Today Microsoft have announced quite a few pieces of information regarding games on several platforms and the release date for Kinect outside the US.

First up Microsoft has announced that it is creating a new Age of Empires game, Age of Empires Online. This game will feature Game for Windows Live integration to allow social game play and will have persistent game play, meaning one’s empire is always alive, awake and working even if the user isn’t logged in.

You can sign up for access to the closed beta on Microsoft Connect. There is also a short video of the game on the new Age of Empires Online website.

Age of Empires II is still one of my most favourite games, although I haven’t played it for many year. I am really looking forward to what this game might have in store, if it has the game play appeal of AoEII and the social interactions like Farmville then I have high hopes for it.

Some other Games for Windows Live news from Microsoft is that it is bring two new franchises to Games for Windows Live; Microsoft Flight and Fable. Microsoft Flight looks like a new version of Flight Simulator which has quite a few people excited but there is currently precious little known about Flight.

Another major announcement from Microsoft this morning was with regards to Xbox Live on Windows Phone 7 in which Microsoft announced the entire list of titles. The width and breath of the types of games and some of the franchises coming to Windows Phone 7 has surprised and pleased many people. As long as Microsoft and its partners can get the gameplay to be stunning and the controls to be implemented correctly for games such as Halo Waypoint, Star Wars and Guitar Hero then Microsoft should have a very competitive mobile game platform that could not only rival the iPhone and Pre but also the PSP and DS.

Here’s the entire list of Xbox Live titles for Windows Phone 7:

* 3D Brick Breaker Revolution (Digital Chocolate)
* Age of Zombies (Halfbrick)
* Armor Valley (Protégé 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)
* 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)
* More Brain Exercise (Namco Bandai)
* O.M.G. (Arkedo)
* Puzzle Quest 2 (Namco Bandai)
* Real Soccer 2 (Gameloft)
* The Revenants (Chaotic Moon)
* Rise of Glory (Revo Solutions)
* Rocket Riot (Codeglue)
* Splinter Cell Conviction (Gameloft)
* Star Wars: Battle for Hoth (THQ)
* Star Wars: Cantina (THQ)
* The Harvest (MGS)
* The Oregon Trail (Gameloft)
* 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)

Microsoft have said that between now and the launch of Windows Phone 7 there will be more titles announced and after launch new games will be added to the Xbox Live Marketplace on a weekly basis.

I just want to point out that the above list is only Xbox Live titles, developers will still be able to publish games to the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace but the games will not feature any Xbox Live integration.

Engadget have quite a few videos showing off some game play and the Xbox Live app on the mobile OS, below is the promotional video for Xbox Live on Windows Phone 7.

I have only seen positive reaction for the list of Xbox Live, Windows Phone 7 titles, even from those who weren’t expecting Xbox Live on the mobile OS to be any good. I am really looking forward to getting a Windows Phone 7 device.

Finally Microsoft have also announced the release date for Kinect for Xbox 360 in Europe, the Middle East and Africa; people in those territories will be able to buy the accessory on November 10th, so mark your calendars.