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You may remember Pandemonium from the days of the original PlayStation - it was one of Crystal Dynamics first titles for the console, and at the time was praised for its varied worlds and nice 3D graphics. However, back then it also had a few negatives; in a time when free-roaming 3D games were considered the future, this title played exactly the same as a side-scrolling platformer, and the fact that the levels had to be completed in a set order reminded people a bit too much of the linearity of the 16-bit age, while other games were allowing you the freedom to tackle their challenges in any order you wanted to. However, seven years on the game is being ported to the N-Gage handheld, and in a weird twist it is probably better suited to Nokia's console than it was to Sony's.
For those who don't remember it, Pandemonium is essentially a side-scrolling platformer set in realtime 3D levels, where you can choose to control one of two characters, either Fargus or Nikki, and each have a special ability. Nikki can double-jump which is very useful for reaching high platforms that may contain secret power-ups, while Fargus can somersault which allows you to take out enemies more easily. You can also pick up coloured, glowing orbs dotted about each of the levels which allow you to fire at the enemies - some will take a single hit off of an enemy while others will freeze them for a short time, allowing you to jump on them and shatter them.
The reason this game works so well on the N-Gage is down to its simple control system. While Tomb Raider, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and many of the other 3D titles for the console require almost the whole number-pad to operate, this simply uses the 5 button to jump and the 7 button to fire, with the directional-pad obviously controlling left and right movement. Also, because this plays like a side-scrolling platformer, there's no fiddling about trying to position your character correctly and the action is never obscured by annoying camera angles.
Of course, the title's main selling point is its graphical prowess, and it shows off the power of the N-Gage in style. We were slightly concerned about the console's power after seeing some early videos of the games running earlier this year because some seemed to run jerkily with frequent frame-rate dips, but after getting our hands on Pandemonium at ECTS all these worries disappeared. Quite simply, the game looks just as good as the PlayStation original and runs just as fast, keeping a pretty consistent super-smooth framerate throughout all the bits we played. It's quite incredible when you consider all the texture-mapping and lighting the game uses, yet it runs quickly in the palm of your hand!
The other information revealed at the Nokia press conference during ECTS concerns the game's 'online' content. It seems that the Finnish company are intent on integrating online features into as many games as possible, and this shows in the fact that Pandemonium will support 'ghost' downloads, where you can race against another player's 'ghost', and there will also be a downloadable strategy guide from N-Gage arena. We're not entirely convinced that these will enhance the game that much, and are probably more looking forward to the bluetooth multiplayer capabilities in other titles, but then again Pandemonium has always been a single-player game, so any online options were limited.
As it stands, Pandemonium is looking like a very impressive title; possibly the best one we've seen in the N-Gage's line-up so far. It manages to perfectly show off the power of the console while still retaining the simple controls that make the gameplay so entertaining. It won't sell the console on its own, but it's certainly a good sign of things to come, and we look forward to reviewing the full game closer to its release on the 7th October.
Marc Hull
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