Fed up waiting for N-Gage to go live? Console yourselves with this brand new games compilation from PDA maestros Astraware. After yesterday's announcement, and after a week or so of actual pre-release gameplay, Ewan presents his review of Astraware Boardgames, for both S60 3rd Edition and UIQ 3. Summary: classic games, well pitched and well implemented, Boardgames only falls short of Megagame status by a gnat's whisker.
Astraware, arguably THE top name in PDA gaming, has finally started releasing titles for Symbian OS, with the simultaneous launch of "Boardgames" for both S60 3rd Edition and UIQ 3, supporting all the usual devices. The games include Chess, Reversi, Backgammon, Snakes and ladders, Nine Mens Morris and Checkers. Ewan's been playing with an advance copy for a while and he'll have a full review tomorrow, hopefully. See below for some screenshots and the full press release.
EA Mobile has released an official version of Tetris for the new N-Gage platform. Is it up to scratch in these 21st century days? Head on over to All About N-Gage's Tetris review to find out.
In Insight #18 (AAS Podcast 67) Rafe, Ewan and Steve talk about this week's news (N-Gage First Access closing and Comes with Music). Rafe and Steve discuss their first impressions of the Samsung SGH-i450 and Samsung SGH-i550 (S60 phones) and afterwards Ewan talks about how he recorded and broadcast video on his trip to the USA.
Nokia's Official N-Gage Blog has now confirmed that the "First Access" beta testing phase will end on the 27th of March. It's unclear exactly when the full version of N-Gage will launch, but it should be "in the next few weeks". Nokia's also started a survey about the beta test and will give away the next gen version of Mile High Pinball to all beta testers who respond. You can also now sign up for SMS notification of the launch. Click on the headline for some important details.
OK, so I said earlier that AAS doesn't deal with rumour and vapourware. But we make exceptions for the later-than-a-very-late-thing-indeed N-Gage games platform. I just noticed that the official N-Gage blog just let a test post slip onto their RSS feed, entitled "N-Gage First Access Update #2". I'm guessing that the opening up of N-Gage is therefore imminent. Hopefully to include a much wider circle of compatible devices. Any guesses?
Over on AAN, we've taken a look at the N-Gage platform's first card game, the Texas Hold 'Em title World Series Of Poker: Pro Challenge. Read our review to find out if this is a flush or a pair of twos.
Continuing his quest to find great time fillers for his transatlantic trip, Ewan's been looking at another Java game, Silver Ball. It's presented well and has classic gameplay, but it's let down by clumsy sound control and some overlong screen transitions.
If you're anything like Ewan and myself, you'll enjoy a good brain-stretching, language-challenging word game - and these have been few and far between on smartphones. However, the appearance of Scratchy, reviewed here by Ewan, has helped a lot, keeping him entertained on his American travels. It's Java-based and basically works on anything, by the way.
The makers of the free Xmas game Snowed In have come up with a similar Easter-themed free game called Eggstreme: Sizzler Supremacy. It's available for every Symbian platform (S60 3rd, S60 1st/2nd, UIQ3, UIQ2, Series 80 and Series 90). The S60 3rd version supports all screen resolutions including the N80 and E90. You can download the relevant game file by going here, and you can get the free unlock code by going here.
You may remember the original Space Impact from phones such as the 3310, but now it's back as a full commercial game called Kappa Base. All About N-Gage puts it through its paces in the latest Next Gen N-Gage game review. Is alien zapping as fun now as it was in the 80s and 90s? Click on the link to find out.
Over on All About N-Gage, we've just done an in-depth review and playing tips feature about Nokia's flagship N-Gage title Hooked On: Creatures Of The Deep, programmed by Symbian OS codemasters Infinite Dreams. Click on the link to find out whether it makes the grade or has to be thrown back in the sea.
The first batch of next generation N-Gage games has now become available through the public beta test, so we've started reviewing them. Our first ever Next Gen N-Gage review is Block Breaker Deluxe, an unofficial remake of the old classic Breakout.
Tzer2 has been busy, over on All About N-Gage, listing 10 things that would be really cool on the new next-gen games platform. Do you think any of these semi-predictions will happen? Let Tzer2 know in the comments!
With the MWC and now GDC events under our belt, Ewan Spence draws from all the clues that Nokia has been dropping and comes up with a connected, converged epiphany into the future of gaming. The unification of smartphone functions, social networking and gaming is just around the corner, perhaps. Personally, I can't see any real showstoppers.