Engadget has published a great preview of the Xbox Live experience on Windows Phone 7. Microsoft is making the right move by putting their Xbox Live brand on Windows Phone 7. This is exactly the sort of thing Microsoft needs to be doing.

Franchises like Castlevania, Halo: Waypoint, Star Wars, Crackdown, and Guitar Hero will be included in the 60 or so titles available at launch.

Joshua Toposlky sums up his opinions nicely:

All in all, it’s a promising picture for Microsoft. The company has the clout, the community, and most importantly the cash to pull this off, but as with all modern smartphone platforms, success can’t be judged on one aspect alone. To make Windows Phone 7 really work, the folks in Redmond will have to hit the right note on not just gaming, but the basic user experience, hardware, applications, and carrier partnerships. Based on what we’ve seen of Xbox Live on these devices, we think the company can check at least one of those boxes off.

Xbox Live on Windows Phone 7 will in no way sway me towards the platform. But, I can completely understand why someone who lives in that world would want to continue living in it. If you spend a lot of time playing games on your Xbox 360 you’ll want to start paying attention to Windows Phone 7.