unforum

[Clayfoot]

No shortage in the boondocks

[Drewbear]

I always suspected that it was promo for a game, since it was advertised on GameSpy, but I'm disappointed that it's another shooter. Whatever happened to old-fashioned adventure games like King's Quest or Sam n' Max or Grim Fandango?

[krystyn]

Re: No shortage in the boondocks

[thunderclap8]

got mine. For anyone who is interested, here's what the box and Joker with the code look like: (crappy camera phone pic)

http://static.flickr.com/25/49480954_574935c209.jpg

No you can't use my code, I already did

[Chewy]

I can't see this ARG being linked to Microsoft or the XBOX 360 at all. Firstly, Gun is multiplatformed (current gen consoles, next gen consoles, and the PSP handheld)... I cannot see Microsoft advertising a game that is not first party or exclusive to their system. I would expect a 360 campaign to hold games such as Halo, Project Gotham, and the likes.

Also, the other games you mentioned are also cross platform... M$ would never risk increasing the sales of a PS2 version of the game(s?).

My guess is it's a straight advertisement for GUN, or for the developers/publishers.

[konamouse]

Well, this sucks for those of us who are not Xbox players.
I hope the joker mark bonus isn't huge.

[thunderclap8]

I have a feeling that the mark is just something extra and not crucial to the game. But, I've been wrong before.

(It also isn't just for Xbox - Gun is due out for just about every console and the PC)

[BottomlessPitMan]

The game is due out on november 9th at the EB that is close... and I just went up to the counter and asked if he had any more cards... five bucks for a deck of cards... man, they are expensive now-a-days... I don't think he had any idea what was going on... if he did, he completely did not show it...

[weephun]

Does anyone know just how J5 discovered the game connection?

[cassandra]

I can't answer for j5, but we were discussing potential sponsors a week or so ago, and I mentioned that I had found an actor's page (as I'm sure lots did) that listed him as performing for an Activision game ("Johnny Deuces, Last Call Poker"). j5 then came back with his spec about its being Gun.

And that's all I know

[Astald]

[Nadif]

[META] Buy this first, play that later

[Phaedra]

Not really. You don't have to buy anything to participate, fully. The Mark of the Joker just means you'll get a bonus when the chips reset.

But I don't think that bonus is really significant, as far as actual ARG game-play is concerned.

As we've already seen, being on the leader boards doesn't guarantee you interaction (it guarantees you an invitation to a game with Lucky, but you still have to respond before everyone else, and simultaneous interactions are going on in other poker rooms where it doesn't matter how many chips you have).

And even with the bonus I'll get for the MotJ, I still doubt I'll make it onto the Top Chip Holders Board. Even if I do, I'd have to keep winning for the entire week to stay there. So again, while this may be a little boost, it's not going to influence your standing long-term if you don't have the skills to back it up.

So no, I'm not particularly disappointed. This is a little extra. It's not an important part of the game. I really don't think you're being deprived of anything significant by not buying it.

Remember, this game is a marketing tool. It's cool that the company is willing to pay for an entertainment experience for us that we don't have to pay for, but ultimately they would like us to buy their game, and I don't see anything wrong with them trying to boost their preorders by putting in a little incentive.

But, as always, just my $0.02. I admit I have the good ARG fortune to be in the U.S. where I can get the phone calls 'n stuff.

I honestly do hope they fix the profile entry field so non-U.S. people can enter their phone numbers.

[johnny5]

[Astald]

I was about to write a little rant about the mark of the joker thing being cheating, and that is when it hit me. It is cheating, that's the point. A "marked" card is a mark you put on the back of a card, usually a high card like an ace, so if you are the dealer you can find a good place for it or if you see it in someones hand you know they have a better chance of winning the pot than you do. I believe the whole point of this was to award cheating, because after all this is a poker game where bluffing and cheating will get you ahead. I don't know if you will all agree with that, but it seems like an interesting award for those sneaky enough to tread behind the curtain. This is a very interesting ARG indeed.