Oh those crazy Finns… So I guess Nokia is still banging on the mobile gaming drum even after their um… “experience” with the N-Gage & I have to give them credit for persistence. Their latest marketing push is surrounding this new mobile/PC crossover title called Reset Generation which is pitched as an homage to “everything that came before” as well as a statement on the generation that grew up with videogames and share “a certain disposition such that they feel they can just reset things when they mess up. They feel that every situation can be won.” Certainly they won’t hear any protest from me on that thematic choice *cough* but after reading the initial coverage in The Escapist I was left wondering. What kind of gameplay have they cooked up to support these neat ideas?
Digging a bit deeper turned up some screenshots & concept art as well as the following synopsis: “The game plays like a mix of Rampart, Worms, Ataxx, and Bang! Howdy.” So yeah… those screenshots… I dunno. I mean, it’s entirely possible that this will turn out to be a well-balanced, finely nuanced update to the mobile/casual tile-based formula, but for whatever reason, that does seem to be a particularly difficult formula to break out of & so I can’t help but be suspicious when I see marketing speak like “The first video game about video games” and furthermore “Not a first — THE first. It’s a lot of firsts!”
On the other hand… This is cool: “Every piece of art, every frame of animation, every sound and voice file; all will be released for free.” And of course there’s the obligatory widgetization: “Nokia intends to release Reset Generation online, in browser-based form — as a widget anyone may place on their own website at no cost.”
So I’ll withhold judgment I suppose, at least until I’ve had a chance to test out the browser-based version of the game. And in the meantime, I would definitely encourage you to enjoy the first free asset release from the game: an updated version of The Day The Music Died by 8-Bit Weapon.
8-Bit Weapon – The Day 2D Died
P.S. Is it just me or do they name-check Sirlin about 1:15 into that song?
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