Puyo Pop Enough Puyo. Not enough pop.
The most basic version of Puyo Pop can be found on N-Gage. The game does support Bluetooth wireless gameplay, but the limited play options aren’t enough to keep players bouncing.
Puyo Pop has seen various incarnations through the years on multiple platforms. The premise is simple and perfect for a portable console. But the N-Gage version isn’t the most attractive package. The graphics are primitive, the sound is boring, and its just plain harder to make out the Puyos than it would be on any other console preceding it.
There are three modes – Scenario, Exercise, and Puzzle. Scenario is a story type mode where players battle against different characters. Exercise lets you practice under three speed types. Puzzle lays out a bunch of Puyo on the screen along with a goal, for example: eliminate all the green guys.
The basic blob dropping gameplay is here but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. In fact, the N-Gage version is very plain to look at. The blobs don’t animate too well, they bounce too long before settling in position, and the grey concrete backdrops don’t help. The sound is an eclectic mix of bleeps that loop over and over.
Multiplayer is a snap with the game, like all N-Gage titles. But there’s not enough fast action or enough modes to make it worth while.
Grade: D
Puzzle Bobble Vs.
Slow for no reason.
Puzzle Bobble is a classic arcade title that can hook in any player. Just shoot out colored balls and match them to the ones at the top to make them fall. Somehow developer Mascot Capsule has managed to make the N-Gage version the slowest version in the world.
Puzzle Bobble Vs. has two modes – story and vs. The story mode lets you take on various computer components. The first to clear their screen, wins. The vs. mode is Bluetooth enabled and lets up to four players duke it out.
Unfortunately the gameplay is Puzzle Bobble has slowed to a crawl. The arrow that shoots out the balls and the speed of the balls reaching the top of the screen is painfully slow. At times it can take up to three seconds for a ball to reach the top of the screen. This is a stark contrast to the almost instantaneous shooting seen in most versions of the game.
The music doesn’t help the game either. Each mode offers the same classic Puzzle Bubble song – but with the first 10 seconds of it looped. After hearing whole soundtracks in Tony Hawk on N-Gage there’s absolutely no reason for this title not to include various, whole tunes.
Puzzle Bobble Vs. may be the weakest version yet. It does offer the same action - just slowed down in half and matched with looped music.
Grade: D-
MotoGP
Full-featured but slippery.
MotoGP fans will like the idea of getting to race down a track anywhere they go. The N-Gage version boasts all the modes found in its bigger console counterpart, plus wireless multiplayer gameplay. But the play is a little too slippery to be hang on to.
MotoGP has five modes to play - Single Race, Multiplayer, Grand Prix, Time Trial, and Track Editor. The collection of modes is surprisingly faithful to its console counterpart and doesn’t skimp because it’s on a pint-sized console. There are many major tracks here - Suzuka, Jerez, Le Mans, Mugello, Assen, Sachsenring, and Valencia. Tracks can be raced in sunny, cloudy, or rainy weather.
The control is a bit more slippery than it needs to be. The digital control is already a factor against motorcycle racing, but the game requires tapping left and right rather than a full press, which usually guides you off track. The weather doesn’t factor in the controls, and for the most part it’s very difficult to crash in the game unless you run into a wall.
The tracks and bikers are rendered in limited polygons. The tracks have major pop up when a building or tunnel appears, but the track is visible at all times. The bikers as best as they can with the polygons they’re made out of. The game itself moves somewhere between 15-20 frames per second, and the choppiness adds difficulty to the gameplay.
The most fun will be had in multiplayer mode. Up to four players can race on the road and the real person competitive aspect adds a lot more than the average AI.
MotoGP could have been better. It has plenty of modes to play in and the multiplayer is great, but the controls are too slippery to make it a must have.
Grade: D+
MLB Slam!
A base hit on the field.
MLB Slam! is a hit and miss effort on N-Gage. There are plenty of modes to choose from and the fielding works, but the batting game suffers from inconsistent hits and undeterminable range.
There are six modes in MLB Slam - Quick Match, Spring Training, Full Season, Post Season, Homerun Derby, 2 Player Game. The selection is no different than what could be found on a console system and is the title’s high point. All 30 MLB teams can be found in the game, along with a full range of stats to view. There are also several stadiums to choose from.
The batting is accomplished via a small crosshair. Aim the crosshair when the ball flies toward you and for the most part you’ll pull off a hit. It’s just completely undeterminable as to how to hit the ball well. At times it’ll fly right into left field, and sometimes it pops straight up. It’s difficult to determine the best way to hit a ball or to use any strategy other than swinging at random.
The pitching is a little better. A small crosshair is used to aim the ball. You choose what kind of ball to throw via a menu – a fastball, curve ball, or slider. A meter appears that will raise and fall once the button is pressed and let go. Catches and throws work well. Players toss fast and accurate to whichever base is indicated by the d-pad.
The presentation is good. There are crowd reaction noises (no music), scoreboard and animated highlights in between innings, and voice calls to major occurrences. The players are modeled well, though a bit sluggish.
MLB Slam would have been a much better game if the batting was fine tuned. It has plenty of modes, the fielding is fine, but all the elements needed to come together to make it home run.
Grade: D+
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