When you have a back catalogue of critically acclaimed games, you tend to mine the hits and bring them back again. At least that would make sense. Nokia have a number of titles from the original N-Gage releases that need to make the jump to the new system. Games with critical acclaim, depth and, dare I say it, franchise potential.
Four of the first party (i.e. coded or commissioned by Nokia) games have already jumped over, with mixed results. The futuristic racing game System Rush, very much in the Wipeout style of game play because System Rush Evolution used a simpler control system (and the style of STUN Runner) and is generally chalked up as one of the early successes of the Next-Gen N-Gage. The demo on the N95 certainly proved the graphical capability of the newer S60 devices.
The fighting game One on the original N-Gage was very much a fighting game for the fighting game aficionado, with huge chains of special moves and skills. It pushed the graphical limits of the 176x208 screened devices, and when it moved up to S60 3rd Edition the graphics remained just as attractive, but it was also given a spring clean in the interface department, allowing it to be more accessible to casual gamers. Another success.
And then there's Snakes Subsonic, probably the biggest disappointment since Opal Fruits changed their name to Starburst (and not Chimpy Chomps). Snakes has made an appearance on many Nokia devices, and Snakes on the N-Gage, which was given away free and online as a download, proved many of the concepts that Next-Gen now rely on. Unfortunately Snakes Subsonic is... rubbish. Poor graphics, sluggish controls, and a pale imitation of the adrenaline fuelled hit of its predecessor.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - System Rush Evo, Snakes Subsonic and One.
It can be done well, as Mile High Pinball has shown, probably closer to a direct port of a game than the three titles shown above, so there is precedent, and of course Nokia can compare sales figures, but I hope they wouldn't infer success of an entire range of games from one title.
The third party publishers rely on the genre names, and we've seen versions of Asphalt Urban GT and various Fifa 20xx football games make appearances on both old and new N-Gage, but it's Nokia we're looking at in this article.
Nokia are adept at bringing some brands back, as we've seen above, and there are other franchises they are slowly bringing to the fore. Space Impact for one. Available as Space Impact Kappa base on the next-gen N-Gage platform, it didn't make an appearance on the original devices, but it was included as a scrolling shoot-em-up on a number of S20 and S40 devices in the last ten years (generally the same devices that also had the first Nokia Snake game), so the Finns aren't averse to bringing back their own brands in new forms.
Looking at the back catalogue that's not yet been touched there are some classic games that deserve to be reworked and released for the Next-Generation platform. Nokia had a hand in developing all of these titles, and was the publisher behind most of them. So which five have earned a place in the new platform?
Pathway to Glory
This is the biggest one, and if there was only one title that should be brought over to the Next-Gen, it would be this one. It's a strategy game that blends the best of a turn based game with just enough real-time elements to make it worthwhile. Even on the small screen of the original N-Gage this was a genuine hit, and an amazing war game. With multi player support via the Arena, an amazingly intelligent computer AI, the natural challenge of terrain coupled with a belligerent enemy, it all made this a compelling experience. It was the first genuine hit of the N-Gage. We say bring it back as soon as possible.
Ashen
While we've got the first person shooter in the Next-Gen platform in the form of franchise title Resident Evil, Nokia's take on the horror genre, Ashen was part of the second wave of N-Gage titles was released (along with the QD device) that had the job to start rebuilding their gaming reputation. Ashen was a smooth 3D engine for a platform with relatively little computing power, but it created suspense, provided a great challenge, and felt much more real life than the regimented 90 degree corners at every turn in Resident Evil. It's worth another look.
Catan
Nokia scooped the gaming world with the first hand-held version of the board game Settlers of Catan. With three opponents fighting over land resources, the ability to build roads, join cities and subdue the other players, the board game was a genre hit, and its move into the computing world, while taking time, was worth the wait. You'll find Catan doing great business over in the X-Box Live Arcade, and we'd love to see this back. Admittedly Capcom were the publishers and not Nokia, so they'd have to ask very nicely... I hope they do.
Rifts
Narrowly outscoring Pathway to Glory when reviewed initially (mostly because it was a lot more accessible to new players), Rifts brought one of the worlds leading Role Playing game systems not just to the N-Gage, but to any computer system for the first time. An isometric mix of exploration, adventure and action, Rifts appealed both to the genre player and the wider gaming audience. Unfortunately by this point in the N-Gage's life, it was already being pensioned off by many. Rifts deserves a wider audience.
High Seize
And finally, the pirates. Piracy plagued the N-Gage for most of its life (as it does the current gaming systems) and the press latched onto the issue with unaccustomed venom. But when it came to real pirates on the N-Gage, High Seize handed you a pirate ship, treasure maps, a kidnapped father and adventure by the chum bucket. Programmed by Red Lynx (the team behind many a big N-Gage game), High Seize brought you a square grid, turn by turn combat system (think Advance Wars on the Nintendo DS) at the core of a vast game in a world allowing you to explore as well as follow the story. It's sorely missed.
-- Ewan Spence, June 2009.