Game: Nokia, please take as much time as you need with N-Gage!

As you’ve probably already heard by now, the Nokia N-Gage platform is delayed even further. First 2006, then 2007 and now 2008. It’s certainly hard to deny that this kind of protracted tardiness is extremely embarrassing to Nokia... or is it?

You see, outside of those in the know, i.e. Nokia bloggers, fans and mobile fanatics, who actually has any idea that Nokia is planning to re-launch the now infamous taco phone as a gaming platform?

So I say to Nokia, take as much time as you need and then some. Bring us a gaming platform that works, a gaming platform the has boominess*.

I love gaming, but the gaming experience on mobile phones is next to useless right now. Only two mobile phone games is the last 5 years have kept me playing for over 10 minutes, Mr. Driller on the Nokia 3600 and Lumines on the N95. There seems to be so little creative thought gone into phones games.

Here’s a thought Nokia, perhaps you might see fit to actually deliver a 3D game for the N93, N95 and N82 that uses the dedicated 3D hardware in these phones! Some of the rolling demos have been amazing. Hey, even System Rush was fun while it lasted. You’ve sold over one million N95’s in the UK alone, surely that constitues a viable platform?

Here’s another thought, don’t be so concerned about picking up the latest FIFA franchise with all it’s painful keyboard controls. Go for originality, learn from the likes of LocoRoco on the PSP, 2 buttons is all you need. In fact, use the accelerometer and you might be able to recreate LocoRoco with just 1 button!!

Give us the most stunning PinBall game of all time. How about online multiplayer enabled ‘Track and Field’ clone? Again, just two buttons...

Only us geeks are disappointed that the N-Gage platform didn’t go live this month, everybody else will happily wait. So, take your time Nokia, get it right. But don’t take too much time, and next time don’t pre-announce then fail to deliver, announce then deliver with a few months.

*Boominess. A service or a product that acts with surprising speed and gracefulness.