E3 2005: Nokia N-Gage Booth Tour

Written by Matt Swider  on June 11, 2005

Special: Matt makes his way through the Nokia N-Gage booth, checking out One, Pathway to Glory: Ikusa Islands, System Rush, Mile High Pinball and High Seize.

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One
The N-Gage library of fighting games is currently limited to King of Fighters Extreme, and although that sounds pretty lousy for fans of the genre, One will more than likely make up for it. This is because the game not only gives N-Gage owners another solid fighter, but also introduces realistic 3D fighting to the platform. It uses hundreds of motion captured moves to gain that realistic style, which resembles fighting found in Bruce Lee movies. However, this isn't a game where players take control of a Bruce Lee character or any other pre-made personality, but one in which they make their own custom fighter. Nokia says that the final game will boast millions of combination possibilities and the alter ego created will take on a Fight Club feel as you battle it out with opponents around the world.

There are more than a dozen environments, each representing a real-world location. Players can connect with others in close proximity and around the world for matches via Bluetooth and N-Gage Arena. Once an opponent is beaten, the winning character gains their skill and a spot on Arena's online ranking system. In addition to taking into account the wins record, the ranking system also factors in more minute details such as accuracy and the time it took to win the match for a more detailed assessment. Look for this One later this year.


Pathway to Glory: Ikusa Islands
The first Pathway to Glory game for N-Gage gave us more than enough reason to use N-Gage Arena and its sequel, Ikusa Islands, will only furthers the need to take your N-Gage online. However, players won't be put in the boots of soldiers on the European front, but find themselves strategizing on a set of Japanese islands this time around. The word УikusaФ means УwarФ and Ikusa Islands refers to the Japanese islands where the action takes place. In addition to the single-player campaign of this strategy game, which remains much the same only with slight improvements, the 6-player online mode will return. The biggest improvement here is the fact that players to use a Уfield radioФ to record their voice and send comments to opponents. Something innovative for an already glorious game.


System Rush
System Rush is a futuristic racer that reminded me of Nintendo's F-Zero franchise. In addition to being fast and full of floating vehicles, players can propel off the walls of the courses or get behind the exhaust pipe of an opponent to blow up or steal their energy. There will be a total of 15 courses in which players can compete alone in the single player mode, with another player via Bluethooth or with two others over N-Gage Arena.


Mile High Pinball
Nokia's N-Gage contains a screen longer in length than width, which makes it an excellent gaming platform for pinball titles. Mile High Pinball is that УperfectФ game and, at the same time, it's not your average pinball title. Instead of simply keeping the ball on the board and racking up points, players must climb a tower of different environments, striving to reach the top. The E3 demo had 12 playable pinball tables and the final version is said to include 80 levels. Additionally, players will be able to construct their own boards with an array of obstacles and upload them for others to download via N-Gage Arena. Pinball wizards should be pleased come November.


High Seize
The creative minds at RedLynx, developer of Pathway to Glory, have a new N-Gage strategy game on the horizon. High Seize is set in the Caribbean Islands during the 17th century, when European countries were colonizing the region. Even though the theme is quite different, the turn-based gameplay is still reminiscent of Pathway to Glory, but it occurs on both land and sea this time. Anyone that enjoyed the classic Defender of the Crown should get a kick out of this game and everyone that enjoys good puns should thoroughly enjoy the game's clever title. High Seize sets sail in October.