Village Gamer

Bulletproof Outlaws, an indie start-up studio documenting the process of developing a videogame from scratch, has teamed up with Ravenous Games, developers of the wildly popular iOS version of League of Evil, to release Elusive Ninja: The Shadowy Thief for the iPhone and iPod Touch.  Elusive Ninja has full-screen visuals, tight controls, catchy music, and comes packed with a ton of behind-the-scenes information about the game’s development, starting up a game studio, a Post-Mortem analysis, the original Game Design Document with commentary, and more.

“We’re proud to release our first game, and eager to get started on the next,” says Bulletproof Outlaws founder Jeff Hangartner, “It’s been a long journey, and we’ve learned a lot about everything from streamlining the game development process to handling the business and financial side of starting a studio up.  We’ve documented every step of the journey and there’s over 100 pages of game development information for other developers and gamers curious about what goes into making and releasing a videogame.”

Game Features:

• Epic full-screen visuals
• A whole bunch of behind-the-scenes Bonus Features everything from a Post-Mortem to the original Game Design Document with commentary on how the final game compared to the original design
• Leaderboard support (both OpenFeint and Apple Game Center) so you can compete with the whole world or stick to one-upping your close group of friends
• Achievements (OpenFeint and Apple Game Center) to give you some extra challenges to shoot for when you’ve got your skills rockin’
• Super tight controls, and a difficulty curve that’s challenging but not impossible…the AI gets smarter the longer you last but there are a few strategies to discover and master that will help you survive the most chaotic situations

Rock Hippo Productions has announced a series of short educational Brawl Busters Lessons for its upcoming down and dirty title, Brawl Busters.  Players can head to the web site for a chance to win a coveted invite to become an Original Buster in the Closed Beta. Brawl Busters, a Free2Play online multi-player action combat game, has already received tons of positive feedback after its initial announcement. These lessons just might keep impatient players in check while they wait to get into the game.

The first Brawl Busters Lessons, showcasing four of the five character classes feature the Rocker, the Boxer, the Firefighter, and the Blitzer, have already been released. Check out the fifth character class, the Slugger today, Friday June 24^th, when it launches this afternoon. The newly released videos show some of the many strategies and combinations players can use to beat down their opponents and come out on top of the slug-fest.  Players can equip their character with the best gear around, including matching spiffy head, body, and leg armor then pick up a weapon and get ready to hose enemies, bust heads with a variety of gloves, groove out on a choice of guitars and much more!

Brawl Busters is a dynamic new action brawler that features competitive and co-operative battle modes all in a unique third person view.  With its simple and intuitive controls, this easy to pick up and play game makes team strategy a must as player’s battle against each other or team up against computer controlled enemies.

“Brawl Busters looks and plays unlike anything else on the market today, and we love that,” said Howard He, President and CEO of Rock Hippo Productions.  “We’ve had phenomenal fan support since announcing the game last month, and we want to thank those fans by bringing them even more updates leading up to the Closed Beta.  Check back every Tuesday and Friday for a new lesson revealing various game play features.”

Currently, the Free2Play PC title is still in its pre-Closed Beta stage. But rest assured, Rock Hippo is working extra hard to bring the game out as soon as possible. If you want to be one of the first brawlers to try out the game, drop us your email address at via the game’s web site.

The latest research from custom research company TNS Global, a division of WPP, shows that Canadians are among the most tech hungry and savvy in the world – especially when it comes to latest smartphones and tablets – with men driving this trend.

Commenting on the report findings, Ron Caughlin, Vice President, TNS Canada, said: “TNS’ Mobile Life 2011 survey rings loud and clear: Canadians are leaders when it comes to adapting latest technologies. As part of this, we’re seeing a real mind-shift: it’s no longer what my technology does – it’s what I can do with my technology. We’re past the days of using mobiles to merely text or even email – smartphones are providing us with the ability to seamlessly connect our friends, family and even finances.”

TNS’s Mobile Life 2011 survey is the largest ever global research project into today’s mobile consumer and includes insights from 34,000 respondents globally, including more than 1,000 Canadians. The survey reveals that an overwhelming 41% of Canadians have a smartphone – significantly higher than the global market average of 28% – with this trend being driven by 22 – 30 year old Canadian men.

Interestingly, the number of Canadians accessing social networking sites on mobile rose from 6% in 2010 to 24% this year. When asked how they use their social networks on their handsets, a majority (63%) of Canadians said they check friends’ status or update their own; 62% send messages to friends and 56% check their own inbox. Although only 8% currently use their social networking app on their mobile to check-in their location, 20% would like to be able to do this in the future.

As Canadians look to rely on their mobiles for more complex functions, the ‘brand’ is no longer as important. While 37% of respondents were loyal to their network brand in 2010, this dropped to 28% in 2011. In turn, consumers’ attention turned to what ‘content’ their phone provides – such as Facebook and YouTube programs – as interest in content grew from 24% in 2010 to 36% in 2011.

The Mobile Life 2011 study shows that Canadians have huge interest in the ‘mobile wallet’. While 10% of Canadians have already used a mobile wallet, 4 in 10 are interested in using their cell phone as a credit card or debit card in the future.

In addition, 17% of Canadians want to be able to pay for items in shops, restaurants and bars, meanwhile a further 14% want to pay for water, power or rates bills, and even 8% said they’d be willing to pay rent or mortgage payments with their mobile. Once again, 16-40 year old Canadian men are driving this trend.

TNS’ data also shows while Canadians paid an average $129 (CND) for their current mobile phone, they are prepared to fork-out $150 (CND) for their next handset. What’s more, men are even willing to pay $169 for their next mobile – $30 more than women. Read the rest of this entry »

IUGO is pleased to announce the launch of its next mobile social title Sunshine Cruise Lines. Sunshine Cruise Lines is a free-to-play title offering a fresh and innovative spin on social games. Begin your cruise today by visiting the iTunes App Store and downloading Sunshine Cruise Lines for your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad device running iOS 3.0 or later.

“We have strived to create a new and unique experience for mobile gamers, and I think we have succeeded with Sunshine Cruise Lines,” states IUGO’s CEO Hong-Yee Wong. “It is engaging, easy to play, and you can share the experience with your friends.”

Sunshine Cruise Lines App Description

Welcome aboard your very own cruise ship! Build, customize and manage your one-of-a-kind dream cruise. Play with friends, earn rewards and have the most fun in the sun.

• Customize your own cruise ship with over 40 different facilities, unique crew members, color schemes and more
• Choose your play style! Fun, fast-paced en-route gameplay or take it easy and let the crew handle it for you
• See the world! 50 different ports around the globe (and more to come)
• Take on the role of Captain while getting to know your lovable and quirky crew
• Rich storyline infused with personality and humour
• Play with friends through Facebook (optional)
• Gamecenter achievements give you and friends plenty of rewards
• 100 beautiful postcards to collect and share with friends
• Hundreds of fun destination facts
• View friends‘ routes on your world map
• One-of-a-kind art style, signature IUGO polish and quality
• In-app purchases optional with Cruise Bucks