Paris Nights

How To Get It:

You can download Paris Nights from Ovi Store by selecting your phone's Ovi Store icon, or by going to store.ovi.mobi on your phone's web browser.

Alternatively you can go to store.ovi.com on your computer's browser.

If you can't see the game displayed on Ovi Store, it probably isn't compatible with your phone model.

For more info about using Ovi Store, see our Unofficial Ovi Store FAQ page.

Ovi Gaming Review:

Phone Used For Review - Nokia 5800 XpressMusic (games may be different on different phone models)

Gameplay - Paris Nights is a mixture of adventure game and Sims-clone, very much in the same style as Sims: Bustin' Out for the Game Boy Advance and old gen N-Gage, but with a more adult feel. You create a character who then travels to Paris to live, work, have fun and meet people. Your interactions with people depend on your character's statistics, which can be developed through experiences and training, and there's also a strong plot running through the game which is where the adventure elements come in. You can ignore the plot if you want and just play this as a simulator, or you can follow the game's lead and watch the story unfold. If you have a touchscreen phone you can control the game entirely using your finger or stylus, though some locations are easier to navigate using the on-screen arrows.

Graphics - Paris Nights uses isometric sprites in a style similar to the older Sims games but with a much cuter feel, a little bit like the online Habbo community. There's a tremendous variety of scenery including Paris' famous trademark Metropolitain signs and lovely little touches like a Nintendo Wii next to the character's television set. The animation is very simple but it works.

Sound - As usual with Java games the soundtrack is MIDI-based with various French-style electronic pop tunes which suit the game's setting.

Multiplayer & Online - None.

TV Out - Looks okay through TV Out, though the detail of some sprites may not be clearly visible especially as the game only works in vertical/portrait mode. As always, if you're playing on a touchscreen device you may have difficulty controlling the game while watching the TV screen.

Overall - Although it has some glitches (such as slow loading times between levels), by and large Paris Nights is a lot deeper and cleverer than you'd expect. At first you think it's just another simulation game but there has obviously been a lot of effort put into the detail which makes it very fun to play. For example, talk about sports with a character and they might say "There's a lot more to him than just the headbutt", which anyone familiar with French football history will immediately understand. And it's a rather amusing moment when you arrive in the French capital to find that the railway staff have gone on strike, complete with placards and a picket line...

Paris Nights is a semi-adult social game rather than a virtual pet, and definitely not for children. The emphasis is firmly on interaction with people through chatting, joking, scamming, insulting, arguing, flirting, gift-giving, comforting and even inviting people back to your place. Just when you think the game has settled down, you get drawn into a plot involving an anarchist conspiracy trying to topple the government, and end up visiting the inside of a Paris jail. This is a game with lots of places to go and people to see, and at the time of writing Paris Nights costs just 3 euros, so it's truly excellent value for money. Incidentally, if you find it all too easy try switching off the hint arrows in the options menu, which should make it a lot more challenging to play.

Score - 85%

Ovi Gaming Video:

Ovi Gaming Screenshots (screenshots taken from Nokia 5800 XpressMusic - games may look different on different phone models):