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
