The much-anticipated N-Gage title Metal Gear Solid Mobile is now out in the 'Available games' section of the N-Gage client. Go look! The full game is £6 in the UK showroom, I've got some screens for you below the break...
Here on All About N-Gage, Ewan's been putting the latest N-Gage game through its paces. Boom Blox starts as a great idea but quickly disappoints with limited levels, a level editor but no way to share your creations, and generally average gameplay. You can read the full review of Boom Blox here.
Boom Blox has arrived on the N-Gage and is available for download. The EA helmed game is famous for having Steven Spielberg as part of the development process. Many were surprised at the appearance of this mixed puzzle/strategy game, but the initial Wii version gained critical acclaim. Now it's available on the N-Gage.
Jaako Kaidesoja, N-Gage VP, was collared at Nokia World and made to sit down and spill the beans over N-Gage's future. The result is two videos, embedded below. Subjects covered include touch-based gaming, audio-tie-ins and upcoming titles. Enjoy.
As a fellow mobile video show host(!), I can appreciate the efforts of others in the field. Stuff.TV's last two shows have some interesting bits for the Symbian world. The very latest show has a feature on the best mobile games, with the N82 shown many times and Reset Generation on the N96 starring as well, plus the last but one has a big head to head between the Samsung INNOV8 and Sony Ericsson C905. I've already slated the INNOV8's reflective display in our video podcast and Stuff.TV agreed - it's the single biggest downside of the Samsung flagship.
Not quite free but very close to it, you can now buy the updated puzzle game Quartz 2 Deluxe for S60 3rd Edition and UIQ3 devices for just €0.78 from Clickgamer (that's about 66 pence or 1 US dollar). As well as a single player mode the game also features internet and bluetooth multiplayer, and multiplayer versus computer opponents.
There are now six separate competitions running simultaneously to promote the N-Gage platform, with some rather good prizes ranging from phones and games to a big pile of Star Wars and football goodies. We've collected together all the links and info you need to enter these contests and grab some loot. As these contests have been poorly advertised there is actually a very good chance of winning too... :-)
EA produces its traditional annual update for one of their major titles. But have they done enough to warrant an upgrade? Ewan Spence decides to leap in and play 'spot the difference' from the 2008 version in his review over on All About N-Gage...
UK Publisher Tag Games has been working on a GTA styled mobile game for many months, and now Car Jack Streets is available for download. Given that the Tag founders were part of the original design team for the first Grand Theft Auto, it's no surprise that this is an addictive little mobile game, that makes best use of the smartphone environment. Ewan's full review can be found here.
Electronic Arts' football simulator FIFA 2009 is now available on the N-Gage platform. Just open your phone's N-Gage app, go to the Showroom section, select "Options" and then "Update Now" to see it. (It should also become available through the N-Gage website over the next day or two, if you prefer to install games through your computer.) This release is a bit of a surprise, as it had only just been announced a few weeks ago and hadn't even made it into N-Gage.com's upcoming games list. Obviously EA were working on this a long time before they announced it.
Over on All About N-Gage, an editorial ponders whether Nokia's obsession with online rankings is ruining their Arena online gaming service by alienating both hardcore and casual users. Reports of cheating in a recent ONE high score tournament haven't helped matters either.
A lot of news over on All About N-Gage, with updates to the N-Gage app and new phones added to the platform, sales charts released, a new games announcement, and a couple of very interesting videos published. See below for the relevant links.
The N-Gage platform's client is now available for the Nokia N78 and 6210 Navigator. The easiest way to get it is to visit n-gage.mobi/d (note there's no "www") on your phone's web browser, and select your phone from the list, which lets you download and install the app directly. Alternatively, you can download the app from the official N-Gage website and install using PC Suite. (Other phones compatible with the platform include the 5320 XpressMusic, N79, N81, N81 8GB, N82, N85, N95, N95 8GB and N96.)
In All About Symbian Podcast 100 (Insight #47) we talk about recent device shipment and market share numbers from Canalys. Ewan has a bee in his bonnet with regards to N-Gage, Steve chimes in with his dislike of poorly implemented DRM, but Rafe thinks things might not be as bad as Ewan suggests.
Over on All About N-Gage, Ewan Spence has been getting frustrated with the relative lack of games for N-Gage, arguing that Nokia should open up the system to Java and other more generic titles, to increase the variety and depth.