The Guitar Hero franchise is synonymous with headbangin', mosh pittin' in-your-face rock 'n roll, but the latest joint released for phones is going in a slightly different direction. Rest assured, rock is still an integral component of the game, but Guitar Hero III: Backstage Pass takes a step back from the actual performances to simulate the whole rockstar experience from end to end. Buyers can apparently expect "more than 25 hours of gameplay" through a whole RPG-like storyline of promotion, gigging, and getting screwed over by shady managers. Even better, an online component over the web lets players compare stats and achievements, download new content, and set up challenges for in-game money. Groupies aren't included, as far as we can tell -- you'll still need your Ferrari-branded Vertu to help out with that.

Our first thought when we heard the news that there was an NES emulator in the works for the Sidekick series of text machines was one of pure, unabashed elation. The classic Hiptop form factor is pretty much exactly what the doctor ordered for effective old-skool gaming, after all -- and let's be honest, any time Nintendo playtime comes to a new platform is cause for immediate and overindulgent celebration. Our second thought was, "wait, what?" It's pretty unclear how the emulator would be loaded with legally-obtained ROMs and we have our doubts that Nintendo signed away the rights to any binaries, so we're a little confused about the word that this would be officially offered through the Danger's Software Catalog. Let's all cross our fingers, continue to pay our T-Mobile bills on time, and hope that tomorrow might bring countless hours of Skate or Die while we're... you know, actually skating or something.

Update: While not technically fake, it turns out that this 80s-vintage action is going to remain a pipe dream (and no, we're not talking about the NES game Pipe Dream, either). Danger's developer tools allow arbitrary Java to be loaded into the Hiptop emulator -- not just approved stuff, obviously -- so odds are that someone loaded an NES emulator (like, say, vNes) and went to town with the screen shots. Official offering through the Catalog, though? Not so much. Thanks, Jim!

Spore aside, we imagine we'll all occasionally need something just a little less cerebral and involving to pass the handful of minutes between trains, buses, meetings, connecting flights, and the like when third-party games hit the iPhone in full force come this June. To that end, Gameloft's got your back, announcing that it'll be flush with "over 15" titles for Apple's piece before the year's out. No specific games have been announced in the company's initial press release, but it does mention that they've "started to create a strong line-up" already, so here's hoping a solid percentage of 'em won't suck.

While we all wait patiently for a wide-scale release of Nokia's revamped N-Gage platform, it's always fun to get learned on just what sorts of titles will be available for the rest of 2008; after all, the titles available through the First Access beta -- Creatures of the Deep, World Series of Poker, Space Impact, and Block Breaker Deluxe -- are only going to take us so far. Seasoned mobile game developer Glu Mobile has come forward to announce its '08 contributions to the platform, and with just three titles in the wings, it seems the company has done a surprisingly decent job of covering the full gamut. Speed Racer is a (you guessed it) racing title on "extreme" tracks, Super Slam Ping Pong! puts an arcade spin on the classic table game, and The Dark Knight is an action title that follows the upcoming Batman flick. The one thing we don't have in our lives is enough productivity sinks, Glu, so by all means, let's get these suckers pushed out on the double.

The delayed, revamped N-Gage client still isn't ready for prime time, but the First Access preview service -- which is just a little bit more functional than the preview shipping on some Nseries devices already -- has finally launched. The service introduces a full suite of social gaming tools (though with compatibility officially limited to N81s for the moment, that's a very small social circle indeed) and lets users download several game demos; Nokia promises that the service will evolve and expand as it ramps up for a full-scale release, so don't get too down on the lack of content and community just yet. Oh, and just a word of warning, downloaders: your data will get reset prior to the full-scale launch, so don't get too attached to your high scores, k?

[Via All About Symbian]

ZodTTD has made good on a promise to release their psx4iphone app to the public just a handful of days after announcing the project, meaning that the iPhone could very well end up taking a slot beside the PSP as a premier destination for portable PlayStation gaming. We're still not entirely convinced that the transition from PlayStation controller to touchscreen is going to be an easy one, though we're pretty sure hardcore gamers have overcome even greater obstacles in the past in the name of emulation. The package is being billed as a 0.1 release, meaning that it may not be the most solid build in the world -- but then again, it's not like you're getting your PlayStation jollies from Sony Ericsson any time soon, right?

[Via Mobilewhack]

Just a quick reminder for interested parties that Verizon has made good on its promise today to pick up Guitar Hero III Mobile, a game that hopes to bring some fraction of the Guitar Hero franchise's wild success to the mobile world. The game comes bundled with 15 songs with more promised via monthly "song packs," but don't expect the rock star lifestyle to come cheap -- Guitar Hero III Mobile runs $4.49 per month or $11.99 for unlimited use, making it one of the more expensive games ever offered through a carrier's deck. Anyone out there planning to buy a phone with a big, comfortable keypad for the sole purpose of rocking out?

[Via MobileBurn]

Corporate denials aside, a gaming handset from Sony Ericsson seems to make flat-out good sense -- particularly in light of Nokia's renewed emphasis on making N-Gage a success. What's more, you figure that Sony Ericsson has swiped Sony's Walkman and Cyber-shot brands for its own devices, so why not PlayStation, too? Indeed, it seems the "PSP phone" rumor ain't dying until the phone is magically willed into existence by the hopeful masses, and here's another bundle of kindling to toss into the fire: a shot of Stuff's latest issue in the UK, featuring an unusually real (and realistic) looking PlayStation-branded handset. Of course, odds are that Stuff's graphics peeps have just taken a little creative license in rendering their dream phone, but if that's the case, we think Sony Ericsson would be wise to pay attention -- it's a beaut, is it not?

[Via Unwired View]

Granted, mobile versions of Doom aren't exactly in short supply, but the variety of mobile games coming out of legendary id Software's arsenal is about to explode. Founder John Carmack's wife -- who just happens to have started Fountainhead Games, the co-creator of Doom RPG for phones -- has been tapped to lead id Mobile with the goal of creating mobile ports of Wolfenstein and Quake (official ones, anyway) along with a sequel to the moderately successful Doom RPG. Long term, Carmack's hoping that we're on a cusp of an explosion in the popularity of mobile gaming, an explosion that could very well end up being driven by full-force entries into the arena by companies like id as they start to pull top-tier game developers into a field that's been historically dominated by offal from the desktop and console gaming worlds.

[Via mocoNews]

Putting the N-Gage and N-Gage QD squarely in its rear view mirror, Nokia continues to pick up the pieces, take its lumps, and learn hard lessons in revamping N-Gage from a dedicated line of devices into a far-reaching platform -- and it's starting to look like the strategy just might work. Latest to sign up with Espoo is Capcom, a juggernaut in the gaming industry, and perhaps more importantly, the first Japanese studio to issue a vote of confidence for the new N-Gage. We wanted to be quick to point out that this probably means Street Fighter II is coming to an N81 near you, but the director of Capcom's European Mobile Division beat us to the punch, saying that he "believes that N-Gage will allow us to bring some of our most famous franchises to the platform." Cheers to that, we say.

If you've noticed an uptick in the number of gaming announcements coming out of Espoo recently, there's likely a very good reason for that. As expected, the New York Times is reporting that Nokia will officially announce this week a totally revamped N-Gage platform this week, turning the brand from a series of dedicated gaming-oriented phones to a full fledged service supported by a variety of its S60-based handsets. It sounds like N-Gage will take a number of cues from the current crop of online services for video game consoles, offering "try before you buy" game demos, player skill matching, recommendations, and other features that look to give the service even more of a community feel than it had before. Perhaps most importantly, Nokia will step up casual game offerings -- crucial for those times when you have literally one or two minutes to bust out some entertainment -- and offer the games as downloads rather than pesky cartridges. There's no word yet on exactly what existing handsets will be compatible, but it's safe to say superphones like the N95 will make the cut -- and odds are this doesn't spell the end of the gamephone form factor, either.

The exact nature of Nokia's next-gen N-Gage efforts still aren't entirely clear, but at least we know we'll be able to get our mahjong on. Nokia has announced a partnership with mobile game purveyor I-play to offer a full range of "casual" games to the N-Gage platform starting this fall. Interestingly, this announcement seems totally unrelated to the Shockwave Mini deal that was also recently inked -- so by all appearances, Nokia's putting a lot of weight behind its entertainment offerings over the next few months. There's no mention of how exactly the games will be delivered, though it's a safe bet that the upcoming N-Gage download client will play a role. Expect I-play's offerings to focus on -- as they call it -- "one-thumb" gaming experiences that make it easy to catch a quick game on the bus to work without having to get too involved. Just don't go trying World Rally Championship while you're driving, k?

Wait just a tick before you install an NES emulator on that iPhone of yours! (Actually, on second thought, go ahead and install it -- but pay close attention here anyway.) Sister site Download Squad has stumbled upon some pretty damning evidence that Apple is cooking up games for the handset, finding this little gem in iTunes' localization strings: "Are you sure you want to remove the selected game from your iPhone?" Seeing how there aren't really any games to remove at the moment, we can only take this to mean that there are some in the pipe -- which hopefully we won't want to remove, hence Apple's concerned tone in the string. Traditional iPods are now well entrenched in the brain-rotting, time-wasting downloadable app market, so a similar move on the iPhone almost seems like a foregone conclusion, especially considering the endless possibilities afforded by the gargantuan touchscreen and the recent posting of a senior game developer position out in Cupertino. Stay tuned! While you're waiting, maybe you can kill some time with some Bubble Bobble, eh?

Update: Apparently, these strings have been floating around the nets for a little while now; our apologies for those that already knew!