Kung Fu Hustle-ing you, one transaction at a time

by Kevin Kelly { May 11th 2007 at 6:33PM }

In probably one of the more unexpected games based on a movie (or TV show) to come out in awhile, Kung Fu Hustle is being developed into a video game by Sony Online Entertainment's Taiwan studio. Do you want the good news or the bad news first -- because we're giving you the good news first. It being that that actor / director Stephen Chow is working closely with Sony on the development of the game, and the bad news being that it's only aimed at the Chinese market.

But wait, there's more. The good news is that it's "free," one of our favorite words. The bad news is that it will be rife with "microtransactions," one of our least favorite words. According to the press release, "While Kung Fu Hustle will be free to play, players will be able to purchase extra lives and hundreds of virtual items for a nominal fee."

Still, it's not all bad. While Kung Fu Hustle is one of the funniest kung fu movies we've ever seen, the shots of this game that they showed us look pretty ... painful. If it looked great, we'd be bellyaching more about it being unavailable over here.

Tags: Kung Fu Hustle, KungFuHustle

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Jon @ May 11th 2007 6:47PM

Nothing wrong with free with microtransactions.

What is wrong is US$60 for game then additional charges through microtransactions.

Kung Fu Hustle is good, but God of Cookery is awesome.

OrganicShadow @ May 11th 2007 7:18PM

Yeah, they know that nickel-and-diming crap with PAYING FOR EXTRA LIVES (seriously wtf) wouldn't fly over here. Kinda glad it's not coming to the US because while that's a funny movie, it doesn't seem like it would translate well to an MMO of all things.

Robert Headley @ May 11th 2007 8:56PM

God of Cookery is great indeed, but I like Shaolin Soccer even more.

Also, Microtransactions are pretty big everywhere that isn't america. Just look at Gunbound. Nothing rocks more than a free game, if you want to spend a little money to buy a funky hat, then that is and should be your perogative

Jane @ May 11th 2007 9:59PM

I love the pic.

sheppy @ May 12th 2007 12:25AM

Hate to say it but yet another reactionary topic to a business model that has long been standardized. Let's put it this way.

Let's say you want to give Flyff a try... why not? Download, log in, create your character and play. If you don't like it, no biggie. Delete character, uninstall. If you do like it, continue playing. If you want to buy premiums and support the game, well there is always that option too.

Now let's say you want to give Vanguard a try. $50 up front on a game that you may or may not like. If you like it, continuing to play has a monthly fee attached. But if you don't like it, you're out the $50.

ZippyDSMlee @ May 12th 2007 5:45AM

Ah microtransactions...the only sure fired way to get 150$ out of a 30$ game....

chudgoo @ May 13th 2007 3:39PM

Interesting...

I wonder why no one has tried the arcade model.
The game is free to download, but each play will cost you a quarter or so...

I'm not saying that I LIKE this idea, but given the industry's love of microtransactions, it seems inevitable.