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What 40 games made our most sought after titles of '04? Find out!
GameSpy Grudge
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 We love the N-Gage, but that doesn't mean it's flawless. We run down the most fatal flaws of Nokia's game deck. By Justin "Violent" Lee | Feb. 16, 2004 Nokia's N-Gage is a new concept in video games -- combining a telephone with a handheld gaming machine. We've already gushed about the positives in our 7 Virtues of N-Gage feature. However, we have to be objective and talk about seven not-so-peachy things regarding the game deck, too. We're fair like that. Sin #1: Second-Hand Library  Buy the N-Gage version, or get the first three Tomb Raiders on PSone -- your choice, same price! This isn't awful, per se, but exclusive content is vital to a platform's success. Not many gamers will want to spend $200 on some hardware to play games they can already be played on something else -- especially if it's something you own. Nokia is working on this for later in the year, but could that be too late? Sin #2: Screen Scream It's true that N-Gage can produce some of the sweetest graphics ever seen on a handheld platform. The problem is, the screen where these visuals are viewed leaves a little bit to be desired. On the plus side, it's backlit, unlike the side-lighting of the GBA-SP. However, that backlight is pretty finicky, and will go out before you're finished watching the opening demo of your game. The color palette of N-Gage can only display about 1/8th of what the GBA can show. Thankfully, that's not too big of a deal, as it's virtually impossible to notice (hey, they had to use umber sienna #3 instead of #6!).  What a waste of screen space! Really, the only type of games that would benefit from this layout are horizontal shooters. Strange, then, that there haven't been any released on the system, and only Super Space Invaders in the Taito Memories compilation is planned. Where's Ikaruga or Blazing Lazers? Sin #3: Game-Change Chaos Do you like the game that's in your N-Gage right now? I hope so, because switching to another one is infinitely more bothersome than it should be. Only Nokia knows for sure why it chose not to make a quick slot to slide games into and out of. Instead, you have to all but dissect your system. Advertisement
For N-Gage veterans, this process takes, on average, about 20 seconds to complete. Double or triple that time for new users. That's not an insane amount of time in the grand scheme of things, but it's way more than any other game system, and way more than it should be. Plus, these are tiny games. Having to keep track of two of them and the battery -- especially in a car or on a plane -- is a dangerous task. Drop one of those little suckers, and you'll be out $35. D'oh! Next: Talking Taco » Page: 1 2 |
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