Archive for the ‘News’ Category

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.

This month’s issue of EDGE Magazine is now going out to subscribers, who are getting their first look at Reset Generation, the game which you have come to know and love under its code name Project White Rock.

Details from the magazine article have surfaced on Pocket Gamer, Develop, Tech Digest, and All About N-Gage. And yes, there will be a press event tonight in San Francisco, where even more of the game will be revealed to the world. So I won’t say much more about it just yet.

I’d like to add on a personal note, I am really excited about this one, because I did get to play a small role in its development over these last couple years, being responsible for the story and dialogue.

It was a great privilege to work with Scott Foe, Scott Howard and all the guys over at RedLynx. I think you guys are going to have a lot of fun with this game. It’s exceptional and just a lot of fun to play. It is a blast.

• Ewan Spence over at All About N-Gage takes a look at recent reviews of FIFA 2008, then wades into the discussion on how Nokia should be marketing its games via free offers. He feels Nokia should be giving away Snakes Subsonic.

• Meanwhile Stuart Dredge over at Pocket Gamer takes aim at the issue of global leader boards, bemoaning the fact that pretty soon people better than you blow you off the boards. He suggest the future is local rankings.

• Definitely not N-Gage related, but for those of you Francophones with Nseries devices, we have just opened the Nokia Music Store in France.
 

A news blast from the mothership this morning announced a new device that we’re planning on making N-Gage compatible. Called the Nokia 5320 XpressMusic, it is a music-oriented entertainment device, and the first that is not an Nseries device. From the official word:

The full featured Internet browser, access to Ovi and Nokia Search 4.1 allow users to find and share media content and information with ease.  In addition, dedicated N-Gage gaming keys and landscape view deliver a true gaming experience, while HSDPA provides fast access to N-Gage, which will be available for download. The Nokia 5320 XpressMusic is expected to begin shipping in the third quarter of 2008 with an estimated retail price of 220 EUR before taxes and subsidies.

Welcome to the family, Nokia 5320 XpressMusic. And before you guys ask, no I am sorry I do not have an update on the N73 and N93 support for you at this time.

The Asia-Pacific region had its special promotion (a Hooked On: Creatures of the Deep code bundled in some N81 boxes), now it’s Europe’s turn. According to the Kickoff site:

Install the N-Gage application on your compatible Nokia Nseries device and you will get a free license for the full version of the EA SPORTS™ famed football franchise FIFA 2008.

All you need to do is to follow the instructions to download the application first, then the game and finally request the activation code.

This is a limited offer with a limited number of available codes, so act now!

I have just received word from the Boys in Vancouver that Space Impact Kappa Base has been released!

While it is not yet for download available on the N-Gage.com website (that should happen Monday morning, approximately 9 AM PST), it should now be available on the application itself.

Just navigate to the Showroom module and view Available Games, and if you don’t see it right away, be sure to select the option ‘Update Now’ (like krisse explains in the Comments section).

 Update: The game is now available in the Web showroom, if you don’t want to download the trial over the air.

We were busy today installing some new office equipment to help with our N-Gage research (see picture), so let’s do a quick roundup of the news: 

• I added six new Space Impact Kappa Base videos today. An exciting side-scrolling arcade shooter, SIKB was available in First Access and is expected back in the Showroom “real soon now.” 

• Ewan Spence over at All About N-Gage has got Quake 2 shareware running on his N-Gage compatible Nokia device! Definitely for the more technically inclined amongst you, and remember, it’s totally unsupported and unofficial. 

• Pocket Gamer has launched a new “industry insider” column called “The Bee.” It’s all very mysterious: “Who is The Bee? I am The Bee. I am busy with the video gaming industry. My name is private so I am The Bee!” No N-Gage tidbits yet, but this might be one to watch.

• I got a note RedLynx today, whom you know as the creators of Pathway to Glory and High Seize for the original game decks as well as the mysterious “Project White Rock” for the new generation. They tipped me off about a totally different game they’ve created, RedLynx Trials 2 Second Edition. It’s a full-fledged 3D PC game, not a mobile game, but there’s a free trial you might like.

• Redrum was sent home today for disciplinary reasons. There was only one donut left on the kitchen counter, and as everyone knows, the last donut belongs to Congested. Nah, just kidding. RR took a much needed personal day. Have a good one, bro, and bring us back more donuts.

And all of you out there have a great weekend!

We are live! The games, the devices, and the community are all here for you to finally get your teeth into. The Forums are back up and the new N-Gage application is here.

There will be an official announcement on Monday, but for you, the N-Gage faithful we wanted to let you know we’re up and running! So come join our moderators in the Forums for our launch party, and start enjoying the next generation of mobile gaming.

Now let’s Get Out and Play!

The quiet time has arrived. Yet the banner of N-Gage goes on.

Post your comments, questions, feedback here! Just don’t ask me when we go live.

I don’t know! If I could tell you, I would!