Android Phone

This is no joke. The gun is The Kraken, which according to mobile gaming site TouchArcade is "the mack daddy of all premium unlockable guns... which promises to instantly vaporize all nearby enemies". It costs 3,499 of Gun Bros' war bucks currency, which sells in packs of 710 for $99 via in-app payment: hence the $500 figure.

The game - a tactical RPG \ on the publisher's renowned fantasy franchise-base - went live today on the App Store as a paid app costs ? 10.99.

As of this writing, it 's eighth top grossing iPhone game in the UK App Store, two places ahead of 69p Angry Birds, although behind Freemium Title Zynga Poker, Smurfs' Village, Tap Pet Hotel, Tap Zoo, Zombie Gunship and Tiny Tower.

? 10.99, though. It feels like a piece, given the history of the title. It was first released on PlayStation in 1997, then launched in 2007 new for Sony 's PSP handheld with the War of the Lions subtitles. It 's that has been released for the iPhone, albeit with a touch-screen controls, faster load times and optimize graphics.

You don 't have to ask a cheapskate that both Glu and Square Enix are, frankly, by selecting them with their pricing strategies. But it 's their right to any price they like for their games and things, and either reap the rewards or commmercial quickly bring the cost lower, if the players their (virtual) keep wallets in their pockets.

Part of the fascination of mobile gaming in 2011 is that there is still a tremendous amount of experimentation happening around pricing. A marketplace where companies like EA routinely drop the cost of its biggest brands to 69p, but where virtual weapons for 443-times that price at least could never be accused of boring offered.