Archive for the ‘Nokia’ Category

• Snakes Subsonic is now available for download through the N-Gage application on your device. It should appear on the Website showroom shortly. If you have trouble getting it to show up, be sure to clear your phone’s browser cache (explained here).

• Pocket Gamer has posted an interview with Jaakko Kaidesoja regarding the N-Gage launch and the first month of the program.

• NokNoki has reviewed Creatures of the Deep in video form. “This N-Gage fishing sim has tons of depth and gorgeous graphics.”

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.

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

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.

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.

Great Gameloft Giveaway: Week One Winner
Congratulations to Vlart, our first winner in the Great Gameloft Giveaway! Be sure to enter yourself for your chance at a new Nokia device, a stylish N-Gage backpack, and other great prizes.

Brain Challenge Review
Pocket Gamer gives their noggins a workout with this review of Brain Challenge.  Read the whole thing here.

Another Music Store
Nokia’s keeping it busy with the other services too. This time, we’ve opened another music store, this one in Singapore.

Fast and furious, here we go… 

• Tzer2 over at All About N-Gage has put up a new editorial about the full potential of N-Gage. I thought that this was a good article because it serves as a reminder that we are still in the early stages of N-Gage, with only a handful of games as of yet, and no devices with the application pre-installed. Read the rest here.

• Andrew Podolsky over at 1up.com has posted his first impressions of the new N-Gage platform. He notes: “However, the N-Gage is clearly attempting to become the new standard-bearer for mobile gaming, and from what we’ve seen and played, we’re hopeful that it will find an audience this time around.” Have a read.

• And finally, I’ve been tipped off about a new blog (new to me, at least) covering the N-Gage scence. Called N-Gation, it’s put together by hOAx, whos is tossing up videos, reviews, and previews of N-Gage games as fast as he can get his hands on ‘em. Looks like good stuff so far, go ahead and give it a click.

Here are his reviews so far:

• Asphalt 3
• Hooked On: Creatures of the Deep
• System Rush: Evolution
• Brain Challenge
• FIFA 2008
• Space Impact Kappa Base

Have a great weekend everybody!

• 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.
 

It appears 1up.com’s Andrew Podolsky has received an invitation to the unveiling of Project White Rock, the code-name for the as-yet still unrevealed game being developed by RedLynx and Pocket Kingdom producer Scott Foe. Part of the invitation is shown below:

Podolsky notes that the For the Love of Gaming site features classic videogame trivia and chiptunes by 8-Bit Weapon. He further adds:

“The image appears to consist of parody versions of game characters, including Mario, Lara Croft, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Bomberman. The image was sent as part of an invitation for the official unveiling of the game in early May.”

What do you think? Is he on the right track? Who are the silhoutte characters? What do all these clues suggest about the game itself? Let the speculation begin!

Nokia N82, a winner is you! From the official release:

Nokia today announced that the Nokia N82 multimedia computer has been awarded the ‘Best Mobile Imaging Device in Europe 2008′ by TIPA (Technical Image Press Association) - Europe’s largest photo and imaging press association.
 
“The Nokia N82 is a compact multimedia computer that integrates GPS, web, video and music functions around a 5 Megapixel camera with a high-speed, f/2.8 autofocus lens,” the TIPA jurors said. “This Carl Zeiss Tessar focuses from 10cm to infinity and produces sharp prints up to and beyond A4 size. Several scene modes are also available to optimize the Nokia N82 for great images, whether shooting portraits or night shots,” TIPA continued. Other Nokia N82 features highlighted by the jurors are the Xenon flash and 20X digital zoom.”

The N82 of course is an N-Gage compatible device, something the judges surely did not overlook in their careful deliberations. To learn more about this device, visit the N82 page.