The Game's Free, But The Guns'll Cost Ya

[Earnest Cavalli]

The Game's Free, But The Guns'll Cost Ya


Gun Bros is a free to play iOS shooter. Unless you want its biggest gun. That's gonna set you back $500.

Unfamiliar with the game? Gun Bros is a tongue in cheek, top down shooter, in the style of Robotron 2084. The main appeal of the title seems to lie in its simple, yet addictive shooting, as well as its character and weapon customization options.

That's the point at which Gun Bros' "free to play" promise jumps off a cliff. Publisher Glu uses these customization options to fund the game, in a scheme that shouldn't seem at all unfamiliar to anyone who grasps how microtransactions function. You play the game for free, but if you want a neat new hat or a gun that shoots cholera at your foes, you spend a dollar at the in-game store.

So far, this is nothing surprising.

What is suprising is that Gun Bros now offers players the chance to drop $500 on an in-game weapon. "Microtransaction" doesn't seem like an appropriate term for a wad of cash that could nab you a Honda Civic from the early 90s.

Even more baffling, is the fact that this gun was previously available for the relative bargain price of only $200. That new price tag is a 150 percent increase over the original.

On the upside, if you do happen to spend the big bucks, you get a weapon that essentially beats the game for you. The "Kraken" fires both heat-seeking missile swarms and a huge laser, so, as the above clip demonstrates, it's entirely possible to sit in a single spot and watch your expensive new toy kill everything that moves.

Fun, right?

I won't decry the capitalist intent here. Glu can charge whatever they want for items in their game. So, are any of you interested in picking one up?

Source: Edge [http://www.next-gen.biz/news/glu-adds-500-virtual-item-gun-bros]

Permalink

 

[Erana]

And the worst part? This game is like a gamer's farmville- put your winnings from battle into a bank and wait, you get more gold. Play every day? More multipliers. Best weapons? All extremely expensive.
And then there's multiple versions of the same thing, like Frontierville. These people also made a swords'n axes version with the same gameplay.
Except with Zygna, you at least get to be on facebook at the same time and can do more without investing real money...

To advance, you have to come back every day. But you have to buy power to get anywhere.

I tried this game once, and as soon as I saw the "Come on line every day for 'X' bonus!" stuff, I deleted it.

I can't stand 'games' like this.

 

[joeman098]

wtf now i can see maybe 20$!? 500$ really ill take that money and buy him a big ass nerf gun and keep the extra im sure it will be more fun!

 

[Rack]

Makes me sick that this thing is being reviewed by an 8 year old kid. I mean anyone who buys this thing should be ashamed, but buying it for an 8 year old is even more destructive.

 

[kebab4you]

Think extra credit said it best: "You don't sell power, you sell convenience"

And who the hell is dumb enough to buy there kid an ingame item for 500$?!

 

[Scytail]

Think extra credit said it best: "You don't see power, you sell convenience"

And who the hell is dumb enough to buy there kid an ingame item for 500$?!

the sort of people who buy their kid their own ipad. or whatever touch screen tablet he happens to be using.

 

[XT inc]

I don't even know how that works.

A tiny free to play game, has the brass to sell a little blip of lights and colors for 500 bucks.

Better yet how did he buy it, why did his parents buy it.

If you want to incite rage I suppose all most people now need is to hear his squeaky little voice go " I don't know if it is worth 200 dollars." Ya don't fucking know that ISN'T worth 200 dollars, ffs. Some one must be stupid rich to be that stupid dumb.

If I was going to drop 200 bucks on a child Id get them all the dev packs on steams winter/ summer sale not ONE gun.

As to the main question, would you buy it. Nope.jpeg

 

[Rawne1980]

Just for the fellow Brits that can't be bothered to change that to pounds, that kid is using a gun that cost his parents £304.55

just over 300 quid for something you'll use a couple of times then forget you own.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Think extra credit said it best: "You don't sell power, you sell convenience"

And who the hell is dumb enough to buy there kid an ingame item for 500$?!

XD don't think they got the bill at time of filming.

but really not just his parents, ANYONE who buys that gun is, pants on head, helmet required, drooling on him self retarded, since $500 will get you a LOT of more useful stuff, get you a new console and some games, or a lot of games, or new TV, or FOOD, or a fucking CAR (though condition could be questionable)

 

[Ocealot]

I find it insulting that they charge $500 and thats only for ONE gun. Whats annoying is that people do invest into mirco transaction like these and due to this more and more companies are doing this.

 

[Stevepinto3]

YOU'RE. DOING. IT. WRONG.

I have nothing against micro-transactions really, but like any system it's all in how you handle it. This is a case of handling it very, very wrong.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

...

WOW.

That is just...

Everything that is wrong with microtransactions is here.

Buying power.

Buying power at the beginning of the game if you have done NOTHING.

A price that one could buy all the current generation of consoles with some left over to buy a game or two.

This makes Zynga look like a saint.

 

[Kair]

Pay2win is the new major business model after Valve launched the Mannconomy. Other game's have only taken it further than Valve.

 

[tigermilk]

Will I be buying a $500 digital gun? No. Does this mean no one should be allowed to buy a $500 digital gun? No.

When I pay for a game and "microtransactions" prevent me enjoying it fully I will be pissed as for a game offering me the CHOICE to buy an expensive extra consider me absent of pissedness.

 

[spectrenihlus]

The real question is: If you buy 2, can they be dual wielded.

I like your thinking.

 

[HaraDaya]

The kid in the video says it was a glitch that allowed him to equip it, it has been patched since. He didn't buy it. If that's true I don't know.

I hate free to play games exactly cause it's more like play for free and get stomped on by anyone who spent money in our store.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Or you could just go play flash games... but hey it's your money.

 

[James Crook]

Pay2win is the new major business model after Valve launched the Mannconomy. Other game's have only taken it further than Valve.

Excuse me? Every item in TF2 can be obtained without spending money. They're selling convenience, as Extra Credits stated, but bought items cannot be used for trading, crafting, and have overall less value than a self-crafted or found item.

OT: Heh, way to cater to the sheep Mr developer! Well played. I still can't understand why anyone would buy this. Then again, I don't understand why people buy $700+ tablets either (what's the use of it? it's just an oversized iPod/iPhone/Android phone).

 

[Frost27]

Brilliant advertising campaign. Put something in a microtransaction supported game that you know no one will buy (unless they use a credit card number they stole from Sony) and sit back and watch. Gamin sites write articles about your game, amdescription of your gameplay and how it all works and you just got free advertising with great word of mouth potential.

I had never even heard about this game but I was mildly inclined to whip out the iPad when I get home and check it out. I won't though because I'm lazy but it did get my attention.