Game

[Borys]

`

[pilonv1]

You also have a lot of companies with succesful iPhone games porting them to DSi Ware and PSP.

It's not cutting into home consoles, but it's cutting into portables but it's not scaring the manufacturers because they'll probably get more content. And as Oscar says the traditional third parties are the ones not grasping how to take advantage of their new audience. Companies like Firemint, ngmoco and Gameloft among others are doing well because they understand the model.

[bork]

How many of those 168 games shown were for the iPhone?  Probably not too many.

[chronovore]

I think another key is understanding the iPhone as a casual gaming device. That Diablo clone someone recommended is OK, but it feels like someone forced a bigger game onto a small platform. I have played it twice, both times having to really focus on sitting down for a session. Meanwhile I can play a labyrinth game or Flight Control pretty much anywhere any time. I'm not looking to have a console experience on it; the use of it is different for me.

Also, do Japanese people really hate the iPhone? That was my impression as well, but I keep seeing PR pieces on how it's selling gangbusters, which doesn't jibe with my anecdotal experiences.

[Van Cruncheon]

who do japanese folk hate the iphone?

[Joe Molotov]

Because they hate freedom.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

who do japanese folk hate the iphone?

Arvieism has become a pandemic

[Beezy]

who do japanese folk hate the iphone?

Arvieism has become a pandemic

[bork]

who do japanese folk hate the iphone?

IIRC, it's because the iPhone doesn't support a lot of the standard Japanese mobile phone features such as E-Wallet, doesn't offer one-seg TV, and doesn't offer access to carrier/mobile phone-specific websites, among other things.  I could see having to sync the iPhone to a PC being an issue too.  Also, at least out where I was, 3G on the Softbank network wasn't always that great.  I'd have no connection, while my wife with her DoCoMo phone had full bars.

[pilonv1]

why didn't anyone tell me about this!?

In the final days of the Tokyo Game Show 2009, Game Watch reports that Capcom revealed a new upcoming game which appears to be a version of Ghouls 'n Ghosts for the iPhone. Ghouls 'n Ghosts was the sequel to Ghosts 'n Goblins and has seen a number of different versions over the years with Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts and recently Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins for the PSP.

[ManaByte]

Hopefully it's better than their Mega Man II port.  Instead of emulating the NES one they ported over the shitty cellphone version (which runs like shit and is missing levels and bosses) and charged $5 for it.

[bork]

Those on-screen d-pad/button controls always suck balls.  I'll stick with Ghouls N' Ghosts on GBA and PSP.

[cool breeze]

Isn't this basically the gaming equivalent of "the best camera is the one you have with you"? I've played countless hours of games on my regular cellphone it's ridiculous.  Up until last week I had a 6+ hour game of Tetris going on.

I do think it's cool that the iPhone made cellphone gaming waaaay better.  I'm still using a touch since the iphone battery is too short to support gaming and, uh, cellphone functions.  When they fix that problem, I'm ready to switch to that.  Also, for games like GnG up there, the touch screen d-pad/buttons are usually pretty bad and they're not much fun to play.  The best ipod touch/iphone games are the ones that don't do any of that crap.  Only game I've played that has a good solution is Minigore.  Games being really inexpensive is nice too.  Beaterator or whatever the fuck it's called is $40 on PSP, doubt the iphone version will be too.

[Don Flamenco]

blech @ iphone games that aren't space invaders IG or Wolf RPG or pop cap ports.  Not enough people actually making games tailored to it and too many fucking on screen dpads and analog sticks, which are the gaming equivalent of syphilis.

swaggaz-- my 3GS lasts hours with 3G turned off.  You can still get calls and texts.  I just flip 3G back on when I'm done gaming.  or if I know I'll be playing for like 20 minutes on the bus, I don't bother and the phone will still be well charged.  I usually listen to about 2 hours of music a day while commuting/walking, play about an hour on games, and talk/text/check email/surf internet whenever I want and my phone goes strong for 2 days before needing a charge, if that and depending on how much I surf the internet (that's a big drain.)

[pilonv1]

I was too excited about GnG on iphone to think about the controls

Isn't this basically the gaming equivalent of "the best camera is the one you have with you"? I've played countless hours of games on my regular cellphone it's ridiculous.  Up until last week I had a 6+ hour game of Tetris going on.

Exactly. I always have my phone with me, but rarely do I take my DS or PSP anywhere. I've spent plenty of time on games like Homerun Slugger 3D, Star Defense, Geo Defense, Flight Control, Draw Race and I Dig It. They're all great games and don't try to shoehorn the game onto the device with poor control schemes. Even then you get something like Zenonia or Underworlds which are tremendous despite fucking terrible control schemes.

Never had any issues with my iphone battery either, it's long enough last 2-3 days before a charge. But I'm always synching it so it charges up then.

[cool breeze]

swaggaz-- my 3GS lasts hours with 3G turned off.  You can still get calls and texts.  I just flip 3G back on when I'm done gaming.  or if I know I'll be playing for like 20 minutes on the bus, I don't bother and the phone will still be well charged.  I usually listen to about 2 hours of music a day while commuting/walking, play about an hour on games, and talk/text/check email/surf internet whenever I want and my phone goes strong for 2 days before needing a charge, if that and depending on how much I surf the internet (that's a big drain.)

I was basing it on a gaf saying the 3GS isn't much better than the 3G, and my friend's 3G barely lasted 3 hours of straight playing.  My ipod touch battery is around the same too, so I don't think it was a rare case.

I'll still probably hold off on the next iphone anyway.  I just know I want one and will get one eventually.  I can't think of any other cellphone I would want, and honestly, there is no real competition for it in the cellphone market. 

[Don Flamenco]

sure, that sounds a little low for straight playing, but it depends on the game, i think.  3D intensive stuff will drain quicker, like with the PSP.  then again I've never tested it for straight gaming because the iphone has about as many good games as the wii.

[tiesto]

No way I want to play something like Ghouls and Ghosts without a tactile d-pad/buttons...

[TakingBackSunday]

I thought the iPhone was the most popular cell in Japan atm?

[Don Flamenco]

I thought the iPhone was the most popular cell in Japan atm?

the 3GS was at the top on its release month, not sure if it stayed there. 

[chronovore]

The PR pieces I've seen have all used very tricky wording to make it seem like it's more successful than it really is. 

It wouldn't surprise me at all if the PR is being "clever" with its data interpretation. It's like when Apple announced that its original iMac machines had outsold any other model of PC; well, there was only one model of the iMac, but the same Dell or Gateway may have been sold in dozens of configurations, therefore their sales were diluted against dozens of different "models" despite being the same machine. "Lies, damned lies, and statistics" or something like that. Despite the clever phrasing, Apple did not continue on to dominate all PC sales, everywhere.

So the same could be true of iPhone in Japan, where the sales of the unified iPhone 3G/s since its launch has sold better than any other single model of phone from the other manufacturers. Doesn't mean that it's actually got a sizeable percentage of the market.

The larger issue with Apple isn't just the lack of pre-encoded emoticons, crappy camera, and (until recently) high price tag; let's not forget Softbank's ABYSMAL reputation in Japan despite two series of very clever TV ads. The general perception of Softbank is their customer service is bad, their signal strength is the worst among the major carriers, and their contracts are DRACONIAN.

A kiwi friend of mine went in to get the 3G/s and took his wife to help him understand some of the fine print in the contracts. If he loses his phone, they will charge him an additional 10,000 yen (a little over US$100 at current exchange rates) per month on top of the base limitless packet charge of 7000 yen. This additional monthly charge runs through to the end of the 2 year contract, even if he loses the phone tomorrow. There is no explanation for this additional monthly charge, they just looked at him as though a bug had crawled up their but -- "Ooh, the foreigner is getting  uppity."

If he wants to replace it through them, they'll charge him 80,000 yen for a new one, so he's thinking to buy a US unit for 300 gringo dollars and then having them produce a new SIM card for him. I don't think that will work.

Anyway, when he was done describing all the contractual ways they could rectally service him for two years, I was a lot happier that I've got an iPod Touch and a separate Casio cellphone which records movies, audio, still photos up to 5.1mp and has a decent optical zoom. It was free.

[GilloD]

People are less worried about the iPhone being an AWESOME GAME DEVICE as much as that most people have like. 75 minutes of gaming in a week. 10 years ago they would have had Gamecube or a GBA  or a Playstation. Now they can get their 75 minutes from the iPhone at a substantially lower cost. 'Quality' isn't really a metric 75'ers think about much

[originalz]

I thought the iPhone was the most popular cell in Japan atm?

the 3GS was at the top on its release month, not sure if it stayed there. 

It was never seen again.  New phones always have big spurts of sales here, they then drop off as the newer models come.  New phone models come so damn often here that it's almost impossible for a single model to stay alive, that's why they keep updating it on a regular basis.  No one buys older phones, so the iPhone is kind of in a tough position.  I'm sure they sell a good amount each month, but no way in hell will it beat out the new season's releases.