Village Gamer

Race to the Finish, the new online companion game to the hit YTV reality series In Real Life is now live and ready to play. For the first time, young fans from across Canada are encouraged to support their favourite In Real Life on-air challenger by accumulating virtual points for them through game play. The two on-air challengers with the most points have the chance to compete in a bonus webisode finale for a brand new prize. Award-winning digital producer Secret Location created Race to the Finish, a show which has 18 new Canadian youths aged 12-14 from 15 different Canadian cities, race across North America to compete in heart-pounding, real world challenges. From high-tech espionage and video gaming to lobster fishing, these kids are vying to win the amazing ultimate prize: college tuition money and an all-expense paid family vacation. In Real Life season two premiered last evening at 7 p.m. on YTV.

Vancouver’s SillySoft has released Castle Vox, a computer strategy board game where Diplomacy meets Chess meets Axis & Allies. Victory in the game is accomplished by capturing all of the castles in a variety of historical, geometric, geographic, and fantasy settings. Unlike most strategy games, Castle Vox is not turned-based. All players plan their moves simultaneously, which allows for a much faster game time for those can’t wait to hold dominion over the world. For those who are more patient, there is the “one-turn-a-day” mode.

Players are able to use the built-in map editor to create their own maps, which can then be shared with others, and programmers are welcome to add to the game’s AI with SillySoft’s SDK. Castle Vox has a free demo so that interested players can try it before purchasing ($19.99), and includes the following features:

* Fast world domination.
* Plan attacks simultaneously.
* Collaborate with teammates.
* Maps from many eras and mythologies.
* Giant maps with many players.
* Map editor included.
* Hard AI will push your brain in single-player matches.
* Online multi-player modes: relaxed and speed variants.
* Easy to learn, hard to master.
* Available for Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows.

Castle Vox has been chosen as one of the 32 finalists (and the only Canadian-made game) at this year’s IndieCade Festival, which takes place in Culver City, California this coming weekend.

The next BCTIA TechForum Voices of Experience takes place on October 14th at the Coal Harbour Hotel, and will feature Mr. Anthony von Mandl, Chairman & CEO of the Mark Anthony Group of companies and Proprietor of Mission Hill Family Estate winery.

Anthony von Mandl’s dream was to produce world calibre wines at Mission Hill Family Estate in the Okanagan Valley. The wine industry is extremely capital intensive and when no-one could be found to finance the vision he set about to build the Mark Anthony Group, a company which today is a multi-hundred million dollar private corporation based in Vancouver, BC.

This is his very private story and one he does not usually share in public; however being so passionate about building a stronger economic environment in BC and Canada for future generations he has agreed to so on this occasion.

Today seems to be the day for telecom acquisitions and partnerships. Rogers Communications Inc. announced earlier today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Atria Networks LP, owner and operator of one of Ontario’s largest fibre-optic networks for cash consideration of $425 million, subject to certain adjustments. Atria Networks is privately owned by Birch Hill Equity Partners.

The purchase of Atria Networks, based in Kitchener, Ontario, augments the Rogers Business Solutions offering by enhancing its ability to deliver on-net data centric services within and adjacent to the company’s cable footprint. The closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval. Rogers expects the transaction to close prior to the end of its first quarter, 2011.

Atria’s unique and scalable network includes 5,600 fibre route kilometers and over 3,800 on-net buildings in high-growth territories including Ottawa, Cornwall, Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Richmond Hill, Markham, Hamilton, Barrie, Orillia, Peterborough and Vaughan. Atria serves a diverse customer base of over 1,100 customers spanning the public sector, enterprise and carrier providers.

D-BOX Technologies Inc. has completed a private placement by issuing 3,947,368 common shares to Le Fonds d’investissement REA II Natcan Inc. at a price of $0.38 per share, for gross proceeds to D-BOX of $1,500,000. The private placement was conducted on a “non-brokered” basis.

“We are very pleased that Le Fonds d’investissement REA II Natcan Inc., a specialized institutional investor, participated in our private placement”, said Claude Mc Master, President and Chief Executive Officer of D-BOX. Its decision to invest and increase its existing equity position in D-BOX, is a sign of its confidence in our growth strategy. At the same time, the proceeds from the private placement will help D-BOX carry out its business plan.” Mr. Mc Master continued.

D-BOX will use the proceeds from the private placement to accelerate the deployment of its motion systems for commercial theatre application and for working capital and general corporate purposes.

As a result of the private placement, there are 128,584,936 common shares of D-BOX issued and outstanding. Under applicable securities legislation and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, the securities issued in the private placement are subject to a four-month hold period expiring on February 6, 2011.

Digital Leisure Inc. announced today the upcoming launch of BrainDead 13 on the AppStore, designed exclusively for your iPhone® and iPod Touch®. Following in the footsteps of Don Bluth’s classic Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace, BrainDead 13 adds the ability to fully control where you’ll go throughout this classically animated interactive adventure.

“This game has a massive cult following.” says Paul Gold, Supervising Producer. “Fans have been begging us to re-release it for years, and we think the iPhone is perfect format to celebrate the 15th anniversary of its original release.”

BrainDead 13 has you taking on the role of Lance, a young computer expert who is called to fix a computer at a bizarre and dilapidated castle. After repairing the large super-computer within the castle, you learn of Dr. Nero Neurosis’ diabolical plan to take over the world! Discovering the secret plan sends you on the run, being chased around the castle by Fritz, a psychotic servant of Dr. Neurosis – an evil disembodied brain. You must guide Lance through the deadly and mysterious castle to defeat Dr. Neurosis and save the world from his evil plans!

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRit60k1ONo]

Digital Leisure plans to follow up BrainDead 13 with a variety of classic arcade games for the iPhone and iPod Touch titles in the coming months. BrainDead 13 will be available this Friday October 8th for only $2.99 on the AppStore!

Vancouver Film School has announced on their blog that Peter Jin Hong, Google’s User Experience Designer in Search Engineering and Mobile, has joined the Digital Design program’s advisory board.

As part of his work in innovation and research in Mountain View, Peter focuses on conceptualizing and rapid prototyping next-generation applications. His past roles include Group Creative Director at the world-leading interactive agency Blast Radius and National Creative Director at Tribal DDB Canada. He’s also a graduate of the program (from way back in 1996) which gives him firsthand insight into the VFS experience.

“His empathetic approach to humanistic design greatly enhances our curriculum as we continually strive to keep pace with our evolving industry,” says Head of Digital Design Amber Bezahler. “Peter is a true user experience expert and a role model for what our graduates can accomplish.”

Select industry professionals from around the world are invited to join VFS’s advisory boards. As lifelines to the industry, members provide the next generation of designers with a vital link to the professional world through guest lectures, project mentorship, portfolio advising, and potential internship and employment opportunities.

“There have been many good mentors in my life,” he says. “Mentoring in turn, and seeing people realize their potential, is both a privilege and source of joy for me. The successes I’ve been a part of really come down to people, their stories, and inspiring collaborations – much of that started at VFS for me.”

Ahoy, mateys! Global video game publisher 505 Games and developer Artificial Mind & Movement (A2M) today announced the latest downloadable chapter for Naughty Bear is available now for Xbox LIVE® Arcade and PlayStation® Network. The new pirate-themed Chapter 9 pits the naughtiest bear around in a bid to lay siege to the Island of Perfection with even more mischievous action, including all-new characters, costumes and challenges.

Filled with exclusive hidden treasures, deadly weapons and brutal buccaneers, Chapter 9 serves up four new challenges to swashbuckle while taking up arms against baddie bears and their leader, Admiral Giggles, as well as The Pirates and their leader, The Great Bear Beard.

To commend their efforts in combat, Chapter 9 players can dress Naughty in his own version of the Pirate Bear costume or even assume the identity of The Great Bear Beard, find two new hats and collect the lethal cutlass, with unique ultra-kill capabilities.

Naughty Bear is available now for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and also for iPhone & iPod Touch through the Apple App Store for $2.99 CAD. The downloadable Chapter 9 is available now on Xbox LIVE Arcade for 400 MS points and on PlayStation Network for the equivalent of $4.99 USD.

Sierra Wireless today announced a multi-year strategic agreement for the company to provide M2M (machine-to-machine) Services Management for Telus. Telus will integrate the Sierra Wireless AirVantage™ Services Platform into their network operations to provide M2M customers with online access to a comprehensive suite of M2M service creation, delivery and management capabilities, making it simpler and faster to bring M2M services to market and opening new service opportunities for Telus and its partners.

ABI Research forecasts M2M connection revenue in Canada to grow at a rate of 26 per cent per year from 2010 to 2015, to a total of $575 million (M2M Market Forecasts, ABI Research, Q3 2010, Total Cellular M2M Connection Revenue by Region, World Market Forecast 2007 – 2015 ). M2M services cover a wide range of applications, including remotely collecting vehicle data, remotely monitoring equipment such as pipelines and wind turbines, wireless point-of-sale devices, and connecting innovative consumer devices such as e-book readers, personal navigation devices, and cameras. Read the rest of this entry »

Waves: Survivor, the first game released by independent developer Renown Entertainment, is now available for US $1.99 on the Apple App Store for the iPhone® and iPod touch®, also compatible with the iPad®.

Help our hero Johnny Calm survive the perils of being lost at sea. Armed with only a paddle and bucket in his trusty rowboat, Johnny must fend off deadly sea creatures and overcome huge waves to make it past each day. Not everything is as grim as it seems with mermaids to befriend, deep-sea treasures to collect, big combos to score, and a special power up to extend his life. Stay alert or you’ll find Johnny swimming with the fishes! Can you survive?

With Waves: Survivor, the team at Renown seamlessly combined old school game play with new school technology [water physics] for a truly innovative and unique experience. Whether you play to beat your own score or compete against friends and the rest of the world for bragging rights, it can become very addictive. The team hopes that gamers everywhere have as much fun playing it as they did creating it.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHDKaVCs6-4]

Guest stars Carolina Stephanie and Alicia Meek provide the look and voice acting for the mermaids in addition to a dramatic music score by Hollywood composer Jason Livesay.

Waves: Survivor features leaderboards (via Facebook and Twitter), interactive water physics, continuous survival gameplay, touch and accelerometer controls, collectible items and many more.

Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that EA Sports™ NBA Jam from EA Canada is now available in stores worldwide. Available for the Wii™, EA Sports NBA Jam is a revival of one of the most popular and culturally influential arcade basketball games ever made. EA Sports NBA Jam delivers vintage NBA Jam gameplay, combined with all-new features that deliver a fresh new take on the classic game.

“We are really excited about the launch of NBA Jam,” says Peter Moore, president, EA Sports. “This is one of the most anticipated games of the year, and judging by the overwhelmingly positive reactions of the people who have played it, as well as the great critical acclaim it has already earned, NBA JAM is on fire.”

With two distinct game modes: Classic Campaign and Remix Tour, EA Sports NBA Jam offers something for everyone. In Classic Campaign, players can take a trip down memory lane, individually or cooperatively with a friend, as they play through all the teams in the NBA in a worst to first ladder tournament. In Remix Tour, players will be faced with a new twist on the traditional NBA Jam experience. From boss battles against some of the NBA’s greatest legends, to half-court game modes with distinct challenges and winning conditions, players will be taken through an NBA Jam experience that, while completely unique to the basketball videogame genre, is classic arcade hoops at its best.

EA Sports NBA Jam has been rated E for Everyone. In addition to the Wii version, EA SPORTS NBA JAM will be available as a standalone product for the Xbox 360® and the PlayStation®3 in time for the holidays.

Electronic Arts Inc. is also very pleased to announce that EA Sports™ FIFA 11 has once again experienced a record-breaking launch. Based on internal estimates, FIFA 11 has shattered sales records for the title with 2.6 million copies sold through at retail in Europe and North America through Saturday, October 2. FIFA 11 is the fastest selling sports game ever and the title is off to its best start ever in markets around the world, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and North America.

EA Sports also announced that FIFA 11 Ultimate Team, one of the most played, dynamic and connected modes within the FIFA franchise, will now be available for free (Restrictions and conditions apply. Please see back of pack for details) on the PlayStation®3 and Xbox 360® this November. Read the rest of this entry »

Nintendo’s Wii™ system continues to offer millions of North Americans a fun way to come together for fun times. Now, with the Oct. 3 launch of the game Wii Party™, Nintendo is kicking the revelry into overdrive with a wild new set of party games, minigames and group activities that instantly turn any social gathering into a laugh-filled celebration. Wii Party gives players new ways to interact with the Wii Remote™ controller and their personalized Mii™ characters, featuring unique activities that spread the action from the TV into the living room. Whether you’re planning a Halloween party or a New Year’s bash, this season’s hottest party game is Wii Party.

There’s never been a game quite like Wii Party. In addition to fresh takes on favorites such as bingo and board games, players can experience interactive challenges that leap right off the screen. For example, Animal Tracker asks players to grab the Wii Remote controller that is emitting the correct animal sound, while Hide ‘n’ Hunt will have them hiding controllers around the room and scrambling to find them before time runs out. A total of 13 party games and more than 80 minigames are included for limitless social entertainment, and no matter what the occasion, Wii Party keeps players in the spotlight by putting their customized Mii characters at the center of the action. (Some activities require more than one Wii Remote controller; additional controllers are sold separately.)

“When people get together for the holidays, they look for things that everyone in the family can enjoy,” said Ron Bertram, Nintendo of Canada’s vice-president and general manager. “Wii Party delivers hours and hours of fun for everybody in the household, from the kids to grandma and grandpa. It’s yet another way in which the Wii system offers maximum entertainment at an unbeatable value.”

The games in Wii Party are divided into three categories. Easy-to-learn Party Games offer family-friendly amusement for up to four players. Pair Games include both cooperative and competitive activities for one or two players at a time. And House Party games spread the action throughout the living room, challenging players to interact with the Wii Remote controller – and each other – in new and imaginative ways. Additionally, more than 80 inventive minigames are peppered throughout Wii Party to keep players on their toes.

Vancouver’s Gnosis Games, developer of award winning Facebook games Candace Kane’s Candy Factory and Piñata Bash, today announced the release of Seek and Find, a fun, fast-paced, and colorful brain and reflex trainer exclusively for the Apple iPad that will have kids and adults alike clamoring to grab high scores while also sharpening their recognition and memory skills. Seek and Find is available for immediate download and is priced at $2.99.

Seek and Find features 45 levels and various mini-games that require players to find and identify cute, funny faces hidden among a plethora of different faces. With each game type, players will be given the task of locating a particular face amidst a slew of others and touch it with their finger, nabbing more points the quicker a face is found. Mini-games like Find the Odd One or Find Three of My Kind will require the player to seek and find one or several faces among static or moving faces. As levels progress, the movement and speed at which faces are to be found increases, challenging even adults as they play along with their children. Seek and Find also supports multiple profiles and tracks each person’s score on a leaderboard, advocating friendly competition that will have everyone vying for that top spot on the ladder!

“As kids, we all remember playing board games with our parents, creating a bond through quality time shared over friendly competition. Seek and Find on the iPad can be used to create this same experience, with parents and children challenging themselves, and their dexterity and speed, with the hours and hours of content Seek and Find has to offer, ” said Dan Irish, CEO of Gnosis Games. “I’m sure kids will love trying to, and undoubtedly will, beat their parents’ best scores!”

Ubisoft® revealed it’s developing Petz® World, a massively multiplayer online (MMO) free-to-play game tied to its multimillion unit-selling Petz brand. Petz World is an online pet simulation adventure game for kids and tweens being developed by Frima Studios and will be available in 2011 for the PC.

“Ubisoft is excited to be propelling its popular Petz brand into the MMO space. This game is a unique way for children and parents to play games together,” said Chris Early, vice president of digital publishing at Ubisoft. “Petz World allows players to share their progress and adventures, helping each other to receive more coins, achievements and unlockables.”

In Petz World, players can adopt unique pets with their own personality and embark on remarkable adventures in realistic environments around the world. The Petz will be able to explore and learn about exotic locations, meet new and exotic animals and even save them. Petz World will be ever-growing with more locations to visit, more animals to unlock and more places in the world to discover.

On the heels of a successful weekend which saw the debut of ladder competition in Mission Against Terror (M.A.T.), publisher Wicked Interactive has announced that the World Online Gaming League (WOGL) will extend competitive gameplay for its popular free-to-play online shooter through the end of October. The competition, celebrating the third explosive week of the game’s open beta, begins today, Friday, October 1 and runs through Sunday of every weekend through October 31, Halloween.

“Last weekend was about getting players comfortable with the new ladder system,” said Stephen Tucker, CEO, World Online Gaming League. “Now we have teams in place as we add more and more players each weekend throughout the competition.”
Read the rest of this entry »

From stacking rocks to pieces of wood, the building block may have very well been the first toy ever played with by children, but with the help of MEGA Brands, the building block evolved and children can now create beautiful structures with Mega Bloks®. Today, the modern child is exposed to a whole world of digital entertainment and MEGA Brands is proud to bring the realms of children’s toys and virtual reality together with the release of their first iPhone and iPad application Mega Bloks Playground, developed by Quebec’s Budge Studios.

“What better way to celebrate 25 years of Mega Bloks, then by taking the founding construction toy to a whole new level for today’s preschoolers with our first-ever iPhone/iPad app,” said Jean Gauvin, Content & Creative Director at MEGA Brands. “With the help of Budge Studios, we are thrilled to bring the Mega Bloks® world to life for preschoolers, ages two to five, in an interactive digital platform with ‘Mega Bloks Playground’, a new creative and innovative way to build and play with Mega Bloks®, while developing fine motor skills.”

“It is not unusual for a parent to hand their iPhone or iPad to their child and allow them to play with it”, said Michael Elman Partner and Creative Director at Budge Studios “But not all of these applications are suited for toddlers and preschoolers. With the ‘Mega Bloks Playground’ application, our goal is to create something for children that engages their imagination and creativity. It is not a ‘video game’ by any means, that gives you set goals and sets you up to ‘win’ or ‘lose’. ‘Mega Bloks Playground’ is first and foremost a toy – which puts the control and the adventure back in the mind of the child using it. The goal is pure, engaging, and safe playtime.”

‘Mega Bloks Playground’ is available now on the Apple iPhone and iPad platform. The preschool interactive world includes two playable Mega Bloks® buddies, a boy and a girl, who interact with a full set of in-world elements, such as swing sets, slides, teeter-totters, playful animals, a lake with a sailboat, and even a hot air balloon. It’s the ultimate digital playset for preschoolers! Parents will appreciate how the app’s intuitive touch-play controls are designed to help foster fine motor skills in children two to five years old, while children will certainly be delighted in discovering piles of colorful bloks throughout the playground that will ultimately piece together to form new Mega Bloks creations.

Mega Bloks Playground At-A-Glance

– Discover over 15 active touch points with your two Mega Bloks® buddies.
– Drag or tap the Mega Bloks® buddies with your finger on the iPad/iPhone screen and watch them play in the playground.
– Explore an interactive playground featuring a hot air balloon, sailboat, pond, swing set, teeter-totter, slide and lots more.
– Collect piles of Mega Bloks® and build a variety of Mega Bloks® structures.
– Easy-to-use interface even for the tiniest of fingers
– Superior touch-play with rich graphics, vibrant sounds, and cheerful music.
– Open-ended, unlimited play; it’s always playtime at the ‘Mega Bloks Playground’

Both iPad and iPhone versions is available as of today. Mega Bloks Playground is $1.99 (iPhone) and $3.99 (iPad) and available worldwide exclusively through the Apple App Store in the Game – kids section. Starting on the day of the launch, the app will be 50% off for the first 48 hours.

Ubisoft has launched Assassin’s Creed Project Legacy beta, a social role-playing game on Facebook Platform. Assassin’s Creed Project Legacy will serve as a companion to the gameplay experience of Assassin’s Creed® Brotherhood, which will be available on November 16, 2010 for the Sony PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. It also marks the first time that Ubisoft has integrated a social game into a console title. Utilizing the web services functionality of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, players can move from game to web and web to game, unlocking hidden features throughout the Assassin’s Creed universe.

Players of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood will be able to unlock up to 25 exclusive missions in Assassin’s Creed Project Legacy, allowing players to earn currency and experience points within the Facebook game. Assassin’s Creed Project Legacy players will also be able to unlock extra content in Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. By piecing clues together, players will learn the hidden mysteries within the Assassin’s Creed universe.

EA Mobile™ has announced the availability of EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 11 in the App Store™. The popular soccer franchise features over 30 officially licensed leagues, 35 authentic stadiums, 500 licensed teams and more than 15,000 players from around the world for thunderous matches on the iPhone and iPod touch.

“With FIFA Soccer 11 for iPod touch and iPhone, we have tapped into what makes this game so universally loved delivering an engaging and genuine soccer experience for fans and casual players alike,” said Travis Boatman, Vice President of Worldwide Studios for EA Mobile. “With the latest release of FIFA, we’ve unlocked the horsepower of these new devices, stepped forward the expectation of what can be achieved and delivered the best footy experience out there.”

FIFA Soccer 11 features new dual control options providing gameplay sophistication for veterans and simplicity for casual players. The game features unprecedented ball-control and fluid animations with 360° player movement while gesture-driven skill moves dazzle the opposing team with defense-splitting passes, rifling shots, penalty kicks and pro-style tricks.

Players can also pick between two modes, either electing to play as their favorite team and battle the entire league or trying their luck in a tournament knockout. FIFA Soccer 11 features officially licensed teams and the world’s best players enabling gamers to play with their favorite superstars including Real Madrid’s Kaká and Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney.

FIFA Soccer 11 is available today from the App Store for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch.