Ngage Gaming News

Nokia has reduced the number of N-Gage games expected this year from around 100 to 40 due to a stuttering start, according to reports from Reuters.[br]The Finnish mobile phone manufacturer announced the modest figures at Helsinki's Nokia Connection 2004 event, admitting that sales figures for the console-cum-phone had so far been disappointing.[br][br]The original N-Gage enjoyed a major launch last year, but immediately failed to challenge Nintendo's hold on the handheld market by some distance (if it is fair to assume that it was competing with Nintendo, that is), with clumsy battery changing and a small screen adding to the machine's lack of software support. [br][br]Consequently, the company responded with the revamped N-Gage QD phone in May, but so far, even this has failed to re-ignite interest.[br][br]That said, Nokia has still managed to acquire a few major gaming franchises, many of which debuted at E3, which it hopes will be amongst its 40 titles to release before the year's out. These include EA's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004, Activision's Call of Duty and Spider-Man 2, Ubisoft's Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm, THQ's Worms and WWE, as well as first-party releases Operation Shadow and Pathway to Glory. [br][br]How this will translate to the N-Gage format remains to be seen, but on paper at least, there certainly seems to be a modicun of potential amongst its trimmed line-up.