Showdown Time*

Showdown Time replicates random RPG battles with actual people. As long as you’re carrying your DS around, you never know when you’ll get called into battle. All you’ll know is that you will get called. When another gamer passes within 100 yards, the game is automatically triggered. There’s no backing down, unless you want to forfeit your hard-earned cash.

Using a low-level infrared sensor and beam, it will transmit and receive data from other systems using very little battery power. When another person with the game is within proximity, it’s showdown time, and both units are fired up to full power. Any one of thousands of games is selected. Most will only last a couple of minutes, and the winner collects the spoils, determined by a point betting system made prior to the challenge. These points are redeemable for cash money.

Showdown Time has what appears to be an expensive upfront cost, but it’s actually an investment. It gives you the ability to make money if your gaming skills are good. At a cost of $99 U.S., the game gives you an instant currency value of $55, redeemable anytime through a bank machine. These points are your bankroll. It’s what you make your bets with before the challenges. An actual game will begin only after bets are placed. Both players must be able to see each other in person, so they can size each other up and determine who should be the victor. Once the competitors have decided on the size of the wager, it’s game time!

Game genres include shooters, card games, puzzles, fighters, and platformers. They are randomly generated from the coupling of two unique algorithm codes embedded into each game. There is no way to predetermine what game appears beforehand, nor is there any way to practice a specific game. Each game can only be played once, but since there are over 70,000 different games in the selection pool, it may take years before you require an expansion pack.

Since Showdown Time utilizes a point system, no actual money is wagered. Therefore it’s absolutely legal in most States. The points can be redeemed later, for real cash. The developers claim this isn’t a legal loophole; it’s just an easier way to manage transactions and avoid ugly confrontations with the law.

“You can go online right now and bet real money on a poker game,” says Stan DaSide. “So there’s no reason a ten-year old can’t get a little action with games he or she is comfortable playing. It’s age-related discrimination, I tell you. Why should these kids have to go out and shovel snow or deliver papers in freezing weather to make a buck? If they’re good at something, they should be able to capitalize on it. And these young kids can play against middle-aged gamers. They’re all welcome to play Showdown Time.”

The developers claim Showdown Time is more than a game; it’s a way of life. Wanna’ bet?