Mobile Games offer Entertainment for Long Trips

Traveling can be fun, but delays, traffic, long rides and the general time spent getting from home to the destination can be tedious, especially for children. Whether traveling across the country on a road trip or taking a plane to Disney World, entertainment for travelers can make the trip easier and more pleasant.

However, the nature of travel usually means there isn’t a ton of space to bring extra game equipment along to entertain everyone. That is why Namco Networks has created mobile games that are easy to bring along on the road. ROAD & TRAVEL Magazine asked Scott Rubin, the vice president of sales and market at Namco Networks, what made these games great for Travel.

RTM: What makes mobile games perfect travel entertainment?

Rubin: Mobile games are fun and incredibly portable, providing easily accessible entertainment while you are on the road or in the air. Mobile games can be played on your cell phone, smartphone or iPod, devices which you are likely already carrying while traveling.

RTM: Are mobile games family-friendly?

Rubin: Namco Networks’ mobile games are designed for the mass market and are fun and entertaining for the whole family. Most of Namco’s mobile games don’t include violence or complex control schemes that are often associated with traditional “hardcore” videogames, making the games very family friendly and appropriate for all ages. In addition, many of Namco’s games are based on popular brands like Peanuts, Popeye and PAC-MAN — brands the whole family recognizes and enjoys.

RTM: Tell us about some of your games that are great for kids.

Rubin: We have a variety of titles that are fun for all ages. Arcade classics like PAC-MAN, Ms. PAC-MAN and Dig Dug are great to play with kids because parents can share the classic games they played in the arcades when they were young on a new, portable format.

Additionally, Namco offers some games that will appeal to a younger audience because of their recognizable characters and easy to understand controls. A great example is Snoopy the Flying Ace. In this game, players take on the role of Snoopy in his famous fantasy as the WWI Flying Ace and must steer his Sopwith Camel through the Peanuts neighborhood to collect balloons and bonus items, soaring and diving in exhilarating aerial adventures and overcoming obstacles including storm clouds, kites and the dreaded Red Baron. All of this action is controlled by pressing a single button, making the game easy to pick up for parents and children.

RTM: Are there any mobile games you can play with a group?

Rubin: We have several games that can be played as a group. There are games that allow you to connect to a network through your handset and play against others from across the country. There are also games designed for pass-and-play; where competing players in the same area, like a car, pass the handsets and take turns.

Pool Pro Online II is one of Namco Networks’ games that connects to the network. The mobile phone is essentially a portable, always-on, connective device. By connecting into the game’s network, players can play head-to-head in online pool. The game also includes a number of online community and personalization features, including tracking players’ performances and customizable elements like avatars, cue sticks, and pool tables.

Based on the popular DVD board games, Scene It? Movie and Scene It? TV Editions are two Namco games that feature pass-and-play competition. On a long road trip, family members can pass around a handset to see who possesses the ultimate TV or movie trivia knowledge. In these games, players are presented with a variety of TV and movie trivia questions, including questions with streaming audio and video that feature scenes and characters from some of the most popular TV shows and movies of all time.

RTM: Do mobile games have any cool or advanced features that people should know about?

Rubin: Because mobile phones are connected to a network, there are some very cool ways to use networked technologies to enhance mobile games.

For example, the network can be used to continually provide fresh and updated content for games.  Scene It? TV and Scene It? Movie feature new trivia questions available for download each week. The network also allows players to connect to a library of near a thousand questions, more content than would normally fit on a phone.

Another cool implementation of networked content is Namco Networks’ unique rewards system. Dilbert Cubicle Chaos, Snoopy the Flying Ace and Popeye all allow players to redeem points and tokens they earn during game play to download original comics directly to their mobile phones. This has proven to be a very popular reward as hundreds of thousands of comics have been downloaded since this feature was introduced by Namco.

RTM: What type of devices do you need to access these games?

Rubin: To access mobile games, all you need is your phone and access to the carrier’s network. That is one of the reasons mobile games are such a great form of on-the-go entertainment. As most people already carry a mobile phone with them on the road, the mobile games don’t require any additional equipment to play, and you can also get new content for the games from anywhere your phone gets a signal.

With other portable gaming options, families need to buy a new device that can cost more than $100 and games that are also expensive. Mobile games allow parents to download games that only cost a few dollars on a device they already own, and since the games can be downloaded from anywhere, travelers can easily download a different game whenever their family is ready for something new.

Namco Networks recently released PAC-MAN and Ms PAC-MAN for the iPhone and iPod touch available through Apple’s App Store, and also has games for the iPod Video through iTunes.

RTM: How can you access mobile games? Do you have to be online or can you do it on your phone? What if you do not have good cell phone reception on the road?

Rubin: Mobile games are easy to access for travelers. All they have to do is to access their carrier’s catalog, which is also known as the “deck”, through the phone. Depending on the carrier and the handset, the access to the games content is a little different, but they are all relatively easy to find from the cell phone’s main menu. Once consumers find the game catalog, they simply need to select the title they want and have it downloaded to their phone. The charge for the game will appear in the consumer’s monthly cell phone bill.

Depending on the game, cell phone reception may have no effect on game play once the game is downloaded. In fact, many games can be played in “safe” or “airplane” mode, in which the cell phone receives no signal. The only features that are directly affected by cell phone reception are those tied to the network. This means certain features on networked games, like downloadable content, could be affected by poor cellular reception.

RTM: Are mobile games expensive?

Rubin: Compared to other portable gaming options, mobile games are incredibly inexpensive. Most Namco games can be purchased for either a monthly subscription fee that ranges from $2.99 - $3.49 depending on the carrier, or you can pay a one time fee of around $6.99. In addition, mobile games don’t require an additional device to play on, considerably cutting the cost of this form of entertainment.

RTM: Can you only get mobile games if you have a certain carrier?

Rubin: Namco Networks’ mobile games are available across all carriers in North America, allowing everyone to access these games easily on their phones.

RTM: What makes these mobile games different from other mobile game options?

Rubin: Namco Networks focuses on creating high-quality, fun mobile games. We focus on creating the highest quality titles we can provide for the mobile platform, designed to provide hours of entertaining game play for the widest audience possible.

All of Namco’s classic arcade titles are faithful to the original versions to perfectly fit mobile platforms, and many include enhanced graphics, soundtracks and features. And while Namco might be best known for classics like PAC-MAN and Ms. PAC-MAN, we also bring consumers original games for top-tier brands like Snoopy the Flying Ace and Dilbert Cubicle Chaos and provide consumers with the highest quality original titles like SubMerged, our latest puzzler.  

RTM: How many games are offered?

Rubin: Namco currently offers more than 40 titles across a wide range of platforms including mobile phones, Palm OS devices, Windows Mobile devices and video-capable iPods.
 
RTM: Are the games long-lasting with a variety of levels? How long does it take to beat a game?

Rubin: Namco Networks games are designed to be easy to pick up and play and be appropriate for a quick five minutes of fun, but also designed to offer addictive game play and enough content to entertain a player for hours. For example, this year, Namco Networks released Atlantis Sky Patrol for mobile, which features more than 100 increasingly difficult levels. While each level only takes a matter of minutes to complete, to beat the entire game takes several hours. Meanwhile, games like Scene It? TV edition can be played infinitely as new content is available weekly.

RTM: Are these new games or can mobile gamers play classic games like PAC-MAN?

Rubin: Namco Networks has a strong catalog of both new titles, like the recently released SubMerged, and classic arcade titles. In addition the best-known classics like PAC-MAN, Ms. PAC-MAN, Galaga and Dig Dug, Namco Networks also offers other popular arcade titles for mobile like BurgerTime Delight, Pole Position II, Mr. Do!, Time Crisis, and Ridge Racer.

For more information on mobile games or to get mobile games for your next vacation visit Namco Games.

Scott Rubin, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, joined Namco Networks in early 2004. Distributing through every major carrier in North America, Namco Networks is a leading publisher and developer of wireless games and entertainment. Mr. Rubin is responsible for the overall business and marketing direction of the company, as well as maintaining relationships with strategic partners, including wireless carriers. Prior to joining Namco, Mr. Rubin was the director of business development at Sega, where he developed carrier partnerships and helped establish the mobile division, Sega Mobile, as well as oversaw the online business strategy.

Source: Namco Games