iBailout! Pits Players as Fed Chief

February 1, 2010 -

Try your hand at being the Federal Reserve Chairman in a new iPhone/iPod Touch game featuring Pac-Man-style game play.

Developed by Marroni Electronic Entertainment and NightIrion, iBailout! decrees that “it’s time for you to get yours,” and has players racing around the screen in a bid to gobble up as many stacks of dirty, dirty bailout cash as possible. Instead of being chased by ghosts however, players will have to outmaneuver angry mobs of torch and pitchfork-bearing United States citizens.

Running over machine guns will also give players the ability to declare martial law and will render taxpayers harmless and able to be gobbled up. Scores are also tabulated in the trillions, because that’s how the Fed rolls.

Available for $1.99 in the iTunes store, iBailout! was also chosen as an entrant in the 2010 Independent Games Festival Mobile Competition.


Comments

Re: iBailout! Pits Players as Fed Chief

iBailout!! CNN Coverage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn3KIB97hg4

iBailout!! Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqhB77AZHGQ

iBailout!! Wall Street Journal

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/01/25/appwatch-ibailout/

 

Hey, guys. 

I'm the designer and producer of iBailout!!.  You can check out the trailer and some CNN and Wall Street Journal coverage that we recently had above.

Let me assure you that iBailout!! is most definitely a completely sincere and most serious political statement and not any kind of gross oversimplification of pressing issues; not only that, but it's just as fun to play and as great a game as it is political; I (and most definitely the team) care almost exactly as much about making a great game as I do my politics. 

You can check the links to reviews to check out some others' objective opinions of the game and on the App Store--ok, all the early reviews are friends and family, but I didn't tell them what to write or how to rate it (Lord Gek, of Touch Arcade forum is a complete stranger, though, for real).  Honest.

A bit further, iBailout!! is most definitely and obviously inspired of Pac-Man (which gender of which iteration of the classic arcade franchise will be obvious after a bit of playthrough), but, really, iBailout!! is its own game, with honestly innovative twists on classic arcade gameplay and is respectful and meaningful homage of past greats.

That's what I have to say and I appreciate you all reading this article and sincerely hope you'll check iBailout!! out and give it a fair shot.

Thanks a lot.

 

-Nick Marroni

Owner, Designer & Producer

Marroni Electronic Entertainment (MEE)

 

http://justanotheriphoneblog.com/wordpress/iphone-application-reviews/re...

http://gamersyndrome.com/2010/iphone/ibailout-review/

http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/01/ibailout/

 

P.S.

 

Just follow the tip below and it'll be smooth sailing and precision iBailout!!'n, as far as the Fed can gobble (stacks and stacks of that aforementioned dirty, dirty bailout cash).

iBailout!! SWIPE CONTROLS TIP #W-4:

Our swipe controls are sweet: You can swipe anywhere on the screen to move the Fed, not just on the road or the Fed’s current direction (iBailout!!'s about $1,000,000,000,000.00x easier when using your index finger too).  Also, you can swipe ahead of time (one swipe'll do it) and it’ll store that move until exactly the right time to execute it, so you’re able to input very quick maneuvers and navigate multiple abrupt corners with ease.  Cool, huh?

 

 

http://marronigames.com http://facebook.com/marronigames http://twitter.com/marronigames

Re: iBailout! Pits Players as Fed Chief

We don't take kindly to you're kind around here unless it's a Bush, Palin, or Republican flash game. So says the flock!

Re: iBailout! Pits Players as Fed Chief

Hey,

Your ideas intrigue me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

You sound like you'd appreciate iBailout!! and I hope you'll check it out and share the good iBailout!!'n word here and in the forums and on the App Store, but I do have faith in your peers here at GamePolitics and I'm sure, once they check it out, they'll get down with iBailout!! too.

Thanks.

 

http://marronigames.com http://facebook.com/marronigames http://twitter.com/marronigames

Re: iBailout! Pits Players as Fed Chief

I am getting rather tired of these 'lets simplify and make fun of complex issues by turning them into clones of simple retro games' games.

I think I would much rather see some simulation games that help explore why things are being done...

Re: iBailout! Pits Players as Fed Chief

Unless it's about Republicans, Bush and Palin but when it comes to Obama and friends, Obama is a sacred cow that you are not supposed to criticize.

Re: iBailout! Pits Players as Fed Chief

While exploring complex issues in the form of a game sounds like a cool idea, I seriously doubt it would be fun, and there's no way that would sell. Take some classes or start a discussion for serious matters. If you want to use a simple game as an ice-breaker to a larger issue, great.

Even if a game seriously tried to tackle a complex issue, all the player would get is a one-sided image of what the game author's views are. The game could be a clever way to make a statement, but people aren't going to pay for it unless it's fun.

Make fun of the government in a simple-to-play game = $

Re: iBailout! Pits Players as Fed Chief

I don't know about that.  Going all the way back to primaive resource management games like Lemonade Stand (Apple II era), there has always been a market for games that use real models to simulate stripped down versions of complex things and the player has fun balancing them.

For example, the whole 'SimXYZ' series of games, and CivABC.

Re: iBailout! Pits Players as Fed Chief

Re: iBailout! Pits Players as Fed Chief

Findlaw actually had a good piece that I think would make some good game fodder:

 

If We Must Obsess About Budget Deficits, Can We At Least Measure Them Correctly?

 

Gives a good breakdown of the effects of deficits and touches on bailouts.  It also illustrates just how unconcervative modern economic concervatives are.

 
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