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.

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).

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Ideaworks3D

Publisher: Nokia

Released: 2003

 

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is a sports game that originally debuted on the PlayStation in 1999.

 

It consists of nine levels that take place in locations such as a School, a Mall and even Roswell! You have two minutes per attempt and your objective in each is to complete five missions; these include reaching the High / Pro Scores, locating the S-K-A-T-E letters and finding the Secret Tape. The rest of your goals are level specific such as grinding the lunch tables in School or destroying five cop cars in San Francisco. The action zips along at a blistering speed and the gameplay is as enjoyable as ever with a nice range of missions, huge, varied environments and a deep trick system. It's impressive that all nine levels are included and you can even watch a full replay of your last attempt and save / edit it into smaller clips. The button layout has been ported over well and most of the time you'll feel in total control of your skater. However, where things start to fall apart is in the vert game due to the slowdown and inconsistent frame-rate that make it tricky to see the rotation of your skateboard for a clean landing. These technical issues can also affect your input commands as they're sometimes ignored, meaning luck plays as much of a factor as skill. The draw distance isn't great but once you've memorised the level layouts it's not too much of an issue. One major plus is the ability to play four levels from THPS2 (New York, Hangar, Philadelphia and Venice Beach) in the 2 Player, Single Session and Free Skate modes. While many secret areas are absent they're still tons of fun to skate around and the level design truly shines. A few of the music tracks also made it into this port which really helps to compliment the action.

 

When the technical issues don't rear their ugly head, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater features some top-notch extreme sports action. However, while it's impressive that the entire game has been squeezed onto a portable device, the N-Gage isn't quite powerful enough to handle the twitch style gameplay that's required throughout.

 

 

 

Random trivia: If you complete all 30 missions you'll unlock Officer Dick as a playable character!