Need something to listen to on your N-Gage compatible device? I always enjoy the All About Symbian podcasts. This week they talk about Mile High Pinball, Reset Generation, the Nokia N82, and several other topics.
Give it a listen here.
All About N-Gage has another preview of Reset Generation up, this time from Evan Zelfden, who attended the Reset Generation unveiling at the Cartoon Art Museum a couple weeks ago. He really keys in on the cross-platform nature and portability of the application as a widget that can be embedded in websites and across the Internet.
He notes:
“While the game will cost between $10 and $14 on the mobile, the PC version will be completely free to play. And not only can you play it on the official web site, you can embed it in your Facebook profile, or your blog, or anywhere else on the internet.
“This is where the game’s architects expect word-of-mouth to play a part. Foe notes that it’s a game that’s created its own promotion. The ultimate hope is that PC players will like the game and want to play it when they’re not chained to desks and desktops. Which means they’ll need to purchase a Nokia N-Gage-compatible device in future. It’s a long-range strategy, but it’s at the heart of the cross-platform approach, it explains why Reset Generation is free for PCs, and also why so much effort was concentrated on good, addictive gameplay.”
It’s another great preview, so please take a look.
All About N-Gage has put together an extensive preview of Reset Generation, discussing the heroes in the game, gameplay, and some of what they perceive as the significance of the project as part of the N-Gage offering:
“That is breaking new ground — it’s not a silo gameplay area that’s tasked with keeping smartphone and web players separate, but one connected world (surely a message Nokia as a whole wants to push).
“In any case, it adds another interesting strategy to the campaign, allowing it to promote a service effectively being given away for free — even with a 5% conversion rate, the number of potential eyeballs that could see the widget is huge, and the knock on effect for N-Gage as a whole could mean that Reset Generation is perceived as the title that launches the fabled N-Gage ‘next generation gaming platform’ to the masses.”
It’s a very nice preview, be sure to check it out, and while you’re at it take a look at the site’s Reset Generation screen shot slideshow.
Update: fixed links
Reviewing the N-Gage Experience
A site called Trusted Reviews has put up their impressions of the overall N-Gage experience. Here’s a taste:
“This strategy will give Nokia a foothold in the games market and gamers a good reason to opt for a Nokia handset, without forcing anyone to go for some peculiar specialist gaming handset just because they want to join in.”
Reset Buzz
There have been plenty of stories about Reset Generation online, since the big press unveiling last Friday. IGN Wireless has a write-up of the Reset Generation game as well as an archive of the music files for you to download.
1up.com has also posted their story from the event.
Mile High Pinball Review
NokNok is the next site to take a look at the latest game in the N-Gage Showroom.
“We reckon this is one of the better “cheap” games currently available via N-Gage (it’s £6 rather than £8): it’s a snap to pick up and play, endlessly challenging and the simple controls mean it’s not too taxing on the digits.”
As usual, if you find any more links or stories, post ‘em in the comments!
Congratulatons to the Hooked On: Creatures of the Deep team, for winning the Mobile Entertainment Forum, or “Meffy” Award, for best mobile game. Creatures of the Deep beat out three other nominees to take top honors in the games category.
Rimma Perelmuter, MEF Executive Director, said: “A focus on discoverability, interactivity, usability and affordability were the common strands shared by this year’s winners. Above all, the companies selected by the Meffys judges clearly focused on putting the consumer first; attracting and entertaining subscribers though a variety of appealing offerings including innovative new ad-supported, communities and subscription-based models.”
The Games Award
Winner:
Nokia — Hooked on: Creatures of he Deep
Runner-ups:
Hands-On Mobile — World Poker Tour: Texas Hold ‘Em 2
Konami Digital Entertainment — Metal Gear Solid Mobile
Konami Digital Entertainment — Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
Player X — Hollywood Hospital
Mile High Pinball has only been available in our Showroom for a short while, but the first reviews and previews are starting to appear on the Web.
N-Gation Review
First up, the N-Gation blog offers up this review of Mile High Pinball, noting:
“Overall the game is fantastic, Hardly any mistakes – It’s fun, and offers and challenge with the inclusion of online multiplayer makes this a very deep game to play, so buy it now – You won’t regret it.”
All About N-Gage Review
Next up, All About N-Gage offers this thorough very positive review. Here’s a quote:
“Mile High Pinball is very original, and perfectly suited to a mobile phone’s screen and key layout. As you make your way up the table the puzzle and strategy elements become more prominent, and the game starts to become very addictive. This reviewer played through the entire game in two multi-hour sessions, not because there was a deadline to meet but simply because MHP has such a strong ‘Just one more go’ factor.”
They end up giving the game 85% and their “All About N-Gage Recommended” logo.
Hands On with Mile High
Finally, Pocket Gamer offers up their first impressions of this pinball hit, promising a full review still to come:
“Score mode is great fun. You see your opponent’s score mounting onscreen, although you don’t see their ball. Your victories and defeats are then tracked on the N-Gage Arena community. This could be the thing that keeps you playing for weeks, beyond the single-player mode.”
Don’t forget, you can offer your own review of the game either here in the comments, on the forums, or of course on the application itself, where you can give it a star rating and write a short review that will appear on the Web game page.
And for those of you who participated in First Access and completed our survey in full, be sure to read this status message from redrum regarding your Mile High Pinball Activation Code.
Great Gameloft Giveaway
Congratulations to Sir_Jibi, our second winner in the Great Gameloft Giveaway! He joins Week One Winner Vlart on the wall of esteemed champions.
Be sure to enter yourself for your chance at a new Nokia device, a stylish N-Gage backpack, and other great prizes.
Speaking of the prizes, here are pics of some of them. What you are looking at is a Block Breaker Deluxe lamp, an N-Gage backpack, and a grey N-Gage sweatshirt.
Happy Tuesday, everybody. I tried out the trial version of Mile High Pinball yesterday, lots of fun. Like you, I’m looking forward to getting my Activation Code. I liked Kusia’s comment on the other thread, “It was just like old times again.” Now, on to today’s posts!
The Sacred Rules of N-Gage games
Tzer2 has laid out some interesting ground rules for N-Gage games, such as always ask if the player wants sound, display the Point Pickups with an explanation in-game, and so on. For example: “Creatures Of The Deep has a perfectly seamless online section, it logs you in without ever leaving the game.”
Take a look and see if you agree with these suggestions.
SNAP Mobile SDK 2.0 Released
The latest version of the SNAP Mobile SDK has been released. From the official release:
After several years of market deployment and continuous technology development based on developer feedback, the SNAP Mobile SDK 2.0 has evolved to make game development even more intuitive with a simpler API, faster emulation and testing tools. The SDK is free of charge and available through Forum Nokia.
More on Reset Generation
Mobile Entertainment has taken a look at the EDGE article about Reset Generation and some of the other previews, and added their own take.
“There’s no seasonality in mobile games - mom won’t wrap one up for you for Christmas,” Foe told Edge. “And there’s no shelf space needed, so we’re looking at an 18-month or three-year sales cycle.”
Have a look.
Mile High Pinball for the N-Gage game deck is here. Fire up your N-Gage application, navigate over to the N-Gage Showroom, and be sure to select ‘View All Games’ and start downloading the trial version right now.
For those of you who prefer to download off the Internet and then transfer over to your device using your PC, the game should be available in the web Showroom no later than 10 AM tomorrow morning, Pacific Standard Time.
For those of you fully completed your First Access survey and are looking forward to getting your N-Gage points and a complimentary Activation Code, be sure to read this message from our Community Manager, redrum.
Tell us what you think of the game!
Update: The game is also now available in the web Showroom.
It’s been a couple of days since the great unveiling of Reset Generation at the Museum of Cartoon Art in San Francisco, CA last Friday, and the first press articles about the game are starting to appear online.
GameCyte has put together an excellent hands-on preview, giving a thorough breakdown of the gameplay and the inspiration behind the game:
From its concept, to its gameplay, to its art and music, Reset Generation is a postmodern love letter to the industry — as Nokia puts it, “The first video game about video games.”
Pocket Gamer has also put up an extensive hands-on preview by Tracy Erickson. He notes:
Reset Generation is purely about gaming. From the hilarious heroes that act as parodies of popular characters from video game history to the core mechanics inspired by classic titles, every piece has been carefully installed to serve as an homage to gaming.
Gizmodo also has a story up, calling it the flagship title for N-Gage, adding, “The N-Gage platform has traversed a rocky road since its inception, and if there’s any princess in need of rescuing by a wildly popular and successful hero, that’s probably it.”
Other key features about Reset Generation to note from the previews:
So what do you think of the game? Was it what you expected? Are you looking forward to it?
