Android As A Game Platform

[cfry2011]

Maybe 6 months ago, my wife got me an Archos 70 so that I would have a quick and easy way to video chat with her when she is at home on the Mac. The video chat didn't work out so well at the time (I'm sure the apps to do so are a lot better now) but, I accidentally realized A70's great potential as a game system.

At the time I felt like there weren't too many great games coming out for my PS3, so I just downloaded a few for the tablet and was pleasantly surprised. One of the first games I got was Eternal Legacy. It had better graphics than I realized any Android devices were pulling off. It is a really good game! Now recently I just discovered Shadowgun. Have you seen this? The graphics may rival home console systems! It wont run on my A70 (I tried), as it requires a multi-core cpu, but it looks like a very promising game.

Now, I am definitely of the belief that good graphics don't make a good game. There are lots of really great games that also have lousy graphics. What I am more getting at is that it shows the awesome potential of Android as a game system.

It is my opinion that most apps for Android are a bit half-a$$ed. Android is still relatively new, though. In the near future the OS, and many of the apps, will get better as more and more people start using the OS. You can see the progression of quality in game apps just by looking at the screenshots in this post. Android is growing up.

I see a problem that currently exists for Android gaming. That problem is that most people I know who have an Android device have no idea that there are other games available other than Angry Birds. Probably 90% of the people I know with a smart phone or tablet only use it for very basic things.

Another problem is that, personally, I only know one person who is willing to pay for any apps. Everyone thinks it should all be free. As a result, most people I know just use their device for chatting with friends and surfing the web. Even people who are gamers don't seem to care about Android games. Sometimes I recommend a great Android game to someone but, as soon as I mention that it is $1 (or, heaven forbid, $5!), they don't want anything to do with it.

The more people there are who buy games for Android, the more likely companies are to create better and better games. I'm sure this will come in time. Keep supporting those who create good games! Right now its way cheaper than dropping $60 at Gamestop every time you want something new to play (yes I realize used games are cheaper than $60).

 

[Grans]

There's a lot of potential, and it may eventually become a viable handheld gaming platform. But before that becomes a valid option, there are a few hurdles that need to be jumped before mainstream gaming becomes a reality on Androids or phones in general. I own both a handheld gaming system and an Android phone, love them both. But for now, the handheld dedicated to playing games remains the primary solution. This is mainly due to two things-

- Physical controls. Playing Shadowgun made me realize how incredibly important this is. Maybe it's a coding issue with this game's touch controls (because other games don't do this), but i found them unresponsive and difficult to handle at times. It was rather uncomfortable and irritating. Touch controls are good for slow paced games like turn based RPG's or strategy games (or games built specifically FOR touchscreen controls), but it just doesn't work as well for action heavy games that require quick reflexes. We need a standardized control scheme for games on phones, a control pad that slides out of the back of the device like the PSP Go and Xperia Play is perfect. Though with real dual analog controls. The slide pad specifically used on the Nintendo 3DS is the most perfect handheld solution to analog sticks i've used yet. It's very small, doesn't use any real physical space, is very comfortable, and functions exactly like any other analog stick does.

- Solid third developers. I tend to enjoy Gameloft's games. And Eternity Warriors is fun. But i have to go back and look at Shadowgun again here. Technically it's probably the most impressive game you'll see out for phones now. Visually amazing. I was disappointed (though not surprised) when i saw how shallow, simplistic, and repetitive the gameplay is. I played a few levels and all it is is duck, shoot, open door, repeat. It's also completely linear from everything i've seen. Incredibly simple formula, even the FPS Doom (first one) has more variety to its gameplay. Maybe it spices things up later on, but that's how it is for the first hour or so. It may look like a console game, but it does not have the same caliber of gameplay and controls as something made by Capcom, Square Enix, Epic Games, Nintendo, Level 5, etc etc. And yes i know Square Enix is getting into the mix.

So those two hurdles need to be overcome before there's any phone competition in the real handheld gaming market. They have the power, but they lack the physical controls and developers that make handheld games so great.