A. Even if a game is pre-Vista, if it's known to the http://www.gamesforwindows.com catalog, it will automatically be added to Games Explorer, with varying levels of information. For example, I installed Halo for the PC, and it was automatically added to Games Explorer along with its Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating as, as the figureshows. However, it didn't display the traditional Games for Windows information, which shows the machine specifications required to play the game. The level of information provided for "legacy" titles depends on the game's publisher. This ESRB rating is important because Vista's parental controls will lock out certain games if parental controls are set.
Newer games that are Vista-aware have a Game Definition File (GDF), which is a piece of XML metadata embedded as a resource in the binary of the game (exe or dll), which also includes a thumbnail used by the Games Explorer.
