For a mobile phone that sits comfortably on top of the heap, the Nokia N95 runs the risk of leaving you feeling a tad underwhelmed.
Sure, it's packed with features and boasts a specification that other handsets can only dream of. But it's not as big a leap forward as you might expect, certainly if you've seen any of the advertising campaign that's accompanied its launch.
"It's what computers have become," claims the poster on the side of the bus stop near Pocket Gamer HQ. In a sense it's true: the N95 is much more than a device for talking or texting on. But additionally it's patently false. There are many things you'd do on a computer that you'd never dream of attempting on a mobile phone, even if, like the N95, it's technically possible. Creating an office document or spreadsheet, surfing the internet for long periods or managing our email are just three (and the nearly ubiquitous Blackberry still surpasses the N95 on the email front).
Thankfully for us, playing games is something we would do on the N95 and from that point of view the handset's a success, though not without some qualifications.
Let's get the negative out of the way first: the controls aren't up to scratch. When we saw that the N73 brought with it a thumbstick, we rejoiced; it's a far preferable manner of control over the directional pad. Sadly it's the latter that the N95 is burdened with.
It's not as bad as it could be, slightly raised as it is above the bracketing Menu and Gallery buttons. But while we're happy to make do for playing Java games and occasional foray into the more sophisticated Symbian titles that the N95 can play host to, we're not entirely convinced that the directional pad will be suited to the longer and more complex games that the
next-generation N-Gage platform will hopefully usher in.
Sure, the hardware behind the scenes is capable of generating enough grunt to make those new games look and sound utterly brilliant, but we're sceptical about sitting down for marathon sessions of whatever the next gen mobile equivalent (or installment) of
Pathway To Glory is.
It's simply not as comfortable to hold and use for long periods of time as our faithful old
N-Gage QD, though that's the only area in which the QD outperforms the N95. One of the new handset's major party pieces, for instance, is the ability to rotate the action through 90-degrees. The option to switch from a portrait view to a landscape one will be nothing new to owners of many of Sony Ericsson's Walkman range but it's something a bit different from Nokia and one of the N95 handset's numerous nods to leisure and entertainment.
The sliding screen can move both up (to expose the main keypad) and down (revealing a dedicated set of media player controls) and you can orient the screen in either fashion when viewing photos, videos or playing supported games.
Both of the pre-installed games on the N95 (
Snake 3D, and two levels from the much-anticipated
System Rush Evolution, which looks breathtaking but plays like little more than a technical demo, so limited is your interaction) can be played with a landscape view, though neither really benefits from the extra width available.
This is indicative of one of the N95's three other niggles. Firstly, it's so far ahead of its time in terms of hardware and performance that there's nothing available on the mobile games scene, as yet, to really take advantage of it (even compatible Java games are thin on the ground).
Second is that, as a handset to live with and use, there aren't any features that really make you pause and issue a mental 'wow!' The built-in WLAN adapter and GPS receiver are nice additions, but unless you've got a hotspot account for the former and a generous data plan for the latter (you need to download maps, and voice directions only come with an additional subscription fee), both are less useful than you initially expect.
Third and finally, while the screen, visual grunt (3D games are a cinch) and audio quality are second to none – they really do need to be seen and heard to be believed – all of the microchippage that makes the magic happen drains the battery with astonishing rapidity, even for a 3G phone.
Despite these drawbacks, we're still hugely excited about the N95 and that's because of one thing: its potential. When game publishers catch up and the next generation
N-Gage platform finally makes its debut later this year (while N-Gage supported handsets have yet to be confirmed by Nokia, it's almost a cert that the N95 will be one of them), devices like the N95 and its ilk should rule the mobile phone gaming roost.
There's nothing, really nothing, that's as capable of taking mobile games to the next level and for that, the N95 is to be applauded. Now we just need to be patient.
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