It looks like Rovio's upcoming kart racing game, Angry Birds Go!, will be full of in-app purchases with some priced as high as $100.
While the game will be widely launched on December 11, the Finnish developer has now launched it in New Zealand via Apple's iTunes App Store as part of a soft launch. Mobile gaming focused website Pocket Gamer, has already
previewed the game, and discovered that it's a free download but features a number of in-app purchases including cars, energy systems, pay-for power-ups, multiple currencies and advertising priced as high as $100.
The Angry Birds Go! preview also describes the gameplay, mentioning that the action can be controlled with tilt or touch but one can't jump and drift. Races can be started by catapulting birds from the start line.
The report points out that Angry Birds Go! power-ups can be used free of charge once or twice following which one needs to use premium currency, in the form of gems to buy power-ups. To purchase gems after you run out of the initially allocated quantity, you need to pay in real cash.
Karts can also be upgraded through in-app purchases, and most notably, there is even a Big Bang Special Edition car, that costs a whopping $99.99. It even uses a waiting system wherein you'll need to "reenergise" your player by paying in gems, or have to wait for it to be ready on its own.
While there's still time for the game's full launch, and there might be some changes, as the initial reaction has been of outrage, similar to how mobile gaming enthusiasts reacted to games, like Real Racing 3, which were full of irritating in-app purchases.
Rovio
released the gameplay trailer of Angry Birds Go!, in October. It is a kart-racing game that brings the Angry Birds characters to a brand new downhill kart racing set-up.
The game would be available worldwide on December 11 on all major mobile platforms including Android, iOS, Windows Phone 8 and even BlackBerry 10, via respective app stores.
Angry Birds Go! will be the eighth game in the popular series, following the original Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons, Angry Birds Rio, Angry Birds Space, Angry Birds Star Wars, Angry Birds Star Wars II and Angry Birds Friends, and excluding the Bad Piggies spinoff.