Archive for the ‘N-Gage’ Category

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?

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.

As part of the launch of Snakes Subsonic, we are pleased to release a Snakes Subsonic Theme for Nokia 3rd edition Symbian phones.

Follow this link here to N-Gage.com to download and install your theme, then come back and tell us what you think of the theme.

A new N-Gage site on the scene is the N-Gage News Network. They recently posted a couple of interviews focused on System Rush: Evolution that you should definitely take a look at.

Here’s a snippet from the first, an interview with the Ideaworks 3D team:

“Whilst developing System Rush’s multiplayer aspects we have been given the opportunity to give our opinion on what features we would like to see in future from N-Gage Arena. Other features we are looking forward to in the future are the launching directly into a multiplayer game from sending a challenge from the N-Gage App and simpler integration with community features such as tournaments.”

And here’s a quote from a second interview, this time with Gordon Thornton, the game’s producer on the Nokia side:

“The multiplayer component in System Rush: Evolution is a result of the Developer exercising their creative juices in designing a true realtime Head-to-head online feature that could be possible using the GPRS networks.

“With not everyone having the luxury of being on 3G networks, we had to design a head-to-head mode that did not require a substantial amount of data to be sent back and forth between the 2 users and the server. “

Great work Phalnax, digging up some interesting information on System Rush Evolution.

Go take a look!

Another site I can pass along, for those of you who speak German, is Symbian60.mobi, which is dedicated to N-Gage and Symbian news.