Aspyr Media and Pangea Software have a deal that’s almost too good for school administrators to refuse. The companies are offering a free site license upgrade to the first 200 schools that purchase a copy of their new 3D action game, Otto Matic.
Under the terms of the deal, schools can purchase a site license that will enable them to run the game on all computers at the school’s location, all for the cost of a single copy of the game. The offer is limited to the first 200 schools that qualify, so if you’re interested, please don’t dawdle.
This isn’t the first time such a deal has been arranged. Pangea had also extended similar deals to schools with its two prior self-published releases, the 3D action game Bugdom and the kart racing game Cro-Mag Rally. Pangea teamed up with Aspyr Media to publish Otto Matic, but both companies have the same perspective on making it easy for students and teachers to spend some quality time playing games.
Qualifying for the site license is fairly simple, and instructions for doing so have been posted to Pangea’s Web site. The bottom line is that employees of educational institutions need to submit a letter on school letterhead requesting a site license for Otto Matic. The letter needs to signed by the school’s Principal, Computer Lab Head or Systems Administrator. A US$42.90 check has to accompany the letter, as well.
“Pangea Software is very supportive of education, and we don’t believe that schools should spend money on buying site licenses of video games for the kids to play,” said Greenstone. “So, we’ve always had a policy that any school who owns 1 legit copy of our software may always use it as a site license for the entire school. Aspyr liked our philosophy on this and wanted to pass it along with Otto Matic.”
Otto Matic is a new action game that puts players in the role of a heroic robot on a mission to save humans from the clutches of a nefarious alien menace. Otto travels from planet to planet rescuing innocent bystanders as he goes, battling foes along the way. He collects power-ups and weapons, and uses various devices like zip lines and water skis to accomplish his mission.
Pangea Software founder Brian Greenstone fully admits to being inspired by sci-fi classics, including many B-movies, when he was developing the game. That influence is readily apparent both in the design of the game — complete with Theremin-style soundtrack and Buck Rogers-style graphics — and the plot: the Otto’s arch-nemesis is the Giant Brain from Planet X. Otto Matic is a great romp for anyone looking for some fun and challenging 3D entertainment on their Mac. A playable demo is available for download, if you want to give it a try.