I had a little work for which I had to make an important trip to Delhi. I had to rush down to Delhi to get a few certificates and then come back. So I planned on a 2 day trip and packed my stuff for the road trip. Luckily I had got my codes for an Free N-Gage Title (which upgraded my default trial game to a full version) the day before I was to leave, which changed the whole course of the entire two day trip. To know how to get your Free N-Gage Title Click Here>>

(N-Gage Gone Blue but the website is still Orange)

Let me quickly run you down, on what N-Gage is so that we all are on the same page. N-gage is a gaming client that supports 9 Nokia Devices at present and enables users to experience quality gaming with 3D graphics and amazing sound right on their mobile devices. The application can be downloaded from the N-Gage website and it can be easily loaded on the phone. Inside the application you can make an ID and keep track of your score and points table, right on the go. And did I mention that you could challenge other users as well Amazing!

(The GUI of the New N-Gage client aka inside N-Gage)

Okay, so coming back to where we were, cause I was up late the night before so I woke up late on the day I was to leave for Delhi and to catch up the time I had lost made me forget my N95 8GB charger at home, which I realized when I was 60 kms away from home (these are a few things which just keep happening to us all). Darn, I knew I was forgetting something. Good thing was that my friend Rishita had got her along. Well, you can say she is a more organized who keeps things perfect (Yes, she too was coming with me, well the opposite to be more precise). So we were speeding our way to get us on track with the time schedule and apparently there was nothing cool on the Radio. Now I may add that the trip to Delhi from where I live is an 8 hour road trip which can stretch more if the traffic picks but nevertheless it all fun as the route is simply amazing, with a mixture of countryside and concrete buildings at random intervals. So a lot of pictures perfect spots to fill in.

While she was busy driving, I decided to give the N-Gage client a try. So I launched the application and browsed through various options it had to offer. The New N-Gage has a totally different interface and is more interactive and than the previous one. It has your profile onboard and keeps a track of your points. You can add friends and at the same time check whats hot in the N-Gage arena from the week’s favourite game to the latest entries. Everything has been simplified in tabbed form. It works great on EDGE, but if you are looking to download the game then I recommend you go Wi-fi. And if you want you can challenge opponents too.

(Left picture displays the original game and the right one displays the New version)

So with the brief introduction of the client now lets see how the gaming experience is. I had got my codes for Bounce the day before. Now to see if the new bounce is any better than its predecessor I got hold of the previous version from my friend. Here is a Nokia 6610i that comes bundled with Bounce. Bounce then was a 2D game running over the x and y- axis with the aim to get the ball to the finish by passing through all the rings. The graphics monotonously red and blue with yellow rings but were fast and at times blurry but nevertheless the game was really addictive.

On the latest version of the game we see a BIG transition in terms of graphics, sound and gameplay features. Not only the game has gone 3D (technically it was a UNI-D experience as the ball hardly moved from the Center position; something like a relative 3D) but it also has made a great use of colors, concept and gaming controls. We actually now have a storyline that takes us through different levels before we meet the Bad Man himself in the final showdown. Coupled with the amazing display of the N95-8GB, the experience just gets bigger and richer. In two words Totally Irresistible.

(click pictures for larger view)

Lets take a look and see if the N95 8GB hardware can match up to a gaming device like the PSP or not. (We dont need to match it with PSP both being totally different but for just giving you an idea that it can compete with the former in many respects.) The N95 8GB can be used in landscape view with the navigation d-pad as the direction control and the Stop and Play/Pause key as A and B. This is pretty good and the device feels all the way a perfect gaming thing. But there is one catch, the Slider at times gets in the way and you tend to lose out your patience when you are in a tight situation and suddenly you lose a life just because of the slider slipping. But apart this, the device holds good and gives you a great gaming experience. The best part is the display size which is phonemically BIG. The screen size simply adds a lot to the gaming experience. (Better than Nintendo Gameboy Advance 2  I have yet to upgrade to the DS version but dont feel like as I am enjoying N-Gage a lot.)

With this I started playing the game. The graphics and sound were very receptive and reminded me of how I used to play Mario Kart on my Gameboy. The transitions were very in motion and no blurring was seen. The game came with a set of descent options to enable it play in both landscape and portrait mode. Every level had a new unexpected touch and to discover it made one more into it. There were crazy levels and cool concepts that were used in the game. Really loved them.

When I was busy playing the game, I was interrupted by Rishita. She was tired driving for a non-stop 3 hours and wanted a break, as we were now on schedule we decided to make a quick stop at McDonalds which was totally legitimate. I saw a couple of 10 year olds and couldn’t resist seeing if they could register the device as a gaming console. So I invited one of them to take a look and boy oh boy, he just went crazy. Well he got hold of the controls right away and now he was so into the game. Now we were to leave so I asked him how the game was and he really liked it. So here is a suggestion to all parents, get an N-Gage enabled device and keep your kids busy

So now it was my turn to drive and I had to make it all the way to Delhi. Having to drive made me go off the game and at the same time gave Rishita a chance to go around. She had not been a so called gaming freak but playing the Bounce on N95 8GB is a totally different experience and though she was not good at it but she was really enjoying it.

[...] Skipping to Delhi

5 hours and we were in Delhi. Parked the car outside the office where we were supposed to get our certificates and off we went. After using the application for 8 hours (on and off) the phone was almost dead with Battery low signs appearing. But 8 hours of N-gage is not bad at all. I may add she had a N82 so we took pictures from her phone and my phone was used for gaming alone.

The rest will come up in my next post. We will take a closer look at the Bounce Game and also give Asphalt 3 Street Rules a Go. But now all I can say is that Rishita too is a big fan of N-Gage and we had a great time in Delhi along with a quick visit to Karims opposite Jama Masjid Gate No. 2! (Earlier we used to fight for the driving seat, now we do it for the passenger seat… )