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[Faustek]

ok first I don't hate mobile gaming I just dislike it very much for reasons I will state below.

The games will die with firmware upgrades
Most games are f2p, you never really own it.
They are a service, you never "own" your games and they are in at the mercy of Apple/Google and the owners wallet.
They are dumbed down to one click instant gratification, that isn't even funny in the bedroom.
The quality are often bad imo.
The built in pay walls.
People talk power in smartphones, I still have yet to see a game that is even close other than some faux low poly high res texture crap. Everything looks really bad yo.


But what I actually hate is the FUCKING STAMINA BARS! Hey, perhaps I shouldn't say something since I would never ever buy another game on iOS/Google Play ever again but having that fucking stamina bar is like telling me to put my dick in a African Bee nest laced with some extra syphilis, you know for the feel. No fucking way. Mobile gaming at large is meant to hold the attention of a kid, "oooh funny". Nothing even remotely deep among the majority of them.

Of course there are exceptions, unfortunately they where mostly ports of already established games that dropped in playability due to the control schemes. But exceptions that aren't ports? They are very rare and I would still find it very hard to support them. Nah, call me back when they are actually worth the problem and I'll have another look.


PS. Be my guest and mention something that is good and follows the f2p road but does it well.(puzzle and dragons does this but is way to boring.)

EDIT: Ohh I can't believe I actually forgot Heart Stone. That one is a good one but not for me. Got bored to quickly.

EDIT2: Ohh and the always constant fucking idiotic thing of always being online? Wtf? Sure I get it you don't want people to cheat as in the early days. Remember buying, BUYING, something for $12 a racer I think, and then finding out I had to pay to unlock all the cars. I took that shit apart and fiddled with the files and viola, all cars unlocked. Then I threw that shit away since It was still shit and didn't deserve my time.

 

[shandy706]

I don't "hate" it, but I only partake if it is my last resort.

In other words, my DS and my Vita have to be dead..lol.


What I do "hate" (hate is too strong) is a company going for the mobile market instead of doing something with a bigger vision on PC or console. Bleh

 

[Sephzilla]

A lot of them are unimpressive games that are built around microtransactions. Not hard to see why someone wouldn't like it.

 

[JordanN]

Other than the controls, one thing that concerns me with mobile, is that it seems to be a breeding ground for shameless ripoffs.

There's a thread floating on the front page that said Vanillaware. I decided to check it out and uh,

If I didn't know better, I thought I was looking at Dragon's Crown, ha.

Not that mobile is the only industry that does this, but I do question if it's the most blatant of them all.

 

[Easy_D]

Nah. I like good games no matter the platform. Currently enjoying Knights of the old Republic on my Moto G

 

[Delusibeta]

Quite frankly, the business models and types of games common these days are so far removed from "traditional" video games, I consider them an entirely separate industry.

 

[Leafhopper]

Hate is a strong word.

I don't really care for it. However established series getting actual numbered entries on mobile is what bugs me. Spin off games or whatever are fine.

Also the fact that a lot of Japanese developers, I guess some western devs too. are making games not really made for the platform. I am not talking genre wise or anything but, I mean games that clearly were just games they made for a console, handheld or PC that were duct taped to a phone.

Then there is the act of actually playing some of those games on the phone, it's very annoying and not fun.

 

[Cirdan]

They'll spend $600 on an iPad, and $4 on a coffee, drop $20 on lunch, but when it comes to spending four or five dollars on a game, it's this life-altering decision. I'm frustrated with that too."

^^^^^
Mobile game customers to me.

Everything else has been mentioned already.

But hell yes. Of course I fear something that is sucking talent and money from my hobby and seemingly turns it into card games just so people have something to do while they commute.

 

[koutoru]

I like mobile games when they're from quality mobile developers that I trust.
For instance, I'm playing the android version of Dragon Quest IV from SE and it's actually pretty good.


Things I don't like on mobile include pay to win practices and this odd notion that every game on the app store has to be free to download.

 

[Weevilone]

It's the shitty controls mainly then it's the whole filled with micro transactions thing.

These are my issues, and I've decided that it's not worth trying to fight through these things to enjoy the occasional gem that might or might not be out there.

 

[-Eddman-]

I don't hate cellphone games, I just don't like touch controls, battery life in most devices is shit and useless for gaming and most of the software is driven by microtransactions, a business model I don't agree with.

 

[Mesoian]

The controls are shit.

This.

If the controls were more precise I think 80% of the hate would disappear.

 

[Faustek]

Other than the controls, one thing that concerns me with mobile, is that it seems to be a breeding ground for shameless ripoffs.

There's a thread floating on the front page that said Vanillaware. I decided to check it out and uh,

http://i.imgur.com/LMzV0K6.jpg

If I didn't know better, I thought I was looking at Dragon's Crown, ha.

Not that mobile is the only industry that does this, but I do question if it's the most blatant of them all.

I'm actually trying that....and god is it awful.
press auto and pick your nose. You seriously don't have to do anything in that game.
Think you have to do anything later on in the "hard" raids? Nah, perhaps if you go solo but even there it doesn't require any effort.

And about ripoffs...Wonder how Apple and Google would react if this actually went to a authority. I bet my sweet ass they would quietly back the developers.

 

[Leafhopper]

Another point is that 90% of the games play themselves and are made to get money out of you in the worse way possible. There are quality games on the platform but, damn are they rare and even then most of the time if, it's something that requires fast reactions or accuracy the controls kind of just ruin it.

^^^^^
Mobile game customers to me.

Also this. Drives me up the wall sometimes.

 

[Fraeon]

Funny thing is, good mobile games are something I pay(/paid) for. The issue, though, is that now everyone and their mom is chasing the F2P hit so even the games that used to be "pay once, play forever" are bogged down with IAP. And that means stamina bars as mentioned above.

A good old-style (J)RPG with mobile controls is perfectly doable on a mobile. I'd pay for that. A puzzler like Candy Crush without the IAP and the other bullshit. I'd pay for that too. Games like Sword & Sworcery? I'd pay for those too.

But pretty much every mobile game now is a free to play, stamina bar driven "living game" where there's plenty of Skinner box and little game. That's why mobile gaming gets hated.

 

[RadioJoNES64]

I don't hate the fact that there are games on phones. What I hate is the mass transitioning of Japanese developers to mobile leading to a lower console/pc game output from Japan and the lack of quality of most of the games on mobile app stores. Why 5+ variations of Candy Crush exists is beyond me.

Oddly enough I've been considering an NVIDIA shield for streaming and retroarch but I guess they're out of production now.

 

[Captain Zyrain]

I like simple games I can play while waiting or pooping.

Don't bother playing more in depth stuff though on my phone or tablet. Usually they heat up/battery dies too quick.

 

[LaserHawk]

I've played a few mobile games that I REALLY enjoyed.... they were ones that meshed well with the controls and were playable in little spurts. Plants vs. Zombies 1 is one of my favorite examples.

But it's getting too hard to find a mobile game that is good AND does not rely on underhanded monetization tactics. I prefer to purchase a full game once, and not have ads or microtransactions to worry about. I'm willing to pay more than the average mobile game price for that. I don't even look in the "Free" section of the app store anymore.

 

[Mr. RPG]

Everything.

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

I don't love or hate it. Most of it is so far removed from what I consider a game it's not even on my radar.

This is how I basically feel until shit like Breath of Fire VI happens. It's easy enough to ignore annoying UI/controls, predatory pay2win, freemium garbage. But when core series and companies start bending over backwards to fit that mold, I have a huge problem.

Of course there are some amazing gems here and there on mobile. But, more of then than not, it's some busted cash-in project.

 

[Karkador]

I don't hate the fact that there are games on phones. What I hate is the mass transitioning of Japanese developers to mobile leading to a lower console/pc game output from Japan and the lack of quality of most of the games on mobile app stores. Why 5+ variations of Candy Crush exists is beyond me.

Those people probably weren't going to be making the games you wanted anyway. It's mobile or nothing.

 

[Mawlok]

I don't hate them, I'm just sick of seeing that terrible ad for game of war every five minutes.

 

[Mass_Pincup]

I don't care for it, I can play some little f2p game on it to pass time but never a meaty game. Japanese games transitioning on it piss me off a bit though i'll be honest.

 

[Faustek]

^^^^^
Mobile game customers to me.

Everything else has been mentioned already.

But hell yes. Of course I fear something that is sucking talent and money from my hobby and seemingly turns it into card games just so people have something to do while they commute.

I spent around €5k on my computer, chassis and screens are in that sum. That was a few years back. I'll probably spend as much in a few years as well. And I spend some on games, GoG is often visited even if I'm not going to play the games now I buy and store them for when I want to play them. Because you know why?
I'll always be able to play them no matter which PC I have. I can't do that on iOS/Android.

And apologist for iOS and trying to blame devs for not following "Apples recommended" bullshit? Well many did and the latest FW upgrade still broke it to shit.

I don't hate the fact that there are games on phones. What I hate is the mass transitioning of Japanese developers to mobile leading to a lower console/pc game output from Japan and the lack of quality of most of the games on mobile app stores. Why 5+ variations of Candy Crush exists is beyond me.

Oddly enough I've been considering an NVIDIA shield for streaming and retroarch but I guess they're out of production now.

hmm, their latest event hinted that it might come back in a future iteration? Pretty sure but not 100%

 

[Griss]

I gave up on mobile gaming about 2 years ago, but decided it was time to give it another shot. So I decided to play around 30 of a mix of the top games on the App Store (iOS), GAFs recommended mobile games, and some ports of games I already like over the last month and a bit. I made it to about 15 games before quitting the experiment, and wouldn't really want to go back.

Reasons:
1. Shallow experiences. Most of these games offer very shallow gameplay experiences where you do little but tap some things and wait.

2. No buttons. In the games that did enjoy, I was sure that I'd enjoy them more with buttons. This is one of the things that limits many mobile games to shallow experiences. I find capacitive touch incredibly imprecise compared to haptic with stylus. Constantly mistouched things from start to finish over the course of the month and a bit. Never felt good about the screen as a controller.

3. Horrible business practices - We've been over this one ad nauseam. The biggest offender was just how often the games seemed to be wasting my time and making me wait. I won't tolerate that. This is what ultimately drove me away from using the games. Even brilliant games like Super Stickman Golf had their sequels spoiled by the implementation or exaggeration of this kind of stuff. 'Golf bux?' Fuck off, I'll keep playing the original, thanks.

4. The OS isn't made for gaming. Every time your phone locks itself after a couple of seconds of looking away, the whole game has to reboot. That's garbage. Might be an old iOS problem but it drove me crazy. Dedicate games consoles don't have these kinds of issues as they're made with only one thing in mind. The 'GameCenter' on iOS is nowhere near as good as a dedicated game OS in either features or functionality.

5. Bugs / specs issues. Certain games (Ghost Trick) just crashed all the time on me. Others had really variable performance. Because there isn't just one platform, it's hard to be sure what kind of performance you're going to get out of any given title and you can end up disappointed by something you were looking forward to. This is part of the reason I've never really been a PC gamer either.

The bonuses:
1. How easy it is to get and try out new games.

2. Prices (I'd rather pay more for better games, but you can't argue that the prices aren't rock bottom, so there's that)

3. Awesome screens. Modern phones have way better screens than the Vita etc. Going back to the 3DS is tough after playing some of these games. Artwork looks incredible.

4. Visual / Musical diversity. There's a lot of different stuff out there on mobile now, with tons of different art styles. Many games I tried had proper soundtracks that sounded great over a set of good headphones.

-Look, I believe mobile gaming will get there eventually, and it has definitely improved since two years ago. but right now it's still hard to shovel through all the shit to get to games where you typically still think 'I'd rather being using a controller'.

I don't HATE that part of the industry like I did before, though. It's just still not for me.

 

[Breakage]

I can't say I'm a fan tbh. I've got several games on my 4S including a few handheld/console ports and I haven't touched them for months.

 

[GSG Flash]

I hate it with a passion. I hate touch screen controls, they're just as bad as waggle controls.

I also find the vast majority of mobile games to be shallow free to play affairs. The games are designed in a way where the most enjoyment you'll get is if you fork over cash.

 

[Trigonometrize.]

I don't have the motivation to wade through garbage to maybe find something I like has been my reason.

 

[RM8]

I love mobile, but basically all complains are true. Most games are bad (probably the worst shovelware-to-good-game ratio of any platform ever), and crappy business models are everywhere - and it's getting worse. Games that were "pay once" games in the past are being replaced by F2P games, and while in theory there's nothing stopping companies from making good F2P games with sensible IAPs, it's extremely clear they're after the whales. Mobile Mortal Kombat X has more expensive IAPs than the console / PC game, that's extremely telling. Honestly, it's almost a chore to find good mobile games, but in the end they exist and I'll continue to play them. Indies and ports seem to be the very best mobile games these days.

 

[Maligna]

I hate 99% of it. It never captures my imagination and can't hold my attention. Best mobile games for me are ports of games I already know from console history.

 

[butman]

All of them but Hearthstone.

 

[Chezzymann]

Angry Birds is the exception. A game explicitly designed so that it is ok that you need to cover up a part of the screen with your finger and that works within these rules. The problem is that nearly all types of games that already exist work poorly with touch controls (see any game with virtual buttons), and games only have good controls when built from the ground up with them in mind. There are so many things mobile games can never do well because of control limitations, so that only games like Angry Birds can even work.

Not true. Racing games can work by tilting the phone like a steering wheel, and RPGs can work when streamlined with swiping movements for movement, combat works too - see Steven Universe: Attack the Light. Puzzle games like monument valley work well.

 

[LeleSocho]

I would love mobile gaming if the industry treated it as a proper platform and not as a dlc cash in dump.
It would take really little things to make the thing viable but no they essentially decided that it has to be shit and for this very reason i hate mobile gaming.

Ask me again in 10 years, maybe things will be better then.

 

[Keasar]

Many games just don't work well on touch screens and need actual tactile controls consisting of buttons.

The ratio of good games vs. bad ones is absolutely horrendous. For every gem of a game I actually like there are 99 more that are just bad.

I have yet to see someone really compete in quality vs. a handheld console developed game. Many games that are originally developed for mobile feel very shallow compared and those who have more depth to it are ports of existing games like Kings of Dragons Valley.

Mobile development and popularity is the reason why now we have to deal with the horrible practice of microtransactions that are so often abused to infinity.

 

[Skyzard]

I don't hate it's just the last choice for me. Rinses batteries. Control inputs mean it's only suitable for a few games for a non-frustrating/lacking experience.

One of my favourite shmups was an iphone game though, phoenix, never really played the hd version though, went android.

 

[GayForMaster]

Because it consists of shit tier shovelware

 

[The12thGripper]

They drain my phone of its battery and controls are hit and miss. F2P games can also drown in a well.

 

[redcrayon]

I don't like burning the battery of my mobile phone on games. There are some cool titles though.

 

[jerry1594]

I don't hate it, there's some cool games on phones that aren't ports, but the vast majority is mindless crap.

 

[More_Badass]

I love playing games on my phone in theory, but I have a hard time finding mobile games I really like.

Hearthstone, Pixel Dungeon, Hoplite: all great. Most android Final Fantasies were decent. But in general I don't want to play slot-machine collectathons with a mediocre game slapped on top, which seems to be the growing trend with mobile RPGs.

That said, I'm optimistic about Nintendo's upcoming foray into the space. Hopefully big developers will be able to charge reasonable prices for their games, and thus back said games up with reasonable quality.

You should come by the monthly IOS threads, a lot of recommended games in the OPs and discussed in the threads

 

[Viper3]

I have no interest in playing with touch controls. If that's hate, then so be it.

This, and the prevalence of the disgusting pay-to-win skinner box design are the reasons why I don't even pay attention to mobile games anymore.

 

[ekim]

I like playing on my iPad. Recently just installed Grim Fandango and Broken Age. Also having Hearthstone, KotOR, the new Xcom (with Enemy Within) , 80 Days, the Sorcery games, FTL and The Banner Saga ready to install + you get some smaller game snack titles like the Room. All in all, I would say mobile gaming is better than ever imho.

 

[Tain]

Any issues I have with mobile gaming are just extensions of complaints I would have with handhelds or consoles or sub-par PCs or bad gaming setups in general.

Which also means that they can be overlooked in the case of a great exclusive. I have found very few of those, though.

 

[Karsticles]

Simple
Cheap
Microtransactions
Poor Controls
Hurts Console Gaming (in some ways)

Those are my reasons. The last one is the biggest. Seeing RPG gods like S-E move to cheap mobile titles to make a quick buck over a full-fledged epic story is an upsetting change for me.

 

[chrisPjelly]

There's nothing absolutely wrong with the platform itself. Even if the touch controls don't necessarily let most conventional genres transition well, that's okay, you SHOULD still be able to create a wealth of deep games that can work around it (hello visual novels, turn based rpgs, and puzzle games ala Prof Layton,). The industry surrounding it is ABSOLUTE POISON though. Not only are business practices exploitative and scummy to the highest end, but creative integrity is basically non-existent. Just the other day, I saw a couple of games featuring unlicensed "My own original character Elsa that's totally not from frozen".

 

[JCX]

My biggest issue is the online requirement for games. I'd play P&D much more if I didn't need to be online to play it. That's why I'm excited for the 3DS version.

 

[philion]

..............lul

 

[Skyzard]

And all the tracking and bullshit notifications they install on your phone and slow it down even more. Sega is really bad at this.

 

[Anno]

Most of it seems to be hate aimed at scummy F2P schemes (which certainly exist and deserve to be decried) or bad controls. Both of those are fine points, but they ignore the rest of the games that have very fair F2P systems (or are just premium to begin with) and have amazing controls. Plenty of games are arguably better on mobile devices than any other possible console. I wish people would stop complaining about "mobile gaming" and start campaigning against shitty mobile games, as they're in no way analogous. Skipping mobile just opts yourself out of plenty of very unique experiences and developers, allfor very little money.

 

[More_Badass]

Many games just don't work well on touch screens and need actual tactile controls consisting of buttons.

The ratio of good games vs. bad ones is absolutely horrendous. For every gem of a game I actually like there are 99 more that are just bad.

Imagine if every PC game ever made was one store. Every flash game, every freeware game, every game jam entry, every indie and AAA game. Considering that one Ludum Dare has over 2000 entries, I think it's safe to say, in that scenario, the shit, shallow, and poorly made games would vastly outnumber the gems and quality games.

That's the App Store right now unfortunately. PC doesn't have that issue because it has stores that separate the wheat from the chaff. But when you have everything on one store, the good stuff gets buried much too easily by the bad