Village Gamer

Funcom has opened the official beta registration for ‘The Secret World’, the highly anticipated upcoming massively multiplayer online game set in our own, modern-day world, and currently in development at Funcom Montreal. Gamers can now register to be evaluated for participation in the upcoming phases of beta that will be running up to the launch of the game in April 2012. During the next months Funcom will be increasing the number of beta participants gradually.

The launch of the beta registration also signals the start of the first phase ‘The Secret War’, an interactive online experience that engages community members in the conflict between the Templars, the Illuminati, and the Dragon – the three factions in ‘The Secret World’ – even before the game is released.

“One of the most interesting features of ‘The Secret World’ is the three profoundly different secret societies that players can join,” says Funcom SVP of Sales & Marketing, Morten Larssen. “Since we first announced the game we have gradually revealed more details about them, and what we have seen is that thousands of gamers in our community have come to identify with them and form a loyal bond to other community members belonging to the same society. With ‘The Secret War’ experience we are excited about the prospect of allowing for even more community interaction and engagement.”

The first phase of the experience allows users to take a unique personality test to determine which secret society they belong to and then choose which society to join. After making the ultimate choice the user is automatically registered as a beta candidate for ‘The Secret World’ and will also be eligible to take part in the upcoming second phase of ‘The Secret War’ interactive online experience.

The second phase of the experience will allow users to expand the influence of their secret society through a social media connected, web-based game. Here users can recruit friends and deploy them as agents for their cause, scoring points for themselves and their secret society. Users can also share assets from and information about ‘The Secret World’ to score more points, allowing them to climb through the ranks of their secret society and unlock achievements, exclusive in-game equipment and weaponry, in-game titles, and even the coveted guaranteed beta access reward.

Through ‘The Secret War’ interactive online experience users will also take part in weekly sweepstakes where they can win a trip to the Funcom Montreal studio, signed collector’s editions of the game, and even the opportunity to have their name integrated into ‘The Secret World´ game.

Other Ocean Interactive’s love letter to both the bygone era of cinematic platformers  such as Prince of Persia, Out of this World and Flashback, and the work of H.G. Wells in The War of the Worlds is nearing release. The studio is celebrating a new milestone with the launch of the game’s official website. On the new site, you will be able find a host of information on the game including screenshots, videos, and other exclusive media that you won’t find anywhere else on the internet.

The War of the Worlds takes a unique spin on the classic science fiction tale, putting players in control of Arthur Clarke, a man trapped in the midst of an alien invasion in 1950’s London. As Arthur, you’ll make your way through the assault by passing through a variety of London landmarks, avoiding alien drones and fighting for your very survival. Featuring the voice of Patrick Stewart as the narrator, The War of the Worlds is an exciting and atmospheric survival-adventure game that you will not want to miss.

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The War of the Worlds, which will be published by Paramount Digital Entertainment will be available on Xbox LIVE®Arcade and PlayStation®Network as a Digital Download title later this year.

From the floor of PAX Prime (no, we’re not there) here is the latest fact sheet for Dead Rising 2: Off The Record.

Photojournalist and original hero of Dead Rising’s Willamette incident, Frank West takes center stage once again in Dead Rising® 2 Off the Record. Forget what you know about Dead Rising 2, as players will experience a reimagining of the Fortune City outbreak.

The new “Off the Record” storyline means an all new Dead Rising 2 experience. Frank will face off against more twisted enemies, build more outrageous combo weapons, follow his own unique mission structure and explore brand new areas of Fortune City to get his biggest scoop yet. Join Frank as he indulges in the insanity of “Uranus Zone”, Fortune City’s very own theme park. Full of deadly rides and crazy attractions, the sci-fi themed Uranus Zone is a true zombie-killing paradise.

Fans have asked for it and now Dead Rising 2 Off the Record delivers a fully realized Sandbox Mode! Available from the outset and supporting both single and co-op modes, players can now explore all Fortune City has to offer without having to worry about the clock. In addition, Sandbox Mode offers a selection of gruesome and unique challenges such as ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, ‘Chop Suey’ and ‘Silver Strip Smackdown,’ all with online leaderboard support.

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Frank’s come-back also means the return of his trusty camera, with players able to earn Prestige Points (PP) for specific photo opportunities that are graded against criteria such as horror, drama, erotica and brutality. In addition to the new scenario, Sandbox Mode and gameplay enhancements, Dead Rising 2 Off The Record offers a suite of technical updates including load time optimizations, improved network performance and a host of system upgrades to deliver a more satisfying Dead Rising experience.

The following is a statement on recent events which occurred at the office of Evil Objective Studios.

Filthy. Freezing. Kinda smelly. These are just four of the five words used to describe the scene in an Alberta basement Monday morning where three of the studio’s designers were found. Tired, cold, and mildly infuriated with one another, the trio had been held hostage for months by their own iOS game.

Details are sparse but it appears the three friends – who have no professional or practical experience in much of anything – were taken hostage by their iOS game “Scribble Byte Scramble” at some point early in development.

Authorities suspect the trio was likely unaware of the dangers of game development.

Possessing little money and even less sanity, the trio aimed to develop and release their game on a timeline and budget that was initially described as ‘brilliant’ – it has since been downgraded to ‘laughable’.

The whereabouts of “Scribble Byte Scramble” – the  game responsible for this catastrophe – are unknown, but it is expected to resurface in early September. Rumours suggest the trio are currently in recovery, receiving extensive treatments from an Italian pharmaceutical specialist.

Toronto-based developer DrinkBox Studios has announced that it is working on a new downloadable PlayStation®Vita title called Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack.  A follow-up to Tales from Space: About a Blob – the studio’s first game – Mutant Blobs Attack will feature new levels, new powers and controls, and a new Blob player character.

“The control systems available on the PlayStation®Vita have allowed us to experiment with all kinds of new gameplay possibilities.  We’re finding that touch controls in particular can be used to complement traditional thumb-stick puzzle-platforming very well”, said DrinkBox Designer Chris McQuinn.  He added: “We learned a lot developing our first game – we want to use that experience to deliver the best game we can in Mutant Blobs Attack.”

DrinkBox will be showing an early development build of the game this weekend at PAX Prime 2011 in Seattle.

Ivana Murleau, who saw runaway success with her first ebook “The Best of Drunk Texter” knew that messages that seemed racy in the moment could often be equally hilarious, especially when the intended message didn’t go as planned. This growing phenomena is called “Sexting.”  Sexting is the act of sending explicit sex messages and images via cellphones and other PDA devices.

There have been an eruption of scandals involving sexting which have found many celebrities and politicians in hot water jeopardizing both careers and marriages.  For others, a sober “morning after” read through of a previous nights text can make for some regrettable and embarrassing moments.

“This ebook is definitely much raunchier than my first ebook” says Murleau who needed to add an adult content disclaimer on the sales page.

With her mix of wit and commentary, you’ll enjoy the taking the journey with Ms. Murleau through sexting gone wrong, from horrible misspellings to “wish you could die” misdirected messages. In anticipation to its popularity, Apple, Sony, and Kobo allowed Open Mic Press to jump the upload queue in time for a September 1, 2011 launch.

Ivana Murleau edited her first book “The Best Of Drunk Texter”  which made Bookstorechart.com’s Top 50 Humor eBooks available for download on your iPad and iPhone, resulting in a global sales increase of 5600% in May 2011 over the previous month.??In an effort to help readers enjoy both titles, most ebook vendors have committed to offering a discount on “The Best of Drunk Texter” bundled with “The Best of Funny Sexting”. The ebook has a simultaneous online release in the UK, Australia, Canada and the United States.?? Open Mic Press is an ebook publisher with a focus on promoting comics, joke books and general humour publications.

Funcom and EA Partners announced today at Gamescom that the highly anticipated modern-day, Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMO), The Secret World™ will release for the PC in April 2012. Starting August 26^th, gamers can register to join upcoming betas through a unique interactive social media campaign that will be made available on the game’s web site.

Imagine a world where secret societies pull the strings of kings and presidents, where vampires are more than just a Hollywood fantasy, and where all the myths, legends and conspiracies are true. The Secret World is an MMO that breaks free from the confinements of character classes and levels and allows players to explore real-world locations with an engrossing storyline. Funcom will not only challenge but redefine long-established MMO standards.

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“It has never been more rewarding working on The Secret World than it is now,” says Senior Producer and Creative Director Ragnar Tørnquist. “The progress we are making in development allows the whole team to really enjoy just playing the game for hours on end. We are all looking forward to bringing in players through upcoming betas, and their feedback will be crucial to the further development of the game as we progress toward the April 2012 launch.”

Based on the ABC hit show Wipeout and continuing the tradition of wickedly entertaining family fun, Activision Publishing, Inc. and ABC Entertainment Group announced today at Gamescom that Wipeout 2, the latest release in the hit video game franchise will be coming this holiday season for the Nintendo DS™, Nintendo 3DS™, Wii™ from Nintendo, Kinect™ for Xbox 360®, and PlayStation®Move for Playstation®3.

Currently in development at Behaviour Interactive, Wipeout 2 will offer updated, outrageous course designs across all platforms with obstacles and effects taken straight from the show’s summer and winter seasons. Players must navigate around snow, ice, foam, and fan-favorite obstacles like the Sucker Punch Wall and Big Balls; which are making their triumphant returns alongside more than 50 others. Extended gameplay on all systems encourages even more interaction and participation with family and friends. Once again, all the wild and crazy action is narrated by the show’s hosts John Anderson and John Henson.

“I’m excited that the video game series is evolving just like our show,” said Matt Kunitz, Wipeout’s Creator and Executive Producer. “Players will experience all the fun of the new winter and summer courses without being sore in the morning!”

Particular attention is being paid to making every platform experience unique with ramped up excitement that engages gamers like never before. Freshly revised controls makes for intuitive and easy to use motion-based gameplay for Wii owners. The PlayStation Move and Kinect for Xbox 360 titles will offer gamers the ability to taunt and toss paintballs and snowballs at family and friends while they run the course.

Handheld gaming will finally become a communal experience with pass and play ‘Hot Seat’ participation for up to 4 players with Nintendo 3DS players also seeing their graphics taken to a whole new dimension. No matter how players choose to enjoy, the crazy and hilarious fun is taken to wild new heights with Wipeout 2.

“Working with ABC on the Wipeout titles has been a tremendous success,” said Nicole Armstrong, Activision Publishing. “Their integration of the game series into the show has been outstanding and their contributions to the game make it truly appealing for fans. We look forward to bringing more great Wipeout experiences to families.”

The Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS versions have been rated E for Everyone by the ESRB. The Wii, PlayStation Move and Kinect for Xbox 360 versions have been rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and older by the ESRB.

Yesterday I dropped by the Muzik Night Club for the annual Microsoft Canada Xbox 360 Holiday Titles preview. I was somewhat disappointed in that not all of the games being showcased were playable with developer representatives present, but the anticipation of some exciting new games coming to the console this fall was palpable. Read the rest of this entry »

…but you can see it here first!

In this latest pre-launch trailer for its open-world action game Dhaila’s Adventures,  Wild Game Studios invites you to travel with Dhaila as she enters a new dungeon, ready to face unknown dangers and the creatures who live there. As with all adventures, the event does not go as expected.

Dhaila’s story is set in the fantasy world of Martania, where Dysan the Tyrant has forced the people into slave labour through the influence he has over all the dragons of the kingdom. As they work to extract the precious stones of Dysan’s mines needed to enhance the Tyrant’s magical skills, the people become unwilling participants in his quest for total control of the world.

A young, orphaned fairy, Dhaila fights on the side of the resistance, developing her extraordinary powers in hopes of releasing the Martanians from Dysan’s treachery. She has special skills, including one which can absorb the energy of nature directly through its DNA. Dhaila can also absorb the DNA of other creatures, making the heroine able to acquire their shape at any time.

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You can sign up for the beta test by subscribing on the Wild Game Studios web site. Dhaila’s Adventures is scheduled for release to the PC, Mac, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in March 2012.