The retro tank game My Little Tank has now been released for Symbian S60 3rd Edition devices (sorry, no UIQ3 version this time). You can download the demo or purchase the full game from Astraware's website, the game costs $9.95 which is around 8 euros or 6.5 pounds.
Geography enthusiasts rejoice! The long awaited quiz game from Herocraft - the makers of such great titles as Robo, Revival and Stolen in 60 Seconds - has finally arrived to keep the smart player happy for hours to come. Read on for the details.
Over on All About N-Gage, an editorial ponders whether Nokia's obsession with online rankings is ruining their Arena online gaming service by alienating both hardcore and casual users. Reports of cheating in a recent ONE high score tournament haven't helped matters either.
A lot of news over on All About N-Gage, with updates to the N-Gage app and new phones added to the platform, sales charts released, a new games announcement, and a couple of very interesting videos published. See below for the relevant links.
The N-Gage platform's client is now available for the Nokia N78 and 6210 Navigator. The easiest way to get it is to visit n-gage.mobi/d (note there's no "www") on your phone's web browser, and select your phone from the list, which lets you download and install the app directly. Alternatively, you can download the app from the official N-Gage website and install using PC Suite. (Other phones compatible with the platform include the 5320 XpressMusic, N79, N81, N81 8GB, N82, N85, N95, N95 8GB and N96.)
In May of this year there was quite a fuss when Nokia confirmed that new N-Gage games were locked to one phone forever. They then responded to the dismay by saying that transfers would be possible after all through Nokia customer services, but it now turns out that this can only be done once: you can transfer N-gage games from one phone to another, but they are lost forever if you move onto a third phone. In a follow-up editorial, All About N-Gage takes a closer look at this policy, and wonders where on earth Nokia's promised multi-transfer solution has got to. When will N-Gage users get the same transfer rights as Nokia Music and Nokia Maps users?
One of the easiest contests ever: every week for the next twelve weeks a Nokia N81 8GB and limited edition N-Gage bathrobe will be given away on Gamasutra.com in association with Sauna Talk. All you have to do is answer one multiple choice question, which has a hint link next to it where you can find the answer. You can enter once a week, so you effectively have up to twelve chances to win the prizes. (In case you're unaware, Sauna Talk is a series of videos designed to advertise the N-Gage platform to developers. Apparently the contest is only open to those "related" to the games industry, but don't ask us what that means.) (via the Official N-Gage Blog)
Possibly the most long-awaited game on the new N-Gage platform, the 3D beat-em-up ONE (sequel to the original N-Gage game of the same name) has been reviewed on All About N-Gage by our very own Highlander Ewan Spence. He's pretty darn impressed by the gameplay and graphics, but is that enough to win it the Mega-Game? Click on the link to find out...
There have been quite a few new games announced in connection with today's Nokia Games Summit, including FIFA09, Need For Speed Underground, Spore Origins, Monopoly Here & Now World Edition, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Boom Blox and The Sims 3 from Electronic Arts, Tomb Raider Underworld and Pandemonium from Eidos, Nokia's own Dance Fabulous, and Gameloft's Asphalt 4: Elite Racing and Real Football 2009. You can find out more about all of these by heading over to our sister site All About N-Gage.
The long-awaited 3D fighting game ONE is out now on the N-Gage platform. Go to the Showroom section of the app and select the Update Now option to see it. For more info see All About N-Gage's ONE game page, and the official trailer is visible below.
The card game DChoc Cafe Solitaire 12 Pack is now available on the N-Gage platform. You can download it by going to the application's showroom section, then selecting "Options" and "Update Now". Alternatively you may want to try out the unofficial games Astraware Solitaire or some of the other card and board games available for N-Gage-compatible devices.
The N79 seems to be now making its way to shops across Europe, as Nokia's official site in Italy lists it as available now, and Expansys UK also has it in stock. You can find out more about the N79 from All About Symbian's extensive hands-on preview article.
The much-awaited Nokia N85 is now available in Finland, and it also seems to have now gone on sale in France too. It's already been available in Italy for a short while now, and presumably should get a continent-wide rollout as the month goes on. The package deal of the SIM-free model varies from country to country, but most people seem to get a voucher for some free Nokia Music Store tracks, a free Nokia Maps subscription and a free N-Gage game.
Over on All About N-Gage we've had various news items over the past few days, including confirmation from Nokia that game transfers ARE still possible through customer service (despite the misinformed words of a few service reps recently), there's been an updated version of the game Pro Series Golf to fix compatibility problems with the updated N-Gage app (and it also now works on the 5320), and we've had a bit of a nostalgic wallow as it's five years since the original gen N-Gage launched.
In which I explain perhaps the all round best way to keep your data safe and your disruption to a minimum when it comes to repair, replacement or firmware upgrade time. I also propose it as a possible way to restore operation to a 'broken' phone. Comments welcome if you've lived or died by a variety of backup and restore procedures. Can you add to this feature?