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Play Storage Wars the way it’s meant to be played, with real money and real risks, in real time. Storage Wars: The Next Generation is a real-time strategy game based on the popular TV series Storage Wars . It’s now available for consoles. The war is on, let the bidding begin. Reality shows come and go. Many never last a season. Some explode into popular culture like a supernova, only to get sucked into the black hole created by its inability to sustain its own hype. Storage Wars snaked its way through the viper nest of collectible-reality shows to emerge as the top predator (or scavenger, depending on your perspective.) In the show, a group of buyers bid against each other for the contents of a storage locker. These lockers are sold to the highest bidder when the renter falls behind on payments. The bidders cannot touch items, open boxes, or enter the locker unit. They must bid on what they see from the threshold. Some units are filled with treasures, others with trash. Viewers relate to the enduring characters of Storage Wars , and the resulting interactions, living vicariously through their triumphs and failures. Everyone wants to see what’s in each locker, which is revealed later in the show. Storage Wars: The Next Generation takes you to the next level: as an actual participant. Live vicariously no more. With your Xbox 360 or PS3, you will have the opportunity to bid on locker units every evening of the week for a three-hour period. The producers of the show, and developers of the game, have contacted storage units throughout North America. These companies are more than happy to have more bidders. Units are purchased through bids activated by your controller. Gaming participants will be able to see the contents of each locker onscreen, through a live camera feed. The cameraman is allowed to enter the locker, which gives online bidders an extra edge. The winning bidder will work with a licensed and bonded, on-site collector who will go through the contents of the locker, offering professional appraisals of valuable items. Arrangements can be made for the collector to purchase items from the buyer outright, or ship them to the buyer, all for a small fee. Creators of this online version claim it’s possible to make a living from this game, with the possibility of striking it rich as so many buyers have in the past. Rare coins, stamps, letters, gold, cash, and priceless works of art are not uncommon in such lockers. It’s an addicting enterprise. You never know what you may find in the next box. Storage Wars: The Next Generation is set for release next month. It’s a sure bet. By Cole Smith |