Talk to me about mobile games.

Hawkaya399

I find them to be too limited by the small display and touch controls. It's hard to see things. It's MUCH more immersive on my monitor. I tried getting those reading glasses with 2.5x magnification but it didn't resolve other issues, like touch controls, and convenience issues like having to hold it up and the battery running out. One thing bothered me was it felt so clunky seeing my big fingers on the screen real estate. I thinik a lot of plaeyrs now are using gamepads or similar devices to control games on their phones. It's too cumbersome to use touch for anything other than lightweight gaming.

Basically all the things might make it better for mmorpgs are the things would make it WORSE for being a portable computer/phone. My iphone is good for taking a computer with me, but for gaming only in a limited way. That said, i did play Celtic Heroes for a while. It somewhat reminded me of Everquest from back in the day and taht's one of the reasons I liked it.

I'm not saying it can't work if you're committed. There're lots of good games to choose from for it. If you don't want to spend $1000 for a decent PC then it's worth investing in thigns like gamepad and a stand for the phone. You probably can get connectors if you have a tv too.

Quizzical

I prefer to call them phony games.

DarkLight1337

I am not a fan of mobile phone games as they are usually more of a pastime. When I play a game, I want to be fully involved and just focus on the game. In addition, it feels like there are far too many games that just want to generate quick money and do not offer any reasonable content.

kitarad

nariusseldon said:

Yes, it is the future. I only play mobile games now. Much more convenient. You can play for 3 min .. absolutely zero commitment to long play session. There are *so* many ... and most are f2p. You can easily switch from one to another if you hit a pay wall. Some developers wise up and let f2p players have fun too (e.g. Marvel Strike Force) and you can be at the meta but about 3-6 months lag the whales.

and there are SO many genres and different types of games. And there are multiple games streaming services now (Stadia, MS has one, Luna from Amazon) that blurs the lines between mobile and PC.

It is glorious. 

Goodness where have you disappeared to, good to see you're back.

mpetsch

I find when I pick up a new pc game, I play it until I get bored of the fancy graphics and the new features and mechanics it may or may not have brought to the table. I am rarely drawn enough into a games story to completely finish it to the end. I read a lot of books and find that better stimulates my imagination.

With the lower price, shorter length, and portability of mobile games it fits in better with my gaming attention deficit disorder.

Dibdabs

Never played a mobile game and never will.  They're just battery-burning cash shops with an attractive front end to sucker in the rubes.

xpsync

Dibdabs said:

Never played a mobile game and never will.  They're just battery-burning cash shops with an attractive front end to sucker in the rubes.

2048 is safe.

Cryomatrix

Honestly, i feel dirty after playing mobile games. I feel like i cheated on pc gaming. 

The games suck, have crappy mechanics, and are shallow and meaningless. . . Sort of like having an affair. 

Aethaeryn

I just can't do it.  I keep firing up Fallout shelter and then uninstalling it.  

There are a few games out there that I really liked. . some decent RPGs but the typical Easy entry, paywall grind is not for me.  I play a lot of games for short amounts of time and they are amusing while I am waiting somewhere.

A lot of games that I might actually play are just meant for larger phones.  I don't want a giant phone so the interface and text are often ridiculous.  Most of them were never mobile to start.  Try playing Baldur's gate 2 on a small phone

I did play a bit of Sea of thieves once though through cloud with a controller. . that is where I see it going.  Taking the same game and save everywhere.

Do try: 

Exiled Kingdoms
Star Traders

LynxJSA

I think it's fun to play Simon and Word Scrambles on my mobile phone with friends and family. 

  

Theocritus

Aethaeryn said:

I just can't do it.  I keep firing up Fallout shelter and then uninstalling it.  

There are a few games out there that I really liked. . some decent RPGs but the typical Easy entry, paywall grind is not for me.  I play a lot of games for short amounts of time and they are amusing while I am waiting somewhere.

A lot of games that I might actually play are just meant for larger phones.  I don't want a giant phone so the interface and text are often ridiculous.  Most of them were never mobile to start.  Try playing Baldur's gate 2 on a small phone

I did play a bit of Sea of thieves once though through cloud with a controller. . that is where I see it going.  Taking the same game and save everywhere.

Do try: 

Exiled Kingdoms
Star Traders

How in the world do you play Fallout Shelter on a phone? My shelter has at least 50 rooms and with the questing and other stuff that is going on that is just too much to play on a phone.

Phaserlight

Elder Scrolls Legends is insanely addictive, and there is a good bit of strategy to it.  It has all the fun parts of Magic: The Gathering, with the added benefit of having the computer resolve any potential logic questions (most of the time this is a benefit, anyway).  There is also a fair bit of Elder Scrolls lore you will encounter along the way, so it feels like playing in familiar territory.   I love pulling out a strategy mid game that looks like I'm losing, then coming back and crushing my opponent.  It's just... the best feeling.  Seriously though, watch out, this game is addictive.

The Seven Scrolls is a fun, wholesome game I call "chess-like".  If you enjoyed Crypt of the Necrodancer and want something without the rhythm component, with some added game-changing-logic-dynamics (the titular Scrolls might read something like "When a monk is hurt, a monk gets a shield").  Its aesthetic is also pretty cool.  It reminds me of a very old game I played on Mac where you are this demon running through "Hell" eating up souls (very old, like 1990s).  The monsters all look so sad, and you can hear the sound of wind echoing through the abbey along with some distant, chanting choir.

Vendetta Online on mobile is crazy.  I mean, it's just crazy this exists.  It's not... a "mobile" experience.  It's more like a window onto this vast, persistent universe you can access through yet another terminal, somewhere in meatspace.  Lately I've been venturing into the unknown system, the only one that exists (yet) to common knowledge, figuring out if I can exploit the local resources in some way.  It's difficult: there are hundreds of hostile ships that converge on you like a harbor wave.

laserit

I only play one mobile game. It’s called Sider Solitaire and I usually play it while I’m on the shitter.

I would rather just pay five bucks for the bloody app than having to switch into airplane mode to skip the dumb ads that play every time you start a new game.

Xatsh

My issue with phone games is they are typically extremely shallow, auto play, have a limited interface, cashshop p2w focused or nonstop add spaming, and lack content.

They are really good for short burst of time killing or a commute to work on a bus or train. But i have yet to find a phone game that comes close to competing with any decent consol/pc game.

When i want to kill time I play phone games when i want to actually game i play anything that is not on a phone.

Phaserlight

laserit said:

I only play one mobile game. It’s called Sider Solitaire and I usually play it while I’m on the shitter.

I would rather just pay five bucks for the bloody app than having to switch into airplane mode to skip the dumb ads that play every time you start a new game.

In-game ads are a huge immersion killer for me, and I can't think of a single instance where I put up with it.  None of the titles I recommended have ads.