You're Not Going Anywhere Console Games

Mobile Games Think They're So Tough

Stop pissing people off dude

Hey all. So I know it's bee a while since I've written in one of these things, but need thou not be afraid, because I have returned from my eternal slumber, like a dragon with big beefy arms awakening inside his cave, ready to attack and kill all of the village goats.

So over the past couple weeks I've been replaying this one comment over and over in my head, and as much as I dwell on it, I can't seem to find any logic to it. Here's the rundown...The lead designer of that insanely addicting mobile game Angry Birds, says console gaming is dying. I know, that's a tough pill to swallow. According to him ... his name is Peter Vesterbacka by the way ... he says mobile gaming is more "nimble," and that having gamers fork up $60+ for games that are hard to update is a tall order. Yea right...tell that to the 13 million people who bought Call of Duty: Black Ops. So let us dissect this from every angle like Raiden cutting a butt load of watermelons in Metal Gear Rising.

This is logically unfeasible ... but damn it it's fun!!!

First, lets lay out the facts on the table. Mobile gaming had taken a sharp turn to success over the last couple years. Games like the above mentioned Angry Birds, Words With Friends, Plants vs. Zombies, Bejeweled, Cut the Rope, and so forth, are fun games, but offer much less in terms of true gameplay variety. Here's what I mean. When you play angry birds, you get the concept...sling-shot birds into a fortress of green, squishy pigs. The game may introduce more complex fortresses to knock down, and different birds with different abilities, but the concept is the same, knock down the fortress. Playing a console game like Red Dead Redemption offers much more throughout it's campaign and multiplayer. One mission may have you escort a friend through a bandit ridden cemetery, or hunt down an elusive cougar in the mountains. Essentially, each scenario forces you to fine tune your gameplay as you progress.

That's not to say that mobile games don't suck in gamers for long periods of time ... but remember, it's called a mobile game for a reason ... you're on the go. Most people can't sit and play through Angry Birds for three straight hours unless they're parent-deprived, or have a sick sense of accomplishment by accumulating the highest score worldwide. They're meant for short play-periods, while console games tend to last for longer periods of time. To put it into perspective, mobile games are like hitting up a fast food restaurant. while console games are a nice sit down restaurant.

Hey....nice chancletas

I love a good story as much as the next guy. Some games are better than others, but one thing is for certain, story telling in mobile games will never match those of console games. Why? Technology. There's only so much room on your smart phone, or whatever piece of gadgetry you use to play mobile games. In order to have good story development, you need to be able to introduce characters, arcs, plot twists, climax, etc. and you can't do that with a mobile game that has a simple premise. Could you imagine angry birds having a comprehensive story? Why the hell are they even attacking those damn pigs? Oh they took their eggs? Sorry buddy, but I like scrambled eggs as much as the next pissed off pig so stop whining and take one of them prisoner and turn them into bacon bits or something. The point is the best mobile game out there can't properly convey a story unless it's given the time to develop. One mobile game that was very promising in terms of story was "Infinity Blade." It looked like it was going to finally break the mold for mobile games, but once you play through it you realize that you're actually playing through time-line after time-line through the same castle, facing the same enemies, and even the same boss. Hell, each descendant looks the same and has the same armor/weapons as your ancestors. It was kind of a cop out, but the actual gameplay itself is fun....for a mobile game. When it comes to story, we've been spoiled with voice acting, and proper dialogue, and for mobile game developers to store that kind of info onto an i-Phone game is a tall order.

Another problem with the mobile game space is the controls. Some mobile games control better than others, but you can only do so much with so little space. Probably the most complex game to play on the i-Phone is Dead Space. The screen is split in half, with one side controlling movement, the other controlling your sights, while different taps on the screen control how your weapon fires. It's a little jarring at first, but you can eventually pick it up and play it like second nature. For it to be a mobile game, it needs to simplify what you can do as a player. So when you compare the Dead Space on the console to the Dead Space on the i-Phone, you'll notice several weapons, characters, movements, etc. that are left out, and that should tell you something.

Once all is said and done, that's not to say I don't completely disagree with Vesterbacka. That little bit he mentioned about paying up $60+ for a game that's hard to update is pretty spot on. When you buy most console games, you get your campaign and/or multiplayer, and you're good to go. However in this new age of gaming, we have downloadable map packs, levels, characters, and so much other garbage that I can't stand. (I've already expressed my distaste for downloadable content in an earlier blog if you're interested) It's becoming a bigger investment for a game when you're paying full retail price, and then adding new map packs or episodes for $10, just so you can squeeze a little more life out of it. And God forbid anything is wrong with the game itself...I'm looking at you Fallout: New Vegas. Bugs, glitches, and flat out crashes come with the territory of games nowadays, and developers need to roll out title updates faster than a sex offender offering kids candy. Basically, you're at the mercy of developers until they roll out the update. Mobile gaming is much quicker, and less likely to crash.

Vesterbacka will be comin out any minute

In the end it's different tastes for different gamers. Some people enjoy simple concepts, while other people enjoy their complex button sequencing, strategy games. Fortunately, we have plenty of both. I may prefer console gaming over the mobile game space, but I still love gaming nonetheless. I enjoy spending time with Angry Birds, but I also enjoy wailing on some fool in Gears of War 2 online. The point is gaming should be for everyone, and there should be a healthy, albeit separate, market for console and mobile games. Comments like Vesterbacaka's piss me off because it implants the idea worse than Inception that we need to have more of one type of game. It's unnecessary. All I ask is for game developers to continue to give us video game perfection and give us more of both.