Hasta La Gadget!

It’s not uncommon at all for video games to turn up on Kickstarter seeking the funds for development. It’s particularly common for independent game developers to turn to crowd-sourced funding sites such as Kickstarter to raise money. The latest video game to turn up on Kickstarter is called Victory.

The game is a World War II team-based action-strategy game where players are able to collect companies of units and battle in fast online matches. The project is seeking $700,000 for development and has 28 days to go before it funds. So far, 276 people have backed Victory and the game has raised $16,373.

The game offers online team versus team battle arena and allows users to choose units from their collection to bring in each match. Players command squads using RTS style controls and viewpoint, but Victory isn’t a RTS game. Players don’t focus on base building or resource management. The game will be available for Windows gamers and the developer is clear in stating that the game is not free to play.

Players earn currency in the game allowing them to buy booster Commander Packs that have random units and other items. Matches are won by using your units to capture and hold key points on the map or by destroying all enemy units. A typical match will last 15 to 20 min. Check out the video below to see more of the game in action.

[via Kickstarter]

Victory action-strategy game hits Kickstarter is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

I’ve seen some strange virtual items auctioned off for a lot of real world money, but the developers of the Massively Multiplayer Online Real Cash Economy (that’s what they call it) called Entropia Universe have taken it to a new level. This online video game allows people to use real world money to make purchases in a science fiction universe allowing them to explore planets and interact with other players. The developers have announced that they are auctioning off a newly discovered moon.

The auction will commence on March 21, 2013 and will end on April 4. The bidding price is starting at $150,000 (USD). The winning bidder will buy themselves a virtual moon estate including a lunar command center and two lunar habitats along with eight subsurface caverns that have unique creatures and rare resources. Along with buying the virtual habitats, the buyer will also get direct input on important decisions for the habitats and share revenue with game developers.

The winning bidder will receive revenue share for any new participants they bring into the universe, with a bigger piece of the pie for activity on their own moon. Still, it might take them a while to make back their initial investment. Entropia Universe has no monthly charges to play and the game is available to download for free. Everything is monetized via in game purchases.

I’ve been a gamer for a long time, and I’ve never been a fan of micro-transactions in games. These are the little paid add-ons that allow you to buy upgrades and other items that you might not have access to at all or at least not until you achieve higher levels otherwise. I’ve always felt like micro-transactions were a bit like legalized cheating. I also don’t like how some games make in-game purchases almost a requirement to advance. I long for the days when you just bought a game and you got the whole game.

EA revealed this week that it would be putting micro-transactions into all of its video games going forward. EA says that consumers like in-game purchases and micro-transactions. However, a lot of gamers feel the same way I do, and don’t like micro-transactions. EA’s video game Dead Space 3 was criticized over its implementation of micro-transactions because the game seemed to some to be focused on pushing users to make these purchases.

The info came from EA Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen, who stated “The next and much bigger piece [of the business] is micro-transactions within games...  We’re building into all of our games the ability to pay for things along the way, either to get to a higher level to buy a new character, to buy a truck, a gun, whatever it might be.”

EA has offered in-game purchases and micro-transactions in the past, specifically on its driving game franchise Need for Speed. EA has allowed users to purchase car packs, providing them with vehicles earlier than they would normally be allowed to have them if they progress through the game naturally.

While this might be seen as a convenience to gamers who want to skip ahead, it’s also just a way for game developers to increase revenues by selling add-ons incrementally beyond the base price of a game.

[via EuroGamer]

Google has unveiled a Chrome Experiment called Super Sync Sports, a side-scrolling game with colorful animation and simple, yet addictive sub-games: racing, cycling, and swimming. Instead of using your computer’s controls to play, however, gamers sync and use their mobile device, using it as a controller, hence the game’s name. You can check out a video of the game in action, as well as instruction on how to play yourself.

A tablet or a smartphone can be used, with a smartphone arguably being easier to use than a larger tablet. Syncing is achieved by using Chrome for Mobile/iPhone, so users will need to download and install it in order to play. Once installed, syncing the controller with the game is simple and straight forward. Up to four players can sync their devices and compete with each other.

Gamers need to go to chrome.com/supersyncsports on their laptop or desktop to pull up the game. After doing that, select a game, then turn on your mobile device. From Chrome for Mobile, visit g.co/super and enter the code that appears on the computer screen. By doing this, the mobile device will sync with the browser game and begin to function as a controller.

After syncing, the gamers can then select an athlete to play as from the mobile device, then control the character via gestures on the touchscreen. Super Sync Sports works with Chrome version 15 and higher, Android 4 and higher, and iOS 4.3 and later. The game utilized HTML5, CSS3, and Canvas.

[via Google Blog]

Google unveils mobile device-controlled Super Sync Sports game is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

2K Games and Irrational Games are getting ready to launch one of the most anticipated games of 2013. The game is called BioShock Infinite and will launch on March 26 of this year. Like most of the anticipated games that have been launched in recent months, Infinite will be getting several download content add-on packs to expand the game for players. Three add-on packs have already been announced as a being in development.

Irrational Games and 2K announced this week that there would be a Season Pass offered for Infinite players. The game developer promises that the new add-on packs are currently in development and will provide hours of additional game play. Players will be able to continue their exploration of the sky-city called Columbia.

The add-on packs will feature new stories, new characters, new abilities, and new weapons. The Season Pass will be available for purchase on March 26 when the full game launches. The developers say that the pack will add approximately $30 worth of add-on content for price of $19.99.

The Season Pass will be available for the PlayStation, PC gamers, and the Xbox 360. Xbox 360 gamers will pay 1600 Microsoft Points. Season Pass buyers will get access to all three add-on packs at no additional charge. Those who pre-order the Season Pass will also get some early bird perks including four pieces of exclusive gear. Those who pre-order will also get a machine gun damage upgrade, a pistol damage upgrade, a gold skin for both weapons, and five infusion bottles.

[via BioShock Infinite]

BioShock Infinite Season Pass announced is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.