Pocket Gamer: Cheap games ruining the iPhone

by Justin McElroy { Nov 12th 2008 at 8:15AM }

We gamers tend to cheer getting things cheaply (to say nothing of free) but Pocket Gamer UK has a new piece lamenting that discounted games are choking the life out of the iPhone. Developers can't afford to spend a lot of time and money on a title, they argue, because they can't compete with the many, many 99-cent games on Apple's store.

PG insists that $9.99 entries like Super Monkey Ball aren't the answer, but calls for more leadership from Apple, something that, so far, the company has been unwilling to provide. Have you iPhone owners out there had much trouble separating the wheat from the chaff?

Tags: apple, iphone

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Sam @ Nov 12th 2008 8:25AM

Without demo's it's difficult to take the plunge with something that costs $10. Some companies are releasing limited free versions of their applications which are like demos but not all. When the application costs more than £2 I'm unlikely to spring for it if I can't try it out. The review system I guess helps a little but not everyone's experience is the same. It's a shame because I'm pretty sure some of the more expensive games are pretty good but blowing $10 on something that turns out to be rubbish which you could have put towards a console game is really galling.

http://gadgetsgamesandstuff.blogspot.com

SoulBlade @ Nov 12th 2008 8:29AM

And casual gaming is ruining hardcore gaming blah blah blah.

If I want to play solid handheld games, I'll play them on the DS or PSP. The iPhone is mighty powerful, and most people know about the great games if they're really into gaming.

No common iPhone user is going to spring for a $10 game because they just want something dirt simple to play while they're on the subway, in a cab, or have about 2 minutes of free time and don't want to spend it texting someone or surfing the web.

Noshino @ Nov 12th 2008 8:45AM

I don't know why people keep saying that the iPhone could be the next great handheld system...

All signs point out that it wont, the only thing that the iPhone got going for it is the App store, but even then, it has its many problems.

I think casual gamers would rather play on their DS than on their iPhone

primetime4 @ Nov 12th 2008 10:17AM

I think you are seriously underestimating the iPhone if you don't see it as a do anything platform including gaming. Not serious games because of the price mentioned but also file size. Because of all the media, documents, apps that are filling up iPhones, space is at a premium. But the casual gamer approach has certainly worked for Nintendo as of late and it has been no different for the iPhone. I personally have been surprised by the amount of enjoyment I have gotten out of extremely simple games such as Trace.

markhill66 @ Nov 12th 2008 8:30AM

Justin, I suggest you send me a free iPhone, then after some time with it I'll be able to offer you an informed opinion.

My address is 123 Rad Street, Awesometown, USA 98666. Thanks.

Justin McElroy @ Nov 12th 2008 10:05AM

DONE!

Graham Wellington (formerly tyrone washington, or marsha goldberg) @ Nov 12th 2008 2:03PM

haha that fake address actually belongs to me!!

snorkel @ Nov 12th 2008 8:32AM

I find the signal to noise ratio on the iPhone App Store to be impossible to deal with. I used to subscribe to an RSS feed of new iPhone apps, and I watched it religiously, but it has just become too overwhelming.. I unsubscribed when those idiotic "turn your iPhone into a lighter for concerts" apps started appearing.. A new lighter app every five minutes..

I just occasionally browse the Top 25 and the Featured Apps now to see if anything looks interesting.

As far as price goes, the lack of a demo pretty much kills it for me. I've purchased three games so far: Line Rider, Cro-Mag Rally, & Spore Origins.. Line Rider was a safe bet, Cro-Mag was highly rated and absolutely sucks (IMO), and Spore is so-so. If I could have demo'd them first I would have only purchased Line Rider. It will take something really amazing to convince me to buy another game.

baby sea tuna @ Nov 12th 2008 8:37AM

Haha, I had to unsubscribe myself from one of those RSS feeds after I went away for a week and there were like 900 new entries, with like 875 of them being total garbage.

Also, for some reason I could never get into Line Rider. It was the only game I picked up (since it was like 3 bucks) but it's just not fun. Am I missing something?

baby sea tuna @ Nov 12th 2008 8:33AM

I'm still waiting to find an iPhone game that's worth spending any amount of money on.

Suggestions?

Daviesifier @ Nov 12th 2008 8:39AM

I can highly recommend FieldRunners. It's a relatively simple Tower Defense style game, but i am well and truly addicted to it. It's $5 and IMO it's well worth it.

Noshino @ Nov 12th 2008 8:40AM

Funny thing is that one of the best games for iPhone, Aurora Feint, is free

TyrialFrost @ Nov 12th 2008 9:13AM

So far the quality games i enjoyed are:

Fieldrunners (Tower defence)
Galcon (Buy it just for the online multiplayer)
Toy bot (good but short platformer)
Wurdle (word puzzle)
Aurora feint (Block matching)
ACTSudoku (Sudoku)

based on the responses below i just bought Subway shuffle.

Is there any chance we can get a joystiq spinoff dedicated to iphone games (or a regular weekly post)? god knows theres enough of them released a week.

baby sea tuna @ Nov 12th 2008 9:19AM

Wow, thanks guys! I'm gonna check these out online.

Nineset @ Nov 12th 2008 10:31AM

Dizzy Bee is probably the only one that was worth my money. It has some nice addicting game play, lots of levels, good production value. Basic description: using the accelerometer you roll your bee through a level to gather friends and bonuses. The friends create a chain behind you and you have to guide them to an exit while avoiding enemies that are also effected by the accelerometer. The fun/challenge is keeping the enemies and your character separate.

http://www.igloo-games.com/db/Dizzy_Bee.html

Stephen @ Nov 12th 2008 11:41AM

Field Runners rules!!! Best $5 I've ever spent in regards to my iPhone

mksolo @ Nov 12th 2008 1:00PM

I am also waiting, have not bought a single one yet. I would say the first one im buying is rolando. Only cause it looks like it has the potential to be a fun and exciting game that is worth the money.

ill trooper @ Nov 12th 2008 3:32PM

My favorite games for the iPhone, in no particular order, with the prices if I remember:

FieldRunners ($4.99)
Trace (free)
Aqua Hoops ($.99)
JellyCar (free I think?)
PapiJump (free or 'plus' for $1.99)
Backgammon ($4.99 or something)
LED Football ($1.99?)
Dactyl (free)
MotoChaser ($7.99 or something)
CannonGame (free)
Scrabble ($9.99)
Sudoku ($7.99 but there are many free ones, I just bought the EA one before all the others were out there)

And honorable mention goes to BeatMaker, $19.99 for a drum machine/sequencer program.

Joystiq should consider a weekly game round-up for this platform, it's really showing a lot of activity, and the devs could use the exposure. My friend wrote AquaHoops and he says that the sales numbers are directly affected by even the smallest internet mentions, telling me that people are looking for good games and willing to go throw .99 or whatever on the hope that they're finding something good.

I know the haters wouldn't like it but it's turned into a small yet viable platform with some good games, probably more to come.

ScottG13 @ Nov 12th 2008 8:45AM

Isn't this the great benefit to the consumers? The democracy of digital distribution? Surely, Nintendo and Sony couldn't have it right by keeping some tabs on their platforms...

darthbuckets @ Nov 12th 2008 8:48AM

Subway Shuffle is a great puzzle game (well worth $3) and Solebon Solitaire is worth it if you like FreeCell (I got it at 99c though). Both have free versions, but aren't real "gamer games".

I like de Blob. Last I checked it was $4.

The lack of quality titles for iPhone and a huge install base leads to an exploitable market. Downloading SDK...

Noshino @ Nov 12th 2008 8:58AM

Not really, see, the problem is that the iPhone's outstanding feature is touchable screens, but the DS also has that, not only that, the DS is a much better device when it comes to gaming alone.

So why would a developer want to make something "big" for the iPhone, when it could be much better on the DS and cater at a much greater audience? And because of that, if you want to pay for a bigger/better game on the iPhone when you could just spend a bit more and get a much better experience with the DS?

You see, the iPhone is going to have a tough time on the handheld gaming market since its direct opponent is the DS (and Nintendo just kicked Apple in the nuts by including the online store)

ill trooper @ Nov 12th 2008 3:41PM

Noshino: a few things...

First, it's a different market that can co-exist with the handheld market.

Second, a developer could make their game for both.

Third, the iPhone platform is something you can actually do yourself at home, and then submit for approval to hopefully get on to the AppStore. There is no cartridge manufacture, distribution deals, or any of that stuff that you would have to do to get a game on the DS. You go directly to the market.

I don't know why some people don't like to imagine a world where someone might carry their iPhone more often than their DS or PSP. If it doesn't affect you, don' worryboutit.

DeaconGTG @ Nov 12th 2008 8:53AM

Makes sense. As an iPhone user myself I only have two "expensive" game (Monkey Ball for $10 an Apple's Texas Hold'Em for $5). The rest of my games (puzzle games, solitaire, sudoku) were all free or pretty darn cheap.

BUt I think part of the problem stems from why a lot of people were so nervous about Guitar Hero DS: just how silly do we want to look when we're playing a game on the bus? Monkey Ball tends to be the game I show friends when they're wanting to see the phone. Otherwise, when I travel, it's Hold 'em, Puzzle Quest, and solitaire for me.

Tiptup300 @ Nov 12th 2008 8:57AM

Limited input scheme, limited range of games.

um..wow @ Nov 12th 2008 9:15AM

if you bought the iphone as a gaming device you are probably highly disappointed. Cheap games can't "ruin" the iphone for a majority of the owners because we didn't buy it as a gaming device, they are just a nice "plus". I would rather play things like puzzle games and solitaire on the iphone than something complicated, the games I bought for it are for when I need to kill 10 minutes waiting for something, not for power gaming.

rulesaremyenemy @ Nov 12th 2008 9:15AM

As stated above, if your game costs over $3 then you NEED to provide a free version for people to try it out. I've spent $40-$50 on iphone games since it's release. Most of the games that I have purchased were recommended to me by a friend or had a free version that i tried and enjoyed. Also, as stated above, I bought these games from the app store while commuting or waiting in line. For the time being, iPhone games are simply time wasters and not a legitimate medium for storytelling. I would love for someone to release a 50 hour RPG, but I just don't think that there is a market for it.

One benefit to iphone apps over DS/PSP games is that it's easy for the developers to provide updates with new content and bug fixes. So it feels more like an investment then a purchase.

Gimbal @ Nov 12th 2008 9:19AM

I have one game for my iPhone, X-Plane. Arguably not a game, but a flight simulator. But for flight sim junkies like me I think it was completely worth the $9.99 I paid for it. Now it has been updated to include a working instrument panel view and a host of other new features.

They seriously need demos. And if not demos, they need you-tube links that show the game being played or something (Like Toucharcade.com has).

But I think the real barrier here is convincing people that the iPhone is a gaming device on the level of a DS or PSP that would make them want to drop more than $.99. In order to do that someone needs to make games worthy of higher price points.

When I see games like Space Rage 3D for the iPhone I think 'Man, if only someone would port over Elite. I'd pay $10 for that if the interface was done right'.

I'd love to have 688 Attack Sub, or Starflight on my phone. Unfortunately all these games I would love to see are not simple pick-up-and-play games that you spend a minute or two playing and then stop. So I doubt I will ever see anything too engrossing on this device unless they implement a save game option. And if they aren't going to make anything too engrossing, then I'm not paying more than $1 for it.

Tony Bowman @ Nov 12th 2008 9:22AM

lots of iPhone games have demos or "lite" versions. just don't buy a game right when it comes out, especially if it's in the $7 to $10 range.

For one, there's almost always a price drop for the $10 games(Spore Origins and Scrabble are both $7.99 now), and a lite version is almost always forthcoming. Again, there's now a feature-limited version of Spore. And lots and lots of paid games, and app in general, have had promotional periods where the price drops significantly, i.e. a $5 app goes for 99 cents, or it's free for that period.

They do this to get lots of downloads, which puts them to the top "Top Free Apps" or "Top Free Apps" which in turn gets them on the main paid of the App Store which in turn gets them more sales. Then, once the promo period is over, they bring the price back up but they stay at the top of the list for a little while longer.

It's a bit of a bait-and-switch technique, but if you're patient and keep checking back on apps and games you're interested in, you will be rewarded with some good deals fairly regularly.

and http://appshopper.com/ is your friend, although it doesn't separate apps by region availability, so you will sometimes end up sees apps that aren't available in the U.S. or wherever. Still, it's a handy site to keep in rotation.

Ruxpin @ Nov 12th 2008 10:39AM

Just a few cents...

I've bought a few games:

MotoChaser, which I wasn't a fan of...
Topple, which is quality although a bit short but still recommended...
TanZen, for those who love tanagrams it has 315 puzzles and easy to manipulate pieces

As for free games, I have found a few of quality:

Jelly Car (this was temporarily on xbox XNA... 12 levels free here though)
Trace (one of the more original, long and quality games I've found)
Lux Touch (This is speed Risk, although the AI needs to be boosted up a bit)
CannonGame (The name says it alls -- this is Gorillas on QBasic although pretty with tanks)

As for free games that are good but time wasters:

Sol Free (Five different versions of solitaire with a stats keeper)
Word Warp (For those who love anagrams)
Wurdle (For those who love Boggle)

I also second the commenter asking for an iPhone game column... a lot of these games also have free versions that can be played via web using Flash

why not the LS2LS7? @ Nov 12th 2008 11:44AM

Well, there's two stages required to beat these cheap games.

1. Make a better game than them. If these $0.99 games are as good as yours, you're sunk no matter what. So make a premium product.
2. Advertise. Maybe on websites, maybe with a demo, you pick. There's no guarantee people will find out your game is great on their own, so you have to get the word out.

I guess it's time for internet video game sites to start reviewing iPhone games, and then metacritic can agglomerate those, and buyers can move on to arguing about whether it's worth blowing $2.99 on a game that got a miserable 90 on metacritic.

JonFitt @ Nov 12th 2008 12:10PM

1. Exactly. It's like: "Welcome to business".

2. Yup.

JonFitt @ Nov 12th 2008 12:07PM

Bull Snot.
If you're producing a game you intend to sell for real money and there's a free version which is direct competition: Give up you're not offering any real value.

Also, if people would rather spend their free 5 minutes playing a poorly produced marble maze over your game, then your game wasn't good enough.

That's assuming that you had a free trial version, because if you didn't then you only have yourselves to blame.

Getting lost in the noise is a problem, but that's for your marketing department to sort out.

It's a relatively open platform, suck it up.

I bet if the Wii had a good sdk and free online distribution, the shovelware producers would be out of business pretty quick.

bigE1669 @ Nov 12th 2008 1:30PM

If you do your research you can find very good games for the iPhone/iTouch.

I've bought 2 games.
MotionX Poker
Hidden Expedition Everest (awesome deal at .99)

Free games:
MazeFinger
Galcon Lite
Ibowl
SuDoku Daily
Mancala +
LuxTouch

Obie @ Nov 12th 2008 3:04PM

Fieldrunners, the best iPhone/touch game out there. Worth the 4.99 IMO, but Monkeyball...I dunno about that.

CJLopez @ Nov 12th 2008 5:35PM

Wii: Hey iPhone, welcome to the club, let me present you to the others members. This is my big brother GameCube, and over there is the old man Atari 5200 *whisper* don't you ever mention the name E.T. infront of him *whisper*...... (you can continue it the way you want it, xD)