Namco unveils new mobile titles

Namco Networks has unveiled a range of new games for mobile phones based on classic properties and the newly acquired Scene It? license.

Scene It? is currently the top selling board game brand in the world, with nearly 10 million units shifted. Namco will publish two games based on the license - Scene It? Movie Edition and Scene It? TV Edition, both of which will task players with answering entertainment trivia via their mobiles.

They will feature similar question categories to the board game, and according to Namco, "rapidly increasing network speeds and streaming video technology will allow players to view full-motion TV and movie clip-based trivia questions." The games are scheduled for a winter 2006 release.

Next up is Galaga, the classic space shooter which celebrates its 25th birthday this year. The mobile version of Galaga, which will be offered exclusively to Sprint subscribers, will include a new Dual Fighter Mode.

By playing the game in this mode, users will be able to fight off the aliens with two spaceships and double their firepower, and post their top scores on a leaderboard. They'll have to pay for the privilege though - Galaga will be the first game to utilise Sprint's Game Lobby service, which will charge players 25 cents per play. A release date for the game has not been announced.

And finally there's Super Pac-Man, which features an arcade mode based on the original game. There's also an enhanced mode, with four new mazes and new super powers to help Pac-Man defeat the ghosts who have now been haunting him for nearly 25 years.

The game will be exclusively available through Sprint during June and July, and to celebrate the carrier is giving away a specially customised Pac-Man Volkswagen Beetle. Each player who downloads a Namco game via Sprint will be automatically entered into the draw.

Atteendees at this year's Electronics Entertainment Expo can find out more by visiting the Namco Networks booth (#600, South Hall).