Topic: Nintendo and free to play

So with free to play becoming a big thing and this type of game finally hitting consoles with [url=http://ascendgame.com/]Ascend New Gods] and [url=http://www.dust514.com/]Dust 514] for the xbox 360 and Playstation 3 respectively.

So was wlndering how you guys would feel if nintendo decided to make a game based around it.  Say for instance a Mario game where the game was free and you got a decently sized first world (think two of Mario 3D land worlds) than after that you could spend money on the next worlds and power ups or use the coins you accumulated to buy more worlds and power ups. (Using coins would take longer than just buying with money)

Ew, no.

That's devaluing their game.

Only game I see working would be Animal Crossing and even then I'm not for purchasing 1 virtual item for $1. Maybe a pack or catalog, but that's about it.

No thanks.

I don't see the point. It's a risky move and it won't happen.

Then it wouldn't be "free to play" because you're paying for levels. /thread

Well thats the irony of the free to play Name. The actual game can be played for free but to unlock stuff your better off using real money because the other option is to keep grinding and grinding.

The only game I've ever played that I think handled F2P incredibly well is Hero Academy. The initial game comes with a free team, and there are a few other teams that cost a few bucks each. Buying them doesn't give you an advantage — it simply gives you a new way to play. It's not like you're buying a level that you'll get tired of after playing a few times or an item you'll use up in a few minutes; you'll be wanting to use these teams for the entire life of the game.

Actually, free to play usually means you can play the game without paying a dime, not only a portion of it. The latter is usually considered a demo

I like my progress in a game to be determined by my skill at the game, not by the size of my wallet.

So, no.

This. Plus I'll stick to my free-to-play open source games on my PC and my other UNIX based devices.

I take it a lot of people haven't figured out how awesome Magic the Gathering is. That's essentially the F2P model in beautiful motion.

Never heard of that. However, not all free-to-play games are bad. Examples include Team Fortress 2, Alliance of Valiant Arms, Tribes: Ascend, Vindictus, and (please don't laugh) RuneScape.

Oh dear.

Magic the Gathering is a card game. Unless there's some other version I don't know about, you have to pay to get a deck, and pay to get better cards. That is in no way free to play. Unless you have awesome friends that just give you cards.

I think he meant the video game

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I'm dumb .

Magic the Gathering Online comes with a free deck of cards when you sign up.

Wait, so one deck is the epiphany of free-to-play?

I don't really think F2P single player games can work. F2P multiplayer games on the other hand work great, especially ones like Team Fortress 2 and Tribes: Ascend. You get get nearly everything that affects gameplay without spending a dime, and when that dime is spent, you get something nice like a bigger inventory, or XP bonus.

While this isn't exactly Nintendo related, DC Universe Online went free to play on PC and PS3 awhile back, and to my surprise there's more players on the PS3 version than on PC. While the main game is free to play, there is optional DLC that can be bought, such as a few extra missions and what-not.