Taking the industry trend of including old stuff to sell new titles, EA is giving away Command and Conquer, Red Alert Tiberian Sun and Tiberian Sun: Firestorm.
While many game developers and distributors have discounted, packaged and bundled their freebie way to increased sales, EA is just giving away the games on it's Command and Conquer 4 dedicated website.
No gimmicks, no subscriptions, just download the zipped file (rar in this case) and play the classic, again or for the first time.
The advertising guru's at EA are surely banking on a few things. Firstly, by visiting the Command and Conquer 4 dedicated website they are guaranteed exposure to every frugal gamer looking for a free title. Secondly, by bringing Command and Conquer fans looking to relive past glories, they can ensure everyone knows this is reportedly the last in the long series of the title that made RTS what is has become today.
Nostalgia is a strong selling tool and being there for a finale even more so.
While many can point to 'Dune 2' as the game that brought about the way the general public would play Real Time Strategy games, Westwood's Command and Conquer's first appearance on the shelves back in 1995 is widely accepted as the grandfather to the genre.
Between the free games and the recent appeals and efforts towards PC gamers with Battlefield; Bad Company 2, many who had condemned EA as the big bad corporation killing all they knew and loved about gaming must be wondering about now.
Showing posts with label free to play. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free to play. Show all posts
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
America's Army and the counterattack
America's Army isn't without its critics and detractors.
The critics range from those that think its wrong for the American military to entice young gamers into the army with a video game to those who feel its wasteful spending by the military.
The detractors don't like the quality or gameplay of the latest version America's Army 3.
The bottom line answer to all of these is - its just a free video game. Don't make it out to be more than that.
The beauty for us strategic First Person Shooter fans is we have a free game that gives an online community and place to hang out with mature gamers were teamwork is rewarded and the spamming found in other online games is nearly non-existent.
After the hiccup which was the release of AA3 last June it appears that the latest development team is making a counter-assault on the gaming community to bring the title back to its former glory. They've created a Youtube channel which features some map and weapon walkthroughs.
The critics range from those that think its wrong for the American military to entice young gamers into the army with a video game to those who feel its wasteful spending by the military.
The detractors don't like the quality or gameplay of the latest version America's Army 3.
The bottom line answer to all of these is - its just a free video game. Don't make it out to be more than that.
The beauty for us strategic First Person Shooter fans is we have a free game that gives an online community and place to hang out with mature gamers were teamwork is rewarded and the spamming found in other online games is nearly non-existent.
After the hiccup which was the release of AA3 last June it appears that the latest development team is making a counter-assault on the gaming community to bring the title back to its former glory. They've created a Youtube channel which features some map and weapon walkthroughs.
Game sucks? What if I give it to you for free?
Free can outwiegh crappy, at least thats the thoughts and business model of a Korean gaming company.
HanbitSoft thinks it can draw the same massive crowds to a free online version of Hellgate: London in North America and Europe as it has in Korea.
Hellgate: London was a much hyped RPG game that was reportedly so terrible it brought down the developer, Flagship Studios last January. But while the game servers for Hellgate: London may have closed down in the West, but it's been going strong in Korea for a while now even though legal issues over the ownership of the rights have prevented wider sales.
Those issues appear to have been settled and the game will be re-released as Hellgate: Resurrection, boasting new features and a new free-to-play business model.
"Hellgate: Resurrection is heading towards success in Korea such that we decided to push ahead with launching the game overseas next year. We will do our best to get the game to the fans as soon as possible," said Kee-young Kim, CEO of Hanbitsoft.
Not being a fan of RPG games, I personally never played it. Did get excited about the trailers which invoked King Arthur in sci-fi, blue LED armor battling demons in a cityscape reminiscent of Gears of War.
HanbitSoft thinks it can draw the same massive crowds to a free online version of Hellgate: London in North America and Europe as it has in Korea.
Hellgate: London was a much hyped RPG game that was reportedly so terrible it brought down the developer, Flagship Studios last January. But while the game servers for Hellgate: London may have closed down in the West, but it's been going strong in Korea for a while now even though legal issues over the ownership of the rights have prevented wider sales.
Those issues appear to have been settled and the game will be re-released as Hellgate: Resurrection, boasting new features and a new free-to-play business model.
"Hellgate: Resurrection is heading towards success in Korea such that we decided to push ahead with launching the game overseas next year. We will do our best to get the game to the fans as soon as possible," said Kee-young Kim, CEO of Hanbitsoft.
Not being a fan of RPG games, I personally never played it. Did get excited about the trailers which invoked King Arthur in sci-fi, blue LED armor battling demons in a cityscape reminiscent of Gears of War.
But bugs, gameplay and patch issues led to Flagship Studios filing bankruptcy and having all its intellectual property seized because it was used as collateral for funding received from Comerica Bank.
So the question is, if a game is free will the players be more forgiving? Of course it will all depend on how much can be played before having to pay. Also, how many games have folded but kept a special place in gamers hearts?
They have been citing free-to-play models as the next step in gaming with it already being a huge business in Asian markets. This is a great test for the US to see if it can truly take off.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
