Author Archive

Here are some reviews of the latest N-Gage game to hit the Showroom, The Sims 2 Pets from Electronic Arts. First up is All About N-Gage, who note:

“Sims 2: Pets has a good graphics engine and an easy-to-use interface. It’s made even more easy to use by on-screen hints that appear when you first encounter a new aspect of the game, so practically everyone should be able to play this straight away.”

You can read their full review here. Next up is N-Gation, which had this to say:

“This is a title the N-Gage needed, a well known franchise from the original PC series. We have had so many different versions of Sims 2 Pets for all the mainstream consoles and handheld’s, is this version worth our money again? Read on…”

And you can read their full review here. And of course, you should always download the free trial and try the game yourself from the game page, as well as read the many player reviews on that page.

So what did you think of the game?

Nokia has announced that it will buyout its partners in the Symbian venture and gradually turn it into an open source development platform for mobile devices over the next two years. Here’s a link to the official press release, and there are also a slew of articles about what this means for Symbian developers on www.allaboutsymbian.com and elsewhere on the Web.

For a clear write-up on what this likely means for N-Gage in the long run (since it’s not likely to have any effect in the short term), you could do no better than checking out Tzer2’s article about this over on All About N-Gage. Stuart Dredge on Pocket Gamer also has a take on the news, as does Ripten.com.

 So what’s your take?

It has been announced that Nokia will be the main sponsor of this year’s GCDC game conference, held in Leipzig, Germany. From Gamespy.com:

“Today the GC Developers Conference (GCDC) announced that Nokia will be the main sponsor of this year’s event. Nokia will showcase its latest games for N-Gage making mobile a big part of the conference. Nokia has supported GCDC, Europe’s leading developer conference, since 2005. The GCDC takes place in Leipzig August 18-20, 2008.”

The Leipzig show is one of the largest in Europe and is open to public, giving gamers and press a chance to see upcoming games before they are released, much in the way E3 used to. Fore more information, check out the official site.

It should not be confused with the GDC, or Game Developer’s Conference, held every year in San Francisco, California and is limited to industry professionals.

Embedding = the Real Launch?

Earlier this week All About N-Gage posted up an editorial called “When Will N-Gage Really Launch?” talking about the need for the N-Gage application to be embedded in as many compatible devices as possible to more quickly grow the service.

Sims 2 First Impressions

Long-time N-Gage Arena Player and all around groovy guy Emo185 has posted up his first impressions of Sims 2, the newest game available in the N-Gage showroom. He notes: “I wasn’t too bothered with the game but after a quick play it brings a smile to your face and is rather enjoyable.”

Unofficial N-Gage Theme

Earlier this year, N-Gage fan p@sco has posted up an unofficial N-Gage theme for you S60 device that intends to make your entire device look and feel like the N-Gage application. Get it here.

All About Symbian Podcast

A wide variety of topics covered this week, including a brief discussion about N-Gage games. Give it a listen here.

Sims 2 Pets Review

Nok-Nok has taken the Sims 2 Pets out for a walk. Get their take here.

MTV’s gaming site has taken a look at the mobile version of the Dark Knight, which will be released on mobile platforms later this year, including the N-Gage. Here’s a snippet:

“The Dark Knight will be out worldwide July 18th, released alongside the movie on most handsets. It will also see a release later this year on the N Gage platform, with additional content including updated levels, art and community features.”

Remember, the preview is not of the N-Gage version, but it’s a good overview. The announcement about the N-Gage version can be found here.

Hello everyone, I’ve just got the word and downloaded it myself on the application to verify: The Sims 2 Pets is now available on device. Navigate to the Showroom, choose ‘Update Now’, and you should see the game on your list.

Update: It is now also available for download on the Website game page.

A playable flash demo of Dirk Dagger has been posted online on Kongregate.com, allowing you a chance to experience this masterpiece of mystery firsthand. Go here to give it a try.

The demo gives you a good taste of the game’s dynamics and style with about ten to fifteen minutes worth of adventure.

Also, don’t forget about the new game page that lets you view screen shots and a video of gameplay, right here.

I thought I’d share some good news. The first Nokia N81s with the N-Gage application embedded on the devices are making their ways to stores this week.

In the weeks and months ahead, devices such as the N95, N95 8 GB, and the N82 will also begin to ship with the N-Gage application pre-installed. This means we expect many more players to begin participating in our community, which has been the goal all along.

With more players joining every day and new multiplayer games like Pro Series Golf and Worms World Party headed our way, there’s never been a better time to get out and play!

Dirk Dagger Game Page

You may not have noticed unless you religiously visit our Web Showroom every day, but we have added a game page for Dirk Dagger to the Website, including screen shots and a video.
Touch Screen for N-Gage?

Tzer2 over at All About N-Gage has tackled the issue of touch screen gaming versus the traditional button mashing, noting:

“Whatever happens and whoever does it, it should be fascinating to see how touchscreen phone gaming plays out in the real world. Could portable consoles become obsolete? After all, touchscreen phones would have superior processing power, an equally good control system, and potentially a much much larger userbase.”

Personally I think both will be around for a while. I would rather be using a touch screen for something like Brain Challenge, where I could just point to the correct answer. Obviously that’s much more intuitive. But in an action game like FIFA or Asphalt, I don’t want important visual information hidden under my fat, clumsy Ikona fingers.
Nokia Most Trusted Brand in India

According to an independent survey by one of India’s major newspapers, Nokia is the most trusted brand name in the country:

“Nokia has emerged as the Most Trusted Brand in India in the annual survey undertaken by Brand Equity of The Economic Times, India’s largest and the world’s second most read financial daily.”

No word on where N-Gage ranked.