4 Questions about how Windows Vista games work...

1. If the game is "Games for Windows Live", then you go through Games for Windows Live to do MP. Otherwise, games normally have their own multiplayer portion. If you don't already have a XBox Live gamertag, you can create a new one, otherwise you can use your XBox Live gamertag. Think of it more as the same system, just different access points.

2. Not sure with this one. I'm a PC gamer and not really interested in some kind of hybrid with auto-aim and a limited control scheme. The mouse and keyboard just feel so much better.

3. Yes. Live account closed permanantly. Easy to detect because you provide a CD key upon installation. Don't do it unless you want to loose your Live account. This is covered in the End Users Liscense Agreement of the game you're pirating.

4. Seeing as the accounts are the same thing, yes. Your Live account will be closed.

As for "Microsoft" games for windows like Halo 2 and Gears of War, you will need a Xboxlive silver account, which is free, and supposedly all "Games for Windows" games are compatible with a gamepad. I havn't tried it myself but it should be easy.

Also, I would forget about playing a "copied" game over the internet. They require CD keys that do a good job of preventing that, and you shouldn't be playing copied game at all.

All "games for windows" labeled games are required to have plug and play abillity with the X360 controller. With a wired X360 controller, you can just plug it into a USB port. With a wireless ones you need to buy something called a wireless gaming receiever for about 20 bucks and it can be somewhat annoying to get to work.

I would never EVER go onto Games for Windows Live game with a pirated game. Too much of a risk. However, with other games that don't use the live network, you can't get banned from everything at once :p