Asphalt: Urban GT 2 (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Gameloft
Publisher: Gameloft
Released: 2005

Asphalt: Urban GT 2 is a racing game and the follow-up to the 2004 Nokia N-Gage original.

+ Gigantic range of races and vehicle upgrades, and the Championships mix in different challenge types to test your driving skills.

+ Winning races and driving recklessly results in dopamine-style rewards that hook you into the game's awesome progression system.

+ Breathtaking speed and the addition of nitrous top-ups on the road means you'll need to take some gambles to stay ahead.

+ Inclusion of police chases gives the action an exhilarating edge that's reminiscent of Road Rash (1991, Sega Genesis).

+ Amazing course design and the graphics are a real showpiece with an enormous amount of detail and scenic variety.

- Can be tough to spot upcoming turns due to the game's low resolution, and the frame-rate tanks in higher speed classes.

- Swooping camera when riding a bike can be disorientating, and the random screens featuring The Pussycat Dolls feel tacked-on.

SSX Out of Bounds (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Exient Entertainment
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Released: 2005

SSX Out of Bounds is a snowboarding game that was also released on the Gizmondo in 2005.

+ Courses encourage you to explore, as there's a ton of different routes to the finish line that will take you off the beaten path.

+ Catching big air and successfully executing huge trick combos is intoxicating, particularly when linked with rail grinds.

+ Plenty of modes to sink your teeth into and the different event types force you to adapt to new ways of playing in order to advance.

- Rough frame-rate, making it hard to see upcoming turns and resulting in a lack of precision when attempting to navigate.

- Contains numerous bugs and clipping issues, which either cause you to inexplicably bail or push you into an out-of-bounds area.

- Controls are very unpredictable and there's many times where your button presses are randomly ignored by your character.

- Lengthy load times and elongated courses don't really lend themselves to the handheld's pick-up-and-play nature.

Snakes (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: IOMO
Publisher: Nokia
Released: 2005

Snakes is an action game and an updated version of Snake (1998) that came preloaded on Nokia mobile phones.

+ Bite-sized levels are perfect for handheld play and your progress is automatically saved so you can continue at a later date.

+ Does a terrific job of gradually introducing new mechanics and items to spice things up and stop repetition from creeping in.

+ Hexagon grids add a new wrinkle, as they require you to retrain your brain and make sure to account for extra d-pad presses to turn.

+ Strikes a perfect balance of being hypnotically relaxing (especially with its ambient music), while also pushing you to beat the clock.

+ Multiple camera angles to choose from (including a cool overhead view) and the Bluetooth multiplayer mode ensures longevity.

- Slight, but noticeable delay between pressing a direction and your snake performing that action, which can cause unwanted collisions.

- Frame-rate occasionally stutters, and the levels can feel very rigid in the way you're expected to beat them.

Atari Masterpieces Vol. I (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Digital Eclipse
Publisher: Atari Interactive
Released: 2005

Atari Masterpieces Vol. I is a compilation of eight games that were originally released in the Arcade from 1978 - 1982.

+ Decent games collection, including several Atari classics that see their portrait orientation represented well on the N-Gage's screen.

+ Includes interview video clips with Nolan Bushnell, which is great for learning more about the history of the company and its output.

+ A number of Atari 2600 titles (such as Adventure and Yars Revenge) are unlockable by obtaining certain scores in the Arcade games.

- The lack of substantial in-game DIP switches results in tough-as-nails gameplay that could deter more casual players.

- Asteroids suffers from minuscule sprites, overly-sensitive controls that affect fine-tuning your aim, and dodgy collision detection.

- Super Breakout is unplayable due to the laggy inputs and it's puzzling why it was included on a handheld without a paddle controller.

- Millipede and Missile Command suffer from the lack of a trackball controller, and it's hard to survive past the first couple of levels.

Pool Friction (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: StormBASIC Games
Publisher: Nokia, Technobubble Entertainment
Released: 2005

Pool Friction is a sports game that was only released in Spain.

+ Music sounds almost identical to the track used on the PlayStation Vita home screen, which creates a relaxing, ambient mood.

+ While you can battle a CPU opponent, much of the fun comes from taking on another player via Bluetooth.

- However, each mode is extremely bare-bones, and the lack of a Tournament mode means you'll only ever play single matches.

- CPU plays at a good skill level and it's a shame that no difficulty options were included to assist newcomers.

- Managing to pot a ball requires a ridiculous level of accuracy, resulting in plenty of exasperated sighs.

- No option to add spin, and there's a strange occasional bug whereby a ball sitting over the pocket becomes invisible.

- Post-shot, the game usually lines you up facing completely the wrong direction, and turning the laggy cursor is a chore.

Mile High Pinball (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Ideaworks3D
Publisher: Nokia
Released: 2005

Mile High Pinball is a Nokia N-Gage exclusive pinball game.

It consists of 80+ tables and the objective in each one is to clear missions / puzzles and then advance to the top of the screen. There are also over 35 power-ups (that are either bought / sold at a shop, or collected around the playfield) and these can be activated at any time during gameplay. The continuous vertical progression is both addictive and anxiety-inducing in equal measure, as you'll be desperately trying not to fall down to a previous table while incredibly intrigued about what lies ahead; in turn, this creates a 'just one more go' mentality that's hard to shake as you become totally invested in the action. A very welcome addition are the secret tables which can be entered by hitting certain objects to open up a hidden exit; here you can obtain collectable medallions and one of the tables sees you battling tanks in a tribute to Pathway to Glory (2004, Nokia N-Gage). There are a handful of tables where bumper placement impedes your progress to an annoying degree, but on the whole the stage design is top-notch and well thought-out; what makes them so enjoyable is how the mission structure constantly switches things up, and while one minute you'll be attempting to open all the flower buds, the next you'll be destroying a swarm of enemies before taking on a boss. The power-ups come in super handy here (especially the damage multipliers and balloons that force the ball to float upwards) and the fact that you can store several items and use them at will makes for engaging gameplay; plus, the ability to buy / sell them from shops is a fantastic advancement of the genre that allows you to scheme based on the table objective.

Mile High Pinball is an unexpected, yet pleasant surprise and the amount of tables, weapons and secrets is hugely impressive. Once you start advancing upwards from stage-to-stage it's hard to put the game down and the enticing thought of what adventures lie ahead is a tantalising premise that's impossible to resist.

Random trivia: Ideaworks3D developed several other titles for the N-Gage including The Sims Bustin' Out (2004) and Tomb Raider (2003).

Ball Busters (Gizmondo review)

Developer: Netdol Ltd
Publisher: Fathammer
Released: N/A

Ball Busters is an unreleased sports title that was due to be published in 2005.

You control a racket and the goal is to repeatedly hit the ball in order to launch it past your opponent's net to win a point. Arcade mode consists of five matches and features items that allow you to swerve shots or add a brick wall to your opponent's halve. The action is fast and intense, and the core concept is almost a mixture of Pong (1972, Arcade) meets Windjammers (1994, Neo Geo). The ability to collect items adds strategy too and I like how there's a risk-reward in terms of obtaining them while keeping an eye on the incoming ball. Also, the inclusion of some cheesy, yet humorous trash talk from the competitors adds personality to each match! However, while the controls aren't necessarily bad, your racket tends to jump around when pressing the d-pad; this lack of smooth movement results in lots of over-shooting your intended target and delicate shifts around the playfield are nigh-on impossible. Also, with only five matches per game this mode is rather short and lacking in replayability. Quest mode consists of 54 challenges that include avoiding bombs while returning the ball, or hitting moving targets. The objectives are quite basic, but there's definitely some fun to be had and the short bursts of gameplay encourage you to keep trying. Unfortunately, by the time you reach the higher difficulty levels it becomes more about luck rather than skill, as the speed increase is so steep that trying to line up your twitchy racket is total guess work. Also, like Arcade, this challenge mode is light on content and with only six gameplay variants you're usually doing the same thing over and over again with faster ball physics as the only difference.

Ball Busters is a neat concept that would have made an entertaining multiplayer game if the planned mode was finished, but as it stands the premise is a little lost when you're dealing with such bare-bones single-player content. It can be mildly enjoyable in short bursts, but the inaccurate d-pad controls do hold things back.

Random trivia: Netdol Ltd also developed Pocket Ping Pong 2005 which was released on the Gizmondo in 2005.