When we were prepping for the last episode of WAHP, I was telling Nick how I was currently addicted to Minecraft and he told me, "You need to try Game Dev Story". So, I picked it up, and wow... been playing all day. Loving it so far, but also kind of disliking it because I keep coming up with ways I'd like to see the game improve.
Before that, though, I think this is a must play for anybody who loves games, because it really makes you think about the other side of game development. Every time one of my games gets a shitty review (which most have), it utterly pisses me off, which makes me really think about all of the reviews I've done in my life. When it comes time to make a new game, I have to decide between a crazy new project and a sequel*, and more times than not I go for the sequel because it means (a) guaranteed sales and (b) a better chance my little company won't go under. In a small way, thanks to this game, I can appreciate why game companies do what they do a little more.
(Not a true sequel in game terms, but a game in the same genre and theme as games I've released previous that I consider to be a sequel.) I also wish the fake consoles didn't seem to follow along with the success of the real consoles as much as they seem to be doing. That's not fun, and it takes some of the excitement away from the game when you know what will be safe bets. Make all of the consoles totally new and unique, and don't have their success or failure set in stone.
Man, though... I really, really want to see a sequel that greatly expands on what this game is doing. I think part of the problem, for me, is that I find myself really taking my company and the games we develop personally.
I'd love to see more importance places on the games themselves, and not have them be just random "products" to move the game along. I'd like to see franchise/series options in the game (beyond just sequels, which to be fair I haven't gotten to yet), so that I could build brand recognition for certain batches of titles. (Like my own "Megami Tensei" or "Final Fantasy" franchise or whatnot.) Let me build upon brands, see how they're performing among gamers, and maybe even let me give them stats to target them to certain segments.
I really wish games wouldn't disappear off of your list after a while, and I wish you could see far deeper stats for them (such as how popular a particular game was between what types of players). Maybe even let me make box art for the games (in some way), and have an archive of all of my company's past titles. And what about maybe a company logo of some sort?
Maybe also have a way, along with that, to make "mascot" games. Have a way to make games be multi-platform, and include in that the added risk. When the rankings come out, don't just tell me what place my game ranked, but show me a complete top 10 list.
I also wish there was a way to rename your staff. Yeah, the silly names are silly, but after awhile having my female scenario writer be "Gilly Bates" has long since stopped being clever.
Overall, just more more more ways in which I can become attached to my little virtual game-development company, because man, it's crazy how attached I already am. Oh, and man, put this on DSiWare or PSP Minis or something: I'm realizing how much of a pain trying to do real gaming on my iPhone is as I'm eating through battery as if I'm running a freakin' Lynx or something.
Edit: Oh, and I understand why game name length is what it is, but DAMN do I need the ability to make longer game names!
I also forgot to say that I'd love to see the game deal more in-depth with your specific fans as well. Like, if I want to be more of a Nintendo-type "fun for everybody" company, I could do that, or if I want to be a super-niche company, let me be that too. Then, depending on what kind of fanbase I build up by the games I release, have the fans reaction to my future games. Like, my fans become more dedicated if I show loyalty to certain consoles, or have me lose fans if I keep jumping around from platform to platform with every release.
For example, I'm trying to change history and make this damn NEONGEON a more popular system, and it'd be cool if I got like fanmail saying how happy they were that I kept making games for it (instead of jumping so that stupid Super IES).
Oh, and, of course, the ability to play against friends, and have competing companies!