Taking into consideration the population (gaming site forum users) that's taking the poll, you'd think that gaming device would be winning by a landslide, but it isn't.
You're one of my new favorite member spiffy. Forums at their finest. I agree that word and puzzle games are legitimate genres, but aren't the real gaming that one sees on DS/PSP.
started out as mainly a media device, seems to be quickly turning into a gaming one. I almost never look for apps that arne't games.
I got the itouch in order to listen to music and watch videos but I find myself playing more games than listening to music.
admittedly, i use my ipod for games far more often than any other purpose (music included), but...... i just don't see the gaming ecosystem as being evolved enough yet to justify calling my ipod a "gaming device." true, there are tons of games for ipod, and even quite a few /really good/ games. but facts are that developers are still treating the ipod/iphone as a mobile phone platform rather than the mobile computing/gaming hardware it is. the vast majority of games are of two categories: -quick games with high replay value: your basic puzzle/arcade games. Think tetris, snake, bejeweled, etc. -more mature games with total play time under 5 hours: pretty much anything with a campaign mode or a story mode. this is closer to where we want to be to have a true gaming system, but where are the longer games? i for one could care less about how many polygons the ipod can push—given that ipod games are free from the limits of physical media, let's see some one or two gig games with playtime at least above 20 hours. even a port would be ok (puzzle fighter is a good example of just such a port). until the app store can mature into bigger games worth more than $5-7, I can't see the ipod becoming a real "gaming device." Part of this is on the developers, but an equal part is on apple, who have done almost zero to help this happen. browsing the app store is a total disaster unless you're looking for something that happens to be in a top 25 list.
*sighs games are games are real games, whether you like it or not. Take the mouth off of the Playstation branded teet for a second, and you'll find that DS and PSP have a TON of word games and puzzle games. Why? Because puzzle games sell quite well in the portable game system market, and have done so since the release of Tetris on the original Game Boy system. The portable game market is different from the mobile market for games in that portables game systems, due to being game systems, are primarily focused on running game software and have a more captive audience (if you buy a DS or PSP, you are most likely in the market for games), not in game genres. Games of each genre exist on each industry segment, whether arcade, home console, pc, portable or mobile. "Real" games? I see action games (shooters, platformers, beat 'em ups, etc.) on the iTouch/Phone platform. I see RPGs and strategy games. Racers galore. Sports titles. In turn I also see word and puzzle games on DS and PSP (or haven't you noticed games like Professor Layton, Puzzle Quest, and, hell, even Bejeweled on PSP and DS?). Hell, there really isn't one single genre that appears on the other markets that hasn't appeared in the mobile market, and in turn that hasn't appeared on this particular platform and vice versa. Games are games are real games, kiddo.
I don't own a Playstation, never have, never will. Ok. Puzzle games aren't the deep, extended game that most people want to play. They're games. But they aren't very long, or good games. I would more call myself "raised on the teat" of Nintendo. PS is an absolute fail. Ok, has anyone seen a game on iPhone that is worth your time to progress through it for more than an hour at a time? No. I recall myself playing Pokemon Yellow for hours and hours at a time, once upon a time. I can say the same about all of the Super Mario World games (Yoshi's Island FTFW!) I have never seen an iGame that is worth that to me. It won't be a real gaming platform until you can get REAL devs to make "REAL" games for it. Fine, a game is a game. But, is it a game that you want to play? Is it deep, extended gaming that is worth more than 5 minutes of your time? I haven't seen many. Haven't seen any worth wasting an hour of my time for. Casual games is all that the iPhone will be able to play until Apple takes it seriously. Apple sees the App Store as a motive for buyers to buy more iPhones and iPods, not to actually support, and improve. I know that there are puzzle games for both DS and PSP. But they are usually more developed than the ones on the iPhone too. I buy a GAMING device to play REAL GAMES. Not puzzle games. Not word games. I can do all that and more on my iPod or online. I buy it for the real, iconic games that you can get nowhere else. Pokemon and Mario included.
FYI Most teens might want one thing.. but most people want casual games.. http://vator.tv/news/show/2009-01-20-profit-sharing-model-for-casual-games * 34 percent of U.S. adult Internet users play online games on a weekly basis. * Casual gamers spend 14 hours per week playing games online. * The casual gaming market is worth an estimated $2.25 billion annually, with a 20 percent growth rate. * By 2010, the number of casual game players could grow from the present 60 million population to as many as 80 million players. http://www.vgchartz.com/ Worldwide units 49.1 Million Wii 29.9 Million X360 21.7 Million PS3
The reason opinions differ so strongly on this option can be boiled down to two things: 1. What kind of gamer you are 2. How you use your iDevice Gamers who don't feel like paying large sums of money for console games they rarely play, gamers who like casual games just as much as hardcore, gamers who like the ease of using and purchasing apps for the iPod Touch and iPhone -- they will often play its games more than others/or treat the device as more of a gaming device than others. Games are games. So the fact of the matter is: does a BIGGER game make it a BETTER game? Do smaller, addicting, easy to whip out and play games count less that hardcore? Not necessarily: 1 hour on game A 1 hour on game B 1 hour on game C 1 hour on game D 1 hour on game E 1 hour on game F 1 hour on game G ------------------- 7 hours of gaming on iDevice 7 hours on game A ------------------- 7 hours of gaming on console. It's the same amount of time, even though the iDevice games may have been smaller. Games are meant to be fun, so the question is: does 7 hours on casual separate games equal less fun than 7 hours on one hardcore? By no means. Bigger doesn't mean better. Though each game is smaller (taking less time), iPod Touch and iPhone games can take up "hardcore" amount of time. Gaming can be on smaller games. The question is about how much fun -- and with the wide amount of choice, ease of getting new apps at any moment (for cheap prices), and the wonderful interface all add up to a whole lot of fun. So the iDevice can be a gaming device as much as the PSP or even a Playstation 3. It can take up just as much time, and perhaps yield even MORE fun.
Woot! Yoshi's Island FTW ! Anyways, there are quite a few games on the iPhone/iPod Touch that take a while to complete. Two off the top of my head would be Let's Golf and Puzzle Quest. Although I do agree that the market is mainly casual games.
Not too sure why you keep referring to the app store as not having "real" games, that just makes no sense. If YOU haven't found a game that's worth your time, well that's your problem, cause there are plenty. Is a "real" game to you only one you can level up and collect characters for 100+ hours?? Well you are entitled to your opinion, but that sounds pretty dull for me. I'm a hardcore gamer, been gaming since Atari 2600 and have played all the games you've mentioned. And I've owned basically every system that's come out since. Super Mario World is prob my favorite game of all time. But I think it's pretty ignorant to say there aren't any "real" games on the app store when there clearly are. And if you think Apple doesn't "take the app store seriously", then why are there all of a sudden a TON of big name devs hauling a$$ to get there stuff on the app store, and other companies are hauling a$$ trying to get their similar app store ideas off the ground. While the app store is sure flooded with casual entertainment, the idea that there are no "real" games on the app store is full of FAIL!! (and brew, I'm not trying to attack you personally, I actually enjoy your posts and mostly agree with what you say... just not in this case )
Ok. If you would, name me a game that, not necessarily takes 100+ hours, just worth 1 hours of constant play. I don't think you can.
Bobby Carrot Forever.. it is worth more than 1 hour of play and from the developer "We are ready to enhance Bobby Carrot Forever with 90 (!) more gameplay hours"
Look like people here on the forum has mixed feeling too. Hopefully with the new year(09) there are tons of really great game coming and people the iDevice has only 10 months of being able to have games on (excluding jailbroken). The transition from some web app-like native app to games like 2XL Motorcross(I believe) and NFS Undercover and all of the other platforms before it was announced the company send out a notification 2 years just so that they can develop games for it so yea compare 10 months to 2 years and you'll quickly see how quick the App Store matured.
You tell me. Already had a thread about how to classify Snail Mail.. BCF is a brain not a reflex game. "Explore 6 different worlds full of exciting tasks and treasures. Travel through glittering snow fields, cross lakes with just a water lily pad, fly with your kite to cross canyons and landscapes, use a tractor to find secrets and bonuses, purchase items with gold pieces to make the experience even greater! This is pure pleasure. In the end you will find the 6 golden carrots and with them the magic memory paintbrush to ultimately draw a picture of your dream which you will never forget. Complete 72 levels which will take you 15 hours of playtime in total. Today you will get all your gamer heart is asking for. Plays like Zelda (TM of Nintendo) without action elements."
