A Just Cause for OnLive celebration

by: Nathaniel - posted: 4/19/2011 12:34:00 PM

OnLive, the online videogame streaming service, has recently announced the addition of its 50th and 51st games to the all-you-can-play OnLive PlayPack bundle adding to the already available thousands of hours of gameplay for just $9.99 per month.

Open world destruction-fest Just Cause 2 attached its grappling hook to the 50th spot.  Along with being ridiculously fun, Just Cause 2 is also OnLive's most played game and generates many of OnLive's highest-rated and most shared clips.

The announcement follows the recent implementation of more social-rich service features like Gmail-integrated Instant Friend Finder, one-step friend requests, email notifications and easier ways to track, share, and compare your in-game achievements with friends--including automatic Brag Clip video recording of in-game achievements.  OnLive also features one-of-a-kind Spectator Voice Chat that turns any gaming into a true spectator sport by enabling members to watch others on the service, talk to them, and even cheer them on in real time.

I, like many others, though the idea of streaming full games over the internet sounded like a poor alternative to console or PC gaming, but with an ever-expanding set of original social features, OnLive really sounds like it will continue to carve out its own gaming niche.  

OnLive Launches Milestone 50th PlayPack Bundle Game

Just Cause 2 Joins Unlimited-Play Game Bundle; More than 50 Games & Growing

Palo Alto, Calif. — April 19, 2011 — OnLive, Inc., the pioneer of on-demand, instant-play video games, today announced the addition of the 50th and 51st games to the all-you-can play OnLive PlayPack bundle, adding to the thousands of hours of gameplay already available for just $9.99/month. The milestone 50th game is blockbuster action-adventure game Just Cause 2, which not only is one of the most played OnLive games, but lays claim to some of OnLive’s highest-rated and most-shared Brag Clip™ videos because of the uniqueness and creative nature of its open-world system.

“When we started OnLive PlayPack, many said a Netflix-style plan for gaming couldn’t work,” said OnLive VP of Games & Media John Spinale. “Well, not only is it working, it’s growing at an incredibly rapid pace. We have tremendous games like Just Cause 2 joining the PlayPack bundle, and our members are thrilled with the unlimited-play model. This began as an experiment; a gaming first. It’s now a successful, proven, unique way to play.”

The announcement comes on the heels of the recent implementation of more social-rich service features, including a Gmail-integrated Instant Friend Finder, one-step friend requests, email notifications and easier ways to track, share and compare your in-game achievements with friends—including automatic Brag Clip™ video recording of key in-game achievements. These features join OnLive’s one-of-a-kind Spectator Voice Chat, which turns gaming into a true spectator sport by enabling members to watch others playing on the service and talk with them and cheer them on in real-time.

“OnLive takes social-rich gaming to the next level, and the endless hours of interactive PlayPack gameplay create a social destination for gamers unlike anything done before,” said Spinale. “Through Spectator Voice Chat, Just Cause 2 becomes the equivalent of an action-adventure movie that you can participate in while watching. It’s something everyone should try that can only happen on OnLive.”

OnLive’s continuously growing library games in the PlayPack bundle provides an all-you-can-play option for OnLive members for only $9.99/month—allowing them to play instantly on TVs via the OnLive Game System and on virtually any PC or Mac® via a small browser download.

OnLive and the PlayPack bundle enjoy the support of gaming enthusiasts everywhere, including Sean Chano, who goes by Player Tag “Saieno” on the service:

“The OnLive PlayPack bundle is one of the best deals in gaming. It lets you experience thousands of hours of instant entertainment for less than $0.25 a game,” said Chano. “Not only are there classics, there are newer games like Mini Ninjas and Battle Los Angeles. Many of the titles available on PlayPack are worth more than $10 on their own, so to have all of these great games for such a low price really speaks volumes about the OnLive service.”

For more PlayPack information, visit www.onlive.com/playpack.

About OnLive
OnLive is the pioneer of on-demand, instant-play video game services, delivering real-time interactive experiences and rich media through the Internet. With groundbreaking video compression technology, OnLive harnesses cloud computing to provide the power and intelligence needed to instantly deliver the latest, premium game titles to any HDTV via the OnLive Game System or nearly any PC and Mac via a small browser download. The OnLive Viewer app is available for the iPad and is coming soon for Android tablets. OnLive technology is backed by hundreds of patents and patents pending. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. OnLive investors include Warner Bros., Autodesk, Maverick Capital, AT&T, British Telecommunications (BT), The Belgacom Group and HTC. More information is available at www.onlive.com.