Nokia has launched the website for their flagship RPG Rifts at www.rifts-promiseofpower.com. The most elaborate N-Gage game site since Pathway To Glory, it contains many tantalising glimpses at what's to come. The developers' blog indicates Rifts has just reached the beta stage so we should be seeing some more in-depth previews appearing soon.
More Downloadable Demos for the N-Gage, it's the turn of recently released "X-Men Legends" to get the preview treatment. And if you're wondering how Activision have improved, I'll simply quote Wolverine. "No darlin'...Spiderman's a sissy."
In an interview published on N-Gage.com, Capcom has revealed that the N-Gage version of the hugely popular board game Catan will now feature live online multiplayer (with up to four players per game). As the interview says, this is the first time people around the world can play Catan together wherever they are.
Chris Rydberg carries on his examination of the gaming market with the US launch of the Playstation Portable. In part two, he sizes up the three big players (and find out it's really two big players and the N-Gage, but there you go). "There We Were, Now Here We Are: More on the Second Handheld Gaming War" is here.
It can't have escaped your notice that the Playstation Portable has launched in the USA last night. And while it's not Symbian based, expanding the market for mobile devices is going to benefit everyone - what it's going to do to the N-Gage Ecosystem is going to be very interesting. In a special three-part series, Chris Rydberg looks back at the history of mobile gaming, the current 'race' and what the future could hold. Part one, The Casualties of Christmas Past, takes a look back to see where previous handhelds went wrong and what lessons can be learned.
Sam Fisher strikes back - and now Nokia have worked out N-Gage MMC Demos are a good thing, we've got a Splinter Cell 2 downloadable demo up on the N-Gage Arena. The full release isn't that far away folks.
Sorry for the pun, but Wildpalm have done it again. Not content with forcing a ZX Spectrum and a Nintendo Gameboy into Series 60, they've now launched Sonic Boy, a Sega Game Gear and Sega Master System emulator. Well worth checking out if you have some legal ROMS.
Nokia have announced they are cutting the price of the N-Gage QD in the US. It will now retail in game stores for $99 (pre paid, same as pay as you go). The price of games has also been cut with prices now ranging from $15 to $25. That pricing point makes the unit much more attractive when compared to some of its competitors, and regardless of your gaming needs is a very good price for a smartphone. It is not yet clear whether the price cut will be followed elsewhere and thee move invites speculation about clearing stock in time for the next version of the N-Gage.
Coming straight out of nowhere, the Asian branch of Nokia's Games division today announced HinterWars: The Aterian Invasion, a Massively Multiplayer Online game for N-Gage and (interestingly) the PC. The client will be free to download for both formats, and will let PC and N-Gage owners exist in the same persistent game world, although N-Gage owners will have a number of extra features at their disposal. Nokia also unveiled the game's official website where people can sign up for Beta testing before the final release at the end of the year: http://www.hinterwars.com/
Many moons ago, Nokia purchased the Sega Dreamcast destined network gaming engine, SNAP. They've now licenced it to Gamica for their Java game, Lucky Ranch Tycoon. This ould be the first visible moving of the N-Gage Technology to other platforms,showing that while the N-Gage has more benefits to Nokia than just financial margins.
Yet another GDC N-Gage game, this time from Bonus.com. Mile High Pinball promises two player versions of the game, and the opportunity to virally beam a single player mini-application (possibly a demo level) to other N-Gage owners, design your own tables and share them on line through the Arena and even run their own customised tournaments. If you're talking about exploiting the strengths of the N-Gage, then it looks like Mile High is the way to go. No release date is announced.
From Red Lynx, the makers of Pathway to Glory comes what's already down on my 'must have' list. Announced at GDC is High Seize, a Pirate based strategy game, where you're on a quest to save your Father from the evil pirates who've kidnapped him. A nice tip of the hat to Robert Louis Stevenson, and probably the big Christmas 2005 release.
Nokia and Tantalus, at GDC (The Games Developers Conference) have officially announced Payload, a racing action game where you take the role of a Courier in a world short of fuel, ferrying what little energy there is between settlements. Previously sneak previewed as Pit Runner, there's no word on a release date yet, although we think Q3 is likely.
Well this is a sign of a good thing. Nokia have dropped their price of MMC Games Titles that should allow the existing games to be sold in the retail channels for £15 to £25 (and still let the stores make a little money themselves!). New releases will be available at mrp of £25 and these prices should translate through other territories. It's not the 'budget strategy' we suggested at Christmas, but it's a good move nonetheless.
