Atari: Witchers, RPGs, Cooks, and ... Deer Hunters

Lately we are seeing more and more online flash games making the leap to consoles and handhelds. The newest addition to that roster is N+, an updated version of a little Ninja action/platformer game called N that took the interwebs by storm last year. The gameplay is simple and addicting. Guide your stealthy Ninja through mazes of obstacles, grabbing gold along the way until you eventually make your way to the exit. Now, Developer Silverbirch Studios is set to bring the title to the PSP and DS with new levels and new game modes.

There will be a total of three hundred and fifty levels exclusive to each platform: two hundred single player, one hundred "co-op" and fifty "versus." Players will be able to download new levels from the N server as well as show off their design prowess with a level editor. In a rare treat on the DS, player designed levels will be able to be shared with friends free from the ties of the cumbersome Nintendo friend code system. Levels will also be able to be previewed before download so you know what you're getting yourself into. Due to space limitations, the DS version will only be able to hold up to eight downloaded levels at a time, but the PSP version will be able to hold as many as your memory stick will allow. There are plenty of unlockables available to access during the game as well such as game skins, level packs, new gold goals and special music tracks. Speaking of music, all the soundtrack for the game has been created by "chip tune" artists using old consoles to orchestrate the tunes.

N-Gage Games Don't Carry Over To New Phones

I'm not really sure how they do things in the US, but down here, standard mobile phone contracts last for two years. Once that time's up, 99.8% of people go and get a new phone. Simple plan, everybody wins. OH. Except for anyone with a Nokia phone who actually buys games over their new N-Gage platform. See, the games are locked to the handset you purchase them on. If you break your handset, you'll get them reissued, but if you upgrade to a new phone, you lose your games. Nokia's explanation?

Our policy is that the N-Gage activation codes only work on the device where they were first activated. As with any digital media there is a potential risk of piracy and this policy is one of the ways we are dealing with piracy and ensuring our partners receive their rightful revenues from our platform.

Gamers 'angry' over new N-Gage's DRM [Develop]

Metanet Ponders Animation, Sells Merchandise

Metanet, developers of XBLA's N+, are hard at work on their next title, Robotology, and have been openly discussing their development hurdles at their blog, a refreshing level of transparency on the process. Central to their difficulties right now seems to be moving past sprites to animation in the 2D setting:

We don't have animation properly "sussed" yet, otherwise we'd be able to better explain what the various aspects of the problem are.. all we can say for sure is that once you eschew sprites, it gets tricky ;) Of course, this is the whole point — if you want to avoid the limitations of a sprite-based system, you're necessarily going to have to deal with all of the problems that using sprites lets you avoid.

Robotology: Back To The Drawing Board [metablog, via GameSetWatch]

N-Gage Gets Konami Games (Yes, Including Metal Gear)

In case you missed it, the "new" N-Gage service is out. The one that makes the games available over a variety of Nokia handsets, instead of a single, dedicated unit. If you didn't know that, it's OK, it wasn't that interesting. This might be. Konami have signed onto the service, and will be releasing a ton of their mobile games onto Nokia's fledgling platform, including a version of Metal Gear Mobile that will supposedly "raise the bar with respect to graphical detail and made-for-mobile features". All relative terms, of course.

Nokia to add Konami games to N-Gage platform [Reuters]

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Last night we had a bit of a gaming bender at Kotaku Towers West, a night filled with Wii Fit, We Ski, and Rock Band. The highlight, of course, was a two hour Cruis'n session—the Wii shitware title that was finally freed from its shrinkwrap confines last night to much amusement. It's absolutely the most unintentionally hilarious game I've ever played, with some of the sloppiest game design ever... even for a Cruis'n title. Rarely has a game brought me to tears with laughter, so Cruis'n should at least be lauded for that. Highly recommended for your next game night, especially if booze is available.

This weekend I'll be ditching the Cruis'n as I get back to R-Type Command and continue my Rock Band duties, now with added Boston. How about you? Weekend plans?

N'Gai Croal of Newsweek's Level Up takes us on a tour of the hipper-than-thou launch parties Rockstar threw to kick off GTA IV over the past two weeks. Billed as "a rare series of intimate events representing the eclectic musical soundtrack," they were really a big meet-n-greet pairing gaming writers with artists and other Rockstar types.

N'Gai delved into the multiplayer aspect, too. He's looking to DLC and other online buildout to really deepen the game. "Once the Scotsmen absorb all the feedback from the millions of gamers who take the plunge into its online experience, we have no doubt that something special is in the offing," he writes.

Naturally Rockstar pumped N'Gai for the possibility of being covered in Newsweek, hard copy. (His reply: "Stay tuned.")

Partying Like A Rock Star, and Reflecting on Grand Theft Auto IV Multiplayer With Rockstar [Level Up]

Five World Records Up For Grabs in Brooklyn

N-Gage Goes Live! Hello? Anyone?

Nokia's second attempt at N-Gage-ing mobile gamers has unofficially gone live, with the official N-Gage blog announcing that the revamped platform is now available for download. If you have a Nokia N81, N81 8GB, N82, N95 or N95 8GB, you can bask in the warmth of the new N-Gage, bringing a try-before-you-buy, Xbox Live-like experience to your phone. Offerings from Gameloft, EA and others are available now or coming soon, which don't look too terribly bad. Yeah! That was kind of a compliment. We won't even make a sidetalkin' dig!

Official N-Gage Site [via Gizmodo]

N+ Devs Clear Up Live Arcade Shit Talk

N+ Developers Talk "Shit" On Xbox Live Arcade

The Legend of Zelda Remade In N+

Well, not the entire thing. That would be madness. While we fully expect some group of nutjobs to pick up the slack, recreating the entirety of the original Legend of Zelda in two-tone gray, the current N+ user created stab at Zelda-nostalgia is a perfect sampling of glorious obsession. Kudos for making it difficult-looking to boot. Via GameSetWatch.

In what can only be described as the lamest excuse ever, Jukka Mäkinen, Executive Producer, Futuremark Games Studio, has responded to the ire raised when word floated to the surface that his company had decided to file a trademark for "Pwnage."

The Finnish software company had initially filed papers on the prevalent word on Feb. 26 to protect the word in relation to:

"... computer game software; computer game programs; computer game discs; interactive multimedia computer game program; downloadable ring tones, ... multimedia software recorded on CD-ROM featuring fictional characters and computer games; pre-recorded DVD's, video tapes, laser discs featuring movies about fictional characters, and pre-recorded compact discs featuring music; motion picture films on fictional characters...".

But they did it, Mäkinen says, to protect their company, not make money:

In the latest salvo in the let's-claim-credit-for-a-commonly-used-term-that-we-didn't-even-create War(TM), Finnish software company Futuremark Games Studio filed papers on February 26, 2008 to protect the trademark "Pwnage" in relation to:

"... computer game software; computer game programs; computer game discs; interactive multimedia computer game program; downloadable ring tones, ... multimedia software recorded on CD-ROM featuring fictional characters and computer games; pre-recorded DVD's, video tapes, laser discs featuring movies about fictional characters, and pre-recorded compact discs featuring music; motion picture films on fictional characters...".

Wow... at least they aren't attempting to apply it to every piece of media published or anything like that.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Well, you know what I won't be playing this weekend? Grand Theft Auto IV. But I will be playing some Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, a game I've never completed, just for laughs. Of course, there will be hot tears of pain streaming down my cheeks while I mow down pedestrians to the musical stylings of A Flock Of Seagulls, but there may be a giggle or chortle at some point.

I've also been meaning to catch up on some of the titles that walked away with Independent Game Festival awards, plus proper time with the Xbox Live Arcade version of N+. Let us all know what your gaming plans are this weekend!

N-Gage Aren't Scared Of The PlayStation Phone

I'm not scared about anybody. The real question is how do they [Sony Ericsson] do it? Can they create a link between the PSP games and a phone? Can they do the multiplayer and online stuff? We've been doing this for two years and it hasn't been easy.

For those of you not wanting to wait until April for the handheld versions of the tiny ninja game that has Crecente tearing out hunks of his long, flowing hair, get yourself to an Xbox 360 this Wednesday as the classic PC flash game N makes its way onto Xbox Live Arcade as N+. With 450 levels that are sure to test even the most serene ninja's patience, a built-in level editor for creating your own challenges, and online multiplayer in both co-op and competitive flavors, N+ is surely worth 800 of your hard-earned fictional units of Microsoft currency. Not convinced? Try the free PC game over at Metanet's downloads page for a taste of what's in store for you this Wednesday.

N+ on XBLA this Wednesday (the 20th)!! YES!!!!!!! [Metanet Blog - Thanks Michael!]