browser-based posts

A German game developer called Splitscreen Studios has just announced Pirate Galaxy, a 3D, browser-based MMO. The press release (warning: PDF) describes Pirate Galaxy as a "space combat game set in the distant future," in which you may "join thousands of other players as you fight to break free from the tyranny of ruthless alien oppressors."

Gameplay seems to be focused on fighting enemies to acquire ship upgrades. Big surprise there! The game will use a microtransaction-based business model. That is to say, it will be free to play, but some ship upgrades and other bonuses will be sold in an online shop. Splitscreen, which is made up of former Bigpoint employees, hopes to launch Pirate Galaxy by year's end.

This is probably the hundred trillionth browser-based MMO to be announced in the past two years. But hey, there's probably room for quite a few of them.

A couple months back, the Discovery Channel spent an entire hour of its 5 part documentary "Rise of the Video Game" analyzing the relationship between the United States military and the video games industry. It's been a long and profitable tradition, with military simulations making up a big chunk of video game sales, and with recruitment games like America's Army proving to be very effective for the military.

Australian military officials must have been inspired by that example, because their online recruitment initiative DefenceJobs has launched a website full of military-themed Flash games. The games are designed to pitch a 12-month, post-secondary-school stint in the army as a viable choice to teens. So, far, over 300,000 users have signed up at the site.

The games aren't nearly as complex as America's Army, but they're still fun, and there are several of them. Some of them even have multi-player options. The blending of military and gaming culture is a complex subject, and a lot can be said both in criticism and acceptance of the trend, so mull over that if you like. Or, if you're more the shooting type than the thinking type, just play the damn games.

[Via Joystiq]