Normally I don’t go in for side scrollers. Yes there is something that is retro about them, but not everything retro has a fond memory with it. I look back fondly (and also cringe a bit at the waste) of days when gasoline was less than 50 cents per gallon and the car I drove had a 472 cubic inch engine in it. I still like the isometric view of Ultima Online (after all Sims 3 does the same thing and better) and I look forward to the day IT will go free 2 play (and it will mark my words…you heard it here first). But somethings, like any music by The Carpenters and most side scrollers, I didn’t like in the first place. So normally I skip over announcements of side scrollers.
Until now.
This came to us at the top of our news feed (O.K. so it’s the top of the news feed because Arstechnica starts with “A”) but still it was the artwork that drew me at once into the concept of the game. The report tells the tale of World of Goo having a 90 percent piracy rate because it was released with no DRM. Not only does this fan the flames of places like Ubisoft, but it dumps truckloads of petrol on the fire. It is obvious that there are not many Buddhists amongst fans of independently developed games or there would be a greater fear of Karmic debit (and believe you me the retribution is waiting out there like the proverbial Sword of Damocles). Now it seems that Amanita Design the developer of Machinarium (Seen above) is suffering a similar fate.
Now I KNOW that none of our readers would consider doing such a thing as pirating a game, but if you know someone who has, make sure you rap them over the knuckles but hard once for us. But fortunately there is a silver lining in this particular dark cloud. It appears that Amanita Design is offering “pirate amnesty” by selling their game for only $5 U.S. until August 12th.
Amanita Design is offering “pirate amnesty” by selling their game for only $5 U.S. until August 12th.
Fortunately for us honest folk, as Arstechnica points out, the sale doesn’t just apply to pirates. Hells Bells, that is so cheap you can bring your coffee to work one day instead of buying it and pay for the game. So go here and you can even try before you buy. But the price is so cheap you can’t even get in to the discount show at the movies for that price. You can’t even play an MMO for an entire month for that price.
And if nothing else look at it this way, as Senator Al Franken (Minnesota) pointed out, mergers like Comcast/NBC will drive a stake through the heart of independent development…
And this is the perfect opportunity to spit right in the face of Comcast
(O.K. I understand that Amanita Design is a Czech Developer but I still would like to spit in the face of Comcast)
See you online,
Julie Whitefeather
[Posted for Julie Whitefeather by The Webmaster]
*spits in the face of Comcast… and Activision?*
Thanks for the heads-up on this. I’ve had my eye on this game for a while now, and this is a perfect time to toss those intrepid indie devs a bit of cash.
It is the possibilties that Senator Franken spoke about and the possible affect on independent development not just in the gaming industry but any industry that has everyone on staff here very concerned. To make matters worse with the deal that Google and Verizon brokered outside the FCC talks, the talks have broken down altogether. The connection is, of course, as Senator Franken discussed, small developers like this one will have a harder time of it if deals like Comcast/NBC are allowed to go through.
And while this issue has nothing to do with Activision, the attempt by Activision to steal the identity of Greg Hastings has us agreeing with you on that one as well.
The Webmaster