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.
All About N-Gage has another preview of Reset Generation up, this time from Evan Zelfden, who attended the Reset Generation unveiling at the Cartoon Art Museum a couple weeks ago. He really keys in on the cross-platform nature and portability of the application as a widget that can be embedded in websites and across the Internet.
He notes:
“While the game will cost between $10 and $14 on the mobile, the PC version will be completely free to play. And not only can you play it on the official web site, you can embed it in your Facebook profile, or your blog, or anywhere else on the internet.
“This is where the game’s architects expect word-of-mouth to play a part. Foe notes that it’s a game that’s created its own promotion. The ultimate hope is that PC players will like the game and want to play it when they’re not chained to desks and desktops. Which means they’ll need to purchase a Nokia N-Gage-compatible device in future. It’s a long-range strategy, but it’s at the heart of the cross-platform approach, it explains why Reset Generation is free for PCs, and also why so much effort was concentrated on good, addictive gameplay.”
It’s another great preview, so please take a look.
All About N-Gage has put together an extensive preview of Reset Generation, discussing the heroes in the game, gameplay, and some of what they perceive as the significance of the project as part of the N-Gage offering:
“That is breaking new ground — it’s not a silo gameplay area that’s tasked with keeping smartphone and web players separate, but one connected world (surely a message Nokia as a whole wants to push).
“In any case, it adds another interesting strategy to the campaign, allowing it to promote a service effectively being given away for free — even with a 5% conversion rate, the number of potential eyeballs that could see the widget is huge, and the knock on effect for N-Gage as a whole could mean that Reset Generation is perceived as the title that launches the fabled N-Gage ‘next generation gaming platform’ to the masses.”
It’s a very nice preview, be sure to check it out, and while you’re at it take a look at the site’s Reset Generation screen shot slideshow.
Update: fixed links
Reviewing the N-Gage Experience
A site called Trusted Reviews has put up their impressions of the overall N-Gage experience. Here’s a taste:
“This strategy will give Nokia a foothold in the games market and gamers a good reason to opt for a Nokia handset, without forcing anyone to go for some peculiar specialist gaming handset just because they want to join in.”
Reset Buzz
There have been plenty of stories about Reset Generation online, since the big press unveiling last Friday. IGN Wireless has a write-up of the Reset Generation game as well as an archive of the music files for you to download.
1up.com has also posted their story from the event.
Mile High Pinball Review
NokNok is the next site to take a look at the latest game in the N-Gage Showroom.
“We reckon this is one of the better “cheap” games currently available via N-Gage (it’s £6 rather than £8): it’s a snap to pick up and play, endlessly challenging and the simple controls mean it’s not too taxing on the digits.”
As usual, if you find any more links or stories, post ‘em in the comments!
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.
It’s been a couple of days since the great unveiling of Reset Generation at the Museum of Cartoon Art in San Francisco, CA last Friday, and the first press articles about the game are starting to appear online.
GameCyte has put together an excellent hands-on preview, giving a thorough breakdown of the gameplay and the inspiration behind the game:
From its concept, to its gameplay, to its art and music, Reset Generation is a postmodern love letter to the industry — as Nokia puts it, “The first video game about video games.”
Pocket Gamer has also put up an extensive hands-on preview by Tracy Erickson. He notes:
Reset Generation is purely about gaming. From the hilarious heroes that act as parodies of popular characters from video game history to the core mechanics inspired by classic titles, every piece has been carefully installed to serve as an homage to gaming.
Gizmodo also has a story up, calling it the flagship title for N-Gage, adding, “The N-Gage platform has traversed a rocky road since its inception, and if there’s any princess in need of rescuing by a wildly popular and successful hero, that’s probably it.”
Other key features about Reset Generation to note from the previews:
So what do you think of the game? Was it what you expected? Are you looking forward to it?
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.
