E3 is when you announce things. Big things. Things that make the industry sit up and take notice. And Nokia’s N-Gage press team is no exception. Last year, they had the N-Gage QD to show off, and they were trailing another of Nokia’s own titles, Glimmerati. It was pretty hard to work out exactly what the game was, apart from the fact it had a lot of money spent on it, and it was a driving game.
Eleven months later, we catch up with the Producer of Glimmerati to find out about the game, and the delay which means it’s still labelled as coming soon at the next E3. "We take perfection seriously, deadpans Jussi Laakonen (MD of Bugbear, the developers behind Glimmerati) when I ask him about the delay. "Coming with a great game takes time. It’s not been the easiest of projects, but it has been very rewarding." The delays aren’t all down to development issues, there are marketing considerations and release slots to consider as well. At the end of the day though, Glimmerati will get out on MMC, and Bugbear wants it to be a classic.
So what is Glimmerati? It’s more than a Driving Game, as Jussi is quick to point out. "There’s very few racing games, apart from possibly Driv3r, that have a strong storyline to go alongside the game. One of the things we wanted to do was create a good experience, all round, in Glimmerati. So we’ve concentrated on giving the player what they expect in a glamorous driving game. There are fast cars, beautiful ladies, and hi speed racing in exotic locations." The production team has been out in force with cameras and tape measures to get the best looking levels possible. You’ll be racing in Paris, Monaco, Milan and the middle of the Mediterranean.
The look of the game is one that seems to ape the Super Sprint top down look, but pulling back ever so slightly to get the 3d effect in. "This is mainly so you can see what’s coming up on the road ahead," explains Jussi. It’s rather like watching from a helicopter just behind and above your car.
The storyline itself sees you inherit a huge amount of money from a dying Uncle. But to get the social status that you believe you deserve, you need to start at the bottom of the Glimmerati Club, and slowly ascend through your driving skills and relations with other characters until you (hopefully) become accepted into the inner circle.
Of course Stanley Kubrick could plot the story, but if the actual driving game itself isn’t up to scratch then the whole concept fails rather quickly. So while the idea of uploading your "Clubcard" Diary to the N-Gage Arena sounds great in theory (as does fastest lap times, race times, and a gallery of the prizes you have won), it all comes down to the game. If the car handles well, then we could have a huge hit on our hands… or another Crash Nitro Kart. Given Bugbear’s past history of racing games on mobile platforms, I’m pretty hopeful.
Glimmerati is now scheduled for release in July 2005.
More screenshots and info on the Glimmerati AAN Games Page.