iOS Gaming: Great For What It Is

More and more over the last two years, I have warmed up to the idea of iOS gaming.

Now hold your horses for a bit, and try hearing me out, okay?

I am not saying that iOS gaming can or ever will substitute traditional handheld gaming. There is no rivalling the depth of experiences that 3DS and Vita games can provide, and having versatile control schemes probably has a lot to do with that.

However, having said that, there are multiple niches for gaming that iOS fills, and multiple games on it that, to my eyes at least, make it a legitimate gaming platform, and one that is probably here to stay (and for the better).

iOS gaming fills a niche- that of some true pick up and play gaming. If I'm in a line, I can pull out my iPod or iPhone, and, after having checked my Facebook, I can easily boot up Angry Birds, and have a couple of gos at it.

Is this something a Vita or a 3DS can do? It's a bit of a stretch to call them pick up and play systems- they are both much bigger than anything else that fit in our pockets (plus both have issues- the 3DS's L button stops functioning if you place it in your pocket without a case, while the Vita's analog sticks stop working), and the games are really not designed for the 'Let's play for 20 seconds and then stop' mentality. No, not even stuff like Mario 3D Land or Gravity Daze. Maybe Pushmo.

I look at iOS gaming as the Wii to the 3DS and PS Vita's PS3 and Xbox 360- it offers a lot more games, lots of crap and shovelware, but there are some gems that absolutely warrant a play. Games like Game Dev Story, which is among the best portable games I have ever played. Games like Angry Birds: Space, which adds a simple twist to an established formula, and does wonders. Stuff like Temple Run, Paper Toss, Fruit Ninja, Dead Runner, Falldown 3D, and more, stuff which won't ever turn any heads, but stuff that is fun to play in short bursts regardless. There's stuff like Words With Friends and Draw Something, fun multiplayer games to play that literally take 10 seconds per turn at most. There's a lot to find on iOS, and across every type and genre of game imaginable. You just have to look for it.

iOS gaming is here to stay. We need to embrace it and accept it for what it is. You'll enjoy it a lot more that way.

The problem is I phones,ipad,ipods only have 1 button.

More and more over the last two years, I have warmed up to the idea of iOS gaming.

Now hold your horses for a bit, and try hearing me out, okay?

I am not saying that iOS gaming can or ever will substitute traditional handheld gaming. There is no rivalling the depth of experiences that 3DS and Vita games can provide, and having versatile control schemes probably has a lot to do with that.

However, having said that, there are multiple niches for gaming that iOS fills, and multiple games on it that, to my eyes at least, make it a legitimate gaming platform, and one that is probably here to stay (and for the better).

iOS gaming fills a niche- that of some true pick up and play gaming. If I'm in a line, I can pull out my iPod or iPhone, and, after having checked my Facebook, I can easily boot up Angry Birds, and have a couple of gos at it.

Is this something a Vita or a 3DS can do? It's a bit of a stretch to call them pick up and play systems- they are both much bigger than anything else that fit in our pcokets (plus both have issues- the 3DS's L button stops functioning if you place it in your pocket without a case, while the Vita's analog sticks stop working), and the games are really not designed for the 'Let's play for 20 seconds and then stop' mentality. No, not even stuff like Mario 3D Land or Gravity Daze. Maybe Pushmo.

I look at iOS gaming as the Wii to the 3DS and PS Vita's PS3 and Xbox 360- it offers a lot more games, lots of crap and shovelware, but there are some gems that absolutely warrant a play. Games like Game Dev Story, which is among the best portable games I have ever played. Games like Angry Birds: Space, which adds a simple twist to an established formula, and does wonders. Stuff like Temple Run, Paper Toss, Fruit Ninja, Dead Runner, Falldown 3D, and more, stuff which won't ever turn any heads, but stuff that is fun to play in short bursts regardless. There's stuff like Words With Friends and Draw Something, fun multiplayer games to play that literally take 10 seconds per turn at most. There's a lot to find on iOS, and across every type and genre of game imaginable. You just have to look for it.

iOS gaming is here to stay. We need to embrace it and accept it for what it is. You'll enjoy it a lot more that way.

charizard1605

It's great for what it is but it's not much;)

I also forgot to mention that iphone and ipads are way over priced compared to 3ds and vita.especially since ipad is milked to realease each year.

>Says hold your horses

>defends iOS

I SHALL NOT HOLD MY HORSES BECAUSE YOU SIR ARE A WORM.

IOS absolutely has some unique game experiences that can't be found on any other platform. Maybe they're not as "complex" as console and PC games, but so what? Complexity isn't a sign of quality.

Indeed, it is great for what it is

A bit fat nothing, that is

"I am not saying that iOS gaming can or ever will substitute traditional handheld gaming. There is no rivalling the depth of experiences that 3DS and Vita games can provide, and having versatile control schemes probably has a lot to do with that."

I will though

IOS absolutely has some unique game experiences that can't be found on any other platform. Maybe they're not as "complex" as console and PC games, but so what? Complexity isn't a sign of quality.

speedfreak48t5p

Lol no...most of those games (both iOS and Android) are shallow and boring as hell and the few good games are not worth it due poor controls...Mobil gaming Gaming: Lol.

Even the 360 laughs at mobile gaming's lack of gaemz.

Even the 360 laughs at mobile gaming's lack of gaemz.

ChubbyGuy40

Well yeah I agree. Something people fail to realize is that not every moment of free time a person is gaming wants to be spent playing the Witcher or Dark Souls or Ninja Gaiden. Sometimes all you want out of a game is a simple addictive fun distraction and iOS and Android gaming can do that.

Well yeah I agree. Something people fail to realize is that not every moment of free time a person is gaming wants to be spent playing the Witcher or Dark Souls or Ninja Gaiden. Sometimes all you want out of a game is a simple addictive fun distraction and iOS and Android gaming can do that.

ActicEdge

iOS has nothing to do with gaming.

[QUOTE="ActicEdge"]

Well yeah I agree. Something people fail to realize is that not every moment of free time a person is gaming wants to be spent playing the Witcher or Dark Souls or Ninja Gaiden. Sometimes all you want out of a game is a simple addictive fun distraction and iOS and Android gaming can do that.

parkurtommo

For 8 months of the year I have my nose deep in books studying and learning, I'm not interested in spending my spare time doing that. I have a phone, I have an ipod, why wouldn't I use them? And for reference, my phone has a lot more practical uses than any console this gen. I use my wii to play games, I use my PS3 to play games and watch the ocassional movie. The amount of stuff I use my phone for? Way more than either of those 2 things could ever hope to accomplish.

[QUOTE="parkurtommo"][QUOTE="ActicEdge"]

Well yeah I agree. Something people fail to realize is that not every moment of free time a person is gaming wants to be spent playing the Witcher or Dark Souls or Ninja Gaiden. Sometimes all you want out of a game is a simple addictive fun distraction and iOS and Android gaming can do that.

ActicEdge

For 8 months of the year I have my nose deep in books studying and learning, I'm not interested in spending my spare time doing that. I have a phone, I have an ipod, why wouldn't I use them? And for reference, my phone has a lot more practical uses than any console this gen. I use my wii to play games, I use my PS3 to play games and watch the ocassional movie. The amount of stuff I use my phone for? Way more than either of those 2 things could ever hope to accomplish.

Do you know that books are far more than just study and learning right?

I have no doubt that the tablet and smartphone gaming markets will continue to expand, diversify, and mature at a fast pace over the coming years. The user base is huge, and the tech is progressing at an astonishing rate.

Naturally, casual games will continue to reap the most profits, but there will be a growing number of users in niche markets who will demand better games with higher production values that will compete directly will those offered on dedicated handheld hardware.

Will they replace dedicated devices? Who knows, but if I were a handheld developer, then I'd start taking a serious look at the tablet and smartphone markets.

I'd rather browse the web to kill 10 mins than play move the box (pure trial and error) or angry birds (no skill/strategy, just luck).

There was one other puzzle game I played that was fun but it got repetetive very fast.

iOS gaming is the equivalent of junk food, funny thing is lots of people love it.

I'd rather browse the web to kill 10 mins than play move the box (pure trial and error) or angry birds (no skill/strategy, just luck).

There was one other puzzle game I played that was fun but it got repetetive very fast.

iOS gaming is the equivalent of junk food, funny thing is lots of people love it.

SuperFlakeman

Yeah.

Real guys play on PC and PS3.

[QUOTE="ActicEdge"]

[QUOTE="parkurtommo"] If you want a simple distraction take a book lol Not a useless 1000$ device.madsnakehhh

For 8 months of the year I have my nose deep in books studying and learning, I'm not interested in spending my spare time doing that. I have a phone, I have an ipod, why wouldn't I use them? And for reference, my phone has a lot more practical uses than any console this gen. I use my wii to play games, I use my PS3 to play games and watch the ocassional movie. The amount of stuff I use my phone for? Way more than either of those 2 things could ever hope to accomplish.

Do you know that books are far more than just study and learning right?

Really??? :|

In my free time I don't want to read. Sorry but I'm not interested.

If you guys love Game Dev Story as much as I do, then you'll probably be glad to get Game Dev Story 2 on PC. See, Game Dev Story was originally a PC game in 1996, kairosoft just ported it over to iOS. The sequel was made some time later, Game Dev Story 2, only it was in Japanese and never translated by anybody, until now.

There's a project going on over at the Kairospot forums (kairosoft fan site) where one user is translating the whole game into english. He's done tranlating over 85% of it, it's easily playable now.

If you guys want the game just go to the link here:http://kairospot.net/community/index.php?threads/game-dev-story-2-translation.3158/

You'll be able to get GDS2 by either: 1) supporting the developer (going by the name of Jetpac) by donating him money, OR 2) being a member of the site for at least 2 weeks and having at least 20 posts. Again, if you love GDS then you really should give GDS2 a spin, and go with any of the options stated above. The developer at least deserves that much, he's worked a ton of hours (over 160 I believe) translating this game.

I don't really like iOS gaming as much as I do with the other 2 handhelds.

But it does have some good games.

1. Angry Birds
2. Fruit Ninja
3. Fancy Pants Adventure
4. Zenoia 3 & 4
5. Ghost and Goblins
6. Sam and Max
7. Sonic AllStar Racing
8. etc.

those are some of the games that I have on my iPod that I find pretty good.

Though the thing I don't like is that my fingers are all over the place when playing.

people are very harsh with the ipHone/ipod here i dont think is that bad

it has lots of advantajes over the 3ds actually when i used an ipod touch for the first time that was the time i stopped being a blind nintendo fan, really it was like apple does what nintendont

* first of all there is not much difference between an ipod price and 3ds (8gb ipod is $199 i think)

* the biggest difference is that the ipod feels more like a mini COMPUTER while the 3ds is still feels like a gaming system

* almost everything on the ipod is more cuality ,internet browser for example (and and im talking about the default one, safary let allone chrome) is superior the 3ds one which sometimes cant even load nintendos page well and doesnt have videos etc...

now the 2 big forces on the ipod side are imo itunes, app store

*itunes... huge music / video store 3ds cant even dream with something like that

*app store... 1000 times bigger than nintendo eshop

*game prices.. this is probably the BEST part about ipod.... i mean everybody here loves cheap stuff isnt? i hear sheep say that to vita fans and console gamers say that to pc fans ipod has free games and lots of 1 dollar games, and some bigger games that cost not to much more.... for comparision an ipod free/1 dollar game can even be more complex than a eshop nintendo game like mario bros...

* retina display ...nuff said

lots of good things on the ipod (random stuff)... ipod is sleeker /smaller,you can videochat, games have updates, facebook kind of stuff, books, multitouch, games have ratings with actual comments , better battery, icloud, game center, multitask, ETC.

ok i admit 3ds have better controls but ipod is definitely not........ CRAP

iOS has nothing to do with gaming.

GamerwillzPS

facetable?

iOS gaming will substitute traditional handhelds.

I have completed Chaos Rings, Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy III. I'm playing Secret of Mana. They're all spectacular RPGs and most people would think you need buttons to play RPGs like that.

Guess what? You don't need buttons for sh*t.

As I always say in threads like these:

Kairosoft games are awesome. Game dev story is their best, and I easily got more playtime out of it than the majority of my games. Do try it out, it's the top games in terms of depth etc. on iOS/android. They are amazing.

kthxbye

The marketplace is atrocious, utterly the worst thing. I like that anything can be sold on it, at the same time it's a horrible sink hole - and many good games simply get buried under absolute tripe.skrat_01

[QUOTE="skrat_01"]The marketplace is atrocious, utterly the worst thing. I like that anything can be sold on it, at the same time it's a horrible sink hole - and many good games simply get buried under absolute tripe.Cherokee_Jack

I'm wondering if I should get Infinity Blade, The Mass Effect Game, and the Dead Space game on my iPod right now.

Any IOS gamers want to help me out here?

I'm wondering if I should get Infinity Blade, The Mass Effect Game, and the Dead Space game on my iPod right now.

Any IOS gamers want to help me out here?

LegatoSkyheart

Android has no games ghost115z

I'm so sorry you missed the Android Humble Bundles.

[QUOTE="LegatoSkyheart"]

I'm wondering if I should get Infinity Blade, The Mass Effect Game, and the Dead Space game on my iPod right now.

Any IOS gamers want to help me out here?

skrat_01

yeah I saw it, but I'm still not convinced on whether or not I should buy it.

I recently bought a 7 inch 250$ tablet. After using it for a bit, I have no interest in buying a handheld system. I'm not looking for console quality games on my tablet( thoe, the google play store has plenty of those.) I'm simply looking for a quick play session to distract me. When you start releasing console quality games on handheld devices, it becomes more far more likely that you'll just play them at your house instead of on the go. I remember buying Metal Gear Portable Ops and God of War Chains of Olympus on my old PSP. I really enjoyed those games, but they are TERRIBLE for gaming on the go. Those games were built to be played at home due to having long play sessions and large amount of cutscenes.

[QUOTE="charizard1605"]

More and more over the last two years, I have warmed up to the idea of iOS gaming.

Now hold your horses for a bit, and try hearing me out, okay?

I am not saying that iOS gaming can or ever will substitute traditional handheld gaming. There is no rivalling the depth of experiences that 3DS and Vita games can provide, and having versatile control schemes probably has a lot to do with that.

However, having said that, there are multiple niches for gaming that iOS fills, and multiple games on it that, to my eyes at least, make it a legitimate gaming platform, and one that is probably here to stay (and for the better).

iOS gaming fills a niche- that of some true pick up and play gaming. If I'm in a line, I can pull out my iPod or iPhone, and, after having checked my Facebook, I can easily boot up Angry Birds, and have a couple of gos at it.

Is this something a Vita or a 3DS can do? It's a bit of a stretch to call them pick up and play systems- they are both much bigger than anything else that fit in our pcokets (plus both have issues- the 3DS's L button stops functioning if you place it in your pocket without a case, while the Vita's analog sticks stop working), and the games are really not designed for the 'Let's play for 20 seconds and then stop' mentality. No, not even stuff like Mario 3D Land or Gravity Daze. Maybe Pushmo.

I look at iOS gaming as the Wii to the 3DS and PS Vita's PS3 and Xbox 360- it offers a lot more games, lots of crap and shovelware, but there are some gems that absolutely warrant a play. Games like Game Dev Story, which is among the best portable games I have ever played. Games like Angry Birds: Space, which adds a simple twist to an established formula, and does wonders. Stuff like Temple Run, Paper Toss, Fruit Ninja, Dead Runner, Falldown 3D, and more, stuff which won't ever turn any heads, but stuff that is fun to play in short bursts regardless. There's stuff like Words With Friends and Draw Something, fun multiplayer games to play that literally take 10 seconds per turn at most. There's a lot to find on iOS, and across every type and genre of game imaginable. You just have to look for it.

iOS gaming is here to stay. We need to embrace it and accept it for what it is. You'll enjoy it a lot more that way.

free_milk

ipods don't feel like a mini computer. They are slow as hell and have a small screen. internet browsing doesn't even come close to being a mini-computerYoshiYogurt

this is phone gaming, it's not all angry birds you know:shock:

I'm wondering if I should get Infinity Blade, The Mass Effect Game, and the Dead Space game on my iPod right now.

Any IOS gamers want to help me out here?

LegatoSkyheart

iOS is the future, I will never buy another handheld again. senses_fail_06