The title is meant to be a more literal one. Am not talking about whether the games for iPhone are making an impact or not, for they are surely rocking the mobile as well as protable gaming world. But the iPhone games, shiny as they might be with great graphics, have very poor audio, better than only the Java games, which always had the dubious distinction of being the worst sounding games.
With great games coming for the N-gage with rocking music and sound effects, the iPhone games must do something if they are to stand up in front of the N-gage and other portable gaming platforms.
It is true that traditionally mobile games never did concentrate on the game’s audio, mainly because most of the gamers had the sound turned off. But the times have changed and we have reached a stage where mobile gaming platforms and mobile games are being compared to stand-alone portable gaming platforms like the DS and the PSP. In such a situation, mobile games must score high on the audio front as well. It’s not that the mobiles are lacking in hardware. The developers arent giving much attention. With N-gage games leading the way in making sure that “they are being heard” , its time that iPhone games started doing so too!
Crash Nitro Kart has always been a favorite in the mobile gaming arena. But the version released for the previous N-gage was a complete flop.
Now the “Bandicoot” version has been released for the all new N-gage and going by the response that the game got on the iPhone, one can expect the game to deliver on the N-gage as well.
The game stays true to its legacy. You have to race across various tracks and use the ammos and weapons you pick up on the tracks to obstruct your enemies. Racing and shooting. That’s what made Crash Nitro Kart enjoyable. The skidding, sliding, jumping, shooting action has been carried over to the N-gage as well.
The visuals of the game are pretty good, eventhough not as good as other N-gage titles like MGS. But the graphics capabilities of the N-gage are clearly shown in the game and I would say that this is the best version of Crash on a portable platform. The controls are responsive and gameplay is like what its always used to be. There are 12 tracks and various racing modes to keep us occupied for long.
The version for the previous N-gage might have been a bummer, but this latest release more than makes up for it.
N97 is the big daddy of all mobiles. Just by its looks, it can awe any person. If you get under the hood to see what its got inside, it will cause your gamer senses to raise an alarm with the message that the N97 is a gaming beast. Coupled with the N-gage platform, Nokia has got a huge winner, atlast!
Combining a touchscreen and a full QWERTY keyboard, the N97 goes beyond any other phone from the Finnish company. N97 is thus markedly different from other N-gage supported devices. Touchscreen is a new concept in the world of N-gage and just imagining the slew of new games that would come supporting the touchscreen features is already making me mad with excitement. Combine with that the huge screen, great ergonomics and the latest in accelerometer technology, the N97 is destined to be the ruler of the portable gaming world. The iPhone, a new entrant in the market, has become a great gaming device, mainly because of its touchscreen features. The N97, which is far better than the iPhone, will cause another revolution in mobile/portable gaming. The presence of a great QWERTY keyboard is an added bonus, a feature that the keyless iPhone can never hope to match.
Consider N-gage gaming at 97 times its current ability. That’s the N97. The true portable gaming beast has arrived!
This one is not exactly for the gamers. It’s for those game developers who make it possible for us to enjoy so many lovely games. And of course, gamers too can take a look to know how their favorite games are created. Am talking about N-Gage Insider, a community for game developers to get into the N-gage system and explore the enormous opportunities N-gage gives for developing games.
I started off by exploring the Deveolper FAQ at the site. It is kind of like a self-assessment to see if you have got what it takes to develop for the N-gage. The FAQ also shows how you can begin developing the games, obtain the various resources and even have Nokia publish your game for you. If you are really serious about developing, take a look at the FAQ. The developer application process has been explained very well so you will definitelty not feel lost at sea.
After that I went to the N-gage technology page. It’s meant for the developers of course, but this is one section that gamers would enjoy browsing. The stuff here would actually make you to play the games and see how the technology is put to use. Nice information here, for developers and gamers alike.
There is a plethora of information available at the site, but it would be better if you go and see what I mean. Go, get inside your favorite mobile gaming platform!
When the original N-gage was released ( remember the elephant ear comparisons of the old? Yeah? Good!) it was taken up by the mobile and gaming industry with big hands, only to fall hard on its knees due to a variety of reasons we shall better not get into. Then the QD came and went without much flutter. The N-gage seemed to be well and truly dead.
Things have changed big time now. Not only is the new N-gage gaming service from Nokia proving to be a good platform for really great games, the N-gage seems to be destined for greater heights of becoming the king of the portable gaming world.
What gives N-gage enormous power over other portable systems? The answer is simple- the “N-gage” devices were available in the pockets of millions of people even before it was released. Nokia, the world’s largest mobile manufaturer, executed a master stroke buy shifting N-gage from a hardware prespective to a software one. No more specialized hardware (like the afore mentioned QD) to play the N-gage games. The games come to the device you already have, namely, a Nokia phone.
The N-gage games are no pushovers either. They are giving their PSP and DS counterparts a run for their money. The games are of amazing graphics and detail and beautifully bring out the capabilities of the devices. N-gage is set to become the king of the portable world.
Nokia N-gage is going great guns. From a lacklustre start as an hardware device to a vastly unknown release of a software oriented platform to the level of being treated as equals, if not better, with the PSPs and the DSs, N-gage has come a long way indeed.
More and more games are being added to the platform and the games are getting better as well. Still some very good games that exist in other platforms have eluded the N-gage.
One such game is N+. The game that is availbale for the PC and the XBLA and also the DS and the PSP, N+ is one of those simple games that will have you engaged for hours. The game uses only a single button and the D-pad. A simple game that would be very appropriate for the N-gage.
Another game is Lumines. Yeah a mobile version already exists. But it can never be compared with the PSP version. An N-gage version, however, will probably make the PSP version pale in comparison.
There are numerous high-end ones out there that must be ported to N-gage. I have not mentioned them here, not because the N-gage has limitations. The N-gage is a really powerful platform. But games like N and Lumines are just the right portable entertainment sources and must make their way to the N-gage.
When the next generation of Nokia’s gaming platform was announced, N73 was amongst the devices listed in the “N-gage Support Coming soon” section. Over a year has passed since the launch of N-gage but still N73 is not budging from the position of a “support coming soon” device.
Will N-gage support ever come to the N73? By the looks of it, the answer is NO.
When N-gage was announced, N73 was THE killer phone and was the best selling N-series phone. Perhaps it still is. But the most important factor is the relatively older OS in the device and lack of 3D hardware accelerator, a common feature in the newer N-series siblings. But what bamboozles me is that even N93 still remains in the same mold as the N73, despite having a 3D accelerator. In fact, N93 was announced as a gaming phone! So it seems like the older OS is playing spoilsport. While these two devices are Symbian OS 9.1 phones, the devices that currently do have N-gage support have OS 9.2 or higher.
When one looks at the hardware configuration of N73, things start to look bleaker. The phone has a pretty slow processor and definitely cannot boast of much RAM- even the previous generation N70 had more amount of RAM!
It definitelt seems like the 20 million user base will have to make do with less engaging games (pun intended)
Metal Gear Solid mobile was recently released for N-gage, Nokia’s flagship gaming model for its high end mobile phones. Metal Gear Solid is developed jointly by Konami and Ideaworks 3D and the game will feature content exclusive to the N-gage mobile gaming platform.
The game was announced way back in May and only now has it seen the light of day. But it was worth the wait, especially for MGS fans who have played and enjoyed this game in other mediums like the Playstations. I downloaded the trial version available at n-gage.com to test out the game before buying it.
By testing the trial version, one can really feel that much work has been done to get maximum performance out of the mobile device. The graphics are awesome. I must say the N-gage games are beginning to get better than PSP ones. One thing that sets this game apart from many other games is that the game makes use of the device’s camera to match the colors of the game’s environment to those of your real surroundings. Beat that PSP! Having said that though, I think the developers included the feature just to make the game unique from it’s Gameboy, PSP, console and other versions. It seems cool when you first come across it, but the excitement fades off soon.
Am eagerly waiting to lay my hands on the game that’s got to be amongst the best in the portable gaming industry. It’s time you got ready to “infiltrate the enemy” as well.