Super Mario Run

[BogusMeatFactory]

You have the main levels, the multiplayer challenge levels and the kingdom builder. That is a lot of content for a $10 game. Not to mention unlockable characters with different play styles and abilities and integrated my nintendo rewards. This to me is like what Yoshi Touch n Go was and that is NOT BAD!

[Exhuminator]

I've been reading folks are finishing the game in less than an hour. That is to say, finishing the included 24 levels in under an hour. That may be too short for some folks to want to pay $9.99 for. (Unless you're into getting perfect scores and the building sim.) Also, I see the iTunes listing calls this "Worlds 1-6 $9.99" so I assume there will be more worlds released as additional purchases. At this point in time, SMR's sitting at 3/5 stars review with 32221 ratings.

[BogusMeatFactory]

I see it like this. Those that complain about the length of the game is akin to people complaining that final fantasy x has no content outside of blitz ball. They are only playing a single facet of a broader game. It isn't meant to be a full fledged mario game. If it was, it would be $60. It has these other facets. If people don't want those, then sure maybe the game isn't for them, but it doesn't make the game bad.

[prfsnl_gmr]

True, but mobile game pricing is different than console and handheld. I can get an amazing port of KOTOR for $3 right now in the App Store, and you can squeeze more time out of similar games for a fraction of the cost (see, e.g., Rayman Jungle Run). If Nintendo really wants to compete in this space, it is eventually going to have to compete on price too. Right now, it can get away with charging a premium price for a game based on the fact that it contains Nintendo's most popular characters. I am sure that the game is incredibly fun, and that people will get much more than $10 worth of enjoyment out of it. IMO, however, other games offer a much better value proposition.

[noiseredux]

True, but mobile game pricing is different than console and handheld. I can get an amazing port of KOTOR for $3 right now in the App Store, and you can squeeze more time out of similar games for a fraction of the cost (see, e.g., Rayman Jungle Run). If Nintendo really wants to compete in this space, it is eventually going to have to compete on price too. Right now, it can get away with charging a premium price for a game based on the fact that it contains Nintendo's most popular characters. I am sure that the game is incredibly fun, and that people will get much more than $10 worth of enjoyment out of it. IMO, however, other games offer a much better value proposition.

I don't know... Square has some free games, and they have some classics that are $15 or $20. They seem to be doing well pricing their games as they see fit.

[dsheinem]

Yeah I don't get the two major complaints.

The game feels like "Mario Speedrun: The Game" where your finger is constantly pushing right, as it often would be in a speedrun of a classic Mario game. Once you accept that idea, you will feel very MUCH in control of Mario, as the range of timing options for when to jump, how long, how quick, etc. are all very typical of Miyamoto's obscene refinement of that platforming "feel". There really is no close second on mobile for how this game feels, which is pretty astounding.

$10 is pretty fair for a mobile version of Mario that can last as little as an hour or so if you run through it quickly...or for days and days on end if you take it as a high-level challenge game. Considering a new Mario game for the 3DS is $40 at launch, $10 is a pretty low price point for Mario on the go.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I don't know... Square has some free games, and they have some classics that are $15 or $20. They seem to be doing well pricing their games as they see fit.

I agree. Nintendo is definitely taking the Square/Enix approach to mobile game pricing. I hope that it works for them, and I want Nintendo to be successful in this space. If they are going to employ premium pricing, however, I think that they will need to offer more content to justify it. (I mean, Square/Enix games with premium prices - such as Dragon Quest VIII and The World Ends With You - typically require dozens of hours to complete.)

[dsheinem]

I don't know... Square has some free games, and they have some classics that are $15 or $20. They seem to be doing well pricing their games as they see fit.

I agree. Nintendo is definitely taking the Square/Enix approach to mobile game pricing. I hope that it works for them, and I want Nintendo to be successful in this space. If they are going to employ premium pricing, however, I think that they will need to offer more content to justify it. (I mean, Square/Enix games with premium prices - such as Dragon Quest VIII and The World Ends With You - typically require dozens of hours to complete.)

I don't think it is fair to compare it to an RPG in hours-per-dollar.

If SMR is $10 for an hour or two to finish the main campiagn, that doesn't put it far out of pace with the DS/3DS entries, which sell at $40 for 5-6 hours of time to finish the main game. Hell, that makes it a better bargain than the GB/GBC games, most of which are themselves only an hour or three long and retailed for about $30-$40 themselves.

[Exhuminator]

Well I do think it's important to take the genre into consideration. There's a disparity concerning the amount of content in a $20 Square Enix mobile game versus this $10 Nintendo one. For example, Chaos Rings III is a recent Square Enix $19.99 release, and it average 63 hours for completion time.

Of course it boils down to perceived value. I'm sure there will be plenty of people who find the content in SMR was worth the $9.99.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Undoubtedly, it is a bargain by Mario game standards. I am also sure it is tremendously fun, and I plan on buying it at full price. My point is only that, in comparison to similar mobile games, it is very expensive (though perhaps less so when you include the fact that it does not yet include in-app purchases, advertisements, etc.), and I think that Nintendo will eventually have to compete on price a bit more as it continues moving into this market.

Of course it boils down to perceived value. I'm sure there will be plenty of people who find the content in SMR was worth the $9.99.

Exactly. I am not sure how long Nintendo can maintain the perception of value as it releases more games in this space.