krisse's commentary:
The press release describes these games as casual and even "one-thumb", although it'll be interesting to see how the WRC rally game measures up to the excellent Colin Mcrae which appeared on the original N-Gage. Colin Mcrae managed to blend casual one or two minute games with the long term challenge of winning an entire championship, hopefully WRC will manage the same thing.
As always, it's worth mentioning that the Next Gen N-Gage is not a single device, but a general software platform that will be available on a range of S60 3rd Edition smartphones. Some of the compatible models have already been released, but most of them will appear in the future, allowing the N-Gage platform to grow just as the S60 platform does.
The current models which will support the platform haven't been announced yet, however it's strongly rumoured that the N95 and N93/N93i will be part of the platform. Nokia have gone on record saying that there will be about six compatible models available by the time the platform launches this year, with more models added to the platform as new S60 3rd Edition devices are launched. Nokia have also gone on record as saying some Next Gen N-Gage games will use 3D acceleration hardware (which is found in the N95, N93/N93i and E90) but not all games will require it. They've also said that it would be technically possible to support Next Gen N-Gage on non-Nokia S60 3rd Edition phones, however they have no current plans for doing this.
And that's as much as we know for sure...
Rafe's commentary:
This is the second casual games announcement for the N-Gage platform following on from the earlier news of Digital Chocolate's DChoc Cafe. Casual games are likely to be a key plank in the Nokia's renewed gaming strategy as they are the most popular type of games on mobile phones and have the potential to broaden the appeal of the N-Gage customer base.
Nokia today revealed that I-play, the mobile entertainment company, will be delivering a line-up of casual games to the N-Gage platform launching this fall. The first two titles to be introduced in 2008 include, World Rally Championship, the official license of the FIA WRC, and Super Mah Jong, an epic tale based on the ancient spiritual game Mah Jong, from the makers of Jewel Quest(TM).
"I-play brings a diverse games portfolio to N-Gage, and we're excited to have them on board," said Gregg Sauter, Director, 3rd Party Publishing, Nokia. "The N-Gage toolset provides the opportunity to deliver new features and richer experiences to consumers through I-play's strong portfolio of content. We look forward to this cooperation."David Gosen, CEO, I-play commented: "We're very excited to be cooperating with Nokia. The awareness that the launch later this fall alone will bring to the consumer and the mobile industry will help propel mobile gaming to the front and centre of entertainment consumed on the mobile."
Super Mah Jong
Guide Kwazi through destroyed lands and ruined temples in this mind-bending Chinese matching game with a mystical adventure story.From the makers of Jewel Quest™ comes an epic tale based on the ancient spiritual game Mah Jong. Match the Yin and Yang before the timer runs out to restore harmony to the ruined empire.
Screenshots from the Java version of Mah Jong Quest
World Rally Championship
I-play recently signed a deal with the FIA and WRC to use their brands in mobile games. In the press release announcing the agreement there are a few details of the forthcoming game (though this will refer to both an N-Gage version and likely a mass market, lower quality Java based game):
The World Rally Championship is the only mobile game to carry the official WRC license, carrying with it a huge weight of authenticity. This world-renowned franchise is recreated through original visual settings with the intense environments that the World Rally Championship epitomizes. High speed frenzied action, with detailed and incredibly high quality graphics, will raise WRC above and beyond any other mobile rally racing game. Staying true to I-play’s casual development philosophy, the game will incorporate ‘one thumb’ play and will be easily accessible, yet difficult to master.
Leighton Webb, SVP of Content Strategy & Licensing for I-play, commented: “The World Rally Championship is one of the most dynamic and challenging motorsports imaginable. Mobile gamers will be able to experience the dangerous and gruelling nature of the racing sport under every weather condition possible as they aim to master the rally circuits to become the ultimate champion in this authentic mobile iteration of the World Rally Championship.”
John Illsey, Director of International Sportsworld Communicators (ISC), commented: “We are delighted to partner with I-play in introducing the first Official World Rally Championship game on mobile. This platform delivers WRC content in a new format to a new generation of gamers who are able to experience the high-octane challenge of the World Rally Championship, on demand. High quality full rally simulation is now accessible in bite-size chunks relevant to modern lifestyles bringing WRC directly into the hands of a global supporter base.”
The 2D version of the game is being developed by I-play’s internal team and the 3D version by I-play’s developer partners at Firemint. Both games will be distributed globally across I-play’s extensive network.
Of historical interest is the fact that there were two Rally games for the original N-Gage (Sega Rally Championship and Colin McRae Rally 2005). However these were both produced by other developers and are unlikely to be related to the new title.