Village Gamer

New Line Serves Mobile Customers Looking for Mobility, Style with Latest Technology, Excellent Value

Ontario – Gateway today debuts a new notebook line in Canada optimized for multimedia enthusiasts on a budget, the new 15.6-inch Gateway MD Series notebook line.

The new Gateway MD Series notebook line leverages the fashion-forward style and the capabilities of the popular Gateway MC Series to deliver cinematic mobile entertainment and mainstream performance at an affordable price.

It is available now throughout Canada in several set configurations at leading retailers starting at $749.99. “The new MD Series notebook line is an all-around winner – it pairs a distinct style with a mobile-ready form factor and best-in-class technology at incredible values,” said Ray Sawall, senior product marketing manager for Acer America. “The entertainment and multimedia capabilities of the MD Series are just what today’s savvy mobile notebook customers need for their active lifestyle.”

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Vancouver – The organizing committee for Spark FX 2009 have released the speaker schedule for the upcoming SFX festival, but co-chair Mike Davison notes that there are one or two sessions still to be finalized. Spark FX runs from January 21 – 26 at the Vancouver International Film Centre, 1181 Seymour Street. Tickets for film showings and speaker events can be purchased through the ACM SIGGRAPH Vancouver Chapter’s website, along with full speaker bios and film information.

DAY 1 Wednesday January 21 – Doors Open 6:30pm

7:00 pm FILM “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” with Ken A. Priebe
9:30 pm FILM “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”

DAY 2 Thursday January 22 – 8:30 am – Registration

11:15 am SPEAKER SESSION – “Fictional Interfaces” with Mark Coleran
3:15 pm SPEAKER SESSION – “Make-up with Gordon Smith” with Gordon J. Smith
5:00 pm PANEL – “Pipedreams: In Search of the Perfect Production Solution” with Dave Fracchia, Anthony Brown, Leo Chan & Troy Brooks
7:00 pm FILM – “Forbidden Planet” with Keith Blackmore
9:30 pm FILM – “Alien”

DAY 3 Friday – January 23 – 8:30 am – Registration
9:30 am SPEAKER SESSION – “Spanning the Valley” with Paul Debevec
11:15 am SPEAKER SESSION – “Digital Cloning at ILM, from Lemony Snicket’s Baby to Pirates’ Davy Jones” with Christophe Hery
1:30 pm SPEAKER SESSION – “A VFX Journey Through Pan’s Labyrinth with CafeFX” with Jeff Barnes

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Second Update Released for 4X Space Strategy Game A Murder of Crows

Toronto – Leading video game publisher Lighthouse Interactive and acclaimed developer Kerberos Productions continue to prove their commitment to the dedicated Sword of the Stars community, by releasing the second update (1.6.4) for A Murder of Crows (PC) to the public shortly after a surprise, early release to gaming fans on the Kerberos and Lighthouse message boards.

The following key features are included in Update 1.6.4:

• Auto-pause feature added to single-player games.
• Added tech negotiation news event art.
• Fleet list can now be filtered by Flagship or Deep Scan.
• Slavers are back!
• Research bonus added for killing the VN grand menace.
• New avatars are available Read the rest of this entry »

EA SPORTS Announces First Title Exclusively Developed For Nintendo DS Coming In March 2009

Vancouver – EA SPORTS™, a label of Electronic Arts Inc., today announces EA SPORTS™ Football Academy – a collection of mini-games and challenges that improves football knowledge in a fun and entertaining way. EA SPORTS™ Football Academy, currently in development at EA Sports in Vancouver, will launch exclusively for the Nintendo DS in March 2009.

EA SPORTS Football Academy offers an entertaining way to learn football strategy, positioning and technique. Players build their knowledge by completing tasks and take their improved skills onto the pitch to compete against their friends. Additionally EA SPORTS Football Academy offers a variety of mini-games that provide fun for fans of all ages.

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Toronto – This January More2Girls Inc is launching an interactive magazine for Teen girls that is delivered in the form of a desktop application. This is a new delivery model for magazine subscriptions; one that other publications are likely to follow. To view a demonstration on how it works, go to http://www.more2girls.org/how-it-works.

More2Girls Magazine has chosen to publish in the form of a desktop application in order to suit the behaviours and habits of its Teen girl market. The application “floats” on the desktop, so it does not interfere with the multiple chat and browser windows Teens are accustomed to running simultaneously. The security features inherent in the type of file Read the rest of this entry »

Surrey, BC – Andrew Thomas, Marketing Manager of CDwest.ca, the audio division of Precision Disc Manufacturing Corp., a leading CD duplication company in Canada, announced yesterday that the company is proud to be entering into a sponsorship agreement for the Supernova.com “Band On The Run 2009” battle-of-the-band series in Western Canada.

“We’re very excited to be a part of Supernova’s 2009 series,” explains Andrew Thomas “This fits perfectly with our mandate to provide a local partner for Western Canadian performers and music industry members who would like a factory-direct source for their CD, print and packaging needs.”

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Submission Deadline for “NHK Best Asian Program Prize” is February 16, 2009

Banff – The Banff World Television Festival (BANFF) and NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, are pleased to announce their second year of partnership on the “NHK Best Asian Program Prize” at the Banff World Television Awards. This distinguished award pays tribute to special TV programs about Asia from both Asia and around the world. As title sponsor of the award, NHK has committed $20,000 (CDN) to the prize winner announced at the 2009 Banff World Television Awards Ceremony. BANFF takes place June 7-10, 2009 at the Fairmont Banff Springs in Banff, Canada.

“NHK is a leader in public broadcasting and an advocate for Asian content and programs produced around the world,” says Peter Vamos, Executive Director of the Banff World Television Festival. “We are proud to partner with NHK once again to honour excellence in television programming and celebrate the diversity in Asian cultures.”

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Get on Board Early With the Skate 2 Demo on Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network

Vancouver – Black Box, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio announced today that the Skate 2 demo will hit Xbox Live Marketplace on January 8th and the PlayStation Network on January 15, 2009. The demo introduces players to the city of New San Vanelona where they can skate with style and individuality via access to the enhanced character customization tools. Gamers will get a first glimpse of the deep single-player story and exciting challenges in all-new locations. The Skate 2 demo will also feature two of the game’s online Party Play modes: Thrasher’s Hall of Meat and Spot Battle.

Skate 2 ups the ante in delivering all the grit, creativity and culture of skateboarding. Equipped with double the bag of tricks, players are tasked to rebuild their career and revive the skate scene. Now with the ability to get off-board and move objects, gamers can create their own epic spots and challenges, which can then be uploaded, shared and experienced by others around the world.

Skate 2 hits retailers in North America on January 21st, and worldwide on January 23, 2009 – making it one of the first must-have games of 2009. Skate 2 is developed by Black Box, a studio of Electronic Arts in Vancouver, British Columbia and will be available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB.

New game an ideal training tool for any management system auditor

Ottawa – DISTIL Interactive announces a beta release date of February 1, 2009 for its Auditing Skills game. This will be the 10th off-the-shelf game designed by DISTIL, in partnership with the Canadian Standards Association. The Auditing Skills game can be used by companies using any management system, in order to train new auditors, accelerate auditor development and identify top-performing or underperforming auditors. The game is designed to help internal auditors develop the competencies specified in ISO 19011 guidelines.

The internal auditor role is a critical one in an organization, one that requires strong communication skills and effective investigative abilities, often in addition to the employee’s usual workplace role. According to auditing principles and the requirements specified in many Standards, individuals must be independent of the areas they are auditing to ensure impartiality and objectivity. Novices to the auditing field often express concerns around the interpersonal skill requirements – auditing senior management can be especially daunting; and seek practice in the interpretation of evidence. This learning product provides a safe but challenging environment for learners to develop their competence as auditors. Strong training not only improves auditors’ personal performance, but leads to accurate and complete audit findings that can facilitate improved corporate performance.

In the game, learners perform the role of internal auditor in a virtual audit of a fictitious company’s Business Management System (BMS). The BMS requirements will appear familiar to anyone who is familiar with management system standards such as ISO 9001,

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Toronto – Breakthrough Films & Television has started production on Stay Tooned (13 x 30′), a new live action factual entertainment series that examines the animated programs and characters that have greatly influenced pop culture.

Viewers will be taken back in time to revisit the Saturday morning animated programs that defined our popular culture. Each episode will be an entertaining, comical mix of interviews from experts, celebrities and fans, along with cartoon clips and behind-the-scenes footage. The series celebrates how ‘toons shaped and reflected our culture – then and now. Funny, entertaining and touching, Stay Tooned is a love letter to the golden era of Saturday morning cartoons, and is produced by Breakthrough Films & Television in association with Creator/Producer, Dale Burshtein and Canwest. Airing on TVtropolis, Stay Tooned will be internationally distributed by Breakthrough Entertainment.