N-Gage has kept our thumbs busy all year, with top-notch gaming unlike that on any other handset.
From bloodthirsty beat-em-ups to super-smart puzzlers and yes, even fishing simulators. There's never been more choice when it comes to mobile gaming, and for the first time there really is something for every type of gamer.
We’ve had a fun year, but which were our favourites from the last 12 months? Read on to find out.
1. Reset Generation
As video game aficionados we instantly fell in love with Reset Generation. It’s a game about games, with sly nods to the early years of console gaming and some genuinely innovative features too.
For a start it’s the only N-Gage game available to PC owners as well as mobile phone gamers. See, you can play it direct from Nokia’s website, as well as on the move.
What’s more, you’ll actually go up against other players online, making it a true cross-platform mobile game. Exclusive to N-Gage, it’s exactly the type of title Nokia should be known for. Fun, innovative and unavailable elsewhere.
2. Creatures of the Deep
Fishing might sound like a dull topic for a thumb-twiddling mobile audience, but Creatures of the Deep is a genuine breath of fresh air from the tired shoot-em-up and platform titles more commonly found on handsets.
Challenged to fish in a variety of locations, the fun comes from the feeling of genuinely earning each point. There’s no two ways about it - once you’ve played a platformer for ten minutes, you’ve learnt the ropes and should be able to breeze through it. Not so with Creatures of the Deep. Each game is different, with tactics, equipment and a good dollop of luck all contributing to success. Oh, and it helps that the graphics are gorgeous too!
3. One
At first glance, it’s hard to believe this is a mobile game. Delivering 3D graphics on a par with the likes of the Sega Dreamcast, this beat-em-up gives gamers a graphical feast, on top of button-pounding action.
Sure, it’s not a tactical masterpiece, or even a challenge for the mind, but that’s not the point. One shows off N-Gage’s muscle in a way few titles before it have managed. It sapped our free time from the moment it was installed, and left us with a bloodlust for bigger and better fighting titles on our handsets. Fingers crossed for a sequel in 2009!