Blog > Archive for the ‘News’ Category

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!

For those of you in the Asia-Pacific region that are eligible for the Hooked On: Creatures of the Deep special offer included with your Nokia N81, I have an update for you from the promotion team:

1. The last batch of Activation Codes was sent on March 14, and many players have received them and are enjoying the fishing adventure of a lifetime

2. The next Activation Codes will be sent for players who have registered after March 14. However due to technical issues these codes cannot be sent out until after the N-Gage Go Live date.

We appreciate your patience, and look forward to comparing fishing trophies with you in the N-Gage Arena.

As previously advised, N-Gage First Access has now closed. We thank you for your participation, and to everybody who took the survey.

In the mean time, we have begun preparing for N-Gage Go Live. While we do this important work, some N-Gage functionality will be temporarily removed. There are a few key points to remember during this time:

1. Login, registration, and reserving a new N-Gage Player Name will be inactive during this time. Note that if you are currently logged into the Forums, you will be able to post for as long as your session lasts.

2. We are no longer supporting the pre-release version of the N-Gage application.

3. You can continue to play your games and game trials using the pre-release version of the N-Gage application. However we strongly encourage you to upgrade to the full release version of the N-Gage application and games once it becomes available. Don’t miss out on the fresh start!

4. The Player Name and password you created for First Access will not be valid for full rollout, unless they were the same as your existing Player Name and password on the Arena forums.

5. Game licenses you purchased during First Access will carry over into the commercial launch, but you will need to install the new version of the N-Gage application and re-install the games.

6. Saved games, Point Pickups, and N-Gage Points accrued will be reset, to give everyone a fresh start.

Because logging in to the Forums is down for this period, I will create a new Open Thread for you to discuss up until the point we are ready for Go Live. Today’s thread can begin right here.

Unfortunately because of the amount of spam our blog attracts, comment moderation will need to stay on, but we will approve the comment backlog more frequently.

Stay tuned!

Due to popular demand, we’ve opened up our First Access Experience Survey to all who participated in N-Gage First Access, and not just N81 device owners.

 As a thank you for completing the survey, we’ll send you a complimentary Activation Code for a copy of the upcoming game, Mile High Pinball. Once the game is released, you’ll receive the Activation Code via email and/or message board Private Message system. We will also be adding 1000 community points to your profile.

So go fill out the survey and have a great weekend!

All good things must come to an end, including N-Gage First Access, which will end on March 27.

We thank all First Access participants for their valuable feedback. Our development team is working as hard as it can in order to implement as many changes and fixes as they can in time for our rollout in the next few weeks.

There are a few key points to remember during this time:

• We are no longer supporting the pre-release version of the N-Gage application after March 27.

• You can continue to play your games and game trials using the pre-release version of the N-Gage application. However we strongly encourage you to upgrade to the full release version of the N-Gage application and games once it becomes available. Don’t miss out on the fresh start!

• The Player Name and password you created for First Access will not be valid for full rollout, unless they were the same as your existing Player Name and password on the Arena forums.

• Game licenses you purchased during First Access will carry over into the commercial launch, but you will need to install the new version of the N-Gage application and re-install the games.

• Saved games, Point Pickups, and N-Gage Points accrued will be reset, to give everyone a fresh start.

We’d like some final feedback on your overall experience with First Access. As a thank you for completing the survey, we’ll send you a complimentary Activation Code for a copy of the upcoming game, Mile High Pinball.

Once the game is released, you’ll receive the Activation Code via email and/or message board Private Message system. We will also be adding 1000 community points to your profile.

Just complete our survey to sign up!

IGN has picked up another piece of the puzzle regarding Project White Rock (also on Pocket Gamer, Gamespy, and WarCry), this time revealing the composer of the game’s soundtrack. They write:

“Finally, we have some exciting information about Nokia Games Publishing’s secret Project White Rock! Renowned chiptune artist 8 Bit Weapon will be creating a custom retro soundtrack for Senior Producer Scott Foe’s latest endeavor that will take players back to their gaming roots.”

8 Bit Weapon is a musical act that creates original music using classic computer and videogame sound chips as sampled instruments, which are then mixed into new compositions, a genre of music known as “chiptune.” And while 8 Bit Weapon has created original music for the videogame industry before, most notably the soundtrack for Xbox’s exclusive Halo 2 preview event, White Rock will be the first full videogame to be scored by the band.

The article quotes Seth Sternberger, leading force behind 8 Bit Weapon:

“Scott made a dream come true for me when he asked me to score a game,” said Sternberger of 8 Bit Weapon. “But for it to be this game: Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would get to work on something like Project White Rock.”

These articles also link to a media page on the For the Love of Gaming website, which includes a download link for the entire(!) soundtrack to the game, for free.

I’m listening to it right now.

Have you heard this phrase yet? It came up at the Game Developer’s Conference, in a story first broken by PG’s Jon Jordan:

“It’s all very cryptic, and to be honest we’re not entirely sure what this is about ourselves. It’s a phrase Nokia staff have been dropping into conversations, as well as having it printed on their funky shirts at GDC.”

Indeed, the phrase was on the shirt Anssi Vanjokji wore during his keynote address, as well as printed in the Nokia brochure packed into every GDC bag. 

A mysterious source has emailed me some pictures to share with you, along with some additional information I will disclose in due course. Click the pix below for detail on the brochure and “funky shirts. ”

My source asserts that For the Love of Gaming and Project White Rock are related. This was confirmed by some media reports, such as Evergeek. Let’s pick up the story there:

“[Project White Rock] is cross-platform, it’s multi-platform, it’s N-Gage, it’s PC, it’s the amazing RedLynx; the kimono is opening a little bit today. We do it all for the love of gaming.

“If you doubt the gamer’s cred or sincerity, here’s a little self-check, perhaps a humbling one: Test your own for-the-love-of-gaming quotient at www.fortheloveofgaming.com. Don’t blame me if you can’t get the music out of your head.”

Ah hah! So For the Love of Gaming points to a quiz. A tough quiz! For the record, I scored 13 points, but my score has been bumped off the board. I guess I have something to do this weekend. :)  

But it seems there’s more to this story. Here’s Zedge from Zedge.net, who goes a little deeper down the rabbit hole:

“So there I was, minding my own business, at the Nokia booth, playing one of their new N-Gage games… when I got a tap on the shoulder by a friendly PR rep. She asked me if I would want to be part of an ‘experiment’ and I responded with, sure, why the hell not.”

He describes how he was ushered into a private room with a mysterious figure who questioned him about ‘Project White Rock’. He was then given the For the Love of Gaming quiz, but scored enough points to gain a little more information.

Zedge was then handed a mysterious vial with a white USB stick inside. He describes what happened next:

“I was told to immediately put it away and not show it to anyone. How mysterious! I was then told to check out the contents in private and to await further instructions. How clandestine!”

He then concludes with a picture of the mysterious vial:

He hasn’t been heard from since!

My source was unable to provide one of the mysterious vials, and in fact immediately broke the connection when I asked for one. I didn’t even get a chance to ask for one of the funky t-shirts. Maybe someone can find out what is on the memory card in the vial, and learn a little more about Project White Rock that way.

Anyone have any ideas on this one?

Jaakko Kaidesoja, head of the Nokia’s games unit, is interviewed by Pocket Gamer again, this time at an N-Gage event being held up in Lapland.

In it, he speaks candidly about the First Access program, the upcoming rollout of the full N-Gage service, the game lineup, and the set of launch devices expected to be ready on that date.

Give it a click.