Space Impact

Space Impact
Space Impact logo as used in Light, Kappa Base and Meteor Shield
Genre(s)Shoot 'em up
Developer(s)Various
Publisher(s)Nokia
Platform(s)Mobile phone, J2ME, Symbian (S60), N-Gage Classic/QD, N-Gage 2.0
First releaseSpace Impact
September 2000
Latest releaseSpace Impact: Meteor Shield
24 February 2010

Space Impact is a shoot 'em up mobile game series from Nokia. The earliest games were bundled with several of Nokia's mobile phones, whereas later titles were available for download on compatible devices. The latest instalment came in 2010.

Original Space Impact logo

The first Space Impact appeared on the Nokia 3310 in 2000 and later included in various other models with a monochrome display. WAP enhanced phones gave the possibility to download extra Space Impact chapters via the WAP connection, using the Club Nokia service.[1][2] Club Nokia also had a global scoreboard of all players.[3] In 2001, a downloadable game pack from Club Nokia was also accompanied with a Flash-based web cartoon, which revolves around a plot of a Neon Force character pilot named Geneva.[4] Later Space Impact titles had advanced graphics and capabilities and it also was released on Nokia's N-Gage 2.0 platform with online battles.[5]

Over 150 million copies of Space Impact games were sold as a preloaded product as of 2006.[6] More recently, various clones and remakes of the game have been made for the PC and platforms like iOS, WatchOS or Android, many of which are modeled after the original Nokia 3310 version, often with some gimmicks added.[7][8]

Gameplay

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Gameplay of the original Space Impact, showing the player in a boss battle

Space Impact is a shoot 'em up game and the player has the ability to freely move horizontally and vertically (in the majority of its games) but cannot increase the speed of the screen's auto-scrolling feature. The player can collect power-ups throughout the levels, such as rockets and energy beams, to use as special weapons, and some pick-ups award extra lives.[9]

In each level, the player is confronted by different enemy ships, some of which fly directly, others follow the player, and some even shoot at the player. The first game had eight levels set on different planets and underground areas, with a boss at the end of each.

In Space Impact Light, the player earns money and uses it to upgrade various parts of their spaceship, named Skyblade.[5][10] Space Impact: Kappa Base, also has a plot with characters: the plot revolves around the Earth having become so polluted that humans have mechanically altered themselves into creatures named MEKS, and starts to wage war against normal unaltered humans.[11] In this game, dodging enemy fire also rewards the player with extra firepower.[12]

Space Impact: Meteor Shield, uses the hardware digital compass to control the ship's gun turret by rotating the phone on its vertical axis. It also makes use of the touchscreen to fend off enemies.[13]

Series

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The complete series of Space Impact games is listed below; all are published by Nokia:

Title Developer Year Platform Notes
Space Impact 2000 Preloaded on Nokia 3310/3320/3360/3390, 3410, 5510, 5210, 2100, 6310, 8855.[14] A Space Impact-themed Xpress-on cover was also released for devices including Nokia 3410.[15]
Space Impact II 2002 Space Impact II, which debuted on Nokia 3510 and later appeared in Nokia's CDMA models.[16] Identical gameplay to the original, with new levels and enemies as well as optional background music in some versions.
Space Impact + 2003 Included in Nokia 1100[17] and Nokia 2300. Features platform-style levels.
Space Impact 303 Nokia c. 2003 J2ME Not preloaded but downloadable as a Java applet from the Nokia website, redesigned gameplay layout for 128 x 128 color screen devices: Nokia 7210, 3220, 3100, 6100, 6610/6610i.[18] A version for 176 x 208 display devices was also available, such as for Nokia 3650, 6600 and 6630.
Space Impact Evolution Kuju Entertainment c. 2003 S60v1 Designed for Nokia 7650, first version in vertical gameplay form.[19]
Space Impact Evolution X Kuju Entertainment 2003 N-Gage, S60v2 Bundled exclusively with the N-Gage as a .SIS file on the CD-ROM. Physical copies were made for pre-launch testing purposes.[20]
Space Impact Light Method Solutions[21] 2007 S60v3 Originally announced for N-Gage 2.0 in 2006 as Space Impact[5] repackaged as 'light'. A demo also came bundled with the Nokia N81 8GB released in October 2007 as part of the N-Gage 2.0 preview.[22]
Space Impact: Kappa Base Method Solutions[23][24] 2008 N-Gage 2.0 Included online multiplayer capability.[25] Using N-Gage Arena, players would challenge different levels and upload their high scores to the public.[26]
Space Impact: Meteor Shield Rovio 2010 S60v5 Distributed on the Ovi Store and released for Nokia N97, taking advantage of the phone's digital compass.[13] First game in the series set in a 3D environment.[27][28]

Reception

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The original Space Impact is well remembered as one of the games of the popular Nokia 3310 handset.[29][30] In 2010, CNET put it in its top 10 'greatest mobile games of all time', and said that it pushed the boundaries in what was possible on a mobile device.[9]

Space Impact: Kappa Base on N-Gage 2.0, in a Pocket Gamer review, was given 8 out of 10 by Stuart Dredge. He thought that the game was very difficult, but after the learning curve becomes "rewarding". It was also given Pocket Gamer's Silver Award.[31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ GSMONLINE.PL. "Nokia 3330 - oficjalny komunikat".
  2. ^ "Nokia Games". web.archive.org. 2003-02-04. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  3. ^ Peter. "Counterclockwise: remembering the classic mobile games". GSMArena.com. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  4. ^ "Nokia Games". web.archive.org. 2003-02-10. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  5. ^ a b c Contributor, GamesIndustry biz (2006-05-10). "Nokia unveils first range of next generation mobile games". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2024-09-10. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ "Method Solutions - Space Impact". Method Solutions. 2006-12-16. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  7. ^ "O.G. Nokia Mobile Classic 'Space Impact' Will Not Be Left Behind - Now Available for iOS". 18 April 2013.
  8. ^ "Space Impact Watch: Perfektná a nostalgická hra na Apple Watch, ktorú vytvoril Slovák". 10 October 2022.
  9. ^ a b "The 10 greatest mobile games of all time". 4 November 2010.
  10. ^ "Symbian OS 9-9.3 - Игры N-Gage OS 9 - стр 2". profismart.org. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  11. ^ "All About N-Gage - Review - Space Impact: Kappa Base for N-Gage". web.archive.org. 2008-03-09. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  12. ^ "IGN: Space Impact Kappa Base Preview". IGN. 2007-09-02. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  13. ^ a b "First Nokia game to use digital compass sensor lands on Ovi Store | Nokia Conversations - The official Nokia Blog". web.archive.org. 2010-02-27. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  14. ^ "Nokia 6310: sore thumbs". The Register.
  15. ^ "3410 Space Impact II". www.nokiamuseum.com (archived). Archived from the original on 2018-09-20.
  16. ^ "Nokia 3510 review - S21". www.s21.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-19. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  17. ^ "Space Impact+ Reviews, News, Descriptions, Walkthrough and System Requirements :: Game Database - SocksCap64".
  18. ^ https://www.igdb.com/games/space-impact-303
  19. ^ balky. "Nokia N-Gage, Recenzie, GamesWeb.sk". gamesweb.sk.
  20. ^ "Virtuelles Computer-Museum » Space Impact Evolution X (Nokia N-Gage) - UPDATE". retro-net.de. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  21. ^ "OGDB - Firmenübersicht: Method Solutions, L.L.C." ogdb.eu. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  22. ^ "Nokia announces availability of 8GB N81 gaming phone". 22 October 2007.
  23. ^ Buchanan, Levi (29 August 2007). "Space Impact Kappa Base Peek".
  24. ^ "Nokia N-Gage - Space Impact: Kappa Base Game Review ~ goldfries". 22 August 2008.
  25. ^ Spencer, Spanner (2009-02-13). "N-Gage's Space Impact updated to include social features". www.pocketgamer.com. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  26. ^ "2008's most innovative mobile games: 11-20, feature, PocketGamer.biz". web.archive.org. 2010-02-14. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  27. ^ "Space Impact: Meteor Shield is out!". 24 February 2010. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  28. ^ "Space Impact Meteor Shield launched!". 24 February 2010.
  29. ^ "The iconic Nokia 3310 set to be relaunched".
  30. ^ "Life before Smartphones – The Golden Age of Nokia 3310 - Edunation". 8 June 2017. Archived from the original on September 19, 2018.
  31. ^ "Space Impact Kappa Base review | N-Gage reviews | Pocket Gamer". web.archive.org. 2009-11-18. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
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