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[Panajev2001a]

I don't have a problem to pay this price, but the game has to back this up with value. Either by being super awesome-amazing or by offering enough unique content.

So replay ability is a non factor, isn't it?
I accept your view, but I have to strongly disagree that $10 is super awesome amazing content and production values through the roof territory. I do not believe it is sustainable, reinforces the loss of value of games in mobile gamers' mind, and constrains game design as you need to recoup your investment after the user has started to play your game... hence micro transactions push in games (fuel in racing games as one easy to make example).

 

[Panajev2001a]

There's plenty choices even if you don't want any micro-transactions in it. As I've already said, Rayman Jungle Run is like 3$ and has way more content than Mario Run. There's probably a lot of other games in that category (I don't play that much on mobile so I don't know all of them). Now, they're probably not as polished as Mario, but does that really justify a 10$ price tag ? I really don't think so.

$10 per game is not a lot... IMHO you cannot expect console level AAA quality for that price without being screwed over by IAP... :/.

 

[tmespe]

I think the quantity comparisons are just as silly. People keep focusing on the amount of content and not what that content is. Whether you have a "connection" with Mario or not, the fact is it's one of the best, if not the best, platform experience you're likely to get on mobile. And it's not exactly unprecedented for people to spend $5-10 on mobile games; there are a fair number of them on the top paid charts on the App Store.

I would bet most casual mobile players aren't deciding whether or not to download a game based on how much "content" it has. That's something more dedicated gamers tend to be more concerned with. Casual players decide more often based on how it looks on the app's homepage, word of mouth, and to a lesser extent App Store reviews.

I didn't mention anything about the amount of content. Calling this the best platform experience is subjective. I personally don't see anything offered here as a more premium experience compared to other runners.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

I think more emphasis should be made on the bubble mechanic. It's literally a game changer for me on Mario Run. It gives you an opportunity to move back over the level for a bit and have another shot and taking a different route or approach to grab some pink coins, and it's a great tactic to boost your score. It also works well a risk-reward mechanic in that every time you use a bubble you're using an extra life. Great stuff, think of it like the rewind in racing games except your progress isn't wiped, and it's very limited.

To those who think Rayman fiesta is better, i'd be interested to know why. isn't Fiesta approach way more linear and limited in what you do ?

I can't play the game yet (android)

I don't think it's better. My first impressions of Mario Run made me think Rayman was better, but it isn't. I think Rayman is a more natural fit for your responses when you first start playing an auto-runner. You see, both Rayman Origins and Legends are about momentum, not nuance, a lot of their levels focus on pushing forward and jumping where necessary, with the odd diversion hidden off in a DKC: Returns sort of way. Rayman physics don't have a lot of depth to them, he's a really controllable character but there's far less to master outside of zooming through levels faster and faster. Modern 2D Rayman is a terrific "momentum" platform game.

2D Mario has always had a lot more nuance to it, and that shows in Super Mario Run. You have to work much harder to be skilled and good at it, and it wasn't until I was at the end of world 2 where it all started to click with me and having a lot of fun constantly bettering my high scores on levels, nabbing all the coin sets and beating other players at Toad Rally. It's undeniably a deeper experience than the Rayman games, and the best part of it is like the normal 2D platformers, 2D Mario offers something still tangibly different to Rayman. So it's well worth playing both. They are both good and worthy complements to their traditional forebears.

 

[duckroll]

Some are, sure. But how many of those people commute on trains? And how many of them play only on their commutes?

A shitload of people outside the US where public transportation is the main form of travel? Lol.

 

[klier]

My review compared to the rest of the iOS store: 12/10

Compared to Nintendo's own quality: 8.5/10

Very solid. Very solid indeed. I am loving my Nintendo stuff on my iPhone!!

A shitload of people outside the US where public transportation is the main form of travel? Lol.

Millions and millions of people every single day here in Europe. In fact, millions and millions in my tiny country The Netherlands alone, every day.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

Super Mario Run's approach to online isn't as bad as I thought it'd be, generally if the game *needs* to connect to the internet to download/upload ghost and score data it'll stop you in your tracks, but you're free to play and retry a level as much as you want in the meantime. You need a connection to begin and complete a level, otherwise the game will sit and wait for one.

Of course, the ideal situation is to have the game queue downloads/uploads of score data, let you play offline whenever and just upload that in the background when you get a connection.

 

[More_Badass]

What if I do not want gameplay centered around micro transactions (most of those games are designed to pretty much force you to pay...)? How much choice is there?

Hundreds of choices. I just bought a mobile-exclusive 40-hour SRPG the other day
http://www.wavelightgames.com/demon-s-rise-2.html

 

[Toadthemushroom]

Those are good. I'll add:

Dungelot: Shattered Lands, Rune Keeper (kind of a rip off of Dungelot but I really prefer it), FTL, Desktop Dungeons, Tiny Rogue, Guild of Dungeoneers, Siralim 1 & 2, Neon Chrome, Five Card Quest, Card Dungeon, Tales of a Viking, Sproggiwood, Auro: A Monster Bumping Adventure, Downwell, Wayward Souls, Rust Bucket, Redungeon, Into the Dim, Enyo, HeadlessD, The Enchanted Cave 2, The Greedy Cave, 100 Rogues, Cardinal Quest 2, 1-Bit Rogue.


Solitairica is an amazing card game, btw. It's not really a roguelike but it takes ideas from roguelikes and applies them to Solitaire. It's digital crack.

Card Crawl is another take on roguelikes via a card game. It's also great.

Galactic Keep is a really cool digital pen and paper RPG.



I get sad when I read statements like these because it means that people have a very narrow view of what mobile games can be. They aren't all F2P nightmares with multiple currencies and in-app purchases and energy timers...

There's a ton of great stuff releasing on mobile all the time, even deep and robust stuff, you just have to go to a site like toucharcade.com to get coverage on the good stuff because the appstore charts are garbage and the shit F2P games spend millions for visibility to the obstruction of other games.

Anything from Simogo is well worth playing, I really really like Bumpy Road, Kosmo Spin, Beat Sneak Bandit, DEVICE 6 and Year Walk. Sailor's Dream is decent but not really a game. Has a lot of heart though.

Nice piece on Simogo here on Eurogamer.

Then, in 2004, the Nintendo DS arrived with its touch-sensitive screen and a new set of inputs. His imagination was lit.

"I didn't feel a great need to create games before the DS," explains Flesser. "It felt so fresh! Suddenly there were lots of possibilities to create your own rules about interaction. And lots of games showed the way too, with new and fun ways to play: Ouendan, Pac Pix, Yoshi's Touch & Go, Another Code..."

This newfound enthusiasm led Flesser to take a role at Malmö's Southend Interactive in 2007, producing art for XBLA titles like R-Type Dimensions and ilimilo. It was there that he met programmer and designer Magnus Gardebäck, kick-starting a friendship that would result in the duo striking out on their own in 2010. That's how Simogo began, and the desire to find new methods of interaction has defined its work.

"A big part of what we do is trying to make unique things, and the way you interact with a game is the most immediate 'feel' of it for the player. So that's why we strive to make that interaction new. It's very refreshing starting with a totally clean slate, every time."

This is evident even in Simogo's early games. Kosmo Spin's embroidered world whirls with a swipe, Bumpy Road's cobbled streets undulate at your fingertips, and Beat Sneak Bandit's titular cat burglar slips past guards with a rhythmic tap. The studio's ability to tease inventive controls from capacitive glass is exhilarating.

Edit: Oh crumbs, missed the "roguelikes" in the recommendation request. Whoooops.

 

[AgeEighty]

A shitload of people outside the US where public transportation is the main form of travel? Lol.

Again: Not saying it's an insignificant number of people, only that I doubt very much it's a majority or anywhere close. People play on trains but a great many of them also play on buses, as carpool passengers, in lines, in waiting rooms, while waiting for tables or orders at restaurants, in bathrooms, and so on... plenty of other places where a connection is less likely to be a sticking point.

 

[Rehynn]

To those who think Rayman fiesta is better, i'd be interested to know why. isn't Fiesta approach way more linear and limited in what you do ?

Yes, it is indeed more linear. Run's levels have more depth and variety. Fiesta is about executing the developer's intended "perfect run" along a clearly marked path. Run leaves you more room to refine your runs and discover new layers of level design.

I would definitely say Run is the better game.

 

[orioto]

They're both the same type of game. Premade levels with a set start, end, and various collectibles along the way. You run forward the entire time unless you jump off a wall, in which case you run the opposite direction briefly. They're both just as linear as one another. Difference is that in Rayman your endgame for a level is to collect every single lum in a level. In Mario, there's just a shit ton of coins thrown about, and you get as many as you can. There's the black coins or whatever that you can collect every single one per level, but their placement is like, you can either take the upper path or the lower path, you don't know beforehand which path the coin is on, and it comes down to memorization more than anything, whereas Rayman flows better and allows you to collect everything in one run.

Mario is also pretty much impossible to die in. In the end, you reach the end of the level, and get some arbitrary number of toads based on style points and coins collected, whereas the difficulty in Rayman comes from even being able to finish a level without dying.

Compared to Rayman Adventure, which is the best one and a full-fledged Rayman game on mobile.

I don't think it's better. My first impressions of Mario Run made me think Rayman was better, but it isn't. I think Rayman is a more natural fit for your responses when you first start playing an auto-runner. You see, both Rayman Origins and Legends are about momentum, not nuance, a lot of their levels focus on pushing forward and jumping where necessary, with the odd diversion hidden off in a DKC: Returns sort of way. Rayman physics don't have a lot of depth to them, he's a really controllable character but there's far less to master outside of zooming through levels faster and faster. Modern 2D Rayman is a terrific "momentum" platform game.

2D Mario has always had a lot more nuance to it, and that shows in Super Mario Run. You have to work much harder to be skilled and good at it, and it wasn't until I was at the end of world 2 where it all started to click with me and having a lot of fun constantly bettering my high scores on levels, nabbing all the coin sets and beating other players at Toad Rally. It's undeniably a deeper experience than the Rayman games, and the best part of it is like the normal 2D platformers, 2D Mario offers something still tangibly different to Rayman. So it's well worth playing both. They are both good and worthy complements to their traditional forebears.

Yes, it is indeed more linear. Run's levels have more depth and variety. Fiesta is about executing the developer's intended "perfect run" along a clearly marked path. Run leaves you more room to refine your runs and discover new layers of level design.

I would definitely say Run is the better game.

Thx guys, really interesting game design philodophy difference for a pretty simple genre to boot with. (I'm working on one, that's why) Indeed i would think letting you having more flexibility and moves in a level is more fitted for gamers but it seems the more difficult, action oriented style of Rayman is better for some.

Now i guess Rayman has a lot more levels to. For me i guess i prefer Mario (i will when i can play it..) cause Rayman feels like the "automatic" levels in Sonic games. You're barely walking actually, you're in the air all the time and pushing the right things when asked. It's almost more of a rythm game.

 

[zoukka]

Now i guess Rayman has a lot more levels to. For me i guess i prefer Mario (i will when i can play it..) cause Rayman feels like the "automatic" levels in Sonic games. You're barely walking actually, you're in the air all the time and pushing the right things when asked. It's almost more of a rythm game.

This also describes Mario Run, for the purple coins you need perfect jumps and you are at least as much in the air as in the ground.

 

[Deleted member 284]

I'm not, I'm defending my statement about how the game isn't as successful as Pokemon go.


Achtung, baby

Yeah, about that...

 

[TLZ]

Mobile gamers asking for super awesome amazing games for $10. Beggars can't be choosers.

 

[Hispanic! At the Disco]

For a $10 Mario game this is pretty good. Putting aside the always online, for those of us that it is not an issue, its definitely worth the asking price. Comparing its current content to a 3DS game like Super Mario 3D Land I'd say it has about 1/3rd the content so about 1/3rd-1/4th the price seems like a good proce point.

As for gameplay, world 1 up until the castle is very simple and although I loved collecting every special coin, I could see it being really boring and easy for a lot of people. I've only played up to 2-1 but the 1-Castle and 2-1 seem to provide a lot more interesting mechanics and ask a lot more out of your single button press, and I expect many more interesting mechanics to mix things up and challenge me as the game progresses.

For its content, its quality, price and creativity of actions and challenges with a single button press, I'd give it an 8.5/10. Ive encountered some annoying crashes and audio bugs I dont expect from Nintendo's first payed mobile game, and the online only makes this not very accessible for a lot of commuters.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

Pokémon Go released when everyone was either getting ready to go out or go to sleep and it was so popular at the immediate moment of launch that servers didn't work at all until the next day and still struggled for weeks after. I remember because some rando at the bar I was at yelled out that the game was up on the App Store and everyone started downloading it 😒😒😒

As I said, it's no Pokémon Go. Closer to Miitomo if anything.


It's doing worse than a free internet radio app

It's well below Pokemon Go which hasn't been particularly notable since July or August. It also costs $10 unlike every app above it, which depend on people being invested in the app to make revenue.

I believe Miitomo topped the free games chart for a day, correct me if I'm wrong 🤔

Again, Pokemon Go was doing so wildly well moments after release that nobody could even play the damn thing for hours. Already doing worse.


I think what happened was that someone accused reviewers of being paid off to give the game high scores because of the fact that the game wasn't doing too well despite being rated very highly, then we started talking about if the game was doing well or not.

Omg these posts are amazing now lmao!

 

[HotHamBoy]

Edit: Oh crumbs, missed the "roguelikes" in the recommendation request. Whoooops.

No harm done! More visibility for great mobile games is always good.

 

[Solid SOAP]

The price is a bit much for the average consumer, but I'm on my knees for Mario and definitely will buy it upon its release to Android devices.

 

[HotHamBoy]

http://toucharcade.com/top-reviews/

Here. Browse solid reviews for hundreds of great premium and free mobile games. Check out the forums for more impressions and tips on deals, read the news for the great stuff coming soon. You can even build a wish list and get notified when a game goes on sale.

Never rely on the App Store to inform you about what's good on mobile again.

Here's a link to the Touch Arcade App. This is what I use.

 

[Jpop]

http://toucharcade.com/top-reviews/

Here. Browse solid reviews for hundreds of great premium and free mobile games. Check out the forums for more impressions and tips on deals, read the news for the great stuff coming soon. You can even build a wish list and get notified when a game goes on sale.

Never rely on the App Store to inform you about what's good on mobile again.

Here's a link to the Touch Arcade App. This is what I use.

Haha, that not so stealth advertisement.

 

[evanmisha]

Haha, that not so stealth advertisement.

I love how he's not even responding to anyone in particular. Just, 'Click my shit!'

 

[Ambient80]

Mmm, I dunno but getting all these black coins is damn hard.

 

[HotHamBoy]

Haha, that not so stealth advertisement.

I love how he's not even responding to anyone in particular. Just, 'Click my shit!'

LOL you guys think I write for Touch Arcade? I'm just legit tired of people acting like mobile is trash because they don't know what's out there.

Kind of surprised people don't know about Touch Arcade, I always assumed it was a popular site.

 

[Yoshi]

Seems to be a massive disconnect between mainstream reviews and actual users playing the game.

Most posts online seem to aggregate to the game feeling really janky, bad controls, weird design decisions, server outages, DRM, and horrible performance on older iOS devices.

This has happened with Nintendo games in the past, where reviewers are seemingly paid off to go easy on them and give a near perfect review of the game. This happened most notably with Skyward Sword in 2011.

Guess it happened again.

Skyward Sword is the best Zelda game and among the ten best games ever created. I rated it 9.5 and I sure as hell got not a single cent for that.

 

[HotHamBoy]

Skyward Sword is the best Zelda game and among the ten best games ever created. I rated it 9.5 and I sure as hell got not a single cent for that.

Skyward Sword is a middle-tier Zelda game, son.

I put every top-down Zelda over it.

But regarding paid reviews, I don't think that's happening. I think a game reviewer can take for granted a casual player's perspective. Reviewers know the language of games to the point where you forget what it's like to have no idea what to do. I also think the exposure to tons of mediocre and awful games that reviewers are forced to play gives them a lower bar for good games to reach.

 

[Coldnoodle]

Skyward Sword is the best 3-D Zelda.

 

[janoDX]

8/10 from me, it's better than NSMB2.

 

[flak57]

Haha, that not so stealth advertisement.

I love how he's not even responding to anyone in particular. Just, 'Click my shit!'

"I know nothing about the mobile gaming scene and I'm proud of it"

 

[Jpop]

LOL you guys think I write for Touch Arcade? I'm just legit tired of people acting like mobile is trash because they don't know what's out there.

Kind of surprised people don't know about Touch Arcade, I always assumed it was a popular site.

Probably not.

Your post was not an enticing ad, just a blatant one.

"I know nothing about the mobile gaming scene and I'm proud of it"

I didn't realize I know nothing of mobile gaming, thanks for the clarification there.

 

[flkraven]

So this is just the Rayman games, but more expensive, with less co tent, and a few years later? So do people just eat this stuff up because of the Mario skin?

 

[cw_sasuke]

So this is just the Rayman games, but more expensive, with less co tent, and a few years later? So do people just eat this stuff up because of the Mario skin?

Didnt know you are only allowed to enjoy one Runner game on mobile in your lifetime.

 

[Vice]

So this is just the Rayman games, but more expensive, with less co tent, and a few years later? So do people just eat this stuff up because of the Mario skin?

More emphasis on the skill stuff with the multiple coin sets available. Levels remix, I like the feel of the platforming a bit more than the Rayman runners. I like both, the Raymans more at the moment though. Still working on mastering the 2-X worlds though.

 

[Vex_]

Played it for about 40 hrs. Game is absolute GARBAGE. GYYYAAAARRRGIIIAAAGGE.

 

[flak57]

Probably not.
I didn't realize I know nothing of mobile gaming, thanks for the clarification there.

toucharcade has been one of the most popular mobile gaming websites since 2008. It's just dumb to call a random mention on gaf as a shill for some traffic.

 

[More_Badass]

toucharcade has been one of the most popular mobile gaming websites since 2008. It's just dumb to call a random mention on gaf as a shill for some traffic.

It's the equivalent of mentioning PC Gamer or Rockpapershotgun as places to learn about PC games

 

[flak57]

It's the equivalent of mentioning PC Gamer or Rockpapershotgun as places to learn about PC games

It's been awhile since I was heavy into the mobile scene, but back in the early days I used to scrounge around their forums to look for interesting games. There wasn't really a better way back then that I remember.

 

[samn]

I understand that, but if a main part of the game is to compare runs with friends, then I can understand the need for it to be always online.

The device is a cellphone first not a gaming system. I personally would never use my phone when it wouldn't be connected to the internet either through Wifi or through my carrier.

The game could download your friend's times and store them. I bet most people won't use the feature anyway - I won't, and I haven't felt like I'm missing anything.

I use my phone when it's not connected - to play games. In fact that's why I buy meaty single player games for my phone, so that I can play them when not connected...

 

[samn]

Yeah, about that...

That shows it's earning more money than Pokemon Go is today... which doesn't mean much, seeing as Pokemon Go is pretty much dead.

 

[More_Badass]

It's been awhile since I was heavy into the mobile scene, but back in the early days I used to scrounge around their forums to look for interesting games. There wasn't really a better way back then that I remember.

There are a bunch of mobile focused sites nowadays: Toucharcade, Pocket Tactics, Pocket Gamer, Droidgamer, etc. and the big sites like Eurogamer and IGN will review and cover mobile games if they get enough buzz (ie Device 6, Monument Valley, GO series). Indie game focused sites like Killscreen or Indiegames.com will cover mobile games regularly. PC Gamer and RockPaperShotgun will give shoutouts occasionally; that's when you know it's really something special, when a PC-focused site is talking about how a good mobile game it.

Plus, GAF has a monthly iOS Gaming community thread

 

[jnWake]

That shows it's earning more money than Pokemon Go is today... which doesn't mean much, seeing as Pokemon Go is pretty much dead.

Number 5 is dead?

 

[Gleethor]

That shows it's earning more money than Pokemon Go is today... which doesn't mean much, seeing as Pokemon Go is pretty much dead.

That makes no sense

 

[flak57]

There are a bunch of mobile focused sites nowadays: Toucharcade, Pocket Tactics, Pocket Gamer, Droidgamer, etc. and the big sites like Eurogamer and IGN will review and cover mobile games if they get enough buzz (ie Device 6, Monument Valley, GO series). Indie game focused sites like Killscreen or Indiegames.com will cover mobile games regularly. PC Gamer and RockPaperShotgun will give shoutouts occasionally; that's when you know it's really something special, when a PC-focused site is talking about how a good mobile game it.

Plus, GAF has a monthly iOS Gaming community thread

Oh, I'm not that out of touch! I still follow things just more casually. I mostly play what I hear about on GAF these days. For example, I hear there's a mario game out...

 

[samn]

That makes no sense

How doesn't it make sense?

I'm saying that getting to number 1 doesn't mean Mario Run is outpacing Pokemon Go's revenue at its peak.

 

[Shiggy]

$10 per game is not a lot... IMHO you cannot expect console level AAA quality for that price without being screwed over by IAP... :/.

Yeah, if you want to get AAA level quality for 10 EUR a game, you have to buy a PC or console

 

[RM8]

I genuinely don't understand the always online gripes for a smartphone game. Unless you're commute takes you through a deadzone or something, I don't see that as a concern for the overwhelming majority who will play this game.

No, sorry, but always online is idiotic and the philosophy of "one handed Mario", this being a Japanese company and all, likely considered that people play mobile games on the train. I have to say it's happened once so far that I'm playing on the train (I live in Tokyo) and the game disconnects. It's a massively stupid decision, and as much as I love this game, this is a legit issue and a pretty huge flaw that affects the quality of the game. Since I'll be switching to Android in the future, I hope there's a modded version by then.

 

[atr0cious]

How doesn't it make sense?

I'm saying that getting to number 1 doesn't mean Mario Run is outpacing Pokemon Go's revenue at its peak.

Why do you post when you have no clue what you're talking about? You could've lurked and no one would've known.

 

[Jackson]

I didn't realize I know nothing of mobile gaming, thanks for the clarification there.

Not knowing Touch Arcade for mobile games is like not knowing Kotaku for like... games. So if you don't know it, then maybe you aren't as in touch with mobile gaming as you think you are?

 

[samn]

Why do you post when you have no clue what you're talking about? You could've lurked and no one would've known.

If you're not going to explain how you know I don't know what I'm talking about then why do you bother posting?

Why are you so rude? This isn't even an important discussion, why make someone feel bad over it.

(yes I'm wrong about Pokemon Go being dead, but fact is it's only a fraction of where it used to be, and this makes little difference to my main point, so *get over it guys whatever*)

 

[Jackson]

That shows it's earning more money than Pokemon Go is today... which doesn't mean much, seeing as Pokemon Go is pretty much dead.

I'd love to have a #5 game in US Top Grossing. It'd be making $500,000+ a day.