From Console to Mobile: An Interesting Transition

Twenty months and some days ago, I wrote a post about how the idea for this blog came to be. Majority of the games that were shared up to that point were browser and console based. There were a handful of mobile games in the mix, and all but one had online counter parts that could be played on the computer.

From April 2019 onward, things pretty much stayed the same. Revisits to past games were done and some spam postings about my main game Hero Wars was shared as well. Around June 2020 things took an interesting change.

It Started With June

A sample scene. It's from an early chapter where
June and company are out searching for her
niece Virginia.

Not just the month but the game June's Journey. Wooga is the company behind this game, and at first it felt like it was going to be a drain; especially since it was an offer through Freeskins dot com. After playing for a few days I quickly saw that it was the exact opposite. 

It's a story driven hidden object game where the objects actually fit the scene and don't stand out like a sore thumb. Not only that, but when you're out of energy you can spend the rest of the time decorating your island and renovating landmarks. It was an eye opener for sure and a serious upgrade from the Elite Dollz experience.

The switch wasn't as painful as initially thought, but my gaming habits brought me back to the PC. For several months I continued to play online games and then I stumbled across an intriguing offer for a mobile game called Pop Slots. After doing some quick research, I jumped at the presented offer.

I started back in October and thought after the objective was complete the game would be tossed. Two months after the initial install and I'm still playing. For every session I have the phone propped up nearby playing the game while also working on the computer.

Even more shocking is how I downloaded two additional game apps within three weeks of each other. One was a word game and the other a puzzle. Even though the puzzle was enjoyable there was no way for the objective to be met within the timeframe.

For something as effortless as downloading games, you're probably wondering what my gaming background was like. It's nothing to write home about as it's pretty low key but interesting to say the least.

It Started With A Console

Actually, it started with casual games on the PC. Later, console gaming came into play with the Super NES. The main games that were played were fighting (Killer Instinct) and platformer (Yoshi's Island).

Some years after that attention went to the computer for non-casual games. It was at this time that I was introduced to racing games of the likes of 4x4 EVO and Need for Speed. Later came a tube shooter (new term for me) called Tempest 2000.

The soundtrack alone got me hooked on the game in addition to the gameplay. Shortly after Tempest came NFS 3: Hot Pursuit. An upgrade from the last NFS title I played but my favorite car was still in the line-up.

As an added bonus, I was able to play the PlayStation version of the game when I received the PSone as a graduation gift. GT2 and Twisted Metal 3 were added to the car games list while Tekken 2 and 3 were added to the fighting list. Some arcade titles were added with the introduction of the Namco Museum game disc.

Wartune Lvl 80 Mage from years ago.

My first ever game demo disc was received followed by my first ever game purchase based on demo. Legend of Dragoon was my first RPG and my first spam post game. LoD was spammed long before Hero Wars came into the picture.

When I got my PlayStation 2 the same games were played; fighting and car games. Got another demo disc as a gift from the PSU and bought two games - Soul Calibur 3 and Jak-X - some time later. I know I wrote about how these two were the first games purchased after playing the demos when they weren't, but became noteworthy because I purchased two games at the same time as opposed to the one during the PSone phase.

Some years later I invested in an up-to-date laptop. The main purpose was to do school work but found myself playing social games online. There were Facebook games, Winx Adventure and later MMO titles that didn't require the downloading of a game client.

I didn't start PC gaming till I got Jewel Quest and The Sleepless Star followed by Bejeweled 3. It wasn't till the Sims 3 that I got glued to my PC; outside of doing school work that is. Jewel Quest and The Sims was a valuable learning experience as it showed it's beneficial to have a physical copy of the game should anything go a miss with the digital only version.

I was in a shared space so I had to stop playing console games and made the full switch to online games.

What's Wrong With Mobile Games?

Nothing's wrong with mobile games they just never surface on radar. I mean I hear of them but didn't give much thought on obtaining them. This past fall was the most exposure I've gotten of mobile titles.

While I'm playing mainly a casual title, I wouldn't mind playing one of the more multi-level games out there; like Wild Rift and Raid Shadow Legends. That said, I'm still gaming on PC and am making a slow turn to mobile gaming.

***

This was meant as a history post to summarize what's been taking place since April 2019. Even though it does sum things up a bit, it feels out there; but it is what it is. Gaming on a mobile device was less than desirable as I'm use to playing on a large screen be it TV or laptop.

My interest in mobile gaming peaked (a little) when I saw the Nintendo DS but took a heightened interest when I saw the Switch (which I still want need). For now, my gaming focus will likely remain geared toward PC majority of the time. I will kick next year off with a mobile game but after that is anyone's guess.

Till next time, game on.