Heh, well basically I was wondering if Net Yaroze should have it's own platform page or if it should be a subsection of the PlayStation platform page. I've got a list of games and some screenshots for them, but not sure where to put them.
I say just give the Net Yaroze its own subsection and gallery on the PlayStation 1 page if they don't exist already. Nothing was ever commercially released exclusively for them per se (the only things "exclusive" to it were some demos, if I recall) and since that variation's only notable traits were its region-free nature and game development abilities, there's not enough to warrant its own platform page in my book. I'm really fascinated by development kits and whatnot, but I'd be hard-pressed to justify giving the vast majority their own platform page on here.
And while we're on the same topic, I'd say the same goes for the PS2 Linux system. Neat stuff, but could easily be covered in the existing PS2 article.
My only issue at this point is if you guys think the Net Yaroze games deserve to be listed. The only place to put them at this point would be with the other PSX games.
The Net Yaroze games can and should be listed if they haven't been already. There can just be a note about how they're for the Yaroze in the blurb or main article itself.
I'd suggest that there needs to be a Mobile Phone platform category, to act as an umbrella for mobile games that are published across many handsets and OSes (e.g. J2ME, BREW, DoJa, Symbian, WinCE, Palm, Blackberry). In the same way that the 'Arcade' and 'PC' categories do not specify hardware or OS.
There are thousands of commercial games in this scope, the majority of which are NOT covered by the 'fixed' platforms already listed on Giant Bomb (iPhone, NGAGE), as most games for these systems are written natively.
They've already stated that they won't, otherwise they would have a Mobile platform already. I can't be bothered to find the post, but I'm sure someone else could.
Cell phone games are tricky due to the zillion or so different handsets out there, each with slightly difference hardware that makes for performance differences, as well as different phone software, resulting in different versions of the same game for Symbian, J2ME, and so on. We've opted not to include them at this time because in our current format, a blanket "mobile" section would be absolutely meaningless. The fleeting nature of some mobile games, which appear on a carrier's catalog for a year or so and then vanish forever, also makes keeping track of them pretty pointless.
The iPhone and N-Gage are more easily pegged down, and in the case of the iPhone, they're actually somewhat interesting products that may have an actual impact on the "real" gaming industry.
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And I disagree. Creating an umbrella category for Mobile (as we already have for Arcade, PC) would deal with the issue of platform fragmentation. The commercial life and availability of specific titles is a valid point, but it could also be argued that for every games platform that's not currently available to buy in stores, most software is out of print and not legally obtainable. It seems counterintuitive to judge a game as being notable only if there is a physical copy available somewhere, maybe, on eBay. And it's also a problem for iPhone games, which only 'exist' as long as the publisher agrees to make them available on the App Store.
(Tangent: The reason that mobile games are so transient in availability is because of historical issues with the way they're distributed. As publishers and developers gain more access to the means of distribution - i.e. as everyone clones the iPhone App Store - this is becoming less of an issue. As with all platforms, there are games with a short shelf life as well as 'evergreen' titles for which demand is sustained for years.)
I strongly suspect Jeff's view is based on fairly superficial exposure to the (US-only) mobile games market. To make the blanket statement that there are no "interesting" games on a platform and that there is no crossover between it and other "real"(!) platforms is a bit closed-minded. Properties originating on mobile have been successfully migrated to the PC, Nintendo DS, WiiWare, and of course iPhone and NGAGE. PC/Console properties have been successfully adapted (into original games) for mobile. (e.g. God of War: Betrayal, Doom RPG, Puzzle Quest, Might & Magic II, countless Prince of Persia games, etc.). These games might not be getting on the radar of the traditional games media (let's face it, most games sites/mags only halfheartedly acknowledge the existence of the DS, let alone mobiles), but they're getting bought by millions of people and are having an influence.
Sure, I don't think it's necessary to catalogue every game that's ever been released on a format* (just as the PC category doesn't contain every bit of freeware), but it would be nice to at least have the option to document the notable ones.
*a phenomenon that's known on another user-contributed site as "keeping jars of urine and nail clippings"
What about the Action Max console? It would be worth adding considering it is possibly the worst console of all time. Also, the videos for .38 Ambush Alley are the funniest thing I have ever seen.
Wow, yeah...massive bump. I saw my avatar and was confused, knowing I hadn't posted in this forum in a long time. I think I'd made a few Net Yaroze game pages before Jeff laid down the law. Those were some weird ass games. Kinda like Xbox 360 Indie Games, just 13 years ago and without Internet.
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