Is there an iPhone game for everyone? There better be; according to mobile analytics website mobclix, there are now more than 6,000 iPhone games on the iPhone application store.
Mobclix reports there are a total of 20,421 applications in total. Games represent 30% of that total, almost twice as much as its nearest competitor, entertainment. There are a number of applications in the entertainment category that could very well as qualify as games, too, such as Brain Games.
6,000 games? I wonder how many are unplayable garbage.
I just got an iPod Touch and there a bunch of good games available (Zen Bound, Topple, Rolando, WordFu, Tap Tap Revenge...) and they are all either FREE or around 99 cents, 2.99 to $4.99. They download in maybe 30 seconds and the graphics are surprisingly good.
Yeah there is some crummy stuff on there, but you can read tons of user reviews with one press on the screen.
I didn't get it for the games, but I have been extremely suprised at the low prices and quality available.
There are soem good games for iPhone and I believe it's a good "console" to develop for (good hardware, can make money, widely distributed).
We had a discussing on porting one of our game to the iPhone. But it was put on hold because it would take to long to port. I also had an well developed idea for a iPhone/NDS game before we started with Penalty of Heroes, but the other on the team was already sold on PoH. I would say that my idea was way easier to make than PoH. Guess they liked the challenge
I've got fieldrunners and another good tower defense game, as well as a shooting game and then a bunch of free stuff - my girlfriend will quite happily play the free majong I downloaded for her for hours. The games certainly won't replace my pc when I'm at game, but it's good for slow days at work or other times when I'm bored.
There are soem good games for iPhone and I believe it's a good "console" to develop for (good hardware, can make money, widely distributed).
We had a discussing on porting one of our game to the iPhone. But it was put on hold because it would take to long to port. I also had an well developed idea for a iPhone/NDS game before we started with Penalty of Heroes, but the other on the team was already sold on PoH. I would say that my idea was way easier to make than PoH. Guess they liked the challenge
I wonder if the ease-of-development and large distribution would make the iPhone the console of choice for smaller, independent game companies. I wonder if developing a 2-hour iPhone game (sells for .99-2.99) every few weeks nets a comparable income to developing a 40-hour DS/PSP title (sells for ~$30) over a few months factoring in each handheld's established base.
The iphone game library is undoubtedly loaded up with shit. But there are still some great games out there: Fieldrunners, Zen Bound, Zombieville USA, Strategery, Puzzloop, Galcon, MotionX Poker, The Creeps, Westward, Burning Monkey Puzzle Lab, Tap Tap, Rolando, Dizzy Bee, Toy Bot Diaries, etc.
App Store is a horrible mess, but there are a couple great gaming sites focused on the iphone and ipod touch. (fingergaming and toucharcade) They do a good job of focusing on the games that deserve it, but there are still gems to discover.
I think one of the reasons the iTunes App store is a mess is because they're not running it like a special club you have to join to develop for. It's a great opportunity for indie developers to release cool ideas and fun games on a platform they're allowed onto. All other consoles are pretty difficult to get onto without being a major player to begin with.
One thing I like is the number of free or "lite" games you can try out. The paid games are also really inexpensive. You also get to just download them right then and there so you don't have to go to a store to get them.
So yeah... it may be a little messy comparatively, but you also get access to a lot of interesting stuff that might not have had a chance for release on other systems.
I suggest interested people check out lots of free or "lite" apps and do some reading on game websites that focus on the iPhone or iPod Touch to see what games suit their tastes and deserve their attention.
As for people who are frightened off by the lack of standard controls, I would suggest keeping an open mind about opportunities for new types of gameplay. There are a lot of apps that try to replicate standard controls via on-screen controls and these work alright, but where the system really shines is for games that utilize and fit well with the touch controls and tilt controls. It really can work amazingly well.
