Super Mario Run (iOS/Android)

[Serebii]

Good grief Nintendo. If your phone or iPad was jailbroken at any point in its life you can't play the game, even if you do a clean install and no longer jailbroken.

 

Ridiculous Nintendo!!!

 

Yeah, how dare they not endorse piracy etc

[Ashley]

Yeah, how dare they not endorse piracy etc

 

Jailbreaking is technically legal.

[Happenstance]

Plus I would say the way to stop piracy is to provide a better alternative, not block anyone who ever even tried something like that. I used to pirate PC games all the time when I was younger until Steam and other digital gaming options came along then I was perfectly happy to pay.

[RedShell]

Played this for 3 hours last night, nabbed all the pink, purple and black coins in that time, and had 20+ goes at Toad Rally (until I was out of tickets).

 

My stats from that session:

 

Oh, and my friend code Player ID, if anyone wants to add me:

 

The game is good, but there's not quite as much content as I was expecting.

 

For anyone that's going to go for all of the coins (especially the black ones ) then this will probably take many hours to complete, but I imagine the casual audience (who this is supposedly targeting) won't really be interested in that aspect of the game, in which case it'll likely be less than an hour to finish!

 

And considering the build feature is so simple, plus how Toad Rally is limited by tickets, I reckon there's going to be quite a lot of unhappy customers out there.

Also, this game eats battery like there's no tomorrow:

 

My iPad was practically at full charge when I started playing this yesterday, ended up on 20%!

 

Anyway, I do like how the game plays and its emphasis on timing (not only for when and how long you jump, but also on landing and other stuff) and being stylish.

The enemy leveling up thing is a nice touch too:

 

The bubble system is a bit annoying though, with the button for it being in the top left of the screen. Would've preferred it at the bottom for ease of access, or at least an option to move it. Probably less of an issue on a phone though.

[bob]

Nabbed all the pink, purple and black coins in the free levels. The black coins in 1-3 were pretty tricky, especially the 3rd one. I would constantly screw myself over by mistiming my jumps.

 

That's pretty much all I can do with the free stuff. I'm really enjoying it but hesitant to buy the full version in case my phone can't handle some of the later levels.

Well if you buy it, it'll still be available on your account when you eventually upgrade your phone in 2023.

[drahkon]

So what's the data usage like, then? I've read different reports. The first time it takes like 75MB? After that about 4MB per hour of gaming?

 

Anybody here with some data?

 

And what about the content? Enough to warrant 10€?

[Ronnie]

Just spent over an hour on this for the first time. No issues connecting, I suspect those complaining about it last night were probably trying when the entire world was doing likewise at the exact same time. Anyway, brilliant fun, absolutely loving it. The way Mario moves just feels so fluid and fun to control and there's far more depth to the gameplay than I expected. Really liking the bubble mechanic too, in case you want to try a part of the course again to get that pink/purple/black coin you missed.

 

Toad Rally is very well implemented, but I wish the avatar for the other player wasn't so obvious, I find it quite distracting when my eyes are trying to concentrate on my own Mario!

 

It's really sad how many people are complaining about having to pay for the game though, but I suppose this is the same market that review averaged Monument Valley 1 star because they "had the nerve" to charge 79p for DLC that doubled the length of the game I think £8 for this is absolutely worth it, but I still think had it been say £3 instead Nintendo would have made more money in the long run.

[Ashley]

I do wonder how much people are complaining because they feel 'duped'. Maybe two entries would have been better, one labelled as a demo (with the option to upgrade in-app) and the other marked as £8 you buy outright.

 

Oh well, live and learn. Can't imagine it's really affected them that much.

[Happenstance]

Interesting...

 

Nintendo shares fall as investors give thumbs down to Super Mario app

 

Super Mario Run has been released in 151 countries and topped download charts but there is concern its price could be a turn-off.

 

Nintendo shares have tumbled after investors gave the thumbs down to its new Super Mario app.

 

The Japanese technology giant saw $2bn (£1.6bn) wiped off its market value as shares fell by 5% in Tokyo, after Super Mario Run was made available on the iPhone in 151 countries.

 

It later recovered slightly to close 4% lower.

 

Super Mario's release is the latest foray by Nintendo into the mobile app market after the Pokemon GO craze earlier this year.

 

Early signs for the Mario game were positive as it topped download rankings in Britain, Japan, Germany and Australia.

 

But some analysts are concerned about the $9.99 price tag - £7.99 in the UK - to access the full version of the game.

 

Another concern is that Android users will not be able to buy it until later.

 

The Mario game is free to download but only for low-level stages.

 

That sets it apart from successful app games such as Candy Crush Saga and Angry Birds which typically only charge for in-game items and powerups.

 

The release is also a risky bet because, unlike Pokemon GO, it is being developed by Nintendo itself, in partnership with mobile gaming firm DeNa.

 

That means it will enjoy the lion's share of any success or bear the brunt of failure.

 

Pokemon GO, while based on a Nintendo character, is owned by San Francisco-based Niantic.

 

Its release marked a change in strategy for the Japanese company, which for years had resisted developing smartphone games or licencing its characters for online play.

 

Pokemon GO has been downloaded more than 600 million times since July.

 

Its release produced revenues of $143m (£115m) in its first month but analysts expect Super Mario Run to take about half of that.

 

Nintendo shares have risen by more than 50% this year as the Pokemon release lifted hopes about its potential for success in the app market.

 

http://news.sky.com/story/nintendo-shares-fall-as-investors-give-thumbs-down-to-super-mario-app-10697714

[Shorty]

Good grief Nintendo. If your phone or iPad was jailbroken at any point in its life you can't play the game, even if you do a clean install and no longer jailbroken.

 

Ridiculous Nintendo!!!

There are always workarounds for this, there is for PoGo.

Yeah, how dare they not endorse piracy etc

Utter tripe... I have had a jailbroken phone since it was possible, gives me 10x the functionality of a base install, and I've never pirated a single thing. The jailbreak community basically invents 90% of the functionality of the nest iOS update before Apple came along with it, including the app store itself!

 

Also you couldn't even use jailbreaking to pirate this game, since it has the always on DRM and the game is bought via IAP.

Edited December 16, 2016 by Shorty

[Jamba]

So once you've purchased the game, is there any additional content you can buy in game?

[Glen-i]

So once you've purchased the game, is there any additional content you can buy in game?

 

Nope, one off payment.

 

Those investors make me laugh.

"We want you to make a mobile game!"

"OK fine, here's Super Mario Run! Now shut up!"

"No, we want you to make a mobile game and give it away for free!"

 

I mean, I'm no business tycoon, but I'm pretty sure even I can see the glaring problem here...

[Jamba]

Nope, one off payment.

 

Those investors make me laugh.

"We want you to make a mobile game!"

"OK fine, here's Super Mario Run! Now shut up!"

"No, we want you to make a mobile game and give it away for free!"

 

I mean, I'm no business tycoon, but I'm pretty sure even I can see the glaring problem here...

 

Well the reason that I ask is that a big price like that on the mobile market at the moment is going to put people off. Whether the quality of the game can balance that is a different story.

 

But from a business perspective, they've created a limiting format for the income on the game. As long as people play Pokémon GO there will be income from purchases but once all of the people who play Mario have bought it, there is no additional way to keep getting income from those players.

 

I don't care either which way but I'm sure that the shareholders do.

[Ronnie]

There's no doubt that Nintendo have made the one off payment model to maintain their integrity and not stoop as low as other IAP heavy games, but they've definitely left a huge amount of money on the table. I have to admit I sort of wish they'd gone with the Pokemon Go model, at least for their own good, if not ours, or at the very least, just charged 99p for the full game, just to get it in as many people's hands as possible.

[Shorty]

There may be no IAP now, but I imagine if it does well there'll be extra level packs for a couple of quid etc.

[Rummy]

Crazy news about the jailbreak thing. Do any other big name apps take that sort of approach? How does the app even know if your device has been jailbroken after a total clean install?

 

Not quite the same but thinking of the Android side(for myself) I know All4/4OD used to not run on phones that had ever been modified or rooted. Even if you turned off root it'd look for the bootloader and not work(and not even fucking tell you, either) but they changed that eventually. It irked the fuck out of me at the time though because it's up to me how I use my device and if I root it and even then if I turned off the rooting(I can understand for security/permission concerns etc) that should have been enough but to fuck me over cos I chose to put different to factory firmware on my device is fucking ridiculous.

 

EDIT: P.S...Fuck. Also soz for all that but I am very against practice like that.

Edited December 16, 2016 by Rummy

[Shorty]

Where are you guys even seeing this jailbreak info? Assuming you're specifically talking about jailbreak (iOS) and not rooting (Android). The reason I ask is that it works on my device and I never did anything special, although do already have a tweak that helps for other apps. If you jailbreak, I'm surprised if you're bothered by this as opposed to just grabbing a free tweak and bypassing it....

[liger05]

Where are you guys even seeing this jailbreak info? Assuming you're specifically talking about jailbreak (iOS) and not rooting (Android). The reason I ask is that it works on my device and I never did anything special, although do already have a tweak that helps for other apps. If you jailbreak, I'm surprised if you're bothered by this as opposed to just grabbing a free tweak and bypassing it....

 

Yes talking about jailbreak. My iPad was jailbroken but I flashed ios back onto to it due to sky q app not working. Even though it's no longer jailbroken Mario run crashes when trying to boot.

 

I have nothing to bypass as the device isn't jailbroken.

 

There's no doubt that Nintendo have made the one off payment model to maintain their integrity and not stoop as low as other IAP heavy games, but they've definitely left a huge amount of money on the table. I have to admit I sort of wish they'd gone with the Pokemon Go model, at least for their own good, if not ours, or at the very least, just charged 99p for the full game, just to get it in as many people's hands as possible.

 

99p. That's devaluing the IP.

 

Yeah, how dare they not endorse piracy etc

 

Lol jailbreaking or rooting ones android device does not mean piracy.

 

One can get pirated apps without even doing the above so yes what Nintendo is doing is nothing but a dick move.

Edited December 16, 2016 by liger05

[Zell]

Late to the party on this, but only just read that the game is online only. Unfortunately that's pretty much a deal breaker for me since I wouldn't be able to play it on the Tube (or even on a train). Very disappointing, here's hoping Nintendo don't go down this route for their future mobile endeavours.

[Rummy]

Sorry - for myself I just speaking about an example on Android; not at all linked to Mario Run at the moment but was considering it as a potential for when it comes to Android.

 

Also unlike the iDevice parallels I do recall with the All4/4OD example you could get it to run if you restored to manufacturer ROM and re-locked the bootloader. Sounds like the iDevice thing isn't reversible fully like that, or somehow leaves a trace that can be detected? I don't know much/anything about them.

[Hero-of-Time]

I ended up buying the full game today and have just finished the all the levels. There's still plenty to do, like unlocking extras and finding all the coloured coins, but I can just pick away at that in between playing other stuff.

 

I echo what @RedShell mentioned earlier in that I can see a lot of people being disappointed with the amount of content in the main levels, especially given how the mobile market isn't used to paying such a price for a game. Core gamers will certainly get their moneys worth but for those who are just going to play the game from start to finish, there is very little on offer. You have to dig deeper to get the most out of it.

 

I certainly enjoyed my time on it today. I'm also very happy to see my phone can run the thing without any real issues. I assume it was a bit of a mess yesterday due to it just launching. Strange that they advertise it as 5S and above only when 4S ran it fine. I'm pretty sure it was the same with Pokemon GO and, apart from the odd crash here and there, my trust 4S ran that, as well.

[Pestneb]

Why would that be so disastrous though?

 

For the person who had the code 000...01, it probably would be a bit more of an issue,whoever has 100...00 less so.

 

And it's hardly the end of the world having a long number.

Personally I'd say the lack of using miitomo contact details is the far bigger issue, if it isn't addressed. At least fb etc still work right?

[Ike]

This is really good so far. The connection requirement is already super annoying when commuting but at least the game pauses to display the error and reconnects when a service is available again.

 

Crazy news about the jailbreak thing. Do any other big name apps take that sort of approach? How does the app even know if your device has been jailbroken after a total clean install?

 

On some Android at least, it stores a flag to say it's been rooted on a different partition bootloader? I can't remember) that doesn't get wiped in a factory reset. I think with Samsung, they check it and if it's set then they void your warranty.

 

Now TV doesn't work with root.

[RedShell]

I ended up buying the full game today and have just finished the all the levels. There's still plenty to do, like unlocking extras and finding all the coloured coins, but I can just pick away at that in between playing other stuff.

 

I echo what @RedShell mentioned earlier in that I can see a lot of people being disappointed with the amount of content in the main levels, especially given how the mobile market isn't used to paying such a price for a game. Core gamers will certainly get their moneys worth but for those who are just going to play the game from start to finish, there is very little on offer. You have to dig deeper to get the most out of it.

 

I certainly enjoyed my time on it today. I'm also very happy to see my phone can run the thing without any real issues. I assume it was a bit of a mess yesterday due to it just launching. Strange that they advertise it as 5S and above only when 4S ran it fine. I'm pretty sure it was the same with Pokemon GO and, apart from the odd crash here and there, my trust 4S ran that, as well.

I just finished all the standard levels myself, getting every pink coin in the process.

Was a bit disappointed by the...

 

...extra stage, as I was expecting it to at least have a different look/vibe to the standard ones, but instead it was just a slightly more challenging version of the underground themed level.

Fun to play though, and forces you to make good use of the mechanics. Also has 5 pink coins to collect, but strangely they don't get added on to your main total.

Anyway, will definitely be getting my money's worth trying to get hold of the remaining purple and black coins in tour mode. And Toad Rally feels like it'll keep me coming back to the game for a while yet, 'tis quite addictive.

 

Also did my first run as Peach a minute ago. Man, her animations are bloody hilarious! Looking forward to unlocking the rest of the characters too, but getting hold of (and more importantly keeping hold of) the other coloured Toads in Toad Rally can be tricky.

Did manage to expand my mushroom kingdom to an extra area though, and get some cool new decoration items.

BTW, a heads up for anyone that might be planning to play through Tour Mode completely before getting into Toad Rally, I think the maximum number of tickets you can hold is 99. Not entirely sure though as once I noticed the number had gone red on mine, I did some rallies just in case so I wouldn't potentially waste any of the reward tickets.

Edited December 16, 2016 by RedShell

[drahkon]

So data usage varies from 40-60MB per hour.

 

Bloody ridiculous when you consider that you have to be online. Well, I was thinking of buying the game as it seems to good, albeit a bit light on content, but unless data is used much less it's a no from me.

 

Good to hear people enjoying it, though