Village Gamer

Montreal game publisher Meridian4 and European publisher Headup Games are pleased to announce that the unique parody/strategy/RPG – Grotesque Tactics – Evil Heroes is now available digitally for $19.99 on most digital portals and is currently on sale on Steam with a 20% discount for the first week.

Grotesque Tactics combines the features and clichés of Western and Asian console RPGs like Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics and provides a highly addicting and entertaining change to the current, more serious role playing games. The game is focused on providing the fascination of the Strategy RPG genre, but also weaves a humorous storyline and plenty of amusing dialogue, poking fun at some of the most successful RPGs, such as Oblivion, Final Fantasy and Lord of the Rings. In chess, a Grotesque is a problem or endgame study which features a particularly unlikely initial position, especially one in which White fights with a very small force against a much larger black army. Grotesques are generally intended to be humorous.

To protect the kingdom from the merciless cult “The Dark Church” which has murdered all of the kingdom’s heroes and knights, you will have to hire dubious soldiers and rescue jealous maidens who will follow you into combat as your groupies. Up to 10 heroes are deployed in tactical battles to take on the Dark Church with their mysterious special abilities.

Features

· Turn based tactical battles with humorous animations not seen in any RPG
· Distinctive party members such as the arrogant Holy Avatar, the blood thirsty Vampire Solitaire, the sweet but hot-tempered Angel Angelina and many more
· Gorgeous village landscapes and dark, sinister dungeons
· Scantily dressed maidens to be freed from the grasp of merciless monsters
· Enormous, highly detailed and very angry end bosses
· Classical RPG elements: quests, treasures, trade, leveling up and out­fitting a party of unique heroes
· Enjoyable multiple choice dialogues and conversation puzzles in the style of classic adventures, such as Monkey Island or Maniac Mansion

As competitive FPS fans eagerly await the arrival of Clan Mode to Mission Against Terror next week, Wicked Interactive pulled out yet another surprise today when it announced a new 1v1 ladder for its popular free-to-play shooter M.A.T. that is chock-full of prizes and fun for gamers of every skill level, particularly those who enjoy their fragging with a healthy side order of competitive play. Read the rest of this entry »

Capcom® Mobile and Vancouver’s IUGO Mobile Entertainment have announced Lil’ Pirates, a brand new title that will be available for free on the App Store later this month. The development of more accessible general audience games is in line with Capcom Mobile’s strategy of reaching a more casual audience as powerful smartphones become more ubiquitous and mass market. Capcom Mobile also announced two other titles in development which will be released over the coming weeks.

“The release of these titles marks a new direction for the company as we complement our traditional premium pricing model with freemium social games for our customers,” said Midori Yuasa, President and COO, Capcom Interactive, Inc. “By creating a line of casual freemium games we can appeal to consumers not serviced by our more ‘hardcore’ IP and cast a much wider net over the burgeoning smartphone app marketplace.”

In Lil’ Pirates the player recruits their own band of scurvy dogs and sets upon the high seas seeking, adventure, treasure and camaraderie. Starting with a small ship and a tiny crew of scallywags, players can upgrade their vessel and expand their crew by undertaking special missions and jobs. Once they start to amass resources and loot, players will be able to battle other vessels, play mini games with the crew and bury booty to increase its value. More than 100 premium content items including ship upgrades and custom gear will be available at launch as DLC.

The other two announced titles were Zombie Café and a third licensed title based off a children’s entertainment property. In Zombie Café, the player partners with an evil corporation to use zombies as free labor to build their café empire. To thrive, players must prepare food, direct their zombie staff and manage supplies. If the competition gets too fierce they can always direct their zombie workers to attack a neighboring café and steal their secret recipes. Zombie Café will be available for free on the Apple App store and is expected to release in November.

The floral experts at Grower Direct want to share their love of flowers with you in a brand new way: the Grower Direct iPhone App. This exciting and very practical application has been developed for iPhone users in the hopes that it will make everyday life a snap when it comes to researching, viewing, and ordering flowers from anywhere, at anytime. The Grower Direct iPhone App provides information on hundreds of topics about flowers and everything flower-related.

Developed in conjunction with crazedCoders of Edmonton, the free app will answer questions such as:

* How old the world’s oldest rose bush?
* How do flowers affect people’s moods?
* Which flower is associated with a 25th Anniversary? Read the rest of this entry »

BioWare™ has just announced the Dragon Age™ II BioWare Signature Edition. This limited edition of the highly anticipated action RPG will be available at no extra cost for gamers who pre-order Dragon Age II before January 11, 2011. Featuring over $20 of additional content, the Dragon Age II BioWare Signature Edition includes the full version of Dragon Age II, along with a download code for an additional playable character and new missions, the Dragon Age II digital soundtrack, an exclusive in-game digital armory featuring a variety of weapons and other digital items. The Dragon Age II BioWare Signature Edition will only be available for pre-order and online purchase on or before January 11, 2011 – after the deadline, it will disappear from the market.

“Over the past 15 years, we’ve been privileged to have the support of a passionate community of fans, who continue to grow in number with every game we release,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Senior Vice President of Electronic Arts and co-founder and Group General Manager of BioWare. “The BioWare Signature Edition of Dragon Age II is a chance for us to reward loyal fans who pre-order the game by providing them with additional high-quality content for free.”

Dragon Age II is the sequel to the 2009’s “RPG of the Year,” featuring faster-paced action, striking new art direction and a gripping storytelling approach that allows gamers to experience the rise to power with the game’s key character, Hawke. A refugee who survives the destruction of his homeland, Hawke becomes the Champion of Kirkwall but the lore surrounding his rise to power is shrouded in myth and rumor. These mysteries are the driving force behind the all-new Dragon Age II story, which spans nearly 10 years in the Dragon Age universe. Players will experience how the legend unfolds by gathering the deadliest of allies, making tough moral choices, amassing fame and fortune and sealing their place in history.

Dragon Age II will be available on the PlayStation®3, Xbox 360® and PC in Canada on March 8, 2011. Dragon Age II, like Dragon Age, will most likely be rated M for Mature by the ESRB.

Toronto-based start-up Clickbox Software has unveiled the full commercial release of ilumii.com, the world’s most complete Social Learning Community & Marketplace. ilumii.com allows individuals to take their knowledge and skills and teach them to people around the globe by offering live, online classes–for fun and for profit–and by connecting those who want to learn with those who want to teach.

Clickbox Software CEO, Daniel Del Mastro, says, “ilumii.com is a revolutionary concept because it completely reshapes who can deliver educational services, the earnings potential of teaching, and the breadth of topics a person can teach or learn online. ilumii.com is ushering in an era of collaborative learning that will forever change the face of education.”

ilumii.com gives individuals everything they need to make live, online teaching fun and simple: it lets users offer courses on any subject–ranging from academic tutoring, to language lessons, to hobbies and skills, to whatever else they can imagine. It allows instructors to easily schedule lessons, manage course enrollment, and securely accept payments from learners around the world. And, of course, it provides both learners and instructors with a state-of-the-art Live Learning Space with video and audio, an interactive whiteboard, presentation and file sharing, and other features that replicate the feeling of being in a real-world classroom like never before.

Clickbox Software’s Chief Digital Officer, Raquel Torres, says, “In a time when unemployment has affected millions of people, ilumii.com gives anyone with the ability to teach a channel to transform his or her intellectual capital into a new way to earn a living. Our goal with ilumii.com is to create a space where people can leverage technology to exchange knowledge and skills, and to be able to monetize their services.”

ilumii.com is powered by the concept of “Knowledge on Demand” – the idea that anyone around the world can find live, instructor-led classes on any topic imaginable through a single web destination. Users can sign-up for free at ilumii.com to be a part of the world’s best knowledge marketplace.

EA Sports™ has announced the signing of global tennis superstar Venus Williams as North American brand ambassador for EA Sports Active 2, an innovative line of interactive fitness products that feature personalized, customizable workouts. Williams will act as the franchise spokesperson and will join the EA Sports Active family along with David Beckham, who was recently named brand ambassador in Europe and Australia. EA Sports Active 2 focuses on improving muscular strength, endurance and flexibility, while providing an intense cardio workout; it will combine a heart rate monitor and wireless motion tracking data to deliver a fitness experience that achieves authentic, measurable results. EA Sports Active 2 will be available on Kinect™ for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 and Wii™, in North America on November 16 as well as iPhone® and iPod touch® at a later date.

“Venus is one of the most recognizable, popular and accomplished tennis players in the world; her success can be attributed to both her talent as well as her dedication to fitness,” says Jon Slavet, EA Sports Active Vice President, Product Strategy. “Her commitment to healthy living and ability to inspire others makes her a natural fit for EA Sports Active 2.”

On the court Williams has achieved great success since she turned pro at the age of 14 with 41 career titles, including seven Grand Slam Titles as well as three Olympic Gold medals. In July 2008 Venus won her fifth Wimbledon® singles title and joins Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf as the only ladies in the Open-era to have won five or more Championships. She is currently ranked third in the world. Read the rest of this entry »

Transgaming, Inc. and Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE), in collaboration with TransGaming, Inc. have announced that the Toronto studio is currently working on Free Realms™ for the Macintosh® platform. Scheduled to release later this fall, Free Realms Mac® users will play together in the family-friendly online world with the over 14 million existing registered players on the PC.

“There is no denying the overwhelming player demand for Free Realms on the Mac platform, of which we plan to deliver very soon,” said John Smedley, president of SOE. “For the first time ever, SOE is developing synchronous gameplay for Mac and PC players and we are thrilled to tap into TransGaming’s Mac development expertise to bring this functionality to fruition.”

Free Realms players on the Mac platform will experience consistent controls and functionality and will be integrated on the same game servers as PC players. Mac users will also have full access to the existing Marketplace and community forums.

“Free Realms offers a truly unique and captivating user experience that aligns with TransGaming’s focus on bringing new massive multiplayer online games to the Mac platform,” commented Vikas Gupta, CEO & President of TransGaming Inc. “Our strategic partnership with SOE has strengthened our leadership position in the enablement of family-friendly titles for the growing Mac community and offers Mac gamers an ever-increasing catalog of outstanding video game content.”

Free Realms is an online, interactive virtual world that offers players adventures in the form of quests, activities and minigames. From ninja fighting to demolition derby to raising pets, Free Realms allows players to be what they want to be, while offering a safe environment to connect with old and new friends. Free Realms is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and up with content descriptors of Crude Humor and Fantasy Violence.

The Co-operators insurance corporation has launched Mobile Assist, an iPhone application that enables clients to submit home and auto insurance claims using their iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. The free application, which can be downloaded from the App Store, provides a new option for clients to interact with their insurance company on their own terms.

After downloading the Mobile Assist, clients can input their basic home and auto insurance information into their profile so that it’s readily available should they need to submit a claim. The application will guide them through the process, prompting them to provide the necessary details. The claim will then be submitted directly through a secure transmission, along with photos taken with their device. The app also offers one-touch dialling option to speak to a Co-operators representative and submit their claim over the phone.

“Canadians are leading increasingly fast-paced lives. Whether our clients want to drop by an agent’s office, phone us or deal with us online, they should – and do – have the choice,” said Kathy Bardswick, president and CEO of The Co-operators. “Co-operators Mobile Assist puts claims reporting in the palm of their hand.”

The application can be used by home and auto insurance clients of Co-operators General Insurance Company throughout Canada.

Electronic Arts Inc. has begun a special promotional partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure® in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month through specially marked EA Sports™ games during the month of October. Starting in early October, select Best Buy store locations will have available for sale EA Sports video game titles featuring the Komen Running Ribbon logo to acknowledge the $100,000 dollar donation from EA Sports.

“This year marks the third year of commitment on behalf of EA Sports in continuing to create awareness in the fight against breast cancer,” said Christopher Erb, EA Sports Senior Director of Partnership Marketing. “EA is honored to work with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to spread awareness and to give EA Sports consumers an opportunity to participate in finding the cures.”

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which is now the world’s largest breast cancer organization and the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer with more than $1.5 billion invested to date.

“Over the past 30 years, significant advancements have been made in the fight against breast cancer,” said Katrina McGhee, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Komen for the Cure. “Without partners like EA Sports, Komen wouldn’t have been able to pay for half a million breast screenings for women last year. Together, we are literally saving lives.”

Best Buy, the exclusive retail partner for the EA Sports and Komen for the Cure promotion, will have the limited edition video game packages in select stores throughout the month of October. EA Sports titles marked with the Komen Running Ribbon logo will include FIFA Soccer 11, , NCAA Football 11, NHL 11 for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and will be featured on Madden NFL 11 and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 11 across the PlayStation 3 system, Xbox 360 and Wii™ gaming consoles.

A check of both Canadian and American Best Buy web sites did not return any results for the specially marked covers, so it would appear that the “select” locations designation does not apply to online, and will also most likely be only at Best Buy stores located in the USA.

Nintendo Canada says Wii Party™ and spreads the fun this month, with Wii Party Mobiles visiting a variety of retail store fronts and family events during the month of October in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec! Kids, teens, adults and seniors are invited to check out the Wii Party Mobile with its see-through walls and flat screen televisions where they can grab a Wii remote and play the latest party game from Nintendo.

Visit the “On Tour” page for schedule updates.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

October 9th (11am-5pm) – Future Shop, #102 – 5300 No.3 Road, Richmond
October 10th (11am-5pm) – Best Buy, 1135 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam
October 16th (11am-5pm) – Best Buy, #700 – 5300 No. 3 Road, Richmond
October 23rd & October 24th (930am-400pm) – The Pumpkin Patch at Richmond Country Farms, 12900 Steveston HWY, Richmond
October 30th (11am-5pm) – Future Shop, #2140-2929 Barnet HWY, Coquitlam

ONTARIO

October 9th (11am-5pm) – Best Buy, 50 Ashtonbee Road, Scarborough
October 10th (11am-5pm) – Future Shop, #2 – 5900 Mavis Road, Mississauga
October 16th (11am-5pm) – Best Buy, 167 Queen Street North, Etobicoke
October 17th (11am-5pm) – Best Buy, #1 – 6075 Mavis Road, Mississauga
October 23rd & October 24th (930am-430pm) – Boo at the Zoo at Toronto Zoo, 361A Old Finch Avenue, Toronto
October 23rd (11am-5pm) – Best buy, 695 Wilson Avenue, North York
October 30th (11am-5pm) – Future Shop, 2975 Argentia Road, Mississauga
October 31st (11am-5pm) – Best Buy, #1 – 6075 Mavis Road, Mississauga

QUEBEC

October 9th (11am-5pm) – Best Buy, 8871 De L’Acadie Boulevard, Montreal
October 10th (11am-5pm) – Future Shop, 6321 Trans Canada, Pointe Claire
October 16th (11am-5pm) – Future Shop, 7400 Boul des Roseraies, Anjou
October 17th (11am-5pm) – Best Buy, 7200 Des Roseraies Boulevard, Anjou
October 23rd & October 24th (11am-7pm) – Fright Fest at La Ronde, 22 Chemin Macdonald, Ile Sainte-Hélène, Montreal
October 30th (11am-5pm) – Toys R Us, 655 Boul des Promenades, Saint-Bruno

Electronic Arts Inc. and Hothead Games® announced today that the critically acclaimed action role-playing game (RPG), DeathSpank™, will be available on PC for $14.99 on October 26. Starting today, gamers will receive a 10% discount when they pre-order DeathSpank on PC via Steam, Valve Corporation’s delivery and management platform. Additionally, gamers can pre-order the Shank and ‘Spank Bundle on Steam, which pairs DeathSpank with Klei Entertainment’s Shank™, and receive 15% off of the entire bundle. Shank will also be available on Steam this October 26th.

Developed under the direction of industry veteran Ron Gilbert, DeathSpank combines unique humor and wit with fast, addictive action-RPG gameplay. Recently awarded IGN’s Editor’s Choice for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, DeathSpank takes players on an epic adventure through crazy quests in a vast world filled with vibrant, eccentric and hilarious characters. Currently available on PlayStation® Network and Xbox LIVE® Arcade, DeathSpank will also be released on Mac OSX; availability to be announced.

Bringing the game to PC and Mac was a direct response to the repeated requests by our fans and we are thrilled that DeathSpank has become so popular and such a phenomenon, ensuring that we can fulfill those requests,” said Vlad Ceraldi, Director of Game Development at Hothead Games. “The humor, story and core gameplay elements in DeathSpank were all inspired by some of our favorite PC games.”

Players who download the game will be placed in the boots of the mighty DeathSpank, “Dispenser of Justice,” “Vanquisher of Evil” and “Hero to the Downtrodden” and will embark on his lifelong journey to search for and find a mysterious artifact known only as “The Artifact.” Along his journey, DeathSpank will rescue orphans, defeat a local tyrant, help an aging adventurer and dive headfirst into an even deeper mystery. The game’s accessibility makes for a fun, addictive experience where players will find themselves solving crazy puzzles, collecting massive amounts of loot and engaging in tons of hilarious dialogue. DeathSpank also features local co-operative gameplay, allowing friends to jump in and out of this adventure on the same computer as DeathSpank’s trusty, magical sidekick, Sparkles the Wizard.

DeathSpank is rated “T” for teen and Shank is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB.

In the next few weeks, Dead Rising 2 players will get a chance to dress up Chuck as either an insane Psychopath, a sleek ninja, a crazy sports fanatic or a kick-ass soldier with some great new DLC Theme Packs from Capcom. The theme packs include a host of new skills, weapons as well the very best in specialty fashion tailor-made for Chuck.

Each theme pack will be available to download via the PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE to enhance your Dead Rising 2 experience. What’s more, players can even mix and match the packs they have downloaded – select the Ninja shoes, Sports Fan hat, Psycho jacket and Soldier of Fortune trousers – to get all the abilities each pack offers and create the ultimate Chuck.

Psychopath Theme Pack: Available October 12, 2010
Psycho Chuck will be a zombie’s worst nightmare as his new “insane” look will make him more difficult to kill and give him a host of gruesome weapons including chainsaws, cleavers, axes and more. Zombies won’t stand a chance!

Soldier of Fortune Theme Pack: Available October 19, 2010
With the soldier costume, you can “Rambo out” with double ammo, increased shooting accuracy, more firepower and increased headshot accuracy. Chuck will also have a new special attack when using automatic weapons, spraying zombies with a hail of bullets.

Sports Theme Pack: Available October 26, 2010
For all you sports fans out there, this pack’s for you. Chuck’s damage will increase with sports-themed weapons. The new sports weapons (golf balls, basketballs, etc.) bounce more before stopping, allowing you to hit tons of zombies in one throw. Chuck also has a new charge/tackle attack for taking zombies down in the ultimate blitz!

With the Sports Theme Pack, Chuck will also earn more from gambling, gain more health while eating and drinking (especially alcoholic drinks) and not get sick from drinking too much…

Ninja Theme Pack: Available November 2, 2010
Ninja Chuck will have a new “stealth mode” where the zombies have to be much closer to him to detect his presence. This gives Chuck the upper hand as he is harder to grab and be taken down by hoards of the undead.

Chuck’s damage is increased with sword-type weapons (broadswords, katanas, etc.) that have new special attacks. Stackable items and throwing items (nails, plates, gems, etc.) will also do more damage and Chuck’s throwing speed is increased.