Examining Eliminate Pro’s freemium iPhone gaming model

I’ve been playing around 20 minutes of Eliminate Pro every day for the past week, and it’s been a surprisingly good time. What’s more: I haven’t had to spend a cent, despite all of the extra goodies you can buy with ngmoco:)’s freemium model. However, the more I play, the more I question the value of the available in-game purchases. I did a little bit of simple math, and things just aren’t adding up to any worthwhile result.

I’m no Eliminate expert, but I gain around 60-70 credits in each three-minute game. I can play three games on a full energy charge, which means I can earn around 210 credits in about 10 minutes. I never play without energy, but it is important to note that you can continue to play for as long as you like — you just won’t earn anything without credits.

Considering that most most weapons and armour cost around 600 credits max (at level 12, anyway), I definitely feel like I’m progressing at a quick enough pace to make the game enjoyable, while still playing for free. The energy bar refills a third of the way every 45 minutes, so it only takes two hours and fifteen minutes for another full charge (allowing me another 10 minutes of play). I’d be pissed if this were a console game, but as a quick distraction on my iPhone, I think this timeframe is fine. Free play is both possible and enjoyable in Eliminate Pro, as opposed to Godfinger.

However, paying for more play time still seems like an absurd notion to me, given the exchange rate of dollars to energy cells. The price plans are as follows:

* $1.99 for 45 cells
* $10.99 for 310 cells
* $32.99 for 1150 cells

Two dollars will net you just under 40 minutes of play, given that it takes 12 cells to recharge an energy meter. Personally, I think that same two dollars will get you a lot more gameplay in titles like Tilt to Live or Minigore. The more expensive plans seem even more absurd, given how much the prices ramp up: $11 for approximately 4 hours and 20 minutes and $33 for 16 hours of gameplay.

Granted, paying $33 for 16 hours of gameplay is a decent price even by console and PC standards — but the money that goes into Eliminate is really buying you more of the same thing. Weapons are upgraded, but you’re still facing the same enemies in the same arenas — all of which you can access by simply waiting and playing a couple of sessions every day, for free.

The other reason for spending money in this game is to fast-track your way to better loot and different weapon sets, since purchaseable power cells can be exchanged for in-game credits, as follows:

* 15 cells for 100 creds
* 120 cells for 1000 creds
* 275 cells for 2500 creds

Paying $2 for 300 credits might sound good, but once you consider that you can earn 210 credits in a simple 10-minute session at no cost, the value of the transaction drops significantly. Paying $11 for 310 cells can buy you 2500 credits (with a 35 cells still left over), and seems more reasonable — saving you around two hours of play, at an average free play rate of 210 credits earned for every 10-minute session. So, essentially, that $11 would save you about a day or two of play (12 ten-minute sessions, allowing for a recharge rate of 2 hours and 15 minutes between each session) were you to attempt to earn the same number of credits for free.

Then there’s the simple matter of the iPhone’s form factor and battery life. While I do take the iPhone to more places than my DS or PSP, the battery dies a heck of a lot faster than a dedicated game system’s does. Add to that the fact that the iPhone can become very uncomfortable to hold after about 30 minutes of play, and I have to wonder not just about why anyone would pay for Eliminate — but how anyone’s hands could survive playing for that long. After all, if you’re not going to play in long sessions, then you might as well play for free and let the energy recharge on its own.

There could still be something wrong with my basic math, but the value of paying for credits and cells in Eliminate Pro still doesnt add up for me. Are any of you fans of this pay to play freemium system? If you do buy power cells, do you buy them for time, or for credits?