Village Gamer

TVO gives Facebook politics a whole new meaning and takes another step in promoting citizen engagement with the launch of Honoured Citizen, a multi-player social media game that runs on the Facebook Platform.

Developed for TVO by Lazar Entertainment, Honoured Citizen allows players to participate in all levels of civic society and demonstrates that there are many ways to become an Honoured Citizen, if you are willing to speak out, engage with issues, question, debate and vote.

“Game-based technologies can serve as powerful tools for advancing civic engagement – it’s called gaming for good,” says Christine McGlade, Manager of Interactive and Digital Media for TVO. “Honoured Citizen will immerse gamers in the political process. It’s a great example of how TVO uses digital media as a platform for civic engagement.”

Honoured Citizen is the only Facebook game that realistically simulates all aspects of the political process. Players participate as citizens, politicians, activists or lobbyists. Politicians can seek nominations and woo voting blocs. Lobbyists can wine and dine politicians. Activists can start protests and organize petitions. Citizens can raise issues and participate in polls.

The object of the game is to gain honour points by engaging with and participating in an online shadow government – discussing, debating and organizing around political issues. These points may be spent to take on different roles in the game, perform other functions, or they may be traded with other players or strategically donated. The game runs in real time and every round is one week long, with new issues in play during each round. After every four rounds, there is an election.

Set in a virtual province, Honoured Citizen offers players a chance to simulate the political process. While the topics gamers raise may be real-life issues, it’s not a place for partisan politics. The game focuses on issues of governance, and non-partisan debate.

Honoured Citizen is the most recent addition to TVO’s gaming for good efforts, which includes Inside the Haiti Earthquake, the Games for Change Festival 2010 Transmedia award-winning interactive game.

Honoured Citizen is part of TVO’s Your Vote 2011, a suite of multimedia resources designed to engage Ontarians in the lead-up to the fall 2011 Ontario election.

Enter The Secret World – a next-generation massively multiplayer online game for the PC, a world where players are given total freedom to create and progress their characters, unbound by the restrictions of classes and levels. Players will get the opportunity to join one of the three secret societies and fight for power over important locations throughout our own world.  Players will also journey through familiar places across the globe, such as Egypt, New England, London, New York and Seoul and battle monsters of myth and legend.

From the dark and unforgiving Atlantic shoreline, to the overgrown attractions of a theme park lost to the darkness, the Savage Coast reveals more of its hidden mysteries in the latest location video from Funcom. Only a small part of the game, the Savage Coast is home to several unique monsters and myths as well as providing a fantastic backdrop for players to immerse themselves in.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0NQAgZ2FqY]

Montreal publisher Meridian4 today announced they’ve expanded their publishing partnership with German developer Headup Games to include the new strategy role-playing game, Grotesque Tactics 2: Dungeons & Donuts. Arriving this fall with a host of new content exclusively for digital download to the PC, Grotesque Tactics 2: Dungeons & Donuts revisits protagonist Drake and his rag-tag bunch of unlikely heroes with a completely reworked optical style, new character creations and an original storyline.

“The Grotesque series’ unique ability to parody the genre while simultaneously advancing it through smart gameplay and unique features, results in a lighthearted entertainment experience that can be enjoyed by both hardcore and casual fans alike,” said Steve Milburn, Marketing Director of Meridian4.  “The enhancements and new storyline will keep players laughing, engaged and challenged from start to finish.”

The story of Grotesque Tactics 2: Dungeons & Donuts begins as the citizens of the Kingdom of Glory celebrate their victory over the Dark Church.  While in the catacombs of their former enemies, their revelry is disturbed by a sudden all-encompassing fog.  Those that remain alive after the strange attack, barricade themselves in the depths of the catacombs.  As time passes, food becomes scarce and the people of the Kingdom of Glory begin to realize that they might all meet their demise.  The ‘heroic’ Knights of Glory, shady mercenaries and the arrogant high elves band together into guilds in order to survive and escape the dank catacombs.   Unfortunately, the guilds are far too concerned with their distaste for each other, thus allowing for an awakening of dark forces in the dungeons below.

“Not everyone will survive,” warned EA BioWare as they announced that the epic action RPG Mass Effect™ 3, will arrive at retailers worldwide beginning March 6, 2012. In Mass Effect 3, an ancient alien race known only as “Reapers”, has launched an all-out invasion of the galaxy, leaving nothing but a trail of destruction in their wake. Earth has been taken, the galaxy is on the verge of total annihilation, and you are the only one who can stop them. The price of failure is extinction.

As Commander Shepard, players must lead the counter assault to take it back. Only Shepard can determine how events will play out, which planets will be saved from annihilation and which alliances will take form or be abandoned as the forces of the galaxy are rallied together to eliminate the Reaper threat once and for all.

“With Mass Effect 3, we are delivering blockbuster action and heart-wrenching emotion on a scale that far exceeds anything we’ve ever done before,” said Casey Hudson, Executive Producer of the Mass Effect series. “This is an all-out galactic war and how you choose to lead and play will ultimately determine how – and if – you can save the galaxy.”

BioWare also unveiled the Mass Effect 3 N7 Collector’s Edition, a special edition of the game featuring exclusive bonus content and unlockable items (conditions and restrictions apply), including in-game appearance packs, a Dark Horse Comic Book, a hardcover art book, an exclusive extended soundtrack, exclusive lithograph and an exclusive N7 patch. Designed to delight both new and seasoned fans, the Mass Effect 3 N7 Collector’s Edition also gives instant access to the N7 Arsenal Pack which features four tactical guns exclusive to this special edition. The Mass Effect 3 N7 Collector’s Edition is available for pre-order now at participating retailers for $79.99 in limited quantities.

Mass Effect 3 and the Mass Effect 3 N7 Collector’s Edition will be available for the Xbox 360®, PlayStation®3 and PC, with the Xbox 360 version Kinect™-enabled, allowing players to immerse themselves into the Mass Effect universe even further through new voice recognition technology. The Mass Effect 3 N7 Collector’s Edition will be available in a digital format on the PC exclusively via Origin, EA’s new digital store destination.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTo_9xyl1LA]

Gamers who purchase the Mass Effect 3 N7 Collector’s Edition on the PC via Origin will receive exclusive bonus content and unlockable items in digital format. This includes in-game appearance packs, a digital version of the Dark Horse Comic Book, a digital version of the art book, an exclusive extended soundtrack, a digital version of the exclusive lithograph and the N7 Arsenal Pack. The digital version of the Mass Effect 3 N7 Collector’s Edition will not include the N7 patch.

Toronto’s Uken Games has released Crime, Inc. HD to the iTunes App Store. This free to play game of crime and corruption is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices running iOS 3.2 or later. Players of this game will be tasked with building their crime crew, equipping minions with custom weapons and sending them on special assignments designed to fund your crime syndicate.

The goal is to build up your family and destroy your rivals in epic battles as you take down each crime boss one fight at a time, winning bounty to become the ruler of the seedy underside of society. In-game purchases will also help you build your kingdom of crime when you bribe and pay-off others to gain respect. As this game plays in real time, an online connection is required to play the game, which is rated 9+ for the infrequent use of mild realistic violence, and those players with an iPad can play in full screen HD.

Other titles by Uken include Villains, Forces of War,  Dark Galaxy, Age of Legends and TowerUp! Plus.

Funcom has released a developer diary for its upcoming and highly anticipated modern-day MMO ‘The Secret World’. Watch as the developers delve into the story behind the game, and take a look at some of the many unique missions in the game. With hundreds of voiced characters, ‘The Secret World’ offers a rich and immersive gaming experience with a storyline that dares to go deep into the realm of myths and legends.

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

‘The Secret World’ is a next-generation massively multiplayer online game for the PC platform, where players are given total freedom to create and progress their characters, unbound by the restrictions of classes and levels. Players will get the opportunity to join one of the three secret societies and fight for power over important locations throughout our own world.  Players will also journey through familiar places across the globe, such as Egypt, New England, London, New York and Seoul and battle monsters of myth and legend.

Finnish developer Grey Area has released Shadow Cities, the world’s first mobile global location-based massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) for free on mobile Apple devices in Canada. Shadow Cities uses location based technology to create an augmented reality and a revolutionary global arena for its players to participate in real-time large-scale combat with friends and other gamers. Players will engage each other in epic battles around the world in their very own neighborhoods and cities.

Shadow Cities Features Include:

• Choose your side: Players can choose to fight on the side of the Animators or Architects, two opposing schools of magic locked in a struggle for power and control.
• Definitively Massive: Hundreds of gamers at once will clash and battle with one another across neighborhoods, towns and cities across the world.
• Best in Class RPG Elements: Building upon traditional roleplaying systems and concepts, Shadow Cities offers a deep leveling system that allows players to customize their character by learning spells and developing attributes.
• Draw your Spells: Using the touch screen of the Apple mobile device, players draw magical runes to cast a variety of spells with which to attack foes, heal allies and defend their neighborhoods.
• Transform your Neighborhood: As players move around in the real world, their position in the parallel world of Shadow Cities will also move, revealing both new friendly and enemy players, spirits, traps, neighborhoods and much more.
• Transport Friends: Portals can be opened in cities that allow friends and allies to move between locations and take part in full-scale virtual battles, creating a truly global gameplay experience.
• Speedy Recovery: As mages engage in battles their health and mana will deplete but also refill over time. Players will have the option to purchase potions from the in-game store to refill mana instantaneously.

Shadow Cities is rated Rated 9+ for the following:

Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes
Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1 or later.

Rock Hippo Productions Ltd is pleased to announce that its new Zombie Mode for the anime inspired,cartoon-style third person MMO shooter MicroVolts is now live…or … undead. The highly-anticipated new mode allows players to become “Zombified” and take on the role of a Zombie Toy in this popular third-person-shooter currently in open beta.  In addition, the company has launched a new trailer that depicts the new Zombie mode in action.

With the introduction of Zombie Mode even toys can become zombies as infected players take on the role of a Zombie Toy with unique abilities to hunt players with uninfected toys.  Uninfected players will have all weapons available but may not have as much ammo as they are accustomed to playing with which may leave them vulnerable to a “Zombie Toy.”

“The new Zombie mode is great because not only does it introduce zombies into gameplay, but it also forces uninfected players to strategize with new weapons and less ammo than they are used to,” said Howard He, President of Rock Hippo Productions. “As players dive into the new Zombie mode they should also keep an eye out for news of some exciting upcoming events we have this month in celebration of the addictive new mode!”

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1ghvEHEfTg]

In order to fight off the hordes of toy zombies, players will have access to special Zombie Mode weapons. These will come in drop boxes randomly in the middle of a match, so players need to make sure to be the first to get to the box! There will be 4 new Zombie Mode weapons in total, each with their own unique ability.  Two of the new weapons to make their debut include the Firestorm and Blizzard; which both live up to their names!  The Firestorm lights up the competition in a blazing storm of fire, burning pesky zombies to a fine ash and zombies will freeze in fear at the chilly cold whirlwind of ice that the Blizzard dishes out!

MicroVolts features fast paced, third person shooter action and pits players against each other in a secret battle that has been waged and going unnoticed right in our own backyard for years.  No one knows for sure when or where the first toy declared war but rumor has it that the uprising began with four original limited edition figures, code named MicroVolts. Battle lines were drawn when Naomi, Knox, Pandora, and C.H.I.P. -the prototypes A -were soon joined by an endless number of modified versions. Now, toy figures around the world are engaged in an all-out war for valuable battery resources and supremacy of the Micro World.  All we can do now is stay out of their way and wait for a champion to be declared!

With a ton of weapons, inventive character designs, and a huge list of customization features, MicroVolts is destined to invigorate and re-energize the Free2play space. Intuitive controls and a third person view make the game easy to play and fun for both newcomers and veterans of shooter games.  Game modes include the brand new Zombie Mode, Free for ALL, Team Deathmatch, Item Match, Capture the Battery, and many more featuring various maps designed by toy concept.

Going Loud Studios, creators of the XBLIG and WP7 title Zombie Accountant, has announced their sophomore title: Lair of the Evildoer – which leads us to a good news-bad news scenario.

First, the good news! The evil Dr. Odious has created you and given you the gift of life.

Now, the bad news! He’s decided you are not worth his time! Now you must escape his procedurally generated lair, fighting monsters and collecting loot as you go.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1JLIGP7TIM]

Features:

• 20 levels procedurally generated by pure evil, ensuring unique experiences with every playthrough
• 26 types of enemies, also generated by pure evil
• Over 15 weapons with which to destroy those enemies (phew!)
• Weapon affix system to keep you hunting for the best loot. Seek out the “Kickass Shotgun of Haste”, avoid the “Cheap Pistol of the Chicken”
• Stat-based leveling system, to help you escape the lair the way you want to

Lair of the EvilDoer is scheduled for release in Spring 2011 on the Xbox Live Indie Games marketplace.

Rock Hippo Productions Ltd is pleased to announce that its new Zombie Mode for the anime inspired third person MMO shooter, MicroVolts will launch next Thursday, May 5th. The much-anticipated feature will allow players to become “Zombified” and take on the role of a Zombie Toy in this popular third-person-shooter currently in open beta.

With the introduction of Zombie Mode, even toys can become zombies as infected players take on the role of a Zombie Toy with unique abilities to hunt players with uninfected toys.  Uninfected players will have all weapons available but may not have as much ammo as they are accustomed to playing with which may leave them vulnerable to a “Zombie Toy.”

In addition to the upcoming Zombie Mode, the MicroVolts online community hub continues to undergo updates to provide players with even more functionality.  Players now have the ability to directly compare their stats with friends and any MicroVolts player in the world!  In addition, achievements will be coming soon to the Club House along with the ability to share with friends, and competitive players can look forward to future updates taking their game to a whole new level.

“The unique style and variety of modes are some of the main components that make MicroVolts stand out from other shooters and throwing zombies into the mix makes it that much more fun,” said Howard He, President of Rock Hippo Productions. “We also know that the Club House is an important community hub for our players, so we are always striving to update it and give them features that help them interact with their fellow MicroVolts players.”

MicroVolts features fast paced, third person shooter action and pits players against each other in a secret battle that has been waged and going unnoticed right in our own backyard for years.  No one knows for sure when or where the first toy declared war but rumor has it that the uprising began with four original limited edition figures, code named MicroVolts. Battle lines were drawn when Naomi, Knox, Pandora, and C.H.I.P.-the prototypes a-were soon joined by an endless number of modified versions. Now, toy figures around the world are engaged in an all-out war for valuable battery resources and supremacy of the Micro World.  All we can do now is stay out of their way and wait for a champion to be declared!

With a ton of weapons, inventive character designs, and a huge list of customization features, MicroVolts is destined to invigorate and re-energize the Free2play space. Intuitive controls and a third person view make the game easy to play and fun for both newcomers and veterans of shooter games.  Game modes include Free for ALL, Team Deathmatch, Item Match, Capture the Battery, and many more featuring various maps designed by toy concept.