soundtrack. Before you ask: yes, there is a nude mod. An absolute must-have for any Metroidvania fan.	Steam GOG
	Audiosurf	Rhythm	A block-matching puzzle-type game, where the levels are generated completely from whatever music tracks you choose to play.Fast music gets you quick and hectic stages, while slow music lets you ride easy. Excellent replay value, since unlike other music games, you’re only limited by the size of your music collection.Also comes with a set of downloadable music updated regularly if you’re a boring person and don’t have your own music, and you can scrobble the music you play to last.fm if you’re a faggot.	Steam
	Bionic Commando Rearmed	Platformer	A remake of the 1988 classic for Nintendo Entertainment System. Features HD graphics (enjoy your bloom).	Steam
	Bioshock	FPS	The spiritual successor to System Shock (though more on the FPS side of FPS/RPG), set in a failed undersea city. Very atmospheric, can get pretty creepy, and has a pretty decent storyline. Also can be used as a crash course in Objectivism.	Steam
	Cortex Command	Action RTS	A crazy RTS-like-side-scrolling 2-dimensional game in which your objective is to defend your brain by controlling an army of hivemind robots. You manually control a single robot at a time but can freely switch bodies at any moment. Features a campaign (unfinished) and split screen co-op with up to four players, in which you must defend your brain for as long as possible. Also boasts a massive amount of mods which add new weapons and levels. Has an active modding community linked in the main site, but beware, they’re the most cancerous forumites you’ll meet.	Steam
	Cryostasis	FPS / Survival Horror	You are Alexander Nesterov, a Russian meteorologist, tasked to investigate the North Wind, a nuclear icebreaker that has become shipwrecked near the North Pole. It soon becomes clear that he is not alone, as the crew as undergone a strange metamorphosis. Has a really nice atmosphere (especially if you like the feeling of solitude in horror games) and a unique gameplay mechanic known as the Mental Echo. Sometimes you encounter dead crewmen and can change their fate by seeing the last moments of their life and correcting the mistakes that lead to their death, thus changing circumstances in the present, such as unlocking a door.
	Crysis	FPS	It is 2020, North Korean forces have taken over some Pacific archipelago, and a nanosuit-clad squad is sent to rescue American archeologists from there. But they find something there that could change the world… or, more aptly, something there finds them. People used to joke that Crysis is a benchmark tool, not a game, since you needed a monster of a PC to run it well. But now that technology has caught up, we all can see what a beaut it is! You have a lot of leeway to explore the absurdly detailed island by using the nanosuit’s powers. And if your PC is truly a beast, look into various mods to make it even more impressive. The sidequel, Crysis Warhead, is also well worth it, adding more of the same with some extra weapons. The other sequels are also very good, but tend to get flack for being more linear. Also for X360/PS3, but the graphics were seriously pared down.[1]	GOG Steam
	Dead Space	TPS	A well-made third person shooter set in space (of all places) fighting space zombies (of all things). Notable for its dismemberment mechanic, where to kill an enemy, you have to cut their limbs off. Also, it has no HUD, instead displaying all relevant information inside the game. Uses some good scare tactics, but misses out on some opportunities it had. Also on 360 and PS3.	GOG Steam
	Elona	Roguelike	Wacky eastern roguelike/fantasy life sim that pretends its from the west. Easier than probably every other roguelike, but offers a shit ton more stuff to do other than dungeon crawl. Also, Shena’s ass is the best.	Free
	Europa Universalis 3	Strategy	A very good game that lets you play as any country in between 1399 and 1820, and unlike other paradox games this one actually has some tutorials in it! You can take little known countries like Ryukyu and make them into giant empires that cover the world, or take giant empires that cover the world and keep it from falling into decay and destruction, like the Timurid empire, or to a lesser extent the Byzantine empire. It is much easier to play than paradoxes other games and you can (after doing the tutorials) jump right in and if you still have any confusion you can just read the EU3 wiki.Oh and make sure to get Europa Universalis 3: Chronicles, otherwise you’ll be missing out on ALOT	GOG Steam
	Fallout 3	RPG/FPS	Beginning with your father asking you what gender you are (and the option to change your mind at the age of 19), this sandbox RPG has been described as Bethesda’s Oblivion, but with guns. Explore a post-apocalyptic wasteland as the Lone Wanderer after escaping the Vault your father left you to die in. Butthurt optional. Adds Karma to the mix, allowing you to be either a saint or a total asshole who enslaves children and blows up a town. Obtaining the Game of the Year Edition is highly recommended, as there are a number of excellent DLC quests, as well as the Broken Steel expansion, which allows the game to continue after the original ending. Also available on PS3 and 360.As usual, has a HUGE modding scene, which can be abused to dramatically improve your gaming experience, but isn’t for everybody, since you probably will have to read a bunch of stuff in order to not fuck up your game. DISCLAIMER: If you are a big fan and loved Fallout 1 and 2, you might be disappointed in this game. Just treat it as «Oblivion with guns.» For something more in line with the classics, play Wasteland 2.	GOG Steam
	Fortune Summoners: Secret of the Elemental Stone	RPG	From the localizers of Recettear, created by Lizsoft, recentley translated and put on Steam. Arche, having moved to a new home in the town of Tonkiness, ended up attending the only school in the area. It is the school for children aspiring to be magic users: the Minasa-Ratis Magic School. Despite the innocent appearance of the game, the gameplay itself is quite unforgiving, requires you to think and use what abilities you are given in order to win so button mashing doesn’t work. The combat is very fun and you can switch between any of the party members, all have a different set of abilities.	Steam
	Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved	Shoot ‘Em Up	Fun and flashy arcade-style shooter with graphics that might just give epileptics something to wave their arms about.	Steam
	King’s Bounty: The Legend	RPG / Strategy	Rrrruskie RPG/Strategy hybrid (NOT SRPG). There are stats, classes and items for your hero, but combat plays out like a SRPG with different troops beating the shit out of each other. Good fun.	GOG Steam
	Left 4 Dead	FPS	Co-operative multiplayer FPS involving zombie hordes and an AI «Director» that creates situations intelligently based on the players’ conditions and actions. Headshots are superb, and the game can feel wonderfully epic when the numbers of attacking zombies reaches its peak. Casual, but due to being easily accessible for all gamers, lots of unobtrusive hand-holding and non-competitive gameplay make it a great entry point for getting friends and family away from the Wii and into ‘real’ gaming.	Steam
	Mass Effect	RPG / TPS	You play Commander Shepard in Bioware’s first fully voice-acted game. The gameplay is a not-always-polished hybrid of an RPG and a third-person cover shooter, with technological and ‘biotic’ (psychic) abilities usable by certain classes. The game has a well-structured narrative and draws heavily from 70’s/80’s sci-fi. Highlights include the detailed lore which paints the Mass Effect universe as particularly hard sci-fi and the wide variety of equipment customization, along with the ‘feeling’ of an epic space opera. Downsides include the clunky interface which gets cluttered with hundreds of nearly-identical guns, a lack of strong variation in sidequests, and simplified role-playing compared to previous Bioware games. It was Bioware’s last game as an independent company, before becoming a subsidiary of EA. Take that as you will. Also available on Xbox 360.	Steam
	Mount & Blade	Action / RPG / Sim	Recently re-released as Warband, with a new faction. Extremely active mod community. Roam around a large world, equipping a small army, and unique companions, to fight for your king- or for yourself. Siege castles and pillage towns, compete in tournaments or charge into battle with as many as 150 or more troops on the battlefield.	GOG Steam
	Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer	RPG	Despite the disappointing original campaign, Neverwinter Nights 2’s first expansion pack, Mask of the Betrayer, provides one of the most compelling and intriguing stories since Planescape: Torment. Cursed with an insatiable, spiritual hunger that devours you from within, you must attempt to put an end to your condition, a quest that, depending on your decisions, can propel you to utter damnation or unimaginable power. Thanks to Obsidian’s knack for writing, those decisions include a whole host of exciting and believable evil choices that never fall into the usual clichés.	GOG
	Overlord	Action / Adventure / Strategy	Take the role of the titular evil Overlord and command a legion of gremlin-like minions to take over the world and defeat seven corrupted heroes. Plays pretty much like the Gamecube game Pikmin, but with more attention towards the action-adventure part. Lots of tongue-in-cheek humor and some good puzzles inbetween looting and pillaging. As for the strategic elements, this game WILL punish you for acting recklessly, specially on the Legendary difficulty: Rushing into battle alone is a sure way to get yourself killed, just like mindless sending minions against large groups of enemies is guaranteed to thin your troops quickly, since it doesn’t take long for the game to introduce enemies with special moves that can kill dozens of critters with a single hit, if they are close enough. The expansion, Raising Hell, adds a few new areas and a new endgame that ties the story into Overlord II.	GOG Steam
	Penumbra: Black Plague	Survival Horror / Adventure	Continuing the story, you can expect more of the same mindfucking and puzzles, except now there’s no combat, fuckers. Best be learning how to run.	Steam
	Penumbra: Overture	Survival Horror / FPS / Adventure	A FPS set in 2000 where a scientist is led to Greenland in search of his dead father. He falls into a mineshaft where he is only equipped with a flashlight(which runs on batteries) and a glowstick. The game blends a very unique physics element where you must click and drag items to pull them open/closed. Enemies include wolves, giant spiders, giant worms, and humanoid like creatures. Only weapons are a pipe and hammer. Has tons of puzzles.	Steam
	Portal	Puzzle	You’re a «volunteer» at an experimental research facility managed by an AI who is lacking in ethics and doubtful sanity. Your job is to test a device that can connect two surfaces together. You are promised cake if you complete the tests successfully (spoiler: the cake is horrible-screaming-death flavoured).	Steam
	Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale	RPG, Sim	YOU PLAY AS AN ADORABLE LOLI. Your adventurer father has run off and left you in debt. To pay it off, you have to open an item shop for the adventurers of the world to shop in. Manage sales, special orders and the store layout, hire heroes to explore dungeons and find treasure, try to survive against the ever-increasing weekly payments. Deciding which items to sell and which to equip on your heroes is an important factor. A really charming and original game.	GOG Steam
	S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl + Clear Sky + Call of Pripyat	FPS	A very atmospheric game. Amazing FPS with freedom being the key gameplay element. Explore the forbidden zone scavenging and bartering for weapons and items etc, taking missions, and trying to avoid all the seriously fucked up shit that is going down near Chernobyl. Has some great mods, such as AMK, L.U.R.K and Complete, that overhaul the game. Hard as balls. No, don’t get Oblivion Lost, it stole features from AMK. Don’t even get the «Complete» mods either as they tend to fuck the game up a lot. For first playthroughs, you should check out the Starter Pack for SoC. The sequels are more of the same as the first but with improved graphics and minor gameplay differences here and there. Play the three of them by the order seen on the title for INFINITE PLEASURE. Get the Sky Reclamation Project mod for CS. CoP doesn’t really need mods for first playthroughs since it is, for the most part, polished enough as it is, though be on the look out for some anyway. Now, get out of here, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.	Shadow of Chernobyl Clear Sky Call of Pripyat
	Sins of a Solar Empire	RTS	Epic scale RTS. Control one of three factions and try to annihilate your opponents. The map is arranged into a web of specific zones like planets, asteroids, stars etc interconnected by phase lines, in other words routes connecting the said zones. You colonize, upgrade planets; build defenses; manage fleets etc. Shit gets crazy with large maps as you try to strategically place your fleets and defenses. However, could use some more unit diversity. Nonetheless definitely for the seasoned RTS veteran. Note the slow game process (a short game can go for up to 5 hours). Also has space pirates. Recently re-released as Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, which is a stand-alone expansion that enhances and adds much and includes all of the previous expansions along with the original game	Steam
	Team Fortress 2	FPS	Arguably the most fun of any multiplayer game with cartoonish graphics and game-play filled with constant explosions and hats pure chaos. Goes great with loud music. /v/ has an active server as well. Free to play.	Steam
	The Void/TENSION/Typrop (RUS)	Mindfuck, Survival-Adventure, Horror	Another weird game by the creators of Pathologic. You end up in some sort of limbo land, where you’re not being told shit and better start wrapping your head around the place as you are quickly dying, time stripping away color from your body. Enigmatic naked Sisters are your only guides in this very bleak and desolate place… At least if you can reach them before starving, or being confronted by their much less friendly counterparts. It’s grim, even in the later parts of the game when crazy shit keeps happening, relying more on eeriness than full-on horror (which is technically inexistent here). Most players starve out of color in their first attempt, but the further you are in the game, the harder it is to become really stuck, while paradoxically your prospects for survival become always dimmer and dimmer, hence the titular «tension». Little-known yet awesome game. Note: It’s quite tough: Survival and resource management are a essential part of the core-gameplay and despite the great atmosphere, things might get rage-inducing at times. If you’re having trouble, this guide has some tips that might help without spoiling too much.	Steam
	The Witcher	RPG	One of the best Hack-and-Slash RPGs to come out in recent years. Based off of The Witcher novels, which are recommended to be read before playing this game. Great combo based battle system, and a very well done story make this game well worth playing. NOTE: if you have the original boxed release, be sure to get the Enhanced Edition patch, it’s free and a massive improvement, adding tons of bug fixes, faster loading, improved script, voice acting, and generally makes the game much better. Also, boobs.	GOG Steam
	X3: Terran Conflict	BIG Space Sim	One of the best space simulators, you fly ships (any ships, from small to capitals), you trade, you fight, you build your own stations ( and empire ) you do missions, you pirate, you hire pilots to do things for you ( like sending them on trading runs ). Learning curve like in dwarf fortress, but its worth it. Note: This game is a bitch to play. Your starting ship is a piece of shit if you play custom games.	GOG Steam

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A guide to all of the games that come with Windows Vista

Updated on September 11, 2020

All versions of Windows Vista come preloaded with free games. Some of the games are updated versions of classics (like chess), while others are completely original. If you no longer have Vista installed, you can still play all of these games on the web, and some are even included with Windows 10.

Information in this article applies to all versions of Windows Vista including the Home and Enterprise editions.

Which Games Come With Windows Vista?

The games available depend on which version of Vista you’re running:

• Vista Home Basic and Starter editions include FreeCell, Hearts, Minesweeper, Purble Place, Solitaire, and Spider Solitaire.
• Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions include the games listed above as well as Chess Titans, InkBall, and Mahjong Titans.

To find your games, open the Start Menu and select All Programs > Games > Games Explorer.

Mahjong Titans

Mahjong Titans is a form of solitaire that is played with tiles instead of cards. The object of this game is for a player to remove all tiles from the board by finding matching pairs.

To remove tiles, they must be «free», meaning they can slide free of the pile without bumping into other tiles. The class and number (or letter) of the tiles must be the same. In addition to the three main classes, there are unique tiles on the board (Winds, Flowers, Dragons, and Seasons) that must be matched.

Purble Place

Purble Place is a set of three educational games for children: Purble Pairs, Comfy Cakes, and Purble Shop. These games teach colors, shapes, and pattern recognition in entertaining and challenging ways.

Purble Pairs is a memory game where the goal is to remove all the tiles from the board by finding matching pairs. Comfy Cakes challenges players to replicate cake decoration patterns, and Purble Shop is a logic game similar to Guess Who.

InkBall

The object of InkBall is to sink all colored balls into the matching colored holes. The game ends when a ball enters the hole of a different color, or the game timer runs out. Players draw ink strokes to stop balls from entering the wrong holes and pointing them in the right direction. Gray balls can enter any color hole, and a gray hole can accept any color ball, but no points are awarded.

When a ball bounces off an ink stroke, a wall, or another ball, it does so at the same angle that it struck. An ink stroke will disappear when a ball hits it. If you raise the level of difficulty, ball speed will increase, and there will be more balls, holes, and more complex boards.

Chess Titans

Chess Titans is a complex strategy game. Winning requires planning moves ahead, watching your opponent, and making changes to your strategy as the game progresses. The object is to put your opponent’s king in checkmate. The more of your opponent’s pieces you capture, the more vulnerable that king becomes. Playing Chess Titans is an excellent way to learn the game of chess as you can undo your previous moves when in a pinch.

Solitaire

Solitaire is the classic seven-column card game you play by yourself. The object of the game is to organize all cards by suit in sequential order (from Ace to King) in the upper-right corner on the screen. You accomplish this by shuffling cards between alternating columns of red and black cards. Drag one card on top of another to make your move.

Spider Solitaire

Spider Solitaire is a two-deck solitaire game. The object of Spider Solitaire is to remove all cards from the ten stacks at the top of the window in the fewest number of moves. To remove cards, transfer the cards from one column to another until you line up a suit of cards in order from King to Ace. When you line up a complete suit, those cards are removed.

FreeCell

FreeCell is another solitaire-type card game that has been a staple of Windows operating systems. To win, the player must move all cards to the four home cells. Each home cell holds a suit of cards in ascending order, beginning with the Ace. Since cards are dealt face up at the start of the game, FreeCell is easier than traditional solitaire for beginners.

Minesweeper

Minesweeper is a game of memory, reasoning, and luck. The object is to reveal the entire game board while avoiding concealed mines. As the player turns over blank squares, clues are given regarding the proximity of nearby mines. If a player clicks on a mine, the game is over. Since your first move is always a blind guess, that means the game can end as soon as it begins

Hearts

In the Windows Vista version of Hearts, one player challenges three other virtual players simulated by the computer. To win the game, the player must get rid of all their cards while avoiding points. Points are scored whenever you draw a heart card or the queen of spades. As soon as one player has more than 100 points, the player with the lowest score wins.

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By James Yu — posted July 24, 2006

The expensive games usually get all the attention at GameSpot, but we wanted to take a look at the Windows Vista games that will be responsible for countless hours of wasted productivity through the end of the decade. Windows Vista’s updated DirectX 10 API promises to give us better-looking and better-playing games by allowing game developers to get more performance out of the PC system, but Vista isn’t only going to help improve those $50 games. Microsoft will update Windows’s collection of casual games, which includes old standbys such as Minesweeper, FreeCell, and Solitaire, and Vista will also introduce completely new games including Chess Titans, Mahjong Titans, and Purble Place, which are designed to appeal to a large, global audience.

Mouse over each image to see comparison shots. The updated Windows Vista games have XP comparison shots, and the new Vista games have alternate shots.

Solitaire

The Windows team decided that it was time to overhaul its game collection by updating the user interface and unifying the design style to make the games worthy of the new AeroGlass desktop theme. Solitaire offers the same core gameplay mechanics that we’re accustomed to in the current version, but it also has new graphics and supports Windows Vista’s new Games Explorer display window, which features game box shots and vital stats such as publisher, developer, and ESRB rating.

FreeCell

FreeCell also has a new look, but the game still retains the core gameplay first introduced to players in Windows 95. One major change in the Vista version is a new «undo» command that lets you take back moves, which you can abuse to go all the way back to the start of the game if you want. The undo function appears in several of the other card-based games, as well as Mahjong Titans and Chess Titans.

Spider Solitaire

Vista breaks out two 3D card decks for Spider Solitaire. Select your difficulty level and take advantage of the new «hint» option if you get stuck. Many of the games feature a hint option that will highlight open moves for you to take in case you get stuck. Using hints in Spider Solitaire will make sure you’ve exhausted all of your options before dealing out another layer.

Discuss: What’s your favorite built-in Windows game? What games are you looking forward to the most in Vista? What’s your best Minesweeper time at intermediate?

Hearts

Pass hearts to other players and avoid the queen of spades at all costs. Be careful when you attempt to shoot the moon (gather all the hearts and the queen of spades)—the undo menu option isn’t available in this game. Microsoft is working with casual-game developers to help them produce high-quality games that users will expect to see on the Vista platform. Hearts has a polished look and, like the other Vista games, offers robust saved-game options and advanced game statistics.

Minesweeper

Minesweeper is largely the same, but the new animations add some excitement to the desktop classic. Now when you accidentally uncover a mine, the game reveals all the remaining bombs and detonates them sequentially starting with the closest mines. The whole explosion sequence is much more dramatic than the simple unhappy face we get in Windows XP.

Chess Titans

Chess Titans, a 3D version of the classic board game, joins Solitaire, FreeCell, Minesweeper, and Hearts to form the core of Windows Vista’s casual game collection. The game’s 3D display angles show off the beautifully rendered chess pieces. You can play against a human opponent, or the computer, which can be set to 10 different levels of difficulty. Chess Titans is a great game, but it has one major catch: It doesn’t come in the Home Basic version of Windows Vista. You’ll have to pony up the extra bucks to get a Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate edition of Windows Vista to get Chess Titans.

Discuss: What’s your favorite built-in Windows game? What games are you looking forward to the most in Vista? What’s your best Minesweeper time at intermediate?

Mahjong Titans

Mahjong Titans is based on the Mahjong solitaire tile-matching game, not the four-player gin-rummy-like game played in many Chinese and Jewish-American households. The game offers six different game layouts, with tiles spread across the table several layers deep. The goal of the game is to remove all the tiles from the board. Match two exposed tiles to remove them from play. Exposed tiles have empty space to the left or right and mostly lie along the edges of each layout. The rules are fairly basic, but there’s strategy involved in selecting which tiles to match. Poor decisions could lead to locked boards without any available matches (that’s when you use the undo option). As with Chess Titans, Mahjong Titans is only available in the non-Home Basic versions of Vista.

Purble Place

If you’re an elementary-school-aged child whose likes include cakes, matching games, basic pattern recognition, and practicing the process of elimination, then Purble Place is the Windows Vista game for you. The game consists of three minigames—Purble Pairs, Comfy Cakes, and Purble Shop—that all share the same nonthreatening Purble visual style.

Purble Pairs is a basic memory game that has you matching tiles on the board. However, the game adds some twists with special tiles that modify the board or grant bonuses when matched. You can also earn «sneak peek» tokens that let you view the entire board for a brief period of time. Comfy Cakes puts you in a high-pressure cake production line where you have to build cakes to order. If you fail to produce a perfect cake, the head Purble will chastise you and force you to try again. Fail three times, and you’ll lose the game for wasting ingredients. Purble Shop is a guessing game where you have to figure out what a hidden Purble looks like. Match features such as eyes, nose, and mouth to win. The more advanced version adds more colors and features but doesn’t change the fact that you don’t really care what the Purble looks like.

InkBall

InkBall, originally released for the TabletPC, makes its way over to the desktop in Windows Vista. However, be aware that the purpose of the game is to teach tablet users how to use the touch screen and stylus control scheme. After struggling to play through advanced levels with the mouse, we can see why Microsoft is only including InkBall with Vista versions that have tablet support.

The game consists of a square grid that’s walled off on all sides. Each grid has an entry point where balls of various colors come into play, as well as exit holes and obstacles such as walls and blocks. The balls themselves will bounce off walls, each other, and any «ink» lines you draw onto the grid. The goal of the game is to sink balls as quickly as possible into the correct holes to score points. The game ends if you sink a ball into the incorrect color hole or when time runs out.

Discuss: What’s your favorite built-in Windows game? What games are you looking forward to the most in Vista? What’s your best Minesweeper time at intermediate?

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