Since the announcement of the accelerometer on the N95 and the games that appeared to take advantage of the iPhone's accelerometer, I've decided to compile a list of games that works on the Nokia N82 and utilises the built-in accelerometer so more of us can be aware of the N82's full potential. Granted, not all games are free, and not all are problem-free; but here's just a preliminary list:

• Marble Maze is a labyrinth game that includes over 40 different labyrinths to solve. 3 difficulty levels are present in the game, by the means of using 3 different 'types' of balls to solve the labyrinths.
  
  
  
  It's a great idea, and definitely rivals the labyrinth game available on the iPhone - but it comes at a cost.
  
  
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  BallGame is another labyrinth game - but a free, Java version. Although it lacks the graphics muscle of Marble Maze, the very reason that it's free should be able to entice you to give it a go.
  
  
• Groove Labyrinth is the one listed on the Nokia website and has been around since the age of the Nokia 5500 (for which it was developed for). Fast forward 3 years, and here we are trying it out on the Nokia N82 - but it suffers from resolution issues because it was developed for a much smaller screen resolution in mind. Not recommended as the screen resolution problem is really hard to swallow.
  
  
• Space Invaders has just been redesigned for accelerometer supported phones, and it doesn't get any better than Accelerinvaders.
  
  
  
  It's a good way to kill off boredom in those long commutes, especially since it's free. But it might get a bit repetitive at times...
  
  
• If the above games aren't your taste, you might want to try this questing game called PandaManda. Basically, you're using your accelerometer to try and find an escape route for the main protagonist, the Panda. Despite being similar in aim to a labyrinth game, it offers a lot more; for example, collecting diamonds/coins (similar to Super Mario), defeating the panda's enemies, clearing various other obstructions, etc.
  
  
  
  A new revolutionary concept for gaming, and it's going only for 7 Euros. Dirt cheap for a game of this calibre, in my opinion.
  
  
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  PySnake is a Snake game with added accelerometer support. Although it's not the same as the 3D Snakes game that comes included with your Nokia smartphone, simplicity is the key to success in this case. It's a free game so kudos to the developer ariek44!
  
  
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  Remember the game 15-Puzzle, where you would scramble up a picture and then try and shuffle and jiggle up the pieces so you end up with the complete picture, save for the square on the corner? It's been recreated for the Symbian S60 smart phone, along with accelerometer support so now you can just twist and turn your phone to solve the puzzle. Another one of those brilliantly done free (and open source) softwares!

I think that's more or less the popular and available accelerometer supported games for the Symbian S60 platform and for the Nokia N82. If I've missed anything, please post it in the comments below!

If you've played Bejeweled before, then this game should come as no stranger to you. Based on the Bejeweled concept, Diamond Twister builds on that with a plot - the player has to hunt for precious diamonds for clients. It's not exactly the best plot, but again, does anyone pay alot of attention to a plot like that?

Gameplay is very smooth, and the aim is to create combos of 3 or more of those precious stones via making a swap with another stone. This nets you "money", and you must reach a targeted amount before the set period of time is up. Sounds complicated, but trust me, it's easy to get a grasp of once you try it out. It's very intuitive; at no time did I have to look at the instructions or anything.

The game is rather repetitive in that it's basically completing missions and unlocking more missions via creating these combos. But it takes a while to get boring - and during that time I supposed you've already reached your destination (assuming you're playing while you're travelling) or have something else to complete. And it's definitely worth purchasing - for US$3 it's a steal, as you're basically buying a new addiction. Payment can be done via Paypal, Credit card, or even just through your service provider, so it's very convenient for the user.

Pros: Addictive, intuitive gameplay, fast and clean to play (no need to save halfway), Cheap
Cons: Repetitive, not the most action packed game

Verdict:
The pros outweigh the cons. It's cheap and excellent to play, so go and buy it!

This clip on YouTube illustrates a very interesting idea - not to mention a very clever use of the camera too!

I think there's quite a potential for this sort of control. For example, specific hand gestures could be programmed to trigger actions on the phone, such as quick dialing, receiving or hanging up calls, or even for the music player. I'm not sure how far this would go or whether the application is for release yet, but I'm definitely interested in seeing how far the idea would go.

What do you think?

I've decided to start a weekly game review of N-Gage games (and perhaps occasionally games not on the N-Gage platform, if they're really great) as a platform for the N-series users to share great games. Since this is the start of something new please post comments on what you think of the idea or the reviews in general!

The Game: Brain Challenge
Up for today's review is Brain Challenge, one of the newer games debuting on the N-Gage platform. If you've played Brain Age on the Nintendo DS before, then you'll know what this game is about; it's all about maths and logic games, and the aim of the game is to score the highest in the "Daily Brain Test".


The trial version of the N-Gage game only allows for the user to play the "Daily Brain Test" while all the other features are only available if the user purchases the full game. It's also only limited to one try so it's not one of those fun games where you can keep playing to keep yourself entertained.

So in the "Daily Brain Test", puzzles are separated in to 4 different categories: maths, logic, visual and focus. Each category starts off from the easiest level and progressively gets harder within the certain time you play in each category. The puzzles range from choosing a path from the lowest number to the highest number - the maths section - to counting the number of coloured frogs and putting them in progressive order - the visual section. At the end of the 4 sections, a score is given to the user based on response time and the number of puzzles that were completed for each section within the given time.

As fun as it may seem, the responses from the software lacks encouragement for the user, and generally if you've played it once your response time will drastically increase - and it won't be much of a challenge to your brain after that. Having played "Brain Age" on an Nintendo DS before, this was a sorely disappointing game in contrast, as it seemed like a cheap ripoff of "Brain Age" without new features. Still, it might be too much to compare a phone game to a proper console game...

There is always that satisfaction at seeing your own high score triumph others, and this feature is possible via the uploading of scores to the N-Gage Arena - where you can post your high scores and see how well you stand compared to other hardcore Brain Challenge gamers.

But to the casual gamer, this game won't keep you entertained for long. The trial version should suffice for most users.

Verdict:
Won't keep you entertained for long. Needs innovation and creativity to distinguish it from other console "Brain Challenge" games - otherwise most will just deem it as a 'bad port' to N-Gage.

Score: 3/5 from Nokia N82 Blog

I'm sure everyone more or less have seen how the Wii has revolutionised the gaming world through it's Wiimote and the way one perceives games to be played on consoles. Now take a look at this Youtube clip...

We've already seen how the accelerometer can do in terms of gaming - just take a look at the iPhone/iPod Touch, as well as other Youtube clips with the N82 and the N95 using the accelerometer as a controller for Snake.

By sensing motion via the phone's camera (front and back), this could potentially change the way games are played on an average user's handset, as camera phones are now considered the norm in the mobile phone world.

I know it feels a bit stupid holding up the phone with one hand whilst making weird gestures with the other, but there's definitely potential for this concept of a touchless control interface for your N82 and N95.

What's your take on this?

According to the developers of the N-Gage platform, the First Access program is ending on the 27th of March. Although you can still play games in the application, it will no longer be officially supported, so do take heed. Here's a couple of notes to remind you:

• Player Names and Passwords will not be valid for the official release of N-Gage
  
  
• Game licenses for purchased games will be valid for commercial release, but you will need to upgrade to the new N-Gage and reinstall the game again
  
  
• All saved games and N-Gage points will be wiped for a "fresh start for everyone"

No words on when the final release will be available, but it's probably out in a "few weeks".

By the way, Nokia is also offering a free game for N-Gage, Mile High Pinball, as well as 1000 community points if you complete their survey, so why not do it now?

As you may recall from my previous blog post a few days ago, N-Gage First Access (Public Beta) has been released exclusively for the Nokia N81. Well I don't like things released exclusively for one model - in particular, considering that the N82 is the flagship product along with the N95, and has even more functions than the N81, shouldn't us users get a chance to participate in this public beta?

I managed to find a method to install this new public beta on this Chinese forum - it's working fine for me, so I'm happy to share it with you guys.

First off, download this archive file. It contains the N-Gage application that you're going to need to run your games. Install Pips. sis (if it hasn't been installed yet) and NGageInstaller.sis. You should numerous prompts for multiple components needing installation when you install NGageInstaller. Just keep clicking next until it installs. And it doesn't really matter where you install it, it still runs either from the Phone memory or your Memory stick.

After your installation, you should notice that the N-Gage application is missing from your main menu. It's now located in the "Applications" Folder under the main menu. The logo should be coloured blue now instead of the orange you've seen for the past months. Beats me why they've changed the colour...

Now the easy part. You've gotten N-Gage installed; the only thing missing is the games. Download this second package which includes the first 3 games offered from the Nokia website (since the app is in beta, all the games are only trial versions). All you need to do now is to connect your N82 in USB Mass Storage Device status (or take the memory stick out and connect it via the card reader) and drag all the downloaded games (which are conveniently in the n-gage file format) in to X:\n-gage.

Now disconnect the cable, boot up N-Gage, wait for it to lag a bit before the app starts, and you're there. The last step is to install the game in to your system - notice that all the game titles are slightly transparent. Scroll to the game you want to start and click on the middle button; it prompts the user for installation. Once that is done, click again on the game title and start gaming away!

Source: Sogi! Forums

Yep, you got me right. I quote from Nokia...

N-Gage First Access has begun. To ensure N-Gage is the best it can be, we want you to take an active part in its development.

Unfortunately, it's only out for Nokia N81 and N81 8GB users. :(

But this means we'll definitely be seeing the N-Gage released for the N82 in the very short term future. If it's already out in some sort of Beta form, it probably is ready to be released in full for all compatible phones.

Source: N-Gage

Yep, you can get your favourite web-content on your N82 with the software Widsets. Widsets offers mini applications called widgets to push updates from web services such as Flickr, Digg, BBC News, Reuters, Wikipedia, etc. Instantaneous updates through this software render web surfing for information a thing of the past - all your really need is Widsets now.

Widsets runs on the Java platform, so its not only compatible on the N82, but also other devices. Not only that, but it also supports the built in accelerometer, so you can get a larger view thanks to the rotated screen.

Apart from the 2000+ widgets you can download for free, there's also the option to create you own, personalised widget. Definitely a huge plus for many of us - it offers personal updating of content that you yourself have customised.

The software is available for free, but you'll need a data plan to support all the traffic that the app generates. If you're under a tight limit, you can opt to set a monthly limit that the app can generate - for example, I have a 3MB limit per month, and I've set a monthly limit to 1.5MB in case of unforeseen traffic costs. Not to mention that there's a built in traffic monitor, so you can know your traffic usage anytime. If you don't have a data plan, don't fret; it works with Wi-Fi just as well.

Couple that with nice visual effects and transitions, massive numbers of widgets to choose from, and instantaneous updates of information, and you have Widsets. Definitely one app that most N82 users will find useful, no doubt.

You might think I'm kidding after reading that title - but no, I'm a 100% serious. Check out the video below and you'll understand.


Yep, you can make your N82 one step ahead of the iPhone, with this tool. It's very nice for showing off, and is quite practical when it comes to playing on the N-Gage platform. Nokia really should have implemented this when the phone was released - but then I suppose the good ideas for how phones could function are always thought of by the consumers. And I'm sure there are plenty more ways to take advantage of the built in accelerometer...

Right now, Nokmote is still in alpha. The Developer Samir has promised to release a free, unsigned version at the end of this month, so keep you eyes glued to this blog, as I'm definitely lining up to get it the day it will be released. If you really can't wait for the public release, then get the alpha from his developer website!

Just a quick word of caution: Nokmote requires the Pen+C button in order to function. It's present on the N95 as a button, but it's not on the N82. What can we do? Someone's written a nifty app to emulate the button click on the N82! Check it out at this forum for more information.