Can Super Mario Run Succeed on Android?

Super Mario Run, Nintendo's first proper game for smartphones, was a big success on iOS. Now that the game is releasing on Android, will it see the same kind of success on Google's OS for smartphones? Podcast regulars Rishi Alwani and Mikhail Madnani join host Pranay Parab to discuss.

Super Mario Run on Android may be slightly different from the version that released on iOS late last year. We start by talking about whether this difference is likely to impact the game's sales on Android. Then we talk about the game's core loop and whether it's good enough to keep people playing. We compare it with Fire Emblem Heroes, a free-to-play game with a better chance of success in today's mobile market. That brings forth some strong arguments about Fire Emblem Heroes not being available in India.

Also in this week's episode of Transition is a lot of talk about Mass Effect: Andromeda. Both Pranay and Rishi talk about their experiences with the game and discuss whether it's a fitting sequel to the original Mass Effect trilogy. There's discussion about the plot, side quests, quest structure, the dialogue and the problems with Mass Effect: Andromeda.

There are strong rumours that suggest the PlayStation 3 is to be discontinued soon. We read the tea leaves to speculate whether it's indeed going to be removed from the market. That is followed by a brief chat on the best PS3 games under Rs. 1,000 and whether people should still buy a PS3. We also talk about PS3 exclusives that are still not on other platforms and our favourite games from those.

We then move to gushing over the Nintendo Switch and how the choice of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was astute. We talk about what the console needs to keep growing and whether there's enough third-party developer interest in it for long-term success. 

Finally we talk about the games we've been playing this week. The list includes our experiences with games such as Nier Automata, Zero Escape, Catherine, Really Bad Chess, The Last of Us Remastered, Shovel Knight: Spectre of Torment, and of course Mass Effect: Andromeda.

You can subscribe to Transition via iTunes or RSS or just listen to this episode by hitting the play button below.  The music for this episode comes via Magnus Souleye Pålsson's album PPPPPP, which is the soundtrack for the game, VVVVVV.