Back in the summer, Doritos asked its fans to submit their best video game ideas to the cool ranch chip manufacturer with the intention of creating the first user-generated game available for download on the Xbox 360. Now, the company has just released beta versions of the top five finalists’ games on the web.
The idea itself is pretty cool and Doritos seems like they’re investing a ton of money in it. In addition to contracting famous gaming development house NinjaBee (the company behind the downloadable Xbox 360 games “Band of Bugs,” “Cloning Clyde,” and “Outpost Kaloki X”) to aid the finalists in turning their fledgling games into compelling Xbox 360 downloads, each finalists receives a 42″ plasma television, a limited edition Xbox 360 Elite, ten Xbox 360 games, 2,000 Microsoft points, a one-year subscription to Xbox Live Gold, a game entertainment system with surround sound and a pro-gaming chair. Cool, no?
There are currently five games available for beta on the Internet. In the spirit of honesty, I have to admit that I’ve only played two: Ultimate Dodgeball Champions (I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for dodge ball because it’s the only competitive team sport I was ever good at) and Doritos Dash of Destruction, in which a hungry Tyrannosaurus Rex rampages through a town attempting to eat a Doritos delivery truck. Both of them are not in their final stages yet, but, as the good folks over at Joystiq were kind enough to point out, each is probably more fun than the currently available Toyota Yaris game for the Xbox 360.
Dorito’s approach to the whole thing is actually pretty interesting and their usage of the XBLA (Xbox Live Arcade) distribution platform to distribute the stuff is really forward thinking. It’s no secret that Burger King pulled off an amazing stunt last year, with its three branded games outselling Gears of War, the number one attraction for the Xbox 360 over the holiday season, and increased its second quarter profits by 42 percent, due almost entirely to this, at least according to Burger King.. So, we know video game consoles are a pretty good way of attracting interest. And here we have a company combining the interactive benefits of user-generated content with the immersive benefits of gaming systems?
Maybe I’ve been in California for too long, but: “Awesome!”
