New Blood #6 : Glimmerati

Aaron Gray

Games for the Nokia N-Gage game deck is still going on strong with upcoming games like Habbo Hotel and the much anticipated Spirits. There’s also one other game for the N-Gage whose concept is unusual, yet entertaining enough to get this reviewer’s attention. Other than being able to race against other AI players in your bid to uphold your honour and interact with the game characters, you will also get to impress the high-society females and score a night out with them (as well as a chance to be spotted and photographed by the media if you’re lucky enough!). Welcome to the world of Glimmerati.

The game starts off by putting you in the shoes of a young hot-blooded male, cruising the streets in a fancy car inherited from your dearly departed uncle (and all the money that comes with his will). You’re then spotted and challenged to a race by an old fart in a sleek sports car (who later turns out to be the owner of Club Glimmerati, as you will find out after the preliminary race). From there on, the choices you will make determines the outcome of the game, from the way non-playable characters (NPCs) interact with you to the status you’ve set for yourself (either gearing towards being a gentlemen or a notorious and spoilt rich brat).
By the way, what is Club Glimmerati, you ask. It is an exclusive racing club for the rich and famous, mostly consisting of international playboys.

The gameplay is spot on with easy and responsive control schemes as well as smooth 3D graphics. There are quite a handful of NPCs to chat with, particularly of the female type. Here, you will try to win their affections by doing all sorts of ‘chores’ they throw at you (with time-limit attached) – there’s even one time when a male character asks you to fetch his missus from the airport, and it ends up with her taking quite a liking for you. This game is definitely not for the underaged…

Your achievements – both good and mischievous – will be recorded in Club Cards, allowing you to share and compare them with your friends.

The racing aspect of Glimmerati differs from the conventional racing games available for the N-Gage: instead of a back-to-front or dashboard view of your vehicle, you only get top-to-bottom view in this game. Imagine viewing your car from high above on board a helicopter and you’ll get a pretty good idea what I’m talking about. It’s a shame the developers decided on this view – I felt the sense of speed is lost with this view even though there is a nitro boost available.Winning races not only proves you are worthy to be in Club Glimmerati, you will also get to win your opponent’s car
as well.





This does not apply to ‘official’ races – only those which the racer himself/herself challenged you to a one-on-one would get you his/her mean machine. If you happen to win, of course. There’s always the retry option if you can’t beat him/her the first time around… ;)
The sound quality in Glimmerati is good – the voice acting is excellent and the sound effects from cars interacting with the environment match the racing
segments nicely.

As with all handheld game machines, the N-Gage’s Bluetooth wireless technology allows multiplayer connectivity with up to four players simultaneously for a race or two in Glimmerati. You should try experiencing the fun and chaos as you and your friends try to cut each other off to get ahead of the pack. Good stuff ‘ere.
I’ve found Glimmerati to be a one-of-a-kind arcade racing game for the N-Gage. Though the racing view didn’t go well with me, the other aspects of the game are very intriguing and made me go back for more. The possibility of having multiple paths and reactions from the way you interact with characters is the main drawing power here.

If you don’t mind spending some time off from your mean machine to flirt with the girls (and the racing view), you should get yourself a copy of Glimmerati from the shops right away!