By John Grigsby, Staff Reviewer

Have you ever heard of the Nokia N-Gage? I hadn't, until I had the chance to view one in action at GenCon! The nice folks at Nokia were very friendly and helpful in demonstrating the system to me and I'd like to offer a big thank you to Rannie, Wini, and everyone else who made me feel so welcome and who were such a wealth of information regarding this remarkable little device.

What is an N-Gage?
An N-Gage is a handheld electronic device a little bit larger than your average cell phone or pocket calculator. But don't be fooled by its size! This little wonder packs a lot of great features into a small package. Weighing in at a remarkable 4.8 oz. and measuring only 5 inches by 3.5 inches (and about an inch thick), it fits perfectly into your pocket. It is shock-resistant and has an easy-to-replace faceplate that never actually touches the LCD screen. The system uses a SIM card, which makes transfer of data very easy.

First and foremost, it functions as a cellular phone with up to 4 hours of talk time and 10 days in standby mode. The device has a menu-driven interface similar to the Windows^® operating system found on most desktop computers. Cursor movement and navigation is via a keypad not unlike the multi-directional D-pad system found on many home platform game controllers. The N-Gage features both an internal loudspeaker for hand-free operation and has a headset jack for private listening.

Phone features include a contacts directory, one-touch dialing, voice mail, conference call capabilities, call waiting, and call forwarding (the last three are Network Services and may not be available from your provider). Conversations can be muted, made private (in conference calls), and callers placed on hold or dropped without affecting the rest of the participants. A log records all calls, text messages, packet data connections, and fax and data calls registered by the device. A call timer tells you exactly how long the call took, and if your service provider supports it, you can check the cost of a call. You can also limit calls such that the phone will not make a call if your preset spending limit would be exceeded.

The contacts directory not only keeps track of important numbers, you can also assign a custom ring tone, a unique voice tag, and a thumbnail image to each contact card. Track names, numbers, and addresses easily, and create contact groups, which permit you to text or e-mail multiple recipients at a time.

Listen to This!
If you have a memory card (and why wouldn't you?), functionality expands a hundredfold. The memory card is used to store applications, music tracks, multimedia files like video clips and sound files, images, and messaging information. It can also back up your game deck memory.

The N-Gage includes a Music Player for listening to audio saved on the memory card, as well as a Radio feature for listening to FM radio. You can also record music from the radio or an external music source and record or transfer music tracks of near CD-quality to your memory card. And if you happen to receive a call while you're listening, the track is paused and the music muted until your call is complete, resuming automatically after you hang up.

It is possible to record directly from compatible external equipment, such as a CD-player, saving the file to your memory card. This makes it easy to carry your favorite tunes with you wherever you go. You can rename tracks at will, and recording will even continue while you make or receive calls, the volume being muted for the duration of the call while recording continues in the background. The N-Gage includes a software application that is installed on your PC, permitting you to select digital music tracks and transfer them directly to the N-Gage. MP3 music tracks and M3U playlists can be created and transferred.

In Radio mode, the operator can scan manually or automatically for a channel, save favorite channels for instant recall, or enter desired frequencies directly from the keyboard. Frequency range is 87.5-108.0 MHz. As you probably expect, the radio automatically mutes when making or answering a call, and as noted, you can record directly from the radio. The battery will sustain operation for up to 20 hours in Radio mode or 8 hours in Music Player mode (contingent upon other usage, of course).

Broadening Your Horizons
With the Network Service called Images, you can view, organize, delete, and send photos and pictures stored on your N-Gage. You can even capture an image directly from the screen of your system, so that your friends will have no doubt that you did, in fact, beat their high score. You can also play media files using the built-in Real One Player^TM.

Now suppose you have a neat video clip or some photos that you want to share with a friend? N-Gage supports the Bluetooth system of wireless connectivity. This means that you can not only share media with friends wirelessly, but also play multi-player games together! As if that weren't enough, the system is also Internet-capable, letting you send and receive e-mail, share files, and even surf the web! It even runs Java applications!

The N-Gage features a digital voice recorder that allows you to save your files directly to the memory card, a calendar with daily, weekly, and monthly views, a to-do list, and an alarm system to help keep you on track. Oh yeah, it has a clock, as you've probably guessed by now. What you may not know is that it also has a calculator, a currency converter, and a built-in composer which lets you express your creative genius by creating your own unique ring tones!

You Said Something About Games?
Oh, yeah. The N-Gage also plays games, too. But you wouldn't want to know anything about that, would you? Oh, you would? Well, the nice folks at Nokia did show me a few goodies that I can share with you. ;)

The N-Gage offers an incredible selection of over 50 games, from turn-based action games to full-scale simulations. With popular titles such as The Sims and Tony Hawk, and brand-new titles unique to the N-Gage like High Seize and Pathway to Glory, you're sure to find something that suits your fancy. Games vary in price from $20 to $40 and many are multi-player capable over Bluetooth! I had the pleasure of taking al look at three of the hottest games for the N-Gage at GenCon, and here's the skinny on them!

Catan
Based on the award-winning Settlers of Catan board game, Catan brings all the strategy and trading of that game to the N-Gage! You and up to three other players (or three computer-controlled opponents) will vie to see who can control the most powerful trade cartel on Catan. The graphics are modeled after the extremely popular "anime" style and the game offers ten different characters as computer opponents, each with their won personalities. Gameplay is almost exactly like the board game. Roll the dice, receive your goods, and then trade like mad to try to be the first to get ten points. Development cards, roads, villages, and cities are all there.

Anyone familiar with the board game knows how addictive Catan can become, and the N-Gage version is no different! The controls are fairly intuitive and within minutes, I was playing my first game. The graphics are very attractive, and the map is exactly like the board game, changing each time so the game never plays the same twice. In addition to multi-player and single-player modes, you can also play tournaments to unlock new characters and in quest mode, undertaking one of 16 different quests to earn quest points which can be used on the N-gage Arena online. For new players, a tutorial function offers a quick introduction and a Flash video actually plays out an entire game before your eyes, making it easy to learn to play. In no time at all, you'll be shouting, "I have wood for sheep!" at the screen!

Catan is set to premier in September of 2005.

Rifts: Promise of Power
Exclusive to the N-Gage system, Palladium and Backbone Entertainment present Rifts: Promise of Power, a multi-player strategy RPG for up to four players through Bluetooth. Co-development by Kevin Siembieda helps insure that Rifts: Promise of Power stays true to the Rifts system, as well as providing over 40 hours of immersive gameplay. The game lets players choose from 13 playable character classes, including popular icons such as the Glitter Boy, Mind-Melter, and Juicer, and a brand new O.C.C. created specifically for this game, the Elemental Fusionist (which is featured in the 15th anniversary edition of Rifts). There's even a cameo from Kevin Siembieda himself!

The storyline is completely original and features five exciting locations from the Rifts world, including Chi-Town and Free Quebec. Face more than 50 enemies with over 100 weapons and more spells and psi-abilities than you can count! Gameplay is both turn-based and real-time, and in turn-based mode, you can play through turn notification, which means that you don't even need to go head-to-head, but can play on your lunch break, go back to school or work, then pick it up again when you get home! The camera angle can be moved 360^o and the graphics are beautiful and very true to the setting. Rifts: Promise of Power has five game modes—Melee, Defender, King of the Hill, Capture the Flag, and Survivor—and you can import characters from single-play mode to participate in multi-player combat.

Rifts: Promise of Power debuts in October of 2005. It won Best Mobile Game and Best N-Gage Game at E3 in 2005.

Warhammer 40K: Glory in Death
The future is a brutal nightmare. The universe is a dark place, and death is present in its every corner. War is spread across the galaxy, as the battle for survival rages on. Handheld gaming is about to see something new, as Warhammer 40,000 brings all out war to the N-Gage!

Choose your side, and fight for the survival of your race in a turn based war game of legendary proportions. Fight with the Imperium's Space Marines to guard mankind's last hope, or reign as the diabolic forces that worship Chaos. Join the mystical Eldar in their woven scheme to bind together the fragile existence of their once mighty race, or lead the Orks in bringing slaughter and mayhem to every corner of the cosmos. Show no mercy, take no prisoners. War is your only source of honor...

Warhammer 40K: Glory in Death, developed by Razorback Developments, is a hand-held experience designed to appeal to both fans of the Warhammer 40K miniatures game and those just looking for a new sci-fi experience. It is aimed at remaining true to the game, but also supporting different styles of play. Of course, for fans, the experience will be much deeper simply because they are more familiar with the setting. The version I saw was a developmental copy, but it still looked like a lot of fun, and that's coming from someone who has no experience with the miniatures game.

Build your army using tokens, just as in the actual game, and then drive your forces into glorious battle on one of 60 different missions of 20 different types, from defensive to offensive. Battle across 60 different maps and five types of terrain—ice, industrial, desert, volcanic, and jungle—or create your own with the map randomizer. Players choose from four different races, each with its own campaign, but all of which contribute to the story as a whole. To experience the complete story, you must play as each race.

Movement is from an overhead, 3-D perspective, and combat is turn-based. In addition, each race has different attributes. Orks tend to be cowardly, Space Marines excel at ranged combat, etc. Mastering the intricacies and specialties of each type of unit will be a big part of succeeding. The artwork, though superior, has a comic-bookish feel to it, which will appeal to many players.

Gameplay modes include wireless via Bluetooth, hot seat, or player-versus-player in the N-Gage arena. When playing via Bluetooth, it is also possible to participate in a co-operative mode where the players go against the AI.

Warhammer 40K: Glory in Death debuts in March of 2006.

So there you have it, a look at three of the hot new games coming up for the N-Gage hand-held gaming system. With all that this thing can do, is there any reason not to have one? The N-gage retails for $99.99 or you can get your game deck free with a T-Mobile or Cingular subscription (and three free games). For more information, check out www.n-gage.com.