Lara Croft has returned to N-Gage in Tomb Raider: Underworld. This time the aim of the game is to retrieve Thor's Hammer. Tomb Raider was one of the more popular N-Gage classic games, and this new version has a similar style. But in contrast to the original version, which was a full port of the classic version of the game, Underworld is a simple N-Gage port of a limited Symbian version of the Underworld game which was released last year. Oh dear.
Read on in the full article.
Even worse, if I understand correctly the same game is available on the same phones through Ovi Store at half the price of the N-Gage version. All you'd be getting extra on the N-Gage version are the point pickups.
I've come round to the idea that N-Gage should just release exclusive games, otherwise what's the point? People will just buy the non-exclusive ones more cheaply on Ovi Store, they wouldn't even have to change handsets.
The only exceptions would be things like Worms World Party where the N-Gage version offers a good online mode which the normal S60 or Java versions don't have, but again that's a form of exclusive content. There's absolutely no point in releasing exact clones of existing S60 or Java games on N-Gage now that Ovi Store makes it so much easier to find and buy games.
I agree with you.
I think that there should be waaaaaaaay more online games for ngage.
N-gage has turned into a joke. Great Idea, Dismal Execution. It's 100% Nokia's fault, had they created some strict quality guidelines for the games that get published on N-gage, n-gage might have become a hit this time.
Hardeep1singh, in a way Nokia's quality guidelines for N-Gage were too strict. Hardly any publishers were even allowed to publish on N-Gage, which meant hardly any games got published, and the games which were published were often later and more expensive than their nearly-identical S60 and Java counterparts. The exclusive N-Gage games are excellent, but the third party stuff on N-Gage is a problem.
As I said earlier I know at least two third party S60 publishers who couldn't even get a reply from Nokia about publishing on N-Gage. Both of them have now published their games on Ovi Store, and they're pretty good games too.
N-Gage should have either had a very small number of exclusive multiplayer online games, or else thrown it open to a very large number of third party games as Ovi Store has done.
tzer2, if you can, install symbian version on any nokia with 3d hw support (n95, n82...) you will see how n-gage version could be even worse! the game is bad, but at least have acceptable framerates =D
powerbacon wrote:tzer2, if you can, install symbian version on any nokia with 3d hw support (n95, n82...) you will see how n-gage version could be even worse! the game is bad, but at least have acceptable framerates =D
But there aren't going to be many that support the 3D HW, which has disappeared from the latest symbian handsets. Its pretty much just the N95/N82 that support it - N78, N79, N85, N86, 5800, N97, N96 - no 3D support on those at all.
Most developers will tend towards developing for the lowest common denominator, and not bother spending time getting support for the 3D chipsets.
Which is a crying shame, and Nokia have made a bad move dropping the 3D kit.