Village Gamer

Development studio Capybara Games held its first internal 48 hour game jam earlier this week, and they’ve now posted the results on the studio’s blog. Working in teams of 2 or 3, the Capy-devs came up with some very interesting concepts, and the studio said on their blog that there will perhaps be some more playable jam titles available after the holidays.

There are lots of holiday sales from our Canadian developers to take advantage of this season, either as gifts for those who are looking for something new to play:

Frima’s 2D point-and-click adventure game for puzzle lovers, Big Brain Wolf is part of the 5 game Indie Brain Pack available on Steam until January 3rd 2011 for only $4.99 USD. This crime story takes place in a fairy tale kingdom inhabited by a vegetarian, asthmatic wolf, a bipolar Genie, a chubby Red Riding Hood, a long-nosed lawyer, and a slew of hilarious characters. To clear his mother of the murder charges brought upon her, our lupine friend will have to train his brain through 60 puzzles and riddles.

IUGO Mobile has also gotten into the spirit of the season, putting all of their great titles on sale for 99 cents USD each until early January. Now’s the time to grab these IUGO hits:

Toy Bot Diaries 1,2,3, the Toy Bot Compilation, Spy Bot Chronicles and the Toy Bot Mini Missions
Zombie Attack! and Zombie Attack! Second Wave XL
Shaky Summit
Freeballin’
Star Hogs
A.D.D.
Implode! XL
Cliffed XL
ESCAPE: Norm’s World
Daisy Mae’s Alien Buffet

Celsius Games’ new title Red Nova, which has rocketed up the iTunes game chart is still available for its special introductory price of 99 cents USD for both the iPhone and iPad versions. This price won’t last forever, so you’d best grab your spaceship now and make your file screen even more festive because Red Nova is red, which puts you 50% closer to decorating everything you own in Christmas colours.

Speaking of holiday colours, you really should pick up Kung Fu Santa by Big Bad Brush and help save Christmas. This highly colourful and simply fun to play title is also available for the low, low price of 99 cents in the App Store.

EA Mobile’s massive library of iOS titles is also on sale for just 99 cents USD per title – this means some huge discounts on some games, so whether you need some last minute gifts or just want them for yourself, now would be the time to be proactive and scoop them up before the sale ends.

Deathspank really wants to move in to his own little home on your PC’s hard drive this Christmas, can you spare him a little change? This amusingly inept super hero game from Hothead Games is currently on sale on Steam for 50% off its regular price. If you haven’t tried it out yet, you really should – and then you can continue helping the downtrodden in Deathspank: Thongs of Virtue, which is also currently on sale.

Coincidentally, Klei Entertainment’s vigilante platformer Shank is also on sale, available for the low price of $10.04 USD, so if you feel the urge to help Shank deal with his anger issues by slaughtering the underworld’s deadliest assassins, you should take advantage of this holiday sale.

Feel the need to eradicate zombies? Good news for you! Dead Rising 2 for the PC from Blue Castle Games (or Capcom Studios Vancouver, if you prefer) is also on sale at Steam for 50% off the published price. Head to Fortune City and try your luck – don’t forget your Zombrex!

If you’ve been living off-planet this year and haven’t yet gotten Bioware’s Mass Effect 2 for your PC, you’re in luck – Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 2 Digital Deluxe Edition are all on sale at Steam as well. Not to be outdone by its studio mate, Dragon Age and all of its ilk are also on sale in the Steam store.

Loud Crow Interactive is giving away promo codes for their interactive iPad books The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Night Before Christmas. Head on over to their Facebook page for details on how to grab a code while they’re still available.

If you’re looking for other great holiday treats to share with youngsters, may I suggest Dora’s Christmas Carol from Budge Studios. It’s not on sale, but you can get it for your iPhone for $2.99 USD or your iPad for $4.99 USD. Guaranteed to be a hit with any Dora fans living in your house.

I could probably spend all day looking for Canadian-made games on sale, but I do have to go to work. I also apparently have to go Christmas shopping, because my daughter is horrified that I haven’t done so yet. A few other great deals currently lurking around on Steam are all of the Company of Heroes and Dawn of War II titles from THQ and Relic Entertainment, plus there’s 150+ indie titles also on sale. If you see a Canadian title on sale somewhere, send me a message on Twitter, and if I have time I will try to get another posting of sale prices and links done before Christmas.

Toronto game publisher Wicked Interactive has launched AI Mode, the newest and most challenging level that brings robots and other surprises to the free-to-play shooter Mission Against Terror.

“This is our holiday gift to the massive and awesome M.A.T. community,” said Sam Ho, Director, Wicked Interactive. “They have been so supportive since the early days of Closed Beta, we felt this update is the least we could do.”

What’s New in AI Mode:

· 8 players vs. slew of AI-controlled robots in a war for survival
· 2 new stages (of four) available now
· 4 new difficulty settings
· 4 new scenarios
· Weapon Reward System for completing stages at current difficulty levels
· Weapon Casting Machine, allowing gamers to create weapons from the parts of destroyed robots
· The chance to do battle with the Robot Captain

The National Post has launched its free National Post Reader App, available now on the App Store for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Simple and sophisticated, the National Post Reader App provides a customizable news feed that brings users straight to the day’s breaking news as well as the latest opinion pieces from Canada’s favourite writers and commentators. As with all National Post products, the app features coverage from across the country and around the world, delivered with a distinctly Canadian voice.

“Our readers like to stay up to date on important news, analysis and commentary wherever they are,” said National Post Publisher Douglas Kelly. “The National Post Reader App delivers this to them in a very personal and convenient way on iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.”

Features of the National Post Reader App include:

* Delivery of Top Story content as soon as news breaks
* Quick and easy navigation tools
* The ability to save stories to read later, including when offline
* Social media sharing via Facebook, Twitter, Instapaper, email, and more

Pinewood Toronto Studios, Canada’s largest purpose-built film and TV studio complex, will use a $34.5-million financing arrangement to secure the studio’s long-term growth and enhance the City of Toronto’s ability to attract big-budget films and TV projects, as well as help strengthen Toronto’s role as one of the world’s great production centres.

This investment in vital, long-term Ontario film and television infrastructure will support Pinewood Toronto Studios, Ontario’s premier studio complex, in attracting large-scale production work that would not otherwise be drawn to Toronto.

Pinewood Toronto Studios Chairman Paul Bronfman says, “Toronto is one of a handful of truly exceptional production capitals. This repayable loan will benefit every Ontarian, as well as the film and TV industry throughout the city and province. The ripple effect to the broader Ontario economy will be enormous.”

The financing will permit improvements to Pinewood Toronto Studios facilities, strengthening and propelling its ability to attract bigger and more specialized film and television projects. Among the films and TV series shot at Pinewood Toronto Studios over the last two years are: Battle of the Blades, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, The Thing, Devil, Dream House and Chloe. The loan, provided by Infrastructure Ontario and facilitated by Build Toronto, was secured by the Pinewood Toronto Studios Board of Directors and received unanimous approval earlier this month.

Version 2 of the Game Prototype Challenge closed yesterday – and this go-round of fast prototyping saw ten entries for the Immortality and Thin Ice theme – a big increase over the number of participants in version 1 of the challenge, which took place in November. I’ve included the list of entries here, but please visit the Game Prototype Challenge Blog for a full run-down on Version 2 plus links for post-mortems and information on Version 3, which will be coming at you in February 2011.

GPCv2 Entries:

Snowball Jones and the Last Crusade by Rocket5Studios
Ice Skating Vampires by Kyle Rodgers
Lifetrek by Jason P. Kaplan
Immo and Thic! by Kyle Dwyer
Snowboggan by Chris Kaitila
Phoenix Rising by Regan Chan
Shatterfist by Jon Remedios
Made of Mirrors by Damian Sommer
Main by Vytenis Krukonis
Titan Miners by Dale Wick

I found out today about another Canadian-made free-to-play MMO game titled Greenwood Faire, which is currently in a publicly-playable alpha release stage. The game is being developed by Toronto-based Gnometech Inc.

According to the game’s site, Greenwood Faire is a massive multiplayer social game experience set in and around the small town of Greenwood. Chat with your friends or make new ones. Listen to music in the tavern and play a board game. Play an instrument yourself, or get a medieval band together and put on a show. Learn to create fireworks and wait until nightfall to set them off. All of this and more is possible within the 3D environment of Greenwood Faire. If you would like to read more about the game’s development, check out the feature on Torque Powered.

Ubisoft has released a patch for Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood that solves both the Animus Bug as well as restoring Trophy functionality for PlayStation players. While we do not yet have a final ETA for this patch, we can assure you that it will be coming very soon… all you have to do is apply the patch once it is released (your console should automatically prompt you to do so).

Fixes (MP)

* Sometimes players may remain stuck during matchmaking (game never starts)
* In extremely rare occasions, a crash may occur if another player of the same session quits while another player is loading the map at the exact same time
* When joining a session In Manhunt, in the chased team, you may have a sound present during the entire session

Fixes (Singleplayer)

* The player may remain stuck in the present optional (2012), in a spawning loop in Monterigioni, while interacting with the Animus (Animus Bug)
* Using fast travel towards Northern Campagna may result in Ezio getting continuously desynchronized
* Sometimes a bug can occur that prevents the player from unlocking any additional Trophies (Trophy Bug)
* On rare occasion, if the player changes their outfit at the completion of a mission, they will respawn in the same world, being stuck, without any possibility of returning to Rome

A sneak preview for Moderation Town episode three is now out and about; let’s see how our favourite moderators and dealing with real life and the internet

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3qraD-I4Rs]

In celebration of Black History Month and presented by TD, the Canadian Film Centre and Clement Virgo are pleased to host a special evening at the Cineplex Odeon Varsity Theatre 8 in conversation with acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee to discuss the role of music in his films. A notable writer, director, producer, actor and author who revolutionized both the landscape of independent cinema and the role of black talent in film, Spike Lee is widely regarded as a premiere filmmaker and a forerunner in the ‘do it yourself’ school of filmmaking. His films are often provocative socio-political critiques that challenge cultural assumptions, not only about race, but class and gender identity as well while incorporating a distinctive and powerful use of music. The evening (Tuesday, January 25th 2011,7 – 8:30 p.m.) will combine conversation and film clips to examine the use of music in Lee’s films – from his musical collaborations with his father, Bill Lee, a jazz bassist, to Prince, Stevie Wonder and composer Terence Blanchard. Tickets are $20.00 (all proceeds will go towards the CFC Diversity Scholarship). Tickets can be purchased at www.totix.ca or at the venue on the night of the event.

Some lucky Canadians will be revelling in a sparkling new smart phone this holiday season, and others will amuse themselves by downloading games and other online applications. But while mobile technologies can be useful and fun, it’s important to recognize their impact on your personal information, Canada’s Privacy Commissioner, Jennifer Stoddart, says.

“A fully-loaded smart phone is like carrying around a tiny little communications satellite, bristling with sensors and antennas,” the Commissioner explains. “It’s constantly sending and receiving data about your activities and your whereabouts. But where is the data going? What is it saying about you? And what is the effect on your privacy?”

In the third quarter of 2010 alone, more than 400 million mobile phones were purchased worldwide, and smart phones accounted for about one-fifth of that market. But, relative to regular cellphones, smart phones are exploding in popularity. While sales of all mobile phones increased by a third from the year before, smart phone sales actually doubled. In fact, industry observers predict that smart phones will comprise the largest share of the mobile phone market by the end of next year.

As these devices gain in popularity and sophistication, more and more applications (or apps) are being developed to run on them. These range from quirky quizzes to handy mapping and navigational programs, diet-tracking tools and social networking sites.

Increasingly, apps are also capitalizing on the capacity of smart phones to reveal their owner’s location. One widely used app, for instance, automatically transmits coupons and other bonuses to the user’s mobile device every time the user patronizes certain establishments.

But just as apps vary in type and quality, so do their privacy policies and practices. From a technical standpoint, there’s little to stop developers from programming apps in a way that enables them to collect, use or share the personal information of users – and often that of their contacts or networks.

Users may never even know this is happening, and might not approve of the practice if they did. Indeed, the inappropriate collection, use or disclosure of personal information could expose people to surreptitious surveillance, or unwanted targeting by unscrupulous marketers or swindlers.

“Smart phones can do a lot of great things for you,” says Commissioner Stoddart. “But when it comes to protecting your personal information, it’s up to you to make the first call.”

Here are some tips for smarter smart phone use this holiday season:

Do your due diligence – Before you download a dazzling new app, check it out. Does it tell you what personal information it collects, and how it will use it? If not, do your own research. Many online forums discuss apps and provide authoritative reviews about important matters, including privacy.

Think it through – Downloading an app may be a snap, but take your time and do a cost-benefit analysis first. Your personal information has real value, which is why app developers, marketers and many others want to get their hands on it. But don’t give it away. Trade it for something worthwhile, including a solid assurance that it will be treated with care.

Keep it safe – If you lose your smart phone, a lot of your personal information can fall into the wrong hands. Make sure you always use a strong password to protect your data. If you give, trade or throw away your smart phone, be sure you first follow the manufacturer’s directions for thoroughly deleting all the data that was on it.

For those who just haven’t spent enough money this holiday season, Amazon.ca has announced that beginning December 25th and running through January 2nd, customers can take advantage of amazing Boxing Week promotions on everything from electronics and books to home and garden products and men’s watches. Beginning on Christmas Day, customers can explore The Deals Store to find the full list of Boxing Week special promotions. Customers are encouraged to shop early as these offers are only available while supplies last.

“Christmas week is a time that people want to be with family and friends, but still be able to take advantage of post-holiday deals and promotions,” said John Nemeth, director of Amazon.ca. “With incredible savings, thousands of products and free shipping on eligible products, customers can enjoy the best of both worlds by shopping on Amazon.ca from the comfort of their home.”

Customers will find great discounts on a variety of well-known and trusted brands, including Panasonic, Canon, KitchenAid and Garmin. In addition, Amazon.ca offers customers FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders of eligible products of $25 and over.

Please note that product prices and availability of products and deals are subject to change. Prices and availability were accurate at the time this release was sent. However, they may differ from those you see when you visit Amazon.ca.

Big Blue Bubble Inc. has made two game announcements today, the first is that that their faithful recreation of pure, classic tabletop hockey, Vintage Hockey, has arrived on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and an HD version for the iPad. Who better to handle this than a Canadian company, eh?

It’s the fast and furious original which inspired modern table top hockey! With authentic sounds, the original table layout and even the ability to flick the ball around with your fingers all there for you to enjoy. Vintage Hockey is a faithful recreation of a time when games were made of wood and classics were born, filled with addictive game-play (and in this case free multiplayer).

Vintage Hockey Features

• Multiplayer with only one device
• Authentic Sound Effects
• Simple controls inspired by the original
• Classic tabletop hockey gameplay

Also arriving on the iPhone and iPod Touch is Big Blue Bubbles’ genre defining sequel, Home Sweet Home 2: Kitchens, a game that puts you in charge of redesigning the Kitchens of eclectic characters whose tough demands and crazy requirements will have you designing for hours. Use your master designing skills to give them the kitchen of their dreams. With a build mode that adapts to your skill level, a new catalogue system, and better than ever art, Home Sweet Home 2: Kitchens gives you the ability to take your designs to the next level.

Home Sweet Home 2: Kitchens Features

• Over 300 Customizable Kitchen Items
• 25 Re-playable Levels
• Unlimited Designs
• 12 unique floor plans
• Adaptive AI

Haven’t played Renown Entertainment’s Waves: Survivor yet? Try what many are calling “Mario meets Doodle Jump® on incredible water physics” for your Apple© iOS touch device. Dive in now with special holiday pricing of $0.99 USD for a limited time only and see what others are playing and talking about. To sweeten the deal the game has received a significant update.

President and Creative Director, James Lau notes “We received a lot of feedback from casual players to hardcore fans and polished the game to further meet and exceed their expectations. With a dedicated tuning team, Waves: Survivor has improved dramatically and our hero Johnny Calm can’t wait for you to try out his new moves! New jump attack, new physics, visual refinements, Carolina the mermaid even lends you a helping hand instead of just collectibles, and much more.”

“Our focus for this update was to improve the core game and to thank our fans. Their support has been invaluable as they helped Waves: Survivor enter the Top Paid Arcade and Action charts in less than 3 days of its original release in addition to “New and Noteworthy” features from Apple©. We hope our fans and those new to Waves: Survivor, 1.1 have an experience more fun and enjoyable than with the original.”

For a limited time Apple® iPad™, iPhone™ and iPod™ Touch owners can get their hands on PadWorx Digital Media’s steampunk-style edition of A Christmas Carol, which was crowned App of the Week shortly after its launch, for the special price of $2.99 USD. The universal App will run across iPad, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPod touch for the single purchase price.

Through 130 pages of lovingly abridged text, readers help power the timeless classic forward. Whether turning the key in Scrooge’s door and watching as the door knocker changes into the deceased Jacob Marley, powering up and manipulating an assortment of wonderful steam powered devices, or just marveling at each chapter’s ‘mechanical ‘page-turning contraptions, A Christmas Carol’s animations, illustrations, original score, and sound effects will draw you into the story’s unforgettable lessons of darkness, despair, joy and life. Keeping in the holiday spirit, PadWorx Digital Media will be donating a portion of each sale of A Christmas Carol to charity. PadWorx is also dropping the price to $2.99 on its highly acclaimed first eBook, Dracula: The Official Stoker Family Edition, although it is currently only available for iPad.

Loblaw Companies Limited has launched its President’s Choice Recipe Box App is now available on the App Store for iPad. The free app brings over 700 mouthwatering recipes, created by the President’s Choice brand chefs, to your fingertips – complete with photos, easy-to-follow instructions and videos.

“The President’s Choice Recipe Box App brings to life our extensive collection of recipes in an easy-to-use, highly interactive format specifically designed for iPad” explains Allan Lindsay, vice-president marketing, Loblaw Companies Limited. “The app makes it simple for busy families to create inspired and tasty meals with ingredients found at local Loblaw banner stores.”

Whether it’s for fun family fare, special occasions or holidays, the President’s Choice Recipe Box App is a convenient tool to help you search for your favourite recipes and discover new ones. Each recipe has been created and tested by the President’s Choice brand chefs to be easy, simple to prepare and delicious. Favourite President’s Choice recipes can be saved, emailed or shared on Facebook.

Building on the innovative solutions offered on pc.ca and in the President’s Choice Insider’s Reports®, the President’s Choice Recipe Box App for iPad, developed in partnership with Intelliware Development, is the first mobile digital solution from the President’s Choice brand to help households manage their busy lives.

“Innovative enterprises like Loblaw are realizing the power of mobile platforms to interact with consumers and strengthen brand engagement,” says Dave Scapillati, VP Mobile Solutions, Intelliware. “Our long track record of building world class apps for top companies has given us a distinct advantage in helping our clients extend the reach of their apps into the consumer marketplace and on the App Store.”

Taking banking convenience to the next level, RBC is pleased to announce it has become the first Canadian bank to launch fully integrated mobile banking applications for select smartphones – joining the other Canadian banks who have previously launched mobile apps for their services – unlike our Credit Union, which hasn’t. According to a recent RBC poll (conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of RBC Royal Bank in October 2010), most Canadians (79 per cent) own a mobile device and 44 per cent are interested in mobile banking.

Topping the list of what mobile device users would like to be able to do, the RBC poll found that Canadians want the ability to check account balances (34 per cent), pay bills (32 per cent), view transaction history (28 per cent) and transfer funds between accounts (26 per cent).

RBC’s new integrated mobile banking applications, which are now available for download, enable personal and business clients to do all that and more – on-the-go, anywhere, anytime.

“RBC has offered mobile banking services to our clients since 2008 and our new integrated apps leverage the capability of the device to create a simple and easy to use experience,” said James McGuire, VP, Digital Strategy & Experience, RBC. “In an era of long work days and short weekends, getting more done can be challenging. We are taking convenience and control to a new level by providing customers with the ability to stay connected with their finances on their schedule.”

Canadian mobile device users who have already tried mobile banking cite convenience (69 per cent) as the main reason for using mobile banking. However, the poll found that concern over security (24 per cent) is one of the main reasons cited for hesitation to try mobile banking.

“We understand how important information security and privacy are and we are providing customers with the same safety and security guarantee that’s offered with our online banking services,” said McGuire. “If an unauthorized transaction is conducted through an RBC mobile banking service, clients will be reimbursed for any resulting losses to those accounts.”

The RBC mobile app allows clients to access a full range of services, including the ability to:

* View account balances for all personal and business accounts.
* View account details for accounts such as credit lines, credit cards, mortgages and loans.
* Pay bills (non-recurring and current) for all existing online banking payees.
* View transaction history.
* Transfer funds between all RBC accounts.
* Send internet email money transfers.
* Send third-party payments.
* Locate RBC branches and ATMs.

To download the app for free, clients can visit www.rbc.com/mobileapps. Downloading the app is very simple: Turn on your mobile device, launch the browser and then go to www.rbc.com/mobileapps and select the download for your device. Once you install the app, use your RBC Royal Bank Online Banking client card or username and password and start banking right away!

DHX Media Ltd. is pleased to announce that the company is set to launch an iPad app based on the hit CBeebies-commissioned family series Grandpa in My Pocket. The Grandpa in my Pocket: Horatio Heave Ho! ebook will retail at £1.79 and will be available in the UK iTunes store at launch, with other territories to follow. In addition, the app will be available for the iPhone and iPod Touch in Spring 2011.

Anne Loi, SVP Finance and Operations, at DHX Media said: “The iPad is a natural platform for extending a popular kids brand, especially one with such a strong narrative and characterization such as Grandpa. The Horatio Heave Ho! ebook helps kids with their reading, and incorporates fun, interactive activities for fans of the show – and their parents can join in too. It’s the ideal, portable accompaniment to the television series.”

Grandpa in My Pocket, which features live action with special effects, has sold to broadcasters worldwide. Channels airing the show include Canal+ in France, French-speaking TFO, TVO and Knowledge in Canada, Al Jazeera Children’s Channel, Norway’s NRK and Sub Juniori in Finland, HOP Israel, RUV Iceland, okto in Singapore, Greece’s MCOM. CBeebies has also acquired Grandpa in My Pocket for the Latin American and US Hispanic markets as well as Poland, South Africa and Asia.

In Australia, the series airs on ABC TV and a home entertainment deal has also been agreed with ABC Home Video. Australia’s Stella Projects, headed by Grahame Grassby, is licensing agent for Australia and New Zealand. In the UK, Warner Home Video UK has been appointed as DVD partner and in Indonesia, Tarra Group is on board for home video. Made with participation from Finance Wales, Grandpa In My Pocket is developed and produced by Adastra Creative and stars James Bolam as Grandpa and Jay Ruckley as Jason Mason.

Transgaming Studios and Breakthrough Entertainment have released a fresh new teaser trailer for upcoming time management game, Garage Inc. Scheduled for a January 2011 release, the development team has been busy polishing up the hubcaps and cleaning out the garage, getting ready for Angelo Marito’s journey into the automobile service industry in 1920’s Chicago. Will recent immigrant Angelo’s seed money loan from cousin Sal come back to haunt him in a city rife with mafia activity? Angelo will depend on you to guide him as he struggles to balance fixing his customers’ cars, hire employees, grow his business and deal with the mob, all while keeping his eye on the elusive American dream.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr4hpNs06AQ]

Digital Leisure Inc. has launched Dragon’s Lair II: Time Warp, the follow up to arcade classics Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace, designed exclusively for Nintendo’s DSiWare™ service and available now for 800 DSi Points. From legendary animator Don Bluth (‘An American Tail’, ‘The Land Before Time’) Dragon’s Lair II: Time Warp allows you to play the heroic Dirk the Daring, who must stop the Evil Wizard Mordroc as he has kidnapped Princess Daphne and taken her through time! But you must hurry, for once the Casket of Doom has opened, Mordroc will place the Death Ring upon Daphne’s finger in marriage and she will be lost forever… in the Time Warp!

Sharpen your sword and get ready to guide Dirk the Daring as he races through time to save the beautiful Princess Daphne from the clutches of the Evil Wizard Mordroc in Dragon’s Lair II: Time Warp. You’ll journey through time to rescue the beautiful Princess Daphne by using your Nintendo DSi™ to move and wield your sword.

Big Blue Bubble Inc. is pleased to announce the release and immediate worldwide availability of Burn the Rope ($0.99 USD), their new original game for iOS devices. Winning the hearts of users with smash hit Thumpies – game that reinvented the rhythm genre – developers are intended to do it again by bringing to the App Store a unique game for all who are fascinated with flame and all kinds of fire effects.

Starting today users have the freedom to set fire without any fire hazard or need for a fire extinguisher. The game involves a mix of strategic planning, thinking ahead, coordination and the ability to stay in deep focus. Users have to feed the fire and burn as much rope as they can in each level to progress. The challenge is that fire only burns upwards, leaving players to tilt and turn their iPhones to keep the flame alive.

The game features 80 devilishly tricky levels with polished graphics and mesmerizing fire effects. Bugs that crawl along the rope spice things up demonstrating different reactions to the flame from level to level. Ants change the color of the flame so that users could burn different colored ropes, and the spider shoots out a web bridge providing access to the parts of the level that were beyond players’ reach before.

“Burn The Rope is our most innovative game initially prototyped with a string of rope and box of matches. It’s really easy to learn, but quite hard to master! That game was created with the whole family in mind and I’m sure that all family members will have enormous fun playing with fire.” – said Damir Slogar, CEO of Big Blue Bubble Inc.

In collaboration with OpenFeint’s Free Game of the Day, Zoo Toss from PlayBrains and Bytemark Games is free for today only. In Zoo Toss, the player is challenged through 20 levels to keep three hungry animals happy and fed by flicking good food at them. Keep your vegan giraffes, carnivorous lions and garbage-can warthogs content, don’t feed them bad food and keep vitamins in stock for when they’re looking a bit sickly. Zoo Toss is OpenFeint-enabled with Game Center achievements and leaderboards.

Indie game developer Tomkorp today announced that they will be offering their strategy/puzzle game Clones at 50% off over the holiday season. Tomkorp recently partnered with Get Games Go, the PC game distribution platform for Eurogamer. Clones is also available for purchase on Steam, Direct2Drive, and the official ClonesGame.com website.

An updated version of Clones was made public on Dec. 16th. “Since launch we’ve had relatively few technical problems. This maintenance release includes a few requested features and improvements suggested by our growing fan base.” said Tom Kaminski, co-founder.

Clones is winning the hearts of puzzle players from around the world. “We are thrilled with the number of positive reviews Clones has received” said Ryan Tomko, co-founder. One reviewer, James Allen of Out Of Eight PC Game Reviews, writes “While the single player content will last you a while, what sets Clones apart is the robust multiplayer action”, giving the game a “Buy It” rating of 7 / 8.

Clones is a friendly, fun, and engaging evolution to the classic Lemmings puzzle genre that includes robust internet-multiplayer with team play, different game modes, powerups, and leaderboards. The built-in level editor was used to create the singleplayer campaign of over 150 clontastic puzzles spanning 11 CloneMaster bosses over 5 regions of the Clones Planet.

In Clones, the player controls cute alien “clones” by telling them when to morph their bodies in order to overcome obstacles in the landscape and complete the level objective. This can include beaming up a minimum number of clones, leading a special clone to an exit, or reducing all opponent clones to bits. Each puzzle has a leaderboard on the ClonesGame.com website that ranks all solutions based on stats like the number of morphs used, and the time to complete the level. Clones is rated E for Everyoneby the ESRB.

EA Sports and EA Mobile bring you FIFA 11 for the iPad. The larger Multi-Touch screen on iPad delivers an incredible measure of visual excellence – and sets the stage for a total soccer experience like you’ve never seen before. Featuring authentic teams, superstar players, and precision controls, FIFA 11 on iPad truly kicks it to the next level!

Take the field with superstars like Real Madrid’s Kaka and Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney. Match up more than 500 teams from real leagues around the world while quality graphics make every detail on the field spring to life. Team colors are ultra vibrant. The green of the grass is even more glorious. Capture the passion and power of the world’s favorite sport with an unprecedented level of visual clarity that you can only get with iPad. The new D-pad and button layout options provide more gameplay sophistication for veterans and simplicity for casual players. Control the ball and the action with 360° player movement and gesture-driven skill moves. Swipe a player to make an attacking run! Control of the action is even more precise and responsive on iPad.

Traveling through space. Mowing down hordes of evil aliens. Upgrading your ship into the most lethal killing force the universe has ever seen. What could be better? How about getting to do all of the above for a measly two bucks! Frima Studio is pleased to unveil the brand new, never-before-seen trailer for its latest release, A Space Shooter for Two Bucks! As a PlayStation Mini title, A Space Shooter for Two Bucks! will be playable on both the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and will be blasting off Tuesday, December 21 for the insanely low price of – yep, you guessed it – $1.99.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=091sk1Ih-XU]

Since time immemorial, through eons of time and dozens of game consoles, one thing has remained true: humans love hopping into a spaceship to shoot up hordes of alien invaders! In A Space Shooter for Two Bucks! (a game with perhaps the most straight-forward title in history) you get to do just that. Take control of Commander P. Jefferson and go on an intergalactic shooting spree, hopping from galaxy to galaxy in your attempts to wipe out hordes of swarming alien baddies. With over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek humor from the game’s wide cast of colorful characters (all of which are fully voiced-over) and loads of bodacious power-ups to ensure your ship has a fighting chance against the sea of enemy ships and bullets, A Space Shooter for Two Bucks! gives gamers everything they could ask for in a space shooter! A Space Shooter for Two Bucks! is rated T for Teen for mild fantasy violence, mild language, suggestive themes and use of tobacco.

The Balls! is an iPhone game we first told you about on December 7th, and this newest title from Quebec’s Savant Games, is available today for free on the iTunes App Store, thanks to Appvent Calendar 2010.

Hardcore sports Coach Timmins wants you to juggle as many sports balls as possible to prove your worth. Bounce different balls (soccer, basketball, bowling, and more) a number of times until they burst, but be careful not to let them drop, or Coach Timmins will give you a verbal whipping. The balls are physics enabled and can bounce against each other for a bigger challenge. Tap the balls to bounce them up, or flick them in a direction for more precise control. Bounce them as late as possible for a higher score and crits – just watch out for those grenades the Coach has been hiding. The Balls features two game modes: Classic and Balls mode, plus it is Game Center enabled with Achievements and Leaderboards, and has seamless integration with Open Feint.

XMG Studios has released its latest title on the iTunes App Store. Inspector Gadget’s Mad Dash is available now for $1.99 USD, and is compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. In this latest rendition, everyone’s favourite inept cartoon detective must save his niece Penny from the clutches of the evil Dr. Claw.

In Inspector Gadget’s MAD Dash, you play the bionic hero as he swings from cranes; jumps speeding trains; and much, much, more as he avoids a variety of menacing hazards. Do your best to capture the elusive Claw and free Penny.

Inspector Gadget’s Mad Dash features an endless play mode with a full array of gadgets. Make use of Gadget’s rocket skates, umbrella, spring-loaded arms and super jumps as you avoid speeding trains, power lines, spinning fans, bananas, birds and Dr. Claw’s dastardly bombs and homing missiles. Unlock bonus content by collecting Gadget coins – the Gadget soundboard, concept art samples, a digital version of the Official Inspector Gadget Comic from Viper Comics (get it before it hits shelves next year) and the biggest bonus of all – unscramble an image and reveal the elusive Dr. Claw’s secret identity.

The Canadian-Australian team at Industrial Brothers has released Beast Farmer II, a follow-up to their previous, and very successful title Beast Farmer, which was ranked as the #1 kids’ game in 33 countries. Whereas the original title featured a combination of nurturing activities and challenges, Beast Farmer II focuses entirely on testing your skills as you fight wave after wave of deadly predators from the Bogs of Doom across different maps and levels.  Beast Farmer II is easily one the most challenging, addictive and fun games on the iPhone.

Beast Farmer II offers the same stunningly beautiful graphics as its predecessor, and features five maps which get progressively harder to play as you advance through the game.  Each level can be played and replayed many times over.

Players begin the game with a battle-ready, nameable and customizable Swamp Chicken that can be immediately upgraded with new skins, mutations and accessories. Industrial Brothers say that there will soon be three more Beasts, and more will be added in the coming months. There is an initial offering of 11 new enemies, with more to come. Beast Farmer II: Beasts Unleashed is integrated with OpenFeint and Facebook, and ss you play the game you can unlock new achievements and send your results straight through to Facebook or Twitter for your friends to see.

Big Blue Bubble Inc. announced today that Rooster Punch, a very original shooting gallery game, has been renamed and released today for iPhone/iPod Touch for 99¢ USD. This is one, and the best, of 4 applications released by Big Blue Bubble employees in a contest to create the best App.

Farmer Jacque, a former heavyweight boxing champion turned farmer, has a rabble of rowdy roosters run rampant in the barnyard. Now Jacque must wrangle them in the only way he knows how. Rooster Punch is a shooting gallery-esque game with a difference. You must pound your feathered friends into submission with your championship winning gloves. Don’t let them rule your roost, or they’ll end up breaking all your eggs.

Rooster Punch Features:

• Super awesome arcade action
• A variety of fowl friends
• Endless score based tom-foolery
• Bountiful Bonus
• Knockout gameplay

Rooster Punch is the second internal competition title released by Big Blue Bubble this month. Earlier in December the studio launched Snow Ballistic, a snow war that pits you as the last line of defense. Use your snow ball slingshot to unleash a storm of snow balls on the kids in the other snow fort. Fling snow balls from a sling shot at an army of kids who’d like nothing more than rub your face in the snow. Don’t forget to also smack incoming snow balls back at them in the game’s ever-changing environments. It’ll take quick reflexes and great aim to be able to shoot your way through wave after wave of baddies, and working your way towards becoming Snow Ballistic.

IUGO and Capcom have announced Lil’ Pirates’ first update containing over a hundred new items including sails, clothing items and holiday-themed decorations, with a second update coming early in the new year. Lil’ Pirates is IUGO and Capcom’s first hit social title, seeing over a million downloads in under a month. Pirates will be pleased to access the following features and content in the two new content downloads seen over the past two days:

. Two new ship themes (ice and submarine)
.  Over 75 new ship items
. New character options (over 100 new)
. Two new jobs on existing maps and a new ship battle (submarine theme)
. New holiday job maps (Gobbleapagos Island and Winter Frostyland, with 4 and 5 new jobs, respectively)
.  Four new objectives for Winter Frostland jobs

Updated Features

. Use Game Center to log in, add friends, add crew members
. Take a screenshot of player’s ship (save to photo gallery or Facebook)
. New message of the day popup
. Local notifications for when crew members are finished jobs, and when treasure is fully leveled up
. Other small enhancements (show thief’s profile picture in treasure island, easier to rearrange and do extended ship shopping)

Bioware has released a Combat Walkthrough video for Dragon Age 2. Watch as Lead Designer Mike Laidlaw shows off the combat features gamers can look forward to in this epic continuation of the Dragon Age world. If you haven’t put in your pre-order yet, remember that the special free upgrade to the Bioware Signature Edition ends in only 24 days.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJYtLOSPMnw]

Guelph independent developer Streaming Colour Studios has a new game out in the iTunes App Store. Dirty Diapers features a nursery full of babies. Your mission is to them all happy by feeding, changing and rocking them to stop them from crying.

You play the game by dragging actions from the bottom of the screen to unhappy babies in order to soothe them. But as time ticks on, they’ll get fussy more quickly. Can you keep up? Keep a cool head to master this frantically fun game, available now for 99 cents USD. Streaming Colour’s previous iPhone titles include Landformer, Monkeys In Space, and Dapple.

Ludia Games and FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) have announced that their Family Feud Decades App is now available on the App Store for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, starting at $2.99USD. The app, based on the popular family game show, offers hours of retro fun fueled by thousands of survey questions from four different eras of the Family Feud TV show, set against the backdrop of stages, scoreboards and wardrobe items from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s.

The Family Feud Decades App retains all of the treasured game play elements found in the original Family Feud App, including the “face off,” “fast money rounds,” “strikes” and “stealing.” Additionally, players can interact in multiplayer challenges with family and friends.

“We are thrilled to bring Family Feud Decades to the App Store,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “This latest release builds on the success of the first Family Feud App and is sure to keep players coming back for more. The app’s uniquely entertaining take on the family favorite game show, flavored by four decades of sets, stages and wardrobes, promises to make game play fun as well as a nostalgic experience for all.”

Features of the Family Feud Decades App include:

• Single and multiplayer game modes with three levels of difficulty.
• Authentic sets and stages modeled after four decades of the TV show with wardrobe items to match.
• Fully customizable player avatars: choose hairstyles, clothing, accessories and more.
• Predictive text input and auto-spell checker for lightning fast answering.
• Bonus items that unlock as questions are answered and levels are passed.

“Now in its 4th decade on television, the Emmy-award winning Family Feud continues to be one of the most beloved game shows in broadcast history,” said Olivier Delfosse, Director, Interactive, FME Americas. “We are pleased to see the game franchise continue to thrive on the App store.”

Also brand new from Ludia and Classic Media is ‘Where’s Waldo?® in Hollywood‘ App which is also available on the App Store for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, for $2.99USD (iPhone and iPod touch) or $4.99USD (HD for iPad). Where’s Waldo? in Hollywood brings the search for the world traveler to the glitz and glamour of Tinseltown, set against a backdrop of red carpet events and epic Hollywood film sets, such as “Robin Hood,” “The Wild West” and “The Three Musketeers.” In the star-studded scenes, search-and-find game play is enhanced with engaging animations, eye-popping color and detail, and new game play modes and features that provide fans with a new way to interact with the game.

“We are excited to bring Where’s Waldo? in Hollywood to fans worldwide,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “This latest title keeps all the favorite elements that made the first Where’s Waldo? a top selling app, but adds new thrills that take full advantage of the high-resolution display and innovative Multi Touch interface of iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.”

The Where’s Waldo? in Hollywood App has several new gameplay modes and features, including:

• Beat Odlaw “Versus” Mode: Play against Waldo’s arch-nemesis, Odlaw, in a timed hunt for hidden objects.
• Two-Player “Versus” Mode (iPad only):  Compete against friends and family from the same device.
• Story Mode: Explore the game in untimed “free play” while accompanied by Waldo and his friends, Wenda, Woof and Wizard Whitebeard.
• Star-Studded Challenges: Search for Waldo and explore ten paparazzi-filled red carpet events and epic Hollywood film sets, including: “Silent Movie,” “The Wild West,” “The Three Musketeers,” “Song and Dance,” “Robin Hood,” and more!
• Enhanced Player Experience: Broaden the search field with scrollable maps, Pinch-to-zoom and Multi Touch, which aid in a player’s ability to spot small objects and look for clues that lead to cleverly camouflaged items.

“We are excited to partner with Ludia on the Where’s Waldo? in Hollywood App,” said Nicole Blake, Executive Vice President, Global Marketing & Consumer Products, Classic Media. “The new app delivers the search-and-find game play that helped make the first app an international favorite as well as exciting new features and content that allows users to interact with the game in a whole new way.”

By the way, Ludia is hiring.

Sarbakan has signed an agreement with a multinational corporation for the creation of a game for the PlayStation®3 system, using the PlayStation®Move motion controller, launched in September 2010. Sony’s PlayStation®Move redefines motion gaming with the most immersive and realistic gaming experience only possible on the PlayStation®3.

Under the agreement and in conjunction with a leading, worldwide publisher, Sarbakan will develop a game, yet to be named publically, which will be sold globally in retail stores next year. It is just one of the first PlayStation®3 games with the PlayStation®Move that Sarbakan plans to develop. More details on Sarbakan’s PlayStation development and this partnership will be available over the upcoming months.

“From iOS to Kinect to now PlayStation®Move development, Sarbakan continues its goal in offering development services for any type of game, whether you are on the couch, on the net or on the go,” said Guy Boucher, President of Sarbakan.

Sarbakan also appeared recently on NHK Special, one of the Japan Broadcasting Corporation’s most prominent television programs, on December 12 at 9 pm. The program was aired during Japan’s prime-time and broadcasted nationally to an audience of over 40 million.

NHK Special covered the latest trends in the video game industry, profiling innovative developers around the globe. The program’s focused on game development in Quebec, as a Canadian province that has carved an enviable position as one of the world’s largest hubs in the game industry. Sarbakan was chosen by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation because of its long-standing experience in the video game industry, with over 700 titles under its belt.

“We are thrilled to have represented Québec City in showing Japanese audiences just how much our hometown is a hotbed for creativity and innovation,” said Guy Boucher, President of Sarbakan.”We are even more thrilled that NHK recognizes the important role independent developers play in pushing the game industry’s technology envelope further.”

The Japan Broadcasting Corporation nationally operates five television channels and three radio services. Internationally, NHK offers two television services: NHK World TV and NHK World Premium, along with NHK World Radio Japan, which provides news in 18 languages. NHK World TV programs and Radio Japan’s news can be accessed on the internet. NHK has 54 stations across Japan and correspondents in 31 locations around the world.

As many of you already know, The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, announced yesterday that Apple Canada has been granted approval under the Investment Canada Act to establish iBookstore Canada.

“Our Government is committed to strengthening Canada’s economy through all its sectors, especially arts and culture,” said Minister Moore. “Apple has demonstrated how iBookstore Canada represents new opportunities for Canadian authors and publishers, and I have determined that this investment will be of net benefit to Canada.”

This decision is based on commitments made by Apple Canada, which include:

* Promotion of Canadian-authored books–both French- and English-language titles–in iBookstore in Canada and other iBookstores internationally;
* Increased opportunities for Canadian publishers and authors, including new and independent writers;
* Increased access to titles from Aboriginal authors and publishers;
* Assistance to Canadian publishers in streamlining processes of e-book creation and enhancement; and
* Jobs for Canadians and improved services for Canadian consumers, including an iBookstore tailored to Canadian readers.

The Government of Canada ordered a review to determine if the investment by Apple Canada would be of net benefit to Canada. Under the Investment Canada Act, all reviews and approvals of investments in the cultural sector are the responsibility of the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

An unorthodox promotional video campaign launched today by Complex Games threatens to smear the likes of Justin Bieber, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sarah Palin, Steven Colbert, Harry Potter and others with wads of Monkey flung Poo.

The 7 Deadly Poos is a website just recently launched for the holiday season that promises to release one video a day for a week featuring each one of these celebrity characters getting Poo’d by a devious cartoon monkey.

Watchers can join in on the contest by voting on which of the characters they want to appear in the game’s next update. The winner will be determined by January 1st of this coming year.

A reminder from Ubisoft that the Animus Project Update 1.0 downloadable content (DLC) for Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood for the Xbox 360® and the PlayStation®3 is now available on XBOX LIVE® and PlayStation® Network for download for free. Ubisoft has also announced that Animus Project Update 2.0 will be available in January and also free to download.

The Animus Project Update 1.0 includes a brand-new game mode and brand new map for Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Multiplayer. The game mode, Advanced Alliance, makes the original Alliance Mode with target identification and engagement more difficult than in original Alliance Mode, thus providing a more challenging experience for players. With three teams of two players each, Advanced Alliance is a tougher test for players and rewards teams that use stealth techniques to hunt their targets.

Located on a rocky tidal island of Normandy in France, the new map, Mont Saint-Michel, offers breathtaking scenery sure to enchant all. Its particular topography of narrow streets, high-perched bell-tower and multi-leveled architecture is perfect for hunters and predators alike to surge from out of nowhere to execute their prey. To survive, recruits need to use free-running and narrow roads to their advantage.

The Animus Project Update 2.0 will include a brand-new game mode and brand new map for Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Multiplayer. The Pienza Map provides the perfect free-running playground where predators and targets can blend and disappear. In the new Chest Capture Multiplayer Mode two teams comprised of three players each partner with fellow Templars to either defend or capture Chests. Also included is the new Templar Score feature to reward diligent work by Abstergo recruits.

EA Mobile has released some information about Risk HD, a game that will capture the traditional look and feel of the original board game – but blow it out with a new interactive experience on iPad. Strategize over the world map, which springs to life with intense visual clarity. Attack with a sleek dice-roll effect. Sense a greater thrill of battle with awesome sound effects, and more.

With 3 ways to play – all for up to 6 players — RISK for iPad is made satisfy the competitive demands of true strategy gamers. Test your power against unforgiving computer-driven adversaries. Play all around the board against your greatest real-world rivals in an epic war game. Or go collide head-to-head against your most personal opponent via local WiFi or Bluetooth.

Think strategically and play your cards right to defeat enemies with the new “Fixed” rule set. Or play by the classic “Progressive” rules and dominate the game in traditional style. View your cards with a simple touch and track the territories you’ve conquered. Earn an extensive list of achievements as your armies dominate territory after territory!

Exclusive Risk HD iPad Features:

• new interactive board-game experience – Gather up to 6 players around the iPad for the ultimate war game!
• Fast-App Switching – Pause a game and instantly return where you left off
• Inspiring HD-quality graphics and precision gameplay – Enjoy visuals optimized for the iPad’s sharper resolution and bigger Multi-Touch screen
• new “Fixed” rule set – For more strategic action, take on your enemies with a challenging new style of play

THQ has released a single player video for its highly anticipated FPS title Homefront, the PC version of which is in development at Digital Extremes.

In Homefront, players are transported to the year 2027, a time when America’s infrastructure is shattered and the military is in shambles after the country falls to a savage occupation by the nuclear armed Greater Korean Republic. Abandoned by her former allies, the United States is a bleak landscape of walled towns and abandoned suburbs. This is a police state where high school stadiums have become detention centers, and shopping malls shelter armored attack vehicles.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sioY7djUqKs]

Join the Resistance, stand united and fight for freedom against an overwhelming military force In Homefront’s gripping, cinematic single player campaign, and experience epic, ground breaking multiplayer action all set in a terrifyingly plausible near-future world.

Today I want to share a few sites that I’ve found by following links and recommendations, usually from the Twittersphere. But first, thank you to womanzworld, Big Bad Brush, Cybele Negris, Roddie Kieley, Wojtek Kawczynski and Savant Games for the #FF today on Twitter.

Here is a reminder that Game Prototype Challenge v2 will be announcing the themes on Monday December 13th, as well as a teaser look at some of the games from version 1.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs8qETkPIOw]

If you are a professional, student or hobbyist, I recommend that you take part in the Game Prototype Challenge – because hey, you never know where that next great idea will come from.

One of my recent new followers on Twitter is Disruptive Publishers. Based in Vancouver, this group creates licensed avatar gear for platforms such as Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. They have created themes and avatars for groups such as American universities, as well as partnered with companies such as Capcom, Sega, EA, Ubisoft, and the NBA for personalized gear that can be purchased in the respective console marketplaces. Creating user-customization gear for avatars is a great way to get your company’s image out into the main stream, broadening its presence to areas you may not have previously considered. According to their site, Disruptive Publishers is “an end-to-end solution for all production, licensing, approval, accounting and marketing disciplines throughout the entire process.”

Toronto-based Raw Sugar PR, owned and operated by Juli Strader, is a company whose philosophy is very similar to our own, to quote their site: “Raw Sugar PR is dedicated to developing and establishing a star system of directors, producers, screenwriters and actors so that Canadians across the country will proudly boast about our talent in the film & TV industry. Film & TV publicity opportunities abound from all stages, from development to casting to production to theatrical debut and to multi-platform distribution. Each stage offers new opportunities to build industry awareness and consumer recognition of your project.”

Another Twitter-find is Vancouver’s Blatant Studio, whose specialty is animation and motion-graphics. They have done work for clients such as Piranha Games, MTV, MuchMusic, 20th Century Fox and many more. While watching their show reel, I saw something very disturbing. Scott Baio is 45? I feel really old now. Thanks, Blatant.

I followed a link posted by Toon Boom, which led me to their Christmas ecard application. A link on that page led me over to Premium Beat, a royalty free music provider founded in 2005 by father-son creatives Giles and Francois Arbour. Based in Quebec, Premium Beat offers high quality Royalty Free Music for all new and traditional media, including websites, online videos, slide shows, DVDs and CD-ROMs, television, radio and films. The company also offers a variety of Flash Media Players for websites: Flash mp3 Players, Flash Video Players and Flash Slideshow Players.

Moderation Town from Stitch Media had its premier yesterday. Airing as a web series on Showcase.ca, Moderation Town is a comedy series about a small Maritime town after the local factory folds and is replaced by an Internet moderation company. Local residents become not-so-internet-savvy content moderators, responsible for filtering the most offensive content off of the Internet.

Kelowna studio Situware has released Pigeon Drop, a kind-of-location-based game available now in the iTunes App Store for $2.99. According to the game’s info, Pigeon Drop is a revolution in interactive game play, physically integrating players into an online world where they command an army of pigeons capable of launching real-time attacks against other online players around the globe.

Pigeons have united in a worldwide effort to help humanity avoid total self-destruction. After years of practicing on statues and monuments around the world, pigeons have finally perfected the art of high altitude bombing and are ready to offer their services to humankind. It appears pigeon poop is a great alternative to weapons of mass destruction and pigeons are willing to partner with humans in an effort to avoid a worldwide disaster and offer a new way of achieving total global domination.

Today seems to be the day for finding out about games with questionable titles. New from Winnipeg’s Complex Games is Monkey Poo, available now in the iTunes store for 99 cents. This game, according to its store description, allows you to fling your way to victory by covering unwary zoo-goers with mounds and mounds of monkey poo, awarding bonus points for finishing off your targets with multiple hits, while nailing mystery celebrities brings massive rewards. Another game objective is to avoid the zookeeper, as he will apparently put your poonami to an early end.

Microsoft’s Vancouver game studio launched an online beta of their newest title last night. Neosaurs is an MMORPG free-to-play PC browser game, and it appears that there will be purchasable upgrades. I did find information about charges and charegbacks in on the game’s site, but could not find any mention of what could be purchased or any prices. Perhaps this feature will be enabled once the beta phase has concluded.

The game’s description is as follows: “deep below Earth’s surface, Inner Earth is in trouble and needs your help! Raise your very own Neosaur to be protector for the forces of good. Play with your friends and explore the extensive lore and endless adventure in the magical land beneath. You can evolve your Neosaur into a ferocious Rex, strong Cera, or agile Ptera.”

Behaviour Studios has a new title on XBLA – Doritos Crash Course is a fast-paced, funny, obstacle course game show for your Avatar to compete against your friends and family over XboxLive. Play through 15 exciting platformer levels across 3 different countries. Compete against your friends and family up to four players over XboxLive and local split-screen. Technically, this free game was developed by Wanako Studios in Chile – but – Wanako is a wholly-owned division of Quebec’s Behaviour Studio, which, in a round-about kind of way, gets it in through the Canadian Content Door.

Last evening we had the pleasure of attending Annex Pro’s Expo 2011 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, where we had a chance to catch up with a few friends as well as make new ones. The team at Annex Pro put together a great group of vendor booths – it’s a good thing that the CaveChild was not with us, or he would’ve tried to make off with the entire Avid Pro Tools display. As it was, I spent a fair bit of time talking with Bonnie from Wacom, and with a smoking hot sales deal from Annex Pro, my very dated Wacom Graphire 3 is now a medium-sized Intuos 4. Now I am just waiting on my registration emails from Wacom (how long does that take, anyway?) so that I can install the free software tools that purchasers of Wacom tablets receive, and then I can watch my Adobe PhotoShop Elements 4 upgrade to version 8 (oh wow, just learned that Adobe is now on version 9), and maybe in a few months’ time I can take advantage of the Wacom Buyer Privileges and upgrade my PhotoShop 7 to PhotoShop CS5 with the special purchase deal. Oh, and if you think my PhotoShop is outdated….I still use Bryce 5 and PaintShop Pro 8. I won a copy of Corel’s PaintIt on Twitter a few months ago, and have been playing a bit with it – watching the software’s conversion process is quite entertaining.

Scott’s interest at the Annex Pro event was tweaked both by the keynote delivered by Technicolor Creative Services’ Tom Burns and by the offerings from Atempo, Aspera, Blue Arc, G-Tech, AJA and HP because he likes to geek out over the technical side of things, which are completely out of my realm. As long as our networks connect and the computers and server are working, I’m happy – although I do want the fancy computers & screens they have on CSI and Bones, just because they look cool.

I have always liked the software tools developed by Autodesk, who was also present at the expo, but as I can’t draw and haven’t even mastered Bryce 5, Maya and Max are far beyond my capabilities – I have a healthy respect for anyone who creates product with that software. Craft Animations was also displaying their wares, and I actually have one of their products, which I won at a previous Annex Pro event. Not a clue what to do with that, either. Perhaps we should come up with a contest and offer it as a prize; I’m sure there are some indie devs out there who would benefit greatly from having it.

Transgaming Studios has released the pre-game cinematic for their upcoming title Garage Inc on the game’s Facebook page. The cinematic introduces the player to the characters and sets the mood for this 1920’s Prohibition-era game. Watch as lead character Angelo talks with his cousin Sal during a family Christmas gathering about the garage he dreams of opening.

There are two new indie titles available today – Xona Games is burning up the dev pipe, releasing their second new title this week. Score Rush has passed Peer Review and is now out on Xbox Live Indie Games for 80 MS Points. Built on the Duality ZF engine, this 4-player shoot ’em up features overwhelming firepower, trailing options, full screen bombs, tons of enemies, an intimidating final boss and hundreds of crazy bullet patterns to survive. The 60 fps adrenaline-rush experience is complemented by a hard-rocking Dragon Music soundtrack.

Also out today is RatRod Studio’s Drift Mania Canadian Championship is now available in the Android Marketplace for 99 cents. Previously released in the iTunes App Store, Android users can now get in on the racing action. Drift Mania Canadian Championships features Online Global Leaderboards with live events, variable throttle system and hydraulic handbrake with adjustable steering sensitivity, 7 uniquely spec’d vehicles, 5 different tracks, 2 acceleration modes and 3 levels of difficulty with 3 camera configurations. If you want to relive the moment, there is a highlights replay system, and you can also listen to either the included soundtrack or your own music as you tear up the track.

A post made earlier today by Frima Studios‘ Executive Producer Martin Brouard on the official PlayStation blog announced that there will be a new title released by the studio on December 21st. A Space Shooter for Two Bucks will be available for free to all PlayStation Plus subscribers, and $1.99 for everyone else. According to the blog, A Space Shooter is of the classic arcade space shooting genre (in case you couldn’t guess that from the title), and “swarms of enemies filling the screens with hazardous bullets and missiles, heaps of upgrades for your ship and its arsenal, high-paced and constant action requiring deft reflexes, and hordes of alien baddies just waiting to be blown up by your superior space-faring skills.” Plus, to add to your gaming experience, there will be a myriad of interesting characters to encounter and in some cases control.

Kitchener-Waterloo developer Footloose Games has announced that they will be releasing a beta version of their Munchies’ Lunch title on December 27th. Munchies’ Lunch is a fun adventure-puzzle PC-based game for the whole family. Simply download the game from the Footloose website to embark on an epic journey with the Munchie family as they say goodbye to their homeland and travel the world to find a peaceful place where they can settle down. Mr. & Mrs. Munchie will travel along with their children through far-away jungles, over steep mountains, and across the hot deserts in their journey. Along the way they’ll meet the ravenous Hungries, crafty bird-snakes and perhaps even a tribal tiki or two.

Vancouver developer LoudCrow has released its latest iPad book. Available now, this pop-out version of The Night Before Christmas joins LoudCrow’s previous title, Pop-out Tales of Peter Rabbit in the iTunes store. In this new release, you can see William Denslow’s masterful illustrations brought to life with innovative pull-tabs, spin-wheels, and elements that bounce and spring with the touch a finger. Listen to “O Christmas Tree” beautifully performed on piano while you read and interact with each page of the book. Explore every scene and discover the many delightful life-like interactions at your fingertips.

Bioware has released the first in a series of “Making of” videos for Dragon Age 2. Here is Part One:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8AulecgRbI]

Kobo has launched Reading Life, an industry first social eReading experience. Readers can now track their personal reading history, check-in with characters and places inside books and earn achievements and awards for simply reading. Readers can also choose to share books, favourite passages, awards and more with their friends on Facebook. Kobo Reading Life is initially available on iPad, as a part of the latest iPad update in the iTunes store now.

Kobo Reading Life for iPad provides an unparalleled experience that enables users to engage in eReading in new ways, connect with friends, and earn awards just for reading: Read the rest of this entry »

One of the best parts of being on Twitter has been learning more about the great independent developer community we have in Canada. There is an incredible camaraderie shared by these talented entities, and they are very prone to sharing their knowledge and experience with each other – something I don’t generally see with the bigger conglomerate studios, although I have seen such sharing amongst those designers who are employed by EA, Ubisoft and THQ studios (to name a few), it’s not to the same extent shared by the independents. Naturally, this could be due to contractual agreements and requirements put in place by the big studios, which is understandable for proprietary areas, but experience and knowledge never shared impedes the advancement of our digital industry.

Perhaps it is because in smaller, independent studios everyone is accountable for the success (or failure) of their creations, and this in turn leads to working at improving their publicity efforts as well as their end product. The sharing of opportunity is something else I see much of between the indies, and it’s because of this that I have been able to discover and share information about studios and Canadian-made products that I may have never found if it weren’t for the folks on Twitter passing on leads and links to me, because I, too am an independent, and appreciate the assistance I am given and battle daily to catch up on indie titles I need to play and review, as well as keep up on the news. One such discovery was sent my way yesterday by Celsius Game Studio.

Chaotic Box touts itself as a one man game making machine. The man behind the machine is Torontonian Frank Condello, and true to the independent genre, he is Chaotic Box’s developer, 2D/3D artist, music & sound designer. Chaotic Box has released four titles for the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad: Flooid, Pollywog, Pinch n Pop, and his newest title, Silverfish, which is currently on sale in the iTunes App Store for $1.99 USD.

According to the game’s info page, Silverfish pits the gamer against swarms of menacing space bugs that the player must weave through and defeat with powerful detonations, combining pure arcade action with stunning visual effects. Silverfish currently offers three game modes with more on the way, leader board and achievements, Retina Display graphics, intuitive swipe-anywhere controls and an original soundtrack.

DreamCatcher Games is happy to announce the release of Learn Science for Nintendo DS™ just in time for the holiday season! Learn Science let‘s kids learn while having fun. Learn the basic principles of: Light and Sound, Physics, The human body, Biology and Geography while playing a variety of engaging mini-games. Unlock new mini-games by scoring high marks in Career Mode and then perfect your skills by mastering unlocked mini-games in Game Mode on one of 3 difficulty levels. Kids can challenge their friends in multiplayer mini-games, or they can co-operate and challenge the AI.

Features:

· Learn the basic principles of: Light and Sound, Physics, The human body, Biology and Geography
· Integrated age check with traffic light system offers gaming fun for every level of knowledge
· Two different in game guides to help with explanations and examples
· Multiplayer mode: Hot seat, Single card and Multi card for common learning with parents and friends through mini games

Learn Science is priced at $19.99 USD and is available in retail stores across North America. Rated ‘E’ for everyone.

Get Set Games has just announced that their hit title Mega Jump will be coming to Android in the next couple of weeks. Mega Jump is compatible with Android 2.0 and up and will be free to download. Mega Jump for Android makes use of OpenFeint’s great social gaming features including global high scores and unlockable achievements.

Mega Jump has been downloaded by more than 7.5 million people worldwide in the App Store, and the studio is looking forward to inviting Android gamers to join the mix. The exact release date has yet to be decided, but you can be sure that once I know, you’ll know.

Congratulations again to Vancouver start-up Ayogo Games Inc., who won the prestigious “Hottest Digital Media Company in Canada” title at nextMedia in Toronto last week.

Ayogo’s latest Facebook® game, called HealthSeeker™, was the entry that helped win the hotly-contested award. The game is built on Ayogo’s GoodLife Gamification Engine™, and aims to help people living with diabetes habituate healthier behaviour around diet and exercise. Michael Fergusson, CEO of Ayogo, was excited to accept the award.

“Gamification is touching all areas of our lives, especially online,” said Fergusson. “I’m proud that Ayogo, and our GoodLife Gamification Engine™, is being recognized for being at the forefront of this exciting new trend, and for using the power of constructive play to help make people’s lives better.”

Xona Games, that very talented and award-winning indie team who has been creating some of the most critically-acclaimed indie arcade games to date, announced today that the first of its two Xbox LIVE Indie Games launching this week, Decimation X3, is now available for only for 80 Microsoft Points ($1 USD)! Having been chosen to be a main title featured in the Indie Games Winter Uprising, Decimation X3 features intense shoot-em-up action in a ridiculously affordable package.

Decimation X3 is the thrilling sequel to one of the most popular 2D-retro shooters on Xbox LIVE Indie Games, Decimation X, which is one of the top-rated Indie Games in Japan (currently #3 out of approximately 1,500). Get ready for intense local four-player action, never-ending waves of enemies and a continual rain of power-ups to significantly improve your offensive and defensive capabilities. Featuring decidedly retro pixel art graphics, an overload of explosion particle effects, normal and challenge game modes, 60 frames per second and a hypnotic trance beat soundtrack from Imphenzia, Decimation X3 is everything an arcade junkie could wish for and will put your reflexes to the ultimate test.

The Indie Games Winter Uprising is a celebration of the best that Xbox LIVE Indie Games have to offer, and was recently expanded from just the first week of December to the entire month. Orchestrated by a group of fellow developers longing to promote the higher-quality games that can be found on the platform, the Indie Winter Games Uprising takes place during December and features 14 top-tier games that they hope will elevate the impression of the Indie Games channel.

Ubisoft has announced that Your Shape: Fitness Evolved will offer new exclusive workouts and fitness programs available on the Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360®.

“When we started working on the development of Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, we contacted several renowned fitness experts and trainers”, said Claudine Cézac, game’s producer for Your Shape: Fitness Evolved. “Each trainer insisted on the fact that in order to keep people motivated, it would be important to consistently bring new varieties of exercise to the game. That’s why from the very start, we thought of Your Shape: Fitness Evolved as a comprehensive fitness program that players would be able to enrich at their will. There are many different ways to work out and get in shape, and that’s what we want to offer with the add-on content.”

The add-on content for Your Shape: Fitness Evolved will include personalized workouts, dance-related fitness programs, and a variety of cardio and toning exercises, expanding the overall gameplay experience. The first installment of add-on content will become available in early December 2010 and will include:

• The “Toned Body Program”, to strengthen all your muscles and get a firmer body
• “Cardio Boxing Platinum”, a new advanced level of the Cardio-Boxing class

The second installment will come shortly after and include:

• “New Year New You”, a specific program to get back in shape after Xmas and New Year’s celebrations
• “Dance Workout: Bollywood”, a high impact dance workout using popular Bollywood dance moves.

All extra workouts and programs will be offered individually or in bundle packages. In the first half of the calendar year, over 12 new fantastic workouts for Your Shape: Fitness Evolved will be released on Xbox LIVE. All of these extra workouts and programs will be offered individually or in bundle packages. In the first half of the calendar year, over 12 new pieces of add-on content for Your Shape Fitness Evolved will be released on Xbox Live. Pricing will range from 320 to 560 Microsoft points.