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Glimmerati Review
Written by Señor Cha Cha on Friday, July 15, 2005
A solid racer for a system without many shining stars.
Level design and map locations make for some frusturating gameplay.
The N-Gage library includes a decent amount of games but they're not what I'd call addictive. Pathway to Glory and maybe Pocket Kingdom stand out as the select few titles that I can see myself replaying in the very near future, but most of the others are only worth a single play through. However, developer Bugbear Entertainment's Glimmerati is one of those very rare exceptions, a game that manages to stand out among its peers if for no other reason than it makes me feel richer than I truly am.
Glimmerati is a 3D racer that's story mode transcends its gameplay in terms of overall quality. I don't mean to take anything away from the engine, especially since the game is actually a lot of fun, but it's the narrative that appeals to me the most. In the game you're plopped into the shoes of a playboy who's managed to become a member of the Glimmerati, a super exclusive club of snobby rich people and celebrities who race high-powered muscle cars all across Europe (Milan, Paris, The Alps, and Monaco), so you basically become a member of high society, visiting high class clubs as well as chillin' inside these humongous mansions.
You'll also be schmoozing with people who have more money than Electronic Arts. Each of them hails from a different part of the world and features a distinct personality. They also throw challenges your way, side quests that serve to increase your fame rating and make you "one of the guys". The rapper B Dome, for example, asks you to switch rides with him so he can evade the paparazzi, so you'll basically need to stay as far away from them as you can for a set amount of time until the coast is clear. Other odd jobs involve you picking people up and escorting them someplace else or battling to see who comes in first in a one on one race, the prize being the privilege of having a drink named after them.
Being able to do this stuff keeps the game fresh and exciting, and you'll also make a lot of friends (some of which are hot females) along the way, but don't let their flirty behavior fool you. Once you enter an official Glimmerati race they won't think twice about ramming your sorry @$$ off the road. That is, after all, the ultimate goal in Glimmerati; to rise to the very top of the rankings and win the entire tournament, wrestling the championship away from last year's victor, the lovely Penelope (who really sucked in the story mode that I played through). The better you do, the more you'll please the president of Club Glimmerati, Maxwell McCain, a Sean Connery sound-a-like who loves the ladies, cigars, and of course, fast and expensive automobiles. Of course, aside from that guy, you'll get in good graces with the ladies, and you just might be able to score.
That's really the draw of this game. It's not the sexual innuendo per se, but the desire to figure out what the hell's going to happen next. Glimmerati instantly hooked me, though the story isn't the only reason why I kept playing it. Bugbear did a really fantastic job with this game's presentation. All of the characters feature distinct personalities that include excellent voices (there is a lot of speech) and the cut scenes (presented as still frames) are also very cool. Even the music rocks, as the game's developers elected to toss in original beats that feature a 1970s and 80s flavor to them. The entire game just bleeds style.
Despite the narrative's sweetness there is a racing game buried in here somewhere, and I am happy to report that it's quite enjoyable. The action doesn't exactly fly at a brisk 60 frames per second, but if you're not careful with some of those sharp turns you'll be eating pavement. You'll also need to be mindful of your surroundings, since you won't always be driving on a hard, dry surface.
Glimmerati's gameplay is cool but it's far from exceptional, in part because the N-Gage's keypad isn't exactly the best for racing games. I'm ok with pressing 5 to accelerate, but having to tap 7 to break results in me accidentally mashing a whole bunch of keys. It's something that I got used to, but n00bs might run into some problems. However, the system's quirks have nothing to really do with Bugbear, though the same cannot be said of the level design, which has everything to do with Bugbear.
Rather than create enclosed tracks that would be easier to navigate around, the developers decided to throw us some curve balls by adding multiple streets, and while some races feature arrows that point you in the correct direction, I still made a lot of wrong turns, though most of those I attribute to the on screen map that doesn't display the streets. It'll mark where you're supposed to drive to, but it won't tell you how to get there. Also, I'm not happy about its placement, which is on the lower left corner of the screen. For some reason, my eyes refuse to look in that spot, mostly because I'm too busy keeping up with the action.
Since the N-Gage is a cell phone hybrid machine instead of a dedicated game console, making some of the tracks a bit too complex angered me, especially since I was looking for quick gameplay fixes while waiting in line at the store. It's just unnecessary frustration, especially when combined with the tracks, some of which feature some awkwardly designed portions. This is a racing game on a cell phone. I don't need a bunch of streets that don't go anywhere.
These annoyances aside, Glimmerati is fun to play. The gameplay is smooth, the steering works well (providing you break), and the AI puts up quite a fight (I restarted several times). As I previously mentioned, unraveling the game's story is a lot more enjoyable than actually racing, but since I really wanted to find out what situations I was going to get into next, putting up with the minor quirks wasn't a big deal.
In addition to the Story Mode there are several other game types to check out such as Quick Race, Time Trial, and Bluetooth wireless play for up to three other people. It's not the meatiest collection of stuff, but it does extend Glimmerati's life.
N-Gage titles aren't known for their groundbreaking visuals, but Bugbear did a nice job taking advantage of the hardware's strengths. During play the game never slows down, and the 3D environments look crisp and detailed on the tiny screen. The cut scenes are even more impressive, featuring nice character designs and pictures of high class locales.
When I first played Glimmerati at E3 2005 I wasn't all that impressed with it, so the final product is a really nice surprise. Bugbear's managed to make good use of the N-Gage hardware, and the result is a highly addictive and pretty game that's worth purchasing. In fact, now that you're an official member of Club Glimmerati, go out, buy the game, pick up this month's issue of Playboy, and wink at some hotties. Play on playa! Play on.
