Mobile game publishers are beginning to realise that console conversions and current movie tie-ins are not the only way to attract phone owners. Simple, well-designed games could well be the real future of this embattled sector. They've always been around, Western companies like Morpheme, Digital Chocolate and Handy Games have been bashing them out for years with varied levels of success. But getting the all-powerful network operators to commit to original titles that don't have 3D visuals (oh god, who cares?) and don't have console brands attached is an ongoing headache. Or at least, it was.
As mobile industry veteran and PR fixer Brian Baglow attests, "I think the casual market is offering the most innovation and ideas out of leftfield right now. The tie in with consoles isn't really gaining a lot of traction and there will be a lot of resistance to incorporating mobile into a game in all but the most simplistic and obvious fashions. Some of the new mobile specific ideas however are really good fun and promise to throw up the first mobile superstar/s which spread onto all of the other platforms over time."
I agree with Brian - mobile developers (and operator portals for heaven's sake) need to have more faith in the creativity of this industry. In the same way that the mainstream videogames feel they must gain legitimacy by leaching ideas, staff and brands from the movie business, mobile game makers pilfer console mainstays in a desperate bid to gain attention.
Thing is, the customers aren't biting - at least not in hugely significant numbers. We're still at the stage where only a tiny, tiny minority of mobile owners download games (5% is the commonly employed statistic). Console cash-ins probably won't boost things significantly, even if services like N-Gage make it easier for customers to choose and buy titles.
Cute is the future. Well, the near-future. Cute games that work on a small screen. And here are five interesting new examples...
ET (Ojom) Fortunately not a mobile conversion of the legendarily bad Atari 2600 game. Instead, this curious movie tie-in is a collection of 47 mini-games, some of which look to be based on classic eighties coin-ops (but with ET in them) and all of which contribute toward an over-riding puzzle game theme. The little fella still melts you're heart, even when rendered in about forty pixels and blundering around a quickie rip-off of Robotron.
Beez (Hands-On) Another nice variation on the block-sorting puzzler - this time your a bee seeking to pollinate as many flowers as possible, following the correct patterns (shown at the base of the screen) and racking up combos. There's a clever slingshot flight technique to master allowing quicker clearing of the levels and lots of hidden score-multiplying extras. Sweet as honey.
My Model Train 2 (HandyGames) This sequel to HandyGames' fun little train sim (more here) presents 25 new levels and lots of fresh features. The idea is still the same - you're given a series of travel objectives and must find the quickest route through the rail network while picking up passengers and watching out for other trains. You've also got to operate all the correct swtiches and signals and ensure you've got enough coal and water to keep going. The seasonal graphical theme just makes it even cuter.
Pub Mania (Gameloft) Serve-'em-ups are all the rage on mobile with titles like Diner Dash and Cake Mania swooping across from the PC casual gaming scene and flourishing beautifully. This is Gameloft's take on the genre which involves serving customers in a series of beautifully detailed pubs and bars, bringing them beer, taking away empties and trying to squeeze like-minded groups of strangers onto tables together in order to pack in the punters. It looks lovely and there are so many witty touches, like jokey speech bubbles and the chance to upgrade your pub's interior with extra items like jukeboxes.
Magical Hammer (Capcom) This, I suppose, is a bit of a standard block-sorting puzzler, a simplified take on Bejeweled if such a thing is possible. You get a grid of coloured blocks and must direct your character up and down a ladder either side to bash out specific pieces, thereby lining up three or more of the same colour. Yeah, you might have heard something along these lines before. But this one's by Capcom and features some of the cast of Darkstalkers - and has some challenging little mini-games. It's also extremely compelling, mostly because the interface is quite restricted, so it places considerable demands on your planning skills - especially when you're trying to cue up horizontal lines, which you have no direct control over. If you don't already have 700 block-sorting puzzlers on your phone and have a soft spot for cult Capcom characters, this is a nice little download.
