Third party publishers Glu have announced Age Of Empires III for the new N-Gage platform, based on the PC real time strategy game set in the glory days of various European colonial powers. UPDATE: This has now been confirmed by Nokia, though they say that the release date in the press release is wrong and it's actually due some time in the first half of 2009. (Thanks to "brain" on the N-Gage blog's comments section)
The arcade racing game Asphalt 4: Elite Racing is now available on the next gen N-Gage platform. To see it, go to the Showroom tab on the far right, select "Options", then "Update Now". It should be visible in the "Latest Games" section, or alternatively click on "Available Games". (Also worth noting that the prequel, Asphalt 3, is still available on N-Gage and has been reduced in price to 7 euros.)
According to a report on mobiletoday.co.uk, Sony has refused to let Sony Ericsson use the PlayStation brand on its phones. Sony Ericsson (a separate company jointly owned by Sony and Ericsson) apparently asked Sony for permission to use the "PlayStation" name as a sub-brand on their devices, in much the same way they have already used Sony's "Walkman", "Cybershot" and "Bravia". Sony said no, allegedly. (via Eurogamer.net)
Hurrah! It seems that THQ and/or Nokia have changed their minds, and the apparently cancelled Worms for N-Gage has been un-cancelled. This is great news for the next gen N-Gage as the game was very well received on the original gen N-Gage, and should be even better on the new platform thanks to the bigger screen size and better internet connectivity. Nokia chose to mention All About N-Gage's "Most Anticipated Game" reader poll in their Worms announcement, so perhaps AAN's readers managed to get Nokia to see how much demand there is for this game.
If you're a mobile game company interested in publishing your games on the N-Gage platform, you may want to check out their slightly updated Developer Application Process page. This page used to only mention becoming a first party developer. However, the application form now also says it can be used to apply to be a third party publisher, so presumably you can now publish your games on N-Gage without giving up ownership of them.
In the first AAS Insight (54) of the year we look back on 2008 and share our hardware highlights, rant about our lowlights, make a few daring predictions and waffle on our favourite pieces of software from 2008. You can listen to AAS Insight 54 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
Over on All About N-Gage, we've reviewed the arcade racing game Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D, and we've also published the results of our readers poll on the best N-Gage game of 2008, along with the personal picks of the AAN/AAS staff.
How do you let people know that their mobile phone plays games? Well if you are Nokia and the country is Indonesia, you hire a promotional bus (reports the Mobile Games Blog). As the bus tours the country, staff on board will demonstrate to people how to get the N-Gage client on their phone and download the demos themselves. And of course show them how to purchase the games using pre-pay vouchers.
Over on All About N-Gage, we've just started a poll to find people's favourite N-Gage game of 2008. Head on over to the survey thread to vote, and remember this is just a silly bit of fun! :-) You may also want to check out the results of AAN's end-of-year readers poll, where we asked which phone they used for N-Gage, and which announced game they were most anticipating.
It's the first N-Gage survival horror title and it involves killing large numbers of zombies in a wrecked airport. But is it any good? Find out with Ewan as he goes a-blasting in Resident Evil: Degeneration. Along the way he finds the game design too 'square', the default controls too frustrating and the graphics too limited. Yet, despite all this, he still recommends it overall as 'fun' for all would-be zombie vigilantes...
Over on All About N-Gage, we're asking readers to take part in an end-of-year survey to find out which phone they use for N-Gage, and which announced N-Gage games they're most looking forward to in 2009. Click on the link to find out more...
What happens when you have regular releases, and everyone expects a game on a certain day? You have a good feeling building around your platform. Will Nokia continue the regularity of the N-Gage game releases in 2009? Ewan think aloud on what could happen in the New Year.
Yes, we know we're very late in reporting this, but better late than never... The new installment of Capcom's infamous franchise Resident Evil: Degeneration is available on the N-Gage platform. Based on a recent CGI film of the same name, RE:D is a horror survival game where you have to fight zombies in an airport. Not very seasonal, but there you go! You can get the game from the N-Gage application's showroom section, if you can't see it select "Options" and "Update Now" and then "Available Games", and you may also see it in the "Latest Games" section.
Crash! On the N-Gage. Or more precisely Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3-D makes an appearance just in time for Christmas. The themed arcade karting game based on the Crash Brandicoot characters makes a return to the N-Gage, after a rather poor effort on the N-Gage classic. Thankfully Vivendi's little racer is far more fun this time around. The free demo is online now, and the full game is 8 Euros.
It's possibly the best game on N-Gage - ever. Or so we reckon, with Ewan Spence giving Metal Gear Solid Mobile a much-earned 90% score and a Megagame award on All About N-Gage. From the atmosphere to innovative gameplay and plenty of surprises along the way, MGS Mobile is solid stealth combat and fully worthy of its place in the Metal Gear Solid canon.