25 October 2010

Smartphone games

The iOS and Android platforms are becoming popular platforms for people to develop games on, and some people are even starting to let that get to their heads - trying to pretend they're "big boys".


Here's an ad by Sony for the PSP, making fun of iPhone games:



Got to agree with them to be honest. Platforms like the PSP and the DS are proper mobile gaming devices, they actually have something us gamers would play, and not just some flash games in the guise of apps.


An iPhone game came out a while back that "simulated" running a game development studio called "Game Dev Story". Gamers rejoiced at the prospect, I'm sure. That is, until they actually played the game, which showed off just how out of touch the mobile phone game devs are.

Adrian Chmielars from People Can Fly said "Game dev story on iPhone is as much about real game dev as Bokeback Mountain is about a skiing accident in Aspen" and "[it] might actually be tons of fun for people who are not in game dev, but for us... I mean, what developer's first hire is a secretary?".


So, my faithful followers, tell me - do you take mobile phone game seriously? Are there any iPhone or Android games you think are good enough to be called "games"?

96 comments:

  1. 9.99!!!! Sucker!!!
    LOL
    Good video !
    Nice blog

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  2. Step yo game up! I thought psps were dead.

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  3. Nope, they are not good enough to be called games.

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  4. I'm glad BREW is almost extinct, greedy Qualcomm

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  5. I have yet to find a mobile "game" game. Fun distracty time-wasters, on the other hand, abound.

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  6. To me, Droid and iPhone games are a lot like Wii games. Casual, but entertaining. The DS and the PSP are in a totally different league however, and I love mine to death.

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  7. you've got to try out the latest games on the iPhone!

    Modern Combat 2 just came out, and it's amazing.

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  8. Planning to get my own smartphone soon. Don't know how much I'll use it for gaming but I guess it depends on how fun it is (obviously, duh...)

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  9. Nope, I don' take them seriously. Just there to kill time when I'm on the train or bus. I don't feel right playing my NDS or PSP in public :x

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  10. lol i love sonys comercials
    Kevin Butler FTW

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  11. They are just time killers, where as psp/ds games are actual time investments

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  12. Meh... if I would play games on my way to the school, on the bus, then thats all I'd do all day! I like to have my games stay at home.

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  13. hm dont like them. like someone before said, waste of money and time in my opinion

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  14. I playing very rarely games when I'm on the way..
    but it is a good idea for bored ppl in a train for ex

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  15. My phone is so primitive it has no games. It's battery life is so short, too, that I wouldn't dare play games on it if I could.

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  16. meh I enjoy the games on my iphone, but I like this ad.

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  17. iPhone gaming is just getting started. :)

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  18. I still think the mobile phone "gaming" is a bad joke being played on everyone.

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  19. its not a real form of gaming i dont think

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  20. I play these games when I'm taking a dump at work

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  21. As with every platform, some games are fun and some aren't.

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  22. Phones will always be phones. I have a PSX EMU with ff7, and an snes emu with earthbound on my phone. Sadly, I never seem to play them.

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  23. These games are time killers. That's all it really is, not real games and doesn't count as gaming. Cheers mate.

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  24. I have never seen a mobile game that wasn't a pointless time waster.

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  25. lol I a always playin them on the toilet too!

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  26. isnt bad, but im not ready to pay for something like that ^^

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  27. Smartphone games are good when you can't have a true mobile gaming device around.

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  28. I like my DS. I'd like it more if the games weren't so kiddy.

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  29. I've never considered smartphones as proper gaming devices, and it looks to be some time before I ever will.

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  30. well, are they going to come out with a new PSP?

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  31. Can't wait for PSP 2 sooooo excited.

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  32. I'm not a huge fan of playing stuff on my phone, prefer to just use a DS...

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  33. Only good games on phones are emulator games :)

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  34. I heard today that Sony was developing a "playstation phone", though I can't see why they would run an ad like that if they were. Probably fake.

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  35. the only games that are good for smartphones are sudoku and snake

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  36. No way in hell will this work!

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  37. These have nothing on snake!

    Also, I'm a traveller, therefore no hair cut allowed. It's the rules :p

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  38. Ahh I miss my old CTW psp 5.00 m33.

    ;_;

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  39. cellphone games are good when taking a dump and forgot to bring your PSP along

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  40. cell phone games are getting better I must say.

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  41. There is a good iphone game.. No idea what it's called, but it's based around a little blob that gets bigger and smaller and has to keep falling down the screen. Trippy and hours of fun, anyone know what it was called though? :/

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  42. Nintendo will always dominate the handheld industry, they created it after all and have had the most experience. They just seem to know what makes a good handheld.

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  43. I want to see what the new PSP will look like

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  44. in a few years, these device games will rule

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  45. Nope, no real games. unless you count sudoku and dope wars.

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  46. iphone has a lot of entertaining lil addicting games which I enjoy just as much as regular ones

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  47. Oh hang on, I think I know the name of the game now! Blobber. It was pretty sick, spent ages one night on it

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  48. i love sonys comercials
    Kevin Butler FTW

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  49. It's that awesome kid from role models!!!

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  50. I like my smartphone games... I can do it while at work

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  51. yay more stuff i cant do cause i dont have a iphone lol

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  52. looking forward to get my android smartphone :D

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  53. I don't take them seriously, but now that I'm seeing better ones come out I may start

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  54. Android games do suck... except for Angry Birds.

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  55. I could definitely see why game developers would go to phones instead of handheld game consoles. Everyone has a phone, only a few people got handhelds.

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  56. Angry birds lol love that game :D

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  57. I feel we should support hte smaller guys as much as possible. Kind of like music,- screw record labels, let the little man make his own beats. then we can allow for more creativity and construction of awesomeness!

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  58. just got copter on my blackberry

    amazing phone game

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  59. iPhone games forever! nonetheless nice article man :D

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  60. i use my android only for stuff that takes only several minutes. for real games i use a nds or pc :F

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  61. Minecraft should be for PSP =_=

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  62. I really hate that the iPhone is pretending to be a console nowadays, really get a PSP or a DS guys!

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  63. Games on handhelds are pretty shit for what they are. I much prefer consoles and the pc

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  64. I like playing tetris on my phone more than anything else!! :D

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  65. But if you play games on your phone you dont have to carry around 2 things...

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  66. rather play games on a console, personally...

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  67. 9.99 sukka!
    Btw the playstation phone?

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  68. I only have games on my Android phone to have something to do on the bus

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  69. I only have Android games to have something to do on the bus

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  70. PSP games are legit. Better than Nintendo DS any day. Good reviews though, I have some myself check em ^_^

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