RSS
A free computer game that is breaking the mold and it's actually good
Subscribe
I know this diverts just a tad from my usual writings, but as an avid computer gamer I would be remiss to not inform you about this game. Here is the description from Metacritic (site that pulls reviews from around the web to give an adjusted overall score, think RottenTomatoes.com, but better)..jpg)
"BattleForge is a fantasy online real-time strategy game where you assemble your own army with collectible trading cards. Win, trade and buy your cards online to create your ultimate deck. Mix and match the elements of your cards to play with your friends online and conquer massive online battlegrounds. For mortals caught in a clash between insane gods and ancient giants, standing together is the only option. Using the forces of Fire, Frost, Nature and Shadow a mysterious Forge which makes legends come to life, is their single hope to create armies powerful enough to overcome these impossible odds. It is now time to set out and reclaim an epic fantasy world which has been overthrown by sinister powers in the twilight of a dying sun. [Electronic Arts]"
You probably looked at the title and said, "free?... It must be advertisement filled and gimped." Well that is where you're mistaken. No advertising and no gimping here. The game comes fully functional as a free download at the Battle Forge Website. The user receives 32 cards, 8 cards from each of the 4 powers, and is able to access all game areas. This includes the most recent content update that released the Renegade scenario. This is all played out over a RTS style game play mode with co-op battling with your friends that can handle up to 12 players.
So why would Electronic Arts, a major game publisher, let you play a game for free? Are they writing it off as a charitable venture? No. This just follows a different revenue model. The user doesn't have to worry about shelling out the roughly $30 to $50 dollars for the retail box or downloadable version of the game. You get to play an otherwise fully functional and fun RTS/trading card game for free. The revenue model kicks in when you've played and decided that you would like to battle more. This is facilitated by the game trading system that operates on BattleForge Points. These points can be obtained through trading or purchase from BattleForge.com or the EA Store and allow the user to purchase booster packs or buy cards from the auction house.
The mold that is being broken here is the usual subscription based model that comes on top of a hefty initial cost for "purchasing" or licensing the game. This game only requires some seemingly reasonable fees for upgrading your deck with booster packs or auction house purchases. The good thing is that, purely based on the multitude of reviews, this game is good with the content they give you right from the start. That is saying quite a bit. Think back and see if you can think of any other free games that were actually good without mandatory content purchases, aside from S4 League. Not too many huh? I suggest you get out there and download this.
If you liked this:
Make sure that you don't miss our E3 coverage. Adam Mills, the San Francisco Gadgets Examiner, and I will be attending E3 from June 2 to June 4 to pick the brains of game developers and bring you video/audio updates from the show.
Questions or Concerns? E-mail me at technic.amoroso@gmail.com
Related Articles:
Comments
