Village Gamer

Burnaby – Via E3 – On the heels of winning 25 international gaming awards with FIFA Soccer 09, Electronic Arts Inc. today revealed the first features for its top-selling* soccer franchise from EA SPORTS™. Responding to consumer feedback from more than 275 million online games played**, FIFA Soccer 10 will deliver a new standard for authenticity with gameplay refinements and innovations that will make it the most complete and intelligent simulation of soccer.

On the pitch, critical gameplay fundamentals have been enhanced to ensure that FIFA Soccer 10 mirrors real-world soccer, providing more sophisticated ball control, and physical interaction between players. In addition, players now move, behave and position themselves more realistically. On attack, players analyze space more effectively, curve their runs in an attempt to stay onside, create passing lanes naturally, and drive for more variety in attacking options. On defense, new concepts like position priority enable defenders to multitask so dangerous spaces left open by teammates out of position are covered. Plus, slide tackle targeting, press marking, and better-urgency clearance logic provide new options that make defending a tactical skill in FIFA Soccer 10. In goal, a myriad of improvements and refinements to goalkeeper intelligence result in a more responsive and powerful rushing system and ultra-realistic saves.
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Vancouver – via E3 – United Front Games Ltd. is developing ModNation™ Racers, a creative twist on classic karting, designed exclusively for the PLAYSTATION® 3.

ModNation™ Racers puts innovation and creativity directly into the player’s hands with simple, intuitive and fun tools to create custom characters, karts and race tracks. These can be shared and played freely by anyone in the world on the PlayStation®Network.

“We are excited to be creating an accessible, endlessly imaginative and original property. Our team is inspired to push the limits of player creativity in this new take on racing.” said Julian Beak, Lead Producer. “Working directly with Sony is an honor.”

“With the creative pedigree and vision of this team and our plans for the PLAY CREATE SHARE™ genre, this partnership was a great fit for our strategic vision of this emerging genre.” said Scott Rohde, vice president of Product Development, Worldwide Studios America. “We are really happy to be working with United Front Games in bringing ModNation Racers to life, and excited to see what our consumers will create when they get to play in 2010.”

ModNation™ Racers was officially unveiled to the world during Sony’s E3 press conference.

Vancouver – Via E3 – Big Park Studios, which was recently acquired by Microsoft Game Studios has announced their new Xbox 360 title, Joy Ride. The title will only be available to Xbox Live silver and gold subscribers, and will allow players to race their XBL avatars against friends.

Game Details:

Put your avatar behind the wheel of a vehicle you select and customize to match your personal style, and drive your avatar WILD. Trick out your avatar with styles and animations to guarantee you’ll stand out in the crowd. The game universe constantly evolves and expands with new downloadable content, including new stunt parks, tracks, cars, car upgrades, avatar clothing and animations, and new events. Once you’re all customized, take your avatar out for a spin. Make friends around the world as you catch huge air, pull off crazy stunts, and participate in fun community events.
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Waterloo – Majesco Entertainment Company, an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, has announced Flip’s Twisted World exclusively for Wii™. This unique puzzle platformer places the world literally in the palm of players’ hands as they navigate topsy-turvy worlds where up and down, and left and right are only a matter of perspective. Developed by Frozen North Productions, Flip’s Twisted World is expected to launch in January 2010.

“Flip’s Twisted World offers a truly innovative take on the traditional platform game by sidestepping conventional design in favor of a three-dimensional, perspective-altering approach,” said Gui Karyo, Executive Vice President of Operations for Majesco. “With a charismatic main character, fantastic puzzle landscapes and a unique gameplay mechanic, Flip’s gives platform game fans something to look forward to in the new year.”
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Vancouver – THQ Inc. today announced Warhammer® 40,000™: Space Marine®, from renowned internal studio Relic® Entertainment, will bring Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 science fiction universe to life on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system for the first time. The Action-RPG title will put players in control of individual units throughout a narrative-driven story campaign and in wide-scale online battles. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine will be unveiled at E3 2009 in THQ’s booth – number 5300 in the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

“The Warhammer 40,000 universe has a huge global following and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine will bring that world to life on the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 systems for the first time ever,” said Kevin Kraff, vice president, global brand management, THQ Inc. “Relic Entertainment is leveraging years of experience developing games within the universe to create an Action-RPG experience unlike anything seen before.”
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Vancouver – Live to tell the tale of becoming a notorious pirate captain or suffer a fate of eternal damnation. Disney Interactive Studios today announced the development of Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned, an epic, action role-playing game (RPG) from Propaganda Games, Disney’s video game development studio here in Vancouver.

Armada of the Damned is an entirely new experience within the Pirates of the Caribbean universe. The game takes place before the events of the blockbuster films. Players will take on the role of a pirate and embark on epic land and sea adventures. Numerous moral and character choices will need to be made that affect their character and the original story within the world. Players will explore a massive open world while fighting enemies, mystical creatures and Mother Nature, both to gain experience and stay alive. Supernatural elements familiar to the Pirates of the Caribbean world will also affect their character’s story and influence their choices.

“Armada of the Damned is a dynamic action role-playing game that captures all of the franchise’s excitement, unpredictability and action while delving into narrative elements never before explored within this unique universe,” said Dan Tudge, vice president and general manager, Propaganda Games. “Our team’s collective experience with industry-leading RPGs and action titles provides a strong foundation for us to create and build a compelling action role-playing title.”
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Montreal – Meridian4 and White Birds Productions are thrilled to announce that they have signed a global digital publishing agreement for their critically-acclaimed adventure title; Nikopol. After re-acquiring the rights for Nikopol from Got Game Entertainment, White Birds are excited to re-introduce the title to a new and larger audience with Canadian publisher Meridian4.

“We are very happy to work with Meridian4 on the digital distribution of Nikopol. Not only does Meridian4 have an excellent access to all major distributors, but they also have a real marketing and editorial approach, bringing a lot of added value to the title. We hope that this first partnership will be followed by new ones soon” said Michel Bams, co-founder and VP Marketing at White Birds Productions.

“Meridian4 is excited to be working with White Birds on their latest Adventure game; Nikopol. We have spoken to them many times and have always been impressed by their vision and their quality titles. We are delighted that this opportunity arose for us to work together.” said Andy Sher, CEO at Meridian4. “Nikopol is a compelling adventure title that will grip players from the outset and won’t let go till the very end.”

Montreal – Developed specifically for the Nintendo DS and Wii by EA Montreal, Need for Speed NITRO delivers the fun and exhilaration of high-speed racing, combining the franchise’s trademark attitude and car culture with deep and thrilling gameplay. With the NDS, battle through the mayhem of aggressive cops, take corners at 150 mph, and own the competition on extreme tracks. Boasting a wholly unique look and feel, Need for Speed NITRO thrusts gamers into an exciting flurry of over-the-top fun, where each race track features big air jumps, smackable objects, shortcuts and more!

In Need for Speed NITRO, players will be battling it out right to the finish line. In the heat of adrenaline-pumping competition, gamers must take risks on the road to build up Nitro boost and use it at the right moment to leave their rivals in the dust. They must also be ready to escape relentless cops with a propensity for road blocks. Players who activate their Heroic Driving moves at the perfect time can pull off over the top evasive tricks, outsmarting determined law enforcement in the process.
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Montréal – Ubisoft® has announced that it will launch a new title in the Might & Magic universe. Might & Magic Clash of Heroes, a puzzle RPG, was developed by Toronto’s Capybara Games, creators of award-winning handheld and mobile games, specifically for Nintendo DS™ for release in August 2009.

In this game, through five unique and epic quests, players will alternate exploration and turn-based puzzle battles to save the world of Ashan from demonic chaos. Might & Magic Clash of Heroes also adopts a brand new manga-style art design that is perfectly suited to Nintendo DS. In a world populated by knights, elves, wizards, necromancers and demons, gamers can manage their own hero, customize their army and lead campaigns in the mythic Might & Magic world.

“Our fans have always appreciated the depth and richness of the Might & Magic universe,” said Romain de Waubert de Genlis, senior producer at Ubisoft. “The teams at Ubisoft and Capybara were inspired to extend that universe in a unique way onto DS, creating an engaging new game experience.”

Created for Might & Magic fans while also attracting new audiences, Might & Magic Clash of Heroes can be played in solo mode or shared with a friend in two-player peer-versus-peer mode.

Montreal – Eidos-Montréal is excited to unveil its previously secret second title in development at the studio, Thief™ 4, the next installment in the legendary series – and to go along with this momentous occasion, Eidos-Montréal is also pleased to announce the official opening of their online store, featuring Deus-Ex and Thief 4 merchandise.

The original Thief game, Thief: The Dark Project redefined first person gaming and established an entirely new genre of stealth based game play. The critically and commercially acclaimed Thief series has won numerous awards and accolades including GameSpy Hall of Fame, GameSpot Greatest Games of All Time and The Academy of Interactive Arts And Sciences Outstanding Achievement in Character and Story Development.

Eidos-Montréal, which is also currently producing the much anticipated Deus Ex™ 3, has recruited the very best core team for the development of Thief 4. The team is comprised of industry veterans who have worked on an incredible collection of AAA titles and who each bring personal expertise in their respective fields.
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