Every game that is featured on this site is either completely free with no advertising, has a one time up front cost or one time IAP to unlock the full content ad free.
All screenshots are from a Nexus 7 2013, full sized and un-cropped.For your game to be considered please make sure the game is aesthetically pleasing and controls well on a touchscreen (no ports that were originally designed to be played with controllers). Games must also support proper full screen scaling (no letterboxing) and HD graphics for tablets.
With mobile gaming torn to shreds by scummy in-application purchasing, this is a great initiative.
So many good games crippled by horrible revenue models, which don’t event work in most cases, or unless you invest a lot in analytics, purchasing users and improving your conversion ratios.
Smartphones and tablets have been a massive boon for console developers and gamers alike. Companies like Rockstar Games can rerelease their back catalogue for a new generation, and because it’s a console port, there’s hardly ever any in-app purchases. I’d rather pay £5.99 for a fully fledged game that’s 5 to 15 years old than pay 99p for some crappy maze puzzle that’s been ripped from an early noughties flash game that no-one has ever heard of. And then of course have to pay another £2.99 for 3 lives which i’ll probably waste in 5 minutes.
in-app purchases are a powerful thing. But with great power comes great responsibility. If Google, Microsoft and Apple all sat down and agreed that in-app purchases could not be used for purchasing “consumables” in games, the world would be a much better place. IMHO these “consumable” in-app purchases are as bad as gambling, except there’s no way to claim that money back.
And don’t get me started on all these online gambling sites and their hugely prevalent TV advertising…. I could rant on for days on that subject…
I wish there were a list of iOS apps without adverts. I’m sick and tired the ad-ridden garbage.
Haven’t found one yet. Anyone? Thanks.
IAP is worse than a virus. It is destroying the mobile gaming potential of smartphones.
I don’t have a problem with IAPs in theory, as long as they are done right. I mean, just like with the shareware model, I think it’s cool to be able to play part of a game before you decide whether you want to spend money on it.
However, just like with DLC, most publishers are going to abuse this privilege, and you see crap like DLC content that is locked on the disc, that you have to pay extra for.
I can top that honesty.
I challenge you to find an Android game that does all that and does not need any special permissions.
https://twitter.com/BramStolk/statuses/421750337750327296
I play Cyber Knights RPG Elite on my tablet from time to time, it’s not free (though there is a free version) but it’s nearly 5/5 stars and does not require special permissions either.
Android Humble Bundles easily meet these criteria and make for some great games as well.
Actually the site says “Every game that is featured on this site is either completely free with no advertising, has a one time up front cost or one time IAP to unlock the full content ad free.” This makes you think there are free games, but exploring the collection, only two games are completely free, one of them being Ingress (the other is a roguelike).
What makes you think they are free? It clearly says it’s either free OR one time payment (up front or via single IAP).
I presonally prefer to honestly shell out some money for the game and enjoy it instead of wondering what information the app “steals” from me in order to be “free”. I’m really annoyed by the near-malware nature of most mobile apps nowadays.
listing “free” as the first item in the list, makes you think it is important or even dominant
Bear in mind that there’s a huge difference in the scope and invasiveness of IAPs. For example, some of my favourite games have trivial IAPs for stuff like aesthetics or extra level formats outside of the main game. These aren’t a problem. On the other hand, some games virtually require IAPs to be able to progress e.g. repeated purchasing of new levels after the first few are completed, and having a massively-underpowered character without IAPs.
A big part of the problem is also the widespread public expectation that games should cost under $5. This makes it really difficult for software authors to make a decent living without IAPs.
What we also need is a website that lists high-quality games that cost over $5, so more enlightened gamers can support quality mobile offerings.
Well to be fair, how much should a game cost? One that’s made to play on a 4″ screen, contains no packaging or physical media, and is relatively simple? To be blunt, most Android app games aren’t exactly Quake or Star Wars Battlefront.
I am genuinely curious what you think. $5 or less seems about right to me.
Every game that is featured on this site…
I was interested in checking this out, being on the lookout for no-gimmic-priced games for the Galaxy Player. But it seems the site is no longer at that address.