Start Collecting Those Flying Pigs, Firefall Is Gonna Be Free Y’all
You know gaming is getting expensive these days. Sixty dollars for a brand new title is almost breaking the bank, and that’s not including the extended, limited, or ultimate editions of said games. A long while ago a prediction was made that a day would eventually come where a game developer would release a high quality game, and it would be all for free.
As of 2011, that day will come, and it will be almost impossible to pay $60 for a game again.
Red 5, a video game developer lead by CEO Mark Kern, an ex-Blizzard executive, has this very idea in mind. This past weekend at PAX Kern unveiled perhaps the greatest information to ever grace the ears of gamers – his new title, Firefall, will be free. Yes, free to play, free to download. free to enjoy. The game is a very well-polished FPS that performs with stunning ease. Kern even announced that purchasable items in the game – even the non-cosmetic ones – will not imbalance the game for purchasing players. What?
The incorporation of all this seems completely impossible. It seems too-good-to-be-true. This is what gamers everywhere have been dreaming of – a beautifully rendered game that costs nothing.
The gameplay video that was shown at PAX (which is down below) shows us all what Firefall is all about. According to Kern the game will be a late 2011 PC online shooter that includes hundreds of player co-op in open sandbox levels in an even more open world. The game will feature strong clan support and an optional co-op campaign which is fed through Firefall’s mysterious version of Earth. It can be played in either first or third person viewpoints which can be switched at any time.
Through the first gameplay section we see Kern’s character calling in a drilling-pod that is air-dropped in to collect a mineral called Crystite from underground. The thumper’s pulsating nature attracts insect-like enemies which you have to shoot, as they attempt to destroy the contraption. The longer that you wait to collect the Crystite from the machine, the more waves of enemies you face. The demo we saw was played on solo campaign, but we were assured by Kern that the game’s A.I. would adjust accordingly if more players joined the fray. An enemy that had fallen dropped loot occasionally, which was color-coded, like most MMOs today. Purple is apparently the best type of loot you can receive. The dropped item could be used, once back in town, to upgrade your backpack. The backpacks can be armored and harbor unique abilities, such as a ground smash area attack.
The second section had Kern’s character in town. Kern explained that the game will “dynamically generate missions”. For example, scripted for the demo, the town was unexpectedly invaded by enemy forces. Kern was offered the mission of helping the townsfolk fend off the enemies for a reward, or he had the change to ignore it. Then, a second event took place. A huge monster, which resembled a humanoid giant, shows up, and starts attacking townspeople as well as the invading force. Jumping into a mounted turret, Kern took this guy down just as the demo faded to black.
Red 5 states that they are making a free game because they “want to get the game into as many players’ hands as possible”. The only hard thing to understand is how a game that looks so beautifully polished, has an amazingly attention-grabbing world, and is so expansive is going without a price tag.
A free game is a free game, and this one takes the free cake. This is what gamers everywhere have been waiting for. This is Firefall, and it releases in 2011.
