GamersFirst challenging players with Occupy Free2Play

Occupy Wall Street is the phrase on everyone's lips these days, and the folks at GamersFirst are getting in on the action with a lighthearted spinoff of the movement. GamersFirst is making the bold statement that it's "challenging video game players and consumers to break the cycle of MMOs that require you to commit to a subscription after spending as much as $60 for the honor of playing their products."

The company continues, "Worse is the latest crop of subscription-lite and freemium games claiming to be Free2Play. GamersFirst is challenging gamers to reject this propaganda of what other publishers are calling free and demand more from their gaming experience."

It's an interesting take on gaming, but G1 has even more to say and a very clear idea of what F2P is not: "Free2Play is NOT a thinly-veiled game trial. Free2Play is NOT titles that require cash shop purchases to play. Free2Play is NOT experience level caps. Free2Play is NOT exclusive content for paying players. Free2Play is NOT pay-to-win." Strong words, but is there anything behind them?

The answer seems to be yes, since GamersFirst is backing up its words with -- what else? -- free items. Massively has been given 5,000 codes for APB: Reloaded gift packages that include three days of access to both a Colby CSG-20 PR2 shotgun and a ACT 44 Golden Marksmen pistol. The package also includes three days of premium access to the game. Head to our giveaway page to pick up your items, and make sure you hit the comment button to give us your take on Occupy Free2Play!

Reader Comments (43)

Its funny cuz APB:R has like $60 cash shop guns...

Thats a whole game.. for one gun.. for one character...

F2P is terrible.... forced cash shops that are more pricey than a sub.

@Ratham They also have an about $10/month premium tier for APB.

G1 is full of crud. That's why I stopped playing their games a long time ago.

Anyone else laughing at the seeming hypocrisy from G1 here?

@Tannim Indeed so good sire!

Using protests for poltical change whether good or bad to mimick and make profit off of it is just wrong.

You lost me at, "three days of access to..."

It may not cost any money, but it sure is a waste of my time.

Bored here with a down weekend so I thought I would download this and check it out. First thing that hits me is Pando Media Booster. I have not heard much about it, but what I have heard is really a mixed bag. Anyone have any input or experience with this program? When googled the search results are like lining up 50 economists and getting 50 different answers on the economy. I understand it would just be your opinion, but give me an informed gamers opinion every time to help make a decision.

I did not allow the install program to run when I noticed Pando in the small print of the agreement .

Thanks in advance for the input!

@Crovak

Sadly, you need to use it to download the game. Unless you can find a mirror of the game client somewhere and download that instead.

However, as soon as you are done installing the game and patched, uninstall Pando media booster ASAP from your PC, that's what I do. When i don't, I get wierd game crashes, windows crashes, etc. and it's just not worth the headache.

@Crovak Pando will install itself in the background, and often uses your connection without asking you. If you have an unlimited connection and plenty of bandwidth, it's not too bad, but for those who don't, a few gigabytes every day is a lot.

Also, it seems it will reinstall itself after uninstalling, if you're still using the game that installed it. Without notifying you, of course.

@Hexedian & MMOaddict

Thank you both. Based on what I have read and your input, along with the comments in this thread....well decided to pass on this one. More than I want to deal with.

It would also be my luck I would like the game and get sucked into a $60 gun! Oh man I can hear the wife now! Hehe I will stick to my sub games....no need for that nonsense.

I dunno how it is in APB, but the F2P model for Fallen Earth seems really good. You can not buy anything that gives you anything but cosmetic gear, or speeds up advancement. I have to agree with them regarding the misuse of F2P. Things like EQ2 are more like free to try, because of all the restrictions and level caps. Fallen Earth at least, seems to be free of these trappings. You can truly play it and never pay a time and not be missing anything.

@TexRob This is only because G1 has little to no say over FE. The FE devs decide what the cash shop will offer, and as such, are keeping it away from pay2win.

Occupy APB. Hmm..

I have a feeling if you do that, you'll end up just like that Iraq vet that got shot in the face and in now in the hospital.

so where do you enter the code anyway...

@Lycaniz found,

anyway, only 3 days worth of weapon.. :S

sure we will *give* you something.... for 3 days :/

"challenging video game players and consumers to break the cycle of MMOs that require you to commit to a subscription after spending as much as $60 for the honor of playing their products."

by spending even more money in their f2p game than I would on a monthly subscription game.

Are you F#@$!n serious? Really G1? Really...

Because $60 for *ONE* gun on *ONE* account for *ONE* single character is somehow better than $60 for an entire game?

Because monthly premium fees aren't *EXACTLY* like subscription fees? (optional my ass; I'd rather put my willy in a blender than try to gain any decent amount of money and standing without premium, not to mention the "buy power" cooldown reductions on active items).

I absolutely love APB as a game, but despise G1's price-gouging practices.

I'll take Pay2Play with $60 boxes any day over G1's ridiculous scheme.

@Macabre 13 Here's an idea, genius: Don't buy that gun.

Problem solved.

@AlexandriaLace

Cover your eyes! You're about to be hit by the blinding flash of the obvious...

Here's an idea, genius: We can comment on games on a gaming blog, especially when one considers the game in question to be thoroughly enjoyable, and would like to spend money on it, but despises the company's absurd pricing structure. Even more so when they pretend to offer a better deal than their competition.

Nice try at trolling though... but not really.

@Macabre 13 He wasn't trolling. You really are an idiot. I play APB all the time, only pay for premium, and I'll never buy a gun at that price.

Do I complain? Nope. APB is my favorite game right now.

If you don't like the prices of the guns...Just don't buy them, everything else is pretty on par and at a good price and I have no trouble killing those dudes with paid for guns.

Go be crybabies somewhere else.

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GamersFirst challenging players with Occupy Free2Play

Reader Comments (43)

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 3:04PM Ratham said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 4:58PM rockman0 said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 3:08PM Tannim said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 3:12PM Ratham said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 3:18PM J45neoboy said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 3:16PM MtthwRddl said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 3:35PM Crovak said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 3:50PM MMOaddict said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 6:29PM Hexedian said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 6:56PM Crovak said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 3:35PM TexRob said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 4:02PM Tannim said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 3:38PM real65rcncom said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 3:39PM Lycaniz said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 3:52PM Lycaniz said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 3:40PM Wolf Am I said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 3:48PM Macabre 13 said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 5:01PM AlexandriaLace said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 5:10PM Macabre 13 said

Posted: Oct 28th 2011 8:34PM Derekisazombie said

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