Xbox Live's first free-to-play game out next week
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
30-player online competitive brawler Happy Wars launching October 12 for Gold subscribers only; real-money items available for purchase.
Microsoft's first free-to-play Xbox Live title will launch next week. The company today announced through its PlayXBLA website that online competitive brawler Happy Wars will be available October 12 for Xbox Live Gold subscribers.
The game supports simultaneously play for up to 30 players (15 vs.15), who will take part in free-for-all battles against one another. Players can upgrade their characters' appearance and equipment by unlocking "Happy Stars" through play, or by purchasing "Happy Tickets" with real-world money.
It is not clear how much these add-ons will cost in real-world money, and a Microsoft representative had not responded to GameSpot's request for comment at press time.
Happy Wars is not the only free-to-play game in development for Xbox Live. Signal Studios' third-person role-playing game Ascend: New Gods will also be available through the platform for free when it launches in "several months."
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.
178 comments
Played it as part of the dashboard Beta up to Lvl 30 .. it's fun, but now that it will become PTW [pay to win] by allowing purchases of items which effect gameplay [not just cosmetic] I see no reason to ever play it again.
Technically speaking.... "Hexic" was the first free game for XBox 360, and it still comes with new consoles.
After that... "Texas Hold'Em" was also free when it first launched.
"Totemball" came free with the XBox Live Vision camera.
Finally, there was "Doritos Crash Course".
I'm not gonna go into the Burger King stuff, needless to say unlike this headline says 'first free-to-play game" there have been more than one free game for Xbox 360...
This isn't the first free game they have given away. I think there was Aegis Wing, Undertow I think it's called (which sucked anyway), and I think at one point they gave away Catan for a while. In addition, anything Doritos puts out.
But they say it's the first free-to-play "Xbox Live" title meaning it's the first game that they are giving away that's multiplayer only (which obviously requires a Gold account). Gamespot should have used better wording.
Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about Undertow. That was initially a paid for game then it got given away free (can anyone remember the reason?).
@JDWolfie Aegis wing was developed by M$ interns. It wasn't bad, it supported online multiplayer (Requiring gold) However, everything you said was/is correct. :)
2 Like Xbox Live is the only service bold enough to charge gamers for access for a Free-to-Play game. Of course, wouldn't it be hypocritical for them to allow everyone to access F2P, but force a paywall for other "free" services like Twitter and Netflix?
I stopped paying for XBL Gold after 2 years of feeling like there was really no reason for a paywall. Microsoft has continued to put free services behind their paywall in attempt to persuade people that there is value being added to the service. In reality they have done very little to add true value to the service.
The ONLY reason to pay for XBL Gold is for online multiplayer. And even that is questionable on whether it should be a pay-for service considering MS is the ONLY company charging people specifically to play online together; outside of MMOs.
It may be obvious now that I do not approve of Microsoft's approach to the XBL service. The service is completely unjustifiable for the cost, even at discounted prices and especially for those who play little to no online multiplayer.
i agree the price is way to high for gold this is y i dont have gold now it may be fine for other people who has money but i dont and i love xbox
@Hvac0120 Everyone has their opinion, I like XBL gold. Albeit I play all of my games online with friends, and the 10$ a month is worth it to me. Just my opinion though. I mean, especially considering I never get randomly dropped like I did on my ps3 pro subscription. Again, just my opinion.
4 Like This shouldn't be called a "free-to-play" game. It should be called "Free XBLG Member game." It's free in the sense of IF you're a gold member, you don't have to buy it, it's free FOR GOLD MEMBERS. If you are not a gold member, you would have to buy gold just to play it, so it's not free FOR YOU.
1 Like I got no problem with this at all. Its about time we got something for free for our gold subscription.
so wait its free to play but you need to pay for a gold sub to get that ins't free at all
@MooncalfReviews I doubt anyone would, this is more for people that already pay for gold monthly/yearly. If you already have and use gold for other things, than this would be a free game to you, but if you don't have gold, you would have to buy gold JUST to play this so in that sense it's not free at all.
@grgolj_blaster This is more for people that already pay for gold monthly/yearly. If you already have and use gold for other things, than this would be a free game to you, but if you don't have gold, you would have to buy gold JUST to play this so in that sense it's not free at all.
1 Like There is not one single free-to-play video game in existence. All free-to-play games are free-to-play, but you always need to pay SOMETHING to be able to play that free game in the first place, just like this one. This game is free in the sense of if you already have Gold, which you already use for other things, you can play this game for free, as in not have to buy it. Just like how any free-to-play game on PC is free in the sense of if you pay for internet, you can play this game for free, AS IN NOT BUY IT. And again, same with any free-to-play game on PS3, it's free in the sense of if you already have a PS3, you can play this game for free, as in NOT. BUYING. IT. So can all of you broke spoiled brats stop crying about a measly $60 a year for a gold XBL membership? Thanks.
On another note, this is not XBL's first free-to-play game at all :P
@JustinFroese94 In the case of this F2P game on XBL, you have to pay twice. Once for your internet and then a second time for Microsoft to allow you to use your internet to access the game through their service.
2 Like @JustinFroese94 Boy, you are going nuts as you have said the same thing in eleven comments! :P Do you work for M$?
You have to pay for XBOX LIVE GOLD to play this game.
Those other games, you DO NOT have to pay for Xbox Live Gold.
The other F2P games all require Internet and machine just like this XBLA game. This XBLA game also requires XBOX LIVE GOLD fee paid as well. :P
Oh yeah : "LOL"
@SolidTy The name in itself "free-to-play" is misleading. This is not a free-to-play game, this is a free game in the sense there's no initial buying of the game, but you have to be a gold member, so it's only free if you're a gold member. They should call it "Free XBLG Member game" lol.
@SolidTy I guess I thought "well, I've already said it 10 times, might as well go all the way lmao."
@SolidTy My inbox is so full of gamespot reply's it's not even funny, I'm never doing that again lmao. I'm just gonna keep my mouth shut from now on, it's not worth the hassle lol
@SolidTy That took a while. You've been calling me nuts yet you've replied back to me 13 times (unless I miscounted) regarding this xD But to answer all your questions in one comment; No, I don't work for M$. Yes I'm aware you have to pay for XBLG to play this game so it is not free at all, but neither is any other free-to-play game (that was my whole point with all of this). I'm not really trying to defend M$ by saying all this, I actually think XBLG is a huge ripoff considering PSN is free and there's no fee to play games online on a PC (besides internet). I was just trying to show that there are no truly free-to-play games (unless your parents paid for everything lol in that case it's only free for you though) whether it be needing to pay for internet to be able to play something, or buy a PC/console to be able to even obtain it in the first place.
@JustinFroese94 I was just having some fun like you were. I was entertaining the notion of repeated posting in this crazy article. :P It's hard to keep up with you! :P
@SolidTy I'm aware of that, just putting it out there. People are acting as if the other F2P games are actually "free", this one is just has yet another charge.
2 Like @JustinFroese94 but with xbl gold you have to pay for it and your internet but with the others just your internet so it is an extra charge that shouldn't even be there no matter how much it is
and you also forgetting about electricity because you also have to pay for that
@shadowhunter0 I'm aware of that, just putting it out there that none of these free-to-play games are actually free, this one is just EVEN more expensive lol
There are free games(Aegis Wing...If I recall), then there are free-to-play games(Happy Wars)
Of course, most free games, and other things aren't totally free.
Oh and I forgot about the free games on PS+, what do you have to do to play those free games? Pay $40 a year. I'm not saying that's not an amazing deal (because it is) but the fact remains.
@JustinFroese94 @SolidTy Yes... Indeed, welcome to the St Clairs of the gaming community. (Theres a fringe joke for ya, I'm feeling generous)
1 Like @JustinFroese94 Boy, you are going nuts as you have said the same thing in thirteen comments! :P Do you work for M$?
The bottom line is with other F2P games, they were free provided you have internetz and console and electricity and a human body that functioned and money to sustain these things.
This game requires you to pay Xbox Live Gold as well as the above things.
@SolidTy Oh I've said it way more than four times lol I was just on here last night and saw how like 80% of the comments were about the same thing so I just went to every comment related to that before bed and wrote basically the same thing xD
@Crevox And it's also free if you have internet too, and this is also free if you have Gold... see what I'm getting at? It's free for some and not for others.
5 Like @JustinFroese94 @Crevox Just like how rock-paper-scissors isn't free-to-play because you have to buy food to have the energy to make a choice between rock, paper, or scissors. Even then, you have to spend even more energy just to find someone else to play it with.
5 Like @JustinFroese94 You can't count hardware. The game is free to play if you have the hardware.
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- Publisher(s): Microsoft Game Studios
- Developer(s): Toylogic Inc.
- Genre: Action
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