Every video gamer must have played the classic Tanks at one time or the other. There have been many mobile versions as well. Whether the developers are running out of new ideas or they just want to bring back an old favorite, Tanks is back. And this time, it comes with multiplayer support, allowing eight of you to battle it out over bluetooth.
Called Wireless Tanks, the game is a clone of the original and does not have anything new to offer in the single player front. You have a tank that turns in 90 degree increments and shoots missiles at enemy tanks while facing them. That part of the game has not changed. It’s the sheer simplicity that made the game popular and that maybe the reason the developers didnt go in for any change. This verion has features like calling for reinforcements from your allies and has missions like protecting convoys, but the breath of the game is still the same.
Coming to multiplayer, much effort has been made by the developers to make sure that the game justifies its name. Up to eight players can battle it out for glory, on one map, through bluetooth connectivity. Setting up the multiplayer network was seamless and didnt have the frustrations associated with many such games. Shooting missiles at your friend’s tanks is absolute fun! If you belong to the breed of “netwoking” gamers, this game may be the right choice for you.
The game makes a mark for its multiplayer features and you would be better off not playing the single player levels. If you play games alone, better give the game a miss!
Ever played the Line Rider flash game? It is not a game in the original sense of the world, but if games are entertainment, then this one sure is a game providing tons of entertainment. The game has come to mobile ( inevitable, considering its popularity) and has managed to keep the gamers hooked to it.
The game provides you with a tool set to create a landscape that will enable a man on a sledge to travel. The games uses real world physics so there is every chance that a faulty landscape feature from you will cause the man to fall off. This makes for an excellent way to spend your free times -designing tracks and see how your “sledgeman” performs. The more daredevil acts you make your sledgeman perform without falling off, the better it gets!
The problem with mobile version is that the mobile controls dont allow for the flexibility needed in creating the track. The flash version was known for its ease of use. But In-Fusio, the developer, has made sure that the game stays true to the original and has made the landscape sculpting process as easy as possible. Creating the tracks takes more time, but atleast you can recreate what you had in mind. Kudos to the developer for that! The “auto curve” feature helps you to make the curves easily, considering the limits that the mobile keys impose.
The game is completely like the original and has been very well designed for mobile gaming. A must for any Line Rider fan and others alike.
What with the arrival of N-gage 2.0 , Android, iPhone and of course the ever present Symbian games, the good old Java games seemed to be on a deathbed. Am not talking about Java’s survival in phones that support Java games alone. Am talking about Java’s relevance in phones that can also support other other game type - like the Symbian phones and thir native games.
Java games always seemed crappy, slow loading, memory hogging games in Symbian phones and were nothing when compared to the native Symbian games (those that come in a .sis package). Recently though, Java mobile games have been staging a fight back. Som J2me games are being noticed and are showing that Java is here to stay, atleast for another 3 to 5 years.
One such game is Furiae. It’s a RPG title for mobiles and you have to actually know that it’s a java game to realize that you are playing one. Very different from other Java games in graphics as well as gameplay. Furiae shows the potential the java platform still has and makes one realize that developers arent doing much to take java games to a new level.
Another is Rally Master Pro. An excellent 3D game that shows Java in its full splendour and glory. If RMP can be so beautiful, there is no reason that other games cant be so.
Java games are again being noticed, in a very competitive scenario. It’s time for the developers to take the initiative and make sure that Java lives!
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!
Nintendo’s Wii revelutionized the way games are played and has become a huge success. It has redefined the concept of immersed gaming by making us physically take part in the game, rather than just using our fingers.
Wii’s controller is a technological marvel and allows us to use our physical motion to control the character in the game. It uses gyroscopes and stuff (let’s not get technical now!) to sense the user’s motion and reflect it into the virtual world. Many mobiles have such technology built in, in the form of what they call accelerometers. The iPhone is one example.
But the quantity and quality of games based on the motion sensing features of the mobile have been serioulylimited. There has been an increase in the accelerometer based games for the iPhone, but they dont match those of the Wii. Symbian mobiles have some cool game like Groove Labyrinth that uses motion sensing, but still, Wii games are much better.
The limitations have been in both hardware and software. With the major mobile makers announcing that phones will include MEMS gyroscopes in the near future, the hardware front is being taken care of. The onus is on the developers to use the hardware and make us go the Wii way!
EA has introduced an intriguing concept called Console Boost, through which gamers can improve their stats on the console version of a game by playing the mobile version.
Tiger Woods 09 is one such game to have the Console Boost. Get both the console and mobile versions , and by playing on the mobile you can actually improve your rating on the console side. The console features works in both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 versions.
It basically works by storing your mobile performance in your EA account and by linking the account to your console and thus applying the CONSOLE BOOST, the skill level increases in the console version. Of course, some kind of translation formula will be applied while translating from mobile performance to console performance.
I dont actually see the utility of the feature, except some marketing gimmick on the part of EA. Playing a MMORPG game on your console and with your mobile, both reflecting the performance in the other, is a neat concept. But what do I get by playing golf ( of all games!) on my mobile and see the achievements on console? Even if EA extends CONSOLE BOOST to other games, I wouldnt be interested. And hey, one has to buy both the console and the mobile versions? Get real EA!
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!
One of the leading mobile game developers, Gameloft, is offering a try before buy scheme for mobile gamers at its site, GameloftLive.com.
At GameloftLive.com, one can register and try the great games from Gameloft in their computer browsers before actually buying them. People signing up also get a free copy of the popular Blockbreaker deluxe game. That’s a sweet offer indeed! The games are presented in a JAVA/Flash interface for trying them.
GameloftLive is basically promoted as a way for gamers to connect with each other. A social networking site of sorts. The site is slowly emerging as THE place to be for Gameloft fans and the gamers at large. Of course, the site is not for mobile games alone and is for every platform that the game developer is involved in, including XBOX and the iPhone.
The site is pretty decent when it comes to providing the social networking features. Am happy that Gameloft has taken the initiative to provide gamers the platform to mingle with link minded people. And adding the browser based trying concept just clinches a winner for Gameloft. I was satisfied with my experience at the site and recommend it for any kind of gamer - novice or expert.
I came across this site 123play.com that offers free mobile games. The games are sponsored by advertisers and you get get them for free, simple as 1-2-3.
123play.com, which goes by the tagline of “Dont pay, just play!” is just the right solution for the gamers who find the games too expensive and dont want to shell out their hard earned money, eventhough they would love to get their hands on the games and start playing them for eternity!
Here’s how it works. Just select the game that you want from thier huge list of games. Then enter your mobile phone number in the screen that appears in the next screen. A free sms will be sent to your mobile, with the link to download your game. Download it to your mobile, install it, and start enjoying the game.
The catch is that two ads will be displayed when you start the game and two ads will be displayed when you end it. That, I think, I pretty bearable and is fair. You get the complete game free, after all. And don’t worry, there’s no ad during the game itself and you can enjoy the game without any obstruction.
One disadvantage is that the service is for UK residents only. I dont know whether they have any idea of extending it to other countries, but am keeping my fingers crossed. Also the games in the list are not exactly new and also it’s not comprehensive. However, new games are being added daily and that should keep the gamer in you occupied for a while!
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.