Random Gaming Thoughts

[BogusMeatFactory]

So years ago I discussed gaming on iOS/iPhone/iPad/ and Android devices and if we will see these "phones" -mini games- will ever replace handhelds and consoles. After looking at Fornite for iOS, now I can say, we are finally here.

I know people here frown on touch-screen controls, but now you can use controllers

Just because fortnite is on mobile does not mean that mobile gaming has taken over. Mobile gaming has had a ton of pc games available like the shadowrun series, banner saga series etc.

Console gaming has actually had a record year in 2017. They are selling more than ever. Facts matter.

[noiseredux]

interesting article about porting Titan Quest to Xbox One: https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2018/03/21/ ... -xbox-one/

I'm really not familiar with the original game. Looks kind of Diablo-y?

[Segata]

Yeah, it's a Diablo clone. From 2006. Coming to all 3 consoles. PS4, Switch, and Xbox as Digital and Physical.

[Ack]

Yeah, it's a Diablo clone. From 2006. Coming to all 3 consoles. PS4, Switch, and Xbox as Digital and Physical.

Yeah, though it pulls much more from Greek/Roman, Egyptian, and Chinese mythology for its enemies. There were some hilariously overpowered class combos you could come up with in the game. I had a lot of fun playing it over a decade ago.

[RCBH928]

Eh, no Phones have not replaced consoles at all. It's still an alt market. Too many variables why Phones are not the same market as consoles and PC. With the way PS4 and Switch are selling, dedicated gaming machines are still in very much in demand. (Switch is now the fastest selling system ever in 12 months)

I worded that wrong, I didn't mean replace PC/Console. I wanted to say mobile graphics are "console-like". Obviously a PS4 Pro is more capable, but mobile now is way beyond their Monster Dash and Fruit Ninja days. I wonder what an iphone X graphics would be comparable to which generation of consoles.

Console gaming has actually had a record year in 2017. They are selling more than ever. Facts matter.

Sure, but can we see a comparison of numbers: downloads-sales/players between consoles vs iphone/andriod?
Consoles might have grown, but there is a good probability iphone/android gaming is more dominant (as in has more players/sales)

Yeah, it's a Diablo clone. From 2006. Coming to all 3 consoles. PS4, Switch, and Xbox as Digital and Physical.

Yeah, though it pulls much more from Greek/Roman, Egyptian, and Chinese mythology for its enemies. There were some hilariously overpowered class combos you could come up with in the game. I had a lot of fun playing it over a decade ago.

I read years ago that Diablo was like the best PC game ever. Not sure if that still holds but, which is usually considered the best of series.. I, II, or III?

[Segata]

It's stupid to compare phone sales to console sales. Do you really think everyone buying a phone buys it for its gaming capabilities? No. They don't. The argument is old but the results are the same. It will always have drawbacks dedicated gaming devices don't have. Everyone who buys a PS4 or Switch uses it to play games because that's what they are made for. Not everyone who buys a phone plays games and the bulk who do play games on their phones is still the typical shitty phone game.

[isiolia]

Everyone who buys a PS4 or Switch uses it to play games because that's what they are made for. Not everyone who buys a phone plays games and the bulk who do play games on their phones is still the typical shitty phone game.

True as that may be, mobile gaming has still pulled in more money than the PC or console gaming markets of late. That said, I think the point being made was more about the hardware, and it's hard to really discount that. Even the Switch is basically mobile hardware with a cartridge slot, at its core. Right now, it's certainly an apples to oranges comparison - maybe like PC and console gaming in the 80s - but those markets started to have a lot more crossover as the hardware became less disparate.

I read years ago that Diablo was like the best PC game ever. Not sure if that still holds but, which is usually considered the best of series.. I, II, or III?

Overall, Diablo II probably stands out for most people, but I think Diablo III after some of the major adjustments post-release has become quite popular as well. There's a free demo type thing on PC/Mac I believe, if you wanted to get a feel for it.
Another good free game in that mold is Path of Exile.

[PartridgeSenpai]

Yeah, it's a Diablo clone. From 2006. Coming to all 3 consoles. PS4, Switch, and Xbox as Digital and Physical.

Yeah, though it pulls much more from Greek/Roman, Egyptian, and Chinese mythology for its enemies. There were some hilariously overpowered class combos you could come up with in the game. I had a lot of fun playing it over a decade ago.

There have been so many weird old games getting big releases physically this gen. Even games that never came out. Didn't Putty Squad never actually come out on Amiga like it was originally intended? It was so wild when that game was coming out had Brian Blessed doing their trailer voice over, of all people

So years ago I discussed gaming on iOS/iPhone/iPad/ and Android devices and if we will see these "phones" -mini games- will ever replace handhelds and consoles. After looking at Fornite for iOS, now I can say, we are finally here.

I know people here frown on touch-screen controls, but now you can use controllers

I don't think phone gaming is really taking over quite yet. I mean, even the original Dead Space had a very surprisingly competent iPad port way back when.

That said, I think the bigger issue with phone gaming is getting out of the space it currently occupies. Mobile gaming has a very similar problem to platforms like Steam right now in that there are a TON of free to play games and/or very cheap games full of MTX that are just trying to make a quick buck. It makes the good games that aren't huge AAA's like Fortnite a lot harder to discover. Mobile games also have the much larger problem of just generally being associated very heavily with more casual games like clickers and match-3's like Candy Crush, and I think it's going to take a good while for people to get out of that disassociation no matter how powerful phones get compared to consoles.

I would also say that there's a least a little credence to the statement that people just don't buy phones with the intention of AAA gaming on them. The reason games like clickers and Candy Crush are so popular is because they're so easy to pick up and put down quickly. Someone like me doesn't even have games on my phone because it drains the battery so much and I don't like charging it while I'm out and about.

More Switch-like consoles aren't an impossibility in the future, but I think overcoming the market saturation of cheap, quick, and often bad games that phones and tablets have become so associated with is going to be very difficult for anyone who isn't Nintendo.

[Segata]

Where Diablo III is now in 2018 it's the best Diablo game to play. May not have that nostalgic factor and has a reputation like Diablo II but Diablo II IMO is in a similar spot with Ocarina of Time. It was once great but its age is really showing and been surpassed by newer entries.

[noiseredux]

Diablo III is pretty much perfection.