The word “N-Gage” used to dredge up painful memories of Nokia’s duff gaming phone - but that ain’t the case no more. Because, dear thumb bandits, N-Gage is about to be relaunched as the finest mobile phone gaming service in history!
Come November, Nokia is rolling out an N-Gage afresh, except it’s (and this is the slightly confusing bit) no longer an actual device but a service available to all S60 3rd Edition mobiles.
If you’ve ever used Microsoft’s slick Xbox Live online service, the concept here is the same. All N-Gage games will be available for free download on a trial basis; if you like what you see, you pull out your credit card and buy (prices range from €6 to €10 - about £4 to £7), if not, you don’t.
And the comparisons with Xbox Live don’t end there. N-Gage’s Arena gets you hooked up with other gamers, no matter where they might be. So you can challenge a mate in the same room to a bout of street fighting, or take on a Brazilian in Sao Paulo at some FIFA 08 footie. You’re given a profile complete with nickname, and can build up a friends list of preferred opponents as well as earn N-Gage points (not actually worth anything in real terms - but they give your online ego a boost).
The games themselves aren’t going to match the sort of stuff you’d get on dedicated handheld gaming hardware like a Sony PSP or Nintendo Ds (they’re way cheaper, so what do you expect?) but they’re no slouches either - eye-tickling 3D graphics are very much on the menu this time around, and mobiles like the N81 and N95 can be gripped much like a classic game controller - it’s an end to fiddly, thumb-bending controls!
Like we said, N-Gage is touching down in November, and will either come as a download for existing S60 devices or embedded in brand new ones. We’re already limbering up our digits in preparation for some online arse-kicking - see you in the Arena.
N-Gage essentials
Crash Bandicoot
The deranged marsupial (at least we think that’s what a bandicoot is) is coming to N-Gage around the time of launch, and it seems the mobile version will follow the storyline of the classic first PlayStation instalment - which means spinning, crate-smashing platform action all the way!
FIFA 08
We won’t lie: we’re more Pro Evolution Soccer men here at NokNok. But FIFA 08 is looking like the first ever mobile phone footie game worth playing, and the thought of being able to take on buddies and Germans alike on an N95 is a mouth-watering prospect.
Snakes Subsonic
The slithery Nokia puzzle classic is back once again, with online leaderboard rankings and 40 levels of fast-paced three dimension reptilian action.