N-Gage Update: Taking the Challenge

Nokia's determination in the mobile gaming space is unwavering, despite fresh rivalry with PSP and DS. But is its self-belief justified?

For many of us, Nokia's Pre-E3 Conference at last year's show was the first opportunity to go hands-on with the N-Gage. It was the event where, quite infamously, some chick lifted her shirt to reveal the $299 price of the handheld, and also the first chance to hear from the creators of the crowded market's new entry. But after the last six months of lagging sales, with some major retailers withdrawing it from display completely, we think Nokia is more focussed - beginning with the N-Gage QD.

Fast forward to May 11, 2004, when Nokia invited the press to the top floor of The Cooper Building for its lower key Pre-E3 briefing. The area for the conference was cleverly set-up with chairs all around the stage, plasma screens strategically positioned so that where ever you were you could see the conference.

Arriving at the dimly-lit, overwhelmingly red arena, we were greeted with a free bar and the chance to play the new N-Gage QD's, which where attached to the hips of hot babes for security reasons - or was it the babes who were attached to the QDs? - while the rest of the babes went around serving sushi and other such fine treats.

This was the first time the new QD model was playable in the US, and the overall response was quite positive. Before the actual conference started, as well as a few better known titles, some newly announced games were on display such as Pocket Kingdoms and The Sims: Bustin' Out. But the game that attracted the most attention was undoubtedly Ashen, the new first person shooter coming soon on the platform.

The actual conference started slightly later then expected, opening with a fairly surprising apology for an "interesting six months" - a time in which Nokia admitted there had been "lots of learning". The company told the press it had been listening to feedback from the market and early adopters, and that it's now acting on what it has learned. The company says it is keen to move on to the "next step" - but is it truly prepared, considering the underperformance of the product to date?

Nokia came out fighting by explaining its strategy for the next year - or at least it tried to. Things didn't go very far before shortly into the presentation the microphone cut. This happened many times through the conference, and at one point the audience shouted things like "use a phone" and "doesn't the N-Gage have a mic you can use?" - amusing.

Nokia went out to announce that there will be fifty N-Gage titles out by Christmas, and also revealed its new partnership with two new publishers, Atari and Capcom.

The conference then went on to announce details on the evolution of N-Gage. The first generation of games were ports, second was original content, the third incorporated Bluetooth multiplayer support, and now mobile online gaming with Pocket Kingdoms, said the company.

A few key games Nokia showed were Pathway to Glory; a turn based action war game, and Glimmierati, a new racing game complete with a Eurobeat soundtrack. Also the old classic pen and paper RPG, Rifts, is being recreated for the N-Gage. As for existing licences, King of Fighters is being ported - curiously, the first fighting game to hit the platform.

The conference finished with a Q&A - quite a courageous move for the Nokia heads, especially considering they were freely available before and after the show to answer any nagging questions the press had.

Shortly after the press conference, Kikizo had the chance to sit down with producer Scott Foe about the forthcoming Pocket Kingdoms game. "The game is about building a flying castle and protecting it from others with flying castles that might try and take over yours. There are many ways to kit your castle, giving each a very unique style." He pulled out the brand new N-Gage QD and loaded up the game, before connecting to the N-Gage Arena to search for others currently playing online, and surprisingly quite a few names came up. With the game loaded up and people ready to play, we commenced the game. Firstly we had to set up our defences and then choose our weapons to attack. Each team then chooses how they would like to attack, and once they have finished, a small sequence is played showing the full battle. A lot of strategy is required, especially for the battles against more experienced users. Once the battle was over, the castle can be moved to a better location.

We were greeted by Hiroshi Okamoto from Sega Japan's Mobile Business Department. Okamoto-san was very keen to emphasise how pleased Sega is to have been the first to get a console online "out of the box" with Dreamcast, first to make use of the Gamecube Link Cable, first with the GameCube online, and now taking it one step further getting a mobile gaming device online with Pocket Kingdoms.

We also had the chance to catch up with Ikka Raiskinen, who you may remember took part in an extensive video interview with Kikizo a year ago. Ilkka spent a few moments to talk about the current N-Gage state of play. He told us that the new N-Gage QD was the first sign of change, built in response to feedback from existing N-Gage owners - and with its new streamlined shape, external game card slot, he feels it's something hardcore gamers will definitely want to get their hands on. Ilkka also elaborated on how the company is extending its range of IP with the new titles like Pocket Kingdoms, Rifts & Pathway to Glory and that also, with the N-Gage Arena, the online aspect of the handheld is slowly coming into place.

Despite a shorter press conference, Nokia offered some nice surprises. Faced with an ever-increasing challenge with Nintendo DS and Sony PSP on the horizon, it will be interesting to see how Nokia has fared in another twelve months' time. Stay tuned to Kikizo for updates.

Sharan Dev Jain
Contributor, Kikizo Games