The King is in your Xbox 360
by Ross Miller 
on Oct 2nd 2006 5:49PM
Whereas some games, we predict, might be made to ebb the
ever-growing obesity problem, fast-food giant Burger King is looking to encourage more quick dining by offering original Xbox and Xbox 360 games for $3.99 with the purchase of any value meal. Three titles, rated E for Everybody, will be released:
Pocketbike Racer,
Big Bumpin', and
Sneak King. Inappropriate innuendo aside (and there's lots to be had), two games actually feature online play over Xbox Live.
At $4 per game, one has to wonder why Burger King didn't go for the cheaper option of handing out digital download codes for tech-saavy youngsters to download the games as XBLA titles. Microsoft abandoned the original Xbox a long time ago, and most soda / fast food contests have evolved into codes that require you to make the effort to log onto their website to find out that you're a loser.
Burger King's largest competitor, McDonald's, has a history of shacking up with the games industry to promote (financially) healthy burger-eating habits. With Nintendo, McDonald's has produced a number of kids meal toys and even set up DS-specific
WiFi spots in its stores, not to mention a recent
Mario-inspired
commercial. And then there's a
flash game about the workings of McD, but that's not exactly sanctioned by the golden arches ...
Burger King games will be available November 19 up until December 24, which makes the titles perfect for that last-minute Christmas gift. Continue reading for more information on the individual titles.
In
Sneak King, "players can step into the King's royal shoes and use cunning stealth to sneak up behind unsuspecting people and bestow them with a delicious meal." We're a bit afraid what "delicious meals" the King has in mind for Ms. Pretty-in-Pink. At least we can see his hands in the picture above.
In
Big Bumpin', you play bumper cars. Selectable characters include the King, a guy in a hamburger suit, "Subservient Chicken" (how medieval!), and one-time Playboy model Brooke Burke. Levels include "Ice Box," "Broiler," "King's Court," "The Deep" and "Monsoon of Doom" and up to four players can play over Xbox Live. Four-player
Big Bumpin' in The Deep with Brooke Burke, eh? Sometimes this is too easy.
Pocket Bike Racers (not
Pocket Rocket Racers) is a five-track racer where you and up to eight racers over Xbox Live (or four players split-screen) can compete over five tracks of what looks to be fun-yet-quick-lived
Mario Kart clone (items and weapons, here, take the form of "enhancements" and "tools").
