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[Jubenhimer]

At E3 this year, a lot of companies showed off mobile games. Bethesda, Microsoft, Square Enix, Ubisoft all had at least on mobile game shown. Now let me say, that I honestly don't care if companies announce mobile games at E3. They're still video games at the end of the day, and E3 is all about showing what new software is coming regardless of platform, so it makes sense to bring some of these announcements to E3. Plus, some of these could actually be genuinely good games. That said, I do see where some of the criticism comes from. They shouldn't have too much spotlight time because most gamers expect big AAA reveals at E3, and some games like Commander Keen were completely tone deaf.

But I also feel that some people might be too hard on them. Yeah, a lot of garbage gets shoveled onto mobile, and it's become infamous for exploitative monetization models like Pay-to-Win and Loot Boxes. But being a believer in Sturgeon's Law, there's also some really good games on smart devices if you look for them that even though have micro-transactions, are fairly non-exploitative and kept to a minimum. So while yes, we don't need that much mobile showcased at an E3 presentation, I don't think they should just get the automatic scrutiny that they come with.

 

[Hinedorf]

There's no such thing as mobile gamers.

There are gamers, and there are assholes with cellphones

 

[brap]

People don't go to E3 to see phone games. They also don't go there to see Just Dance, Ubisoft

 

[Fuz]

I'm ready to lose my street cred, but there are a few mobile games that I enjoy tremendously.

 

[Mista]

Showing off mobile games doesn’t mean it’s good, it means that’s its very profitable because the people on mobile pays a lot on a game. I’ve witnessed that myself with people playing clash of clans and other games that requires your money to have faster progress instead of waiting a day or two. So yeah, we’re not harsh on mobile games, mobile games never attracted me outside of visual novels

 

[ZeroGravity]

Even the best of mobile games will always be inherently hindered by being on a platform that was never designed for gaming. It is not an interface that is conducive to playing video games and I will never enjoy playing them in that manner.

 

[jshackles]

There are a lot of mobile games I enjoy quite a bit - but almost all of them either a) have bluetooth controller support or b) are uniquely crafted to take advantage of touch-screen controls.

If you expect me to control an FPS or move a character in a 3D environment like I would using thumbsticks, I'm going to uninstall your game immediately and/or request a refund.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

sure, there can be "good" mobile phone and tablet games.

but lets be honest the phone games market is there for the access to billions of people, target their wallets, and scoop up easy money.

 

[Punished Miku]

If the mobile game is actually good, I'll play it. To this day, I can have fun playing Super Mario Run. It was a one time purchase, no stupid ads, no complex currencies and leveling up to slow me down, easy to play. The game has genuinely good level design and some fun mechanics, like vaulting off the enemies. My only complaint is that it has to connect to the internet, which makes me not want to play it sometimes. I'll try out Mario Kart mobile too.

The only real issue is that most mobile games are genuinely bad games that suck to play, exploit their audience, drain phone battery, interfere with texting and phone calls, try to collect your data, and don't have good control methods.

Gamers are only harsh on them because they generally suck and deserve the criticism. In some select cases, they can be too harsh though.

 

[Saber]

Mobile games aren't on the same level as console/pc games.

They're mostly casual and tends to be cheap cash farmers than really games. I don't think they even deserve to bite some of E3 presentations. Waste of time if you asked me.

No offense to who plays them, I used to play them myself. But again, they're no big deal at all.

 

[juliotendo]

Mobile games are akin to fast food or those cheap slot machines at some hotels or casinos. It’s just to make money and pass the time.

Sure some are fun but they’re most just like snacking. It shouldn’t be a full meal.

True gaming will almost always always be better on a proper hardware setup like PC or console.

 

[CRON]

(Smartphone) mobile games started out with so much potential. I vividly remember playing Crash Nitro Kart and Super Monkey Ball on my iPhone 3G back when the App Store launched, and figured in the years to come, we'd have something as viable as traditional portable gaming. The years passed and nowadays virtually every single mobile game follows the formula of providing users with repetitive, semi-satisfying tasks that look and feel good, as a means of bombarding them with advertisements and long wait times to perform more repetitive, semi-satisfying tasks.

The mobile gaming market is by and large dictated by children and/or people with little interest in games. I'd gladly pay $5-15 for a complete, ad-free experience if the game was promising enough, and I'm sure most people would as well.

 

[bati]

I'm ready to lose my street cred, but there are a few mobile games that I enjoy tremendously.

Names? I've been looking for something that's close to 'core' games, especially turn based rpgs, but most seem to be made for tablets, not phones. Currently trying Langrisser Mobile but it's a little too weaby for me.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

There are lots of mobile gems if you look for them.

I've enjoyed numerous shmups, puzzle games, and arcade-ish games from the iOS store. Shmups in particular are really good with touch controls, so it's sad that they perform so poorly sales-wise.

The problem with mobile is that these gems are gems indeed: often difficult to find, often hard to differentiate from the garbage, and often drowned out by more popular games with a higher budget. After a while, I got sick of playing games that could later be broken by an iOS upgrade, or were otherwise neglected and forgotten by the developer.

Someday I'd like to build an arcabe cabinet with a touch-control pad so that I can play mobile shmups on a big screen with a touchpad. That would be amazing.

 

[kiiltz]

I was at TGS and they had this elaborate stage set up that was real fancy with up to around 15 girls dressed up in traditional East-Asian attire. They had traditional weapons too; one was armed with a Jian, another with a Dao, another with a Qiang and so on and so forth. They seemed to be performing a play that hinted of Ancient China folklore, possibly from the Three Kingdoms era and the girls were embroiled in a dramatic battle filled with betrayal, hope and heroism. Eventually, the number of girls dwindled to just two, with the final combatants dueling on the highest platform of the stage. And then suddenly, another girl thought to have already been killed, rised up and joined forces with the other to take down the third. Shockingly, she would then go on to betray the very same girl she helped and finally alone she stood, victorious over the other girls.

Anyway, turns out it was for a mobile game and no, I never I got those 3 minutes of my life back.

 

[Jubenhimer]

Mobile games are akin to fast food or those cheap slot machines at some hotels or casinos. It’s just to make money and pass the time.

Sure some are fun but they’re most just like snacking. It shouldn’t be a full meal.

True gaming will almost always always be better on a proper hardware setup like PC or console.

This. Mobile has its place in gaming, but it's important to look at them in a specific context. They're like snacks, something cheap, quick and filling to satisfy a game craving for 5 minutes, but not substitute for a well balanced gaming diet.

 

[Fuz]

Names?

1. Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia - exceptional game. Really, really good if you like FF and/or turn based RPGs. Gacha game but it's quite generous.
2. Another Eden - Another great JRPG. Very good combat system and a pretty nice story with coherent writing. Most of the side stories are kinda... lame and show the worst of japanese tropes, though.
3. Puzzle Quest 2 - Don't think it needs an explanation. Very good match 4 gems game.

If you expect me to control an FPS or move a character in a 3D environment like I would using thumbsticks,

Bloody hell, no. Fuck that shit.

 

[stranno]

(Smartphone) mobile games started out with so much potential.

Yes, the first games of Gameloft in Android/iOS were really cool.









Nowdays 99% of Google Play are just Unity Personal Edition games and big games from Gameloft, GLU or EA are not nearly as ambitious.

 

[Virex]

Mobile games are shit. Maybe there is a handful of good ones. But mobile games are shit

 

[BruceCM]

There's a reason most of the games on my phone are ports or remakes of console games.... Not really 'mobile'games

 

[InterMusketeer]

Most good mobile games are pretty simplistic, so they don't show too well on a stage like at E3. But overall, most mobile games are just crap. The ones shown at E3 this year were all crap too. People don't want to see boring games, and they don't want to see crap. Mobile games just shouldn't be a part of E3.

 

[SirKicksalot]

The best mobile games I played are PC ports - XCOM, PUBG, Rome Total War, classic RPGs from Baldur's Gate up to Titan Quest.

Many games designed for mobile have clever gameplay but suffer because of the business model. Clash Royale, Legend of Solgard, Age of Empires: Castle Siege, TES Blades, that Star Wars cantina game, even builders like Age of Sparta are all fun to play. It's actually impressive how deep and well designed some of them are. But the fucking timers and lootboxes!... I would play them more, but their pacing is like old arcade games. If you want more than a couple of minutes of fun you'll have to drop some cash.

The Quest, Fallout Shelter, Card Thief, Night of the Full Moon are all fantastic mobile experiences and there are many more like them.

 

[hariseldon]

There's nothing inherently wrong with mobile games as such. Casual games are fine, I enjoyed Bejeweled for fuck sake. Unfortunately there are some problems which lead to a bad experience and some that leave a very bad taste in the mouth.

First up, the interface is terrible. Your fat fingers in the way of what you're trying to control is never as good as a mouse pointer. The screen is too small and there's no tactility to feed back that you controlled it. This hugely limits the options for interaction.

Second, consider when it's being used. At best, on the shitter or on public transport. You can't really get proper gameplay in that time unless you're Cunth .

Third, AWFUL business practices. Basically every exploitative money grab that we complain about in modern gaming was popularized on mobile. And those fuckers have you by the balls. Game won't run without the privacy invading bullshit, a million ads and fucking microtransactions.

There's some snobbery no doubt, but much of the criticism of mobile gaming is pro consumer.

I'll leave you with this. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sadpuppy.lemmings they fucking ruined Lemmings. It could have been amazing but the greedy cunts ruined it. Fuck mobile.

 

[Night.Ninja]

 

[spawn]

No

 

[Generic]

Mobile games are cash cows, I rather pay $60 day one + $30 of DLC for a true gamer experience.

 

[Fbh]

A bit, yeah. There's this instant negativity towards anything mobile related even if not everything is shit. I've personally had fun with stuff like Leap Day, Horizon Chase and Cytus.
But most of the stuff shown at shows like E3 tends to be the bland oversimplified stuff that's filled with the usual mobile crap most core gamers hate (loot boxes, timers and all that shit), so I understand the reactions. And it specially doesn't help when they bring back an historic franchise in this crappy format.

 

[Jubenhimer]

A bit, yeah. There's this instant negativity towards anything mobile related even if not everything is shit. I've personally had fun with stuff like Leap Day, Horizon Chase and Cytus.
But most of the stuff shown at shows like E3 tends to be the bland oversimplified stuff that's filled with the usual mobile crap most core gamers hate (loot boxes, timers and all that shit), so I understand the reactions. And it specially doesn't help when they bring back an historic franchise in this crappy format.

That is something I can agree with. Blizzard was rightfully scrutinized for announcing a crappy outsourced Diablo mobile game at a time when everyone wanted to see Diablo 4, especially since Diablo III stopped getting expansions and updates. And then insisting that you should play this game because you have a phone. It was completely tone deaf to what fans actually wanted to see. Had they announced this game alongside a Diablo 4 for PC and console, the reaction wouldn't be nearly as negative.

I'm fine companies announcing mobile games, there's an audience for that, whatever. But I really hate it when they try to ram mobile down our throats like its some amazing thing that we should all play, when in reality, it's just another platform that plays games. A platform that most gamers attending your event, don't care nearly as much about. If you want to show mobile games, then do it at a time when its more appropriate.

Nintendo gets this. Their mobile stuff is always announced in shareholders meetings and earnings events, while their main Directs are dedicated almost entirely to Switch games. They know who's actually tuning into Directs, so they leave the irrelevant stuff to other showings.

 

[Cunth]

Mobile games are the best for an old guy like me who has little time

 

[pr0cs]

Everything is IAP supported these days which is likely why core gamers hate them.
In general lootbox or pay to win games get a lot of vitriol and rightfully so.
Mobile gaming stared out so well, Where's my water, lots of the game loft games, 80 days, Monument Valley were all fun but it's been EONS since I've played a good mobile game that wasn't proactively trying to rape my wallet or insult me by impose blatantly cheating AI to try and squeeze money out of me in order to progress.
Fuck mobile gaming as it stands now.

 

[TwiztidElf]

Is this OP an out of season April fools joke?

 

[Jubenhimer]

Everything is IAP supported these days which is likely why core gamers hate them.
In general lootbox or pay to win games get a lot of vitriol and rightfully so.
Mobile gaming stared out so well, Where's my water, lots of the game loft games, 80 days, Monument Valley were all fun but it's been EONS since I've played a good mobile game that wasn't proactively trying to rape my wallet or insult me by impose blatantly cheating AI to try and squeeze money out of me in order to progress.
Fuck mobile gaming as it stands now.

To be fair, Microtransactions aren't bad so long they're not too intrusive. But yeah, a lot of Mobile games tend to be on the overly skinner box gambling end of exploitative, and the worst examples are why mobile games have such a bad reputation with console and PC gamers. There's nothing to govern these practices, so a lot of companies try to do all sorts of shady tricks to squeeze money out of you.

 

[kyubajin]

I don't despise mobile gaming immediately, what I hate is bastardising well-known franchises and butchering potential games for the sake of quick micro transaction/loot box-riddled mobile games like that Command & Conker abomination, Diablo Immortal, "Commander Keen", etc.

 

[pr0cs]

Microtransactions aren't bad so long they're not too intrusive

And you know I understand that they want to get paid but now it's constantly pay to play. I suspect most of the popular mobile games cost more (for time investment) than console /pc games which is ridiculous.
Does that mean that I believe mobile games can't be good without squeezing the hell out of your wallet? No, but they all appear to be designed that way now so I refuse to support it in any way

what I hate is bastardising well-known franchises

Agreed, when I realized what a travesty Dungeon Keeper turned into I effectively stopped mobile gaming

 

[Jubenhimer]

And you know I understand that they want to get paid but now it's constantly pay to play. I suspect most of the popular mobile games cost more (for time investment) than console /pc games which is ridiculous.
Does that mean that I believe mobile games can't be good without squeezing the hell out of your wallet? No, but they all appear to be designed that way now so I refuse to support it in any way

I agree, I don't mind some microtransactions in these games so long as I can ignore them and still have fun. But a lot of mobile games have devolved into slot machines. Shady cash farms that are designed to make money first, entertain you later... Perhaps never.

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

Diarrhea > mobile games

Edit: for clarification, I vehemently despise mobile games and even their developer culture. The lowest common denominator in the gaming industry. Absolutely lack any respect for mobile games.

 

[Pimpbaa]

They are mere pointless distractions for when I'm away from my consoles. I used to buy shit in free to play mobile games, and I am ashamed of that. Now I don't spend a dime on it.

 

[Generic]

Now for real, gamers™ get threatened by mobile games because they can't stand 'normies' entering the market. The idea of companies cathering to them is terrorizing. I still remember all the doom and gloom about the Wii destroying teh hardcore games.

That is something I can agree with. Blizzard was rightfully scrutinized for announcing a crappy outsourced Diablo mobile game at a time when everyone wanted to see Diablo 4, especially since Diablo III stopped getting expansions and updates. And then insisting that you should play this game because you have a phone. It was completely tone deaf to what fans actually wanted to see. Had they announced this game alongside a Diablo 4 for PC and console, the reaction wouldn't be nearly as negative.

I'm fine companies announcing mobile games, there's an audience for that, whatever. But I really hate it when they try to ram mobile down our throats like its some amazing thing that we should all play, when in reality, it's just another platform that plays games. A platform that most gamers attending your event, don't care nearly as much about. If you want to show mobile games, then do it at a time when its more appropriate.

Nintendo gets this. Their mobile stuff is always announced in shareholders meetings and earnings events, while their main Directs are dedicated almost entirely to Switch games. They know who's actually tuning into Directs, so they leave the irrelevant stuff to other showings.

Fans were upset because they can't stand companies cathering to non-fans. Announcing Diablo Immortal together with Diablo 4 wouldn't magically change the game. Like you said, "the reaction wouldn't be nearly as negative". But still would.

 

[jshackles]

Mobile games are the best for an old guy like me who has little time

Which is why the rest of us bought a Switch. Or Vita. Or 3DS.

 

[Jubenhimer]

Now for real, gamers™ get threatened by mobile games because they can't stand 'normies' entering the market. The idea of companies cathering to them is terrorizing

I think that's a bit of a strawman, I don't think anyone here cares if these companies make or announce mobile games. What people have a problem with, is companies thinking that these are big announcements for an E3 conference. If you want to show a mobile game at E3, then do it in a seperate announcement, nobody tunes into these press conferences to see Gears POP. I don't hate mobile gaming, I hate when companies try to ram it down our throats. It also doesn't help when these are the only times we see some of these IPs.

Fans were upset because they can't stand companies cathering to non-fans. Announcing Diablo Immortal together with Diablo 4 wouldn't magically change the game. Like you said, "the reaction wouldn't be nearly as negative". But still would.

Nobody would have a problem with Diablo Immortal existing if they also knew Diablo IV was on the way as well. But Blizzard tried to treat it as if it was some big new game that everyone wants, and insists that we should all play it because Pssh, you guys have phones right? It wasn't the fact that it exists that angered people, it was the smug, arrogant, and completely tone deaf way Blizzard announced it.

 

[Husky]

Only mobile games I respect are the chess, poker, go, and sudoku apps on my phone. And none of them have a single ad or microtransaction.

 

[Spukc]

if it's premium i love it.

any and i mean any F2P game is fucking sheit

It's like taking a spoiled brat kid to a toy store and all he does is fucking scream he wants stuff he sees.And you have to keep telling him no.

That is how i feel when i play f2p shit.
Only it's devs begging me to spend money on their game.

 

[Ol'Scratch]

I can't get into mobile games and thus do not get excited. IF I play something on mobile it is like Word Hero or emoji blitz. Some kind of quick puzzle thing that I can be entertained, feed my brain and get back to what I was doing a few minutes later. I tried Dragon Quest on mobile, I tried the recent KH tie in, even tried things like Hearthstone and some Cthulu ww1 game. My belief always has been that people that have alot of transit time where they are not driving or waiting time somewhere without pc access probably have an entirely different perspective and that is awesome.

 

[nikolino840]

At E3 this year, a lot of companies showed off mobile games. Bethesda, Microsoft, Square Enix, Ubisoft all had at least on mobile game shown. Now let me say, that I honestly don't care if companies announce mobile games at E3. They're still video games at the end of the day, and E3 is all about showing what new software is coming regardless of platform, so it makes sense to bring some of these announcements to E3. Plus, some of these could actually be genuinely good games. That said, I do see where some of the criticism comes from. They shouldn't have too much spotlight time because most gamers expect big AAA reveals at E3, and some games like Commander Keen were completely tone deaf.

But I also feel that some people might be too hard on them. Yeah, a lot of garbage gets shoveled onto mobile, and it's become infamous for exploitative monetization models like Pay-to-Win and Loot Boxes. But being a believer in Sturgeon's Law, there's also some really good games on smart devices if you look for them that even though have micro-transactions, are fairly non-exploitative and kept to a minimum. So while yes, we don't need that much mobile showcased at an E3 presentation, I don't think they should just get the automatic scrutiny that they come with.

The only mobile games that i have enjoyed was the porting of broken sword and syberia

The rest are only f2p that or you pay or you have to wait 3 years to make a move

 

[DarthBuzzer]

It's all about the ceiling of potential. Games on mobile are limited by the hardware design; the touch screen, and also having a small screen doesn't help either.

You can definitely have really great mobile games, but it's not a platform that can take gaming to new heights or extend the ceiling upwards.

Smartphones are a dead-end platform though. They will be gone at some point and AR gaming through glasses will take mobile gaming's place.

 

[Bryank75]

Mobile devices that use 3G and 4G are very likely to contribute to cancer rates, so after work my phone is locked away in a filing cabinet. In work I try to keep away from using it unless 100% necessary. I enjoyed Angry Birds and candy crush for about two minutes but it's all the same and you get nothing out of it... So , yeah. I don't think much of phones or their games.
For your own health, I think everyone should stay away from mobiles tbh.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

The mobile games market couldn't give less of a shit about the "core" gamer market these days seeing as how they are more than 10 times larger.

 

[diffusionx]

First of all, I've played some good PC ports, I liked stuff like XCOM and Legend of Grimrock on iOS but they're better on PC. Anything that isn't a slow strategy game or RPG.... this must be what it was like to be an old school PC gamer in 2001 when Halo came out on Xbox. I was pretty young back then and was able to go back and forth without a problem but all the old dudes went into fits. That's me trying to play a FPS or side scroller with touch controls.

That said, mobile specific games are ruined by their business models. I don't think it is possible to make a good, proper game with it. I remember downloading Bubble Witch 2 and having fun with a decent BAM clone until it got to the point where it was 100% luck of the draw or micro transaction cheats. Deleted the game then and there. I honestly don't think there is any hope for any of these titles.

 

[Guileless]

The success of mobile gaming will be seen in the future as an important signpost along the road of societal collapse.

Diarrhea > mobile games

Tough but fair.

 

[Chozofication_]

Not harsh enough

Kill it with fire