NCAA Football 2004 (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Exient Entertainment
Publisher: Jack Of All Games, Electronic Arts
Released: 2003

NCAA Football 2004 is a sports game that was also released on the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2003.

+ Boasts a deep playbook, along with over 100 Division 1 schools, head-to-head multiplayer, and adjustable depth charts.

+ Running game is excellent with competent blocking from teammates, and the intuitive kicking game resembles early Madden titles.

- Passing game is an abomination, as it's tough to see players when the screen zooms out and receivers don't always try to catch.

- Portrait screen means those who enjoy controlling wide receivers or defensive backs are out of luck due to the limited field view.

- CPU takes control of your player if the d-pad is left untouched, and the game doesn't remember your preferred defender after each snap.

- Graphics are super ugly with pixelated sprites and broken player animations that are clearly missing multiple frames.

- Info regarding injuries only appears for a split-second, teammates take forever to get to the line, and there's no post-game stats.

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.

FIFA Football 2004 (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Electronic Arts Canada, Exient Entertainment
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Released: 2003

FIFA Football 2004 is a sports game that was also released on the Game Boy Advance (2003).

+ Includes an enormous amount of competitions, teams and player licenses, and there's even a Bluetooth multiplayer mode.

+ Gameplay is much faster and more fluid than Marcel Desailly Pro Soccer (2004, Nokia N-Gage), with no player animation lag.

+ Action is easy to pick-up-and-play, button placement is well implemented, and the game engine is terrifically optimised.

+ Plenty of customisation options for managing your team, such as in-game statistics, performance charts and key players.

+ Has better presentation than Marcel Desailly Pro Soccer, including replays after goals and highlights at the end of each match.

- Teammates prefer to stand around, so you'll constantly have to switch over to control them when the ball approaches.

- No commentary during matches, and the tiny on-screen radar makes finding neighbouring teammates a guessing game.

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.

James Pond 3: Operation Starfish (Sega Mega Drive / Genesis review)

Developer: Millennium Interactive, Vectordean
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Released: 1993

James Pond 3: Operation Starfish is a platformer that was later ported to the Sega Game Gear in 1995.

+ Features 100+ levels and the M.C. Kids (1992, NES) inspired gravitational elements open up the stages for exploration.

+ Like Turrican (1990, C64), there's a mountain of collectables to find if you want to see everything the game has to offer.

- Tries to be both a slower Mario game and a fast-paced Sonic title, but the juxtaposition of styles doesn't mesh well.

- Repetitive level design is littered with unavoidable hazards and brutal enemy placement that relies on trial-and-error.

- Often forces you to jump around like an idiot in the hope of finding a hidden block to advance the path forward.

- Stiff aerial controls when jumping horizontally from a prone position, and oversensitive while dashing in mid-air.

- Weapons and attacks feel weak due to overbearing enemies, and the 22 symbol password system is convoluted.

Road Rash 3: Tour De Force (Sega Mega Drive / Genesis review)

Developer: Monkey Do Productions
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Released: 1995

Road Rash 3: Tour De Force is a vehicular combat racing game that's exclusive to Sega's 16-bit console.

+ Lengthy solo mode with plenty of options / upgrades to sink your teeth into, and there's a handy password feature.

+ Racing is as chaotic as ever, and the fast-paced action makes you constantly feel on the very edge of control.

+ Adding European countries is inspired, as some force you to retrain your brain by driving on the opposite side of the road.

+ Heavy metal intro track sets the mood with crazy double-kick drums, and there's some hilarious post-race cut-scenes.

- Gameplay offers nothing different to advance the series and the new courses only serve as bland racing backdrops.

- Low frame-rate makes it almost impossible to accurately dodge incoming traffic with any degree of consistency.

- New digitised character sprites create an unappealing, angular look that feels detached from the road / scenery.

Risky Woods (Sega Mega Drive / Genesis review)

Developer: Electronic Arts
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Released: 1992

Risky Woods is an action-platformer that was first released on the Commodore Amiga in 1992.

+ Has similarities to Ghosts 'n' Goblins (1985, Arcade), but with more depth to its gameplay mechanics and objectives.

+ Nice upgrade possibilities for your weapons and armour that can make the harsh difficulty more manageable.

- Level design is incredibly poor and lacking in imagination, as many sections repeat in what looks like copy/paste jobs.

- Despite enemies attacking from all sides you can only throw projectiles horizontally, so you can’t adequately defend yourself.

- Relentless enemy respawning can annoy, particularly when you’ve started what appears to be an unchallenged gap jump.

- Instead of walking over items to collect them you need to crouch, leaving you open to damage while the animation finishes.

- Some items / statues will either help or punish you, but there's no way to know before interacting with them.