7 ms·
Smartphones are powerful now, yet games that manage to match the quality and depth of an SNES-era game are basically non-existent. After seeing the success of R
by sillysaurus2 13y ago
Smartphones are powerful now, yet games that manage to match the quality and depth of an SNES-era game are basically non-existent. After seeing the success of Rovio, Zynga and King, I don't think they will be made sadly.
It's important to realize that our tastes aren't necessarily representative of people's tastes in general. Most people probably wouldn't enjoy Chrono Trigger or FF3 compared to Candy Crush. The evidence is that Final Fantasy games have been available for smartphones for a long time now, but they just aren't selling. The storytelling experience is the same, but people aren't as into them.
It's easy to label the industry as "low confidence" but reality is more along the lines of "acts on hard data." It's wise to be cautious when it only takes one or two mistakes to kill your company.
- DanBC 13y agoI don't care about people liking Candy Crush. Match 3 is a huge genre. It's just sad that there isn't a clone that costs $4.99 to buy and doesn't need more purchases. It's even sadder that even if the clone did exist few people would buy it. I really miss the Doom model of give away a few levels cor free and buy the rest.
- GFischer 13y agoThere are free Match 3 games, at least on Android, I have downloaded and played several :) . Example - JewelsStar https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.game.JewelsStar https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.game.Jewel... However, I'd pay for a polished experience like a PopCap made game (Bejeweled).
- sleepyK 13y agoLots of games do that, and that seems to be the only respectable way to monetize.... that and in-game item sales.... but those tend to go too far and then cripple gameplay.
- p_e_n_g_u_i_n 13y ago> I really miss the Doom model of give away a few levels cor free and buy the rest. Sadly, things like this get tons of hate in the reviews... People would rather be annoyed with stupid social media and IAP crap than pay a dollar for the rest of the game. The only way to really make it work is (from my experience) make an ad-supported, shortened lite version, so people can test it out before buying it. That's a real pain because now you have two malls to manage, update, and promote. At least that's how it works on iOS.
- interpol_p 13y agoI don't find this to be the case at all, we produced a game which was free and had a single purchase for the rest of the levels. People didn't complain any more than normal, conversion was good. I also believe this model is executed well on the App Store — I personally play and purchase Tell Tale's episodic games, the Layton Brothers Mystery Room game, Phoenix Wright, Ghost Trick, and so on. All of them use this sales model. One of the biggest, most loved games ever also used this model: Letterpress. It is free and offers a single purchase for unlimited multiplayer opponents. People love it.
- GFischer 13y agoA bit offtopic: where can I get recommendations for good mobile games? Geared towards a HN-like crowd :) I've read about more interesting Android games on this article's comments (didn't know there were Layton games for Android) than in several unsuccesful searches. And all the "most popular" Android games the Play store shows me are not for me.
- sh4na 13y agoWho needs clones when you can have Ron Gilbert's Scurvy Scallywags! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scurvy-scallywags/id593299847?mt=8 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scurvy-scallywags/id59329984... I'm a huge fan of Match 3 games and I can honestly say there's plenty enough choice in that genre without having to rely on Candy Crush.
- zimpenfish 13y agoSeconded (although the permadeath-style reset when you completely die annoyed me greatly.)
- officemonkey 13y agoI don't understand why people think Candy Crush is bad. I've played Candy Crush for close to a year (I'm on level 153) and I haven't spent a dime. Sure, I've played the same level for weeks on end, but I haven't bought anything. Of course I've been tempted to push the button, spend 99 cents and bypass the level, but I have something called willpower and a certain amount of pride that every level I've beaten is legit.
- elliottcarlson 13y agoI've been somewhat addicted to Candy Crush for the last few months (at level 305 now - long commutes give me way too much free time) and I haven't spent a dime either. What was surprising to hear was that some co-workers have paid at every "world" change - and they didn't know there was a way to get through to the next world without paying. It seems, when it is hooked up to your Facebook account, you don't have the option to play the three bonus levels over the course of 24 hours each - only nagging FB friends and paying. The trick is to just sign-out of FB in-game, play the three levels and then connect it back up if you wanted to.
- jlees 13y agoYes, I only realised this recently. I got into the habit of paying (although via FB, as the cost to unlock new levels is 2 credits - 20c - rather than $0.99). However, I'm actually quite happy to pay for the content directly. Developers don't work for free, and they're constantly adding to the game. I like to support them (and other devs) as so many people expect to get hundreds of hours of gameplay for free these days. I don't see an issue with paying for content gates in such a fashion -- but I do dislike the "Pay $0.99 to get 5 more moves, you've nearly done it!" mechanic, and others like it, so I don't pay for those.
- officemonkey 13y agoI've never signed in to FB, so I never knew the bonus level option disappeared.
- jader201 13y ago> I don't understand why people think Candy Crush is bad. > ...but I have something called willpower This is why people think Candy Crush is bad -- because most people don't have this willpower, and it plays on this weakness, almost to an exact science.
- smackfu 13y ago>It's just sad that there isn't a clone that costs $4.99 to buy and doesn't need more purchases. Practically speaking, a lot of these freemium games just have a lot of money to spend on creating content. It's usually a better more polished game even if you don't spend money on it. That $5 clone has to come up with all the development budget up front, while the freemium version has constant cash flow.
- girvo 13y agoI love match 3. I owned a legit copy of Bejwelled 2 on Windows Mobile (heh), Android, and now my iPad and iPhone. I love that game.
- osxrand 13y agoThe Doom model wouldn't work on me anymore, unless the game was spectacular. Once I've played the first x levels, I've usually satisfied my curiosity about the game and, if there is a pay wall, move on. I do appreciate the chance to try before I buy, but maybe because I'm not 'investing' in the game (either by paying money upfront or time investment in a free game), it's easy to move on to one of the hundreds of other good games out here.
- simias 13y agoI think the reason is not so much the taste of the people but rather the fact that a smartphone is not a NES. It's not the same use case. Most successful games on phones are extremely casual, meant to be played for 5 minutes at a time while waiting for something else. The games you cited were meant to be played hours at a time. That lowers people expectations as well as the price they're willing to pay for the games on phones. Also, the fact that almost all interactions have to be done through the touchscreen makes many game types impractical.
- oneeyedpigeon 13y agoSettlers on the iPad is brilliant. The touchscreen interface is perfect for such a game, and I’ve certainly played it for hours at a time. Not sure how well it would translate to phone screen size, or if it’s even available.
- zimpenfish 13y agoYou can get it on the iPhone and it's a bit fiddly. Definitely playable though.
- GFischer 13y agoI have one of the Final Fantasy games on my cell phone, and the user experience is really not good for a cell phone game. One kind of game I expected to do really well and I'm still waiting, is graphic adventure games. In either case, I think the problem is recognizing that smartphone games are similar but different to handheld consoles, I'm sure there are plenty of insights to be had - maybe game sessions of 5-15 minutes instead of whatever handhelds have This article says they're equal, but maybe it's a chicken and egg problem :) http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/iphone-gaming-sessions-equal-to-ds-and-psp http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/iphone-gaming-sessions... "traditional mobile games are played for around six minutes at a time" "with Rolando .. the average play session is 22 minutes"
- jaegerpicker 13y agoThere some really REALLY good graphic adventure games for iOS, like the tell tale games for instance. The walking dead series is one of the best iOS games I've ever played.
- GFischer 13y agoI've heard about that, and I've played one Sam & Max game by Telltale :) . I don't have and don't plan on owning any Apple devices - not useful and too expensive in my country, the local ecosystem uses Android, so I hope they release more games for Android :) I thought they hadn't released, any but apparently they just did !!! Should show them some support by buying it :) www.slimgamer.com/16504/telltales-the-walking-dead-season-one-finally-comes-to-android/ should I watch the TV series before? Thank you for pointing me to that game :)
- Karunamon 13y agoThey may not be selling because Square is selling their SNES-era games for tens of dollars. In a marketplace where $5.99 is considered a premium/high price, it's just plain insulting. 20ish year old games with minor graphical enhancements are not worth $15.99
- xauronx 13y ago"Insulting" might be the wrong word there. I would think it's more insulting to tell someone how to value their work. Perhaps, it's an unwise price if they're looking for millions of downloads, but I don't know. I think that in order to keep pushing the iPhone toward a real gaming platform instead these ADHD spin offs and in app purchases, we need more of the big boys to price things at a sustainable price tag.
- scardine 13y agoValue and price are distinct things. The value of anything is not the price the author think he is entitled to charge nor the manufacturing cost + a fair profit, it is the price people is willing to pay.
- Karunamon 13y agoThere's nothing reasonable or sustainable about $16 for a 20 year old game. My immediate reaction is "Are these people serious?" followed by "What do they think they're going to sell me that a SNES emulator can't provide?" It feels like they're insulting my intelligence, in other words.
- untog 13y agoI'm not sure why the age would affect the value. Either it's a good game or it isn't. I paid for Grand Theft Auto 3 on my phone - is that too old to have value or is it still in the value zone? I'm confused. Now, SNES emulators are something else. It's worth pointing out that downloading ROMs is not technically legal. And (at least on the iPhone) you can't use one without jailbreaking your phone.
- prawks 13y agoFinal Fantasy is a poor example, I think. Games like Castlevania, Mario, Zelda, Metroid which have simple but well-executed mechanics have basically gone out of flavor because the broader populace... I originally said this is because they do not enjoy difficult or lengthy games, however I think that may be incorrect. I think the wider populace craves achievement, and being able to show something for the time they've sunk into the game (as well as probably being put off by games with difficult learning curves). Games like Farmville, Candycrush, and most MMORPGs, while time consuming, award "something" the player can "show off" afterwards. I think games like Spelunky are more along the lines of games the OP and many people I speak with miss. The indie game community on PC and XBLA have done wonders as of late. It's a shame it's not quite gone so well for mobile, but PC and mobile gaming are two massively different audiences. Quality games are far, far, FAR from dead, you just need to look to places where people with like-minded interests from you are.
- schnevets 13y agoSeems to me like it has less to do with the tastes of kids these days and more to do with the interface and features of the device. 2D platformers are damn hard to play on a touch screen and require a lot more attention than the typical puzzler/social game. The genres of Zynga and Rovio thrived organically in mobile environments. Meanwhile, the more "hardcore" gaming companies are trying their damndest to force existing game mechanics into an environment that doesn't sustain them.
- DanBC 13y agoBlocky Roads and similar could be the 2d platformers for the phone generation.
- bkurtz13 13y agoHow do you know they aren't selling? It would be nice to have actual data before making blanket statements that conveniently support your point.
- etler 13y agoBeyond that, there's a very limited range of games smartphones can support. Because of the lack of dedicated physical buttons, most action game just do not work. The action games that do well are runners, because they remove nearly all the controls except for dodge. Because the screen is a touch screen you inherently cover the screen as you control the game. It's the reason the DS has two screens, so you can cover up part of the second screen without blocking the main action above.