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Zee-3's Ste Pickford on why Nintendo CEO Iwata is wrong to slate quality of mobile games

Magnetic Billiards: Blueprint hits 100 five star reviews

Zee-3's Ste Pickford on why Nintendo CEO Iwata is wrong to slate quality of mobile games
On the back of news that Zee-3's first iOS release - Magnetic Billiards: Blueprint – has picked up 100 five star reviews on the App Store, co-designer Ste Pickford has crticised Nintendo's dismissive take on the rise of mobile games.

Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has long been noted for his defensive stance whenever the topic of smartphones has been raised, consistently questioning the quality of games released on mobile platforms.

In contrast, Pickford believes the warm reception afforded Zee-3's release proves quality is both possible on smartphones, and appreciated by large numbers of consumers.

No Ninty nous

"I think Mr. Iwata of Nintendo was wrong to criticise the quality of games being made by mobile developers," offered Pickford.

"This overwhelming user response indicates that mobile gamers are starting to expect a very high level of quality and attention to detail in the apps they download, and that developers like us are starting to produce games with the level of quality and craft that easily matches console releases."

On Zee-3's blog, however, Pickford has drawn attention to the practice of paying for App Store reviews, having been approached by an unnamed party offering to aid Magnetic Billiard's "visibility".

The paying game

"We spent months and months polishing our game, beta testing it, tweaking it, fixing bugs, responding to criticism and generally doing everything we could to make the game as good as possible, and our reward was a very hard-earned 100 5-star ratings," he states in the entry. 

"Someone else can throw any old app out there, then just drop $100 to get the same thing? If App Store ratings and reviews can be paid for, can they be trusted?"

Pickford claims he's yet to encounter an app that appears to have taken up such an offer, which is either evidence such practices aren't yet widespread, or that Apple is on top of the situation.

"It would be nice to think that Apple detects this kind of thing, and weeds it out," he concludes.

"Maybe they do, and maybe apps that generate 100 5-star ratings overnight are pulled from the store."

[source: Zee-3]

With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.