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Monthly Archive for July, 2007

The Bourne Ultimatum going mobile

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Devin Kent
on July 31, 2007
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Vivendi Games Mobile has announced that they will be releasing a mobile game based on the upcoming movie The Bourne Ultimatum, reports Pocket Gamer.

The platforming game lets you take control of the protagonist Bourne. You can run, jump, and roll through the game’s levels, and even disarm opponents and steal their weapons. The game also features a number of sections where you will ride a motorcycle, dodging or destroying cars, helicopters, and more. Both aspects of the game take place in distant locales such as Moscow, London, Tangier and New York while following the storyline of the movie.

There’s no word yet on an exact release date, although presumably the game will be launched around the time of the movie’s release on August 3rd, or August 17th in the UK.

HandyGames announces Army of Heroes

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on July 31, 2007
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HandyGames has announced an upcoming puzzle/action hybrid called Army of Heroes.

Players take the role of a master magician as he tries to unite humans, orcs, and elves against their common enemy, the legions of undead. Skeletal warriors are marching across the land and it’s up to you to stop them while keeping the shaky alliance between the three races intact. The game features 40 levels where you must keep enough of your heroes alive to make it to the magic teleporters, as well as three terrains to campaign across: forest, snow, and lava.

The game will be available starting August 7th.

Namco releases Snoopy the Flying Ace

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on July 31, 2007
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Namco has announced the release of new flying game Snoopy the Flying Ace.

Snoopy is donning his helmet and goggles and taking to the skies in his iconic doghouse to save Woodstock’s fallen nest. He’ll have to fly through the familiar Peanuts neighborhood, collecting balloons while avoiding storm clouds, kites, and the dreaded Red Baron. Bonus items can double, triple, or even quadruple points, and these points can be used on network-enabled phones to unlock new features and get rewards.

“Snoopy’s aerial escapades are some of the most memorable moments from the Peanuts comic strips and are appealing to mass-market consumers, making them an ideal storyline for a mobile phone game,” said Scott Rubin, vice president of sales and marketing for Namco. “Peanuts is one of the most beloved entertainment brands of all time and is a great addition to our lineup of top-selling, brand-based mobile games.”

Namco has created a website you can visit for more information about the game. The game is only available on select national carriers, but Namco has plans to expand the its coverage.

Bejeweled available for iPhone

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on July 31, 2007
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PopCap Games has announced that they have launched a custom version of Bejeweled for the Safari web browser in Apple’s iPhone.

Bejeweled was first released in 2001 and its incredible popularity spawned a host of clones as well as a new genre–the match 3 puzzler. This latest version makes use of Web 2.0 features available in Safari, and has been optimized to take advantage of the unique display and controls on the iPhone.

“We’re excited to be providing the most popular puzzle game of the 21st century to users of the most advanced mobile device yet created,” said Andrew Stein, Director of Mobile Platforms at PopCap. “We wanted to give the hundreds of thousands of iPhone users a fun, fast gaming fix - and at no cost, no less.”

The game is freely available to play by visiting PopCap’s website via the iPhone.

OrangePixel releases RocketBoy 3

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Devin Kent
on July 30, 2007
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OrangePixel has announced RocketBoy 3, the latest in their RocketBoy series.

As reported by the Mobile Games Blog, the game sees the eponymous Rocket Boy face against Dr. Evil in a new platforming adventure that OrangePixel promises will be chock full of action. The game features one-thumb gameplay as well as a connection to Rumblex, allowing players to share their scores.

Interested gamers can get the game in a paid or ad-funded version.

Metal Gear Solid coming to mobile

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Devin Kent
on July 27, 2007
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Konami has announced that they will be bringing the long-running Metal Gear Solid series to the mobile platform in Japan.

As reported by Pocket Gamer, Konami has only announced the game for Japan, with no word on a European or US release, and no reported release date for the Japanese title.

Konami has also released a trailer for the game that shows off the advanced 3D engine, with graphics approaching the quality of the Playstation 2 titles. The trailer also shows a MGS-branded phone, presumably to be released alongside the game.

Digital Chocolate to publish for N-Gage

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Devin Kent
on July 27, 2007
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Digital Chocolate has announced their intention to publish games for the upcoming N-Gage platform from Nokia, reports the Mobile Games Blog.

The announcement comes after a long period of silence regarding any any publishers for the new gaming platform. Gregg Sauter, Nokia’s director of third party publishing, called Digital Chocolate a “perfect fit” for the N-Gage, saying that they have been “a driving force in promoting social interaction within the context of mobile gaming.” Digital Chocolate will be bringing DChoc Café to the platform, amongst other games.

“DChoc Café is a perfect complement to the Nokia’s next generation N-Gage platform,” said Gary Schofield, president of networks at Digital Chocolate. “N-Gage provides the tools we need to tap into the powerful device performance and promote social interaction between players through games, which is completely in line with Digital Chocolate’s philosophy. We’re very pleased to be teaming up with Nokia.”

Gameloft’s Q2 results

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Devin Kent
on July 27, 2007
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Gameloft has released details on their second quarter financial results.

The company announced consolidated sales of €45.9 million, a 50% rise from the previous year. Europe accounted for 44% of sales, with North America contributing 38% and the rest of the world the remaining 18%. Gameloft attributes the rise to the continued success of their back catalog of games, as well as some popular new titles such as Shrek the Third, Desperate Housewives, Lost, and others.

Cash levels as of June 30th were close to €21 million, compared to €18.6 million at the end of 2006. Gameloft promises that, by the end of 2007, they will have a catalog of nearly 200 games, sold in 80 countries via more than 180 carriers and compatible with over 1,000 different phone models.

Consolidated half-year results will be published on August 30th, following the close of the market.

Eidos expands mobile presence, announces Tomb Raider

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Devin Kent
on July 26, 2007
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Eidos Interactive have announced their intention to expand their mobile presence, reports Games On Deck.

The first title to launch willbe Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend. An adaptation of the 2006 console title, Legend will feature full 3D graphics and will allow Lara to jump, roll, shoot, sidestep, climb, and use a grappling hook. It uses a custom engine designed to take full advantage of the capabilities of 3D handsets.

The game will be available this summer. Eidos has additional plans to expand their presence in the mobile space, including establishing relationships with carriers and MVNOs in North America.

Community is key, says Nokia

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Devin Kent
on July 26, 2007
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NokiaNetwork games product manager Scott Howard spoke about the key elements for a successful N-Gage at the Develop Conference, reports MobileIndustry.biz.

Howard said that the community was “the lifeblood” of the new N-Gage platform. He demonstrated a number of features which aim to transform the user experience into “smooth, easy steps,” which Nokia hopes will revolutionize how gamers see and use the device. A key strategy to this is to allow players to easily connect with each other online.

As more of their community-building efforts, Nokia promises that users can try, rate, and recommend games to each other, build a friends or buddy list, and win Nokia points from achievements within games. Howard expressed difficulties in working with operators–who control the prices for being online and transferring data, two major elements of the N-Gage–however, he and Nokia are confident of a successful launch for the platform.