Below is a complete of the games included in to promotion, with links and quotes from All About Symbian reviews (where available). You can either search for these games in Ovi Store or click through on the links provided. In all cases the paid version of the game continues to be listed in Ovi Store, so make sure you choose the right one.
The promotion is running in a limited number of countries. Only in these countries can the games be downloaded for free. The promotion is confirmed to be available in the France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom but may also be available elsewhere in Europe. Let us know in the comments if the promotion is available in your country.
Latest entry in the Angry Birds franchise
If there is one game that squawks “Mobile gaming is a big thing” then it’s Angry Birds. First available for iOS devices, it made its way to Symbian^3 before heading to Android devices, cuddly toys, sketches in Israeli topical comedy shows, and looks set to break into the home consoles during 2011. It’s no surprise that when Nokia wanted to make a visual statement at Nokia World that they 'got' gaming, they called The Birds onto the stage. Here's our look at the festive "bonus" edition of the title.
Making its HD debut on Symbian is one of Gameloft’s franchise games, Assassin’s Creed. For those of you who’ve played this on consoles and handhelds, you know exactly what to expect - running around the ancient middle east, jumping a fair bit, and swinging your sword around as you seek out ancient relics. You'll be glad to know that you’re going to get the full experience on Symbian. Here's what else is on offer in our review of the latest HD game for Symbian^3.
Swing through the jungle like Jake Sully.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to run your own farm? Now you too can be up at the crack of dawn tending to livestock, thanks to Farm Frenzy for S60 5th Edition phones, reviewed here by David Gilson. Requiring a healthy degree of mental multitasking and finger dexterity, Farm Frenzy is addictive and definitely one of the better games currently on the Ovi Store.
Because Fruit Ninja is a game that works everywhere. It's a nice and tight game on the small screen of the C6-01, and with room to breathe on the E7 there's the chance for fat fingers to be a bit more loose. Fundamentally it's the same simple and challenging game no matter where you play it. Perhaps, looking back at Fruit Ninja, we should instead be asking "what could be more complicated than touching the screen of your smartphone?" Halfbrick's answer would be simple. Nothing, this is complicated enough.
GT Racing: Motor Academy HD - review
It’s not perfect – the cars you drive against seem to be floating over the circuit rather than on the track and where they are pointing only bears a passing resemblance to their actual direction of travel, but as I’m already in “90’s Amiga mode” while playing GT Racing, this just adds to the retro charm (or looks horribly poor from a gaming perspective, you decide).
A capacitive screen isn't a great replacement for a Fender Stratocaster, but Gameloft's Guitar Rock Tour 2 HD brings the rock-rhythm genre to the new Symbian devices. But is your smartphone the best choice of musical instrument to take you on a digital career around the world? Probably not, but not because Gameloft haven't tried their best.
They say that games can transport you to another world. Which is a bit of a problem, because the latest HD game for Symbian^3, H.A.W.X. HD, seems to have lifted me not into the cockpit of an advanced fighter jet, but to the seat in front of Tom Clancy’s typewriter. Which is no place to write a serious game review... is it?
Hero of Sparta is what I’d call a strong B-title in the new Symbian gaming world. It doesn’t sell the platform, it doesn’t immediately attract the eyes of the press or the consumers – but when you buy it, you find a great game, with depth and skill, in a genre that’s sorely under-represented in the mobile space.
Monopoly Classic HD is a wonderful title that shows that Nokia's 2010 Symbian^3 line-up can run the same sort of impressive titles as the iOS and Android competition. Most importantly, it brings a classic family game to your phone - sign up your parents or grandparents to play with you and you won't even need to take up the living room table for a couple of hours. Or leave little plastic houses on the floor for others to tread on. AND you can't lose the dice! 'Nuff said. Recommended.
Oh dear, we haven't reviewed this game, still, it's PAC-MAN - championship style...
Gameloft continue with an impressive run of mobile games, and our commenters can continue their impressive run by pointing out that, just like most games from the console developers, it’s been available on other platforms before. I’ll trump them on that, because Settlers has had a long life on the desktop before Gameloft bought its current incarnation to any of the smartphone platforms. But was it a good decision to bring it to Symbian?
This version of Sims is not that much different to the last iteration on Symbian handsets (which, if we’re honest, is true of every Sims game on every platform); the low level addiction was there, the quick gameplay (each real day that didn’t take up too much time, balanced off against the accelerated time passing in the game world) is pitched perfectly; and the mix of goals, personal management and fun things to do is still right in the sweet spot. Add in the larger screens, polished graphics and touch interface and this is a winner that’s improved with age.
Spider-Man Total Mayhem HD - review
Gameloft have put a lot of adjectives in the title of their latest Symbian^3 game, and for once, it’s well deserved. Not because Gameloft have done something new and innovative (this is yet another 3d-esque beat-em-up, with the same UI mechanics as Hero of Sparta and Assassins Creed), and not because the graphics look like they’ve been worked especially for this screen resolution (even though that’s true). It's deserved as there seems to be a bit more love and attention paid to this Spiderman incarnation than any of the other current crop of games.
Tetris and electronic gaming go hand in hand, of course. Over the years there have been hundreds of versions on a dozen platforms, not least my own Atomic on Psion and the Nokia Communicator (ah, the memories...) There have been quite a few versions for S60 and then N-Gage too, but we now have something of a next-generation winner in Tetris HD, an official - though commercial - adaptation from Electronic Arts. With traditional and 'souped up' modes, it's a class act from start to finish.
Symbian^3 has Worms. No jokes please, I mean the perennial video game! Yes, Worms has been around since 1995, allowing gamers to partake in the pleasure of parabolic persecution. That’s right, it’s not just the Angry Birds who have been exploiting ballistic bombardment for our entertainment! Read on to see how well the slithering scrimmage plays out on Symbian^3!
Thanks to krisq for the tip and My Nokia Blog for additional market availability information.