Mobile gaming is at an all-time high -- it's a big money-making venture, and everybody is taking notice, from big-time developers like ID software who made a Doom RPG, to smaller ones. Jump Games, a leading developer of mobile games in India, has a good arsenal of games in their kitty; these include games with big Bollywood personalities. I played through a couple of their games and was quite impressed -- traveling across the Western Express Highway in a noisy, irritating rickshaw while inhaling multiple harmful gases is much easier when playing a game on your cell phone.
The games I played are all simple and short -- you won't be going on a quest to save princesses or slay dragons. Before I begin, let me tell you that I played these on an N72; for more compatible handsets for each game, you will have to visit the Jump Games homepage. Read on to know more.
Rickshaw Rage
This is one game most Mumbai residents will relate to. All of us here have encountered rickshaw-wallahs who make a ride from Malad to Borivali seem like the first race of the F1 season. They make you feel G-forces in a two-stroke vehicle, and their skill to overtake can put Lewis Hamilton to shame The game is based on the same concept, although there's no turning involved. It's a top-down view; your objective is to steer clear of the heavy traffic.
In typical Indian-driving style: avoid oncoming traffic and the potholes on the way. This might just remind some gaming veterans of the 8-bit classic called Road Fighter. Similar to that one, there's a fuel gauge, and you need to refuel by collecting fuel pods on the way.
The controls are pretty simple -- you can use the phone's joystick, or the num-pad using the 2, 4, 8, and 6 keys as the direction buttons.
The game looks good even with its simple graphics, and yes, it has a background score. This is a good game to download if you enjoyed Road Fighter on your old console. The objective of the game is to reach the end of the line in the fastest time possible, which can be done by driving carefully and not hitting anything on the way; also important is to collect fuel, otherwise you will be left stranded on the highway with nowhere to go.
Once you complete a race, you can add it to the high score table and then perhaps challenge a few friends
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