“Dancing has been such an important part of my life since I was a little girl,” said Britney Spears. “As soon as I saw the new Twister Dance game, I knew I wanted to be involved. I think kids will love rocking the spots and dancing to the music as much as my boys and I do. It’s a lot of fun!”

In addition to having a custom remix of her hit song featured in the game, Spears will be featured on game packaging and in dance instruction videos that will be released in Fall 2012.

The game invites kids to rock the spots by placing moveable Twister spots on the floor and then following the direction of the Twister Dance console. The Twister Dance console offers superior sound quality and bright, multi-colour LED lights that light up to show dancers on which spots they should place their feet. Arm and hand movements are up to the dancers, allowing them to show off their individual style.

Girls will also be able to move to the beat of songs featuring Ke$ha and Willow Smith, and an exclusive Twister Dance song called “Caught Up in a Twister.” Plus, players can connect any mp3 player to the console to dance to their own tunes. The built-in beat detection system turns any song into a dance routine, so players can rock the spots with new and different songs every time they play.

Twister Dance will be available in Fall 2012 for the approximate retail price of $34.99. The game is recommended for 1 to 2 players, ages 8 and up. Four AA batteries are required for the dance console. The game includes 8 moveable Twister spots (4 per player).

The DLC includes four songs:

• Bollywood’s “Katti Kalandal”
• Love Letter’s “Why Oh Why”
• Sweat Invaders’ “Skin to Skin”
• Snap’s “The Power”

This DLC pack will become downloadable on January 31st for Kinect and February 1st for Wii and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

Staying in shape for the New Year is more fun than ever with Just Dance 3. The Sweat Pack #2 supplements the game’s existing Just Sweat Mode on Wii and the Xbox360 Kinect and allows players to combine exercising with dancing by offering fitness-focused dance moves.

The new DLC includes the Sweat Invaders’ “Cardiac Caress,” “Merengue” and “Boomsday,” and The Sunlight Shakers’ “Who let the Dogs Out?”. The Sweat Pack #2 includes all three of the Sweat Invaders tracks which will have you breaking a sweat on the dance floor!

Other recent DLC additions include: Anja’s “Baby Don’t Stop Now,” Studio Allstars’ “Jump,” Olé Orquesta’s “Jambo Mambo,” The Girly Team’s “Twist and Shake It,” “U Can’t Touch This” and “Soul Searchin” by Groove Century and “Fame” (in the style of Irene Cara), priced at 250 Wii Points each.

Made available earlier this month for both Kinect for Xbox360 and Wii, “Sweat Pack #1” includes Sweat Invaders’  “Beat Match Until I’m Blue,” “Touch Me Want Me” and “Dun N Dusted”.

Some of the features offered in Rapstar: Face Edition include:

* Cool graphics, easy to use interface
* Quick creation of custom rap videos
* Turns a device into a portable video recording studio
* 10 beats to choose from for record rap songs
* 3 customizable music video scenes
* Numerous outrageous updates and expansions coming
* Suggestions and comments welcome
* Unlimited fun

Although Rapstar: Face Edition is still in its infancy, VanJam developers are already working on major updates and expansions that they plan to release in the near future. Updated versions will include more music and features, as well addition selections of clothing, videos and more.

Rapstar: Face Edition is rated 4+ and is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad devices running iOS 4.3 or later.

Players learn how to compose music through an interactive music adventure. Once they create an avatar, they work in a virtual studio to learn how to mix and record music. Challenges allow players to put their skills to the test as they are matched up in voting battles against other players. A “Lounge” enables players to get feedback from each other, challenge each other, and build an audience for music they create. As players gain more experience, they earn Rock Rivals Cash and Respect, which they can use for in-game upgrades. Players unlock 24 virtual achievements, while real world rewards are provided by national brands to players that accept and win music challenges. All players can track progress in the game’s charts, which ranks players on a number of dimensions.

Features:

• Create a Rock Star avatar with 100′s of items
• Easily create your own Rock music
• Collect 1000′s of sounds, or record your own
• Add the Vocalizer to hear your voice in perfect tune, and 3-part harmony!
• Challenge others to live Rock battles
• Hang out in the Lounge and pick up fans
• Collect 24 achievements
• Collect real swag from brands like Coke and Best Buy when you win battles
• Gain experience and climb the charts to become a Rock Legend

Rock Rivals 1.1 is free, with the ability to purchase in-game currency and upgrades. The game is rated 9+ for Infrequent – Mild Profanity or Crude Humour and is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad devices running iOS 4.0 or later.

After distinguishing himself in kart and football, Mario will set the Just Dance floor on fire with a fun dance routine showing off some of the most iconic environments and music of the Mario games. Now fans will be able to dance along with one of their favorite characters and experience his moves firsthand.

This new track joins seven other recent DLC additions: Anja’s Baby Don’t Stop Now, Studio Allstars’ Jump, Olé Orquesta’s JamboMambo, The Girly Team’s TwistShakeIt, U Can’t Touch This and Soul Searchin by Groove Century and In the Style of Irene Cara’s Fame, all priced at 250 Wii Points each.

“With the release of Just Dance 3 on PlayStation Move, Ubisoft is furthering its leadership in the dance video game market by offering consumers an opportunity to play Just Dance 3 on all three motion-controlled platforms,” said Lucile Bousquet, Marketing and Communication Director, Ubisoft Canada. “Just Dance 3 is the ultimate party game with a diverse song selection and unique dance routines that are accessible for players of all ages and skill levels.”

Featuring more than 45 tracks across a wide range of musical genres including pop, hip-hop, rock, R&B, country, disco, funk and more, Just Dance 3 introduces a number of new game features that take advantage of the unique mechanics of each console. To get the party started, Just Dance 3 includes some of today’s hottest hits as well as classic dance tracks that everyone loves!

The tracklist for Just Dance 3 includes:

1.      2 Unlimited – “No Limit”
2.      African Ladies – “Pata Pata”
3.      a-ha – “Take On Me”
4.      Anja – “Dance All Nite”
5.      Bananarama – “Venus”
6.      Bollywood Rainbow – “Kurio ko uddah le jana”
7.      Brahms by Just Dance Classical Orchestra – “Hungarian Dance No. 5”
8.      Cee Lo Green – “Forget You”
9.      Countdown Mix Masters – “Beautiful Liar”
10.    Daft Punk – “Da Funk”
11.    Danny Elfman – “This is Halloween”
12.    Donna Summer – “I Feel Love”
13.    Dr. Creole – “Baby Zouk”
14.    Duck Sauce – “Barbra Streisand”
15.    Girls Aloud – “Jump (For My Love)”
16.    Groove Century – “Boogie Wonderland”
17.    Gwen Stefani – “What You Waiting For?”
18.    Inspector Marceau – “The Master Blaster”
19.    Janelle Monae – “Tightrope (Solo Version)”
20.    Jessie J featuring B.o.B – “Price Tag”
21.    Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg – “California Gurls”
22.    Kiss – “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”
23.    Konshens – “Jamaican Dance”
24.    Latino Sunset – “Mamasita”
25.    Laura Bell Bundy – “Giddy On Up (Giddy On Out)”
26.    Lena Meyer-Landrut – “Satellite”
27.    Lenny Kravitz – “Are You Gonna Go My Way”
28.    LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock – “Party Rock Anthem”
29.    Madness – “Night Boat To Cairo”
30.    MIKA – “Lollipop”
31.    Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland – “Promiscuous”
32.    Pointer Sisters – “I’m So Excited”
33.    Queen – “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”
34.    Reggaeton Storm – “Boom”
35.    Rita Mitsouko – “Marcia Baila”
36.    Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman – “Somethin’ Stupid”
37.    Robin Sparkles – “Let’s Go To The Mall”
38.    Scissor Sisters – “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’”
39.    Sentai Express – “Spectronizer”
40.    Sweat Invaders – “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)”
41.    Taio Cruz – “Dynamite”
42.    The Black Eyed Peas – “Pump It”
43.    The Buggles – “Video Killed The Radio Star”
44.    The Chemical Brothers – “Hey Boy Hey Girl”
45.    The Girly Team – “Baby One More Time”
46.    The London Theatre Orchestra & Cast – “Think”
47.    The Sugarhill Gang – “Apache (Jump On It)”
48.    Tommy Sparks – “She’s Got Me Dancing”
49.    Wilson Pickett – “Land of 1000 Dances”

Just Dance 3 was released on the Wii system from Nintendo and Kinect for Xbox 360 on October 7, 2011, and the game is already selling approximately 85 percent higher than its predecessor Just Dance 2, which was previously a Wii-exclusive title. The Just Dance franchise has produced the No. 1 Wii game for the past 12 of 13 months of NPD reports (Just Dance 3 once, Just Dance 2 ten times, Just Dance Summer Party once).

“Just Dance is a blockbuster brand for Ubisoft,” said Lucile Bousquet, Marketing and Communication Director at Ubisoft Canada. “The game’s mainstream appeal has helped broaden the appeal of video games to the mass market. Ubisoft anticipates that the strong sales trend for Just Dance 3 will continue to grow as we head into the holiday season. The social aspect of the game makes it the perfect game to play during the holidays with friends and family.”

To date, the Just Dance franchise, which includes Just Dance, Just Dance 2, Just Dance Kids, Just Dance Kids 2 and Just Dance Summer Party has sold-in more than 17 million units worldwide. Ubisoft will release Just Dance 3 on the PlayStation Move for PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system on December 6, 2011.

The Black Eyed Peas Experience features 24 tracks in the Wii version and 28 tracks in the Kinect for Xbox 360 version:

• Boom Boom Pow
• Cali to NY (feat. De La Soul) – Kinect only
• Disco Club
• Don’t Lie
• Don’t Phunk With My Heart
• Don’t Stop The Party
• Dum Diddly
• Everything Wonderful (BEP & David Guetta)
• Fashion Beats
• Hey Mama
• I Gotta Feeling
• Imma Be
• Just Can’t Get Enough
• Let’s Get It Started (Spike mix)
• Love You Long Time – Kinect only
• Meet Me Halfway
• My Humps
• My Style (feat. Justin Timberlake)
• Pump It
• Shut Up
• Rock That Body
• Smells Like Funk – Kinect only
• Showdown – Kinect only
• Take It Off
• The Best One (The Boy)
• The Situation – Kinect only
• They Don’t Want Music (feat. James Brown) – Wii only
• The Time (Dirty Bit)
• Whenever

No brightly coloured buttons here. Players can plug in any real guitar with a standard quarter-inch input jack and jam along to 50-song music library, including tunes from The Rolling Stones, The Black Keys and Nirvana, to name a few. (Full track list available here.)

“Everyone was wondering who was going to be the first to [create a game like this],” says Schroeder, who was on hand at the game’s launch event in Toronto.

The Rocksmith seed was planted around four years ago and several members of the development team at Ubisoft San Francisco didn’t know how to play the guitar, including Schroeder himself. (If you don’t count the few times he’s played in college.)

As for the tracklist, Schroeder says the selection is a combination of appropriate songs for beginner players that also feature guitar-heavy parts, naturally. Members of the music license team are based in Montreal along with some engineers from the city also had a hand in the game’s development.

For many beginners who don’t have guitars lying around at home, Ubisoft is launching a bundle edition ($199.99) that includes that game with an Epiphone Les Paul Junior guitar and the Rocksmith Real Tone Cable, a first-of-its-kind quarter-inch to USB cable developed exclusively for the game to turns the guitar’s signal from analog to digital. A standard edition of the game with the Real Tone Cable is available for $79.99, for those who already have a compatible guitar on hand.

But the game isn’t just for beginners. Rocksmith’s gameplay automatically adjusts to your skill level — maybe Alex Leifson may not be doomed to fail another rhythm game, after all.

Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked features 30 songs on Kinect for Xbox 360 and Wii^TM versions and 18 tracks in the Nintendo DS^TM version of the game. Continuing the holiday tradition that The Chipmunks have brought to families worldwide, Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked brings songs from the past and present for all generations to share and enjoy together, and dance like never before.

Sampling of In-Game Tracks:

• All Star
• Beat It
• Hit Me With Your Best Shot
• Kids in America
• La Bamba
• Love Shack
• Oh Pretty Woman
• Only Want to Be With You
• Play that Funky Music Chipmunk
• Stayin’ Alive
• The Chipmunk Song
• Video Killed The Radio Star
• Walkin’ On The Sun
• We’re the Chipmunks
• Witch Doctor

Rocksmith features gameplay that automatically adjusts to the player’s skill level, mini-games to help hone specific skills, a split-screen multiplayer option, and a first-person perspective that puts the player on stage. Rocksmith will feature a huge variety of in-game effects pedals that allow users to customize and reproduce their favourite tones. Its innovative game design makes reading music visually fun and intuitive. The game includes a sizable catalogue of music from classic rock bands such as The Animals, David Bowie and The Rolling Stones, to current artists like The Black Keys and Interpol.

“Canadian music and game lovers can be among the first in the world to try out Rocksmith at select, high profile music events this summer,” says Lucile Bousquet, Director of Marketing and Communications for Ubisoft Canada. “Rocksmith not only engages experienced musicians, it’s also exciting for those who are playing a guitar for the very first time.”

Canadians are invited to pick up a guitar and try out Rocksmith at official Rocksmith Rehearsal Studios across the country, which are designed to look and feel like an authentic garage-style rehearsal studio space. The Rocksmith Rehearsal studios will be located at some of the country’s biggest rock music festivals including:

• Heavy TO in Toronto: July 23-24
• Osheaga Music and Arts Festival in Montreal: July 29-31
• Sonic Boom in Edmonton: September 3

Scheduled to launch this November, the game is currently in development at Behaviour Interactive and lets players sing and dance along with the film’s stars Alvin, Simon, Theodore and The Chipettes (Brittany, Eleanor and Jeanette), in an immersive motion-based experience. The Kinect™ for Xbox 360^® version tracks full body dance moves as players control their Chipmunk on stage, and plays back their “Alvin-ized” voice as they sing along. The game will also be available for both the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.

“The Alvin brand has proven to be evergreen with universal awareness and growing appeal,” said Jesse Sutton, CEO, Majesco Entertainment. “The extensive customization and combination of dancing and singing to contagious Chipmunk music will deliver a full-featured experience based on the upcoming movie that the whole family can enjoy together.”

“This game will bring fans even closer to the fun and music of Alvin and the Chipmunks by taking full advantage of the Kinect for Xbox 360,” said Gary Rosenfeld, Senior Vice President, New Media for Fox Consumer Products. “It’s going to be the perfect complement to the upcoming film and we know that fans are going to love it.”

The forthcoming Alvin and the Chipmunks movie finds the trio vacationing aboard a luxury cruise liner, turning it into their personal playground until they become ‘chipwrecked’ on a remote island. The Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked video game continues the story with an around-the-world journey that has The Chipmunks visiting six tropical locations inspired by the movie. Hear your voice “Alvin-ized” when you sing along with the game and unleash your “Munk Power” to perform ultra-cool dance moves.

The Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked video game features include:

• Sing and dance as any of The Chipmunks and The Chipettes — Alvin, Simon, Theodore, Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor.
• Perform more than 50 different dance moves to electrify the crowd with your on screen performance.
• Customize your Chipmunk before you hit the stage by choosing from a huge range of styles and accessories.
• Experience the movie in Story Mode with environments inspired by the film.
• Hear your voice “Alvin-ized” during your on-stage performance using the Kinect for Xbox 360.

In addition to the game’s exciting 40-track song list, Just Dance 3 introduces exclusive new game features such as four-player choreographies, a DJ feature that allows custom mixing, freestyle dance options, a new “Shout Out!” feature on Kinect where players can score extra points by belting out their favorite songs – and much, much more!

“As part of the highly anticipated launch, Just Dance 2 will be featured in Katy Perry’s new music video ‘Last Friday Night’. The game will also become an official sponsor of Katy Perry’s 2011 North American California Dreams Tour,” says Lucile Bousquet, Director of Marketing and Communications for Ubisoft Canada. “Our fans really connect with Katy Perry, and we’re excited to be teaming up with such a renowned hit singer.”

The Just Dance 2 concert sponsorship includes a contest where fans can win a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet Miss Perry. The ‘Just Dance Your Way to Katy Perry’ contest challenges fans to record themselves and their friends dancing to Katy’s ‘Firework’ on Just Dance 2^® in an effort to win VIP tickets and meet-and-greet passes to Katy’s U.S. and Canadian shows. “I’m a fan of Just Dance 2^®, and I’m glad it brings people together to dance, just like I get to do on my tour,” says chart-topping Katy Perry.

The Canadian leg of the California Dreams Tour begins in Toronto on June 29^th and ends in Vancouver on July 19^th.

To round out the pre-launch excitement, a Canadian Facebook contest will be unveiled in late July, where one lucky winner and a guest will be flown to Toronto for a VIP experience complete with accommodations at a hip hotel, a shopping spree, dinner at a trendy restaurant and tickets to a top concert.

Featured tracks in Just Dance 3:

• 2 Unlimited – “No Limit”
• Black Eyed Peas – “Pump It”
• Duck Sauce – “Barbra Streisand”
• Groove Century – “Boogie Wonderland”
• Gwen Stefani – “What You Waiting For”
• Katy Perry – “California Gurls”
• Kiss – “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”
• Laura Bell Bundy – “Giddy On Up (Giddy On Out)”
• LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock – “Party Rock Anthem”
• MIKA – “Lollipop”
• Taio Cruz – “Dynamite”

“The Black Eyed Peas are the perfect artists to headline our next Experience game. Their award-winning music, dance moves and artistic style will be combined into a gaming experience that will excite both fans of the group and those who enjoy playing dance titles,” said Yves Guillemot, co-founder and chief executive officer of Ubisoft. “The Black Eyed Peas are a worldwide phenomenon and Ubisoft is the worldwide leader in dance games – together we are going to make The Black Eyed Peas Experience a game that fans around the world will love.”

Ubisoft’s Experience franchise has sold more than three million copies to date by making an artist’s universe accessible to fans in an interactive and immersive game. The Black Eyed Peas Experience takes that concept even further, and features a comprehensive selection of the The Black Eyed Peas’ hit music tracks as well as dance routines arranged by the group’s famed choreographer, Fatima Robinson. In the Microsoft Xbox 360 version of the game, which Ubisoft is developing in partnership with renowned music game developers iNiS, players will control their on-screen avatar via the Kinect™ for Microsoft Xbox 360^® entertainment system while following the dance moves of 3D avatars, including avatars of each of The Black Eyed Peas: apl.de.ap, Fergie, Taboo and will.i.am.

The Wii™ version of The Black Eyed Peas Experience, being developed by Ubisoft Quebec, will feature game play similar to Ubisoft’s Just Dance titles, where players hold a Wii™ Remote and follow the moves of the The Black Eyed Peas’ on-screen avatars.

“We are thrilled to be working with Ubisoft to create The Black Eyed Peas Experience video game,” shared will.i.am, frontman for The Black Eyed Peas^®. “Ubisoft has both redefined and dominated the dance category in the video game industry and we can’t wait to be part of taking that to the next level by infusing an experience that’s 100 percent authentic to The Black Eyed Peas.”

“The Just Dance brand has truly become a worldwide phenomenon with over 30 million people playing Just Dance,” said Olivier Ernst, director of Ubisoft Canada. “Fans play Just Dance at parties with friends, at home with the family, and as part of an active lifestyle to stay fit or even lose weight. Ubisoft is excited to bring Just Dance 3 to all motion platforms and give even more people the opportunity to enjoy the fun.”

Featuring more than 40 tracks across a wide range of musical genres, including pop, hip-hop, rock, R&B, country, disco, funk, and more, Just Dance 3 introduces a number of new game features that take advantage of the unique mechanics of each console. To get the party started, Just Dance 3 includes some of today’s hottest hits as well as classic dance tracks that everyone loves.

Confirmed tracks for Just Dance 3 include:

• 2 Unlimited – “No Limit”
• Black Eyed Peas – “Pump It”
• Duck Sauce – “Barbra Streisand”
• Groove Century – “Boogie Wonderland”
• Gwen Stefani – “What You Waiting For”
• Katy Perry – “California Gurls”
• Kiss – “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”
• Laura Bell Bundy – “Giddy On Up (Giddy On Out)”
• LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock – “Party Rock Anthem”
• MIKA – “Lollipop”
• Taio Cruz – “Dynamite”

In addition to this exciting tracklist, Just Dance 3 introduces exclusive new game features on all three motion-control platforms, such as four-player choreographies and dynamic environments on Wii and the new “Shout Out!” feature on Kinect, which allows players to score extra points by belting out their favorite song verse. This, combined with the entertaining and unique choreography developed by professional dancers, will provide players with the fun and accessible challenges they are looking for and ensuring that Just Dance 3 will get the world dancing.

iRok2 CEO, Dr. Robert Arn, commented on the PlayBook introduction, “The unique rapid development capabilitities, high performance video streaming and support of Adobe Flash on the PlayBook platform have allowed us to create a Playbook App from elements of our online game – even before PlayBook hardware was available and our iRok2 Online game was still in Beta testing.”  Dr. Arn added, “Such speed and flexibility allow us to experiment with building synergy between pad, mobile and computer game versions in a totally new way.”

iRok2 is based on new, patent-pending technology that automates the production of custom music games.  iRok2 servers analyze music videos as they stream from YouTube and create a unique custom game for each video.  If a user wants to play with a video that is not already in the catalog, it takes only a single click to request a new custom game which will appear in the catalog, available for everyone.  Users have already built up the iRok2 catalog to over ten thousand custom games and there is no barrier to it growing to match the scale of the tens of millions of available YouTube music videos – including the new ones that appear every day.  In play, the video streams to the player directly from YouTube and the custom game synchronizes to the video without storing or modifying the video or music in any way – in effect, an internet air guitar.

As well, iRok2 breaks down the barriers between players. iRok2 is a social game that allows players to connect to others of similar tastes around the world.  Players can issue direct challenges to other players or join in real-time multi-user tournaments.  A unique in-game scoring monitor allows players to directly see how their performance compares to others second-by-second, not just in final scores.

Congratulations are due to the Ubisoft Montreal Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood team, who picked up the BAFTA in the UK last night for top Action Game and to the Bioware team who garnered the Best Game award for Mass Effect 2.

I keep forgetting to tell you all about the huge Book Drive that’s been going on in BC, so I left the page open to the site to remind myself because I tend to be forgetful. The next big event is this weekend, March 19 & 20th, at the Salvation Army Divisional Headquarters located at 3833 Henning Drive in Burnaby. Drawing directly from the information on the Book Drive site:

“The Big Book Drive is a two-day event aimed to help the less-fortunate and low-income families so that they may gain a better education in the future. Oftentimes after we’ve read a book, we leave it lying around without touching it for years. This is wasteful of Earth’s resources, and it does not have to be so. These books can be used to help others, so make The Big Book Drive your way of giving back to the community. Our goal is to collect as many books as possible. The books will either be sold at used bookstores to generate proceeds, donated to the charities we’re working with, or recycled to be remade into new books. Either way, 100% of the proceeds will be donated, because we want to help others just as much as you do!“

I hope that if you are able to help out, you can. The organization is looking for textbooks, journals, comic books, novels, children’s books, magazines and catalogues. No adult material, newspapers or eBooks on CD/DVD, though.

Students in need of software should check out Microsoft initiative DreamSpark. Verified students can gain access to licensed Microsoft products, including XNA Studio 4, Visual Studio, Expression, Robotics Developer and more. You now have fewer reasons to not get out there and create something. Go, go, go!

Microsoft Canada also offers assistance to small-medium businesses with volume licensing programs designed to save money and get companies creating. It’s worth your time to check out what is available for you.

On Saturday March 19th, let the games begin as YTV WOW! Let it rip with non-stop action and adventure with Hasbro’s Beyblade: Metal Fusion Battle Zone. Beyblade fans can come out to the Real Canadian Superstore at 51 Gerry Fitzgerald Drive in Toronto and battle it out for prizes and gift packs from 10am until 4pm.

Speaking of availability, the Government of Canada has launched its Open Data Pilot Project, which is designed to improve the ability of the public to find, download and use Government of Canada data. You are invited to search the catalogue, download datasets and explore the possibilities of Open Data. This project could go a long way towards helping businesses gain access to research data they may require for such activities as market research or even finding new business partners.

As part of the Government of Canada’s efforts to drive innovation and economic opportunities for all Canadians, the Honourable Stockwell Day, President of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway launched the pilot project for an online Open Data Portal following public consultations on the digital economy strategy which saw Canadians asking for open data to be made available in more usable and accessible formats.

“The Government of Canada is launching its Open Data Portal to make a large amount of data accessible through a single window,” said Minister Day. “With this portal, application developers can reuse data for commercial or research purposes to benefit all Canadians in a variety of ways. We want to continue to make Canada one of the best places to do business by ensuring that Canadian entrepreneurs, researchers, academics and voluntary organizations have access to government data in useful formats to help foster innovation, job creation and community services for Canadians.”

This pilot portal will make more than 260,000 datasets from the following ten participating departments available to all Canadians: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Citizenship and Immigration Canada; Environment Canada; Department of Finance Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Library and Archives Canada; Natural Resources Canada; Statistics Canada; Transport Canada and the Treasury Board Secretariat. The pilot phase will take place over a 12-month period, during which the government will continue to increase the number of datasets available to users.

I just found out about this service today, when the company began following me on Twitter, so I haven’t really had a chance to look very deep into the site and get all of the details, but Get George, which is based in Vancouver, looks like it may be a program that is advantageous to smartphone users. Get George is a free download in the iTunes and Android shops, and looks like it could end up saving people some serious money – but as I don’t have a smartphone, and haven’t yet investigated the services offered, please be sure to read the application’s FAQs and service conditions before use.

With the August 23rd release of Deus Ex: Human Revolution drawing nearer every day, Square Enix is looking for a location to open another Canadian studio. Personally I’m rooting for Vancouver, but Toronto and a second Montreal location are also in the running. I imagine that the publisher will be looking closely at incentives offered by each province, and while another studio in Montreal would be convenient for the Eidos Montreal crew, I’m hoping that the proximity of Vancouver to the Square Enix headquarters in Tokyo will give the city an edge in the running. The time line for the new studio looks to be for a 2012 opening, with an initial staff of 100.

Big Blue Bubble’s original, award winning and massively fun rhythm game Thumpies is now available in Apple’s Mac App Store. Now Mac owners can test their skills in correctly matching the beat of bouncing Thumpies, and those with the beat skills can progress through songs and the current 15 game levels, unlocking new Thumpies along the way. Suitable for all ages and already available in the iTunes App store, Thumpies uses a mechanic of bouncing in time instead of just a series of notes. The game features a quirky art design accompanied by a unique musical score composed by award winning industry veteran David Kerr sets Thumpies in a genre all its own.

Hoard™ from Big Sandwich Games will release via Steam for your PC and Mac on April 4^th, and will retail for $9.99USD. Pre-sales will begin on March 21^st with a limited time “fire-sale” discount of 25%.  In addition, sharing with your friends is rewarded, as a 4-pack of HOARD™ can be purchased for the low price of $28.00.  Steam Play is supported, meaning Steam users who own both a PC and a Mac only need buy the game once.

The Steam version includes the same fire-breathing fun as the PS3 console release plus some brand new features.  The game has 4 modes, over 35 levels, leaderboards, full multiplayer suites (4-player co-op and competitive), and 100+ Steam achievements. In addition, never seen-before features such as Night Mode (for vibrant fiery goodness), a Winter tile set, and new maps are added as a reward for PC and Mac fans’ patience.  Finally, cross-play allows PC and Mac users to compete or cooperate in their quests for gold.

zinc Roe’s latest release is now live. Created for the Family Channel, Hot Ticket is a game of musical and economic strategy. Players drag and drop locations onto a map to create “Famburg”, a rocking little town that plays host to shows by a wide variety of fictional acts. “The Temper Tantrums”, “Vagablonde”, and “The Jazz Hands”, are among dozens of hilarious characters created to animate locations like “The Golden Cocoon Mall”, The Hideaway” and “Das Beats Dance Club”. The game features colourful artwork, catchy melodies and an appropriate level of economic complexity for school-aged children. There is a demo version available to try out, and if you like the game, you can register to play the full version. Judging from comments posted on the game’s page, Hot Ticket is on its way to becoming a hit casual title.

D-Box has announced yet another expansion for this week, citing a new agreement with Germany-based FTT (the company’s first European distributor for its commercial theatre expansion) for two new theatres with Netherlands-based Jogchem’s Theatres known in the market as JT Bioscopen. JT Hoogezand and JT Arnhem will each equip its theatres with respectively 20 and 21 D-BOX MFX Seats. With the introduction of D-BOX at these newest locations, Jogchem’s Theatres will have a total of four movie theatres that offer D-BOX’s motion experience. In addition to the sale of these systems, this deal will also generate licensing fees payable to D-BOX in accordance with the systems’ utilization.

Conservatory Canada invites piano students from across Canada to put their compositional skills to the test for the first annual Creative Composer’s Competition. Launched as a partnership between Conservatory Canada, Mayfair Music Publishing and Long & McQuade Music Stores, the contest is a unique opportunity for budding composers of all ages to let their talent shine, says Conservatory Canada national executive director, Victoria Warwick.

“There are many students across Canada who love to compose music in all styles,” says Warwick. “We hope this competition will inspire and encourage them in this creative pursuit.”

Piano students of all ages have until May 31 to submit entries through the Conservatory Canada website. Submissions should be written in a contemporary musical style – Jazz, Country, Latin, and Broadway – as included in Conservatory Canada’s Contemporary Idioms Syllabus for Piano.

All submissions will be reviewed by Conservatory Canada examiners with compositional skills, Warwick says. Winners will be announced at Conservatory Canada’s national convocation ceremony in November, and winning compositions will be included in a new Mayfair Music Publication.

“Composition is a natural part of our Contemporary Idioms program,” notes Warwick. “The Creative Composer’s Competition will allow students to showcase their fine work, and by compiling the best-of-the-best in a new publication, teachers and students across Canada will be able to enjoy them.”

Contest: Enflick, Inc. is holding a logo re-design contest for the PingChat logo.
Contest: Best Buy Canada and HP Canada have teamed up to revitalize someone’s home office
Contest: SteelSeries is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a huge giveaway.

Giveaway: The iPad HD version of Garage Inc from TransGaming Studios is free until February 28th. Get it now.

Pre-Order: Mac Gamers can pre-order Dragon Age 2 and The Sims Medieval from GameTree Mac. Release dates are March 8th for Dragon Age 2 and March 22nd for The Sims Medieval.

Appointment: Michael MacMillan has been appointed to the Fuse Powered Board of Directors. In his role on the company’s board, MacMillan will be responsible for working closely with Fuse Powered’s senior management team in solidifying and executing the company’s strategic direction.

Taking Over The World: Electric Playground is now available for American users of Hulu. Congratulations to everyone at the EP studio!

New Release: IUGO’s first music game Pricklees is now available on the App Store. It’s free so go download now! More characters and tracks may be unlocked for $1.99 USD.

“We see room for creativity and innovation in the music genre,” states IUGO’s VP of BD Sarah Thomson “What companies like Tapulous have done is incredible. They have proven their formula to be successful time and time again. But we feel there is so much opportunity to create a unique game mechanic and appeal to an even broader market. We wanted to combine the brilliance of music-based games such as the Tap Tap series with the cuteness and personality of broad appeal titles such as Angry Birds.”

Cinematic Intro: A preview of the opening moments from Dawn of War II: Retribution by Relic Entertainment is now live on YouTube. This latest chapter in the Warhammer 40 000 saga will be on store shelves on March 1st

A special pre-launch event for Retribution was just announced on the Dawn of War community forums. A four hour game play special with members of Relic’s game test team facing off against members of the community. The fun begins at 2pm PST on Sunday, February 27th.

Yummy Interactive Inc. has announced a partnership agreement with BattleFront.com, worldwide publisher of wargaming and strategy combat video games. BattleFront.com has selected Yummy Interactive’s GameShield to securely manage licensing and activation of downloadable and mail order game products at its game portal.

“Delivering our games in an unobtrusive, simple download and mail order experience to our community members is paramount to us. With GameShield, we will be able to securely extend our digital products to new channels and also be able to offer game bundles and extra downloadable content, such as add-ons and expansion packs, with a smooth user interface for end users,” said Martin van Balkom, President of BattleFront.com.

“By selecting our complete DRM solution for their PC and Mac game downloads and mail order products, Battlefront.com can further expand their online distribution channel and storefront, confident they can support their partners and optimize digital sales with our flexible license management tools,” said Chris Hennebery, VP Software Distribution at Yummy Interactive. “The premium DRM technology that GameShield provides not only protects content but enables new and secured ways of bringing gamers downloadable games and post-sale content.”

Launch Trailer: Rango The Video Game, developed by Behaviour, will be released next week for  the Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Here is the newest game trailer.

Source Studio has released Proto Defense – free downloadable content (DLC) for their space shooter game ProtoGalaxy, on Steam for the PC. The downloadable content delivers a brand new level of play for ProtoGalaxy, enabling players to experience the game’s enhanced editor powers and map-building features.

The DLC will be downloaded automatically for anyone who owns ProtoGalaxy, and to celebrate the DLC launch, ProtoGalaxy is available for 50% off until March 2.  Proto Defense is a completely different genre than the previous levels. The original release of the game consisted of action and adventure levels, where the players were constantly on the offense. The new downloadable content consists of  a tower defense-style level, where players must strategically defend themselves against incoming attacks.

“We’re showcasing a brand new level of game play in ProtoGalaxy that gamers have yet to experience,” said Alex Brown, CEO and founder of Source Studio. “We have been gathering valuable feedback since we released ProtoGalaxy last October, and with the new level added, the game takes on a different dimension of play,” Brown added.

Proto Defense contains the following:

• New level with tower defense tactics
• Pick from a big selection of turrets.
• Reposition your turrets at any time to deal extra damage.
• Take down huge bosses.
• Compete in leaderboards for the highest score.
• Tackle 8 new challenging achievements.
• Built using the ProtoGalaxy Editor.

In ProtoGalaxy, up to four players can team up, configure their ship and upgrade their weapons in order to defend earth from powerful alien invaders. Throughout the game, players brave fierce battles, solve challenging puzzles, and explore the far reaches of the galaxy in order to end the attacks and rebuild a home for the survivors.

Game features:

• Level editor
• Single and multi-player mode (up to 4 players)
• Array of weapon choice
• Ship customization with large selection of parts
• Use physics to solve problems
• Save progress online and play from anywhere

Source Studio will be attending the Games Developers Conference and will showcasing  ProtoGalaxy, along with the DLC at the Newfoundland and Labrador booth (booth #1924).

“We see room for creativity and innovation in the music genre,” states IUGO’s VP of BD Sarah Thomson. “What companies like Tapulous have done is incredible. They have proven their formula to be successful time and time again. But we feel there is so much opportunity to create a unique game mechanic and appeal to an even broader market. We wanted to combine the brilliance of music-based games such as the Tap Tap series with the cuteness and personality of broad appeal titles such as Angry Birds.”

In this latest offering from IUGO, players will be able to jump, duck and roll to the beat with the Pricklees! Try out IUGO’s latest venture with this unique and highly fun 2D/3D rhythm- based game. This is a music game made for everyone… just try and put it down.

Features include:

3 adorable characters you wish you could cuddle; too bad about those prickles!
Unlock more content through IAP
3 levels of difficulty: easy, medium and hard for tons of replayability
Unique rhythm-based gameplay
Dead easy controls, intuitive UI
Dynamic 2D/3D environments
7 Fresh Electronic tracks
Look for more songs in future updates

If you’re on the move with kids today in an OnStar-equipped vehicle and they’re worried about missing Santa, never fear, your OnStar connection will set their minds at ease. OnStar advisors will be prepared to give subscribers specific location-based updates on Santa Claus’ journey around the world based on data received in partnership with NORAD. Individuals without an OnStar subscription can visit NORAD’s Santa Site or dial 877 HI-NORAD (877-446-6723) for Santa’s location (hands-free in BC, please – Santa won’t be looking for you in a ditch).

Beginning at 6 a.m. EST on Christmas Eve, OnStar subscribers can press the blue OnStar button in their vehicles to request a “Santa Update”. OnStar advisors will share Santa’s whereabouts through 5 a.m. EST Christmas morning.

“It’s great to provide our customers with a fun, highly informative benefit during the holidays,” said Scott Kubicki, OnStar, executive director, OnStar Sales, Services and Marketing. “Our advisors also enjoy hearing children’s surprise and joy when they learn that St. Nick is only hours away from their home.”

For more than 54 years NORAD has used its North Warning Radar System, geo-synchronous satellites with infrared sensors and other technologies to monitor Santa’s Christmas Eve travels and share the information with children and families around the world.

“We are excited that OnStar is a NORAD Tracks Santa program sponsor once again this year,” said James Graybeal, deputy chief of staff for communication, Headquarters NORAD and USNORTHCOM. “OnStar adds another layer to the program. In addition to tracking Santa on the web or by calling in to the operations center, it’s neat that you can locate Santa by pushing a button in your car, wherever you are.”

Homick Labs has released Noah’s Matching Ark, a fun and educational application for the iPad and iPhone, geared for children aged 2 and up. Kids will love matching the tiles of the various themes and earning stickers to be placed in their sticker album. According to the app’s information page, there are currently three themes available – matching Animals,  Shapes and Numbers; additional themes are downloadable within the app, and parents can configure the app’s difficulty to match their child’s ability.

This free application is currently available for the iPad only, the iPhone version has a projected release date of January 2011.

For the Mac gamers in your life, check out all of the Gift Guide Specials over at GameTree Mac; they have a door crasher sale on for Kung Fu Panda at 35% off, and other titles such as Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones and Assassin’s Creed II are available for 10% off. There is a good selection of titles for everyone from kids to adults, including Nancy Drew and Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey, with sale prices in effect until January 3rd, 2011.

Give the gift of gaming to Android™ device owners this holiday season! EA Mobile™ offers sale prices on a full selection of games for select Android-based mobile phones – perfect for everyone on your gift giving list.

“Expanding our world-class franchises onto the emerging Android marketplace brings our popular, award-winning games to more phones, more carriers and ultimately, more consumers,” said Adam Sussman, Vice President of Worldwide Publishing for EA Mobile. “This lineup brings fun to everyone – from families playing MONOPOLY to sports fans scoring goals with FIFA 10 – no matter where you are.”

The Sims™ 3, Need for Speed™ Shift, FIFA 10 by EA SPORTS™ and Tetris®, as well as MONOPOLY and THE GAME OF LIFE (under license from Hasbro Inc.) are available on the Android platform. Additional upcoming releases include Worms™ and Bejeweled® 2 from PopCap Games. The games can be downloaded directly to an Android phone by visiting EA’s store on the device or on a PC.

For those of you visiting us from Europe, you can now grab a copy of Digital Leisure’s Mix Superstar for your Wii. For 500 Wii Points, you can create, mix and record your own royalty-free musical masterpieces right on your Wii™ system. There are over 1,000 Dance, Hip Hop and Techno loops included across multiple instruments like Drum, Bass, Synth, Guitar and even voice tracks.

Looking to give your mix a unique flare? Over a dozen new music loop packs will be releasing via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play™ to enhance your music creation experience. Thousands of additional loops from packs like Rock, Pop, Latin, House and even World.

Once you’ve got that next hit created, it’s time to show it off. Mix Superstar allows you to export your music creations, and download them to your computer so you can take them on-the-go. You can also use WiiConnect24™ to send those hits to your Wii Friends and even collaborate on mixes. Also included is full support for both the Logitech® USB Microphone and Wii Speak™ so you can lay down your own vocals on that next hit.

Mission Against Terror knows who’s been naughty and who’s been nice, and Toronto publisher Wicked Interactive says “that’s why for all you naughty people out there M.A.T. is bringing you some extra-special holiday cheer. From Saturday, December 25 through Monday, December 27, the action will be non-stop and the stakes never higher. Ladies and gentlemen, we bring you Christmas, M.A.T.-style.”

M.A.T. Special Surprise Xmas Events:

· December the 25th, 2010 @ 4:30-6:30 EST – Login Event -> Snowball Grenade (1 Day), Silver Coins +200%, Christmas Hat (1 Day)
· December the 26th, 2010 @ 4:30-6:30 EST – Silver Coins +200%
· December the 27th, 2010 @ 7:30-9:30 EST – Silver Coins +200%

“These events are a perfect complement to the newly unveiled AI Mode,” said Sam Ho, Director, Wicked Interactive. “Think of them as the ultimate way to test out the AI-controlled robots, the 4 new difficulty settings, the Weapon Casting Machine and all the other goodies that AI mode brings.”

Special prizes will be awarded to those with the highest scores at the end of the weekend. But because Christmas is all about surprises, M.A.T. is keeping those prizes a secret until then.

Poynt Corporation and Yellow Pages Group (YPG) have formed an agreement for YPG to provide Canadian business content to the Poynt mobile local search application for BlackBerry, iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7 smartphones. The five-year agreement, which includes an annual licensing fee, uses YPG’s public API (YellowAPI) to grant the Poynt app access to the 1.5 million business listings it currently holds. The partnership provides the Poynt app with mobile banner advertising, through Mediative, a recently launched division of YPG which services national accounts.

“YPG has been a tremendous partner as we have evolved and grown,” said Andrew Osis, CEO of Poynt Corp. “We are pleased to continue this relationship as we continue to provide relevant, compelling data to consumers as they go about their daily lives.”

“Our agreement with Poynt emphasizes the opportunities our content can create for local search apps and how YellowAPI can drive additional visibility to our advertisers through partners such as Poynt,” said Stéphane Marceau, Chief Marketing Officer of Yellow Pages Group.

Poynt recently won RIM’s BlackBerry “Super Apps” Developer Challenge and is one of the leading mobile applications for BlackBerry. Poynt is available for download from m.poynt.com or from the respective smartphone app stores.

Marin Media Group, located in Concord, ON, is pleased to announce the launch of a new & free online photography magazine called Photo Zoom, a publication designed to entertain and inform both amateur and professional photographers. It will be providing you with industry news, reviews, trends, articles, interviews, tutorials, galleries, competitions, advice and much, much more. PhotoZoom Magazine will also be attentive to the reader’s thoughts, viewpoints, reviews, suggestions, and, most importantly, featuring their photos.

“Photo Zoom is a magazine dedicated to the art of photography. In every issue we will go over the ins & outs, the tricks & tips and everything else that has to do with photography”, says Scott Howard, Editor.

PhotoZoom will be viewed and reviewed by local photo clubs, Universities and Colleges offering photography courses, various online social media sites, and online directories pertaining to photography related companies. Whether you are an amateur using a simple point and shoot camera or a professional who relies on photography as his main source of income, as long as you love this inspirational art form, you will enjoy PhotoZoom magazine.

Passing along a bulletin from International Trade: the following events to take place in March 2011 in Brazil.  The Canadian Consulate in Sao Paulo will be providing support to any Canadian companies planning to attend. Please contact Fernanda Whitaker, Trade Commissioner for New Media and Cultural Industries at the Canadian Consulate General in Sao Paulo for further information and application forms (or your local in-Canada DFAIT rep may also have the applications available).

Brazil-Canada Coproduction Forum *** March 15-16, 2011 – Rio de Janeiro *** On its 4th edition, this event is designed to allow content producers (digital media/TV/Film) from both countries to understand each other’s business environment, markets and discuss potential opportunities for co-production. The Forum will happen in the margins of the Rio Content Market and will be organized by two local industry associations with full support from the Canadian Consulate. The organizers of the Brazil-Canada Coproduction Forum will invite and pay the expenses for a select group of about 15 Canadian delegates to participate . The deadline for Canadian companies that want to be considered for financial assistance granted by the organizers is January 16th, 2011.

GameWorld 2011 *** March 11-13, 2011 – São Paulo *** Three-day event for the gaming industry, including exhibition and conferences. This event takes place over a weekend and traditionally targets end uses. However, for the 2011 edition, GameWorld organizers will prepare a business forum on Friday, March 11th, with matchmaking activities and one-on-one meetings. The Canadian Consulate in Sao Paulo will work with the event organizers to support any delegates coming from Canada.

Rio Content Market *** March 16-18, 2011 – Rio de Janeiro *** This is a large, Brazilian TV Producers (BTVP) initiative that has gained great support from different levels of the Brazilian Government. Rio Content Market is an international conference and market expected to gather over 500 decision makers to discuss the creation and distribution of digital media and multi-platform content. Guest participants and speakers will be invited from the USA, UK, Canada, Europe and Asia. There will be a large contingence of television/feature film/digital media production, broadcasters, telecom operators, etc.

Game Description:

While on a routine mission to test a number of prototype fighters destined to replace the Earth Colonial Fleet’s aging Starhawk, the ECS Red Nova, your carrier, comes across an unknown alien fleet preparing to stage a sneak attack on the human colonies!

In order to give the Red Nova a chance to escape and warn the rest of the fleet you have volunteered to attack the aliens head-on. With a choice of any of the fighters on deck, you have to use your wits, your guns, and your ample supply of homing missiles to survive for as long as you can!

Game Features

* Universal app for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad
* Game Center leaderboards
* Retina Display graphics
* 3 scaling difficulty levels
* 3 playable ships
* 4 power-ups
* 7 different enemies
* Dynamic camera zooms in when things get intense
* iOS Controller: use an iPhone or iPod Touch to control Red Nova on an iPad wirelessly
* Dynamic touch controls for faster reaction times; no more hunting for fixed virtual buttons when it counts

Future episodes of Red Nova will be released as free updates, adding different game modes and missions to the game.

Drum Studio: Platinum Edition from Vancouver developer All Seeing Eye Games is now available on  Xbox Live Indie Games for 80 MS Points. This follow-up to the award-winning Drum Studio allows players to record, layer, & edit their own drum songs on virtual drums customizable from a collection of over 320 drum sounds.

Drum Studio: Platinum Edition is a virtual drum recording tool that gives players the ability to build their own drum beats using their Xbox 360 drum kits or controllers.  Players can then go online to share their songs with friends, listen to each other play, and even jam together in real-time.

Lead Programmer Darren Joe says, “Music has always been about sharing. Drum Studio put music creation in the player’s hands. Now, Drum Studio: Platinum Edition allows players to share their music with each other and the world.”

It is no secret that the music game genre is in steep decline. Whereas the big names have rehashed the same gameplay mechanics a dozen times over and then some, Drum Studio: Platinum Edition pushes the genre forward with a music creation & sharing experience unlike anything any other title has to offer.

In addition to its extensive online features, Drum Studio: Platinum Edition also expands upon the award-winning original with all new art by graphic artist Terry Wong (Cirque Du Soleil, National Geographic, Electronic Gaming Monthly) and full Xbox 360 Avatar support, allowing players to turn their Xbox 360 Avatars into full-fledged animated virtual drummers.

Maid Marian Entertainment Inc. and Gene Endrody, sole creator of the indie hit MMORPG, Sherwood Dungeon has announced the arrival of, two new allies just in time for the holidays – the Shadowfey Knight and Priestess.

The Shadowfey are lost descendants of the Picts, an ancient Celtic tribe. Possessing ominous white skin and a dark mysterious gaze, this race of warriors will battle alongside players as they crawl through Sherwood’s perilous dungeons.

An additional feature for those who purchase pets in Sherwood is the ability for players to transform their characters into the form of their pets. Explore the world and fight monsters while transformed into a Dragon, Unicorn, Spider, Shadowfey, and more. If that wasn’t enough, the Wolf and Lion pets can now be ridden as mounts. Along with the Horse and Unicorn mounts, players now have plenty of options for striking fear into Sherwood’s minions while leading the charge mounted on these ferocious beasts.

You are cordially invited to check out the new allies and features, or just play in the snow at the holiday themed Sherwood Castle, head over to – no sign-up or download is required. With the addition of the new Zong SMS Mobile Phone Payment system, players all over the world can easily purchase premium companions for their enjoyment, without the need of Paypal or a credit card.

Cookie Jar Entertainment has announced long-term deals with Netflix, allowing consumers in the U.S. and Canada to instantly enjoy selected titles from Cookie Jar’s extensive library of animated and live-action programming. Terms of the agreements are confidential.

In the U.S., Netflix members now have instant access to four of Cookie Jar Entertainment’s most recognizable television series – Busytown, Johnny Test, Metajets and Strawberry Shortcake – for a total of almost 200 half-hours of children’s entertainment.

In Canada, the agreement covers nine classic titles for a total of more than 500 half-hours and includes Bunch of Munsch, Caillou, Country Mouse City Mouse, Heathcliff, Horseland, Inspector Gadget, Paddington, Wimzie’s House and Zoboomafoo.

“Internet streaming offers tremendous opportunities for leveraging our catalogue of nearly 6,000 half-hour episodes of television series, the second largest kid’s library in the world. With these ground-breaking agreements in hand, we are actively pursuing additional digital distribution deals worldwide,” said Michael Hirsh, CEO of Cookie Jar.

Those of you who own Joyride for Kinect will be able to download a Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette and Cruze for free on January 4, 2011. You can choose a color for your new cars or paint them using the Kinect sensor and then take them for a spin in any of “Kinect Joy Ride’s” six game modes. You can also use the cars in online races over Xbox LIVE. To unlock the new Chevrolet cars for Kinect Joy Ride simply select the Chevrolet ad in the Xbox LIVE Marketplace – keep your eye out for it – or you can unlock the Chevrolet cars by visiting Xbox.com.

This video has absolutely nothing to do with gaming whatsoever, but it is a timely bit of cheer from interior designers Colin & Justin. The dynamic duo have put out three Christmas songs on iTunes, with all proceeds going to support Cash for Kids. While we do have a Cash For Kids charity here in Canada, I do believe that these songs are to benefit the UK Cash for Kids organization. Either way, enjoy the video, buy the songs (I did, and I’m not even a huge fan of the Christmas season), but most importantly, support the kids – and please remember your local toy, clothing and food drives, too.

Decimation X3 has been selected as part of the Indie Games Winter Uprising, a week-long celebration of the best that Xbox LIVE Indie Games have to offer. Orchestrated by a group of fellow developers longing to promote the higher-quality games that can be found on the platform, the Indie Winter Games Uprising takes place the first week of December and features 12 top-tier games that they hope will elevate the impression of the Indie Games channel.

Decimation X3 is the thrilling sequel to one of the most popular 2D-retro shooters on Xbox LIVE Indie Games, Decimation X, which is one of the top-rated Indie Games in Japan (currently #2 out of approximately 1,500). Get ready for intense, never-ending waves of enemies and a continual rain of power-ups to significantly improve your offensive and defensive capabilities. Featuring decidedly retro pixel art graphics, an overload of explosion particle effects, 60 frames per second and a hypnotic trance beat soundtrack from Imphenzia, Decimation X3 is everything an arcade junkie could wish for and will put your reflexes to the ultimate test.

The spiritual prequel to Duality ZF and built upon the same engine that was a semi-finalist for technical excellence in the 3rd Independent Game Developer’s Competition, Score Rush is an intense 2D, four-player, dual-stick, bullet-hell, score-running shooter. It features unlockable difficulty modes, several mid-bosses and bosses, and tons of smaller enemies. It is visually intense with a hard rocking soundtrack created by Dragon Music Productions. Collect both types of power-ups – those that upgrade the main weapon and those that add deadly appendages to your ship – to rack up insane scores. The bigger the enemies are and the faster you kill them, the more points you get.

Just in time for the holiday season, Toronto developer Big Bad Brush Inc. has announced the launch of their much anticipated second game, Kung Fu Santa, which is available now for the iPhone, iPod and iPad.

Kung Fu Santa is a unique concept with a fun factor of 100! This arcade style game features game center and retina display capabilities. Playing as the kung fu master himself, the user will have to jump between moving candy cane poles and save all the presents, while avoiding dangers such as poison goo, bombs, and evil elves!

The evil elves have stolen all of Kung Fu Santa’s presents and plans to sell them all for money. Greedy little things aren’t they? But alas, Kung Fu Santa is here with his superior Kung Fu moves!

Game Features:

* Game Center: Master the boards
* Retina Display: High Resolution Sharpness so you can see Santa’s skills
* In-Game highscores
* Collect presents and gold
* Beautiful and colorful illustrations
* Tap on candy cane poles or swipe left and right to move
* Collect presents and fill up Christmas bag!
* Avoid dangers and stop Evil Elves!

EA Mobile™, Harmonix Music Systems Inc. and MTV Games have announced that Rock Band™ Reloaded is now available on the App Store. The iPad™-exclusive HD version and the version for iPhone® and iPod touch® offers players an initial powerhouse set list of songs from artists including Nirvana, Billy Idol, No Doubt, Nine Inch Nails and Vampire Weekend. More than 20 songs will be available today with new tracks launching throughout the holidays. Plus, for the first time, Rock Band Reloaded players now have a “5th Way to Play” by singing directly into their iPhone, iPod touch and iPad utilizing new vocal recognition features.

Rock Band Reloaded is the experience fans have been waiting for, innovating on the popular franchise and bringing the entire band onto the iPad and iPhone for the first time,” said Travis Boatman, Vice President of Worldwide Studios for EA Mobile. “These games bring a deep Rock Band experience to mobile players in very cool and creative new ways. Innovative vocal recognition features, social integration connecting players to their friends and challenging gameplay modes will drive forward the mobile music genre and provide the best music experience to players.”

New vocal recognition features introduce players to a unique way to play by singing directly into their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad to earn points. Players can showcase their inner rock star by picking from a setlist of songs that include “Hella Good” by No Doubt, “Kryptonite” by 3 Doors Down, “Your Decision” by Alice in Chains, “White Wedding” by Billy Idol, “In Bloom” by Nirvana, “A-Punk” by Vampire Weekend and many more. In addition to the songs included with the initial purchase, free (internet connection required. Data rates may apply) tracks are available in the Music Store along with Premium Packs by The All American Rejects, Third Eye Blind, Blink-182 and other top-selling artists available through In App Purchase.

For the first time on iPad, Rock Band Reloaded packs delivers device-exclusive features including a Multiplayer mode where players can challenge friends live in a head-to-head split-screen environment. Flexible controls provide for ultimate customization of all play styles. The iPad game’s new “Big Drums” layout increases the interactivity of this fan-favorite instrument. Songs are now more accessible to players with custom playlists in Quick Play and quick replay using an “Encore” feature.

Other game features include a new Expert mode for experienced players along with a World Tour mode that enables players to rock six cities and 36 events earning up to 50 awards and achievements all while living the Rock N’ Roll dream. By logging into Facebook, players have access to the News Center where they can find out when new songs launch, follow friends’ exploits and directly challenge their friends’ accomplishments with a simple touch of the screen. And for those just looking to jam, get “the band” together via local WiFi and Bluetooth and play live on guitar, bass, drums, or vocals with up to three bandmates using their own iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. (Vocals/voice feature not available on the 1st generation iPod touch. Microphone required to play vocals/voice on the 2nd and 3rd generation iPod touch. Headset required to play vocals/voice on 1st generation iPhone)

PadWorx Digital Media, Inc. is pleased to announce that you can now come face to face with a revolutionary new vision of Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future in the most immersive edition ever of Charles Dickens’ timeless classic A Christmas Carol, available now in the iPad App Store for $4.99 USD – a portion of which will be donated to charity.

“We’ve taken Charles Dickens’ most famous story and infused it with unique steampunk illustrations and animations,” said Jeffery Alan Schechter, CEO of PadWorx Digital Media, Inc. “As a visual style, steampunk conjures up images more usually associated with H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. By bringing this incredible style to ‘A Christmas Carol for iPad’ we’re giving readers and families a brand new way to experience the joy and wonder of this inspiring classic.”

Through 130 pages of lovingly abridged text, readers will help power the story forward. Whether turning the key in Scrooge’s door and watching as the door knocker changes into the deceased Jacob Marley, powering up and manipulating an assortment of wonderful steam powered devices, or just marveling at each chapter’s ‘mechanical‘ page-turning contraptions, A Christmas Carol for iPad’s animations, illustrations, original score, and sound effects will draw you into the story’s unforgettable lessons of darkness, despair, joy and life. As with PadWorx’s debut title Dracula: The Official Stoker Family Edition, A Christmas Carol for iPad includes hidden Easter eggs of bonus content: the complete 1910 silent movie version of A Christmas Carol by Thomas Edison Studios as well as the full 1938 Orson Welles radio adaptation of the holiday tale – and is fully endorsed by the Dickens family.

Record songs, share them online, and jam with your friends in real-time over Xbox LIVE in Drum Studio: Platinum Edition. The follow-up to the multiple award-winning Drum Studio expands upon the original virtual drum recording tool with all-new graphics, Xbox 360 Avatar support, and extensive online features. Players will be able to meet online, chat, share songs, listen to each other play, and jam together in real-time. Lead Programmer Darren Joe says, “Music has always been about sharing. Drum Studio put music creation in the player’s hands. Now, Drum Studio: Platinum Edition allows players from around the world to share their creations with each other.”

Drum Studio: Platinum Edition also features all new art by graphic artist Terry Wong (Cirque Du Soleil, National Geographic, Electronic Gaming Monthly) and full Xbox 360 Avatar support, allowing players to turn their Xbox 360 Avatars into full-fledged animated virtual drummers. It features the same simple yet powerful song recording interface as the award-winning original and hundreds of high-quality drum sounds to choose from. Players can play with any combination of one to four Xbox 360 drum kits or controllers.

The original title in the series, Drum Studio, received widespread critical acclaim & multiple awards upon its release, including an Editor’s Choice Award from teamxbox.com, who declared that it “takes music games to a whole new level”. You can get the original Drum Studio game now from Xbox Live Indie Games for 80 MS Points.

Once again the clock tells me that it is high time I head for my day job at “the salt mine” but before I go, I’d like to draw attention to two events currently underway – the first is Desert Bus for Hope – which, according to the event’s FAQ, is an “internet telethon by accident – you give donations to Child’s Play, and we play Desert Bus.  It’s really boring and mind numbing and generally unpleasant. The more you donate the longer we play. To keep you and us amused, and to increase the donations we auction off  and give away prizes, have celebrity guests stop by, and become your monkeys. Want us to sing “Still Alive?” Sure, we’ll do it for a $20 donation.  We play 24 hours a day until you stop donating.” Be sure to visit the site and check out their Challenges, Giveaways and Auctions.

The second event is happening at Velocity, the University of Waterloo’s Start-Up Incubator. The involves a group of coders who, beginning on November 20th, locked themselves in for seven days with, to quote “food, energy drinks, and beanbag chairs” during which time they will attempt to write an app a day for seven days. The group has promised video summaries of each day, and according to the Project’s site, the participants firmly believe “that seven smart people with perfect communication, mutual trust, and an agile mindset can get more done in a day than anyone would believe. And if all that isn’t enough, we have no intention of being timid. We’ll choose difficult problems, and we’ll probably fail once or twice. If we didn’t, we would know we didn’t shoot high enough. We’ll work insanely hard, probing the limits of human creativity and team productivity.”

Once you’ve got that next hit created, it’s time to show it off. Mix Superstar allows you to export your music creations, and download them to your computer so you can take them on-the-go. You can also use WiiConnect24™ to send those hits to your Wii Friends and even collaborate on mixes!

Also included is full support for both the Logitech® USB Microphone and Wii Speak™ so you can lay down your own vocals on that next hit.

Looking to give your mix a unique flare? Over a dozen new music loop packs will be releasing via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play™ to enhance your music creation experience. Thousands of additional loops from packs like Rock, Pop, Latin, House and even World.

Visit mixsuperstar.com to hear what you’ll be able to create with Mix Superstar, available today in North America exclusively on WiiWare for only 500 Wii Points™.

Toronto’s DreamCatcher Games and its parent company JoWooD Group announce the launch of the official website for SpellForce 2: Faith in Destiny, which will be available on November 30th for $19.99USD.

SpellForce 2 opens four years after the Shaper’s defeat through the use of Archfire. During that time scientists, dragons and inventors have tried to find to counter the mysterious deterioration of the portals – in vain. The portal network has now totally collapsed and the islands are cut off from one another. The dragons and the Shaikan act as the only connection between the races, but even their resources are limited.

Now, with the nations isolated from one another, a new nameless enemy strikes. Eo is completely at the mercy of the attackers ascending from demonic depths. In the midst of this chaos a new hero appears. To discover his destiny our hero must acquire new skills and do battle with enemies new and old. But wherever he goes – the Nameless always seem to be a step ahead, and futile battles break out in which the hero holds the destiny of all of Eo in his hands.

SpellForce 2 Features:

* An all new campaign that fits into the SpellForce series and enriches the world of SpellForce, including favourite characters and quests.
* An all new race of demonic enemies are also playable in multiplayer mode, featuring new units and structures.
* Ride into battle on a fierce dragon and use new spells and effects to enhance your tactical possibilities.
* Innovative new Role-Playing-Strategy Genre.
* Click’n'Fight and Quick-Action-Buttons: The revolutionary control system guarantees instant action, and a wealth of unique tactical possibilities at your fingertips.
* Easy Skill tree system that allows individual character development.
* Enjoy a highly detailed and living fantasy world that adapts to the actions of the player: Fight monsters, gather items, adventure, trade and collect mighty artifacts to use for your battles.
* 5 different fractions: Lead The Realm, The Clans, The Pact, the Shaikan and the Nameless to victory, with 12 very different units consisting of infantry, cavalry and flyers.
* 10 different races: heroic humans, powerful elves, strong dwarves, barbaric trolls,battle-tested orcs, destructive barbarians, powerful dark elves, unbreakable gargoyles, malicious shadows and mean demonic powers.

Capcom has announced that the Dead Rising 2 Ninja Theme Pack is now available on Xbox Live, Games for Windows Live and the PlayStation Network. With the new ninja pack, Chuck gains a “stealth mode” that allows him to evade zombies by making it harder for them to detect Chuck’s presence. Sword-type weapons (broadswords, katanas, etc.) have their attack power increased and will allow Chuck to perform new special attacks. Stackable items and throwing items such as nails, plates, gems, etc. will also do more damage and Chuck’s throwing speed is increased. The Dead Rising 2 Ninja Theme Pack is available for 160 Microsoft points, or $1.99 on the PlayStation Network.

AudioKinetic’s Wwise 2010.1.2 platform has been nominated for a Game Developer magazine 2010 Front Line Award in the Audio Category. Also named as nominees in this category are FMOD Designer 4.32 (Firelight Technologies), Miles Sound System 8 (RAD Game Tools), ProRemote 2.0.1 (Far Out Labs) and ProTools 8.0.4 (Avid Technology).

For this year’s Front Line Awards, both Game Developer magazine subscribers and Gamasutra.com community members were surveyed to nominate the best game development-related products. Following consultation with Game Developer’s advisory board and editors, finalists were selected based on criteria such as utility, innovation, value, and ease of use.

“This year’s finalists represent a healthy mix of industry standards and intriguing new approaches, along with technologies of particular interest to social game developers,” said Jeffrey Fleming, production editor for Game Developer. “The editors of Game Developer extend our congratulations to all of this year’s Front Line Award finalists!”

The 2010 FLA finalists will be featured in December 2010′s issue of Game Developer magazine, and video game professionals are now invited to vote for the winners, with one randomly picked voter receiving an all-access pass to Game Developers Conference 2011 in San Francisco. Voting is open until Monday, November 8th.

The final winners for the prestigious awards, plus one inductee to the Front Line Awards Hall of Fame chosen for its outstanding contribution to the game development industry for five years or more, will be announced in the January 2011 issue of Game Developer magazine, available to subscribers in early January.

Ludia Games has announced the launch of the Family Fortunes game for iPhone® and iPod touch® on the UK App Store. Based on the popular UK Family Fortunes TV game show, produced by talkbackTHAMES for ITV, iPhone and iPod touch owners can now play anywhere, anytime as the leader of a ‘family’ in a contest to name the most popular answers to survey questions posed to 100 people. The game features all of the favorite elements of the show as played on television, including the scoreboard, lives, Single Money, Double Money and Big Money. Players also can enjoy Family Fortunes in multiplayer mode as they challenge family and friends head-to-head, or compete solo against the computer.

“We are excited to bring the highly popular Family Fortunes game to revolutionary products like the iPhone and iPod touch,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “This release reinforces our strategy of delivering high quality, family-friendly game experiences on all the devices on which people like to play games.”

Family Fortunes for iPhone and iPod touch features:

· Two game modes: single and multiplayer. Authentic stage, theme music and sound effects create a true-to-show game experience.
· Predictive text input and auto spell checker make typing answers lightning fast.
· Fully customizable player avatars – choose hairstyles, clothing, accessories and more.
· Unlock bonus items as a reward for progress in the game.

“Family Fortunes is the perfect format for interactive game show fun on the go,” said Robert Marsh, Head of talkbackTHAMES digital. “We are pleased to extend the franchise to devices like the iPhone and iPod touch so that new and existing fans of the show can experience Family Fortunes in thrilling new ways.”

Koolhaus Games announces Voting for Round One of its International Contest for Unsigned Bands. The Top 25 Favorites in each Round are being decided by voters to the site. The Top 10 Winner’s Songs will be included in the new soundtrack of their popular iPhone game – iMP:Surf the Music and the groups will earn royalties from game sales.

Just visit the site, click on the Contest link – and go to “Fans: Vote and Enter”. Check out the bands and vote for your favorite by August 23, 2010. Then, Enter to Win an iPod Touch. Enjoy all the great new songs and be part of getting these Unsigned Acts the exposure they deserve! There will be several Rounds and one Voter from each round wins an iPod Touch.

The National Film Board of Canada returns to 2010 Hiroshima International Animation Festival (August 7–11) with six films in competition. In the running for the Grand Prix are Lipsett Diaries and Drux Flux, two films by Theodore Ushev; Jeu de forme by Malcolm Sutherland; The Spine by Chris Landreth; Runaway by Cordell Barker and Retouches by Georges Schwizgebel. Ushev will be in Hiroshima, and Internet users can stay in touch with him via his blog.

The festival offers several programs in addition to the official competition. No fewer than 11 NFB films are featured at special presentations: Neighbours by Norman McLaren screens at the opening gala; Vive la rose by Bruce Alcock, co-produced with the Canadian company Global Mechanic, screens at the Best of the World program; and When the Day Breaks by Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis, Village of Idiots by Rose Newlove and Eugene Fedorenko, The Big Snit by Richard Condie and Ryan by Chris Landreth, co-produced by the Toronto-based company Copperheart Entertainment, are among the films selected for the program celebrating the festival’s 25th anniversary.

Theodore Ushev’s, Lipsett Diaries uses a series of imagined diary entries to trace the life of the brilliant filmmaker Arthur Lipsett, beginning with his solitary childhood and culminating in his suicide in 1986. The film is narrated by Xavier Dolan. Lipsett Diaries premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2010 and received a Special Distinction Award. Ushev’s second film Drux Flux calls into question industry’s supremacy over humanity. Both films are produced by Marc Bertrand at the NFB’s French Animation Studio.

Runaway, by Oscar-nominated director Cordell Barker follows a wild escapade on a train with no conductor. The film garnered awards at Cannes and Annecy in 2009. The Spine by Academy Award-winning animator Chris Landreth, follows a man and woman trapped in a self-destructive relationship. Jeu de forme, directed by prolific Montreal filmmaker Malcolm Sutherland is a playful creative exercise. Georges Schwizgebel’s Retouches (co-production with Studio GDS) is a stylistic exercise based on the progressive transformation of images through a series of repeated movements.

Itibiti Systems Inc., a wholly owned division of Intertainment Media Inc., along with presenting sponsor McDonald’s Canada, today announced the debut of Launch Pad® – Canada’s first fully-integrated social media, entertainment and communications app for the desktop.

Representing the shared vision of developers Itibiti Systems and Canada’s premiere media agency, OMD Canada, Launch Pad® for McDonald’s sets a new standard in customized consumer engagement programs for global brands. The innovative, infinitely scalable platform defines an important new environment where a deeper relationship with consumers can be managed creatively and effectively.

FREE to download & use, Launch Pad’s customized page opens on the desktop as soon as the computer is turned on. With just one tool, consumers will now have instant access to an exclusive mix of content, services and communications features. Users can talk for free with friends and family across North America, stay connected with built-in social media favourites, click a premium selection of news & information feeds, access on-board MSN Live Services featuring Bing Search, enjoy VIP access to the latest promotions and updates, follow McDonald’s on Twitter and more.

“We’re very excited by the boundless possibilities of Launch Pad to engage, inform and inspire our customers”, said Hope Bagozzi, Director, National Marketing, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada. “We are always looking for ways to provide value to our customers, whether it’s through our menu offerings, a great restaurant experience or sponsoring new innovations such as the Launch Pad.”

Big and bold, the Launch Pad lets users add their own personal Facebook feed to the app, in addition to offering a premium suite of content with Splash Celebrity News, Citytv’s Breakfast Television, top movie trailers from tribute.ca, automotive reviews and information from the experts at Kelley Blue Book, the hottest stories on the web from the digg reel, and the ultimate in personal tech reviews/previews from the popular team at AppJudgement.

“It’s an absolute pleasure to be working together with the thought leaders at OMD Canada and McDonald’s Canada to debut this program nationwide,” said Brad Parry, Chief Marketing Officer – Itibiti Systems Inc. / Intertainment Media Inc. “Itibiti has created a powerful social media platform that can enhance digital strategies and achieve greater audience connection for brand clients globally.”

Telefilm Canada is pleased to announce that once again it has been recognized for its 2008-2009 annual report “Action”. Honoured by the 2010 International Arc Awards, an international annual report competition organized by MerComm, Inc., the Awards recognize outstanding achievement in annual reports from a variety of industries. Telefilm received the a Gold Award in the Non-Traditional Annual Report – Government Agencies and Offices category.

“To be recognized by yet another international competition is an honour for all of us at Telefilm,” said Carolle Brabant, Executive Director. “Each year, the annual report is the product of a good deal of time and energy on the part on many Telefilm employees, across many departments. It is extremely satisfying to then have that work acknowledged internationally.”

Telefilm Canada worked with the Montreal-based marketing agency CG3 for the creative concept and execution of the 2008-2009 annual report. The International Arc Awards has recognized Telefilm Canada on numerous occasions in the past, including in the 2009 when the organization’s annual report won the Bronze Award in the same category.

This is the second award competition that has recognized the annual report “Action”. Earlier in July, the 2009 Vision Awards awarded Telefilm with the following:

* Gold Award: Government Organizations – Annual Revenue of $100 million to $1 billion
* Silver Award: Best Agency Report – Americas Region
* Ranked 97th: Top 100 Annual Reports of 2009

The 2010 International Arc Awards will be handed out at an awards banquet in New York, NY on September 16, 2010.

Cisco is pairing its wireless technology leadership with the Flip Video™ simplicity-in-design approach to launch Valet™, a breakthrough product line that makes home wireless simple and accessible to everyone. Valet is designed to transform how families use the Internet in their homes so they can enjoy the freedom of wireless access without the usual frustration and complexity of setting up a home network.

“Valet is home wireless made easy,” said Jonathan Kaplan, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco Consumer Products. “With complementary backgrounds and expertise, our Cisco and Flip teams have combined forces to change the rules for home wireless with a product line that empowers consumers to easily set up, enjoy and manage all of their wireless devices anywhere in the home.”

While consumer demand for wireless products is on the rise with a tremendous array of new devices in the market, research from IDC Canada (Source: IDC Canada estimates for 2009, based on wireless home router ownership and use among total Canadian households) reveals that only 39% of Canadian homes are currently set up for wireless use.” This surprisingly slow adoption of home wireless is largely due to the complexity of offerings that are too technical for the average consumer to install and manage on their own. At the same time, the demand for wireless-enabled products – such as mobile phones, gaming systems, and music players – is extremely strong, according to ABI Research data reporting that more than 264 million of these types of devices shipped worldwide in 2009.

“Consumers have felt powerless and frustrated with the entire process of home wireless, but with Valet we are tearing down the walls and opening it up to everyone,” Kaplan added. “The market for wireless-enabled products is exploding, and now mainstream users will be able to take full advantage of all the new opportunities.”

Valet is the first wireless product line to make it simple for anyone to set up and manage a home wireless network. Consumers who have high-speed Internet access simply insert the included Easy Setup Key right into a USB port in their PC or Mac, and the Cisco Connect software takes over. Unlike other wireless products that require 20 to 30 complicated steps to set up a single computer, Cisco Connect takes you through three steps from start to finish. The Easy Setup Key retains all setup information and can be easily inserted into additional home computers to seamlessly add them to the home’s wireless network.

Once set up, Valet gives consumers a simple way to manage their family’s home wireless experience. The included Cisco Connect software makes it easy to: 1) add additional devices to the network, 2) set parental controls, 3) provide Internet access for guests on a separate guest network and 4) customize personal security settings such as passwords.

Valet also provides a new level of control for parents with simple tools to manage their family’s online experience. Valet’s Cisco Connect software lets parents easily set controls on the fly, so they can modify Web usage for certain days and times of the week, or even for temporary periods. For example, if teens are spending too much time on social networks or gaming systems, parents can modify their wireless access so that they cannot go online after 9 p.m. on weeknights. For each personal device connected to Valet — whether computer, gaming system or smart phone — Internet access can be individually controlled or changed, and inappropriate content can be blocked altogether.

In addition, Valet makes it easy to set up guest wireless access when friends or family come to visit. With a completely separate wireless connection, guests can use their laptops or mobile phones around the house, while the main Valet home network remains highly secure and private.

The new Valet line is offered in two models – Valet and Valet Plus – based on the size of the home and the mix of wired and wireless devices. In addition, there is a simple Valet Connector to update older computers without built-in wireless capabilities or to upgrade to Wireless-N. Valet users have access to Cisco’s award-winning 24/7 phone support in the unlikely event they have a question or problem. The Valet product line is available at Best Buy, Future Shop, Staples, London Drugs, The Source and select other retailers

* Valet – For small to medium-sized homes with primarily wireless device $99.99
* Valet Plus – For medium-sized to large homes with a mix of wireless and wired devices $129.99
* Valet Connector – Upgrades an older computer to wireless; an ideal complement to Valet or Valet Plus $69.99

Cisco has also unveiled a new line of Linksys® wireless routers in Canada, designed to let its core audience of tech experts and enthusiasts take their home networking experience to the next level. The streamlined product lineup sets a new precedent for simplicity, power and performance and makes it easy for consumers to find the right technology to fit their needs. The line also includes new Cisco Connect software, which gives users tools for easier customization and control of their home wireless experience.

With the addition of the new Cisco Connect software, the new Linksys E-Series is designed to make it easier for users to customize and control their wireless network settings to match their preferences. With a quick and easy setup, the software auto-assigns the WPA security passkey and SSID. Once those are configured, users can use Cisco Connect to easily manage their wireless home network.

And in other news, the Research & Analysis division of analyst firm Forecasting & Analyzing Digital Entertainment, LLC (FADE) gaming on Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) grew by double-digit numbers during the first half of the year, after a sluggish start in January and February which saw numbers down year over year. Overall, the XBLA market place grew 13% to $46.1 million USD by the end of June. June 2010 capped off the first half with an impressive 36% increase compared to last year’s June 2009.

FADE reports that the major turning point in 2010 for XBLA came during the heavily promoted ‘Block Party’ event, which started in March and featured four titles: ‘Toy Soldiers’, ‘Perfect Dark’, ‘Scrap Metal’ and ‘Game Room’. ‘Toy Soldiers’ and ‘Perfect Dark’ both took in over $2 million USD during the first half, placing each among the top five by revenue. The free-to-download classic title destination ‘Game Room’ also saw success, with over a million downloads shortly after release.

March started the positive trend, posting a strong 41% year-over-year increase in revenues, which began a consecutive 4-month run of double digit gains in revenue when compared to 2009. Starting in April, Microsoft began to aggressively promote price drops on dozens of titles, starting with the ‘Inventory Blowout’ sale which ran for one week in April, and included 10 titles. Throughout the second quarter, multiple sales were offered on titles, totaling over 40 titles offered on discount. These sales were seen as a success, as many titles saw revenue increases of between 50-200%. “We saw Microsoft take a very different approach to product deployment strategies this year,” said Benjamin Schlichter, Director of Research and Analysis for FADE. “The second quarter of the year has traditionally been their weakest, and they made great strides to improve the performance during the period, as revenue increased 24% compared to the year prior during a period when much of the rest of the industry is down.”

FADE maintains that Xbox Live Arcade will realize an estimated $130 million to $140 million by the end of the year, following strong hardware sales due to a solid holiday lineup, the new Slim console, and marketing for the motion-sensing Kinect hardware. Most notably, Microsoft’s 3rd annual ‘Summer of Arcade’ is anticipated to be met with impressive sales, following the implementation of their new ‘Destination Arcade’ UI.

Kinect brings an air of unpredictability to the mix. FADE research believes that Kinect pricing may dampen sales for the hardware slightly, but the possibilities of the platform may yield impressive revenues for Arcade developers looking to leverage the new platform for mini-games and unique, affordable experiences.

FADE Top 10 Estimates for H1 2010, by Revenue (USD)

* Toy Soldiers (Signal Studios) – $4.6 million (1200 Microsoft Points)
* Trials HD (RedLynx) – $4.4 million (800 – 1200 Microsoft Points)
* Castle Crashers (The Behemoth) – $2.9 million (800 – 1200 Microsoft Points)
* Battlefield 1943 (EA DICE) – $2.5 million (800 – 1200 Microsoft Points)
* Perfect Dark (4J Studios) – $2.4 million (800 Microsoft Points)
* Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (Capcom) – $1.8 million (800 – 1200 Microsoft Points)
* Family Game Night (EA Bright Light) – $1.7 million (400 – 800 Microsoft Points)
* Shadow Complex (Chair Entertainment) – $1.2 million (800 – 1200 Microsoft Points)
* Magic: The Gathering (Stainless Games) – $900,000 (800 Microsoft Points)
* Call of Duty Classic (Infinity Ward) – $800,000 (1200 Microsoft Points)

The Apple Canada App Store recently added a new app category entitled, “Great Canadian Apps“. This feature, as the name implies, recognizes apps created by Canadian-based companies. Only 29 Canadian-made apps have made the short list thus far, for everything from navigating Montreal to finance and productivity. It would be really nice to see a Made In Canada game feature as well, although searching for Canadian games in the App store does yield some interesting results…

All Seeing Eye Games announced today the release of a title update for the Xbox 360 game Drum Studio. The update for the award-winning drum recording game adds full support for velocity-sensitive drum kits. This new feature allows players with supported Xbox 360 drum kits to control the volume of their in-game drums by how hard they hit their real-life Xbox 360 drum pads.

Lead Programmer Darren Joe says, “This title update is a thank you to all the players who have made Drum Studio a success. For those with compatible drum kits, it adds a whole new dimension to Drum Studio’s already unparalleled recording tools.”

Drum Studio is an award-winning virtual drum recording app for Xbox 360 that allows players to play, record, edit, save and playback their own song creations using their Xbox 360 drum kits or controllers. It features a powerful easy-to-use recording interface, hundreds of high quality drum sounds and fully animated characters. It has received widespread critical acclaim since its release, including an Editor’s Choice Award from teamxbox.com.

The title update also includes fixes for an incorrect sign-in change detection and a conflict with cymbal expansion kits. Drum Studio is available now exclusively on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 80 Microsoft Points or try the free trial on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Snow Day Games, a new game development studio based in Charlottetown has announced that its original title for iPhone and iPod Touch, Fly vs. Car, is now available. Snow Day Games has partnered with international charity “Child’s Play” to put games and toys in the hands of sick children all over the world by sharing 50% of the profit from sales of the game to charity.

“Fly vs. Car is a fun, casual game for players of all ages and that fits with our goal of making a game that can do good in the world for children,” said Matthew White, chief creative officer of Snow Day Games. “As players dodge traffic in homage to Frogger and other great games where you avoid getting flattened, they can also know that their gaming is helping others.”

In Fly vs. Car, players avoid oncoming traffic for as long as possible by moving their fly from side to side. It’s a challenging and fun, fast paced game where the faster your reflexes, the higher your score. Fly vs. Car features OpenFeint, Facebook, and Twitter integration, so high scores can be shared and players can compete against their friends on the leaderboards.

Cross Media Toronto has announced new additions to its line-up of industry executives and technology experts to speak, demonstrate and debate at its symposium this July 21st, 2010. The event is in partnership with NATPE, the MaRS Discovery District, the CFC Media Lab and Bell, with the additional support from Canadian Media Fund, Idea Couture, MarbleMedia and Bellfund.

Newly added speakers include SVP Managing Director of Arc Worldwide Richard Bernstein and Chief Digital Officer of TBWA Worldwide Colleen DeCourcy in a conversation on the future of the advertising industry titled ‘The Changing Agency: Evolution or Revolution. President of Digital Extremes Ltd Michael Schmalz rounds out the super panel which includes SVP Director Digital for Random House of Canada Lisa Charters, Head of Agency Relations for Google Canada Sabrina Geremia and Senior Business Development Manager for RIM Pete Watson, while Core Matrix Creator Jacob Blackstock, President and Founder of Secret Location James Milward and CEO of ES3 Douglas Edwards will be presenting technology demos which will explore the latest innovations in digital media.

Jacob Blackstock will demonstrate his project Bitstrips.com, a hugely popular online tool for creating original comics and cartoon characters. James Milward will demonstrate HERD which is a mobile application that enables participants to discover and tag GPS-enabled audio; and Douglas Edwards will discuss ES3’s ITV product catalogue. In addition, Steve Pratt, Director of Digital Music at CBC and the director of CBC Radio 3 will be speaking at Cross Media Toronto’s event. Radio 3 is a multi-platform unit of Canada’s public broadcaster that focuses on emerging Canadian music. Other special guests include Akamai’s Chief Strategist Chris Van Noy and Transmedia Consultant Dr. Siobhan O’Flynn.

These featured heavyweight media industry executives and technology experts will discuss specific ways their respective media sectors can begin to collaborate with one another. Cross Media Toronto is designed to give attendees an opportunity to network with other media sectors as well as learn how the other sectors function in order to foster cross media collaboration in the emerging digital landscape.

ServerBeach, a leading dedicated hosting provider that prides itself on being built ‘By Geeks, For Geeks’, today announced the availability of ServerBeach in Canada. Dedicated hosting in Canada through ServerBeach is now available for purchase worldwide and will be housed at PEER 1 Hosting’s flagship US$40 million data centre in Toronto, which opened earlier this year. PEER 1 Hosting acquired the dedicated hosting company in 2004 to help further its business by providing the necessary assistance to startups and small businesses around the world.

“We understand geographic location is an important factor for our customers when choosing where to house information,” says Robert Miggins, Senior Vice President, Business Development, ServerBeach. “We are committed to servicing our fellow geeks to the highest degree and are thrilled to be able to offer a full suite of services in Canada to support them, North and South of the border, as they grow.”

PEER 1 Hosting’s new 41,000 square-foot data centre is the most efficient data centre the Vancouver-based company has built to date, with increased power densities, high reliability and robust security. It also marks the first time PEER 1 Hosting will be offering all three hosting services – managed hosting, dedicated hosting and colocation – in Canada, enabling greater choice and flexibility to meet customer needs and current demands.

“While in theory hosting is a borderless business, in practice geography is very much a relevant factor. When it comes to choosing a hosting provider, where the data centre is located is a key part of a potential customer’s decision-making process,” said Philbert Shih, Senior Analyst for Hosting at Tier1 Research, a division of The 451 Group. “There are legal and regulatory issues to consider, while cultural and linguisitc factors should not be overlooked. There is also a comfort and convenience factor when it comes to where IT infrastructure is hosted, and distance to and from a data centre impacts performance and latency. Hosters that set up operations in multiple geographies and legal jurisdictions have a value propostion that will open the door to a wider range of opportunities.”

Unlike competitors, where service often ends once the server is connected, PEER 1 is focused on providing customers with continued support as their businesses grow, starting with dedicated hosting through ServerBeach, an inexpensive entry point for low traffic websites, through to colocation and managed hosting, which helps minimize internal IT pressures so businesses can put a greater emphasis on core business operations.

Although the hockey season is over, ServerBeach and PEER 1 Hosting is keeping the game alive with limited edition jerseys for its new customers. Beginning July 14, every new PEER 1 Hosting and ServerBeach customer in Canada will receive either an authentic PEER 1 Hosting or ServerBeach hockey jersey. Official jerseys are available through to the end of Summer 2010.

Tecagora Solutions Inc. is delighted to announce that Snapact Photo Manager has been selected as the winner of the “Best of Entertainment” category for the Intel Atom Developer Challenge 2010 taking home the award title and $10,000.

In January 2010, Intel announced the release of its AppUp Center and the Intel Atom Developer Challenge 2010 competition for software developers to create ground-breaking applications designed to operate on the Intel Atom processor that is found in many of the netbooks available in the marketplace.

“We are thrilled that Snapact Photo Manager has been selected as the winner of the Intel Atom Developer Challenge 2010 ‘Best of Entertainment’ award,” states Bruce Kwan, President and CEO of Tecagora Solutions Inc. “The Intel Atom Developer Challenge 2010 program is open to software developers on a world-wide scale, and to win the ‘Best of Entertainment’ category is a great achievement for the team behind the design and development of Snapact” says Kwan.

The AppUp Center is designed to be a storefront for games, software applications and utility tools that software developers have created and optimized for netbooks operating with the Intel Atom processor. All software titles available through the AppUp Center have been tested and certified to operate on Netbooks with the Atom processor. Netbook users can launch the AppUp Center and quickly browse, download, install, purchase and uninstall the optimized software titles available through the AppUp Center, saving time and effort in looking for software applications that may or may not work correctly on the user’s netbook. Categories of the Intel Developer Challenge 2010 “Best-in-Category Applications” include Best of Home & Lifestyle, Best of Utilities & Security, Best of Education & Reference, Best of Entertainment, and Best of Games. Tecagora has been a member of the Intel Software Partner Programme since December 2008, and a member of the Intel Atom Developer Program since the program’s inception in December 2009.

Kengin Consulting Inc., a mobile development consulting firm, has launched a new application for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users. Whether you are looking to build your own apps, acquire new skills for your resume, or just have some fun, you should check out SDKtoday now.

Kengin CEO Jacob Kennedy, was prompted to develop SDKtoday as a result of the experiences he encountered while developing his own iPhone apps. “When I was first learning how to make iPhone apps, I had to aggregate solutions from a variety of sources. There was no single place I could refer to that would provide me with everything that I was looking for. To get what I needed, I had to either buy a book or download an app… either way, I paid in full but needed only a fraction of the content. That’s why I like our app, and our approach. You can download it, demo the tutorial options, and decide what fits your needs. This way, you only end up buying what you need while being provided with a sweeter and swifter path to app development success.”

Dennis Volovic of dedovo Inc., collaborated with Kengin as SDKtoday went from design to reality. “We always wondered why something like this was never done before. As we began to work on our app, it became clear why! Conveying the depth and breadth of the tutorials in a way that is intuitive and scalable is not so straightforward. My excitement really piqued, and I knew we were on to something when the S2C2 methodology came together; Start It, Stub It, Connect It, and Complete It. It’s that easy! This approach is so incredible, that we immediately began using it for all our own personal app development!”

Kennedy & Volovic both agree that the “pièce de résistance” of the SDKtoday app, is the S2C2 learning methodology they created. The methodology was essential in streamlining the iPhone development process and provides a consistent learning experience throughout all tutorials!

SDKtoday App Features:

• Tutorials:

o The app gives you three tutorials for free. Tutorials 101 through 109 make up the “introductory series” of the SDKtoday tutorials. Once mastered, you will be in a position to apply this knowledge to build your own apps. The tutorials are packed with clear and practical info. They are architected around core development topics and techniques that illuminate individually and collectively.
o In the Tutorial Detail view you can Demo the App, learn to Build It, or Download the Code
o In the Build Detail view, you have the freedom to read through the materials or watch videos bringing the app to life utilizing the S2C2 methodology.
o Tutorials 104-109 are already available for purchase in the Store section of SDKtoday, with more to come.
o Every tutorial gives you the opportunity to learn by way of watching videos or reading, and each works towards development of an actual app.
o Status Indicator: Toggle the status button to keep track of your progress. There are three tutorial states; Not Started, In Progress, and Complete.

• Reference Section: Provides an extensive reference section offering tips and other Xcode related literature. You can review the Core Data Object nomenclature, brush up on your Xcode Keyboard Shortcuts, learn a few Debugging Tips, and much more.

• Store: In addition to the free Tutorial offerings, there is a store full of additional tutorials. You can buy these tutorials and expand your SDK knowledge even further, right in the app. You can go through the tutorials in order, or in the classic “choose your own adventure” fashion.

The call for submissions to present lectures, roundtables and panel sessions at the 2011 Game Developers Conference® (GDC) is now open through Wednesday, August 25th. Organized by the UBM TechWeb Game Network, GDC 2011 marks the 25th anniversary of the game industry’s most comprehensive professionals-only event where game developers converge for a week of learning, networking and inspiration. GDC 2011 will take place February 28-March 4 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California. Session proposals can be submitted via the official GDC website. The GDC advisory board is looking for submissions in the following areas: Audio, Business and Management, Game Design, Production, Programming and Visual Arts.

The industry has seen the scope of gaming experiences evolve to include more connected social games and independently produced titles. The GDC 2011 advisory board has been expanded to address these areas and welcomes a slate of new members including Dan Fiden, (GM, Playfish San Francisco), Adam Saltsman (Co-Founder, Semi Secret Software ), Soren Johnson (Lead Designer and Programmer, EA Maxis),Siobhan Reddy (Studio Director, Media Molecule), Steve Theodore (Technical Art Director, Undead Labs) and Scott Selfon (Lead Program Manager, Microsoft). These new members join industry veterans such as Dave Perry (Gaika.com), Mark Cerny (Cerny Games), Chris Hecker (definition six), Rob Pardo (Blizzard Entertainment), Julien Merceron (Square Enix), among others on the advisory board.

“We pride ourselves on providing best practices for game developers of all genres and GDC 2011 will continue this tradition as the gaming space grows and adapts to the evolving market,” said Meggan Scavio, director, Game Developers Conference. “We’re excited to welcome our newest advisory board members and expect them to bring a healthy balance of their past experiences along with a fresh approach to the conference program. The forward-facing content, inspired sessions, and especially the insightful advisory board are what has kept the event thriving for 25 years, and will sustain it for the next 25.”

Congratulations are due to Tickle Tap Apps developer zinc Roe, the proud recipient of three Parents’ Choice Awards in the highly competitive Mobile Apps category. Sound Shaker and Sort Slider both earned Gold Awards for highest quality apps while Count Caddy was recognized with Silver Honors for excellence. These popular apps are educational iPhone games preschoolers love and parents can feel good about.

To celebrate the awards, zinc Roe will be giving away Bug Builder, the newest app in the Tickle Tap series, for free! Visit the iTunes App Store on Saturday, July 3 or Sunday, July 4 and type “Bug Builder” into the search to download your free app.

The venerable Parents’ Choice Foundation has been reviewing and recommending quality children’s media for more than three decades. This year it was inundated with entries for its new Mobile Apps category. Apps were judged based on overall ratings for how each app amused and offered new ways to learn. The judges describe Tickle Tap Apps as “a charming introduction to learning anytime and anywhere.”

“zinc Roe design offers a suite of bright and colorful apps for the youngest users,” says the Parents’ Choice Awards review of the Tickle Tap apps. “With its welcoming continuity of voice and characters, this age-appropriate playful prologue is deliciously intriguing to those eager to learn.”

Tickle Tap Apps are attractive, simple games that help kids learn about numbers, shapes and patterns. The apps are developed by child gaming experts, vetted by educational researchers and tested by kids. These portable games help transform trips, line-ups and car rides into fun, educational experiences for young children.

U.S. publisher 505 Games and Canadian developer Artificial Mind and Movement (A2M) have released the bears – Naughty Bear is now available for the Xbox 360™ and PlayStation®3 platforms. The game allows players to take on the role of the infamous Naughty Bear, who is driven to seek retribution after his fellow bears snub him one time too many times. After the other bears exclude him from Daddles’ big birthday party, Naughty Bear finally snaps and slashes a grisly path of revenge and destruction across the Island of Perfection.

Waging psychological warfare against all things cute and fluffy, as Naughty Bear, players engage in sadistic scuffles on all that crosses their path. Using a hilarious array of weapons, interactive objects and endless scare tactics, gamers create chaos on the Island of Perfection to earn Naughty Points as they inflict physical and psychological harm on Naughty Bear’s numerous enemies. This all-new scare-based points system allows players to win the most rewards for being truly deviant and maniacal. As the ill-fated bears become more difficult to harass and terrorize as the game progresses, the variety of scare-based attacks allow for a completely new experience each time players pick up a controller.

Rated by the ESRB as “T” for Teens with a “Violence” content descriptor, Naughty Bear features more than 28 single player levels to unlock as well as competitive online multiplayer modes filled with unique characteristics and weaponry encountered at every stage. Players battle an endless barrage of bears recruited to wage war against Naughty, including Soldier Bears, Ninja Bears, Robo Bears and even an Alien Bear invasion. As they scour the Island of Perfection to unleash their naughtiness, players can collect all the hidden party items locked away by the other bears to win wearable items and unlock special Achievements and Trophies.

Transgaming has just announced that Her Interactive’s title Nancy Drew: Trail of the Twister is now available on GameTree Online for Mac gamers. Download the game for only $19.99 and then go undercover as a storm chaser, immersing yourself in meteorology by studying clouds, reading Doppler data, and surviving tornadoes – all while trying to find a saboteur.

For the second time in as many weeks, Canadian rockers Nickelback have ventured into the musical game genre, this time with California-based developer Tapulous. The studio is extending its wildly popular Tap Tap Revenge franchise with the launch of Nickelback Revenge, which is available now for $4.99 in the iTunes App Store. The new game features eleven of Nickelback’s most popular all-time songs, including “Rockstar,” “This Afternoon,” and “If Today Was Your Last Day.”

“The combination of our music and Tapulous’ gameplay is very cool. We’re excited to give our fans a fun, interactive way to experience our music,” said Chad Kroeger of Nickelback.

A premium version of Tapulous’ addictive music rhythm game, Nickelback Revenge sets gameplay to the band’s biggest hits and integrates engaging Nickelback graphics and content. The game also includes a popular Bluetooth-based “battle mode” which allows players to wirelessly challenge friends to point-by-point battles for bragging rights.

“We’re thrilled to bring Nickelback to Tap Tap Revenge. Our players are always hungry for more great music, and Nickelback definitely fits the bill,” explained Tim O’Brien, VP of business development at Tapulous. “Whether measured by album sales, song downloads or concert attendance, Nickelback is huge.”

To kick off the launch, Tapulous and Roadrunner Records, Nickelback’s worldwide music label, are running a special promotion: The first 2,500 consumers to download the game will receive 25 in-game credits — good towards the purchase of more music — and a chance to win a Gibson Flying V signed by the band. In addition, players will be challenged to “Outplay Nickelback,” or beat the band members’ highest in-game scores. Players who best Chad, lead guitarist Ryan Peake, bass guitarist Mike Kroeger and/or drummer Daniel Adair will be entered to win weekly prizes, including Dark Horse tour books and premium earphones.

Consumers across the globe are embracing the Internet as a primary source of information, but Canadians are unique in their use of digital and social media. The 2010 Digital Influence Index, released in Canada today by Fleishman-Hillard in conjunction with Harris Interactive, reveals that Canadians have high online engagement but a lower level of trust in the Internet.

The study also measures several key aspects of consumers’ use of the Internet, from media consumption patterns, to the degree of adoption of various digital behaviours, to involvement in social networking. Now in its second year, the Index has expanded to include 48 per cent of the global online population, spanning the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Japan and Canada.

“Canadian consumers are comfortable yet cautious when it comes to using the Internet,” said David Bradfield, senior partner and global chair of Fleishman-Hillard’s digital practice. “We lead the world in social networking and call the Internet our most influential source of information. There’s a gap though. While consumers migrate online, marketers aren’t making the move to digital fast enough. They need to realign their marketing and communication programs or risk irrelevance in the consumers’ mind.”

The Digital Influence Index reveals the following key insights that set Canadian consumers apart from the rest of the world:

1. Internet Most Influential Medium: The Internet is the most important and influential form of media consumed by Canadians. Compared to the 37 per cent of Canadian consumers who say that newspapers are important to their lives, 52 per cent say that the Internet is most important.
2. Canadians are Sociable: Sixty-nine per cent of Canadian consumers have a Facebook account, compared with the 47 per cent average across the seven countries. Though Canadians embrace social media, they are cautious about its use and how much they reveal about themselves.
3. Canadians Seek Accuracy: In Canada, consumers are more likely to identify and follow a couple of trustworthy sources for the most accurate information on the Internet.
4. Cautiously Trusting: Canadians are most likely to seek advice from others when making a decision and value conversations with friends, families and co-workers when it comes to decision-making.
5. Twitter Know-how: Consumers in Canada are the most knowledgeable of microblogs but have low levels of trust in companies that microblog.
6. Pay to Play Doesn’t Pay-off: Consumers call into question the truthfulness of an article written by a blogger if the blogger was given a free sample or was paid by a company.
7. Adopting Mobile Behaviours: Canada has a relatively low level of adopting many mobile digital behaviours compared with other mature markets (U.S., U.K, France, Germany and Japan).
8. Where to From Here: Although the Internet is already considered an influential medium, only 24 per cent of Canadians believe that it will have a greater influence on their decisions in the next two years.

Waterloo’s Primate Labs, developer of the cross-platform Geekbench benchmark, is pleased to announce the immediate availability of Geekbench 2 for iPhone and iPod touch on the iTunes App Store. Geekbench 2 for iPhone features a completely new interface designed for the iPhone and iPod touch, and runs the same benchmarks as Geekbench 2 for other platforms.

“What’s great about Geekbench 2 for iPhone is that it runs the same benchmarks as Geekbench 2 on other operating systems,” says John Poole, founder of Primate Labs. “Users can not only compare their results between other iPhones and iPods, but also between iPhones, iPods, Macs, and PCs.”

Accuracy: Geekbench 2 for iPhone runs a number of different benchmarks, all of which are engineered to simulate real-world usage scenarios. Geekbench quickly and accurately measure processor and memory performance. Geekbench also displays results for each individual benchmark and an average overall score for all benchmarks, allowing users to make both broad and narrow comparisons between devices.

Ease of use: Geekbench 2 for iPhone features a simple user interface with no difficult or confusing benchmark options to set, which takes the guesswork out of producing repeatable and reliable benchmark results.

Community: Geekbench 2 for iPhone integrates with the Geekbench Result Browser. The Geekbench Result Browser allows users to upload, manage, and share their benchmark results online. Users can also compare their results to other results; with over 250,000 results from different sectors and industries (including finance, government, media, and tech) the Geekbench Result Browser provides a rich database for comparisons.

Geekbench 2 for iPhone requires an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 4 or later, and is available today on the iTunes App Store for $4.99.

The National Film Board (NFB) of Canada, which is undergoing the complete digitization of its 70-year film and tape-based collection, has implemented American-developed Atempo Digital Archive (ADA) as the cornerstone archival solution for its preservation efforts. The organization has integrated ADA within its digitization workflow to archive and manage over 13,000 works that make up 6,000 hours of content.

In developing the NFB’s Digitization Plan, the challenge was preserving this priceless audiovisual legacy for future generations while making these collections available to all on the platform of their choice, including theatrical screenings, online streaming and on mobile devices. The new digital archive ensures the reliable long-term retention of the NFB’s collection as well as the efficient management of the exponential growth in data volumes from all new productions. With its cataloguing, indexation and search functionalities, ADA’s broad capabilities make it optimized to meet the NFB’s most critical needs. Furthermore, by seamlessly integrating with the NFB’s existing in-house asset management system, ADA helps streamline content workflows.

A special XML-ingest capability in ADA enables the archival of all digital assets along with all their metadata. In the NFB’s digitization workflow, three separate digital versions are created and archived for each production: the uncompressed Digital Source Master, the Digital Master with treatment of image and sound elements, and an unassembled, compressed mezzanine file that is used to generate copies of the production for other distribution platforms such as streaming broadband or mobile devices. At the same time, each digital version also requires the recording and archival of the film’s metadata, which include the resolution at which it was digitized, the different aspect ratios, the source type, and other content factors. For every 100 titles, the digitization process generates over 10 million metadata entries associated with 30 TB of content and 2.4 million files.

Many of the NFB’s films are repurposed or edited into new works, and ADA’s automation enables the organization to efficiently meet their repurposing mandates by providing platform- and format-specific deliverables to their customers. ADA provides an easy-to-use graphical interface that simplifies metadata searches and allows drag-and-drop archive and retrieval, which enables NFB technicians and collection managers to efficiently search and retrieve works from the archive.

Vancouver’s Maximizer Software Inc. has announced the availability of the first-ever Maximizer CRM 11 Team Edition and enhanced CRM 11 Entrepreneur Edition, tailored for organizations with individual or up to five networked users that primarily need contact management functionality. The new Team Edition is designed for organizations with 5-50 networked users that demand more advanced sales opportunity management and collaboration. These latest offerings complete the rollout of Maximizer CRM 11 across four editions, with Group and Enterprise Editions previously launched on March 29.

“With today’s small business landscape tougher than ever, professionals are demanding real-time access to critical customer and prospect information—as well as the ability to strategically act on sales pipeline activity—in a moment’s notice,” said William Anderson, executive vice president of technology, Maximizer Software. “Our new ‘Team’ approach to sales was developed with this in mind, as Maximizer CRM 11 enables powerful collaboration and knowledge sharing among colleagues so they can collectively focus on efficiently closing the highest priority sales opportunities, whether in the office or on the road.”

Maximizer CRM 11 offers expanded sales force automation capabilities and tools to proactively monitor and keep sales opportunities moving forward. Team edition specifically offers advanced Sales Opportunity Management, which enables companies to create Sales Teams within the system—whether domestic or international, with time zone support built into related appointments and tasks. Sales managers are able to leverage critical insight into the status of sales deals in the pipeline with real-time access into performance data by representative or sales team, to better focus resources and facilitate stronger collaboration to close key deals. Additionally, sales team members can quickly merge customer information with professional HTML email templates for timely sales outreach and follow-up activities.

Maximizer CRM 11 features a new, intuitive user interface based on Microsoft Office’s familiar “ribbon” style navigation found at the top of Microsoft Office applications. Users can optimize their customer list management by associating specific column views to catalogue searches and “favourites” lists for quicker search results.

Delivered via BlackBerry® devices, Maximizer Mobile CRM gives small business professionals instant access to information in the field, including customers’ history, leads, sales opportunities, dashboards, customer service cases, documents, and schedules. Included in Maximizer CRM 11 Team Edition and available as an add-on product for Entrepreneur Edition, new Maximizer Mobile CRM features include optimized usability, such as a redesigned interface, tighter integration with native BlackBerry applications, and more end-to-end features that enable deeper interaction with real-time customer data. Wireless synchronization is no longer required. Specific new offerings include:

* Real-time access to content, documents and e-mail attachments stored in the central Maximizer CRM database
* GPS functionality with turn-by-turn maps and navigation, which enables mobilized workforces to optimize their time on the road and get new directions on-the-fly if schedules unexpectedly change
* Multimedia support for video, voice and images that can be easily saved to a current Maximizer CRM record
* Mobile CRM multi-user support, which allows users to assign tasks, escalate cases, and assign opportunities to other colleagues without returning to the desktop application

Featuring CRM functionality specifically tailored for smaller teams, Maximizer CRM 11 Team and Entrepreneur Editions are available from Maximizer or through its global network of business partners. Team Edition is priced at $549 MSRP per license, which includes desktop and mobile access, as well as one year of inclusive upgrade assurance and technical support. Entrepreneur Edition is available for $199 MSRP and includes desktop access with the option for mobile access as an add-on product with additional license fees. Please inquire for full pricing and promotional offers valid until August 31, 2010.

Updated with link: Mattel Canada is taking the new Hot Wheels® Colour Shifters™ collection for a road trip across Canada this summer. They are stopping over at 50 Canadian community festival events between now and September. Mattel Canada’s Assistant Brand Manager Melissa Chau will officially launch the summer tour tomorrow morning at Toronto’s Yonge and Dundas Square. The summer road trip is meant to show off the new life-size Colour Shifter Ford Mustang, and kids who attend the launch event tomorrow can help change the colour of the car, play with Hot Wheels® toys and also receive a special Hot Wheels® collector booklet, T-shirt and more.

Tickets for Interactive Ontario’s IN 2010 are now on sale, with Super Early Bird and special rates for those delegates who attended the event last year expiring on July 16th. This cross-platform, multi-stream conference about the business and ideas of interactivity will take place from September 12-14 at the Carlu in Toronto. The conference will be divided into the following streams:

Mobile: The IN Mobile stream will present sessions from case studies to discussions about the latest and greatest key developments, the current status and future development trends in wireless technology.

Social Media: Social Media at IN will focus on the creative and business opportunities in a sector which is continuously reinventing itself through user-generated content. Showcasing leading-edge projects and discussions about the newest communication platforms, these sessions will explore marketing, collaboration, information sharing, and experimental crossovers.

Games: The video games industry continues to be one of the fastest growing industries worldwide. With an eye toward intellectual property, which is exploitable along multiple entertainment verticals, this stream brings creative, production and business perspectives to the table at IN 2010. Industry veterans will discuss current trends, explore leading-edge projects and examine the challenges and opportunities that exist in crossover projects.

X-Platform: This stream focuses on the opportunities that lie in the digital media content space as it continues to grow by showcasing the interconnectedness of various interactive sectors within cultural and digital media industries. This stream highlights the potential creative and business opportunities that exist between platforms.

Visionary: The visionary stream is dedicated to showcasing thought-leaders. Made up of the innovators, originators, inventors and explorers of big ideas. These forward-thinkers share their vision and in turn, incite new ways of thinking about business models, interactivity, and technology.

A release date has been set in zombie blood for Dead Rising 2. Fans of this survival-horror title from CapCom and Blue Castle Games can assimilate the persona of motorcycle racer Chuck Greene on September 28th. Dead Rising 2 is listed at Future Shop for $59.99 (Xbox 360) and $64.99 (PS3), while Best Buy lists both versions at $59.99. Neither store lists a PC version, and the CapCom US store doesn’t yet list Dead Rising 2 at all. GameStop Canada also neglects the PC version, but it does offer the strategy guide for pre-order.

CapCom also confirmed late last week that Zombrex Dead Rising Sun, a motion picture inspired by the Dead Rising universe, will be distributed free of charge in both Europe and North America this summer. Written and directed by Keiji Inafune, Capcom’s global head of research and development, Zombrex Dead Rising Sun follows two brothers as they try to escape the zombie outbreak that has hit Japan. Exploring the darker side of human nature and filmed entirely on location in Japan, Zombrex Dead Rising Sun, both pays homage to the zombie movies of the 1960s and ‘70s and provides links with the videogame world of Dead Rising®.

Zombrex Dead Rising Sun will be released digitally in a series of eight episodes which Dead Rising and zombie movie fans can watch for free. Featuring an English voice over, the episodes will also be available as separate versions with French, Spanish and Italian subtitles.

Vancouver indie studioAll Seeing Eye Games has launched its debut title exclusively on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Drum Studio, available for 80 Microsoft Points, allows players to play, record, edit, save and playback their own song creations on their Xbox 360 drum kit. It utilizes the full potential of the drum kit to put the power of music creation in the players’ hands.

Game Designer Joel Cappelletto says, “Drum Studio takes music games to a new level with its creation and customization tools. We’re very excited to finally share it with the world.”

Drum Studio does away with playing along to pre-determined drum lines. Instead, players create their own jams on drums they’ve customized from a library of over 320 sounds. A simple & elegant recording interface allows players to layer in multiple tracks and hone their songs to perfection before they save the song, kick back, and watch an animated drummer play back their creation.

The past few years have seen the music game genre explode into a cultural phenomenon only to fizzle out in its own stagnation & over-saturation. Drum Studio aims to push the genre forward in meaningful ways with its robust customization & creation tools and re-ignite some of the passion players felt that first time they sat down at a plastic instrument peripheral.

The dev team over at Montreal’s Gamerizon Studio are celebrating as their sports title Chop Chop Tennis ™ has become the company’s third iPhone game in a row to generate over 1 million downloads on the App Store.

Chop Chop Tennis™ became the #1 downloaded sports game in over 40 countries late last week and during the weekend when it was offered free for a few days. It also reached the top 5 overall downloaded apps in most countries (including #2 in the US and #3 in China ). Chop Chop Tennis is available for a special price of $0.99 for a limited time only on the App Store.

Gamerizon’s first two iPhone games – Chop Chop Ninja™ and Chop Chop Runner™ also reached the magic number earlier this year.

“Reaching the 1 million level is in itself no small feat,” said Alex Sakiz, CEO of Gamerizon. “But when you can do it three times in a row with your first three games, it’s clear you’ve got something very special going on.”

With around 4 million downloads in the last 3 months, the Chop Chop™ series is quickly becoming one of the world’s top gaming franchises on the iPhone/iPad platforms. The next instalment in the series, Chop Chop Soccer™ is scheduled for launch towards the end of July 2010.

Manpower has launched an innovative suite of online and social media tools designed to enhance employee engagement and their overall job search experience, including video interviewing technology, candidate-centric resources, and mobile applications to access up-to-the-minute information.

“These Manpower solutions are leading the way candidates and employers interact”, says Byrne Luft, Vice President of Marketing for Manpower Canada. “The ability to recruit talent and service clients is significantly advanced with the development of these online tools”.

At the core of this innovative strategy is the introduction of Manpower’s video interviewing technology called, “Candidate Studio”. An integral part of our candidate pre-screening process, this new initiative will bring candidates to clients in a way that will change the industry’s recruitment perspective. An industry first, this innovative web-based video tool allows clients to preview candidates from any location, including their smartphones, to gain intuitive impressions in a quick and convenient way.

“Traditional recruiting programs and methodologies are often too slow, too expensive and take up valuable time, and results in higher cost-per-hire, decreased candidate quality and satisfaction, and higher turnover. This technology will address these issues, and expedite the recruitment process in an effortless way that will ultimately impact the quality of hire that we deliver to our clients”, says Luft.

Manpower is also the first staffing firm in Canada to invest heavily into search engine job optimization to attract talent to our career site. Manpower has customized landing pages for every possible search that job seekers might perform.

By shifting the focus from linear recruiting, and adopting a relationship approach, Manpower has access to larger candidate pools. Manpower’s presence within various social media networks (such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Craigslist, and Facebook) allows them to reach passive and active candidates and build more highly sustainable relationship networks.

Manpower’s talent landing pages have been created to serve as job-seeking “portals”, offering industry specific resources, and the chance to interact via “Live Chat” with an expert recruitment professional. These pages also allow access to career-building resources that ensure candidates find ideal jobs that are aligned with their goals and career aspirations.

This philosophy extends beyond Manpower’s online social communities with an interactive kiosk located at Manpower’s flagship office in Toronto, which enables individuals to research, access and apply for jobs 24 hours a day. This is yet another example of how Manpower is focused on assisting businesses and individuals in navigating through the changing world of work.

UBM TechWeb Game Network has opened the submission process for the 2011 Independent Games Festival to be held at GDC 2011 in San Francisco next March.

The longest-running and highest-profile independent video game festival, summit and showcase is now accepting entries to the 13th annual Festival, with deadlines in the Main and Student Showcase categories by October 18th and November 1st respectively, and finalists to be announced on January 2011.

All games selected as finalists will be available in playable form at the IGF Pavilion on the GDC show floor, and will compete for nearly $50,000 in prizes, including the Nuovo Award, Excellence in Design, Art, Best Student Game, the Audience Award and the $20,000 Seumas McNally Grand Prize. Winners will be announced on stage at the high-profile Independent Games Festival Awards on Wednesday, March 2, 2011, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

GDC 2011 also includes the 2011 Independent Games Summit, which is entering its fifth year and offers two days of inspiration and practical lectures and rants from the top minds in the independent games world.

Continuing to honor the best and brightest of the indie gaming community, the Independent Games Festival is expanding in its thirteenth year to recognize the new opportunities open to mobile and handheld game developers. Responding to developer feedback, games made for Apple’s iPhone and iPad, the Android operating system, Nintendo DS/DSi, PlayStation Portable, and all handheld devices will compete in the same traditional IGF categories. They will also be eligible for a new Best Mobile Game award, honoring innovation, achievement and artistry in handheld gaming.

Other changes to the 2011 festival include an expanded focus on alternative elements in independent gaming, with the number of finalists for the IGF Nuovo Award — honoring abstract, shortform, and otherwise esoteric ‘art games’ — increasing from five to eight games in total.

The modifications continue to expand the Independent Game Festival’s global importance as the largest and most all-encompassing showcase of independent game talent across the wide spectrum of artistically- and commercially-aimed development. Notable former IGF winners include World of Goo, Braid, Castle Crashers, Everyday Shooter, Darwinia and Audiosurf, with IGF 2010 prizewinner Limbo a key game in Xbox Live Arcade’s ‘Summer of Arcade’ line-up and 2010 nominee Joe Danger a recent, acclaimed release on PlayStation Network.

Brandon Boyer, Chairman of the IGF, said of this year’s event: “Expanding the IGF to include mobile and more artistic experiences is our way of recognizing the constantly evolving landscape of indie game development, and the advancement of the expression possible in the medium itself. I’m more excited than ever to see what the indie community creates for this year’s festival, and wish all the entrants the best of luck!”

Submissions to the competition are now open to all independent game developers; important dates for IGF 2011 are as follows:

– June 28th, 2010 – Submissions are Open
— October 18th, 2010 – Submission Deadline, Main Competition
— November 1st, 2010 – Submission Deadline, Student Competition
— January 3rd, 2011 – Finalists Announced, Main Competition
— January 10, 2011 – Finalists Announced, Student Competition
— February 28 – March 4, 2011 – Game Developers Conference 2011
— February 28 – March 1, 2011 – Indie Games Summit @ GDC 2011
— March 2 – March 4, 2011 – IGF Pavilion @ GDC 2011
— March 2, 2011 – IGF Awards Ceremony (Winners Announced!)

According to sources that claim to have seen the mythical Unibear, the creature can appear at random on the Island of Perfection for a very short time. Given the amount of mystery surrounding the Unibear, it is likely that any player who manages to catch and scare the mysterious creature will win an exponential amount of Naughty Points.

Naughty Bear’s reign of terror doesn’t stop at the shorelines of the Island of Perfection, however. As the resident bears call for backup, Naughty Bear takes on increasingly powerful waves of enemies, including Ninja Bears, Soldier Bears, RoboBears, ZomBears and even powerful Alien Bears from another planet. Naughty Bear can unlock costumes for each of these enemies as he defeats them, allowing players to create utter pandemonium on the Island as the bears try to distinguish friend from foe.

Nickelback, the 11th best-selling act of the 2000′s with more than 30 million records sold worldwide, will make their Rock Band debut in the Rock Band Music Store on June 29th. The band will make their debut in Rock Band next week with a six pack of songs.

“Nickelback Pack 01” will include “Burn It to the Ground” and “This Afternoon” from 2008’s album, Dark Horse, which has held a place in the Top 100 of the Billboard 200 since its release last year. Also included are “Photograph” and “Rockstar” from 2005’s All the Right Reasons, which was certified eight-times platinum in the United States in October 2009, making it one of the best-selling albums in U.S. history. “Figured You Out” from 2003’s three-time platinum The Long Road and “Never Again” from 2001’s six-time platinum Silver Side Up will also be featured in “Nickelback Pack 01.” These tracks will be available for purchase as “Nickelback Pack 01” as well as individual tracks on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 system, and as individual tracks only on Wii.

Be Green Canada today announced that it has joined the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing computer power consumption by 50 percent by the year 2010. Together, Be Green Canada and the other industry-leading members of the Initiative will work to increase the adoption of energy-efficient PCs and servers and increase awareness and use of computer power management.

“Be Green Canada is committed to reducing the energy consumption of information technology, both through actions, as well as driving awareness and development of energy-efficient technologies among customers. By working with Climate Savers Computing, Be Green Canada is helping lead the movement toward a more clean and sustainable future”, said Owner, Rich Dezso.

As a member of Climate Savers Computing, Be Green Canada is committed to reducing energy consumption from a majority of its computing equipment by:

* Pledging to purchase high-efficiency computer equipment that meets or exceeds Energy Star ratings
* Optimizing existing computer systems to use power management capabilities, such as hibernation and sleep modes
* Ensuring in subsequent years the company purchases computing equipment with increasing levels of efficiency

In a typical desktop PC, nearly half the power coming from the outlet never reaches the processor, memory, disks or any other computing components. The wasted electricity is dispersed as heat and increases the cost of powering a computer, as well as the emission of greenhouse gases. In offices, homes and data centers, the added heat from inefficient computers can increase the demand on air conditioners and cooling systems, making the computing equipment even more expensive to run. Servers are more efficient than desktops, but still typically waste 30 to 40 percent of the input power.

Telefilm Canada has announced the winners of the Golden Box Office Award, a newly-created award that recognizes the writers and director of the Canadian English-language feature film with the highest domestic box-office sales each year. The 2009 “Goldie” was handed to the director and writers of the film Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day at an auto-body shop in Halifax today. The second feature film in the Trailer Park Boys comedy franchise, the title grossed $2.9 million in domestic box office sales. The 2009 winners of the Goldie and accompanying cash grants totalling $40,000 are director and co-writer Mike Clattenburg and co-writers Timm Hannebohm, John Paul Tremblay, Robb Wells and Mike Smith.

“We are very pleased to be presenting the inaugural Goldie Award to Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day,” said Carolle Brabant, Executive Director, Telefilm Canada. “With two feature film hits and a TV series that was able to garner a cult following both here and south of the border, the team behind The Trailer Park Boys has achieved outstanding success. Telefilm strives to recognize the talent behind Canadian cinema, because it is these outstanding partners – the hardworking writers, filmmakers, producers and distributors – who keep our industry solid and vibrant,” she concluded.

“Telefilm took a huge chance investing in the Trailer Park Boys concept back in 1999 but it paid off with the success of our first and second features films,” said Mike Clattenburg, director and co-writer of Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day. “Without Telefilm’s unfailing support, we could never have made our two movies or the series,” he concluded.

“Congratulations to the Trailer Park Boys writing team, and a big thank you to Telefilm for the important recognition,” says Maureen Parker, Executive Director, Writers Guild of Canada. “A prize like this will help our talented writers stay in this country and develop the next winning Canadian film,” she concluded.

Helmed by writer-director Mike Clattenburg, Trailer Park Boy: Countdown to Liquor Day was co-written by John Paul Tremblay, Robb Wells, Mike Smith and Timm Hannebohm and produced by Barrie Dunn, Michael Volpe and Mike Clattenburg.  The film begins with Julian, Ricky and Bubbles newly released from jail and brimming with optimism about their prospects for the future. However, when they return to Sunnyvale, they encounter a leaner and much meaner Park Supervisor Jim Lahey who has some big changes in mind for the park, changes that don’t exactly go over well with the Boys, who then face their biggest test since Grade 10. Alliance Films distributed the film across Canada.

Just in time for hot dog season, dougiedog the Dogumentary premieres in Vancouver this Monday, June 28th. Featuring celebrities Dave Grohl and Jason Alexander plus music from some of today’s finest acts, dougiedog the Dogumentary is the inspirational story of a man (comedian, entrepreneur and hot dog fanatic dougieluv), who overcomes tremendous obstacles to achieve his dream of opening up a hot dog shop. What starts as a hot dog research expedition across America in a rusted-out Dodge Caravan turns into an incredible journey of self-discovery guided solely by the hands of fate.

The premiere will be held at the Cellar Nightclub directly across from the dougiedog Hot Dog Joint at 1011 Granville Street. The event will feature food, music, prizes, hot dogs, and a special appearance by the Ivy League Brawlers (an 8-piece live band). Tickets are $10 and available at the dougiedog Hot Dog Joint while supplies last. Admission includes a free cocktail and appetizers. Doors open at 6:30 pm, the movie screens at 8 pm. People who show up sporting their hot dog spirit will be granted free entrance.

Twitter announced earlier today that it has purchased Vancouver company Smallthought Systems, the powers behind Dabble DB and Trendly. A message on Dabble DB’s landing page about the sale of the company reads:

“Obviously this represents a new chapter in the life of Dabble DB, both for us as a team, and for the product itself. We’d like to assure you that, for now, we will continue to provide our software and technical support to current Dabble DB customers. However, we will be disabling new account signups effective immediately.

There will be further changes to Dabble’s ongoing operations, and when those happen, we want to do right by you. We will provide you with 60 days advance notice of any major change. We will do whatever we need to do to make sure that, at any time, you can export all of your data, including attachments, in a structured format suitable for import into other systems.”

Patrick Beaulieu, Animation Artistic Director at Ubisoft Quebec City, has launched his first 3D animation collection book Animation Insiders. A rich and complete work of knowledge sharing, this collection of testimonials gives a lot of tricks and hints as well as anecdotes from renowned animators at Dreamworks, Blue Sky and Pixar, to name a few. The book is now available worldwide on sstudiopress.

“Gathering all these people from all over the world and putting together all of these testimonials was a lot of work, says Patrick Beaulieu, but the result gives us a privileged vision on what is going on back stage in animation. Each collaborator had a clean slate to share his experiences, works, methodologies, philosophy, etc…. even if some aspects are more technical, Animation Insiders remains open to a wide audience, from the animation fan boy to the experienced animator. Everyone passionate about animation, movies and video games will find himself in this book, he will also find details and insides about his favorite animation movies or games” he adds.

You will find testimonials, visuals and illustrations from 13 renowned animators such as:

Jason Ryan (USA, Dreamworks, Shrek 4)
Andrew Gordon (USA, Pixar, Nemo)
Jason Martinsen (USA, Animation Mentor, Ice Age)
Jason Schleifer (USA, Dreamworks, LOTR)
Anthea Kerou (USA, Dreamworks, Bolt)
Victor Navone (USA, Pixar, The Incredibles)
Ana Maria Alvarado (USA, Sony Image Works, Spiderman)
Mike Nguyen (USA, Rainplace, Iron Giant)
Pedro Blumenbaum (Spain, Nocturna)
Pablo Navarro (Spain, Nocturna)
Emilio Ghorayeb (Canada, New Breed VFX, Madagascar)
Matt Stangio (USA, Pixar, Toys Story 3)
Reno Armanet (France, Tigobo Animation)

The schedule for the GameSauce Conference has been posted to the web. This conference takes place on July 19th, immediately prior to Casual Connect Seattle (July 20 -22). Registration is $100.00 USD or is free to those registered for the Casual Connect Seattle conference. There are some great topics, panels and roundtable discussions on the slate, so plan to be in Seattle one day early in order to take advantage of this event. Along with the great topics being offered through the GameSauce Game Development Track, the following areas may also be of interest to you, and like me, you will need a clone in order to take it all in.

The Leadership & Professional Development Track, produced in partnership by Women In Games International, Women In Games Vancouver and Women In Games IGDA offers some great panels and roundtable discussions about career building and talent nurturing.

If game audio is your thing, The Audio Track, produced by Game Audio Alliance, has much to offer, and the Nvidia Tegra Mobile Game Development Track, which is making its debut at this year’s GameSauce Conference is a must for those looking for opportunities in the mobile market. The Alternative Funding and Exit Strategies Track, produced by The Corum Group is a four hour crash course discussing the positives and negatives of funding as well as what to do with your company once you are successful.

iPhone developer Matt Rix has released his first title in the iTunes App Store. Trainyard is a challenging puzzler that requires the safe movement of coloured blocks (trains) from one station to the next. Each of the 100 puzzles ramps up in difficulty, adding colour and track-changing blocks into the mix while you try to draw tracks from one locale to the next, hopefully avoiding train pile-ups. There are no set solutions to the puzzles, so you are free to try as many options as you like. Trainyard also includes bonus levels as well as the ability to share solutions that worked for you on the game’s web site. Trainyard is available now for only $1.99.

Disney Interactive Studios today announced Club Penguin Game Day! is being developed exclusively for Wii. Scheduled for release this September, Club Penguin Game Day! will mark the franchise’s video game console debut.

Based on the snow-covered virtual world that’s captivated millions around the globe, Club Penguin Game Day! will delve into the environment, characters and storylines of the online playground of Kelowna-based Club Penguin like never before. The game will include innovative ways to connect with Club Penguin and new, interactive mini-games to challenge and engage the whole family.

“Club Penguin has always maintained a really strong emphasis on social, family fun and the value of working together,” said Lane Merrifield, co-founder of Club Penguin and executive vice president of Disney Online Studios. “Moving onto the Wii platform lets us offer parents a great opportunity to connect with their kids in the comfort of their own living room around an active game that’s participatory, cooperative and a lot of fun for everyone, and that’s something we’re really excited about.”

In Club Penguin Game Day!, players create and customize a penguin and compete in a variety of single or multiplayer sports-themed racing and performance events such as Java Sack, Fast Freeze, Sled & Slide and Sumo Smash. Each time players beat a challenge, they conquer a zone on the island. The ultimate goal is for players to work with their team and conquer as much territory as possible.

Club Penguin Game Day! will be the third video game in the franchise, following the recent release of Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: Herbert’s Revenge for Nintendo DS™. The highly anticipated sequel to the original DS game, Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force, which was released in 2008 and sold more than 1.5 million units worldwide, introduced intriguing new missions and mysteries for Elite Penguin Force agents.

“As the Club Penguin phenomenon continues to grow, it makes sense to bring the brand to Wii,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios.“ Club Penguin Game Day! combines the distinct look and feel of the Club Penguin virtual world with competitive games that are easy to pick up and play using the Wii Remote.”

Club Penguin Game Day! will allow players to transfer their customized penguins via their Wii Remote™ to a friend’s Wii for use in gameplay. Once back on the original console, high scores, coins and customization items earned will merge with the player’s profile.

As with the two DS games, players can also upload coins earned in game to Club Penguin, but the new game will take the elements of online-offline connectivity even further by also allowing players to synchronize their in-game penguins and achievements with their online penguin accounts. Club Penguin Game Day! is Rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

Tungle Corp. has been named the official scheduling application of BlogWorld & New Media Expo, taking place October 14-16, 2010 in Las Vegas. The company also announced the release of its free WordPress and TypePad plug-ins for calendar publishing and integrated scheduling. The free Tungle.me TypePad widget can be found by logging into your Tungle account and clicking on Management, then Widget.

“I’ve saved a ton of time scheduling meetings since discovering Tungle.me,” said Scott Stratten, President of Un-Marketing and opening keynote speaker at BlogWorld 2010. “I’m psyched that I can add the Tungle.me plug in and publish my availability directly through my site, and accept or reject meeting requests without a time-wasting email exchange.”

WordPress and TypePad users with a Tungle.me account can now add the Tungle.me widget to their blogs. The widget embeds a mini Tungle.me page into the user’s blog or website, allowing visitors to click-to-expand and see availability, suggest times to meet, and send a meeting request—without leaving the site.

“With over 350,000 posts daily and 250 million plus blog visitors monthly; corporate and personal blogs are at the heart of business communication,” stated Marc Gingras, CEO and founder of Tungle. “The Tungle.me widget closes the asynchronous communication gap between bloggers and their audience to make meetings happen. Now bloggers can share their availability and book meetings, right alongside their Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social widgets.”

As part of its initiative to support bloggers, Tungle has formed a partnership with BlogWorld. Through this partnership, conference attendees, speakers and exhibitors can select a personalized Tungle.me URL upon registration for the event. They can then customize their Tungle.me page and synchronize it with online calendars. Attendees can also choose to be added to the BlogWorld group in the Tungle.me directory, making it easier for them to schedule meetings with other attendees.

“At BlogWorld, it is as much about who you meet and the connections you make as it is about the content,” said Rick Calvert, CEO at BlogWorld & New Media Expo. “By partnering with Tungle, we are able to offer our attendees better service, enabling them to easily schedule meetings with each other onsite, as well as before and after the show.”

Score Media Inc., home of The Score Television Network, theScore.com, Hardcore Sports Radio and ScoreMobile today announces the launch of ScoreMobile FC, a free, comprehensive source of information for world football fans around the globe.

Building on the success of ScoreMobile, the leading sports app in BlackBerry App World™ worldwide and one of the leading apps in Apple’s App Store – and also recently launched for Android – ScoreMobile FC offers soccer fans:

- Live scores, stats and standings for more than 30 international soccer leagues from over 15 countries worldwide, growing to over 50 leagues by the kick-off of the 2010/2011 season
– Original video content such as The Score’s popular The Footy Show, multiplatform programming dedicated to covering all of the latest isoccer news and highlights
– Interactive live blogs for every key game
– Breaking news, top stories and game odds

The Score’s original sports app, ScoreMobile, is the ultimate resource for the hardcore sports fan, providing fast and easy access to in-depth sports information for all major sports leagues. Recently named a “Top 10 Sports App” in Beckett Media’s Guide to Phone Apps and a “Top 20 free BlackBerry App” by PC Magazine since its initial launch in June 2009, ScoreMobile has quickly become the industry leader with more than 1.3 million monthly unique visitors and counting.

“The Score is a revolutionary sports media company who believes in technological innovation,” says Dale Fallon, Director, Mobile, Score Media Inc. “One of our key strategies is to invest in and promote mobile media and we know that the portability of content is extremely important to consumers worldwide. Sports fans have proven the worth of ScoreMobile by downloading it, using it and spreading the word. Now we’re taking that to the next level by releasing an app for dedicated soccer fans – just in time for the most incredible sporting event of the year, the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.”

While most people have intuitive reactions to Web sites, a group of Canadian scientists is developing software that can actually measure those emotions and more. Aude Dufresne, a professor at the Université de Montréal Department of Communications, led a team of researchers that are designing a new software to evaluate the biological responses of Internet users.
Simply put, the new software measures everything in Web users from body heat to eye movements to facial expressions and analyzes how they relate to online activities. The technology is now being tested at the newly opened Bell User Experience Centre, which is located at the telecom giant’s Nun’s Island campus. Bell will use the Université de Montréal technology to investigate how people react to Web sites. Such studies will provide companies with facts on how they can improve online experiences.

“With e-commerce and the multiplication of retail Web sites, it has become crucial for companies to consider the emotions of Web users,” says Professor Dufresne. “Our software is the first designed to measure emotions at conscious and preconscious levels, which will give companies a better sense of the likes and dislikes of Web users.”

This research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Bell Canada.

Kiboomu Kids Inc. announced today that “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” Preschool Storybook Piano iPhone App is now available on the iTunes store. Developed by a preschool teacher and platinum award-winning children’s singer/songwriter, The Preschool Storybook Piano App is a singing piano storybook that educates and entertains young children. Music is a valuable learning tool that encourages children to communicate, connect, discover and express themselves.

To celebrate the launch of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star ” Preschool Storybook Piano App, Kiboomu is hosting a contest to give away 200 copies of its’ iPhone app. It is open to everyone with a US or Canadian iTunes account. The contest begins at 9:00 AM PST, on June 10st 2010 and ends at midnight PST on June 11th 2010. All you have to do is go to Kiboomu online and enter your email address and location.

Preschool Storybook Piano’s simple-to-use interface allows children to:

* Watch the story unfold and hear the song being sung
* Press the start button and sing along
* Record and hear their own voice
* Select 7 different types of instruments and learn about the sounds they create
* Add animal sounds to the song
* Watch the piano keys light up one-by-one with the melody
* Follow the lighted piano keys to play the song
* Match the colorful music notes to the piano keys and play along
* Sing and read karaoke-style lyrics in English, French and Spanish
* Include their parents as they sing and read together
* Increase their vocabulary and language awareness
* Improve their auditory comprehension and listening skills

Now, parents with an iPhone will be able to provide their child with a learning tool that keeps them occupied and entertained.

“Juggling work and family life is hard,” said Sherry Segal and Wendy Wiseman, the owners and Co-Presidents of Kiboomu Kids Inc. “We created an iPhone app that keeps children entertained and learning while parents go about their busy day. It fills the child’s day with laughter, increases their little vocabularies and expands their growing minds in a fun and inviting way. Parents have just got to love that!”

Through the Kiboomu Kids Foundation, a portion of all sales will go towards feeding kids. “To come to the aid of children in need is our passion and what motivates us,” said Segal and Wiseman. “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” Preschool Storybook Piano App is $0.99 cents (USD) and available June 10, 2010 worldwide, exclusively through the App Store, the Educational and Games (Kids) category.

Applied Recognition announces the release of Fotobounce™ version 3.0, offering users the most secure way to share photos with friends and family members. With the release of v3.0, Fotobounce alleviates the concerns most users have about sharing their digital photos via a public website. These new features complement the unique people-centric photo management capabilities of version 2.0. Fotobounce also employs advanced face recognition technology to speed up the tagging of photos.

Fotobounce 3.0 enhancements include:

- Easy direct sharing of photos with friends and family: Create a peer network with any friends or family members that are running Fotobounce. Invite a friend to join the network as a fellow “Bouncer.” Once the invitation is accepted, a “Bouncer” can browse any photos marked as “public.”

- See whether friends are online or offline similar to Skype™: Friends that are online will show up clearly on the “Bouncer” list. Connect to those friends and browse photos by People, Events, Places, Keywords, and Collections.

- Invitations go by email, along with sample photos: Send an invitation email and attach “teaser” photos so friends and family members see a sample of the photos available for browsing.

- Full control over privacy: Of course security and privacy of data is a major concern as demonstrated by the recent uproar over default privacy settings and complexity. Fotobounce provides complete control over every album and what specific friends can see those albums. All transmissions of photos and associated data are encrypted with 128-bit SSL. Rest assured that no one can view any photos unless authorized.

- All photo tagging comes along with transferred photos: When viewing a photo on a friend’s (“bouncer”) system, one can see all associated info tags and people tags. If that photo is copied to the local Fotobounce library these tags also copy with the photos.

Fair Copyright for Canada (administered by Michael Geist) also has an active Facebook group which carries updates and opinions relevant to Bill C-32. One point which seems to be an area of contention is the Digital Lock, and CBC News has written a very comprehensive look at what it could entail. I freely admit that I have not had time to read and process all of the information about C-32, and while I will endeavour to do so, I would like to invite someone more expert in the ramifications of C-32 to write a guest editorial explaining the good and the bad of our copyright bill. While many of what we could deem as special interest groups are voicing their opinions about Bill C-32, the most relevant to both us and our readers is what those in interactive media are saying. All of the sites and Twitter accounts above contain links to opinions and press releases from groups such as ACTRA, AFM and the Documentary Organization of Canada, and I invite you to check them out. Here is what ESAC has to say about the reforms:

The Entertainment Software Association of Canada has released a statement about Bill C-32, congratulating the Government of Canada on its introduction of copyright reform legislation which will help protect Canadian content creators and digital media companies. ESAC believes that protecting the intellectual property of industries that contribute to Canada’s prosperity is not only good public policy, but is essential as our economy transitions to more knowledge-based jobs.

“We applaud the government for showing leadership on this complex issue and we look forward to studying the bill more closely,” said Danielle Parr, Executive Director of ESAC. “Without strong protection for our intellectual property, we’re basically operating in a digital Wild West. Promoting piracy under the guise of ‘user rights’ does nothing to defend the livelihood of thousands of Canadians who rely on turning great ideas into world class entertainment,” she added.

“Piracy fundamentally undermines the integrity of the marketplace. It forces creators to compete against black market versions of their own products, affecting their ability to recover the considerable investments associated with digital media production. A strong bill – one which prohibits hacking of digital works, trafficking in hacking tools and that makes those who facilitate digital piracy clearly liable for their activities – is critical to the success of Canada’s digital economy,” says Parr.

In the industry’s view, a bill with clear protection for intellectual property will enable creators to decide how and at what cost their products can be accessed and in turn allow consumers to decide which products succeed and fail by voting with their pocketbook. Further, by supporting a diverse range of business models, strong copyright will facilitate increased competition, which ultimately leads to greater consumer choice and lower prices.

In related news, the Pew Internet and American Life Project has released a report about The State of Online Video. While this study was conducted in the USA, the information can be useful to those Canadian companies and individuals who produce web-distributed products. The study is available as a downloadable PDF, or it can be read online.

And now back to our regularly scheduled Canadian game industry news and updates:

THQ has confirmed in an official press release that Relic Entertainment’s Company of Heroes Online will indeed be released to the North American market this fall. Building on the frenetic Real-Time-Strategy action of the original Company of Heroes, Company of Heroes Online is free to play and offers army specialization, commander customization, and persistent progression, allowing players to strategize on and off the battlefield. Players will also have the opportunity to earn or purchase special units and upgrades and improve their army with each and every multiplayer victory.

Vice President of Global Brand Management Travis Plane commented that, “We are delighted to bring this award-winning franchise to gamers in a whole new way with the online version of the Company of Heroes experience. Players will benefit from the persistent upgrades and the ability to tailor their armies to really suit their play style making this a unique experience for everyone.”

Capcom® Mobile and Classic Media, whose portfolio includes of some of the world’s leading kids, family and pop-culture brands such as Where’s Waldo?®, Casper the Friendly Ghost® and Lassie®, have announced the release of Where’s Waldo?® In Hollywood, the sequel to last year’s top-selling mobile phone game.

“The first Where’s Waldo? game was a run-away mobile hit with its addictive mini games and classic search and find puzzles,” said Midori Yuasa, President, Capcom Interactive, Inc. “For the sequel we’ve built on the winning mix with a whole new crop of puzzles, achievements and even more Waldo fun.”

“Capcom Mobile has done a terrific job translating the search and find experience of Where’s Waldo? for mobile and we are excited to partner with their team on the second game,” said Nicole Blake, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Consumer Products, Classic Media. “With its crowds of celebrities and celebrity-spotters, Hollywood is an exciting place for fans to take up their search for Waldo.”

Based on the international publishing phenomenon, Where’s Waldo? in Hollywood, developed by Capcom Interactive Canada, chronicles the world-famous traveler through a series of tinsel-town themed adventures. Players can join the search with multiple search and find games that are based on classic scenes from the book series, as well as five mini games, including Tic-Whack-Wizard, Odd One Out, and Slide Puzzles. As players progress, they will be able to unlock bonus content and earn in-game achievements. Where’s Waldo? In Hollywood is currently available for download on most North American carriers.

EA has released a new Dev Diary for the upcoming Need For Speed World. Check out what they have to say about the game in this new video.

Meanwhile, over at EA Sports, it seems that the developers have gone out on a limb and predicted that Spain will take home the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. Using the market-leading EA Sports™ football engine that drives 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ on the PS3 iand Xbox 360, EA Sports was able to simulate the 2010 FIFA World Cup and test all 32 teams under the same conditions they will face in the weeks ahead. It was determined that Spain will defeat Brazil 3-1 at Soccer City on July 11 to win its first World Cup. The testers holding the controllers – and thus the “players” free will, determined the following from their simulation:

* World Champion: Spain
* World Cup Final: Spain 3 Brazil 1
* 1st team to be eliminated: South Africa
* Golden Boot winner: David Villa (Spain), 7 goals
* Golden Ball winner: Kaka (Brazil)

EA Sports is also predicting that soccer fans around the globe will compare these astonishing results to the real-world tournament as it unfolds beginning June 11. The Final itself was an epic battle as Brazil put on a dazzling display of free-flowing samba style football early on against the Spaniards, taking a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute with a Felipe Melo strike from just inside the box. It didn’t take long for Spain to level the score after a goalie error that left striker David Villa in the clear. He tapped in his 6th goal of the tournament in the 42nd minute. The second half saw fortunes turn in favour of Spain, as their disciplined build up play and domination of possession paid off with a goal in the 61st minute when Villa connected for his second goal of the match, off of Andres Iniesta’s driven cross. Brazil had several efforts on goal in the final third of the match but couldn’t capitalize on its chances as they pushed all players forward in an attempt to draw even, eventually conceding a splendid counter attack goal in the 88th minute from Cesc Fabregas, which delivered Spain the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Spain’s path to FIFA World Cup glory included a quarterfinal 5-4 penalty shootout victory over Italy after an absorbing 1-1 draw, and a 2-1 win over Argentina in the semi final. Brazil’s journey to the Final included a 3-2 win over the Netherlands in the quarter final and a 5-4 shootout victory over England after the two teams played out a 2-2 draw in the semi.

Music makers who play games will soon be able to play, record, edit, save and playback their own song creations on their Xbox 360 drum kit peripherals in the form of Vancouver’s All Seeing Eye Games‘ debut title Drum Studio. Drum Studio utilizes the full potential of the drum kit to put the power of music creation in the players’ hands.

No longer will players merely play along to pre-determined drum lines. Instead, they will create their own jams on drums they’ve customized from a library of over 320 sounds. A simple & elegant recording interface allows players to layer in multiple tracks and hone their songs to perfection before they save the song, kick back, and watch an animated drummer play back their creation.

The past few years have seen the music game genre explode into a cultural phenomenon only to fizzle out in its own stagnation & over saturation. Drum Studio aims to push the genre forward in meaningful ways with its robust customization & creation tools and re-ignite some of the passion players felt that first time they sat down at a plastic instrument peripheral.

Drum Studio is the inaugural product of All Seeing Eye Games, a Vancouver-based independent game development studio founded in November 2009. It is dedicated to making accessible games that push the boundaries of innovation. Drum Studio is releasing in June 2010 exclusively on the Xbox LIVE Indie Games channel of Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 80 Microsoft Points.

Twenty-five Boys and Girls Clubs youth from across Canada will get the opportunity to pursue their careers and life goals through higher education as recipients of a $4,000 Future Shop Future Leaders Scholarship.

“I am extremely honoured to be selected as a recipient of the 2010 Future Leaders Scholarship,” said Scott McKinnon, a longtime member of Boys and Girls Club of Saint John. “Without this award, I may not have been financially able to attend university next year and continue towards the completion of my degree. This scholarship will allow me to better focus on the requirements of my courses without worrying about the stress incurred by having to find a way to cover the costs associated with a year at university. I am very thankful that Future Shop has partnered with Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada to provide this opportunity.”

Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, through the generous support of Future Shop, has been supporting the education dreams of youth for ten years through the Future Shop Future Leaders Scholarships program. The program provides vital financial support at a time when tuition costs continue to rise. Since the program was created, more than 550 young people have received scholarships totaling more than $1.5 million. Each student receives a $3,500 or $3,000 cash award along with a $500 or $1,000 Future Shop gift card to provide needed technology and school equipment.

“I am the first person in my family to go to university. My parents couldn’t afford to go and I feel really blessed to have come to Canada and been given all these opportunities,” said Majda Miljkovic, a past Future Shop Future Leader Scholarship recipient who is currently studying Education at the University of Manitoba. “The Future Leaders Scholarship has helped me keep up with paying for school on my own, stay out of debt in doing so, and also look around me and realize just how lucky I am to be here today.”

Building on the ten year success of the Future Shop Future Leaders Scholarships, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada and Future Shop have developed a new program, Future Generation, which will launch later in 2010. An evolution of the Future Shop Future Leaders Scholarships, Future Generation will aim to provide young people in Grade 10 with the financial resources to achieve their long term education goals and the skills and technology needed to be truly successful.

“Future Shop is committed to investing in creating positive opportunities for young people and together with Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada we have helped hundreds of young people over the past ten years realize their dream of post-secondary education,” said Cheryl Grant, Community Relations Manager, Future Shop. “Through the Future Shop Future Leaders Scholarships we have improved the lives of youth and families across the country, and we will continue to make a difference through the upcoming Future Generation program.”

Recipients of the Future Shop Future Leaders Scholarships are selected based on their outstanding contribution to their Boys and Girls Club and local community, good academic standing and financial need.

2010 Future Shop Future Leaders Scholarship Recipients

Alberta

Amaira Hanson, Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary
Erin Hutchinson, Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary
Tammy Morgan, Stettler and District Boys and Girls Club
Courtney Johnson, Boys and Girls Club of Brooks and District

British Columbia

Reid Neilson, Boys and Girls Club Community Services of Delta/Richmond
Janette Wheeler, Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs
Eileen Zheng, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Vancouver

Manitoba

Sabreen Shahin, Boys and Girls Clubs of Winnipeg
Hope Akello, Boys and Girls Clubs of Winnipeg

New Brunswick

Sarah Stewart, Miramichi Boys and Girls Club
Scott McKinnon, Boys and Girls Club of Saint John

Newfoundland and Labrador

Alexandria Hemeon, Botwood Boys and Girls Club Inc.

Nova Scotia

Carlos Beals, Boys and Girls Club of Dartmouth

Ontario

Kaitland Thompson, Toronto Kiwanis Boys and Girls Clubs
Mike Ali, Boys and Girls Clubs of Peel
Osman Omar, Boys and Girls Club of London
Mahdi Hussein, Eastview (Toronto) Boys and Girls Club
Meagan La Plante, Boys and Girls Clubs of Kawartha Lakes
Prince Sunama, Boys and Girls Club of Kingston and Area Inc.
David Francis, Boys and Girls Club of East Scarborough
Ismail Abdulle, Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa
Richard Lorde, Braeburn Boys and Girls Club

Prince Edward Island

Donald Gallant, Wellington and Area Boys and Girls Club

Quebec

Lois Boateng, Boys and Girls Club of LaSalle / Club Garcons et Filles de LaSalle

Saskatchewan

Kayla Krawetz, Battlefords Boys and Girls Club

The next Innovation Camp will be held on May 29th and 30th at Bootup Labs. Get your tickets now for a great workshop that will challenge assumptions, connect ideas, embrace failure and see problems as opportunities for creative solutions in order to take your entrepreneurial venture to the next step. Tickets for Innovation Camp are $119.00 and can be purchased online.

Tickets are also still available for the Vancouver SIGGRAPH presentation of Alice in Wonderland: Creating Underland. Taking place on May 25th at the Empire Theatre Granville, this session features two presentations, the first with animation director David Schaub (Sony Pictures Imageworks), who will give you a look behind the talent and tools that were used to create Alice In Wonderland. Mr. Schaub will focus primarily on the standard creative elements of the show, but he will also provide insight into the surprising challenges and innovative technical solutions that were used to breathe digital life into over 30 inhabitants of Underland including the Mad Hatter, the Red Queen and the Cheshire Cat.

The second Creating Underland session will be presented by freelance Visual Effects Supervisor Carey Villegas, who will focus on the process of photographing the “live-action” component of the film, as well as the many challenges that he and Senior Visual Effects Supervisor, Ken Ralston faced in post production while creating the visual and stereo 3D effects. A screening of Alice in Wonderland will follow the technical presentations. Tickets for this event are $20.00 for non-members and $15.00 for members. Please note that online ticket sales for the seminar are now closed, but you can still get tickets at the door.

Our friends over at AnnexPro have just told us about two upcoming seminars for Final Cut Pro editors. Presented by the International Colorist Academy, these two courses will be taking place in Vancouver beginning on June 7th. The first course, Apple Colour, will be held on June 7 & 8th, while the Colourist Strategies session will be held June 9th through 11th.

Interactive entertainment company Ludia and FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) today announced the American Idol Star Experience game will be available as a free download on May 26th to coincide with the Season 9 finale of the smash hit American Idol™ TV show. The game enables fans to continue their Idol obsession as they unleash their creativity by producing jaw-dropping online performances for family, friends and the whole Facebook community to rate and compare against other players.

Idol enthusiasts simply use their existing Facebook login to create a game account to access the free Performance Creator download for PC. The Performance Creator enables players to design their own unique stage performance, including building a custom avatar from head to toe, choosing a song to sing from dozens of hits, choreographing dance moves, and directing a multitude of staging elements like camera angles and special effects. The player can then post the performance to Facebook with one click, to be rated to see how they compare to other performers in singing, styling and staging categories.

Members of the Facebook community can also enjoy the American Idol Star Experience game in a highly social context as members of the “audience” view and rate performances, choose favorites, leave comments for performers and discuss the best (and worst) of the performances- all within the Facebook environment.

“We are excited to release a unique game experience based on American Idol, one of the most important entertainment franchises in the world,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “American Idol Star Experience reinforces our existing multiplatform game strategy, now seamlessly integrated with robust social features.”

American Idol Star Experience features:

* A free downloadable Performance Creator, available via players’ existing Facebook account.

* Personal avatars that players build head to toe, including body type, face, eyes, hair and more.

* Dozens of hit songs available in a wide variety of genres to suit all musical tastes including rock, punk, pop, hip hop, disco, R&B and country.

Players can achieve further customization of all elements of a performance via a simple “drag and drop” interface, including:

* Recorded singing- Players can select pre-recorded voice tracks, or use their own voice to sing karaoke-style.

* Personal styling- Hundreds of hair styles, wardrobe items and accessories to choose from.

* Unique staging- Stages modeled after the famous American Idol stage, with special effects, lighting, camera angles, dance moves and props that players can craft to create a one-of-a-kind performance.

* Social interaction within the Facebook community as members of Facebook can visit the game’s page to view and rate performances based on singing, styling and staging criteria. Players have also the ability to invite select Facebook friends to a private viewing of their performance.

“After more than eight top-rated seasons on television, the Emmy-award winning American Idol is one of the most successful properties on TV,” said Olivier Delfosse, Director, Interactive, FremantleMedia Enterprises, licensor for the program. “We are pleased to extend American Idol to both the existing fan base and new audiences alike with a highly immersive game experience that further deepens consumer engagement with the franchise.”

Ubisoft Montreal has released the North American trailer for Shaun White Skateboarding, which is scheduled for release this fall.

In other Ubisoft Canada news, and as many of you already know, the team at Ubisoft’s newest studio, Ubisoft Toronto, will lead development of the next installment of Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell®, one of Ubisoft’s most successful franchises with over 19 million units sold worldwide.

“Building our studio around both AAA brands and original IP has allowed us to attract an all-star team to Ubisoft Toronto. We’re really happy to be able to tell the world that the Toronto studio’s first big franchise title is the next Splinter Cell game. Splinter Cell has become synonymous with innovative gameplay, great design, and one of the most beloved characters in games,” said Jade Raymond, managing director of Ubisoft Toronto.

Jade Raymond started the new studio with the core team of Alexandre Parizeau and Maxime Béland, producer and creative director on Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell® Conviction, and producer Lesley Phord-Toy and Rima Brek, head of technology in Toronto. They have been the foundation for a development team that has grown to over 40 very experienced and creative professionals today. And given the roster of ambitious AAA titles that Ubisoft Toronto has on deck, the new studio will continue to accelerate that pace, and keep hiring the best in the industry.

Stir Fry Games has released more information about their upcoming Xbox Live Indie Games title SFG Beach Volleyball, which was submitted to Microsoft last week.

In Beach Volleyball, you’ll be able to play online with your friends or join a single-player blitz-style tournament with up to 16 other players. Other game features will include 30 different tournaments around the world on 3 different tours in the multi-season career mode. The World Tour will feature realistic tournaments with up to 68 teams, double-elimination draws, pool play and qualifying rounds. With the RPG-style improvement system, you’ll be able to improve your skills as well as those of your partner, because you’ll be able to customize your AI partner’s blocking and digging strategies.

This is a reminder that Autodesk is looking for computer-generated animations to be included on its 2010 SIGGRAPH reel. Submit your latest short animation game cinematic, film, feature film, commercial, broadcast, music video and episodic projects created using Autodesk software, such as Autodesk® Maya®, Autodesk® 3ds Max®, Autodesk® Softimage®, Autodesk® MotionBuilder®, and Autodesk® Mudbox™ software. This is an opportunity to share your work with industry peers and potential clients at July’s SIGGRAPH event in Los Angeles. The reel will also be streamed live on the AREA, promoted on the Autodesk website and YouTube Channel, and played during industry events throughout the year. Autodesk is also looking for high-resolution images for inclusion in general marketing materials throughout the year. The deadline for video submissions is 31 May 31 2010 and for imagery 4 June.

Machinima.com has released the first episode for their latest series – Dragon Age: Warden’s Fall. The series picks up where Bioware’s Dragon Age: Origins ends, and you can watch as the Darkspawn are pursued in their retreat.

Also in major news from Bioware is the official announcement of the long-rumoured Mass Effect movie. Stories about interest for a Mass Effect movie began circulating earlier this year, when project director Casey Hudson told MTV that “we (Bioware) have a tremendous amount of interest from people in Hollywood to make a major motion picture about ‘Mass Effect. The most important thing for us is, we don’t just want to see a movie get made. We want to see a great movie get made, if it’s going to get done at all.”

The deal for a Mass Effect has apparently been cinched, as told yesterday in The Hollywood Reporter, who confirmed reports that the film rights have been picked up by Legendary Pictures (the studio behind 300, The Watchmen, The Dark Knight and the still-in-development Gears of War). BioWare’s Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Casey Hudson will reportedly be brought on as executive producers. Mark Protosevich, the writer behind I Am Legend and the upcoming Thor, is in talks to pen the adaptation. Bioware has opened a discussion area on their Social Bioware Community for fans to talk about their hopes and thoughts about the Mass Effect movie project.

British Columbia’s film industry will receive a major boost thanks to funding from the Government of Canada. In an announcement released late last week, an investment of $530,000 towards the Emily Carr University of Art and Design (ECU) will help purchase equipment and develop the first western Stereoscopic 3D (S3D) Centre of Excellence in digital media and film technologies.

“British Columbia has a vibrant film making industry and today’s investment will provide the necessary resources so this industry can remain competitive in the West,” said the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification.

The S3D centre will be housed in Emily Carr’s Intersections Digital Studios, based in Vancouver. This new initiative will strengthen Emily Carr’s applied research and collaboration with industry and will result in the only western Canadian S3D film-making technology research and training program.

S3D technology is coming of age and is expected to be adopted by significant segments of the movie industry over the next five years. Although 3D projection is not new, recent advances in computer technology allow a much improved viewing experience, and therefore there is an expectation of significant adoption within many segments of the industry.

Today’s investment by the Government of Canada will give the BC film industry a leading position through training and applied research in production and post-production for S3D technology which is being adopted by the industry.

“We are grateful to the Government of Canada for recognizing the need for this type of investment,” said Dr. Ron Burnett, Emily Carr President & Vice-Chancellor. “This funding will allow us to grow the capabilities of the Centre and lead the country in ground-breaking S3D technology research, education and training.”

The Creators Project, a creative initiative designed to connect global youth through creativity and technology, has launched its website and interactive portal where original videos, featured works and interviews with some 80 international artists, musicians and media creators are available.

The site will stream live content, including interviews, performances, exhibits and panel discussions from the Creators Conferences, allowing viewers around the world to participate virtually in advance of live events being planned in several international locations.

The Creators Project was conceived out of VICE, a small print ‘zine based in Montreal that launched in 1994. Today, as a global media company, it has several international offices, and it has branched into other digital media platforms, including digital filmmaking and online distribution, with the establishment of VBS.TV, an online broadcast network that streams original content 24 hours a day. VICE has also established a solid working relationship with tech giant Intel, tapping into advanced technologies and innovation through that partnership, as seen in the current initiative.

“The Creators Project is built on supporting leading musicians, artists and designers from every corner of the globe,” creator Mark Ronson described in a release. “All too often our most talented artists struggle to showcase their work. This project is designed to empower this next generation of artists by leveling the playing field. The fact that The Creators Project is driven by collaborations between artists across the spectrum of creativity is amazing. I came from being a DJ first, which is kind of the role of master curator, so I’m driven on watching people work together. The Creators Project is something that makes me think — because it’s VICE and because it’s Intel — this really could be the first special community of its kind.”

“At Intel, as the makers of the brains inside some of the world’s most cutting-edge tech tools, we’re lucky to have a backstage pass to the most exciting uses of technology and the artists that inspire us by how they harness technology’s power and potential to explore,” added Deborah Conrad, Intel’s chief marketing officer. “Thankfully, VICE wanted to give everyone a front row seat to all of these incredible artists, and they had the guts and talent to do just that. And so, our partnership and The Creators Project came to life.

“Now more than any other time in history, we’re watching a new generation of creative geniuses come into their own — artists who use technology tools as their paintbrushes, musical instruments, sculpting knives and sketchbooks. For them, computers are as pervasive as pencils. The Creators Project is where these worlds of art and technology collide. It is a powerful vehicle to tell amazing stories of the artists, celebrate their innovation and provide a place — literally and virtually — for them to collaborate.”

The project is highlighted by The Creators Conference series, and organizers are hoping for thousands of people to attend the live concerts, art exhibits, film screenings and panel discussions. New York City hosts the first Creators Conference with an all-day extravaganza at Milk Studios. The eight-floor art gallery and performance space will host exhibits by Takeshi Murata, Karl Sadler, Mark Essen and Radical Friend, and performances by Mark Ronson, Interpol, Gang Gang Dance, N.A.S.A, Sleigh Bells and Salem. The series will then move to London, Sao Paulo, Seoul, and concludes in Beijing with a three-day finale where participating artists and exhibits will be flown in from the across the globe.

Disney Interactive Studios invites kids and families to beat the heat on the snow-covered virtual island of Club Penguin this summer with Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: Herbert’s Revenge for Nintendo DS™, now available in retail stores nationwide.

“The first Club Penguin DS game was a huge hit with fans, and we’re excited to offer even more handheld fun for Club Penguin fans everywhere,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “With Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: Herbert’s Revenge, fans will enjoy more compelling missions with new and returning characters, engaging mini-games and unique ways to connect with the online world.”

Fans of Club Penguin will once again be able to join the Elite Penguin Force secret agency and work to unravel the mischievous plans of Herbert P. Bear, the island’s one true villain. Players will experience all-new mini games, secret agent tests, new gadgets and mysterious missions.

Returning characters from the first game include Gary the Gadget Guy, Dot the Disguise Gal, Jet Pack Guy and Rookie. Also back by popular demand are the furry Elite Puffles who each possess a unique skill. Pop (Purple Puffle) makes bubbles, Flare (Black Puffle) creates blowtorches and Chill (White Puffle) produces frost breath.

Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: Herbert’s Revenge is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and includes many features that link the game back to the original Club Penguin virtual world. Players now have the unique opportunity to synchronize exclusive items such as secret agent bow ties, sunglasses and crab costumes collected in the video game with their Club Penguin online account. Players can also earn coins that can be seamlessly uploaded to their online accounts or used to purchase virtual items in game. This compatibility has been one of the most popular features since the launch of Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force in 2008, with close to one billion coins being transferred to more than 275,000 online accounts by kids around the world.

“Increasing the connectivity between the creativity and imagination kids love so much in the online world of Club Penguin and the experience of playing the DS game was really important to us, and we’re really excited to launch the first mission that will take the storyline and adventure across both platforms,” says Lane Merrifield, co-founder of Club Penguin and executive vice president of Disney Online Studios.

Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: Herbert’s Revenge, while not developed in Canada, is at heart a Canadian creation, with Penguin Central still based in Kelowna BC. The game also features “Veggie Villain,” a new mission which launched simultaneously on ClubPenguin.com for players of both platforms to enjoy. Here, Herbert tries to expose the secret Elite Penguin Force agency and destroy the headquarters with a secret gadget.

TRZZonline.com, a Ph03nix New Media company, will be launching their new social game Fame & Fortune on May 31st, fusing time management/social gaming with the entertainment industry. TRZZonline’s Fame & Fortune will be featured and exclusively played on Facebook®, creating its own user fan base and joining the upper ranks of its predecessors.

Fame & Fortune is a social game about acquiring super-stardom, with a tongue-in-cheek twist on the entertainment industry. Players will assume the role of the ‘starving artist’ as they move to Hollywood to build a career in the music and film industries. From living in their car to waiting tables in restaurants to ultimately owning a private island, it’s all part of Fame and Fortune.

This fun journey provides your ‘pretentious-self’ with a false sense of security as you climb the ladder of success. It also gives you a few ‘reality checks’ along the way when your friends from your Facebook friends list join in on the fun and compete with you. Challenging your friends to see who is the most popular, or who has the largest entourage, or who owns the largest mansion is what will keep you coming back for more, (not to mention, an in-game music player that contains a great play-list of Top 40 music and indie artists’ songs that make you want to just leave the browser open all day). Special rewards and perks are unlocked as you become more and more successful, although, if you become too successful, your friends are able to execute antics like creating “Bad PR” to knock you down a few notches.

This game taps into the budding star within us all. You can acquire fame and fortune the old fashioned way by performing gigs that allow you to level-up and make money, or you can get on the fast track with in-game “ICE” purchases that allow you to quickly upgrade your lifestyle with items that include fancy cars, clothes, beach houses, airplanes, skateboard ramps, pets, paparazzi, security guards, and anything else you can think of that a famous socialite can’t live without.

While other social game developers are performing the old “copy/paste” cloning method of games that are already popular on Facebook, TRZZonline is creating something completely new by essentially turning their real-world experience in the music entertainment industry into a game that crosses all demographics.

The Fame & Fortune Facebook Game has teamed up with Hip Hop Weekly Magazine in an effort to show how merging ‘real world’ products with gaming concepts can maximize company exposure through in-game involvement. Hip Hop Weekly Magazine is well known throughout the world for covering “all things happening in urban entertainment”. Inside of TRZZonline’s Fame & Fortune Facebook Game, Hip Hop Weekly Magazine plays the role of the official news reporter, documenting your success as your popularity grows.

“We didn’t want to build another time management game just for the sake of building it. Our team is great at creating games with stellar graphics and amazing game play, but we wanted to do something different, something innovative. We wanted to be one of the first developers to successfully merge online gaming with offline rewards,” said Jon Lam, founder and CEO of TRZZonline/Ph03nix New Media. “Imagine an online game that gives you a chance to meet one of your favorite rock stars, or attend one of their private events. As users level-up, TRZZonline’s Fame & Fortune rewards them with a variety of real-world elements provided by our friends in the entertainment industry.”

BigStack Studios invites you to enter the world of Sigma – the most unique, challenging and defiant Match 3 game to surface in ages, and coming soon to your iPhone/iTouch. Using multi-touch, you will be able to independently spin two columns of blocks on either side of the screen. Tapping either side of the screen sends blocks back and forth across the screen. Once a match has been created, you’ll have a couple of seconds to tag additional blocks on to the cluster before the whole thing goes BOOM! Whether you’re a beginner creating simple horizontal or vertical match threes or an expert strategically setting up massive block clusters, it’s an experience like none other.

Sigma Features:

· A Truly Unique Twist on Match 3 – Harness the power of multi-touch to independently spin two columns of blocks. Tap to shoot blocks from side to side creating matches then quickly tag on additional blocks before the match detonates.
· Build Massive Combos – Clear huge block clusters to earn big points and big power ups. Match the same color consecutively to create an escalating point multiplier.
· Three Game Modes – Progress through the three difficulties of Sector Mode to unlock themes. Compete for a high score in one of the three times in Time Attack Mode. Go head to head with a friend over WiFi or Bluetooth in Versus Mode.
· Unlockable Themes – Unlock ten graphical themes each with its own music track.
· Showcase Your Awards & High Scores – Sigma features Plus+ Awards and Leader boards.

Meanwhile, Terrace-based Rusty Axe Games is excited to announce that applications are being accepted for closed beta testers for its forthcoming dungeon editing system. Geared towards pencil and paper and computer adventure game developers alike, Dungeon Demon is an easy to use map editor that comes with enough great looking artwork that novice and pro adventure designers will be designing gorgeous maps in minutes. The closed beta test will begin on June 1st, 2010.

Dungeon Demon is a top down, graphical object oriented editor that mixes tiling and simple graphical object editing to produce a fast and easy to use dungeon editor. Users can specify up to nine named graphics layers, each with an optional grid system. Legend items can be dropped into any layer and can be used for traditional text markup or for more technical purposes if being used for computer game map editing. Maps can be printed, exported as bitmaps or saved in a flexible XML format for use by other programs.

Rogers Media today announced that it is releasing unique video content through “Shorts in the City,” a Citytv.com programming initiative in partnership with Nissan Canada and OMD Media.

“Shorts in the City” will offer Canadians the largest selection of serialized online video content available in the country and will feature over 17 shows, 500 episodes and 35 hours of drama, comedy, sci-fi, thriller, horror and animation. The content is supplied by Vuguru, Michael Eisner’s new media studio in which Rogers is an investor, and international distributor Fireworks.

“Shorts in the City is a first in Canada for serialized content, a wide multi-screen and multi-platform release,” commented Claude Galipeau, SVP & GM Digital Media, Rogers Media. “We plan to release the video first on the web and mobile, and then migrate some titles to TV and the Rogers On Demand VOD platform. The content will be available on a range of Rogers brands including Citytv.com, Sportsnet.ca, RogersonDemand.com, Flare.com, Macleans.ca, and Louloumagazine.com. An iPhone application, launching today, is available exclusively to Rogers and Fido customers. The programming will also be available on a new iPad application when it is launched in Canada.”

Nissan Canada partnered with Rogers Media on this initiative and will integrate their ads within the programming. “Nissan Canada is proud to partner with Rogers to present “Shorts in the City”. Our mission at Nissan Canada is to fuse the most advanced technology and design to make great cars,” said Mark McDade, Director, Marketing, Nissan Canada. “At the heart of the “Shorts in the City” program is a unique entertainment experience that puts viewers in the driver’s seat as to when and where they enjoy this content.”

A national advertising campaign promoting “Shorts in the City” starts Tuesday, May 25th. Over the course of the summer, “Shorts in the City” will be announcing the release of new and exclusive shows coming to this multi-screen schedule, including “Prom Queen 3: The Homecoming” and “The Booth”.

Game Nation™ is going to be the world’s first Experiential Video Game Theme Park and Resort – as soon as it finds a hometown. Over the next 12 months, Game Nation will be deciding on the best location for it theme park, and you are invited to participate.

“I remember when I was younger and I played video games. When I finished the game I wished that world was real and I could be part of it.” said Ruke, Creator of Game Nation. “It’s fantastic that people will get to actually realize everything they’ve seen in a video game come to life”.

When visitors come to Game Nation, they will become players as they step into a realistic re-creation of a world filled with myths, legends and arenas all crying out for their champion. As you pass through the gates, you’ll leave behind all worldly stereotypes. You’re now one of millions, all equal, separated only by your skill, wit, and achievements, which will be proven. Your experience points and score are recognized by the guardians of this domain. As players walk by, recruits are saluted and veterans are bowed down to. You are guided to the armory where you must select your weapon. You choose from majestic relics, whimsical hardware or advanced gear. Here your dreams and fantasies will come to life in adventures yet to be told. You will become anything you like and live out the character you create. But this is no game. It’s real and will all happen at Game Nation.

Kitchener-Waterloo based Desire2Learn Incorporated and its subsidiary, D2L Ltd. (Desire2Learn), leading providers of mission-critical enterprise eLearning solutions have announced that Portland State University (PSU), known nation-wide for its innovative approach to education, has converted to Desire2Learn® Learning Environment.

Portland State University conducted an in-depth evaluation process of several learning management systems (LMSs) earlier this year. The process, which involved the entire university community, also included open demonstrations for faculty and students as well as sandboxes in which end users could actively engage with the prospective platforms.

Desire2Learn Learning Environment was selected based on its ability to meet the PSU technical and functional requirements, a learning repository that is tightly integrated with the Learning Environment and built on the same platform, while also being the preferred platform of faculty and staff participating in the evaluation process.

“We are very excited to enter into a partnership with a company so committed to research and development,” says Sharon Blanton, Chief Information Officer, Portland State University. “The new tools in Desire2Learn Learning Suite, including Course Builder and Instructional Design Wizard, will save valuable time, enable broader adoption of the platform and increase the quality of our online course experience for our students.”

Desire2Learn is working in close partnership with PSU to facilitate a rapid conversion of their 800 courses for the more than 15,000 students who use the LMS.

“Our partnership with Portland State University will provide the University with the necessary technology and services to supply both a reliable system that meets all of their functional requirements, as well as one that will enhance student educational experiences and help transform teaching and learning,” states John Baker, President of D2L Ltd. “We are thrilled to be assisting them as they continue on their innovation path for their students and programs.”

Toronto’s Geneva Film Co. founder, producer and director James Stewart, known as the ‘Ambassador of 3D’, will deliver an exclusive presentation at Dimension 3, being held this June in France. Stewart is the only Canadian representative invited to attend the event, joining industry experts in 3D from around the world to discuss such topics as 3D as a new film paradigm, as an emerging medium for film, spots entertainment and advertising, new filming techniques and the future of 3D in the home.

Stewart will appear as part of a panel discussion on the growing role for 3D in communications and advertising. Stewart will lead the panel through a lively discussion on the opportunity for marketers to exploit this highly immersive communications method to broadly reach consumer audiences and achieve wide marketplace reach through cross-medium campaigns showcasing 3D content in cinemas, on the web, via 3D-enabled mobile devices, and soon, television in the home. The panel will also debate and discuss the need for new thinking and strategies in the advertising industry, as well as writing and production methods that will enable marketers and advertisers to fully leverage 3D as a communications medium. Finally, Stewart will screen his most recent work on behalf of the Tema Conter Memorial Trust — the world’s first 3D commercial produced for charity.

“It is time for the advertising community to seize the opportunity and capitalize on 3D,” he says. “This is a medium that has the potential to transform the advertising world, and fundamentally change the way marketing messages reach and affect audiences. We are on the edge of the wave, carried forward by the popularity of 3D films such as Coraline, Monsters vs. Aliens, and now, Disney·Pixar’s celebrated Up, the first animated opening film in Cannes history. Several years from now, we’ll look back on this tipping point to remember a time when commercials were still shot and produced in 2D.”

James Stewart will also be joining an illustrious speaking roster representing creative leaders from around the globe including industry heavy-weights: Jon Landau, producer of Avatar, Director Ridley Scott, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, director Spike Jonze, and Richard Pinder, COO of Publicis Worldwide, and Goodby Silverstein founder, Jeff Goodby at the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival. Stewart is one of a select group of industry leaders invited by Cannes Lions to deliver an in-depth keynote on 3D and its breakaway success as an entertainment and commercial medium.

On Monday, June 21, 2010, Stewart will speak about 3D on behalf of the Screen Advertisers World Association (SAWA) in the Seminar entitled “The Cinematic Medium – Connecting Technology, the Audience and the Advertiser.” He will then deliver a two-hour intensive workshop on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 entitled “Are You Ready for the 3D Revolution?.” The presentation offers a journey into the next dimension- From the history of the medium to today’s 3D production methods, and the future impact of 3D on the modern creative process.

Stewart began working in 3D back in 2005, and is one of a select group of film directors actively shooting commercials in Live-Action Digital 3D. An active and passionate ambassador for 3D in Canada, Stewart is recognized around the world for his 3D work and evangelism on the 3D topic, speaking alongside such celebrated 3D authorities as Jeffrey Katzenberg and James Cameron at such events as LA’s 3D Entertainment Summit, and 3DX, a 3D Film and Entertainment conference held in 2008 in Singapore.

On the dark side of the ‘net, from the OPP: The Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (ROPE) Squad is requesting the public’s assistance in locating Roger TOURIGNY, a Federal Offender wanted on a Canada Wide Warrant as a result of his breach of Parole. Roger TOURIGNY is serving a sentence for possess child pornography.

Roger TOURIGNY is described as male, white, 5’8″, 180lbs, brown eyes, grey hair, balding and wears glasses. He has a scar on this left knee, abdomen and left leg. He also has a tattoo on his left arm. He is 71 years old. He is believed to be in the downtown Toronto area.

Anyone having contact with Roger TOURIGNY should use caution. Anyone with information with regards to the whereabouts of Roger TOURIGNY is asked to contact the Provincial ROPE Squad at 416-808-5900 or toll free at 1-800-870-ROPE (7673) or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or call 9-1-1.

Wired Woman Vancouver invites you to discover the value and learn effective strategies for Building a Community Through Social Media, a one-evening seminar taking place on June 14th at UBC Robson Square. Tickets for this event are $35.00 for members or $40.00 for non-members. Wired Woman costs nothing to join, so save a quick $5.00 by joining the network.

What is community in relation to the web? Community is beyond a blog, and a few people following you on Twitter. This evening will help you realize what the new meaning of an online community is, and why it holds an important spot at the new marketing table. Find out how the experts are building, engaging, and managing their communities.

Session Speakers:

Briana Tomkinson – Tenth to the Fraser and Fjord West
Carisa Miklusak – SoMedios
Chris Breikss – 6S Marketing
Mhairi Petrovic – Out-Smarts Marketing
Sibylle Tinsel – Club Fat Ass

If you are in Toronto, Wired Woman is hosting an evening event on June 1st titled Social Networking Your Way to Better Work with guest speaker Mark Swartz, author of Get Wired, You’re Hired.

This interactive session covers social networking techniques that are proven to increase your marketability. Get up to speed, find work faster and enhance your employee worth. During this brief but informative session you will learn how to:

* Leverage your virtual contacts for networking into the hidden job market
* Increase your visibility and presence
* Research employers for the inside scoop, giving yourself the competitive edge
* Build your professional brand online and merge this with traditional marketing material
* Boost your value as an employee using Web 2.0
* Differentiate yourself from your peers

Namco Networks is excited to announce its ‘Win a PAC-MAN-themed smart car’ sweepstakes to celebrate the video game icon’s 30th birthday.

“Over the last 30 years, PAC-MAN has continued to evolve and be relevant with his fans—no matter the demographic or generation. Giving away a smart car that commemorates his 30 years is a way for us to show our appreciation to one of the many fans out there.”

From May 21 through August 20, participants from the U.S. and Canada are encouraged to visit PAC-MAN’s official site and fill out the electronic entry form. No purchase is required to enter but you must be at least 18 years of age. Further information on the sweepstakes, including official rules and regulations, can also be found there. The winner of the brand new 2010 PAC-MAN-themed smart car will be selected on September 3, 2010. *Note: At press time, the electronic entry form was not visible on the site. I haven’t been able to speak with anyone from Namco yet, but perhaps the form will become available on May 22, which Namco has stated online is the “official” birthday for Mr. PacMan.

According to Kenji Hisatsune, CEO of Namco Networks, “Over the last 30 years, PAC-MAN has continued to evolve and be relevant with his fans—no matter the demographic or generation. Giving away a smart car that commemorates his 30 years is a way for us to show our appreciation to one of the many fans out there.”

In addition to the car sweepstakes, Google has created a PAC-MAN-specific doodle to celebrate PAC-MAN’s 30th anniversary. Since 1998, Google has found innovative ways to celebrate unique events by changing the Google logo. For the next 48 hours, PAC-MAN fans can play all 256 levels of PAC-MAN by clicking on the “insert coin” or waiting a few seconds. While Google has created more than 300 doodles in the U.S., and over 700 internationally, this is the first time a doodle has been playable or had sound.

There are a large number of Canadian-made games or foreign games with Canadian-made components on this year’s Long List of Nominees for a 2010 Golden Joystick Award. This is the first round of voting for the UK-based awards, so be sure to head on over and vote for your favourite Canadian titles.

In a (very) quick initial scroll-through of some of the many categories, I picked out these nominated titles. Yes, I will go back when I am not pressed for time and find all of the titles which hail from our game development community. In the meantime, look at all of these games – doesn’t it make you proud to be a Canadian developer?

Assassin’s Creed II, Dante’s Inferno, Ghostbusters: The Video Game, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game, Critter Crunch, Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, Prototype, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Army of Two: The 40th Day, Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery, Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines, Copter Crisis, FIFA 10, Madballs in Babo: Invasion, Mass Effect Galaxy, Need For Speed Undercover, Need for Speed Underground Rivals, Need for Speed: Shift, Need for Speed: Nitro, NOMBZ: HEADSHOT!, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3, Truck Modz Build And Drive, Warriors Orochi 2, 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, Academy of Champions, EA Sports Active, FIFA Manager 10, Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage, Skate 3, The Bigs 2, Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening, Mass Effect 2, ModNation Racers, Fight Night Round 4, Punch Out!!, Dead Rising 2, FIFA 11, Mafia 2, Need For Speed 2010, Pirates Of The Caribbean: Armada, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Tron: Evolution, True Crime, Elven Chronicles, Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, Hive, LEGO Battles, Thumpies, Bioshock 2, Mad Dog McCree, WeT….and so many more yet to be listed!

Meanwhile, as part of its ongoing work to end violence against women and offer violence prevention and intervention tools, YWCA Canada, the country’s oldest and largest women’s multi-service organization, announced today the launch of the YWCA Safety Siren app. The unique safety siren is activated with a press of a button or a quick shake and turns an iPhone or iTouch into a multi-functional safety device. Part of YWCA’s Power of Being a Girl anti-violence initiative, the app is available for free in the App Store.

Available in both English and French, the YWCA Safety Siren, offers users Canadian health and safety information geared toward young women, including: short questions and answers about women’s sexual health with a focus on dating and social interaction; tips and facts on safety and well-being; links to YWCAs across Canada as well as emergency and crisis resource centres; and SOS urgent email and phone functionality to a friend or family member when the user is in an unsafe situation displaying the user’s location on a map.

“We are thrilled to be able expand our existing roster of free materials on girls safety with this kind of new media outreach,” says Paulette Senior, YWCA Canada Chief Executive Officer. “Access to information about sexual health, wellness and safety is absolutely essential and girls need it where they live, and they live on their phones.”

Funded by the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnerships Program, the Power of Being a Girl™ initiative is a signature violence prevention program for girls ages 12-17 and focuses on developing girls’ leadership.

“Your iPhone is one of the most personal things you own. Having access to sexual health information where, when and how you need it is an important part of being able to keep yourself safe when you go out on a date,” says Corinne Rusch-Drutz, YWCA Canada Director of Communications & Membership Development. “The YWCA Safety Siren goes where you go and answers some of the tough questions you might not be willing to ask your friends or family or look up on a shared computer. It’s your own private gateway to a library of women’s resources, from sexual harassment to STIs.”

In addition to giving straightforward information on relevant sexual health and wellness issues, the app geo-locates the user with maps and directions to over 250 resource centres across Canada by topic or proximity including local YWCA’s, emergency hotlines, health clinics and crisis centres. It’s a one stop shop for healthy dating and it’s free.

Winnipeg’s Indigo Rose Software has announced the immediate availability of AutoPlay Media Studio 8 for Windows. A mainstay in the software development industry for developing user-friendly autorun CD, DVD and USB menus, version 8 takes the product line in a bold new direction.

AutoPlay Media Studio 8 now gives software developers the ability to create full-featured software applications using a visual drag-and-drop development environment. What would normally take days or weeks to build using traditional software development tools (e.g. C, C++, Java) can now be created in record time, and by just about anyone.

Featuring a WYSIWYG (“what you see is what you get”) development environment and a powerful, yet easy-to-use scripting language, even beginners can create professional Windows software, complete with features like web interaction, database connectivity, dialog boxes, data visualization and multimedia audio and video playback.

“We weren’t satisfied with AutoPlay Media Studio just being the industry-standard tool for developing autorun CD/DVD interfaces,” says Indigo Rose Software President Colin Adams. “We recognized that if we extended the product with a number of significant new features, AutoPlay Media Studio 8 would be ideally suited for creating interactive multimedia software applications. We’re really pleased with the results.”

AutoPlay Media Studio 8 includes 21 built-in interface objects such as buttons, images, menu bars, web browsers, QuickTime video, data grids, PDF viewers, checkboxes and more. Developers simply drop the objects onto a page or dialog box, and are able to edit and customize the objects’ properties and events any way they want.

Over 865 easy-to-use scripting actions include everything from XML parsing and database queries to web server interaction, internet file transfers and much more. It’s also easy to expand the language with plugins and code modules. Additionally, the professional script editor features color syntax highlighting, code completion, function highlighting, as-you-type action prototypes, function listings, and context-sensitive help.

Developers who aren’t ready to use the scripting language can turn to the Action Wizard, which automatically writes scripts for them. Developers simply choose an action from a categorized list and fill in the requested information fields. The Action Wizard does the rest, eliminating the need for any scripting or programming experience.

Other highlights of AutoPlay Media Studio 8 include Blu-ray disc burning, Lua 5.1 scripting engine, application styles/skinning, integrated database access (MySQL, SQLite3, ODBC, Oracle), improved debugging features, rolling code data security, and dozens more.

AutoPlay Media Studio 8 is compatible with Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP. The software sells for $295 (USD) per developer (or $995 for the 5 developer Team Pack) and can be purchased from most software development tools vendors or online. A free trial version is available for download.

Additionally, a ‘Personal Edition’ of AutoPlay Media Studio 8 is available free of charge for non-commercial applications, such as students, hobbyists and people writing public domain and open source software. It can be downloaded directly from AutoPlay.org.

As someone who has a marketing and PR background, I pay close attention to the marketing aspects of Canadian studios and titles, and I would like to extend my congratulations to the Canadian titles recognized with medals and certificates at the MI6 Game Marketing Awards held last week in San Francisco:

Gold Medal Winners:

Outstanding TV or Theatrical Ad: EA Sports for “Joy”
Outstanding TV or Theatrical Ad Campaign: Assassin’s Creed 2: 2009 TV Campaign
Best Long Format Promotional Content: Assassin’s Creed 2: Lineage Episode 1 (Segment)
Outstanding Overall Marketing Campaign- Integrated: Assassins Creed 2 Integrated Campaign
Thinking Outside of the Box Award – Marketing: Assassin’s Creed 2 – Twitter Experience
Standout Print Advertisement: Assassin’s Creed 2: Rip Your Head Off
Standout Print Campaign: Assassin’s Creed 2: 2009 Print Campaign
Standout Overal Pop Display Single or Double Campaign: Prototype
Best Use of Online Media: Assassin’s Creed 2: Teaser Campaign
Best Key Art: Dragon Age: Origins

Silver Medal Winners:

Best Key Art: Assassin’s Creed 2
Don’t You Wish You’d Thought of This – Miscellaneous: Assassin’s Creed 2: Lineage Intro Trailer
Outstanding Promotional Trailer: Assassin’s Creed 2 E3 Trailer (2009) and WET “Shot At Love”
Best Showing At a Trade Event: Assassins Creed 2: E3 Outdoor Banner
Best Online Takeover/Roadblock: Assassin’s Creed 2: Big Bang Unit

Bronze Certificate Winners:

Outstanding Promotional Trailer: Assassin’s Creed 2 – TGS Trailer and WET “Shot at Love”
Best Co-Branding In A TV, Theatrical Ad or Video Asset: Assassins Creed 2 UFC Integration
Standout Print Outdoor/Environmental/Transit Advertising:Assassins Creed 2 E3/PAX Environmental Advertising
Best Product Packaging: Prototype
Best Limited Edition, Special Edition or Collector’s Edition Packaging: Assasin’s Creed 2 Limited Edition and Dragon Age: Origins Collector’s Edition
Best Use of Online Media: Guitar Hero Smash Hits

Charlottetown – Other Ocean Interactive, has partnered once again with SEGA® of America to bring you Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition available exclusively for the highly anticipated Apple iPad.

“We are very excited to be part of the iPad launch with this great franchise,” said Andrew Ayre, Other Ocean CEO. “And are very proud to be one of the first developers to have shipped an iPad exclusive title.”

Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition brings all the fun of the immensely popular console and iPhone hit to the iPad plus 4 new mini-games: Monkey Bowling, Monkey Target, Monkey Golf and the iPad exclusive mini-game Monkey Base. Monkey Base lets up to 4 players fight it out on the same iPad by launching orbs at each other to try to be the last monkey standing. And if all that wasn’t enough, players can now experience 10 iPad exclusive levels from the Far East World, in stunning graphics!

“The iPad’s hi-res screen and multi-touch makes an amazing difference,” says Other Ocean Technical Director, Gordon Wood. “Everything that’s great about Super Monkey Ball 2 can now be played in Sakura Edition, only on a bigger screen and with even better graphics, new mini-games and more levels. Fans are in for a real treat.”

The iPad exclusive Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition is now available on iTunes for $12.99 USD.

Vancouver – IUGO Mobile Entertainment today announced the availability of four iPad apps on the App Store. The apps are: Zombie Attack! Second Wave XL; Zombie Attack Bridge Defense XL; Cliffed XL; and Implode! XL. All four games showcase the unique features and capabilities of the iPad.

“When the iPad was first announced, we knew immediately we’d create special features in a few of our games to start,” explained Sarah Thomson, Director of BD at IUGO. “It’s a beautiful device and there are some really cool and unique things you can do with gaming on that form factor. We fully support the iPad and feel very optimistic about its success as a gaming device.”

New features such as multiplayer co-op mode in both Zombie Attack! Second Wave XL makes use of the enhanced Multi-Touch and large screen of iPad. Each game features high resolution graphics with more detail and clarity. Cliffed XL comes with new characters, multiple background themes and on-device “Versus” mode for two players. Implode! XL, IUGO’s hit physics puzzler, includes a major revamp with new levels and a brand new level editor designed solely for the innovative iPad interface.

“IUGO is proud to launch four apps specifically customized for iPad,” said Hong Yee Wong, CEO of IUGO. “It gives us a great opportunity to showcase our strengths and capabilities in creating truly engaging games. We are delighted to bring these new gaming experiences to iPad owners.”

The IUGO Apps for iPad are available from the App Store on iPad. Remember if you already have any of these titles for your iPhone you can now play them on your iPad.

London - Big Blue Bubble Inc. is pleased to announce the release of Thumpies XL for the iPad. In this new version, all the graphics have been updated to higher resolutions specifically for the iPad. You won’t want to miss out on the fun and neither will your friends, who can now play with you with a new multiplayer mode! Work together to beat the levels and then check out the scores to see who came out ahead.

Thumpies XL is a unique rhythm-based music game for players of all ages. By correctly matching the beat of bouncing Thumpies the player progresses through a song. Unlike typical rhythm based games, Thumpies XL uses a mechanic of bouncing in time instead of just a series of notes. Who knew juggling furry creatures could be so much fun?

The quirky art design of Thumpies XL is accompanied by a unique musical score composed by award winning, industry veteran David Kerr. The music was crafted with game play in mind, giving the player a harmonizing experience.

Features:

• New – Multiplayer
• Beautiful yet odd art design
• Originally composed music
• Over 15 levels to explore
• Unlock more than 18 unique Thumpies
• Unique game mechanic

London

Thumpies is a unique rhythm based music game for players of all ages. The best way to describe Thumpies is a rhythm game crossed with juggling. Players tap the screen to match the beat of bouncing Thumpies, creating layers of a song. If the player taps the targets in time, their Thump-o-Meter slowly rises, but if the player misses or taps out of time, the meter falls. Unlike typical rhythm based games, Thumpies uses a mechanic of bouncing in time instead of just a series of notes.

The quirky art design of Thumpies is accompanied by a unique musical score composed by award winning composer and industry veteran David Kerr. The music was crafted with game play in mind, giving the player a harmonizing experience. Players also have the chance to unlock progressively bizarre Thumpies characters by collecting different colored butterflies. But be warned, hungry Thumpies might just eat them up before you get a chance to catch them!

Beware Internet Users! The Thumpies are on the loose and have taken over their own Facebook page! They want to invite all humanoids to a very special Live Chat . . . do you dare converse with the Thumpies? Thumpies is a game that will keep people of all ages hooked with its addictive, quirky and stylistic gameplay.

About Jamble:

With the touch of a finger, Jamble lets you combine a variety of musical loops from international hit songs into your own impossibly great mashup mixes immediately making you sound like a pro-DJ and mashup master.

Jamble comes with 24 musical loops that you can mashup into infinite combinations. You can play with 16 active loops at a time and easily hot swap them with additional loops in your Jamble loop library while you play.

Jamble features live, real time music creation as well as allowing you to record, save and playback your mixes. Share your mixes with your friends via email, Facebook and Twitter.

You can get more loops directly from within the app and create custom set lists of your favorite loops to load them fast. The range of artists in Jamble include:

• Lady Gaga
• Gwen Stefani
• Kardinal Offishall
• Kid Cudi
• The Killers
• Asher Roth
• David Bowie
• Will.i.am
• All-American Rejects
• Gorillaz
• Blur
…and many others.

Slated for release this coming June, Guitar Hero® Greatest Hits will be a compilation of 48 top hits from previous versions of the Guitar Hero® franchise, all updated for full band play on Guitar Hero® World Tour. The Greatest Hits release will be produced from Guitar Hero® master recordings and feature several play modes – career mode, rockstar creator, Guitar Hero® music studio and an eight player online battle of the bands.

Gamers will be able to rock out in such globally diverse locations as the Amazon rain forest, the Grand Canyon and the polar ice caps. There will also be some improvements to the User Interface, player navigation and a better quickplay system, and DLC from GHTunes will be compatible with this new title.

Some of the titles for Guitar Hero® Greatest Hits include:

• I Wanna Rock – Twisted Sister
• I Love Rock N Roll – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
• Nothin’ But A Good Time – Poison
• Them Bones – Alice In Chains
• Barracuda – Heart
• Killer Queen – Queen
• Through The Fire and Flames – Dragonforce
• Killing In The Name – Rage Against The Machine

Guitar Hero® Greatest Hits will debut with a suggested retail price of $59.99 for the 360 and PS3,  $49.99 for the Wii and $39.99 for the PS2 this summer.

Montreal – The Casual Entertainment Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) provides tween girls with the ultimate superstar experience with this week’s release of Boogie™ SuperStar, exclusively for the Wii™. Boogie SuperStar shipped on October 14 in North America and Canada, and will be available October 16 in Asia and October 17 in Europe. Girls around the world will have a blast singing and dancing their way to stardom, performing today’s hottest music hits.

“Boogie SuperStar provides girls worldwide with a gaming experience that is truly for them,” said Russell Arons, Vice President of Marketing, EA Casual Entertainment. “We listened to what girls wanted in a music game and aimed to provide those elements with Boogie SuperStar including total character customization, today’s most popular songs, engaging game play, and the ability to play with their friends.”

Girls can rock out to Boogie SuperStar, performing real dance moves using the Wii Remote™ or singing their favorite songs into the microphone. They can select their favorite songs made famous by popular artists such as Natasha Bedingfield, the game’s featured spokesperson, as well as Rihanna, Fergie, Katy Perry, The Jonas Brothers, Maroon 5, Leona Lewis, Alicia Keys, Good Charlotte, Britney Spears, Kanye West, Emily Osment, Metro Station, and many more. In addition to the nearly 40 songs available on the North American version, more than 25 additional songs are available on the International version of the game, giving girls the choice to perform hit songs made famous by local European artists.

In Boogie SuperStar, players are discovered by a team of judges and whisked away to a secret island, where they learn the coolest dance moves and show off their singing and dancing skills in the ultimate competition, the Boogie Star Show! Girls can perform with a friend, competing as a team in the Boogie Star Show, or, they can compete against one another with as many as four players. As girls improve and win Boogie Star Shows, they are able to unlock exciting treasures, such as new outfits, new dance moves, and more of their favorite songs, on the way to achieving SuperStar status!

Developed at EA Montreal under the EA Casual Entertainment Label, Boogie SuperStar has a US MSRP of $59.99, microphone included. Boogie SuperStar is rated E10+ by the ESRB.

International music sensation Natasha Bedingfield was today unveiled as the featured spokesperson of Boogie™ SuperStar, the upcoming Wii™ title from the Casual Entertainment Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS). Bedingfield lends three songs to the Boogie SuperStar soundtrack, also announced today, which features a total of nearly 40 hit singles made famous by some of today’s hottest artists.

Bedingfield, who has topped the charts with number one singles and albums in both the U.S. and the U.K., has joined forces with EA to promote the game, which allows girls to perform their favourite Bedingfield songs including her current single Angel, Love Like This, and the title track from her new hit album Pocketful of Sunshine.

“Boogie SuperStar brings to life all the fun and excitement of performing,” said Bedingfield. “Being on stage is such a thrill and it’s great to be a part of an EA video game that lets girls experience how much fun it is to express themselves and explore their own creativity by performing.”

In Boogie SuperStar, players don’t just play along, they are the star of the game. Girls will have a blast belting their favourite tunes into the microphone, and performing real dance moves that are captured on screen using the Wii’s motion-sensing technology and the journey to stardom doesn’t have to be a solo! girls can also sing and dance with or against their friends in fun competitions that show off their singing and dancing talent.

“Boogie SuperStar represents a new level in the convergence of games and music,” said Steve Schnur, EA Worldwide Executive for Music and Marketing. “We have combined the very best interactive capabilities of the Wii technology with the Boogie brand to form an unprecedented soundtrack featuring the hottest new tracks made famous by the biggest artists in the world. We’ve been actively involved in Natasha’s career since its inception, and we’re proud to have a star like her actively involved.”

Featuring nearly 40 of today’s hottest tracks plus additional tracks for an International version, Boogie SuperStar will have girls bursting with excitement as they discover they can both sing and dance to their favorite songs in one game.

Boogie SuperStar global song list featured in both North America and International versions of game includes:

• Angel, Love Like This [remix], Pocketful of Sunshine – Natasha Bedingfield
• Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow – Paula Abdul
• Bullseye, Like Whoa, Potential Breakup Song – Aly & AJ
• The Great Escape – Boys Like Girls
• Everytime We Touch, What Hurts the Most – Cascada
• Fancy Footwork – Chromeo
• Thnks Fr Th Mmrs – Fall Out Boy
• Glamorous – Fergie
• Elevator – Flo Rida feat. Timbaland
• I Don’t Want to Be in Love (Dance Floor Anthem) – Good Charlotte
• Wake Up – Hilary Duff
• Hold On, SOS, That’s Just the Way We Roll, When You Look Me in the Eyes [remix] - The Jonas Brothers
• No One – Alicia Keys
• Take You There - Sean Kingston
• Girlfriend – Avril Lavigne
• Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis
• Shake It – Metro Station
• What You Got - Colby O’Donis
• I Don’t Think About It – Emily Osment
• Nine in the Afternoon – Panic at the Disco
• Hot N Cold – Katy Perry
• Jump to the Rhythm – Jordan Pruitt
• Don’t Stop the Music, Shut Up and Drive – Rihanna
• Yahhh! – Soulja Boy Tellem
• Radar, Toxic – Britney Spears
• He Said She Said – Ashley Tisdale
• Makes Me Wonder – Maroon 5
• Stronger – Kanye West

Developed at EA Montreal under the EA Casual Entertainment Label, Boogie SuperStar is exclusively for the Wii and will be available in North America and Europe October 2008, and in Asia in the following months.

Key Features:

Original game play including beat-matching and puzzle-solving
Unique visual style including over-the-top, hand drawn animation
Multiplayer versus and cooperative local and multiplayer action via Xbox LIVE
Catchy hip hop soundtrack with 20 different songs

“Go! Go! Break Steady” is the debut title from Vancouver-based independent game studio Little Boy Games.

“What really makes this game stand out is its b-boy stylings. The characters are colourful and fun, the animations OTT, and the beat-matching pitched at just the right difficulty. The music is toe-tappingly infectious, with just enough scratching and dope beats to have you popping and locking the hours away.” – X360 Magazine

Go! Go! Break Steady offers single player, co-op, versus and multi-player modes, along with an XBLA Leaderboard and Gamer Achievements. Gamers can choose to play as Hydro, Sparx, Slim, Granny, Go Go or Mighty Mite and choose their level of difficulty. The object of the game is to take on DJ Scruffy and the Beatniks and win the “All City Break Steady Tournament” by defeating each level and taking home the prizes.

Go! Go! Break Steady will be available exclusively on Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360 owners who have either a Silver or Gold membership. Those who are also on FaceBook can check out the Go! Go! Break Steady fan page for further information. Best of luck to Little Boy Games on their inaugural game release – we look forward to seeing more games from Ivan and Usman in the future.