Mobile Games Lack Depth?

"It is no secret that tower defense games dominate both the Android and Apple app stores. A whole lot of these games are also free which automatically gives them a head start. The problem with this genre is that it is prone to lacking depth. "

[Amazingmrbrock]

They'll come along eventually. Square has been putting out various rpg's onto phones for a while now. They don't end up on the top sellers list but thats probably because they cost around thirty times more than most things on the app store. As they should since their thirty or more times the game.

At some point somebody will manage to hit something more in the middle. Bite sized phone appropriate game experiences that still manage to have depth and complexity and story. They just aren't there yet. Regular platforming games are too cumbersome to play on phones, rpg's are in a similar way. Regardless something will work out. Some dev will figure out what will work best on those systems and then everything will just click.

[360ICE]

Squarenix are struggling with depth on consoles these days, so if they're going to be the frontier for mobile game depth, then good going.

The best RPG I've played on a phone was an emulated version of Pokémon Silver. And due to control issues it was inferior to the original Gameboy version.

But, yeah, no. Bring on Elder Scrolls VI: iOS....

[NastyLeftHook0]

there are some fun mobile games, it depends on the person.

[zebramocha]

They don't lack depth,the controls are what's hurting them.

[darkride66]

Are they really that limited though? Touch the screen and you've indicated a spot on the screen with complete precision. Swipe, pinch, rotate your device for other effects. Throw a thumbstick in a corner or use buttons on the screen for other options. Tap and hold, double tap, triple tap, etc. If anything it offers far more options to gamers and developers than the traditional up/down/left/right and two button combo that the majority of games for the past 30 years have relied on.

Is that such a limited method of interacting with a game? As a mobile developer, I certainly don't see controls as an issue, and clearly others don't either as the game's industry on mobile is worth billions.

[live2play]

the touch screen can add 10x more touchscreen buttons and joysticks than dedicated gaming machines

thats not the issue

the issue is the tactile feed back of pressing an actual physical button
of actually moving a joystick
of actually pressing a shoulder trigger button
(some might even say rumble too)

the reason moblie app games are so successful is because they are just there, a tap or swipe away
people like doing something while they are waiting in line, for a bus, for a friend

those are good time wasters

dedicated console games are experiences

you KILL TIME with app store games
you MAKE TIME to play console/dedicated handheld games

[Ben_Grimm]

Here's the thing that people don't understand and why I agree with Darkride.

Developers are designing games with the touchscreen in mind. So when you do play a game that was designed for a touchpad controls are not an issue because it is a smooth experience.

Now there are bastardize ports of old nes games that are crucial with a controller and just does not work with a touchpad only (megaman on the androis *ugh*).

But that is not the touchpad's fault.

[KidBroSweets2]

They do lack in depth and the only time I've had problems with controls is on the shooter games. Infinity blade 1 and 2 were great and I've bought two of the square enix produced games and they were also great. But if you want depth in a mobile game, you'll be paying $18 for the game which a lot of people don't bother with because they prefer the $1 games for a quick fix.

[live2play]

AND BUTTONS!

[Ritsujun]

they're casual games for a reason