Network game system, game apparatus, storage medium storing program, and game controlling method

A game apparatus capable of communicating with a server via a network, comprising:

• a processing system that includes at least one processor, the processing system configured to:
• send a connection request to a second game apparatus that has a released version game program corresponding to a trial version game program on said server by executing said trial version game program;
• receive connection permission information from said server;
• and
• in accordance with reception of the connection permission information from the server, perform a communication game on the basis of said trial version game program by communicating with the second game apparatus indicated by said connection permission information,
• wherein another connection request from the game apparatus to a third game apparatus is denied when the third game apparatus has a trial version game program and not the released version game program.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions for use with a first game apparatus capable of communicating with a server via a network, the stored instructions including a trial version of a predetermined game program, the stored instructions comprising instructions that cause the first game apparatus to:

• send a connection request to the server, the connection request including information on a second game apparatus that is set to have a released version of the predetermined game program, the released version and the trial version of the predetermined game program associated with each other on said server;
• accept connection permission information from said server;
• connect to the second game apparatus based on the received connection permission information;
• execute a communication game of the predetermined game program by transmitting and receiving data with the second game apparatus indicated by said connection permission information;
• send another connection request to the server, requesting a connection to another game apparatus to play the predetermined game program;
• and
• accept a notification from the server denying the another connection request to the another game apparatus when the another game apparatus has the trial version of the predetermined game program.

A game controlling method for a game apparatus capable of communicating with a server via a network, the method comprising:

• (a) performing, by using a computer processor of the game apparatus, a connection request to a second game apparatus having a released version game program corresponding to a trial version game program on said server by executing said trial version game program, wherein the trial version game program has a partial subset of functions provided by the released version game program,
• (b) receiving connection permission information from said server, and
• (c) performing a communication game on the basis of said trial version game program by making communications with the second game apparatus indicated by said connection permission information when the connection permission information is received by (b),
• wherein the game apparatus is prohibited from communicating with a third game apparatus that has the trial version game program.

A server which is configured to communicate with a plurality of game apparatuses, the plurality of game apparatuses including a first game apparatus and a second game apparatus, the first game apparatus having a first game version program and the second game apparatus having a second game version program, the second game version program having only a partial subset of functions provided by the first game version program, the server comprising:

• a communications module operable to communicate with the plurality of game apparatuses;
• and
• a processing system that includes one or more processors, the processing system configured to:
• receive a connection request from the second game apparatus that has the second game version program, the connection request including data requesting connection to the first game apparatus;
• determine whether or not a connection acceptance has been received from the first game apparatus after the connection request is received from the second game apparatus;
• transmit, to the second game apparatus, connection permission information relating to the first game apparatus when it is determined that the connection acceptance has been received from the first game apparatus;
• and
• deny another connection request when a requesting game apparatus is associated with the second game version and a destination game apparatus is also associated with the second game version.