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.

Space Impact Evolution X (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Kuju Entertainment
Publisher: Nokia
Released: 2003

Space Impact Evolution X is a vertically-scrolling shooter that was available as a console pack-in on the included CD-ROM.

+ Action is perfectly suited to the handheld's portrait screen, and the game has a good range of locales and multiple continues on offer.

+ Features detailed sprite work (particularly on the bosses and orb enemies), and some areas have awesome background layering.

- Takes a long time for the action to heat up due to predictable enemy patterns and your ability to safely blast their own shots.

- Difficulty options are entirely absent, so unless you want to try and beat your high score there's little reason for repeated play.

- Manages to suck the fun out of powering-up, as collected items are only available to use for a few precious seconds.

- Collision detection is awfully sketchy and you'll likely lose many lives despite clearly being a few pixels away from a projectile.

- Seriously lacking in atmosphere, as the gameplay doesn't include a note of music and the SFX often randomly stop playing.

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.

Flo-Boarding (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Housemarque
Publisher: Nokia
Released: 2003

Flo-Boarding is a sports game and a cut-down port of Supreme Snowboarding (1999, Microsoft Windows).

+ Courses are very well designed and allow you to play to your own style whether it's with air-based tricks, or rail grinds.

+ Fast-paced action that gets more exhilarating as you learn the course layouts and figure out the optimal path to the finish line.

+ Includes many shortcuts if you're brave enough to wander off the beaten path, with the reward being huge time savings.

+ The need to consistently execute tricks to top-up your boost metre means you can never play it safe, which keeps suspense high.

- With only five courses on offer, the game is light on content with no real reason to stick around once you've beaten them.

- Can initially be tough to spot upcoming bends due to limited camera visibility, so course memorisation is an absolute must.

- For such a simplistic game, there's an unnecessary amount of grab tricks that make convoluted use of the numbered keypad.

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.

Asphalt Urban GT (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Gameloft
Publisher: Nokia
Released: 2004

Asphalt Urban GT is an arcade-style racing game that was also released on the Nintendo DS in 2004.

+ Driving recklessly to top up your nitrous metre is thrilling and the risk-reward gameplay is very similar to Burnout (2001, PlayStation 2).

+ Track design is sensational with a wide variety of locales in which to race, and the satisfying drift mechanic is a breeze to master.

+ The fast-paced action constantly leaves you feeling on the edge of control, which is both nerve-wracking and exhilarating.

+ Huge array of vehicles to unlock and there's a myriad of options in terms of customising them to your liking.

+ The frame-rate is absolutely rock-solid and there's little-to-no slowdown despite the detailed scenery and high-octane racing.

- However, the pixelated graphics do make it challenging to see where corners start and you'll often commence drifting too early/late.

- The Cop Chase mode should have been a fun Chase HQ (1988, Arcade) clone, but it's far too difficult to lock onto vehicles.

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.