Halo 4: King of the Hill Fueled by Mountain Dew was a location-based augmented reality game on iOS and Android devices made by Kung Fu factory and Ogmento.[1] It was released on October 31, 2012.[2] The name references Mountain Dew Game Fuel, a cross-promotional beverage sold at the time the application was made available. The game was met with negative critical reception.[3][4]
Gameplay
The game plays a version of King of the Hill where the hills are 7-Eleven stores. Players could attempt to defeat players holding the hills to take their place. Players could earn several rewards in the game that would benefit them in Halo 4.[5] The app required the purchase of Halo 4-branded Mountain Dew bottles or Doritos packets, in order to obtain codes which the user would then scan into the app. Doing this increases the player's standing at their particular 7-Eleven store. If the player manages to top the leaderboards, and become 'King of the Hill', then they are eligible for certain in-game rewards in Halo 4.[3] Gold variants of some of the weapons in the game were available.[6]
Rewards
The following rewards could be earned via the app:
Features
Weapons
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Equipment and technology
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Release and reception
Halo 4: King of the Hill was first released to consumers on October 31st, 2012.[2]
The game was received poorly by critics. Eurogamer viewed the app as a shameless marketing promotion, and cash-grab.[3] One writer at Game Rant said that the Halo brand name deserved better, and that the app was "an unsightly, if inconsequential, blemish" on an otherwise perfect record.[4] Nevertheless, the head of Ogmento spoke out to defend the game, citing that it was played by many and had attracted people to both 7-Eleven stores, and Halo 4 itself.[8]
Shortly after release, the developers discovered that some players were intentionally manipulating their phones' GPS locations in order to exploit the game. Consequently, on November 12, 2012, they issued blocks to a number of players suspected to have been doing so.[9] The game experienced server issues on December 5, but they were promptly resolved the following day.[10]
Production notes
When it was first released on iOS, the word 'Fueled' in the title was misspelt as 'Fuled'.[3]
The Halo 4 logo used at the end of the trailer is a fan-made Halo font, despite the fact the official logo was used at the start of the video.[6]
Gallery
Official videos
| A short trailer for the game. | A longer variant of the same trailer. | An official walkthrough for the game. |
Promotional images
A promotional banner for the game.
Screenshots
The game's initial splash screen, upon starting the app.
A screen showing the game's exclusive prizes.
A number of available 'hills' in the game.
The game's reload screen.
A player taking the hill from another. Note the gold assault rifle.
Icons
A small variant of the apps's Android icon.
A medium-sized variant of the icon.
A large variant of the icon.
The largest known image of the icon.
External links
Sources
- ^ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedDev - ^ a b Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedrelease - ^ a b c d e f g h Eurogamer, Halo 4: King of the Hill Fueled by Mountain Dew is an actual app
- ^ a b Game Rant, Opinion: ‘Halo 4′ Deserves Better Than ‘King of the Hill Fueled by Mountain Dew’
- ^ Youtube - Halo: King of the Hill Fueled by Mountain Dew - Walkthrough
- ^ a b YouTube - Ogmento, Halo 4: King of the Hill - Official Trailer
- ^ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedIGN - ^ Forbes, Ogmento President Brian Selzer Explains Why Halo 4 King Of The Hill Is A Success
- ^ Twitter, Halo 4: King of the Hill: "**Attention All Spartans: A Message from UNSC ONI** We have identified a number of Spartans making unauthorized (cont)"
- ^ Twitter, Halo 4: King of the Hill: "Attn Spartans- UNSC servers were scrambled by Covenant forces last night. Our troops were unable to connect. We have resolved the issue -ONI"
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