iOS Still Has VERY Few Console-Quality Games

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by MICHAELSD, Sep 11, 2015.

  1. MICHAELSD

    MICHAELSD Well-Known Member

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    Frankly I'm flabbergasted that this point iOS still doesn't even have a decent selection of PSP/Vita/3DS-caliber games. As in, games produced on a healthy budget that feel console-quality but devised for mobile. Sure, make the argument that games like Infinity Blade or Lili are console-quality games, but they still feel independently done. Perhaps it's because iOS games don't sell at the typical $35-$50 price point, but for years I have been daring a developer to release a true console game and charge full price for it. I have yet to see a developer attempt it. iPhones now more than ever have the capacity and performance to handle it, so I am very surprised to see how casual even some of the better games are.

    At least Disney is doing so with Disney Infinity 3.0 so that's a start, but there should be much more. To be honest I feel like the PSP for its time had better games than the average iPhone game. Hell, some of them were console ports. Bioshock was a sad attempt at a port that tried too hard to be a universal app for older devices rather than embrace the performance of the newest devices.

    It is a bit odd to not see a category of games that there's at least a market for. :confused:
     
  2. Vovin

    Vovin 👮 Spam Police 🚓

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    #2 Vovin, Sep 11, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2015
    MHFU? GTA:CTW? Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath? Ace Attorney series? Ghost Trick? Shantae? Soul Calibur? Scribblenauts? Final Fantasy I - VII? Dragon Quest series? Don't Starve? Warhammer Quest? W40k? Terraria? Rollercoaster Tycoon 3? Minecraft? Survival Craft? Lunar SSS? Crimson Gem Saga? Bastion? Transistor? Doom games? Pirates!? Worms series? Ms Splosion Man? Lara Croft? The World Ends With You? Legend of Grimrock? M&M - Clash of Heroes? Dead Space? Lots of sport games?
    I could name several dozens more games. Of course, because of the general Appstore pricing nonsense, we will never have ALL the good stuff, but there are tons of games in console/PC quality meanwhile.
    If there was a general consent to shell out $20-$25 for high quailty games, there would be heaps more. But when people start calling $5 games = premium games, or constantly wait for price drops to $1 or free, well, I stop wondering.

    Btw., good to see you're back, you were gone for quite a while. :)
     
  3. Oldgamer

    Oldgamer Well-Known Member

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    Because most iOS users won't pay £20-30 for a game?
     
  4. Exact-Psience

    Exact-Psience Well-Known Member

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    #4 Exact-Psience, Sep 11, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2015
    On the bright side, Apple seems to be moving in that direction. Apple TV bundle includes an MFi controller, and its remote can already do a lot of things a wii can do. This probably hints at them trying to smoothslide their way into crushing console gaming. LOL

    I believe the new guitar hero for apple tv will also get a guitar which can connect to apple tv the way its remote does.
     
  5. Exact-Psience

    Exact-Psience Well-Known Member

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    Yay for premium games! And yes, there's a few more to add to that list that we dont need to. ;)
     
  6. Shaun Musgrave

    Shaun Musgrave Well-Known Member

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    Weird to throw Vita in with PSP/3DS. Don't get me wrong, it's a great way to play PS1 Classics and ports of indie games, but its "console-quality" software support dried up fast. These days it's all indies, many of which overlap with iOS, and low-budget C-tier RPGs from some of Japan's most poorly -regarded RPG developers.

    I guess it has Falcom stuff, though.
     
  7. klink

    klink 👮 Spam Police 🚓

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    #7 klink, Sep 11, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2015
    I think there are plenty of console quality games on iOS that match the PS1\PS2 era and that's just fine with me. iOS isn't going to out console the current generation consoles. iOS devices aren't designed to be primary gaming machines. As mentioned before people aren't willing to pay for high dollar iOS games. Developers have to target a series of devices from any iPhone 4\iPad 2 to iPhone 6s\ iPad Pro. Console developers get to target one machine.

    On the positive side there a huge diversity of games on iOS. The prices are super affordable. It has lots of great indie support.
     
  8. CrazedJava

    CrazedJava Well-Known Member

    Jan 29, 2015
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    Question. What is console quality?

    There are a number of games on iOS, despite it's relatively limited hardware, that would not have run on the consoles of yesterday.

    "Console Quality" is a moving target.

    Frankly, I am amazed at what is being done with the platform. If you've played the soft launch of DC Legends, the graphics and animations put it on par with any Final Fantasy game (with the blessed option of skipping all those battle animations when you get tired of sitting through them).

    We have open world games on a mobile device! This is huge! While the graphical fidelity might not be up to say, Fallout 4, it is impressive what they have done.

    Modern console hardware seems to be about using all that power to render tighter and better graphics while offering a shallower playing experience. The limits of mobile hardware has led to some great creativity on the part of the developers. Besides which, we did get some console ports from the last generation (Hello X-COM!) on yesterday's mobile hardware.

    The real reason you won't see more of this is because everyone wants that "console experience", they want it for $1, and even then they'll wait till it's offered as a free promotion.
     
  9. Dankrio

    Dankrio Well-Known Member
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    "Modern console hardware seems to be about using all that power to render tighter and better graphics while offering a shallower playing experience."

    Very good point. That's one of my problems with current gaming gen. Most of the stuff is overconcerned with graphics and forget to make fun or compelling games.

    I would choose Monument Valey over them any day of the week.
     
  10. Dankrio

    Dankrio Well-Known Member
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    That's the strongest point on ios, in my humble opinion. The variety we have access to is stunning.

    I love adventures, point and click games, interactive fiction, visual novels and "inovative" games, so the system has been a bless for me.

    I would love to play something like Fallout 4, but that's the trade-off and I am fine with that.

    Tha main issue that should be adress is compatibility with newer OS and the ever lasting (or at least be warned beforehanded) ability to redownload games we previously purchased.
     
  11. TheMerc

    TheMerc Well-Known Member

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    I'll disagree with you when you say iOS has few console-quality games - Vovin already named most of them - but I'll say that, at least according to my perspective and personal tastes, there will often be long periods of time during which nothing really remarkable is released. Prior to Calvino Noir and FF VII, I believe we spent quite a while without a new console-like game being released. People like to make fun of the "week weak" crowd - which I'm not a part of - but the truth is, nowadays, you don't have to be particularly picky to spend weeks/months without buying or downloading a new game (I'll use my personal example: there's a time interval of five months between my last two main purchases/downloads).

    Because I get what you mean: I posted this on another thread some days ago, but I've come to terms with the fact that most mobile games don't do it for me anymore. There's something about the more immersive and meatier experience of a good console game that I seldom find in mobile games (disclaimer: this doesn't go for ALL mobile games, obviously). That's part of the reason why I mostly play ports on my phone: it's sort of the best of both worlds to have, in my pocket, a game I'm reasonably sure has a bit of meat to it.

    Even when it comes to the diversity of the iOS catalogue, it's sort of a homogeneous diversity: sure, we get an abusrd amount of new games every week, but most of the newer games have become very same-y. Which is understandable - after all, not every studio will have the massive budgets of some of the big dogs of the industry - but nevertheless, it gets hard to tell "pixelated platformers, match-3, CCG, etc" apart after 20 or so of them are released week in and week out. I realize most people here won't agree with what I said, but I can only speak of how I feel.

    I'm definitely hoping that the Apple TV will lead to a burst in the market of more console-quality games, because I do think more of those are needed to make iOS a healtier platform. But that's just me.
     
  12. Jayg2015

    Jayg2015 Well-Known Member

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    Let's hope it doesn't change. If I wanted that experience I would buy a console or handheld. I like buying quick fix games ... I mean it is mobile , I'm on the go. I don't need to have 59 hours of sit down game play
     
  13. metalcasket

    metalcasket Moderator
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    See, that's the thing: Even with the insane amount of bullshit Free to Play games that exist on the App Store, no other "platform" in history has managed to bring all of the above together. Add in some personal favorite games like Grim Fandango and The Longest Journey...it's not a surprise why I've given up on consoles. Hell, I have a PS4 that's been sitting in my closet for 4 months and an untouched Steelbook Edition of Arkham Knight waiting to be played.
     
  14. Dankrio

    Dankrio Well-Known Member
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    I disagree. I don't want experiences only on the go.

    For me, nothing beats a good gaming session laying on my bed. It is more comfortable than sitting in front of TV.
     
  15. Dankrio

    Dankrio Well-Known Member
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    I feel you. Totally agree.

    Haven't played Grim Fandango and TLJ, by the way, tough both are purchased.
     
  16. ackmondual

    ackmondual Well-Known Member

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    Not really when you really think about it....

    It's faaar too big of a risk for such little gain to put in the time and money to create a generation n-2 console game, on a platform that's faar too saturated, where everything's gone freemium/f2p to reap in money, while playing it on the safer side. Hell, there are many console games that don't get released on consoles, let alone the mobile market, that's how risk averse they are.

    You dare them, they do their research. They determine that they can't charge x amount of $$, and spend y amount of time. There's no product, so don't bother.

    And what's the oldest iPhone that can handle those bleeding edge graphics? Perhaps an Iph6? Iph5s, but that may be pushing it?
    According to the below, 20% to 35% of the folks out there have the hardware to support what you're proposing. How many of those will buy in? Another small percentage of a generous figure. Another source of woe is from developer diaries who had such a difficult time getting 0.05% or so just to pony up to pay for their software, going from statuses of piracy, free user, or trial user.
    http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/04/27/cook-says-20-of-iphone-install-base-upgraded-to-iphone-6-6-plus

    OTOH, since you believe so much that this venture will work, you should show good faith and invest $150K or so of your own money just to get the ball rolling :p
     
  17. ackmondual

    ackmondual Well-Known Member

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    #17 ackmondual, Sep 12, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2015
    I've been playing a WHOLE lotta iOS games since 2011. I've got a huge backlog that I'm down to spending about $20 a year on games now. I've slowly been getting back into Steam and Wii games that just aren't possible on an iOS device. Platform specific franchises like all the Nintendo stuff (that I'm a fan of) is one major reason. OTOH, there's plenty of innovation on the console and PC market too, especially on the indie Steam side of things. Another plus is my console is still playable 2 to 5 years from now, whereas my mobile device will need a replacement.

    I recently beat Castlestorm for iOS. It was many months of grinding for gems, but it worked. I'm sure I didn't even need to do that, but getting the 1-time discounts on equipment as they became available was too good to pass up. I also bought this for Steam for $15 (got the 2 expansion campaigns), and while it's still $12 more than I spent on the iOS version, it simply feels luxurious having a 28" monitor, mouse, keyboard, and having no freemium currencies (gems nor Pearls).

    Well, the OP never mentioned which console, so something in the lines of an Atari 2600 still counts ;)
     
  18. Dankrio

    Dankrio Well-Known Member
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    ackmondual, we brought this situation to ourselves. It broke my heart when someone earlier posted that $4.99 was a high investment for trying 80 days. Damn. Just damn.

    The race to the bottom left everyone on the floor. Developers need to be paid for their hard work, but people expect it for free...
     
  19. CrazedJava

    CrazedJava Well-Known Member

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    This is the biggest problem in a nutshell.

    Console games go for $60, which really is too high. The sweet spot is about $30 and because of sunk costs if you sell enough games you can easily get there. The console market depends too heavily on games like Halo or Call of Duty to make money though and when you're releasing games of questionable quality at $60 it hurts the market. Consoles have struggled with no good price stratification for a long time now.

    Mobile gaming does better on the price stratification front but suffers the other problem, where expectations are that games go for next to nothing. Which is odd because how do people expect them to make money? You can indeed make a decent profit if you're a small shop selling $10 games if you get the downloads. However, the cheaper the game, the harder it is just to make back costs. Plus additional updates, even to fix bugs, does cost money. If people are still buying the game those updates may be the cost of doing business, but if you're starting price is $1, raising enough money to keep doing updates is a daunting process.

    The other issue, which contributes to the overly high cost of console games, is that it has become a major production to release a title. I remember when it was unheard of to spend a million dollars creating a game, now it is common to go into the tens of millions of dollars. Even a small indie shop running a handful of developers is easily going to run into 6 figures unless the developer is in a small Eastern European country somewhere.
     
  20. Echoseven

    Echoseven Moderator
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    The price of a video game has not increased in something like 20 years. While things like movie tickets, books, magazines and other forms of entertainment have been raising prices over the years, video games have not. You could argue that DLC for major releases priced in the US$30-40+ mark is necessary to recoup the increased costs of development.

    I'd also recommend reading this:

    http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/06/why-retail-console-games-have-never-been-cheaper-historically/
     

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