"Matter of weeks" before wider N-Series launch

Speaking at an N-Gage event in Finland, Jaakko Kaidesoja, director of games, services and software for Nokia has revealed future plans for the mobile gaming platform.

Stating that Nokia knew the beta stage of testing for the N-Gage platform open to N81 devices would be cracked, Kaidesoja said Nokia were "happy" that other N-series owners were utilising the platform, just that it was not quite "ready" for phones such as the N95 just yet.

Stating that it would only be a "matter of weeks" before the gaming platform launched to more handsets in the N-Series range, Kaidesoja said that "tens of thousands" of N81 owners had taken part in the beta phase of testing and feedback.

The next stage in the roll out will be for N82, N95 and N81 owners with a second quarter launch for the N73 (which has apparently suffered from "memory issues") and the N96.

More excitingly for the future full S60 support is coming soon and touchscreen games are in the N-Gage's future, as and when Nokia reveal their touchscreen device...

http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/13124/14148/nokia-n-gage-reveals-future-plans.phtml

Canadian men go big at Nokia snowboarding World Cup

CALGARY — Canadian male snowboarders started strong and never let up during Thursday's qualifying at the Nokia Snowboard FIS World Cup halfpipe competition held at Canada Olympic Park.

On the men's side, Jeff Batchelor, Brendan Davis and Brad Martin represented the host country well as they qualified straight through to Friday night's final by finishing in the top three in their respective heats.

Justin Lamoureux, Ryan Rausch, Dan Raymond, Gabriel Dussault and Neil Connolly all made it through to the semifinals.

Batchelor was the first competitor of the day to take on the six-metre high walls of the gigantic halfpipe. He set the bar high with a score of 44.6 on his first run and followed that up with an even more impressive 48.4 on his second.

"I really just try to go in with an open-mind and hope to come out with a good run," Batchelor said. "You can't come to your home country thinking you have an advantage because everyone is competing on the same pipe."

For Batchelor, getting to this point has required a great deal of sacrifice as the Oakville, Ont., native recently decided to take time off from school to compete in events around the world.

"Now I can just focus purely on snowboarding, and while at times it feels like a job, it something that I still definitely want to do," he said.

In the female competition, the Chinese team, led by Jiayu Liu, swept the top three automatic qualifier spots for the final.

Mercedes Nicoll is the only Canadian remaining in the competition and will battle it out in the semifinals.

She fell on her first run, putting a lot of pressure on her to come through on her second.

"In my second run I was trying to just go through solid and nail my tricks, I just needed to post a good one," Nicoll said.

The 24-year-old is hoping for a podium finish at this event but admitted it will not be easy.

"I will have to look ay my results and see how everything ended up and then just come back and look to go cleaner and take a little more risk," she said.

Nicoll was just one of many taking a spill during the qualifying action, as the monstrous halfpipe proved to be quite difficult. The structure has been built to the exact specifications of the one that will be used at Cypress Mountain for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games.

For local snowboarder Josh Duncan, who failed to qualify for the semifinals, this day of competition was special because he played a major role in the construction of the halfpipe.

"I have been here for a long time, doing everything from the dirt work all the way to installing the foundation for the lights," said Duncan, who has worked with the grounds crew at Canada Olympic Park for four years.

The veteran rider hopes snowboarding will continue to evolve in Canada and believes the halfpipe is a step in the right direction.

"In Canada we have always been about four or five years behind with having the good facilities in place," Duncan said. "If our riders don't have the good facilities to train in they're not going to reach that next benchmark."

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hoLsAnywVbmFwJbwOAoKab_u_2NA

Nintendo: No Text Chat In Mario Kart Wii

We've got a bit of disappointing Mario Kart Wii news to share.

It looks the claims of having some quality conversation whilst waiting to race have been wildly overblown.

"You can create rooms for friends to join and even text chat while you're waiting for other racers," Nintendo of Europe told IGN about the title on Tuesday.

This led to assumptions that a USB keyboard or perhaps the Wiimote could be used to type in those messages.

Alas, it is not to be. Nintendo contacted IGN to clarify what they meant, and it's only going to be a couple of pre-filled in phrases to throw back and forth to each other.

"Apparently, gamers will only be able to select from a pre-determined number of phrases that can be sent along as rudimentary texts before matches," explained IGN in its recent correction.

http://www.nintendorevolution.ca/02282008/15/nintendo_no_text_chat_in_mario_kart_wii

Brain Candy: Try the Professor's Mind Games

Sometimes the best games aren’t about innovation, but combination. Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Nintendo’s newest title for the DS, falls in that category.

Part puzzler and part story-driven adventure, the game features Professor Layton and his sidekick Luke as they make their way to the town of St. Mystere to find the hidden treasure of a wealthy baron. The town and its inhabitants are provincially old-school, with nary a telephone, much less a TV.

So, what do the townies do for fun? Brainteasers, of course.

With over 130 mind-benders, the game takes 15 hours to complete, which is an amazing amount of time for a portable game. And with DS’ built-in Wi-Fi, you’ll be able to download even more puzzles. While your brain might be hurting for answers, the touch screen allows for great variation and ease with the types of challenges Layton & Co. face. Some are simple point-and-clicks while others test, say, your Pictionary skills.

The look of the game pays homage to The Triplets of Belleville, and that’s just fine with us. No laser guns, no WWII shoot-'em-ups, not much of anything in what is usually par for the course in a videogame. Just some endearing characters and wicked puzzles. It takes a Village...to have this much fun.

http://www.eonline.com/coolstuff/detail/index.jsp?uuid=52cd988e-8332-473c-8ef4-3cf42d44cdb8

Nintendo DS Review: Mega Brain Boost

The DS has become a breeding ground for newer genres, including the ever-popular brain-training genre of games. Nintendo started the whole thing off with Brain Age and Big Brain Academy and thus encouraged third-party developers to try and copy them. The result, as expected, is a flood of brain-training games to the DS, including Majesco's latest title, Mega Brain Boost.

If Nintendo is the King Kong, or should I say, Donkey Kong of brain-training games, then Mega Brain Boost is Mario in the hands of an eight-year-old child; sometimes, it works, but most of the time, it's nothing worthwhile.

That's not to say Majesco's brain-training compilation is a failure. The problem with Mega Brain Boost is that it's so much of what we've seen before, but lacks a few features that Brain Age and Big Brain Academy have.

So here's the deal: Mega Brain Boost is Brain Boost Gamma Wave and Brain Boost Beta Wave merged with five new games, giving you fifteen games overall. Like all good brain-training games, there's a famous Japanese scientist behind it somehow. In this case, it's Dr. Makoto Shichida, a world-renowned researcher in early childhood education.

I can sum up the game's look and sound for you in one word: simple. Obviously, since this is geared toward the casual crowd, there's no need for fancy 3-D graphics or orchestrated soundtracks. Instead, what you get is something as visually and audibly intense as a basic flash game you might make in high school or an intro to programming class in college.

Most of the games here are similar to those you've seen in other brain-trainers: matching pictures, remembering chains of numbers and sequences and counting money all make appearances this time around. However, there are a few new mini-games, including one where you must find the right kanji, which offer different twists and challenges. Like Big Brain Academy, the mini-games all have different levels and get harder as you get more answers right.

On the downside, multiplayer is present in Mega Brain Boost, but requires everyone to have a copy of the game in order to play, a far cry from Big Brain Academy's set-up. Likewise, while Big Brain Academy has separate test and practice modes, there's no such designation here. Each game is a test within itself, but there's no real overall ranking system, just how well you do in the individual games.

Mega Brain Boost is a mixed bag, offering some new mini-games, but really, it's just more of the same old crap. If you really, really like Big Brain Academy and must have more of the same, then this might be for you. Otherwise, it's not exactly a must-have, especially if you already have Big Brain Academy for your DS.

Pros: Offers some new twists on the old brain-training games.

Cons: Lacks a real test mode like Big Brain Academy. Multiplayer requires all players to have a copy of the game.

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/02/28/195605.php

Elderly stay active with the Wii Nintendo System

(WTNH) _ Staying active can be a challenge for aging people whose bodies may not work like they used to. But these days, more and more seniors are turning to video games -- to challenge their bodies and minds.

Who says video games are just for kids? Don't tell that to Helen Bower. She's become a real pro at 'bowling' on the Wii Video Game System -- and says it's a lot like the real thing.

"I actually thought I was in a bowling alley, holding a bowling ball," Bower, of Woodbridge, said. "And, when I got upstairs, my wrist even ached a little bit."

Bower is one of a growing number of residents at Coachman Square -- an assisted living center at Woodbridge -- learning how to use the Wii. "Oh, it's a great game," she said.

"People are realizing 'I can try something new' -- and it's moving them more than they've probably moved all day," Joan Cramer, an Occupational Therapist, said.

"You don't have to hit buttons on this game," Cramer said.

Malcom Webber, 91, is playing baseball on the Wii Nintendo system. And he's already having beginner's luck as a pitcher -- having struck two batters out.

"I couldn't do that well when I was a kid and used to pitch once and awhile," Webber, of Woodbridge, said.

Webber calls the game 'very practical' for older people -- it keeps them moving. For example, he and his wife used to play a lot of tennis. "So we've advanced from the real tennis courts -- to the tennis courts here," Rae Webber, of Woodbridge, said in reference to the Wii Nintendo game.

The game is something new and different -- a challenge for both mind and body. "I've tried to urge some of the other people who say -- 'No I can't do it' -- you can," Bower said.

After all, Bower never pictured herself as a video game player, but she is -- and she's pretty good.

The residents at Coachman Square are very busy practicing for a video game tournament in April. The tournament will feature the grandparents challenging their children and grandchildren.

http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=7942044