Well, it's not only the development costs that come into play in regards to the target of "casual" gamers on this platform, IMHO. I'd say it's not only simply dev costs considerations or "casual" audiences (vs. "hardcore" audiences) but also the platform itself. Again, mobiles are not the same as portable game systems, and dev costs and audience make up are part of that. As TC himself (herself?) admitted, there is a larger percentage of "casual" game consumer on this platform compared to others. In this context "casual" vs. "hardcore" denotes what type of games appeal to the respective audiences the most rather than the industry usage of the terms "casual" and "core" which really contrasts game consumers based on how many games are bought. With that stated, mobile platform appropriate games are more pick up and play oriented than even those on portable game sytems, which themselves are traditionally more pick up and play than home console games. That's why we see more of those types of games vs. the longer, "deeper", more "time consuming to get into" games on this platform. On mobiles, gaming is a diversion. It's something else to do with the device in addition to the other stuff that can be done. As a diversion it's best suited to very "quick blast" sorts of game sessions - minutes at a time, mostly. And the games themselves need only be long lasting in terms of replay value (high score, etc.) not actual length, because they're seen as disposable diversions rather than the main reason behind the purchase of the device. Portable game systems, on the other hand, are meant to be played by consumers solely interested in gaming and they exist for that sole reason (games). In order for the consumer to get the most out of their "investment", they want long lasting games. Due to it being a portable, however, and meant for "on the go" gaming, they also want the games to be quicker to get into than the games typically played on home consoles. I daresay even if we had seen $20 games on this thing it wouldn't have necessarily meant we'd see DS style games, or PSP games (which, as Sony themselves has learned, was based on the idea of bringing console gaming to portables, which is not entirely appropriate for portable gaming). It might've possibly meant longer lasting games, but certainly not "deeper to get into games" being the best sellers, as those aren't platform appropriate for the most part nor do they appeal to the widest possible audience for that very reason (as well as for the reason that such a platform has a higher ratio of "casual" to "hardcore" gamers). Such games that are appropriate for portable game systems are not always appropriate for this platform, and so are not the "norm" because on either a creative and business level they don't "fit" as well.
While true, you'll notice that neither Dungeon Hunter nor Zenonia ever really cracked the top 10 paid games sold. Why? Because such games don't appeal to the widest amount of consumers on the platform and are not entirely platform appropriate due to them both being "longer to get into" than the norm. Also, because they're "new" IPs. That last part, while admittedly important, does not overshadow the importance of platform appropriateness and targeting the main consumer on this platform. Duke Nukem 3D, DOOM Resurrection, Wolfenstein Classic, Hero of Sparta, Modern Combat: Sandstorm etc, etc, etc have all done well on the platform in terms of sales, yes, but they don't outsell stuff like Bejeweled 2. And that's comparing them all when they were at similar price points, btw, not now that Bejeweled is $2.99 (it wasn't always...iirc, it launched at $9.99 ). Why? Bejeweled 2 appeals to the widest possible audience, yes, but also the main consumer of this platform and that's mainly due to it's more "pick up and play, easy to get into" design.
Games I think the iPhone was made for casual games. It still isn't quite ready for the hardcore console games that many people would like to see.
Let's face it, given the short battery life, it doesn't make sense to buy/play/develop hardcore games for the iphone. Even though the 3G ipod touch and the 3GS iphone have better cpu/gpu so that better looking games that use more complex computations can be delivered, such games will last only an hour or so on the idevice. Casual games will last longer, but still way below that of DS/PSP. The battery life poll: http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=30682
I agree with the previous two posts... everything about the iPhone screams casual games to me. Hardcore games require better online play, several buttons, longer battery life and a far more reliable marketing strategy than the App Store can provide. If you're a hardcore gamer, you own other platforms anyway, they should be enough.
I agree with you but you have to admit there are way too many puzzle games. You know match three, variations of tetris that suck, games where you draw circles to capture bananas, you know things like that. Games you hope the developer didnt quit his job to make.
The ranking systems are based on volume and not revenue. This favors 99c games. You need to be up in the rankings to generate sales. The system pushes down prices so you end up with more casual games. I also think Digital Chocolate's tag line captures the nature of mobile game play very well .... "Seize The Minute" indeed. My guess is you'll now see a ton of free games with micropayments to unlock features, now that Apple has made this possible. No more 'lite' and 'full' versions. Just a free one with micropayment unlock. This is not a bad thing IMHO.
Yeah, there's way too many casual games. I have bought so many 0.99 cent games, played for like 10 minutes, and lost interest immediately. Of course there are a few exceptions, but I would rather buy a solid 4.99-9.99 game, than a multiple of 0.99 cent games anyday of the week.
If anyone remembers, back in the 80's when the commodore 64 was the king of the hill, there were tons and tons of games out. You had to weed thru many to find the gems that were worth the $30 ya paid for it. In a sense, I-thingy games and apps are sort of the same...you gotta weed thru them. Nice thing about the games and apps now is that even if they stink, your out 99 cents and even free...except for the download time it took to get. Which is alot better than 30 bux or even 59 bux for ps3 games. Lucky...
So are you saying the iPhone cannot ever have ports or new versions of games such as castlevania, final fantasy or megaman because of control and battery restraints? I have to say that I disagree. Controls for any type game can be done well if enough work is put into them- modern combat is a testament to this (no o e thought FPS controls could be done well on the idevices). And while I can see battery life being an issue for some, you can easily charge the device- or play in small spurts. I know even on my DS, I would rarely play any games more than an hour or two at a time.
Although my iPod has become my favorite 'Game System', my different systems have their individual jobs. I have been playing consoles and handhelds my whole life. I was about 13 when the Atari Lynx came out. (I am 33 now) PS3 = Racing Games (Simulation and Arcade) / Longer, more Epic Games / Sports Games / Lengthy Platformers PSP = Racing Games (Mostly Arcade like Ridge Racer, but Gran Turismo broke through that) / Sports Games / Lengthy Puzzle Games (Lumines / Gunpey / Every Extend Extra / etc.) iPod = Casual Games / Word Games / Puzzle Games / Mahjong / Arcade-Sports / Sudoku / Bowling / Physics / Match 3 / Casino / Tower-Castle Defense / The list goes on and on... I guess I am a bit more limited on my console / PSP than I am with my iPod. See, I am not into playing Word / Bowling / Mahjong games on my PS3, as I don't like playing that kind of game on my Plasma in the living room - I would rather play Tiger Woods / MLB 09 The Show / Ridge Racer, etc. Since my iPod goes EVERYWHERE with me, and I do mean everywhere - I can play all of those 'extra' genre types - as a lot of them can be picked up and played for minutes...anywhere. Playing a very lengthy RPG on the crapper can give you a serious butt ring! My PSP is geared toward titles with a bit more depth, like Gran Turismo / Lumines II (100 skins compared to the iPod version 10) / MLB The Show - You understand, the thing about my PSP is that is serves me well when I am too cold to get out of bed but I want to play lengthy games. I don't care what anyone says, I love Real Racing, but it can't hold a candle to Gran Turismo Mobile. I had a hard time explaining that, so I am sure there are things that don't make sense!
and no, of course I don't have a problem with casual games when they're made well. see: Samurai, MelonGolf, Flickitty, etc... But games like Soosiz, Spider, Monkey Island and EW Jim are what keep me coming back to the iPhone as my go-to gaming device (aside from PC). There is something inherently cool about carrying around EW Jim or Wolf3D in my pocket no matter where I am. And there's no real reason the iDevice can't eventually grow to host games with the sort of depth offered on PC, let alone PSP. I think it's only a matter of time, and I'd encourage developers to think about what sort of games they love to play, why they love them, and how they can be brought to the iDevice, rather than how to make a quick buck (or loose a quick buck) by adding to the gluttony of mediocrity entering the marketplace every day.
It's not the platform can't handle them. The app store market can't. Nobody is gonna pay more than 9.99 (even then sales don't sustain themselves) and these games need to sell for at least 19.99
Would you have bought Dungeon Hunter if it had 5 times as much content as it currently has.. was more difficult to beat.. and was at 19.99 ???
