More thoughts from Russ Beattie, this time on the thorny issue of Piracy of N-Gage MMC Games. It's no huge secret that if you want the MMC Games, you can find them online and load up a massive MMC card, and we're wondering what Nokia can do about it. But Russ has another thought - that the easy availability of games is actually helping the N-Gage unit sales. What it's doing to the Developers bottom line I guess depends on the licencing contract with Nokia, but all the developers we've talked to are happy to continue working on new N-Gage titles. Somewhere the spreadsheet must be balancing out...
Wildpalm are currently offering up to 60% off all their Series 60 Games and Emulators for a limited time. With delights such as thier Gameboy Emulator and 3d Action in Meltdown, it's probably worth a look at the demo versions to see if it's worth it.
Someone must have knocked some sense in the guys from Actimagine since they finally decided to offer a end user package of Mobiclip for the price of 15.90 euro. It has reached version 3.0 and it doesn't support every Symbian device. You can download a trial version here.Those who don't know what Mobiclip is, read on.
To go along with the release of Gameloft's Asphalt: Urban GT for the N-Gage, Nokia are offering a free playable demo of Asphalt available over the internet. The huge reaction to the Pathway to Glory demo must have struck Nokia as amazing (and the rest of the gaming world as obvious), but congratulations are in order for Nokia for continuing to offer this. Our review of the full version of Ashpalt will be up by the end of the week, but until then, you can check it out yourself on Nokia's Asphalt Mini Site.
Over a year after the launch of the original N-Gage, and some 7 months since the QD shipped with one, Nokia have released the 'Arena Launcher' for the original N-Gage. Effectivly a customised browser for the Arena Services, you can browse the Arena Forums, check out the latest news, and message other users. or you could just go to All About N-Gage Mobile instead.
Makayama Software have announced the released of DVD To Mobile (Series 60) to complement their previous offering of DVD To Mobile (UIQ). Acting as a single interface to ripping, editing and encoding your DVD Collection to MPEG4, we'll review both versions in the near future.
As well as launching new phones and services, the Nokia Mobility Conference has news for the N-Gage Community as well, with unlockable gaming content. In conjunction with Orange France, Call of Duty gamers can download 3 new levels through the N-Gage Arena and a Premium SMS. A worldwide roll-out of this service is expected over the next few months.
Scottish Rally Driver Colin McRae left Finalnd today. At least the N-Gage MMC based Rally game bearing his name (Colin McRae Rally 2005) has shipped, and should be with your N-Gage retailers (online and in the shops) shortly.
Electronics Boutique will be hosting in store 'download stations' (reports CNN and others). Powered by Wideray's Bluettoth station, it's just a simple matter of waking into Bluetooth range of a store to access the products available to buy.
There's just over a week to go if you want to vote in the N-Gage Awards, sponsored by All About N-Gage, My Phone Games, N-Gage User and N-Gage World. You can vote on Best N-Gage Game, Best Java Game and Best N-Gage Fan Site.
Masabi are behind another "Bush/Kerry" mobile phone game, but their Pick the Prez allows you to send an electronic vote back to the website so your voice can be heard.
Fancy showing your love for your favourite N-Gage Game? Well now you can with the N-Gage Fan Packs. Grab some wallpapers, ringtones and sounds from The Sims, Crash Nitro, Pathway to Glory and Ashen. They're not full themes (like the Nokia 6600) but they're the best a regualr N-Gage can manage. Mind you, didn't we suggest this idea almost a year ago?
Nokia's N-Gage unit is one of three game units available to a Helsinki based team of gamers attempting to break the world record for continuous playing of computer games (reports N-Gage.com and Nokia). Passers by can grab another unit and join in with bluetooth gameplay of Fifa 2005. Given the other units are going to be a PC and a Playstation 2, All About N-Gage can only assume the N-Gage is in the mix so they can go to the toilet without jeporadising the record attempt.
Available for UIQ and Series 60, Concrete Software's Texas Hold Em Poker has been dealt a review from Ewan. Multiple versions over multiple platforms, all based on one game. Did they fold under the pressure?
