Nokia is busily prepping a complete relaunch for the N-Gage gaming platform – not by launching a new dedicated gaming mobile (thank God), but by changing the face of mobile phone games completely.

That’s big talk, but then this sounds like it could be a huge deal for gaming freaks. In a nutshell, the new service can be described as a mobile version of Microsoft’s excellent Xbox Live: a huge gaming community right there on the phone, allowing us to connect to other players no matter where they might be. Fancy racing against someone in Rio? Boxing a Bavarian? No problem: you’re connected via the Internet. Friend’s lists and rankings are also included, so you can test your performance against the people you know.

Nokia says it’ll be easier than ever to download, demo and store games via the N-Gage Showroom – again, think the Xbox Live Marketplace, with its clear listings of downloadable content, but this is on all on your mobile’s screen.

Nseries handsets will be running the platform, and they’ve got bags of graphics power and crisp, colourful screens, so the games look nothing short of stunning too. Take a squiz at the video clips on the N-Gage site and see for yourself – things have come a long way from Snake, that’s for sure.

We’ve never been sold on mobile gaming in the past, so I’m intrigued as to where Nokia is taking things. We’ll soon find out, though: the service is due to arrive “mid-2007,” which means you could be feverishly fragging any day now…