Why iOS gaming is not taken seriously?

While I agree with that maybe there isn't many "big" games (things like Dead Space, for instance), I still absolutely disagree with that iOS gaming is just about casual games and isn't being taken seriously. Sony and Nintendo have openly acknowledged that iOS gaming is a threat to portable gaming devices and I think it's hard to expect to ever get a game completely on the same level as an HD console on any portable device.

Sure the vast majority are casual games. But there's some incredible platformers (like Miss Claire Garden, Chris_N ), great RPGs, awesome shmups, strategy games and more that are very much for hardcore gamers and don't always appeal to the casual crowd. Unfortunately, not all of the devs do well.

But to say that there is no originality on the App Store is ludicrous.

 

Look lets be smart and totally frank and honest. Iphone gamers expect 99 cent games and give developers hell if they charge more. It not the iphone platform that isnt beening taken serious, its the customers themselves. Stop being cheap and great games will come plain and simple.
You want to see the disrepect people have for iphone developers, then look here
http://ios-game-reviewer.forumotion.com/t53-how-long-does-it-take-to-make-a-game

This F*(@ jerks are cheaparses that come with any excuse to not buy games. Thats the problem and unless its fixed, there will be less console type games in the future.

 

Publishers like EA need to stop making games go on sale everyday. People who bought the game for $10 and now a game like Dead Space is $1 every few days really annoys people and then they get mad at everyone therefore complaining about price drops and other stuff and feel they will get back some money if another dev has a price drop on a game they want.

 

I do agree with this. Everyone likes a "deal" but people should expect to pay more if they want a quality game. Square Enix is one of the few companies that pretty much sticks to their guns when it comes to price and still do well. Unfortunately, it's difficult for other companies without the "big name" to do the same.

There are some $.99 success stories -- God, how many millions of dollars do the Angry Birds devs have now -- but it's sad that there's countless other devs who don't get noticed.

I don't know how or if that can ever get rectified. With thousands of apps to compete against, how can smaller devs get noticed? It's also a supply and demand issue. How many games come out for consoles each year probably equals the amount (or less) that come out in one week on the iOS.

Again, it's the market. And I honestly don't know how to solve the whole price level problem on the app store. Freemium is gaining headway and I'm sure many companies will do well with it. But then there's the coregamers like myself that would rather pay a premium price once than have to be nickeled and dimed --- particularly for consumables.

Anyway, it's kind of a sad situation. But I don't see a solution in site as far as devs making money unless they get "lucky" like Rovio did.

 

This pretty much says it. Personally, I'd love console quality on a handheld, which is why I've stopped spending in the AppStore to get a PS Vita. I used to hope for it, but now I chuckle when someone contemplates something like Uncharted or Assasin's Creed on iOS.

 

lol @ your sig

why would you buy a $10 game when you know it will go on sale for $1 in a few weeks? (mostly talking about EA/Gameloft games)

 

Yeah, I'd definitely say go with a PSP for console on mobile. Personally, I don't want console style games to hit iOS because I think it would throw everything even more out of balance. I had the first gen PSP and I could never get into it because my actual console always loomed over it. Plus, console experiences aren't that awesome once put on a small screen.

There are a ton of amazing games on iOS but people just overlook them. They think a game like Puzzlejuice is all the rage and it is acclaimed higher then something that's actually on paper much better--probably better to most ppl in reality if they gave it time, or a chance. Then you have SC which is selling on basis of pure nostalgia and this wierd desire to play "console quality" ports. I've already b*tched enough about SC, so I'll save everyone the trouble of reading a long and daunting rage paragraph.

Plus, if you look at GOTWs and threads, you'll see that casual games rule supreme. I don't understand why ppl keep asking the same ol' tired questions.

Here's mine: Why would I pay more for a game on iOS than a game on XBLA?

Honestly, I'm kinda just going with the flow. I've definitely been more laid back with my opinions, and I'm just going to watch if the ship sinks.

 

I get what you're saying and I agree to a point. However, I don't think a touchscreen will ever be a suitable environment for a traditional fighting game. So, if you don't have the additional peripheral, you're sh*t outta luck. I would've paid more for IB2 than SC if it was fully functioning--it's one of those in retrospect thoughts.

Personally, I love the atmospheric and unique games that indie devs come out with. Frederic Resurrection of music is brilliant, Jazz: Jump's journey is wonderful, and look at Smash Cops--it fits the iOS-centric guidlenes I like to follow to a T. Lumi was made on XBLA first, but it feels ignorantly iOS-centric. i didn't even know it was a port until I did some research. Anyways, it's another brilliant game made for this platform. If I want to play a in depth game, I'm looking for something along the lines of KoDP or The Bard's Tale. Most strategy games make an easy fit onto iOS as well.

I don't really have the desire to play the next Skyrim clone on a 3.5/4" device. And there's no way i'll ever own an iPad unless i get one for free because it doesn't fit into how I play games.

I think World of Midgard and Nyrthos are going to show what an iOS-centric RPG can be like on a big scale.

 

Agree with this. I think iOS attracts so many gamers because of the amount of games but also the price of the games, i couldnt believe when i first got my ipod how cheap games were.

But as prices are so cheap there is a 'ceiling' as to how great some games can be due to cost of production costs etc.

If the prices go up people will moan as theyre so used to games for 99c or even worse for free. The second we see games for £6.99 we start to faint and think 'what what what, the price !!!' because we're so used to 99c bargains.

But i do think its a huge shame when people dont support the smaller companies by buying their games, think its terrible when theres a classic out for 69p (Eg Paper Monsters) and still you get people saying 'hmm unsure, might put this on my watch list' kinda thing.

Again if iOS developers dont make tons of money and look at Android instead and think 'perhaps more money, more users' then its bad for all of us.

 

Yeah that's my opinion too. A5 devices are way beyond something like psp in terms of power , not even a comparison really .

 

Here's a comparison between the PS Vita, iPhone 4S, and 3DS. http://www.nowgamer.com/features/1141172/ps_vita_vs_nintendo_3ds_vs_iphone_4s_specs_showdown.html

 

It's kinda like this.
I notice that not many people are as serious as we are about games. Some people are SHOCKED to find that I have dumped nearly $350 on the AppStore since it began. Most people don't understand why I would spend $7 on a game. Most people go for the free or .99c games. That's why this isnt a major industry because in the console world, there are no freemium games. Only games that cost <$60.

 

There's actually quite a few games I have problems with the pricing for on iOS. So, I feel you on that one 100%. As I read in the dev section, the user base is conditioned. Overpriced ports can sell and so can googly eyed $1 games. Also, throw in the freemium/paymium conditioning and you have the perfect platform to take advantage of people. I'm not saying all, or even most, devs do this, but it's the perfect way to take people's money.

Would I pay $30 for a high quality iOS title? Hmm...maybe...IDK. Here's the thing - they will cost way more than XBLA and PSN games; they will not have physical controls; and the battery will suffer tremendously. I also foresee crashing being huge.

Lastly, why would I pay console prices when there are consoles/dedicated mobile platforms? I'm supposed to buy new hardware every 1-2 years plus drop $20-30 on a game?

I've listed off how long dedicated platforms are supported in the SC thread:

The Playstation 1 was supported for 10 years!

The PS2 is still being supported! That's 11 years so far!

The PS3 has been out for over 5 years and will be supported after the PS4 comes out.

The Xbox was supported for 7 years!

The Xbox 360 has been out for over 6 years and will be supported after the 720!

The Nintendo consoles were each supported for quite a while after their initial releases as well.

I was still playing new PS2 games when/after the Xbox 360 came out!

I wasn't sure about the PSP because I sold mine shortly after I got it, but I looked it up and the PSP I got in 2005 is still supported by the UMDs made.

 

Because it's "Final Fantasy", "Sonic the HedgeHog" and "Soul Calibur". Not "First Adventure", "Jack the Squirrel" and "Sword Battle".

 

The big question is,where is miss Claire's garden for iPad, huh? Now that was a fun platformer, but needs updated love for us iPad 2 owners

 

Its real simple ios is for the cheap 99 cent gamers , and it has a few good console type games for hardcore. But the crowd in ios wants the perfect game for 99 cents. I never seen so much complaining about price , and its funny that al this complaining about price is on a platform that has the lowest prices!!!
I see it in other forums like this
http://ios-game-reviewer.forumotion.com/t2-iphone-games-are-slowly-going-up-developers-are-greedy-imho

Were pure retards say anything to justify 99 cent price for every game. Even $1.99 is to high for cheap iphone gamers. As long as we are dominated by cheapskates, we will only get 1,000 to 1 ratio of crap to excellent.

 

I think if a big company made a really high budget game that really took IOS to the limit on the newer devices they probably could jack the price right up it would definitely need to be on par with console titles though, I think the Vita having similar hardware may actually make this happen at some point.
It would definitely be a risk but still a valuable experiment I know myself I used to pick up almost all the higher price titles like Squaresoft, Cave (until they started IAP), Rockstar etc

I know I always prefer full games no matter the price to anything that annoys me with IAP it's mostly this that has been slowly driving me away from IOS.

The newer devices definitely have potential but unless someone really pushes it we will probably never know.

 

I'm in the same boat. I've been a long time fan of iOS games, but feel it's getting to the point where I don't enjoy it as much. Occasionally something is released that turns out to be great, but most of the time I end up purchasing a game and getting bored with it pretty quickly.

I find myself gravitating back to traditional handhelds now. The 3DS has been my go to device as of late and I'm getting the Vita next month. I like the concept of having a handheld that stays viable for a few years as opposed what's become the yearly iOS hardware updates and software updates. I was in the same boat with PC gaming a long time ago and just want some stability. Apple's/Steve's mantra at one point was "it just works", but I'm having a little more difficulty with that given that my iPod Touch 4G is having so many issues with playing the latest games.