Ngage,is it really that bad?

[xDragonWarrior]

So on every video that I see about the worst console of all time and the Ngage is always on there.Now although I've never played one(I'm looking to buy one for less than $30 now), I've seen some gameplay videos and they look pretty sweet.Also it seems that the Ngage was capable of having better graphics than the GBA(PS1 quality graphics if you will)while Tomb Raider on the GBA is a side scrolling game,Tomb Raider on the Ngage is a 3D direct port of the PS1 game and looks just as good.Tony Hawks Pro Skater on the GBA is in a isomeric view while the Ngage port is in 3D.So what is your opinion of the Ngage,is it as bad as everyone says it is or is it really fun to play?

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFqdmj15NRo

Edited February 4, 2014 by xDragonWarrior

[Rex Dart]

Some of the games are pretty good, it just didn't have enough good ones & the design of the hardware wasn't great, and I don't know if you could say it had the best port of any particular game. Still beats playing games on any "candybar" phone, though.

The games I played most: Sonic N (Advance), King of Fighters EX2, Worms World Party, Puyo Puyo... and a whole lot of emulation. While it could technically run 3D games like Splinter Cell and Elder Scrolls, they were all pretty sluggish in my opinion & not very fun to play on a phone with a screen about the size of a large-ish postage stamp.

Edited February 4, 2014 by Rex Dart

[dobidy]

The Ngage is not too bad to tool around with. I had the first gen Taco and loaded it up with games on an MMC card. The hard part was finding an MMC card. I ended up finding one in a used camera shop in Toronto for about $30.

I picked mine up for 7 bucks. The screen was cracked and the charge port damaged. I easily swapped a new shell and used an old Nokia flip phone to swap out the charge port. The screen is pretty small on the Taco. The best part was the jeers from fellow commuters staring at my "ancient" cel phone. Every once and awhile I would run into someone who remembered what it was and if they could buy it.

I recently and regrettably upgraded to a smartphone.

[108 Stars]

The NGage only gets on those lists because it was not successful. Like with so many of those lists, systems that sell bad ARE bad to people who get their knowledge from reading crap sites like IGN or viewing AVGN like it was serious reviews.

Edited February 4, 2014 by 108 Stars

[Bill Loguidice]

The screen is tiny, the 3D is early PS1-level primitive, and the controls aren't that great, but overall, yeah, it's one of those systems that gets flack more on reputation than anyone actually playing it. I have a decent collection (based around the second version of the system) and it's actually rather surprising the depth and breadth of software for it, including the only mobile version of an Elder Scrolls game. I'm pretty much set in my collection, though the one game I still want is the Civilization port that was released at the end of its commercial life.

[high voltage]

I got a complete N Gage collection, I played all the games, and the truth, the ''good games''-''bad games'' ratio is absolute in the ''good games'' favour. Lot's of strong titles, very few duffs, even a game like the freebee Flo Boarding are fun for a while. Even Sega Rally is good, that just shows how people take hear say for granted.

I hate sports games like Fifa and Football, but they are almost like the big console counterparts.

 

Edited February 4, 2014 by high voltage

[+Gemintronic]

The screen is tiny, the 3D is early PS1-level primitive, and the controls aren't that great, but overall, yeah, it's one of those systems that gets flack more on reputation than anyone actually playing it. I have a decent collection (based around the second version of the system) and it's actually rather surprising the depth and breadth of software for it, including the only mobile version of an Elder Scrolls game. I'm pretty much set in my collection, though the one game I still want is the Civilization port that was released at the end of its commercial life.

 

There are other mobile Elder Scrolls games in the "Travel" series. This feels like the only real game though. I never new it existed! Thanks for bringing it up

[+atari2600land]

I am envious of high voltage! I am right now trying to get a complete collection, but I doubt I could with way expensive titles like High Seize...

As for the game play, it's really good, I like it enough to keep it. I just shelled out big money for System Rush. There are some really good games for it, like Puyo Pop, Mile High Pinball, Crash Nitro Kart to name a few...

[Austin]

The N-Gage is a solid little handheld, particularly if one invests in the second model (the "QD"). It had the problem of being too expensive at launch, having a mixed library in terms of quality, and multiple hardware design flaws ("side talking" and taking the battery out to change game cards). By the time the library began picking up and the QD was out, it was too late for the platform: The mistakes Nokia made in the beginning caused them too much damage in the public eye. Even with the better software and better hardware, people continued to associate the N-Gage with talking through a taco. A shame, because it had some quality software particularly towards the end of its life.

[Bill Loguidice]

Let's face it, there were lots of reasons why the N-Gage failed, but the primary reason is that it was sold as a phone, because it was a phone. This was obviously well before the smartphone craze was kicked off by the iPhone and it was probably a case of an oddball feature set in a form factor that was a bit too early to resonate with consumers. The N-Gage was asking a lot of potential owners at the time, having to invest in a device that made phone calls and also played games, and functioned a bit unusually in either mode. It was too hard of a sell, though certainly forward thinking of Nokia.

[Austin]

but the primary reason is that it was sold as a poorly designed phone

 

Fixed that for ya.

[high voltage]

I always enjoyed the 'side talking', made it stand out from the normal phone users, certainly caught everyone's attention. Way back, Nokia was a top firm, investing in very unusual designs, eg MP3 phone, cell phone without buttons, internet phones.....

Edited February 4, 2014 by high voltage

[Seob]

It's a nice system. Bought a qd last year and really enjoy playing asphalt urban gt. It's not a bad system to play on. Better ergonomics then the gba micro.

[Bald_Bull_jr]

I got a complete N Gage collection, I played all the games, and the truth, the ''good games''-''bad games'' ratio is absolute in the ''good games'' favour. Lot's of strong titles, very few duffs, even a game like the freebee Flo Boarding are fun for a while. Even Sega Rally is good, that just shows how people take hear say for granted.

I hate sports games like Fifa and Football, but they are almost like the big console counterparts.

 

 

Yikes - Thought I saw a Castlevania title in there and thought for a brief second "Wow, a reason to get one of these things??"

 

Great collection pic, even if the subject matter doesn't exactly 'do it' for me!

[nonner242]

 

 

Nice collection!

Mines nearly complete minus Mile High,Asphalt2,Xmen2 and Rifts I believe.

I loved the hell out of ithe systems and most games,have both taco and qd.

I used them as regular phones till we switched carriers 3-4 years ago. Miss having fm radio on my taco. I have hundreds of duplicate games and tons of accessories like the speaker attachment and dual game switcher.

Every year I debate selling it all off. But I still havent...is it because Pathway to Glory is awesome. .maybe its High Seize...I really dont know. I will miss it for sure. I just dont have the time to touch it more and more each year like so many other things.

If anyone is on the fence about it..take the jump. Its really quite a nice little system. If you get a steal on one..take it. Just be prepaired ti have a hard time finding some games.

Edited February 5, 2014 by nonner242

[TheGameCollector]

How well do the X-Men Legends games play? As I understand it they are completely different on this system from their console and PSP counterparts.

Edited February 5, 2014 by TheGameCollector

[BDW]

Can you still use these bad-boys with modern carriers? I kinda want to use one.....

[Jess Ragan]

It's not that bad, but it is kind of impractical, which is probably what contributed to its demise. It's not just the sidetalkin' or having to open the system to change games; it's the numeric keypad for buttons and the tiny screen and the phone integration too. In the system's defense, it really was the best gaming phone of its time until the rise of smartphones years later. What passed for games on its contemporaries were horrors that wouldn't have been acceptable on the Game Boy Advance, or even the Game Boy Color. I had Mega Man 2 for my old Sonic Slider by Kyocera... oh my lord it was nasty. Damn game made me throw my cell phone into a wall it was so kludgy and impossible to play. By contrast, I could actually play Worms or Mile High Pinball for a little while and enjoy myself. (Still not as good as that other ridiculed portable, the Gizmondo, though.)

[Austin]

it's the numeric keypad for buttons and the tiny screen and the phone integration too.

 

Yeah, this was hit or miss. For your traditional platformers, puzzle games, racing games, etc., the keypad worked fine since the games usually only needed a couple of buttons. It could be tough playing the first person shooters or third person action games though (Tomb Raider, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, etc.). I was able to control games like Ashen fine, but to be fair I had been using straight buttons for movement, strafing and vertical aiming in first person shooters for a long time thanks to not having a dual stick layout on the N64 and Dreamcast, but I can see where the average person would have a tough time adapting.

 

One thing the system did benefit from though with the large array of keys is that it had all the options needed for the more involved strategy and role playing games. Stuff like Civilization, Pathway to Glory, Requiem of Hell, The Roots, etc. All of these benefit greatly from the large key layout and it works really well for them. For games like Call of Duty though, things just feel cramped.