6th May 2010

Now Playing In Vancouver And Across The Country

Mike Playing ModNation RacersWe had a great time yesterday afternoon over at United Front Games with PlayStation Canada’s Matt Levitan.  We were able to get a more in-depth view of ModNation Racers, and our venerable CaveChild got some hands-on time with the upcoming title. He had plenty of fun roaring around the track and seeing many of the little details that UFG included in the game to make it even more fun and entertaining than it seems at first glance. While we don’t yet own a PS3, Mike said that ModNation Racers is a game he could see himself playing with his sister, which I think was a big part of UFG’s goal in developing the kart title – attracting core gamers and casual gamers in fun family play.  Congratulations again to the entire dev team at United Front Games on their big win last night for Most Promising Game at the Canadian Videogame Awards.

We’re looking forward to a great day at GDC Canada in Vancouver – so many sessions to take in and people to meet! Be sure to stop by the Women In Games Vancouver booth and say hi – that’s where we’ll be when not in a session, talking to people or checking out the cool sights on the expo floor.

Just a final reminder that Video Games Live will be performing tonight in Vancouver, BC at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre at 7:30pm.

Aside from updated favorites like Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Warcraft & Halo, they will be playing a lot of new music that hasn’t been played before in Vancouver such as Shadow of the Colossus, Mass Effect, Assassin’s Creed II, MegaMan, Bioshock & Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross and much more – except for some music suites, which were showcased at last night’s Canadian Videogame Awards, that is – Mass Effect and Assassin’s Creed II are fantastic additions to the show. If you’ve never seen a Video Games Live performance before, you will not be disappointed.

Due to VGL’s generous sponsors, 3 new sections of seating have just opened back up this morning and they are some of the best seats in the house!  So if you were thinking about catching the performance tonight, now is a great time to get tickets!

Make sure to go early for the pre-show festival presented by Future Shop, which will include the latest game demos, prize give-a-ways, a costume contest and Guitar Hero: Van Halen competition (with the winner to perform with the orchestra on stage!).  You are also invited to stick around after the show for a composer meet & greet.

Canada 3.0 2010Attendees at next week’s sold-out Canada 3.0 2010 digital media forum will be living proof of the benefits of going digital when they tap into the power of Open Text Corporation’s latest mobile and social workplace solutions using their BlackBerry and iPhone devices. As a key sponsor and supporter of the forum, Open Text is providing the software capability and content so that forum attendees can network, communicate and have access to a full suite of information available regarding the forum including schedules, breakout room locations, speaker data and more. Open Text is Open Textthe preeminent provider of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) software and Canada’s largest software company.

“We announced our Open Text Everywhere mobile platform this spring and we’re pleased to have an opportunity to support a leading digital event with our solutions,” said Eugene Roman, Chief Technology Officer at Open Text. “It gives us the opportunity to showcase the power of mobile applications as a great way to deliver rich content to users in real-time.”

Roman said that smartphones have the potential to take over the role of laptops as technology enables more and more sophisticated capabilities for BlackBerrys, iPhones and other devices.

“They offer an entirely new platform to extend the productivity of workers and change the way people collaborate,” said Roman. “Seeing this empower people at a digital media forum really ‘walks the talk’ of a digital nation.”

Tom Jenkins, Executive Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer at Open Text, chairs the Advisory Board of the Canadian Digital Media Network which is the organizer of Canada 3.0 2010 with the support of the University of Waterloo Stratford Campus. Jenkins is a fervent supporter of the Canadian digital media sector and will be leading a forum breakout stream on ‘Imagining’ what Canada’s role in digital media is and should be – and how to get there.

“We want all Canadians to have anytime, anywhere connectivity and equal access to content, and our mobile and social media application showcased at Canada 3.0 is a great example of why that’s important,” said Jenkins. “This is going to help to enhance how people collaborate and will have a positive impact on overall productivity.” Read the rest of this entry »

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6th May 2010

Dragon Age Origins Wins Game of the Year At Canadian Videogame Awards

Dawn of War II Best Audio AwardThe first Canadian Videogame Awards were handed out in Vancouver this evening, with Dragon Age: Origins from Electronic Arts/BioWare taking home two awards, including Canadian Game of the Year. Assassin’s Creed II received a total of four awards (Assassin’s Creed II and Prototype tied for Best Technology) and the other winners included Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes and Relic Entertainment’s Dawn of War II, which has the distinction of receiving the first glass maple leaf from the Canadian Videogame Awards.

“This first event was an excellent showcase of the amazing talent of our videogame developers in Canada,” said Michael Bidu, President of DigiBC. “Interactive entertainment is one of our country’s leading industries where we are clearly world-renowned, and this world-class event was a fitting way to showcase to the globe the great work done in Canadian studios coast to coast.”Assassin's Creed 2 Trophies

“The awards punctuated what many of us already know; that Canada is home to some of the biggest and most amazing games on the planet,” said Victor Lucas, host of Electric Playground and one of the award event organizers. “We look forward to a bigger and even better show next year to celebrate the kick-ass work of our industry.”

The Awards ceremony was highlighted by the performance of several game soundtrack suites presented by Video Games Live, and included a performance by Splitting Adam which featured their song “On My Own” from the Need For Speed Undercover soundtrack. Video Games Live will be giving a full concert performance on the evening of May 7th at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, and there a few tickets still available.

A 30-minute special on the Canadian Videogame Awards is scheduled to premiere on G4 Canada on May 16. Sponsors of the 2010 Awards included G4, XBOX 360, Sony PlayStation, and The Georgia Straight.

Here is the full list of all the winners and nominees from the inaugural event:

Game of the Year – Dragon Age: Origins (Electronic Arts/BioWare)Dragon Age: Origins Game of the Year

• Assassin’s Creed II
• Dawn of War II
• Dragon Age: Origins
• FIFA 10
• Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes

Best Console – Assassin’s Creed II (UbiSoft Montreal)

• Assassin’s Creed II
• Dawn of War II
• FIFA 10
• NHL 10
• Prototype

Best Handheld Game – Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes (Capybara Games)

• Battle of Giants: Dragons
• LEGO Battles
• Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes
• MySims Racing
• Pandemica

Best Downloadable Game – Critter Crunch (Capybara Games)

• Critter Crunch
• Implode!
• Osmos
• Pandemica
• Super Monkey Ball 2

Best Audio – Dawn of War II (THQ/Relic)

• Assassin’s Creed II
• Dawn of War II
• Dragon Age: Origins
• Skate 2
• WET

Best Game Design – Assassin’s Creed II (UbiSoft Montreal)

• Assassin’s Creed II
• Dawn of War II
• Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes
• NHL 10
• Prototype Read the rest of this entry »

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