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[tylrdiablos]

I realise developers are a bit limited by touch-screen controls etc... but, yeah... 99% of mobile games are utter crap.

I played some zombie fps game a few days back out of boredom. It aimed the gun for you AND fired the gun for you. All had to do was hold the "walk forward" button. Absolute trash.
Also, here's 3 different types of currency. And a advert after every level. And a notice that something is on sale ("for 24 hours only!").

The store pages for these 'games' are also extremely misleading. Here's some artwork with loads of big text instead of actual screenshots.
It's extremely rare to find a game that's been designed to be fun... they're all there to try and make some quick cash.
Take a look at the charts for the top 25 free games.
Everyone involved in the making of those games should be fucking ashamed of themselves.

Games I'm happy with:
Mario Run
Luck Be A Landlord
Canabalt
Only One
Downwell

 

[Agent X]

Depending if your smartphone is an Android or an iPhone I'll recommend subbing to either Google Play Pass or Apple Arcade (lots of good stuff on their respective game catalogues).

Like [IMG alt="Thick Thighs Save Lives"]https://www.neogaf.com/data/avatars/s/844/844395.jpg?1695588830[/IMG] Thick Thighs Save Lives mentioned, Apple Arcade and Play Pass are both pushing things in a better direction.

Do you have any recommendations for quality games on Google Play Pass? I've been a member for a few months, and I've enjoyed a handful of games. However, I'm considering dropping it, because the library appears to be bogged down heavily with samey-looking clones of the same three or four games, over and over again.

No ads, no microtransactions, but if the overwhelming majority of games are all chintzy cookie-cutter shovelware, then there's no "value".

There might be some hidden gems that I'm missing, because I don't have time to click each and every little cartoon character icon to see what the game is really like. A few suggestions of standout games on the service would certainly help here.

 

[LordBlodgett]

There are some decent games on Mobile but they are far and few between. They are also almost impossible to find in the stores. All the most popular are these free to play trash designed to hook whales.

 

[12Goblins]

All you need is Brotato

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I find it amazing people can game on such small screens. I've never been into mobile gaming ever. Even Gameboys and such. Always avoided it. And least console handhelds have dedicated tactile controls. Smartphone gaming is swiping and touch button presses.

 

[ssringo]

There are some good, and proper, games on mobile but you gotta search for them outside of the store. Dunno about Apple but the Google store is awful for finding stuff. I've seen the same couple dozen games promoted for months or even years. There's a few that are listed under "new" that have banners for 3rd or 4th anniversary. But there are also Reddit threads where people ask about and/or post lists of games that are considered good with minimal or no in app purchases.

With the f2p games you gotta find something that you like and are okay with the level of monetization vs content you can do without paying. For me that's Azur Lane. Good variety of anime waifus, monetization isn't bad or aggressive about going after your wallet (you mostly would spend money on outfits which are just visual and you get lots of freebies) and it isn't needed to progress, game can largely play itself so I don't need to babysit it. But most importantly, it's based around a fictional version of our real naval history; which is something I enjoy learning about. And I've actually learned a good bit due to being introduced to less famous ships or ships from other countries navies and wanted to learn more about the real life counterpart. I've actually made donations to a couple of museum ships here in the U.S. because of the game and plan to visit Yorktown and Laffey in South Carolina next year.

 

[Danjin44]

Majority of mobile games are made for distraction when riding a bus or waiting in the line, not made for serious gaming.

 

[adamosmaki]

Calling it gaming is an insult to gamers and videogames

 

[MonkeyClaw36]

Calling it gaming is an insult to gamers and videogames

You're playing a game on a device. You're gaming. Stop this high horse bullshit.

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

It is a shame.

Mobile gaming began with a lot of experimentation, there were some obscure gems back in the day. Then f2p mtx bursted into the scene like an alien bursting out of someone’s stomach.

Services like Apple Arcade are well worth it if you game on your phone.

Btw: get Sword And Glory!

 

[Drizzlehell]

I used to play State of Survival on mobile... I can not even put it into words how infested it is with MTX.

It's like there's on overpriced pack for everything imaginable and the rate at which these packs prices increase from $5 to $99 is rapid and aimed at preying on those with a spending problem or an addictive personality and they absolutely know it.

There was 100s of people on each state spending $100s and some $1000s per month on upgrades and they didn't bat an eye over it and some were clearly addicted to the game and spending, Absolutely revolting game from a company clearly preying on those with gambling addiction and addiction to their game.

I admittedly probably spent since April 2020 until this summer about $4000 maybe more and it finally hit home to get the fuck outta there and I did.

Mobile games are a cancer to society and are just as bad as gambling if not worse, They seriously need reigning in by a governing body the way they prey and force down your throat MTX and make it sound like a great offer aswell.

It is a very depressing sight to behold, I'm so glad I broke out of that very tight grasp it had around me I just hope one day others will do the same these parasites don't deserve people's money.

4000 bucks, god damn... I also have an addictive personality so I'm the kind of person that would be a target for stuff like this but luckily, up until now I just didn't see any value in crap like this. If I have to spend money on something, I prefer it to be something tangible like actual video games or new gear. I could probably cut back on some of those spendings but so far I managed to keep it within my budget, without going into debt, so I guess it's not so bad.

But I honestly dread to think that one day I would find a GaaS game with MTX that would hook me in like that. That's why it pisses me off that we have so much of this garbage out on the market or getting announced.

 

[Brigandier]

4000 bucks, god damn... I also have an addictive personality so I'm the kind of person that would be a target for stuff like this but luckily, up until now I just didn't see any value in crap like this. If I have to spend money on something, I prefer it to be something tangible like actual video games or new gear. I could probably cut back on some of those spendings but so far I managed to keep it within my budget, without going into debt, so I guess it's not so bad.

But I honestly dread to think that one day I would find a GaaS game with MTX that would hook me in like that. That's why it pisses me off that we have so much of this garbage out on the market or getting announced.

Honestly it's more likely it's 6000+ I just don't want to go through my bank statements as I'll probably hang myself....

I started playing it when I lost my dad and my mum fell ill and it was a huge distraction and COVID lockdowns in the UK were strict in 2020 and 1st half of 2021 so it was not only a distraction it was a time killer and I got into a really good alliance of strong players (big spenders) and we dominated the game which obviously dragged us all in even more.... but man the MTX packs for everything was and still is an absolute disgrace I'm glad I broke the habit of playing that game.

 

[Davevil]

i just need the re-release in modern system of Sword&Poker

 

[Lucifers Beard]

Mobile gaming is best ignored. It’s mostly just a cash grabbing technique with some diamonds in the rough (Ocean Horn, Divinity OS2 and a few others).

I haven’t played a mobile game in years and will probably never again. If you want games on the go, get a Switch or Steam Deck.

 

[delfrickintree]

You're playing a game on a device. You're gaming. Stop this high horse bullshit.

Oh no you dont! Here comes some filthy casual trying to break thru the gaming community gates so he can pretend to be cool like us. Did you get bullied too much by the thumbchads and now want to destroy this hobby by dilluting it? You have never been, and will never be A REAL GAMER. Might as well delete your account and find a new hobby that isnt too complex and skillful.

 

[Drizzlehell]

Honestly it's more likely it's 6000+ I just don't want to go through my bank statements as I'll probably hang myself....

I started playing it when I lost my dad and my mum fell ill and it was a huge distraction and COVID lockdowns in the UK were strict in 2020 and 1st half of 2021 so it was not only a distraction it was a time killer and I got into a really good alliance of strong players (big spenders) and we dominated the game which obviously dragged us all in even more.... but man the MTX packs for everything was and still is an absolute disgrace I'm glad I broke the habit of playing that game.

I'm sorry for your loss, man. And definitely congrats on breaking that habit, it's only for the better. If one needs to get addicted to something, then it better be something healthy at least.

 

[MonkeyClaw36]

Oh no you dont! Here comes some filthy casual trying to break thru the gaming community gates so he can pretend to be cool like us. Did you get bullied too much by the thumbchads and now want to destroy this hobby by dilluting it? You have never been, and will never be A REAL GAMER. Might as well delete your account and find a new hobby that isnt too complex and skillful.

I know sarcasm when I see it. Good try though!!

 

[Interfectum]

Calling it gaming is an insult to gamers and videogames

It's pretty crazy to see posts like this from so-called gaming enthusiasts.

 

[Trunx81]

The only mobile game I´m playing since launch is Fire Emblem Heroes. Yes, it´s a gatcha game and if you want to compete with the whales you could spend a lot of money. But the game is quite generous and I haven´t spent any money on it, besides buying a $20 pack four years ago as a little "thank you" to the developers. It´s showing its age these days and I´m currently only doing the bare minimum, but I still login every day, do the few missions that give me Orbs to summon, and still enjoy the gameplay.

 

[MonkeyClaw36]

It's pretty crazy to see posts like this from so-called gaming enthusiasts.

Yeah it's pathetic and just shows how pitiful some people can be.

 

[Interfectum]

My current mobile game rotation is Marvel SNAP, Junkworld TD (Apple Arcade exclusive from Kingdom Rush devs) and LoL Wild Rift. Not sure how anyone could call any of these "not real games."

 

[Dream-Knife]

We've got a family friend with a daughter who came over recently, think she's about 13. Was showing me this driving game on her phone. Actually looked pretty nice for a phone game, and she seemed really good at it. Thought I'd give it a try.

That's when I realised the game does 90% of the acceleration and steering for you. You're almost watching a movie and you basically can't lose... until you start getting into the later races and your car doesn't cut it, so you have to buy more parts.

Thankfully she stays away from all that shit and does also play "proper" games like Mario Kart and FIFA, but you're right, depressing is the word I'd use. She didn't seem to realise just how much she wasn't actually playing a game.

Really no different than a controller with aim assist.

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

I realise developers are a bit limited by touch-screen controls etc... but, yeah... 99% of mobile games are utter crap.

I played some zombie fps game a few days back out of boredom. It aimed the gun for you AND fired the gun for you. All had to do was hold the "walk forward" button. Absolute trash.
Also, here's 3 different types of currency. And a advert after every level. And a notice that something is on sale ("for 24 hours only!").

The store pages for these 'games' are also extremely misleading. Here's some artwork with loads of big text instead of actual screenshots.
It's extremely rare to find a game that's been designed to be fun... they're all there to try and make some quick cash.
Take a look at the charts for the top 25 free games.
Everyone involved in the making of those games should be fucking ashamed of themselves.

Games I'm happy with:
Mario Run
Luck Be A Landlord
Canabalt
Only One
Downwell

Some form of auto play is sort of a requirement these days for f2p mobile games.

 

[KXVXII9X]

We've got a family friend with a daughter who came over recently, think she's about 13. Was showing me this driving game on her phone. Actually looked pretty nice for a phone game, and she seemed really good at it. Thought I'd give it a try.

That's when I realised the game does 90% of the acceleration and steering for you. You're almost watching a movie and you basically can't lose... until you start getting into the later races and your car doesn't cut it, so you have to buy more parts.

Thankfully she stays away from all that shit and does also play "proper" games like Mario Kart and FIFA, but you're right, depressing is the word I'd use. She didn't seem to realise just how much she wasn't actually playing a game.

Was the game, Asphalt by any chance? It sounds a lot like it.

 

[KXVXII9X]

In the early days of mobile there were some promising games. It all went to shit once devs figured out the meta for extracting the most money out of suckers.



I loved this shit on my iPhone 4. Square was out there making old school turn based JRPGs with no microtransactions (that I remember anyway).

I love you for this! This game was one of the games that made me a believer of mobile games back on my iPod touch. Then I heard lots of people were griping that it was too expensive even though it was a third of the price of a PSP game at the time of near quality. I get kind of sad when I rewatch trailers of that series. What could have been.

 

[AV]

Was the game, Asphalt by any chance? It sounds a lot like it.

If it's not that, it was very similar. I don't even know if there's some sort of "don't play the game for me" setting but she was blissfully unaware if there was.

 

[negator2vc]

Modern mobile gaming is crap.

The only mobile gaming that has any value (beside of course emulators) is fan made engine remakes of older pc games. My favorite is OpenXcom, a fan made engine remake of the older X-COM games which not only fixes bugs & weird design choices but also allow you to play those awesome games on your phone. Install the android version of the engine and copy the game data from your pc.

 

[Halo is Back]

Mobile gaming only exists to be an endless money pit to feed the gamer's natural instinct to progress throughout a game. It's a borderline scam in my opinion and extremely unethical.

 

[FalsettoVibe]

Mobile gaming was cool when smartphones were first introduced, but then greed took over and now every game is MTX trash.

 

[Rickyiez]

Mobile gaming is at its best when you're doing emulation with snap on controller like this

 

[Drizzlehell]

Eh... Just as I expected, Homeworld Mobile is a total bust.

2 hours in, like clockwork, and the game started tearing me a new asshole and it's impossible to complete any mission anymore unless I upgrade my fleet or whatever. Even though I've upgraded all that I could find already, so I assume that I'm missing one of the several dozens of currencies needed to boost my fleet power even further, which means that I've hit a wall already and would have to pay up to continue playing.

No, thank you, I think I'd rather uninstall the game.

What's really funny is that I'm actually the kind of person who could very easily get addicted to bullshit like this, but the fact that there are SO MANY different currencies to keep track of, and the whole interface of fleet management and upgrades is so fucking convoluted that my eyes just glaze over. How are those "whales" ever get past that stuff is beyond me. The complexity of it all is what typically makes me bounce off of things like that so it just seems a bit counter-productive to those scummy developers if they want to hook you in.

 

[Ozriel]

Just clocked that the game in the OP is a F2P game.

Not sure it’s really apt to complain about monetization in a game with a $0 barrier of entry. They have to make the money back somehow, and it’s either MTX or ads.

These things will persist until games get back up to premium pricing on the AppStore. Before the F2P craze kicked off, games on iOS were around $10 or so.

I remember buying Square Enix’s Chaos Rings on iPhone for $12.99 in 2010.

 

[Drizzlehell]

Just clocked that the game in the OP is a F2P game.

Not sure it’s really apt to complain about monetization in a game with a $0 barrier of entry. They have to make the money back somehow, and it’s either MTX or ads.

These things will persist until games get back up to premium pricing on the AppStore. Before the F2P craze kicked off, games on iOS were around $10 or so.

I remember buying Square Enix’s Chaos Rings on iPhone for $12.99 in 2010.

It's not about the fact that you have to pay, but that you have to keep paying for as long as you keep playing.

If they want to make the money back, then here's a crazy idea - just make a normal-ass game with a standard price tag on it, and then let me play it without trying to siphon even more cash out of my bank account.

Besides, it's a cheap-ass game made for pennies that reuses assets from previous titles in the series, with minimum amount of effort put into gameplay and maximum amount of effort put into the in-game market. You can't even make an argument about supporting the developer because this is not even a real developer. They probably shit these things out for various contracted publishers left and right so they're not exactly the struggling underdog here.