Crash Nitro Kart (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Vicarious Visions
Publisher: Vivendi Universal Games
Released: 2004

Crash Nitro Kart is a racing game that was also released on the Game Boy Advance in 2003.

+ Similar to Diddy Kong Racing (1997, N64), there's an immersive Adventure mode, along with side challenges and multiplayer.

+ Decent course design, timing-based powerslide mechanic is rewarding, and some of the non-racing collecting tasks are fun.

- Camera is excessively zoomed in, which doesn't allow you to see fellow opponents and item boxes with any degree of certainty.

- Likewise, the portrait screen limits visibility, making it alarmingly difficult to see upcoming turns and actually stay on the track.

- Has an enormous amount of over-steer when trying to turn corners, which leaves you disorientated and scrambling to correct.

- Drifting doesn't feel as natural as on the GBA due to the lack of shoulder buttons, and using multiple face buttons is convoluted.

- There's nothing here that advances the kart racing genre, and the Arcade cup mode only allows for singular laps.

FIFA Football 2005 (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Electronic Arts Canada, Exient Entertainment
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Released: 2004

FIFA Football 2005 is a sports game and the follow-up to FIFA Football 2004 (2003, Nokia N-Gage).

+ Has an impressive wealth of content (including a fun Challenge mode) and there's 5,000 more player licenses than the previous game.

+ Prestige Points are an inspired and addictive idea to encourage better play and team management in order to advance your career.

+ Addition of a through ball and 1-2 passes are meaningful improvements that open up the attack game and keep opponents guessing.

+ While still not perfect, teammate A.I. is more refined and they actually make a competent effort to mark rival players on and off the ball.

+ Slicker presentation all around, as you can choose camera angles, save replays, and there's more licensed music tracks in menus.

- Action is noticeably choppier than the 2004 edition, and teammates occasionally stand motionless next to a free ball.

- Radar is still too small for locating teammates, and simulating games is more cumbersome due to extra menu clicks.

Madden NFL 2005 (Tapwave Zodiac review)

Developer: Floodgate
Publisher: Mobile Digital Media
Released: 2004

Madden NFL 2005 is an American Football game that was also released on the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance (both in 2004).

+ Action is fast and fluid with a good selection of plays, and there's a number of customisation options for each match-up.

- Gameplay difficulty only allows for Pro or All Madden, and your Offensive Line seemingly have no idea how to block.

- No auto-select option for plays, and defense is tough due to the zoomed-out camera and microscopic teammates.

- A.I. is dumb and they'll often run out of bounds with clear space ahead, or let the clock expire while in field goal range.

- Front Office mode doesn't factor in a salary cap, so you can keep trading until your lineup consists of the best players!

- Generic announcer commentary is utterly pointless, and team jerseys don't always match their real-world gear.

Marcel Desailly Pro Soccer (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: G Artist
Publisher: Gameloft
Released: 2004

Marcel Desailly Pro Soccer is a sports game that was also released on the Sony PlayStation (2002) and Sony PlayStation 2 (2002).

+ Good range of modes on offer, along with lots of tactical formations and a decent selection of club / international teams.

+ Coaching aspect of managing team fitness levels during matches is fun, and your progress is saved in cups and leagues.

+ SFX do an excellent job of creating a raucous atmosphere, and there's some humorous animations when you score a goal.

- Sprites are incredibly tiny and the minuscule map of your teammates is all but useless for locating their whereabouts on the pitch.

- Suffers from the occasional animation delay whereby button inputs will eventually register a few seconds after being pressed.

- A.I. is dumb, as your teammates rarely put in the effort to tackle and opponents sometimes dribble the ball out of bounds.

- Presentation lacks flair and excitement, and the game doesn't even have the decency to show you replays of your goals.

Operation Shadow (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Torus Games
Publisher: Nokia
Released: 2004

Operation Shadow is a third-person action game that's exclusive to the Nokia N-Gage.

+ Objectives are varied and there's a nice range of vehicles (including helicopters and jeeps) to compliment the on-foot action.

+ First two missions are enjoyable, especially for fans of the Contra series, and the game saves your high score after each one.

- However, the difficulty then skyrockets to an absurd degree with swarms of tanks that can instantly kill you from off-screen.

- Vehicles are severely under-powered and ammo is too scarce to make them a valuable tool in your combat arsenal.

- It's impossible to get close enough to most targets without first taking damage, meaning skill-based play is thwarted.

- Mission objectives sound simple, but they typically have a confusing nuance that's only decipherable through trial-and-error.

- Narrow draw distance, low polygon count and extreme pop-in magnify the game's woefully unpolished feel.

Colin McRae Rally 2005 (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Ideaworks3D
Publisher: Codemasters
Released: 2004

Colin McRae Rally 2005 is a racing game that was released on numerous systems including the Sony PlayStation Portable (2005).

+ Lots to keep you occupied in solo and multiplayer modes, with a whopping 64 courses split across eight different countries.

+ Difficulty caters well to both newcomers and experts, and the amazing course design mixes in wide turns with narrow, twisting roads.

+ Optionally, those who enjoy customising their car will find plenty of options to tinker based on factors such as weather / road surface.

+ Limited repair times at midway intervals force you to strategise on the most important adjustments for the second leg of the race.

+ Detailed graphics, excellent draw distance, and your co-driver gives you ample notice to prepare for upcoming turns.

+ Smooth performance and the seriously impressive frame-rate wipes the floor with Sega Rally Championship (2004, Nokia N-Gage).

- Controls can be tricky to become accustomed to, and for a while it can feel like you're trying to wrestle the car into staying on track.

Barakel: The Fallen Angel (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: StormBASIC Games
Publisher: Nokia, Technobubble Entertainment
Released: 2004

Barakel: The Fallen Angel is a hack and slash game that was only released in Portugal and Spain.

+ Supports local multiplayer and a nice feature is how friends can share objects, gold and potions to keep inventories stocked.

+ Does a very good job of signposting you to your next objective, both with in-game arrows and via menu reminders.

- Has severe glitches, including a consistent game-breaking crash shortly after the third boss due to a memory overflow issue.

- Saving your game costs too much currency and the risk of losing tons of progress makes farming a boringly stressful necessity.

- Despite enemies typically swarming in groups, your attacks can only hit one at a time, leaving the other foe to freely drain your life bar.

- Limited field-of-view can make it hard to see the exact location of NPCs, as well as the placement of switches in dungeon areas.

- Features an egregious amount of typos from the outset, which does ruin the immersion and gives the game an unpolished feel.