Going out with a group this New Year’s Eve? Tip This by Maitre d’ Malone will embolden you to speak up to the haughtiest of your foodie friends and never be usurped at table again.

* Debate the merits of barrel aged tawny port vs bottle aged single vintage port … child’s play.
* Speculate on the foreign exchange implications of buying Bordeaux wine futures … bring it on!
* Do they know why their heroes Chef Escoffier and Maitre d’ Ritz were fired from the Savoy Hotel in London in 1897?

Because you now do. Early 2012 upgrades to Tip This by Maitre d’ Malone will allow users to converse, instantly converting rooms filled with strangers into communities of table hopping chums chatting, flirting, rating and comparing their dining experience in real time and more importantly in real life.

Safely, stately and securely fine dining is poised for a quantum leap of digital magnitude. Why ask a waiter what they’d recommend when there in hand is a twitter-like feed of candid comments about meals that have just left the kitchen while hapless managers in back rooms attempt damage control. No, no, no! Medium rare is supposed to be that red. That’s an industry standard mark up wine ya cheapskate!

Rated 4+, Tip This 2.2 is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices running iOS 4.0 or later.

“We know that tweens and teens are aspirational by nature, so what we are offering them with WoozIn is their own social network where they can communicate with like-minded and -aged people,” said Eric Brassard, CEO of Woozworld. “This is what truly makes WoozIn different than any other social network, as we provide life and personality to each Woozworld avatar. Basically, we are melding a virtual world and social network — it’s like Facebook meets Second Life.”

Woozworld users access WoozIn in a completely safe environment; in fact, Woozworld grants the first true online and COPPA-compliant virtual identity for teen and tweens. With this new social network, Woozens can:

• Connect with their real and online friends
• Feed a now incredibly complete virtual identity
• Share, comment and like their friends’ updates, pictures, videos and more
• Follow their favorite Stars and get in touch with them
• Show their achievements and virtual spaces

Woozworld is an online place where tweens and teens build entire worlds to creatively engage with their peers, build businesses or set up restaurants, hotels and games as they choose, with their imaginations being their only limit.

Woozworld users continue to rise to the challenge:

• Woozworld users play an average of 50 minutes per day
• There are more than 8 million avatars created in Woozworld
• Woozworld has over 16 million user-generated virtual spaces
• Woozworld’s user-base has tripled in the last 10 months

Woozworld, recently named one of the top-20 most innovative companies in Canada by the Canadian Innovation Exchange, continues to dedicate itself to creating a safe gaming environment that tweens can enjoy and parents can trust. Targeted for children ages nine to 14, Woozworld provides an engaging and interactive experience by allowing members to create their own world where they can fashion their own characters, make new Woozworld friends, and conduct virtual businesses. All personal information is protected, and Woozworld strictly conforms to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

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”

Up to four players may play Scene It? Movie Night simultaneously, thinking quickly to buzz in with the fastest correct answers to a variety of questions and puzzles about everyone’s favorite blockbuster movies. Players watch film clips and answer detailed questions, or fill in missing dialogue and solve visual puzzles. Fourteen different puzzle types keep the excitement going for everyone, from casual movie buffs to diehard film fanatics. Each round ends with a rapid-fire “Quick Pitch” battle, during which you can win the game—or lose it all—in one thrilling, button-mashing finale!

• Think Fast: Fast-paced single and multiplayer modes feature 14 different puzzle types

• Blockbuster Films: Mega Movies features clips from 20 top films including Saving Private Ryan, The Godfather, Forrest Gump, Ghost, and many more

• Big Screen Experience: Play and watch full screen HD video clips from the biggest movies of all time

• Fresh Content: Future Scene It? Movie Night Game Packs – each one will have as much content as Mega Movies – will feature all new movie clips, challenges and puzzles tied to popular movie genres, such as science fiction and comedy

“This is our first PSN and second XBLA launch,” explained Guy Boucher, President of Sarbakan. “The fact that Screenlife chose to work with us attests to just how much of a creative powerhouse Sarbakan is. We not only have an eye for design but also a great mind for innovative gameplay and a nose for just what works to get players coming back for more.”

Based on the recognized and timeless TV show, Hollywood Squares is a game where friends and family can play on the famous “tic-tac-toe” game board occupied by “center squares” Kathy Griffin, Brad Garrett, Martin Mull and Jeffrey Tambor. Host Tom Bergeron asks celebrities questions and players judge whether the responses are true or false, all the while incorporating outrageous “zingers” to fuel the fun. Each correct answer earns a player with a square on the board and the first to mark three squares in a row wins! Released on November 15, the game is available through a single or multiplayer mode or online through the PlayStation^®Network.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire is based on the wildly popular and Emmy-award winning TV game show. Just like on the TV show, players will try to win $1,000,000 by correctly answering multiple choice questions, each worth an increasing amount of money. The game will feature favorite elements from the TV show including the lifelines “Ask the Audience,” “Double Dip” and “Phone a Friend”. Players will have the option of playing solo, enjoying multiplayer mode on their PlayStation^®3 system or playing online through the PlayStation^®Network. Players will enjoy a true-to-TV experience with the authentic Millionaire theme music, classic stage setting and other favorite elements from the popular TV game show. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire will be released on November 22.

Based on the popular television game show, Family Feud Decades allows players to be the leader of a virtual family in a contest to name the most popular answers to survey questions from the decade of their choice. Scheduled for release on December 13, Family Feud Decades features favorite elements from the hit TV show, including the thousands of survey questions, ‘Fast Money’ play, authentic theme music and the familiar scoreboard. The game will include realistic sets and stages modeled after all four decades of the TV show, with matching wardrobe items to dress players’ avatars within the appropriate time period. Players can play in multiplayer mode on their PlayStation^®3 system and challenge their family and friends head-to-head, or compete online through the PlayStation^®Network.

Family Feud 2012 Edition features all of the familiar and favorite challenges from the hit TV game show. Players can compete in one of two gameplay modes – challenge mode or party mode. In challenge mode, a team of up to five players challenges one of 48 opposing families to unlock hilarious outtakes and ‘best of’ videos from the television show which features host Steve Harvey. In party mode, two teams will battle head-to-head to name the most popular responses from a pool of more than 2000 questions. Family Feud 2012 will be released on Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Nintendo Wii™ on October 18, 2011.

Based on the global television game show phenomenon, Hole in the Wall Deluxe Edition is a game where players must contort their bodies to fit through bizarrely shaped holes in themed moving walls hurtling toward them. The video game will feature three different modes – practice alone on one of the 800 different walls in show mode, play survival mode and attack wall after wall until you drop, or compare your skills with other competitors in an online multiplayer ‘last-man standing’ mode where up to 10 players can put their skills to the test simultaneously.  Hole in the Wall Deluxe Edition will be released exclusively on Kinect™ for Xbox 360® on November 20, 2011.

Celebrating its 40th anniversary season, The Price is Right reigns as the longest running game show in television history. The Price is Right Decades video game features popular pricing games that span across all four decades of the television show – 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s – including ‘Plinko,’ ‘The Big Wheel,’ and the popular ‘Showcase.’ The video game will also feature pricing games not included in any previous The Price is Right video game, and the chance to unlock bonus moments from the TV show. The Price is Right Decades will be released on Wii on October 18, 2011 and on Xbox 360 with Kinect compatibility on November 15, 2011.

Currently in its tenth season in syndication in the U.S., Who Wants To Be A Millionaire remains one of the most internationally-watched television franchises of all time, having aired in more than 100 countries worldwide. Scheduled to be released on November 1, 2011, the game will be available exclusively on Kinect for Xbox 360. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire features cleverly written trivia questions, similar to what you would see on the actual TV show. The game also includes sets and stages modeled after the TV show and incorporates all of the familiar gameplay elements including ‘Jump the Question’ and ‘Ask the Audience’ lifelines. With the Kinect sensor, players can play just as they would on the television show by giving their “Final Answer” verbally, or using hand gestures to select the answer to more than 2500 questions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

TVOKids.com continues to lead the way in teacher-approved, kid-tested fun with the launch of its new online educational game that was developed in close collaboration with students from a Toronto community school. The Mysteries of Lagoon Bay, which launches today on the TVO Kids web site, is an online board game that can be played by one to four players on the same computer – perfect for families.

Built from the ground up, over a one-and-a-half year period, game developers and educators from tvokids.com worked with a group of 10 children, aged five to seven, to incorporate their ideas and preferences into an exciting and challenging game. Not only is it adjustable for different skill levels, but The Mysteries of Lagoon Bay finely balances a mysteriously fun game while reinforcing the Ontario school curriculum.

The tvokids.com team began by building a life-sized physical board game and workshopped it with kids to determine the best way to make the educational elements of the game really come alive.

Players select one of six unique characters and compete to collect the most gems by playing four types of mini-games. Each game is designed to help kids with adding (Nice Dice), patterning (Ball Fall), geometry (Shape Escape), and spelling (Word Herd). The game’s adventurous setting incorporates suggestions from kids to add hidden passageways, top-secret trapdoors and wonderful surprises.

“The Mysteries of Lagoon Bay is the result of a collaborative effort between kids and tvokids.com – we really listened to what they liked in their favourite games and tried to pack as much as we could in this game,” says manager of tvokids.com Marie Morency-Lee. “When we showed the kids the final game, they were excited and screaming, ‘This was my idea!’. The game is a great tool to practice math and language concepts while having a blast playing with friends and family.”

Players must contort their bodies to fit through bizarrely shaped holes in themed moving walls hurtling towards them. Competitors attempt to clear the walls in order to boost their scores, or risk being swept away into a pool of water. Hole In The Wall will also incorporate online play, single and multiplayer game modes, as well as image captures of the outlandish player movements performed within the game and hilarious bonus videos from the TV show.

“Ludia is thrilled to create an immersive, controller-free Hole In The Wall game play experience that is perfectly suited to leverage Microsoft Kinect technology,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “This first title is just the beginning of Ludia games for Kinect on Xbox 360, and serves to further reinforce our multiplatform game strategy.”

“The Hole In The Wall television show has been highly successful in dozens of countries worldwide, so we are very pleased to work with Ludia to extend the franchise to Microsoft’s Xbox 360, said Olivier Delfosse, Director, Interactive, FremantleMedia Enterprises, licensor for Hole In The Wall. “We are sure that fans of the show and wider audiences alike will enjoy partaking in a fresh and exciting new Hole In The Wall experience.”

The second development announcement came from Ludia and Mark Burnett’s One Three Television LLC. The development studio will publish games based on the multiple-award winning Are You Smarter Than A 5^th Grader?® TV game show. The North America-wide, multi-year will result in games for Facebook and mobile platforms including iPhone™, iPod touch™ and iPad™.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to create Are You Smarter Than A 5^th Grader? games for the millions of people that play games on Facebook and mobile devices,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “This new license helps amplify the Ludia portfolio of game show games, which has been a highly successful category for us and one we believe has strong on-going potential across platforms.”

The Are You Smarter Than A 5^th Grader? games will feature the favorite game play elements of the television show as contestants vie to earn money by answering trivia questions from a set of ten grade school subjects in a quest to earn the top prize. The games will also incorporate real-time multiplayer competition as well as other unique social features that will result in high dynamic and entertaining game play experiences.

“We are pleased to add Ludia as a licensee to our Are You Smarter Than A 5^th Grader? licensing program. We look forward to working with them on 5^th Grader games for social media and mobile platforms,” said Mark Burnett. “We are thrilled to see the franchise thrive so that fans of the show and wider audiences alike can enjoy their very own Are You Smarter Than A 5^th Grader? game experiences.”

“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.

Shot in the Dark Mysteries has launched its inaugural podcast. Hosted by company president and head writer Leigh Clements, this first podcast in the series will introduce you to the concept of mystery parties. Additional podcasts will  offer listeners many excellent tips on planning that special, and memorable, party or corporate event.

The Youth Media Awards, presented by the Youth Media Alliance, are now open for nomination submissions. The Awards are open to all Canadian-made, youth-oriented productions originally broadcast or released online in English between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2010. Programs and interactive content must be submitted by no later than Monday, February 21, 2011, at 5 p.m. The Award winners will be announced at a gala event in Toronto on June 2nd.

Wired Woman Vancouver presents a session with Tod Maffin, podcasting pioneer, technology trend blogger and Digital Marketing Strategist on Monday, February 7th. Tod will discuss the 7 successful action steps for launching an impactful and measurable viral campaign using his ASSURED ROI™ methodology. Tod’s energetic, highly entertaining presentation style has audiences captivated, engaged, entertained and inspired. This session will be hosted at the ING Direct Cafe on Howe Street. Advance registration for this event is required, tickets are $35.00 for members and $40.00 for non-members. Note: membership is free, sign up and save.

Congratulations to the two Canadian nominees in this year’s Game Developers Choice Awards:

Mass Effect 2, nominated for Best Game Design, Best Technology, Best Audio, Best Writing as well as Game of the Year, and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, nominated for Best Visual Arts and Game of the Year.

Bioware has announced a new pre-order incentive for the fast approaching release of Dragon Age 2. Those who pre-order the game before March 8th (the scheduled release date) will receive access to the following additional in-game content at no extra cost.

* The Lion of Orlais Shield, whose legend begins at the height of the Summer War, when all of Orlais was embroiled in fierce battles, with dozens of contenders for the Imperial Throne emerging. Most are long forgotten except as footnotes in scholarly tomes, but everyone remembers the gallant young lord Emile Deveraux, “The Golden Prince”. Thought outnumbered at every turn, he racked victory upon victory culminating in the Seventh Battle of Roses. While wearing this shield he broke through his uncle’s vanguard to win the day. Never knowing the taste of defeat on the battlefield, this gallant hero is said to have met his end at the hands of a jealous lover in the dead of night. Now you can carry this magnificent shield into battle, adding to your health and XP gained, you can also increase its power with magical runes which will fit nicely into two special slots.

* The Fadeshear Sword, whose core is very old – as old as the first smiths who sought a way to battle the nightmares from the land beyond. This sword has fought the demonic hosts in countless battles, sometimes being held high in triumphant victory. Other times, it has lain broken beside its dying owner. But after every defeat it has always been reclaimed, reforged, and made stronger. Fadeshear has passed through many hands before yours. Now it is your turn to make the demons of the Fade pay for crossing the Veil into the waking world. Make use of the FadeShear Sword against demons and the undead, its power growing as your character levels up.

Original purchasers of Dragon Age 2 will receive:

* A fighting Mabari War Hound who can be summoned by a whistle to fight at your side in battle.
* The Mirror of Transformation which will allow you to change your very appearance. Hair, eyes, tattoos, and more can be changed with the click of a button.
* Access to The Black Emporium exclusive Magic and Crafting Stores that have some of the best equipment and powerful, unique recipes you’ll find in the game. It’s restocked with better items as you progress through the story.

This is a double bonus for those of us who also took advantage of the Signature Edition pre-order incentive, which ended on January 11th, because we also get access to all of this newly announced bonus content. Here is the latest Dev Diary trailer, which talks about story development.

Montreal’s Gamerizon has announced that over 8 Million of its Chop Chop™ games had been downloaded on the App Store in a span of less than 10 months. Each of the six existing Chop Chop™ games – Chop Chop Ninja™, Chop Chop Runner™, Chop Chop Tennis™, Chop Chop Soccer™, Chop Chop Hockey™ and Chop Chop Caveman™ – have received critical acclaim and have reached top ranking positions in their respective categories in most countries around the world, with specially strong performances in the US, the UK, China, Australia, Canada, Germany, and France.

“We reached the milestone with an incredibly strong performance of 1.4 Million downloads in the last 6 days alone and are well on our way to make the Chop Chop™ franchise one of the world’s best known mobile gaming franchises” said Alex Sakiz, CEO of Gamerizon.

The success of the Chop Chop™ franchise is primarily a function of the unique one-finger gameplay mechanics developed in all games and the innovative hybrid Paid/Free Business Model adopted. Three new games – Chop Chop Rocket™, Chop Chop Kicker™ and Chop Chop Alien™ are scheduled for release in February and March.

Emmy® Award-winning Toon Boom Animation Inc. has entered into a partnership with Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore’s leading institution of higher learning, to set up a paperless digital animation production hub on their campus, fully equipped with a Toon Boom pipeline.

This first animation hub will serve as a great launch pad for the students in the interactive digital media courses to learn animation and create projects in a true digital production environment. In addition, Toon Boom will collaborate with Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of InfoComm Technology to assist in faculty development, student development, academic and professional networking, as well as in granting prizes of excellence in the form of special awards and scholarships.

“Toon Boom is fully dedicated to the development of the animation industry in Singapore. As a result, our partnership with Ngee Ann Polytechnic represents a great accomplishment in combining Toon Boom’s field proven expertise with Singapore’s impressive creative talent,” shared Joan Vogelesang, President and Chief Executive Officer at Toon Boom.

EA Sports has released a new trailer for Fight Night Champion. Setting the stage for a new standard in sports games, Fight Night Champion will deliver the most dynamic simulation fighting experience to date, pushing visual boundaries and redefining the single player journey for the category. Check out this video about fighter stamina:

In just a few weeks, Fight Night Champion will break the mold of what is expected in a single-player sports game. Players will be introduced to an entirely new way to step between the ropes and experience the drama, emotion, excitement and tragedy of world championship boxing.

Burnaby’s Teradici Corporation, developer of the innovative PC-over-IP® (PCoIP®) protocol that enables a true PC experience for desktop virtualization, has announced a strategic investment and development agreement from In-Q-Tel (IQT), the strategic investment firm that identifies innovative technology solutions to support the missions of the U.S. Intelligence Community.

Teradici PCoIP protocol is an innovative remote display technology that allows the user’s desktop operating system, applications, and data to reside in the datacenter, eliminating the need for traditional desktop workstations, PCs and thin clients, and delivers an uncompromised user experience to each person, anywhere, without incurring the security risks associated with having data reside in remote PCs. PCoIP technology provides high resolution, full frame rate 3D graphics and high-definition media, with full USB peripheral interoperability, locally over a LAN or remotely over a high-latency WAN. It compresses, encrypts and encodes the entire computing experience at the datacenter and transmits it ‘pixels only’ across a standard IP network to secure, stateless PCoIP zero clients, thin clients, and mobile devices.

The protocol is implemented in silicon for hardware accelerated performance and enhanced security, as well as in several software configurations, including VMware View™, the industry leading desktop virtualization platform. A growing ecosystem of over 25 third-party vendors provide a wide variety of PCoIP products including server plug-in cards, rack and tower workstations, blade PCs, zero clients, integrated monitors, and IP phones with added PCoIP capability.

The Canadian Media Production Association has filed an intervention (PDF) with the CRTC, confirming that it does not support BCE Inc.’s application as filed, to acquire sole control of CTVglobemedia Inc. The CMPA disagrees with BCE’s contention that tangible benefits are not payable as a result of this transaction. The CMPA similarly disagrees with BCE’s proposal that the valuation of benefits payable amounts to only $221 million and that a mere $40 million of that amount will go towards supporting the creation of Canadian programming. The CMPA expects to make its arguments before the CRTC when it commences hearings into the proposed acquisition on February 1, 2011.

“The benefits package proposed by BCE represents a very significant departure from the CRTC’s long-standing tangible benefits policy. It is also extremely self-serving and very largely focused on activities that are normal capital expenditures for such a company,” says Norm Bolen, the CMPA’s President and CEO.

In its intervention, the CMPA argues that the tangible benefits policy must be respected. This means that:

* the payment of tangible benefits are indeed fully required in this transaction;
* the quantum of these TV benefits must represent 10% of the total value of all CTV television assets;
* BCE must not be allowed to exclude or discount any of its television-related assets in this calculation;
* a minimum of 85% of the total tangible benefits must be allocated to the creation of Canadian programming;
* a minimum of 75% of the amount allocated to the creation of Canadian programming must be earmarked to third-parties from the independent production community; and,
* the resources allocated to the creation of independent Canadian programming must be administered by a third-party, and must not be limited to projects that are ultimately broadcast only on CTV or its many television properties.

“If BCE’s proposal is accepted by the Commission without considerable modifications it would fall extremely short of what is in the best interest of our broadcasting system and the Canadian public,” says Bolen.

Wicked Interactive and Mission Against Terror (M.A.T.) have announced that the long-awaited Occupation Mode will be coming soon to everyone’s favorite free-to-play shooter.. With Occupation Mode, M.A.T. gains one of the most essential elements of a competitive title – territory capture and control.

“We are thrilled to offer this intense level of action to our community,” said Sam Ho, Director, Wicked Interactive. “We invite gaming clans of all skill levels to see for themselves just how crazy things can get. We know that gamers will put Occupation Mode right up there with Old School, hardcore multiplayer classics like Counter-Strike 1.6 and the Battlefield series.”

Occupation Mode brings with it new maps and new opportunities to put that weapon you just bought to work. The real challenge, of course, is to protect yourself and your team as you keep moving forward as a unit, attacking new positions and then defending them before time runs out. When your team holds all points on a map, you win the game. When both teams fail to complete the mission, beware…you can end up spawning infinitely for a lengthy and engaging firefight over a single capture point.

“At the request of the community, we have left it up to the game creators to set just how severe the time-keeping will be,” added Ho. “For those who love a good challenge, this is the mode for you. The two teams are in constant struggle for territory control until the best team finally emerges as the winner, involving not only brute force advancement but also endurance and holding key locations.”

“Sorry, playing a game. It’s got scary bits. It’s okay, I’m not having a psychotic episode. Really.”

EA Mobile will also be launching Tetris on the PlayStation Network for North America later today, according to a Twitter post by game developer Behaviour Interactive. Playable on the PlayStation 3, this iteration of the all-time favourite casual game will have 12 Trophies to be earned, including some that reward teamwork in clearing levels. PS3 Tetris is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and boasts these features:

• Slide, rotate and drop your Tetriminos into place in Marathon Mode or any of 12 variants – you can even challenge the best Tetris replays worldwide.
• 6 Multiplayer Modes: Up to 6 players worldwide can knock each other out in 2 minute Timed Battle or be the last person standing in Battle Mode. Play Marathon Mode or variants with up to 3 friends locally, as well.
• Exclusive PS3 Content: Use power-ups in Battle Mode for even more fun. Clear lines together with friends worldwide in Shared Mode or experience Team Battle, the ultimate 2-on-2 competitive Tetris variant.
• View Tetris leaderboards, watch replays of the world’s best players.

EA Sports has released a new trailer for Fight Night Champions. Scheduled for release from EA Canada on March 1st, 2011, Fight Night Champions features a fully developed Champion Mode, which allows players to develop their character’s career while following a compelling storyline. Fight Night Champions will be available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and is rated M for Mature by the ESRB.

Transgaming Studios has just announced that its latest title, Garage Inc., will be launched on iTunes this January 6th. Garage Inc., a time management game set in 1920′s Prohibition Chicago, will be available for the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Mac and PC. Help Italian immigrant Angelo build his automotive repair shop while avoiding the mob, all in pursuit of the American Dream. Garage Inc. is rated Teen for T as the game involves:

• Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References
• Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence

Last month, Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) and LucasArts, a division of Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd., in collaboration with TransGaming, Inc. launched Star Wars®: Clone Wars Adventures™, a free-to-play family-friendly online virtual world, for Macintosh® Platform users. Clone Wars Adventures is an action-packed browser-based virtual world where fans can live out the thrills and excitement of Star Wars®: The Clone Wars™ animated TV series on Cartoon Network.

“The demand for game content on the Mac platform has increased significantly, and we are excited to bring our games to this growing audience,” said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. “Through our collaboration with TransGaming, Mac and PC players are able to play together seamlessly on both Free Realms™ and now Clone Wars Adventures, and we will continue to look for opportunities with future games to do the same.”

Clone Wars Adventures is the ultimate virtual destination for fans of the TV series where players go online to experience fun mini-games, daily activities, events, rewards, lively social environments, and competitions. Players can battle alongside their favorite Star Wars characters like Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. It is updated every week with new content pulled from that week’s new episode.

There will be a Game Jam happening at the New Media Manitoba offices over the weekend of January 29 – 30th. This weekend jam will feature a bit of a twist – each team will develop an idea as a separate 640×480 Flash game.The idea for this themed jam came from Interactive Developer Devin Reimer, proprietor of Almost Logical. Please see the Infinite Ammo blog for complete information and the registration link.

Other upcoming NMM events this month include a two day Apple Aperture 3 Certification Course ($325.00) on January 8th and 9th, a full day seminar on Google AdWords with Google advertising expert Perry Marshall on January 11th, a three day introductory course for Final Cut Pro 7 this January 15th through 16th ($495.00) as well as a three day introductory course for Adobe PhotoShop CS5 beginning on January 25th and running until January 27th ($495.00).

Game Prototype Challenge is holding an informal meet-up evening for Toronto-area participants on January 18th beginning at 8pm. This event is being held at The Spotted Dick (wow, that name doesn’t conjure up bad images at all), and is open to anyone who’d like to find out more about the Game Prototype Challenge or just meet some of the other developers who participate in the Challenge. RSVP to this event’s Facebook page if you’re interested in attending.

Subway Canada has a released a new Fresh Finder app for the iPhone. Developed in partnership by teams from Veritas Canada and Endloop Studios, this free app lets you find the closest Canadian Subway® Restaurants quickly & easily. Using Facebook, Twitter or email, you can invite friends to meet you for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The Fresh Finder applications puts Subway® Restaurants in the palm of your hands with one tap of the screen. It also makes the latest Subway® Restaurant news, updates and special limited time offers easily accessible to you, even while you’re out and about.

More children around the world will soon have safe places to live, learn and play thanks in part to the support of kids who play in the popular snow-covered virtual world, Club Penguin. The fourth annual Coins For Change event, conducted from December 17 to 27, 2010, allowed the children who play Club Penguin to help change the world by donating the virtual coins they earned playing games online to real world causes that matter to them.

Kids could donate virtual coins to provide medical help, build safe places or protect the earth. At the end of the event, the virtual donations to the three cause categories served as votes to determine how a $1M cash contribution from Disney Online Studios would be divided among charitable projects aimed at helping children, families and the planet.

Thanks to more than 3.4 million players who donated in excess of 12.2 billion virtual coins, Disney Online Studios will donate:

* $290,000 USD to support medical clinics in Malawi and Lesotho, Africa (conducted by Partners in Health).
* $50,000 USD to fund operations for sick and disabled children in Cambodia (conducted by Children’s Surgical Centre).
* $75,000 USD to provide school programs for kids displaced by war in Sudan, Africa (conducted by War Child).
* $75,000 USD to protect children from violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (conducted by War Child).
* $150,000 USD to fund projects to provide water to communities in India (conducted by Free The Children).
* $180,000 USD to teach kids and families to care for watersheds and rainforests (conducted by Rare).
* $180,000 USD to protect endangered animals in Columbia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and the Andes Mountains (Conducted by Wildlife Conservation Network).

“Our players work hard to earn virtual coins on Club Penguin, but when a need is expressed they give freely and generously, and I’m always blown away by their passion for helping others and protecting the earth,” says Lane Merrifield, one of Club Penguin’s co-founders and executive vice president of Disney Online Studios. “It was particularly exciting this year to see even more kids from around the world rally together as part of Coins For Change.”

Club Penguin is one of the largest virtual worlds for children with a reputation for providing fun for kids and peace of mind for parents. Millions of children and families in more than 225 countries play Club Penguin in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. Word filters and live moderators monitor chat and activity on the site and work to prevent the sharing of inappropriate or personally identifiable information.

Club Penguin is free to play, however special features such as front-of-the-line access to game features, exclusive parties and opportunities to customize your penguin and igloo require a membership. A portion of the proceeds from each membership purchased supports organizations working to improve the lives of children and families around the globe. In recent years, the kids who play Club Penguin have helped more than two million people get medical care, enabled 200,000 children to go to school and helped protect more than a dozen endangered species and their habitats.

Here is a reminder that Game Prototype Challenge v2 will be announcing the themes on Monday December 13th, as well as a teaser look at some of the games from version 1.

If you are a professional, student or hobbyist, I recommend that you take part in the Game Prototype Challenge – because hey, you never know where that next great idea will come from.

One of my recent new followers on Twitter is Disruptive Publishers. Based in Vancouver, this group creates licensed avatar gear for platforms such as Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. They have created themes and avatars for groups such as American universities, as well as partnered with companies such as Capcom, Sega, EA, Ubisoft, and the NBA for personalized gear that can be purchased in the respective console marketplaces. Creating user-customization gear for avatars is a great way to get your company’s image out into the main stream, broadening its presence to areas you may not have previously considered. According to their site, Disruptive Publishers is “an end-to-end solution for all production, licensing, approval, accounting and marketing disciplines throughout the entire process.”

Toronto-based Raw Sugar PR, owned and operated by Juli Strader, is a company whose philosophy is very similar to our own, to quote their site: “Raw Sugar PR is dedicated to developing and establishing a star system of directors, producers, screenwriters and actors so that Canadians across the country will proudly boast about our talent in the film & TV industry. Film & TV publicity opportunities abound from all stages, from development to casting to production to theatrical debut and to multi-platform distribution. Each stage offers new opportunities to build industry awareness and consumer recognition of your project.”

Another Twitter-find is Vancouver’s Blatant Studio, whose specialty is animation and motion-graphics. They have done work for clients such as Piranha Games, MTV, MuchMusic, 20th Century Fox and many more. While watching their show reel, I saw something very disturbing. Scott Baio is 45? I feel really old now. Thanks, Blatant.

I followed a link posted by Toon Boom, which led me to their Christmas ecard application. A link on that page led me over to Premium Beat, a royalty free music provider founded in 2005 by father-son creatives Giles and Francois Arbour. Based in Quebec, Premium Beat offers high quality Royalty Free Music for all new and traditional media, including websites, online videos, slide shows, DVDs and CD-ROMs, television, radio and films. The company also offers a variety of Flash Media Players for websites: Flash mp3 Players, Flash Video Players and Flash Slideshow Players.

Moderation Town from Stitch Media had its premier yesterday. Airing as a web series on Showcase.ca, Moderation Town is a comedy series about a small Maritime town after the local factory folds and is replaced by an Internet moderation company. Local residents become not-so-internet-savvy content moderators, responsible for filtering the most offensive content off of the Internet.

Kelowna studio Situware has released Pigeon Drop, a kind-of-location-based game available now in the iTunes App Store for $2.99. According to the game’s info, Pigeon Drop is a revolution in interactive game play, physically integrating players into an online world where they command an army of pigeons capable of launching real-time attacks against other online players around the globe.

Pigeons have united in a worldwide effort to help humanity avoid total self-destruction. After years of practicing on statues and monuments around the world, pigeons have finally perfected the art of high altitude bombing and are ready to offer their services to humankind. It appears pigeon poop is a great alternative to weapons of mass destruction and pigeons are willing to partner with humans in an effort to avoid a worldwide disaster and offer a new way of achieving total global domination.

Today seems to be the day for finding out about games with questionable titles. New from Winnipeg’s Complex Games is Monkey Poo, available now in the iTunes store for 99 cents. This game, according to its store description, allows you to fling your way to victory by covering unwary zoo-goers with mounds and mounds of monkey poo, awarding bonus points for finishing off your targets with multiple hits, while nailing mystery celebrities brings massive rewards. Another game objective is to avoid the zookeeper, as he will apparently put your poonami to an early end.

Microsoft’s Vancouver game studio launched an online beta of their newest title last night. Neosaurs is an MMORPG free-to-play PC browser game, and it appears that there will be purchasable upgrades. I did find information about charges and charegbacks in on the game’s site, but could not find any mention of what could be purchased or any prices. Perhaps this feature will be enabled once the beta phase has concluded.

The game’s description is as follows: “deep below Earth’s surface, Inner Earth is in trouble and needs your help! Raise your very own Neosaur to be protector for the forces of good. Play with your friends and explore the extensive lore and endless adventure in the magical land beneath. You can evolve your Neosaur into a ferocious Rex, strong Cera, or agile Ptera.”

Behaviour Studios has a new title on XBLA – Doritos Crash Course is a fast-paced, funny, obstacle course game show for your Avatar to compete against your friends and family over XboxLive. Play through 15 exciting platformer levels across 3 different countries. Compete against your friends and family up to four players over XboxLive and local split-screen. Technically, this free game was developed by Wanako Studios in Chile – but – Wanako is a wholly-owned division of Quebec’s Behaviour Studio, which, in a round-about kind of way, gets it in through the Canadian Content Door.

WordUs2 is a fun and smart game suitable for all ages, and with a dictionary of thousands of words, that’s weeks of entertainment. WordUs2 has four exciting game modes: Calm & Collected, Every Guess Counts, Think Fast, and Six Minute Sprint. Each game mode features different twists and challenges sure to keep you guessing! WordUs2 features OpenFeint integration with achievement rewards for completing different gameplay tasks. WordUs2 is available now in the iTunes App Store for $0.99 USD.

Sensory robotics software company Flurple2 has unveiled Trivio™, a new trivia game app that allows users to say their answers out loud. In its first week on the App Store, Trivio launched onto the Top 50 list in the USA. In Canada, Trivio climbed to the iTunes Top-5 New and Noteworthy board for Free Games & Trivia apps.

The television game show-style app, Trivio is the first trivia game to incorporate voice activation, speech recognition plus artificial intelligence (AI). Trivio works with all Apple products, including the iPad™, iPhone® 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, the original iPhone, and the iPod touch®.

Gaming is simple and fun — you tap the big red button on the screen and speak your answer. If you miss, your opponent gets a chance to answer the question. Points are scored for the fastest correct response. The more difficult the questions, the more points you get.

“With Trivio, it’s challenging to think fast — and speak the answer. Other quiz games are based on a simple multiple choice setup. Trivio is a quantum leap forward in mobile, interactive gaming”, states Pete Deschamps, Flurple2 CEO.

Flurple2 is pleased to announce that Trivio is powered by Sensory®, the leader in speech technologies for consumer products. “Trivio is a fun and challenging game that uses speech recognition technology in a very effective way to enhance the interactive gameplay beyond multiple choice or the hassle of typed in responses”, said Todd Mozer CEO Sensory.

Trivio can revolutionize family game night, allowing parents and kids to form “teams” to play against each other and “buzz in” when they think they have the right answer. The app uses Bluetooth for lightning fast multiplayer games, and has four levels of question difficulty, from ‘Easy’ to ‘Killer’.

Trivio uses Apple’s Accessibility features for the disabled – seeing-impaired players can have the questions read aloud to them. Deschamps sees the technology being used to help people, as well as for pure entertainment.

“Helping people help themselves is something I’ve never forgotten from my time in the local Burlington Rotary Club. Trivio can be used to assist stroke victims, and help people with disabilities learn how to talk again, while having fun at the same time”, says Pete Deschamps.

Trivio’s robotics can be franchised and serve-up any company’s content and media, including trivia and educational content licensing. The educational and medical applications are endless”, states Pete Deschamps.

Currently Trivio is available on the App Store worldwide. In its first week on the free app iTunes market, Trivio ranked in the Top 200 Free Games/Trivia category in 37 countries around the globe. Trivio was deemed New & Noteworthy in 5 countries including Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

Webnames.ca Inc., Canada’s original domain registrar and an “ally on the web”™ to Canadian businesses, has launched a new professional services arm called Power for Small Business™. Power for Small Business™ provides small businesses the tools they need to succeed online and offline including website design, online strategy, search engine optimization and logo and collateral development, among other professional services.

Power for Small Business™ builds on Webnames.ca’s strong foundation of exceptional customer support. The cornerstone of the new program is a comprehensive website and online strategy package called Essentials™. Covering all of the bases small businesses and start-ups need to establish a strong online presence, Essentials™ includes a custom designed, search engine friendly WordPress website, an online strategy that integrates Twitter and Google Analytics, and personalized training on how to use each of these tools.

Essentials™ provides exceptional additional value by positioning small businesses for continuous growth at a competitive price. “Understanding peoples’ needs is what Webnames.ca has always done best,” said Webnames.ca CTO Matt Lane. “We developed Essentials™ to give small businesses a complete online presence and a professional website they can build on for years to come. Whether you want to redesign an existing website or launch a new business on the Internet, Essentials™ will you get found and help you grow your business.”

For a limited time the Essentials™ package by Webnames.ca Power for Small Business™ is being offered at a special introductory rate of $1895. Recognizing that many small businesses are stretched for time, Webnames.ca has also launched a comprehensive selection of affordable support plans for WordPress.

Montreal-based online shopping club Beyond the Rack has announced that after only 20 months in operation it is now serving over 2.5 million members. The company reached the 1 million member milestone at the end of April, 2010, and so has grown its membership by 150% in the past six months. To help celebrate this milestone, Beyond the Rack is offering its members the chance to win two luxury vacation packages to any Sandals or Beaches Resort.

At the same time, the company has refreshed its Web site. The upgrade includes an enhanced shopping calendar with event category tabs, drop-down menus, and category-specific calendar pages to help customers find what they’re looking for more quickly; a pop-up shopping bag which remains visible throughout each shopping session; larger product images and in-depth brand information; and a more robust blog which now features exclusive fashion tips and trends from Beyond the Rack’s style editor.

“As our growth continues to accelerate, we remain committed to providing our customers with the most pleasurable shopping experience we can give them,” says CEO, Yona Shtern. “Many of the improvements came directly from feedback from customers themselves.”

Nova Scotia’s SimplyCast.com, a leader in multi-channel marketing software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution for organizations worldwide, announced today it has released an application integration with WordPress. The downloadable plug-in allows for a streamlined process to manage contacts between the world’s largest blogging solution and the most innovative all-in-one marketing platform.

”By integrating with WordPress, we are making it that much easier for users to access their contacts without the hassle of storing them in multiple places. Customers can now simplify the sales cycle and build stronger customer relationships regardless of where they store contact information,” said Saeed El-Darahali, president and CEO of SimplyCast.

Users can now easily and accurately share their WordPress contacts with their SimplyCast multi-channel marketing account. As a result, those that limit access to their blogs with a login feature, can now connect their WordPress contacts to their online marketing using SimplyCast. This makes for more accurate and efficient maintenance of customer contact information that results in more targeted communications. The application is free to SimplyCast customers at www.simplycast.com and can be accessed immediately within SimplyCast’s multi-channel marketing platform.

SimplyCast’s 10-in-1 multi-channel marketing platform is a web-based solution designed to create, track and deliver targeted online marketing campaigns such as email, survey, event, autoresponder, fax, SMS and link tracking services.

Camouflage Software Inc., the leader in data masking technologies, is pleased to announce its support for the latest changes to the PCI Data Security Standard (DSS) and Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS) version 2.0, which was released October 28, 2010.

The new PCI DSS clarifies the requirements of the existing security standards necessary for the protection of payment card data. It also confirms the current industry best practices related to ‘remaining ahead of the threat landscape.’ In addition to mandating that ‘all locations of cardholder data are included in scope of PCI DSS assessments’, this amendment also allows ‘vulnerabilities to be ranked and prioritized according to risk.’ PCI 2.0 becomes effective January 1, 2011 and becomes mandatory by January 1, 2012.

In allowing for a strategic approach to compliance, PCI 2.0 also confirms that there is a clear preliminary requirement to audit and locate all cardholder data, regardless of where it may reside. This involves i) a comprehensive inventory of cardholder data and ii) a threat analysis of that inventory. The Camouflage Discovery Module™ provides a compliance advantage by automatically identifying and classifying cardholder data located in applications throughout the organization. It features a powerful search engine and standard search templates customized to facilitate PCI compliance. These templates offer a significant head start to your compliance efforts by providing search rules aimed at locating cardholder data out-of-the-box.

The Camouflage data classification functionality allows organizations to automatically categorize discovered data according to the data classification scheme that best represents the given sensitive data and intended uses. Once the cardholder data has been located, the Data Discovery Module can classify specific sensitive information which can then be used for reports, including threat analyses.

The initial lineup of demos available includes BIT.TRIP FATE, And Yet It Moves, ThruSpace™ and Jett Rocket. Additional demos will be added on Mondays and each will remain available on the Wii Shop Channel for a limited time. WiiWare game demos are just the latest addition to the wide variety of information and entertainment options available to Wii owners. Wii owners can access various channels on the Wii Menu, including the Nintendo® Channel, which offers information about and videos of current and upcoming games for Nintendo systems. Likewise, Wii owners who are also Netflix members with a qualifying plan can instantly watch movies and TV shows streamed directly to their TVs once they have downloaded Netflix from the Wii Shop Channel.

Ludia Games and Seattle’s WildTangent have signed an exclusive deal that will result in the deployment of WildTangent’s BrandBoost™ advertising platform across Ludia’s current and future social games, starting with FremantleMedia’s The Price Is Right game. BrandBoost will enable advertisers to dynamically sponsor access to premium content within Ludia’s social games, building equity with players through an improved game experience.

“BrandBoost is quickly becoming the ubiquitous in-game ad solution for social games, delivering scalable, targeted, engagement-based advertising that players seek out in social gaming environments,” said Bill Clifford, vice president of global ad sales at WildTangent. “We believe that the next wave of social games will be driven by truly social experiences built around recognizable entertainment brands, and that is what Ludia is delivering. Brands are starving for opportunities to align with premium content in social gaming, and Ludia’s games certainly fill that need.”

After more than 38 years on the air, The Price Is Right from FremantleMedia remains the longest-running game show in television history and one of the most popular game show franchises in the world. Incorporating all of the familiar elements of the beloved television show, the game is one of Ludia’s most successful titles across platforms. The Price Is Right is unique on Facebook as one of the few synchronous multiplayer games, enabling a truly social game experience with engaging live competition elements that fuel long play sessions and repeat visits. Launched in September 2010, The Price Is Right game reached more than 2.5 million players within its first month of availability.

With BrandBoost now deployed by a number of the largest social game developers with many of the most popular games, WildTangent is fast approaching the ability to deliver engagement ads to an addressable audience of more than 100 million monthly players on Facebook. BrandBoost enables brands to dynamically sponsor access to additional playing time or virtual goods that players would otherwise have to pay for. The platform also enables dynamic integration of branded virtual goods into social games. BrandBoost supports 3rd party ad serving and reporting as well as creative formats ranging from long-form video to social engagement activities. Because BrandBoost is a dynamically served advertising platform, utilizing DFP, leading advertisers can deliver brand campaigns and custom items inside of social games experiences while industry standard reporting and metrics.

Rusty Axe Games has announced the alpha playable release of its new free to play browser game, Dungeon Brawl – Proving Grounds. The beta version of Dungeon Brawl is expected to be released in early December. Dungeon Brawl is being developed using Dungeon Demon and accompanying art packs. Dungeon Demon is Rusty Axe Games’ RPG map editing software that can be used for pencil and paper as well as computer game map making.

Babybot, a Canadian online baby store for modern parents, is ready to rumble. In a battle between the coolest characters, the world watches as robots and monsters fight it out in the snow. This winter, it’s Babybot versus Monster Factory in a unique NEW version of SnowRumble – the addicting snowball fighting app for iPhone or iPod touch! Players get to pick their posse from a selection of Babybot or Monster Factory characters. Each with their unique strengths, the characters will use the elements in each landscape to their advantage to beat down the opponent and take over their turf!

Always innovative and light-years ahead, Babybot is the first in the baby space to throw down such a challenge. “But”, counters Adam Dunn, lead Monster maker at Monster Factory, “our monsters have a few tricks up their arms. For months they’ve been honing their catapulting and dive roll skills. They’re pretty stoked to lay down a bit of monster madness.”

Renee Bender, lead Coach for Team Babybot, isn’t worried. “We’ve got major game. You don’t rock the baby space without having highly tuned senses. Our bots have already computed thousands of throw strategies…they’re ready to crush.”

The game is being offered as a free download (limited release). The more butt kicking you do, the more you save! Be the first 300 to unlock and win up to 20% – the promo codes are good for anything on babybot.com

Get the highest score and you’ll be playing real SnowRumble! Monster Factory is giving away sets of three snowballs (made exclusively for this game) to daily high scorers. Plus, if you’re lucky and receive a golden snowball in your three-pack, you’ll be the winner of a grand prize, and those who ‘rate’ the game also have a chance to win a special giveaway from Babybot. For those who get attached to the game characters, not to worry, these little bots and monsters can be purchased – including an exclusive Monster Factory plush doll created only for this game.

Girls Night Out is the first release from Wee Black Sheep Entertainment, a Vancouver-based company that creates entertaining apps for a variety of life’s events and celebrations. “If you’re a woman with an iPhone or iPod Touch and you like having fun with your girlfriends, then Girls Night Out is for you,” says Jenny Ramsay, Wee Black Sheep’s founder and CEO. “This app is an instant party—it turns an otherwise ordinary night out with the girls into a wild experience you’ll be laughing about for a long time afterward!”

Florida-based Accel Networks and Vancouver’s Sierra Wireless have announced a joint marketing agreement to promote secure, reliable cellular solutions for customers deploying retail transaction and networking applications. This agreement formalizes a relationship that has already enabled Accel to deploy PCI-compliant cellular fixed wireless solutions for primary and back-up connectivity. Accel Networks, utilizing Sierra Wireless AirLink™ intelligent gateways and routers, has provided reliable and secure solutions for several major national retail customers and food service chains.

By standardizing on the Sierra Wireless AirLink line of devices, Accel Networks confidently deploys business critical solutions for its customers. The combination of Accel’s proprietary antenna technology and monitoring platforms with Sierra Wireless’s best-in-class intelligent wireless gateways and routers makes cellular fixed wireless an effective enterprise-wide solution for mission-critical applications and enables enterprise customers to expand into areas where wired broadband connections are not available or not practical. Powered by ALEOS™ embedded intelligence and managed by AirLink management software, AirLink devices provide a persistent, secure data connection and can be easily configured and controlled from any location with an internet connection.

“We are extremely pleased to have been selected by Accel Networks as the preferred connectivity device for its managed network solution,” said Justin Schmid, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, Solutions and Services for Sierra Wireless. “This relationship facilitates a turn-key solution for wireless payment and business continuity applications, which is vital for the growth of the M2M business.”

According to Elaine Healy, President and Chief Operating Officer of Accel Networks, “The reliability and ease of integration offered by the Sierra Wireless devices made AirLink an easy choice for our standard connectivity platform. Formalizing and announcing our JMA with Sierra Wireless at the Customer Engagement Technology World (CETW) show is particularly timely since there is no better connectivity solution for kiosks and digital signage than Accel’s fixed cellular solution.”

Sierra Wireless provides a broad portfolio of high performance mobile computing and M2M solutions, including mobile broadband modems, embedded wireless modules, intelligent gateways and routers, as well as extensive software platforms that enable its customers and partners to deploy powerful solutions. By leveraging the AirLink line of intelligent gateways and routers from Sierra Wireless, Accel Networks is able to provide its customers a consistent and robust fixed cellular broadband experience across all sites, facilitating asset tracking as well as real-time traffic utilization and management, leveraging a private PCI-compliant gateway. In addition, Accel offers a Service Level Agreement (SLA) to its customers, providing peace of mind for those concerned about continuity of mission-critical business functions.

Accel’s approach to connectivity is unique with its primary focus on the “last mile.” Accel’s innovative family of proprietary antennas and monitoring platforms was developed with the deep understanding that RF is dynamic and local. With this combined solution, customers no longer have to choose between the quality of a wireline service and the flexibility of wireless. Furthermore, the AccelView™ portal provides customers access to real-time information about the quality of each link in addition to data utilization and asset tracking.

Accel Networks and Sierra Wireless will be co-exhibiting at Customer Engagement Technology World in New York City from Nov 10 – 11. Visit them in booths # 237 and 336.

“Whether shoppers want to add a cool new look to their gaming setup or expand their supply of controllers with an exciting game, Nintendo offers a great value for the holidays,” said Ron Bertram, Nintendo of Canada’s vice-president and general manager. “For anyone who is still on the fence about whether to join the world of video games, we’re offering many fun, easy, economical ways to get involved.”

Red Wii Bundle: This limited-edition Wii hardware comes in beautiful red to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros. game. The bundle includes New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii and a new red Wii Remote Plus controller, in addition to all the other included items, like Wii Sports™ and a red Nunchuk™ controller. It will be available while supplies last at a suggested retail price of just $209.99.

Red Nintendo DSi XL Bundle: This special-edition Nintendo DSi XL bundle is also red in honour of the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. and features three iconic Super Mario Bros.-themed graphics. The bundle comes with Mario Kart™ DS, which looks gorgeous on the extra-large screen. That’s in addition to the pre-loaded software of Brain Age™ Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Math and Photo Clock. It will be available while supplies last at a suggested retail price of just $179.99.

Wii Remote Plus: This new controller combines the original, iconic Wii Remote™ controller with built-in Wii MotionPlus functionality. The compact Wii Remote Plus controller offers players precision motion controls all in one unit. It becomes the new standard Wii controller, and will be available from now on in all Wii hardware packages and bundles, as well as sold separately at a suggested retail price of $44.99.

FlingSmash™ Bundle: The new Wii game combines the hands-on fun of tennis with the nonstop action and instant gratification of pinball. It requires use of the Wii MotionPlus accessory, so it seemed natural to bundle it with the new Wii Remote Plus controller. For a suggested retail price of $49.95, shoppers get to enjoy both the game and the controller in one package.

Visit the “On Tour” page for schedule updates.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

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

ONTARIO

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

QUEBEC

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

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

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

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

Based on the environment, characters and storylines of the popular online playground Club Penguin, Club Penguin Game Day! includes a range of single and multi-player sports and performance events designed to challenge and engage every member of the family.

“There are lots of parents who want to experience what their kids have come to know and love about the virtual world of Club Penguin, but it’s easier to gather everyone in the family room than around the computer in the home office,” says Lane Merrifield, co-founder of Club Penguin and executive vice president of Disney Online Studios. “With Club Penguin Game Day!, we hope to give families new ways to connect, be active and have fun together.”

Club Penguin Game Day! features a collection of 12, all-new Wii exclusive games, including Puffle Paddle, Dance Off and Sumo Smash. Players create and customize a penguin, choose a team color and try to conquer challenges in each of the six zones on the island. The team that takes over the most territory wins.

The game includes innovative ways to connect with the virtual world, allowing players to transfer their penguins, achievements, coins, and exclusive unlockable items to their online accounts. Players can also interact with familiar characters from the virtual world, including Rookie, Aunt Arctic, and Gary the Gadget Guy.

Another feature lets players transfer their customized penguins via their Wii Remote™ to a friend’s Wii for use in game play. Once back on the original console, high scores, coins and customization items earned will merge with the player’s profile.

Kelowna-based Club Penguin launched in 2005 and joined The Walt Disney Company two years later. Today, millions of children and families in more than 190 countries around the world spend time in the popular virtual playground, interacting with friends, exploring, playing games and letting their imaginations soar. Available to play in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish, Club Penguin is renowned for its commitment to safe fun.

Club Penguin Game Day! marks Club Penguin’s debut on a video game console, following two successful games for Nintendo DS™. Published by Disney Interactive Studios, Club Penguin Game Day! is rated E for everyone with comic mischief and carries a suggested retail price of $49.99.

“These outstanding award winners exemplify business excellence through innovation, export diversity, entrepreneurial spirit and an understanding that the best investment is in their people,” says Len Crispino, President & CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “This is the award winners’ opportunity to step into the spotlight to celebrate success, not only for themselves but, for Ontario.”

Square Enix revealed today that a new premium-quality action figure based on the central character from the Eidos Montreal game Deus Ex: Human Revolution™, Adam Jensen will be the latest addition to the Play Arts® -KAI- series, and will feature newly-augmented Adam Jensen and even more.

“The Square Enix Merchandise Division is dedicated to creating collectible action figures that combine high production value and excellent articulation,” said Kanji Tashiro, Merchandise Director of Square Enix, Inc. “The DEUS EX series has captivated fans across the globe since the first game was released, and we are thrilled and pleased to be making action figures for its latest entry. The game’s truly unique style and visually striking technology provides us with a perfect opportunity to do what we do best: craft a high-quality product that brings to life a vibrant universe.”

For those on the career hunt, Eidos Montreal has several positions open, including that for a Brand Manager.

Ludia and FremantleMedia Enterprises have launched The Price Is Right HD for iPad® on the App Store. Now iPad users can “COME ON DOWN!” to an unparalleled The Price Is Right experience, enhanced with stunning new HD graphics and incorporating Multi-Touch game play. Incorporating all the familiar elements of the beloved TV game show, The Price Is Right HD for iPad puts players in Contestant’s Row to bid on items in order to earn a shot at playing popular pricing games, try their luck at spinning The Big Wheel, and experience the winner-takes-all tension of the Showcase.

“The Price Is Right is one of Ludia’s most successful titles across platforms, and we are thrilled to now bring it to iPad owners in HD,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “Game show fans can now enjoy immersive and engaging The Price Is Right fun anywhere, thanks to the iPad’s advanced capabilities.”

The Price Is Right HD features:

* Eye-popping HD graphics designed and optimized for the iPad.
* Two game modes: single player and multiplayer.
* Favorite pricing games to play including Plinko, Cliff Hangers, Punch-a-Bunch & many more.
* Authentic stages, Big Wheel, and other game elements combine with familiar music and Rich Fields as announcer to create a true-to-show experience.
* Customizable 3D player avatars: choose hairstyles, clothing, accessories and more.
* Unlock bonus items as a reward for progress in the game.

Astral Media Inc. has launched a campaign that celebrates its contributions to Canadian culture. The two TV messages were conceived by Bos and depict what the film, television and music industries would look like without such crucial financing. Both situations use humor to offset an otherwise very serious issue.

The campaign premiered last week at the opening night of the Toronto International Film Festival, which Astral is a proud sponsor. One of the two trailers was showcased during the Opening Night Gala Presentation of Score: A Hockey Musical, one of 19 Astral supported Canadian Films selected for the 2010 Festival. Other movies include gala presentations of Barney’s Version, A Beginners Guide to Endings, and the Bang Bang Club; and a special presentation of Trigger. Both messages are now airing on Astral’s pay-television and specialty services.

For over 25 years now, Astral has played a leading role in providing private funding for Canadian culture. This dedication to the vitality of our communities and to the arts industry has allowed for ambitious television and film projects to see the light of day, and for now popular musical notes to take flight. Every year, through its pay and specialty TV channels, radio stations and The Harold Greenberg Fund, Astral invests over $170 million in Canadian culture.

“We are fortunate to live in a dynamic, inclusive and creative culture. This unique point of view needs to be nourished and celebrated. We take much pride in the fact that Astral’s investments help great projects come to life, contribute to a creative product of quality, and support the talented artists and artisans behind these projects,” said Derev Antikacioglu, Corporate Marketing Director at Astral.

Astral continues to be the country’s largest private investor in Canadian feature film, funding the development and production of homegrown film and television projects. In the world of music, Astral has worked closely with partners to develop and launch over 20 projects to support Canadian singers, songwriters and performers.

“Our goal with Shank was to create a game that pays homage to the classic 2D brawler, while seeing how far we could push it by melding it with our own pulp-fiction influences,” said Jamie Cheng, CEO of Klei Entertainment. “At the end of a long road that began as an indie dream in 2009, we’ve finally shipped a visually striking, cinematic brawler.”

“With Shank, Jamie Cheng, Jeff Agala, and the team at Klei Entertainment have delivered the game analog of the black comedy symphony of violence dominating today’s indie film circuit,” said Jamil Moledina, Outreach Director at EA Partners. “This exquisitely bloody game conjures memories of the best arcade brawlers of the late 1980s, while delivering the production values and pitch perfect controls of a modern high definition blockbuster masterpiece.”

Shank tells a classic story of gangland betrayal through a violent, pulp-fiction lens. Gamers play as Shank, getting their hands bloody as they uncover the secrets of Shank’s past and the reasons he is hell-bent on revenge. With a deep and intuitive combat system, players unleash a tremendous number of creative combinations as they take down waves of enemies standing in their path. Shank also features a special co-operative campaign, designed to be played with a friend locally, which tells the backstory of the revenge plot. This prequel mission allows players to play as Shank or his partner-in-crime Falcone, with deadly double-team moves and gameplay that encourages teamwork.

Shank is one of the most highly anticipated downloadable game releases of this summer, having been nominated for Excellence in Visual Arts by the Independent Games Festival, as well as multiple “Best of E3” awards, including “Best Action Game” from IGN.com and “Best Downloadable Game” from GameTrailers.com. Shank is rated M by the ESRB.

The McLuhan Festival of the Future’s Vortex Videogame Conference and Competition, an illustrious event designed to showcase Ontario’s undiscovered videogame talent, has announced today that it will be accepting entries for its 2010 edition.

With the mission to create opportunities for emerging videogame companies and individuals to showcase their work locally, nationally, and internationally, Vortex achieves its goal through education, discourse, pitching, networking and, of course, competition.

This year, the Vortex Videogame Conference and Competition will be one of the first events held at the newly constructed, state-of-the-art, Toronto International Film Festival Bell Lightbox in the heart of downtown Toronto.

Vortex has also recently partnered up with DIG London, a forum for Canada’s game developers, publishers, technology companies, and service providers to connect, learn, and share ideas. Managing Director of Vortex Sari Ruda says, “We are delighted to partner with DIG as it provides us with the opportunity to increase the exposure of emerging entrepreneurs to the videogame industry throughout Ontario.”

Elements of the conference and competition will span five months from October 2010 to February 2011. During this time, attendees are taught how to succeed in the videogame industry. Participants will gain insight into the industry through a series of keynote speakers from significant industry personalities at Vortex’s Boot Camp. Boot Camp is a series of sessions specifically designed for emerging entrepreneurs in the game industry. It provides information and guidance on how to make the delegates’ new product ready for—and a success in—the marketplace.

Networking takes centre stage at Vortex. Entrants have the opportunity to rub shoulders with future colleagues, partners, potential funders and even bosses. Previous years’ speakers and judges included Blake Lewin (Founder of GameTap), Yannis Mallat (CEO of Ubisoft Montreal), Kevin O’ Leary (entrepreneur and star of CBC’s Dragons’ Den), Nathan Vella (president and co-founder of Capybara Games), Jason McIsaac (executive editor, Elecplay.com) and many more.

Ludia and FremantleMedia Enterprises has announced the launch of the Press Your Luck game for the PlayStation®3 on the PlayStation®Network for $9.99. Based on the classic Press Your Luck television game show, PS3™ owners can now play as one of three contestants competing to win by correctly answering trivia questions to earn “spins” on the Big Board. The player who ends the game with the highest earnings emerges victorious- all the while trying to avoid the dreaded Whammy or risk losing all winnings. Players can enjoy a thrilling online multiplayer Press Your Luck experience as they compete against friends and/or other players from across North America via the PlayStation®Network. Additionally, multiplayer local and solo game play is also supported.

“Ludia is excited to bring the humour and family entertainment of Press Your Luck, starring the famously mischievous ‘Whammy’ character, to PlayStation®3 systems via the PlayStation®Network,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “This latest release is another captivating addition to our slate of game show games for PS3™, and serves to further augment Ludia?s multiplatform strategy.”

Press Your Luck for PS3™ features:

* Three game modes: Play solo, enjoy Multiplayer Mode on one PS3™, or play Multiplayer Online via the PlayStation®Network (up to 3 players).
* Hundreds of trivia questions and game play punctuated by dozens of hilarious Whammy animations.
* Authentic stage, Big Board, music and sound effects create a true-to-show game experience.
* Customizable player avatars, with bonus items unlocked as a reward for progress in the game.
* Chat with other players using any compatible wireless headset for the PlayStation®3 system.

“Given the superb work Ludia did with Family Feud for PS3™, we are pleased to have Ludia infuse another of our game show brands with a new level of interactivity, including multiplayer game play, to PlayStation®3 systems owners throughout North America,” added Olivier Delfosse, Director of Interactive for program licensor FME.

Amuse Consulting is presenting two one hour workshops titled “How To Use Twitter & Facebook to Raise Your Profile & Increase Business” on September 14th. Attendees can choose from either the Breakfast Session (7:30 – 8:30a.m.) or the Lunch Session (12:30 – 1:30p.m.), both of which will be held at The Network Hub in Vancouver. Coffee and wi-fi are included in the $20.00 ticket price. Speaker Mark Smith encourages those attending to bring their laptops, as this will be a practical, step-by-step workshop with hands-on experience for effective use of your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles. Additional event sponsors are Duet Media and sixty4 media.

Kitchener’s XtraLean Software will be releasing ImageWell Version 4.0, a major upgrade to its popular image editing tool for Mac OS X, in Q4 of 2010. Version 4 will ship with significant user interface improvements that will make it even easier and faster to edit images. Version 4 will also remove the batch mode feature and offer the batch processor as a separate product with many improvements and more features. Registered users of ImageWell V3 will be able to get both Version 4 and the separate batch processor application free of charge. New users can try the 7-day full-featured trial version of ImageWell for free, or buy a serial number for only $19.95 CAD. The current version, V3.7.6, is available for immediate download.

ImageWell is a quick and easy to use image editor that has been enjoyed by Mac users around the world for the past eight years. ImageWell has continuously been improved and developed with user feedback in mind. Offering more than just simple editing tools, ImageWell has become an indispensable tool that makes it fast and easy to perform many of the everyday image editing activities from labeling diagrams, to editing photos, layering images, taking screenshots, plus much more. Users can send their images, screenshots, and other files to anyone, anywhere with one simple click of a button. Version 4 will further improve the user experience by making the job of editing images even faster and easier than before.

Based on user feedback, Version 4 will ship with an improved, more intuitive user interface that will make it easier to use the editing features and will allow for more user-specific options. Version 4 will also add more image filters and leverages the latest Snow Leopard technology to make ImageWell even faster to use. Another major improvement to this upcoming release will include the removal of the batch mode feature, which will be offered as a new and separate product that will be available to registered ImageWell V3 users for free. This change makes it possible to offer ImageWell users the image editing capabilities and features they need without sacrificing on speed and ease of use. The separate batch processing utility will add many more useful features and a new and improved user interface to make it easier and more efficient to edit multiple images all at once.

ImageWell Version 4.0 will require Mac OS X 10.6 or later. ImageWell V3 requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later and is a Universal Binary for both Intel-based Mac and Power PC support. ImageWell supports Mac accounts, WebDAV hosts, FTP/SFTP, Export to a Folder, Flickr, SmugMug, and ImageShack accounts. The 7-day trial of ImageWell can be tried for free and a serial number can be purchased for $19.95 CAD. ImageWell Version 4.0 is planned for release in Q4 of 2010 and will be a free upgrade to registered V3 users.

The Mitsubishi City Chase Powered By BlackBerry in partnership with Urban Recreation will conclude with the 8th and final regional event of The 2010 Series, on Saturday August 28th when Vancouver is turned into an adventure playground for nearly 1000 Chasers.

City Chase is an urban adventure that requires teams of two to exhibit teamwork, resourcefulness, determination and the ability to make decisions on the fly as they search for physical, intellectual, adventurous and humorous ChasePoint challenges which are scattered in unknown locations throughout the city. Focusing more on the journey than the destination, participants will learn about their city, their teammate, and themselves as they enjoy a full day of Laughter, Adventure and Discovery through an original urban race experience.

Past events have engaged players in challenges such as pulling a carriage through Stanley Park, climbing the 802 steps of The Calgary Tower, playing under water hockey in Edmonton, rappelling 28-floors down Toronto City Hall, completing a thrilling zip line across Hog’s Back Falls in Ottawa, boxing against the Mayor of Regina, and learning to do aerial ski jumping in Quebec City. For more information on what is required, check out the event’s FAQ page.

The start and finish point for the Vancouver City Chase is Granville Square, 200 Granville Street, where players will convene beginning at 7:45a.m. on Saturday, August 28th, 2010 for check-in. The entry fee is $168.00 (includes HST) per team, pre-registration is recommended. Online registration closes at 11:59pm Friday, August 27th.

Here is the official schedule:

7:45am – 9:15am – Participant check-in
9:15am – 9:30am – Official Warm-up provided by GoodLife Fitness
9:30am – 10:00am – Welcome Speech
10:00am – Official Start – The Chase Is ON!!
12:30 – 1:00pm – Lead Teams Arrive at the Finish Line
4:00pm – Course and Finish Line Close
5:00pm – After Party/Awards Ceremony

Following Vancouver’s event, The Canadian City Chase Series will host The 2010 Canadian Championships in October where the winning teams of all 7 qualifying events across Canada will face 48 hours of intense urban challenges in an unfamiliar setting. The winning team of The Championships will drive away in a pair of 2011 Mitsubishi Outlanders.

The Mitsubishi City Chase Powered by BlackBerry supports Right to Play. As the official charitable partner of The Canadian City Chase Series, Right to Play will benefit both from awareness and proceeds generated throughout the 2010 Series. After generating more than $175,000 in 2009, sights are fixed on a 2010 target of no less than $225,000, with the goal drawing nearer every day.

“While DeathSpank is definitely one of the funnier games out there, it’s more than a one trick pony,” said Vlad Ceraldi, Director of Game Development for Hothead Games. “We’ve built a game with fast-paced, addictive combat set in a world that has a tremendous amount of depth that is filled with dynamic characters, colorful environments and tons of cool weapons and loot. And yes, we still have ponies too — trick ponies!”

“The team at Hothead has really made the perfect experience for the summer,” said Jamil Moledina, Outreach Director, Business Development for EA Partners. “DeathSpank is a high-end and fun game, yet incredibly accessible. It’s very easy to pick up and play, both in terms of its classic arcade controls, as well as the convenience of downloading it straight to your console.”

Players who download the game, which is rated T for Teen, will be placed in the boots of the mighty DeathSpank, “Dispenser of Justice”, “Vanquisher of Evil” and “Hero to the Downtrodden”, embarking on his life long journey is to search for and find a mysterious artifact known only as, “The Artifact”. Along his journey, DeathSpank will rescue orphans, defeat a local tyrant, help an aging adventurer, and dive headfirst into an even deeper mystery. The game’s accessibility makes for a fun, addictive experience where players will find themselves solving crazy puzzles, collecting massive amounts of loot and hearing witty dialogue. For those with friends, DeathSpank also features local co-operative gameplay, allowing friends to jump in and out of fighting through this adventure on the same console as both DeathSpank and his trusty, magical sidekick, Sparkles the Wizard.

Dead Rising 2 Executive Producer, Keiji Inafune and Producer, Shinsaku Ohara, will be at Comic-Con in San Diego to unveil development stories and discuss the upcoming Zombrex Dead Rising Sun motion picture, with a Q&A session to follow. Their talk will take place on July 22 in Room 25ABC from 12:00-1:00 P.M. If you’re going to Comic-Con, Capcom will be in booth #4844, and the Capcom Store will offer items exclusive to Comic Con – including 10 of the Dead Rising 2 motorcycle jacket.

The Montreal International Game Summit has officially launched their 2010 site and confirmed November 7th & 8th as the date for its 7th annual event. Taking place at the Hilton Bonaventure in Montreal, MiGS offers over 80 sessions and activities, addressing continuing professional training needs, fueling the five main themes of the video game industry: business, arts and visual effects, design, programming and technical aspects. In addition to two keynote speakers, there will be an invited speaker for each of the themes.

Also new this year is a contest to win free admission to this year’s conference. If you want to attend quality conferences and workshops, in addition to meeting video game industry professionals, enter the Montreal Takes Control contest for a chance to win. Send a photo or a drawing on the theme Montreal takes control to Géraldine Philippin. The winner will be chosen based on originality alone. Only one photo or one drawing per participant is allowed. You have until July 27, 2010 to send in your work and your contact information. The winner will be announced August 3rd, 2010 via Facebook, Twitter, and the MiGS newsletter.

The Exhibition Zone is being renewed this year at MiGS. Divided into three distinct sections (Education, Recruitment and Demonstration) to facilitate the visit, the Exhibition Zone will also offer many activities. For this seventh edition, new activities are on the menu such as D3D (a friendly competition simulating the main stages involved in creating a video game) and an open recruitment activity (free access to over 200 students or job seekers in the field of video games, mini interviews with industry professionals). With new advantageous rates, entertainment and competitions, the Exhibition Zone will allow you to take control of your space and showcase your products and services.

Those interested in becoming show sponsors are welcome to organize a competition, activities by the heated pool or give out t-shirts bearing your corporate identity and that of MIGS. Check out the sponsorship opportunities or contact Sylvianne Pilon – customized sponsorship packages are also a possibility.

Ludia and FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) today announced the launch of the Family Feud for iPad® on the App Store for $6.99. The game brings an unparalleled Family Feud game experience to iPad owners, enhanced with eye-popping new HD graphics and incorporating Multi-Touch game play.

Based on one of the most successful family game shows of all time – which premieres its 12th season in syndication with new host Steve Harvey on September 13th (check local listings), iPad 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, face offs, strikes, stealing and ‘fast money’ rounds. Players also can enjoy Family Feud in multiplayer mode as they challenge family and friends head-to-head, or compete solo against the computer.

“We are excited to bring the Family Feud game, one of the most popular game shows of all time, to a device as immersive as the iPad,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “This release further reinforces our cross-platform strategy of delivering high quality, family-friendly game experiences on the latest devices on which people like to play games.”

Family Feud for iPad features:

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

“After more than three decades on television, the Emmy-award winning Family Feud continues to be one of the most beloved television brands,” said Olivier Delfosse, Director, Interactive, FME. “We are pleased to extend the franchise to devices like the iPad so that both fans and game show enthusiasts alike can experience Family Feud in thrilling new ways.”

MaRS is celebrating the one-year anniversary of its successful Angel program, created to help its start-up clients connect with new funding sources. Since the program’s inception, more than 50% of presenting companies have received funding, with more recent participants in ongoing dialogue with interested investors.

Five MaRS Angel breakfast events have been held since June 2009 at the MaRS Centre. Clients from three practice areas – ICE (information technology, communications & entertainment), cleantech as well as life sciences and health care) are invited to pitch to a group of accredited investors. Co-Chairs Jim Meenan (MaRS Advisor), Ron Close (MaRS Advisor) and Jim Rae (a prominent life sciences executive) facilitate the company selection process and host the MaRS Angel breakfast events. The participating angel investors are highly regarded in their respective industries, with many sourced through personal networks from MaRS advisors, staff and community stakeholders.

Program feedback from both investors and companies has been very positive. “The MaRS Angel event that we attended was a huge success for us,” says Ray Newal, Founder and CEO of Jigsee. “We raised additional angel funds for our recent investment round as a direct result of being selected to present to the group. We were amazed at the high profile investors that these meetings attract. We are also grateful for the guidance and pitch coaching we received from the MaRS team in preparing for this event.”

Canaccord Genuity, the leading independent advisory and restructuring firm in Canada, was the first company to come on board in a sponsorship capacity – providing the funds to launch the program.

“The MaRS Angel program is playing a vital role in connecting entrepreneurs with qualified investors. Given the need for early-stage funding that this new generation of companies requires, we’re delighted to be a supporter of this program,” says David Kassie, Group Chairman, Canaccord Genuity.

The funds raised from angels are often the first substantial source of financing for early stage science and technology companies. “Through our Advisory Services group, MaRS has a unique window on a new generation of emerging companies,” says Ilse Treurnicht, CEO of MaRS. “We are very pleased with the feedback from respected angel investors. They appreciate that presenting companies are very well prepared for these meetings. Furthermore, they view MaRS as a valuable resource to help them grow companies over the longer term. Given the financing deals completed over the first year in a tough investing climate, it is clear this process is working.”
Absolute® Software Corporation, the leading provider of firmware-based, patented, computer theft recovery, data protection and secure computer lifecycle management solutions announced today that they have won an International Stevie Award for Best New Product or Service of the Year – Computer Software – New Version for Absolute Manage in The 2010 International Business Awards. The International Business Awards are the only global, all-encompassing business awards program honoring great performances in business.

Nicknamed the Stevie® for the Greek word “crowned,” the awards will be presented to winners at a gala dinner on Monday, 27 September in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey.

“Winning this award demonstrates that with the new features and functionality launched this year and those we continue to develop, including support for iOS 4, Absolute Manage is a world-class computer lifecycle management solution,” said Peter Frankl, Vice President of Lifecycle Management at Absolute Software. “Absolute Manage is one of the only computer lifecycle management solutions that can truly support a PC and Mac mixed environment while helping IT reduce costs and increase efficiencies.”

Recipients of International Stevie Award trophies were selected from more than 1,700 entries received from organizations and individuals in more than 40 countries.

“Despite the harsh economic climate, entries to the IBAs actually grew a bit this year, and that illustrates the increasing importance of The International Business Awards worldwide,” said Michael Gallagher, president of The Stevie Awards, presenters of the IBAs. “We congratulate all of the Finalists and International Stevie Awards winners, and we look forward to honoring them for their achievements at our gala awards dinner in Istanbul on 27 September.”

Revolutionary On-Demand software from Markham, Ontario’s Carlton Group is able to replace the traditional and expensive legacy systems many companies have used to manage employee recognition and service awards. On-Demand software is an alternative that provides a robust yet cost-effective solution to companies large and small. Now any size company can have the power to motivate and engage their employees, sales teams and channel partners with Carlton Group’s On-Demand solution called Power2Motivate (P2M).

In the past, companies have had little choice but to use expensive, inflexible legacy software systems to manage their programs. Costly to set-up and maintain, legacy systems require additional IT programming for every change, lengthy deployment times, and significant costs to reuse or transfer client-specific updates.

With Carlton’s breakthrough Power2Motivate solution clients can now launch programs quickly, deploying as many unique programs as they want, all within a simple pricing model. All P2M solutions are built and launch-ready – no IT required. A company simply adds their employee data and they’re ready to get started.

More importantly, P2M’s On-Demand design simultaneously deploys any new features, products and enhancements to all users globally. Over the past twelve months, P2M deployed more than 200 unique upgrades alone – all at no additional cost to clients.

P2M uses a “Collaborative Development” process that links client requests with the program design team. The team develops and then deploys these enhancements universally to be shared by the entire P2M user community. The result is a more robust technology system that benefits all its users.

Toronto’s Canada Type font design studio has come to a font distribution agreement with American distributor Ascender Corporation. The design studio, which was founded by Rebecca Alaccari and Patrick Griffin in early 2004, has created a variety of high-quality typefaces popular with design professionals and creative enthusiasts. The Canada Type fonts have appeared on everything from large corporate projects to small personal design work.

“We don’t believe people should have to choose between quality and creativity when choosing a font,” said Griffin, co-founder of Canada Type. “We feel Ascender shares this belief. It is reflected in their passion for creating and licensing high quality, innovative typefaces. We look forward to seeing where Ascender can take our font collection.”

The Canada Type font collection will add a number of enhanced versions of historical typefaces and expertly-designed original fonts to Ascender’s diverse collection of fonts. This includes an impressive lineup of popular script fonts and a variety of exclusive psychedelic fonts from the ‘60s and ‘70s. The Canada Type fonts are available in both TrueType and OpenType formats and can be found on the Ascender Fonts website. Ascender is also proud to offer the Canada Type fonts to its broad range of OEM/ISV customers including video game and Blu-ray publishers, software developers, web server application developers, and hardware manufacturers.

Following a recent announcement solidifying exclusive long-term distribution agreements for 10 new programs, Tricon Films & Television is pleased to let us know about the sale of three of its signature properties, Family Renovation, Marriage Under Construction and House of Bryan to leading US specialty networks.

HGTV US has picked up all three seasons of Marriage Under Construction (39 X 30), a docu-soap that follows the personal and physical struggle of a newlywed couple renovating their first home for the first time. The series is produced by Tricon Films & Television and airs on HGTV Canada.

Sold to DIY Network are Family Renovation (13×30) and House of Bryan (13 X 30). Both are currently airing on HGTV Canada. House of Bryan challenges renowned host of Disaster DIY, Bryan Baeumler, to build his own home from the ground up in just six months. The series is produced by SI Entertainment. Family Renovation, produced by Ocean Entertainment, follows one family’s home renovation experience while living through it.

These three new sales add to Tricon’s existing roster of programming sold to networks in the US and around the world, with distribution sales to-date reaching over 120 countries.

Kestrel Armour Specs:

The Kestrel Helmet adds weapon damage, shield strength, and headshot damage.
The Kestrel Torso Sheath adds melee and weapon damage and shield strength.
Kestrel Arm Sheathing adds melee and weapon damage and shield strength.
Kestrel Shoulder Pieces adds shields and melee damage.
The Kestrel hip-mounted Power Pack ups shields and heavy weapon ammo capacity.

Tungle Corp., the company that is revolutionizing the online scheduling and calendar industry (and one which I am hoping will assist me with improving my daily time management challenges), today announced the creation of a board of advisors that will include Robert Scoble, (Scobleizer), Don Dodge (Google), Dave McClure (Geek), Ellen Levy (LinkedIn) and Scott Stratten (Unmarketing).

“Each of these individuals in their own right is a force to be reckoned with. As a group, they become even stronger”, said Marc Gingras, Founder and CEO of Tungle Corp. “We’ve assembled this group because we know that each of them is a thought leader with a unique skill and a finely honed sense of where the sector is headed. Their insights are a key component to ensure our solution remains on the cutting edge of a quickly evolving ecosystem.”

The board of advisors will provide advice and direction to Tungle Corp. as it prepares for its next stage of growth. Tungle.me is used to schedule meetings in over 30 percent of Fortune 100 companies, over 700 Universities, and in more than 100 countries around the globe

Ludia and FremantleMedia Enterprises have announced that the Family Feud game is now available for the PS3 on the PlayStation®Network for $9.99.  Family Feud is already available for the Wii™, Nintendo DS™, PC and iPhone™, with an iPad-sized app coming soon. Based on one of the most successful family game shows of all time – which premieres its 12th season in syndication with new host Steve Harvey on September 13th, PS3™ owners can now play 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, face offs, strikes, stealing and ‘fast money’ rounds. Players can enjoy a thrilling online multiplayer Family Feud experience as they compete against friends and/or other players from across North America in head-to-head challenges via the PlayStation Network. Additionally, multiplayer local and solo game play is also supported.

“Ludia is happy to extend the ever-popular Family Feud franchise to PlayStation 3 systems via the PlayStation Network,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “This new game is another great addition to Ludia’s growing portfolio of game show games for PS3™, and further reinforces our multiplatform strategy.”

Family Feud for PlayStation 3 system features:

* Three game modes: Play solo, enjoy Multiplayer Mode on one PlayStation 3 system, or play Multiplayer Online via the PlayStation Network.
* 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.
* Original, fully customizable 3D player avatars: choose hairstyles, clothing, accessories and more.
* Unlock bonus items as a reward for progress in the game.

However, even with Family Feud now launched, Ludia’s dev teams will be working through the summer to bring Who Wants To Be A Millionaire to the video game screen, which is tentatively scheduled for a Q3 2010 release.

“Who Wants To Be A Millionaire continues to be one of the most successful TV game shows, and we are thrilled to create games that will enable fans of the show to experience the legendary ‘hot seat’ like never before,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “This deal serves to further solidify Ludia’s leadership in the game show video game category, which is proving to be a highly successful area for us across platforms.”

The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire video game will feature elements from the television show as players try to win a simulated $1,000,000 by correctly answering 15 multiple choice trivia questions, each worth increasing amounts of money. Players can seek help for the stumper questions via lifelines like “Ask the Audience”, “Double Dip” or “Phone a Friend.” Additionally, the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire video game will incorporate thousands of questions, connected gaming elements, single and multiplayer game modes, as well as reward systems to fuel the competitive fun between players.

Ludia have also announced game products for The Bachelor & Bachelorette, Amazing Race, American Idol: Star Experience and Planet Fish. Needless to say, with all of these properties in development, Ludia is hiring. Check out the available positions on their site.

SEO SEM agency Skooiz.com and email marketing company Toutacoup.ca have released the results of their latest survey: How do French Canadians Search the Web in 2010 (PDF), which this year made e-business and the growing importance of social media its focus.

Nearly 6 000 opinions were asked for, and the study also added more general issues, like sex, age, place of residence, respondents income, etc., culminating in a comparison with both previous results and with other different studies done in Canada and France.

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 for themselves and their clients. Tickets for this event are available online at a cost of $35.00 for Wired Woman members and $40.00 for non-members. It is worth noting that you can save $5.00 by signing up for free and becoming a member of the Wired Woman network.

Panel:
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

WaveFront has partnered with the Mobile Computing Promotion Consortium (MCPC) of Japan, and they are inviting Canadian mobile developers to take part in a unique opportunity for facilitated access to the Japanese wireless market. This two-part programme begins with one-on-one coaching sessions to be held at Discovery Park in Vancouver this June 21st through 23rd.

Following the information session on June 21st, selected participants will meet with visiting MCPC representatives for product assessments and structuring assistance, as well as an overview of marketing strategies over the remaining days of the visit. The information sessions are free to interested companies, but do require registration. If you are unable to attend in person, you can attend via the virtual event which will be hosted on Mingleverse. Part 2 of this partnership will offer those selected companies the opportunity to participate in the 8th annual MCPC Solutions Fair in Tokyo in November 2010.

Paris Metro passengers have a new way to navigate the transit system in the palm of their hand. Developed expressly to assist passengers with special needs, the Mobile Transit Companion, a made-in-Canada mobile application, uses context-aware self-adaptive computing to deliver live, customized data to passengers en route. The inclusive application, complete with useful information for all passengers, was created through a partnership between Ryerson University’s Digital Media Zone (DMZ) and Sweden’s Appear Networks.

Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) commuters can now download the free software and set up their user profile. Information is then automatically sent to their mobile phones according to their profile and contextual information. For example, they can receive notifications such as the location of station elevators and Metro transfer points; facilities and nearby businesses; updated schedules for connecting trains; and availability of services at each station. For blind and low-vision passengers, the Mobile Transit Companion uses a speech-enabled, gesture-driven user interface. For other user groups, including the elderly, deaf or hard of hearing, or passengers with reduced mobility, the application offers an intuitive and easy-to-use visual interface.

“At Ryerson we see a very niche use for context-aware computing in public transit and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS),” said Hossein Rahnama, project leader, Ryerson postdoctoral student and DMZ Steering Committee Member. “We are specializing in context-aware consumer applications in airports, airlines, trains, subways, buses, etc. and will be working with Metrolinx on a project for GO Transit here in the fall. With RATP, our focus was on passengers with special needs because those communities could really benefit from such applications, even though they are often not considered when developing apps.”

The Mobile Transit Companion’s positioning function is integrated with a web-based monitoring service so that public transit staff can easily locate and assist passengers with special needs. The only existing social tracking application for public transit passengers, this monitoring service has the capability to be shared with friends and family. Using the interface, the transit authority can message selected passengers, which is particularly helpful for Deaf or hard of hearing passengers who can’t hear announcements made over the PA. Messages are communicated to each passenger according to the information on his in her profile, e.g.: the message will be interpreted from text to speech if s/he has indicated Low Vision.

The project was part of European research consortium developing an open-source middleware platform. Ryerson was the only North American player. “There are a lot of advantages to research collaboration with international partners in the Information and Communications Technologies sector,” said Rahnama. “In fact, one of our key objectives in this project is to demonstrate those advantages, such as combining the smartphone popularity and development of North America with the digital mobile telephony advances of Europe. The success of the MUSIC platform has inspired another project with Europe, slated for fall 2010.”

The Mobile Transit Companion is currently being piloted on Android phones in 10 stations along Line 14 of the Paris Metro. Ryerson’s Digital Media Zone at Yonge Dundas Square provides Ryerson University students with the opportunity to develop their digitally based ideas into consumer products with help from mentors and industry.

Hasbro has announced several new and innovative licensing programs supporting global powerhouse brands such as Transformers, Nerf, Littlest Pet Shop, My Little Pony, Monopoly and PlaySkool. As part of its presence at the International Licensing Expo which takes place in Las Vegas over the next three days, Hasbro will showcase major entertainment and lifestyle licensing initiatives underway in the areas of television, movies, digital gaming, performance sports, and apparel as well as programs that are driving increased market traction in key international territories, including France, Mexico and China.

“The lineup of Hasbro-branded digital games underway for release in the coming months will raise the bar in terms of creativity, immersion and innovation,” said Mark Blecher, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Digital Media and Gaming at Hasbro. “With EA’s success in selling more than eight million units of Hasbro-inspired games globally at retail and many of its mobile games ranked consistently in the Top 10 paid apps, as well as fans logging in 350 million Hasbro game sessions on Pogo, it is clear that consumers have liked what they’ve seen and played. We are very eager to deliver this next wave of titles underscoring that the Hasbro-branded play experience just keeps getting better.” 

For Hasbro board game fans, EA will deliver a spate of titles for all major platforms through the end of the year. For aspiring real estate moguls, the stakes will get even higher this fall with a dynamic 3D gameplay environment in Monopoly Streets for the Wii™, Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. Rounding out the Monopoly digital lineup will be the release of Monopoly Classic for the Nintendo DS™. Hasbro Family Game Night 3, a digital title with a collection of five games – The Game of Life, Clue, Mouse Trap, Twister, and Yahtzee Hands Down – will also land at retail this fall. Hosted by Mr. Potato Head in a theme park setting, this title will rally family and friends around the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for hours of casual fun as well as fierce competition. For Xbox LIVE Arcade fans, three additional Hasbro Family Game Night titles, including Jenga, Pictureka and Connect 4×4, will also be released this summer.

In addition, world domination will be achievable this summer on Xbox LIVE® Arcade with Risk: Factions and Risk for the iPhone® and iPod® touch is also in development. Other expected summer releases from EA Mobile™ include Lite-Brite and Operation for the iPhone and iPod touch.

In another area of licensing that could lead to work for our VFX studios, Hasbro has announced that they have several big screen projects in the works aside from 2011′s Transformers 3 (DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures). Universal Pictures will bring iconic super hero Stretch Armstrong and an epic Battleship live-action film to the big screen in the summer of 2012, and Hasbro has also signed on to produce films based on some of their other game brands including Monopoly, Candy Land and Ouija.

Carina Press, a digital-first publishing house and imprint of Harlequin Enterprises Ltd., officially launched today with the release of their first ten titles. Carina Press offers ebooks which are sold direct to consumers through the Carina Press website and numerous third-party websites.

“As a digital-first publisher Carina Press is a natural extension to our business; it builds on our digital strength and leadership position. It gives us greater flexibility in the type of editorial we can accept from authors and offer to readers. As such, we expect to discover new authors and unique voices,” said Donna Hayes, CEO and Publisher of Harlequin. “As well, we hope to reach a new group of readers with niche editorial.”

Carina Press will begin by publishing 37 books in its first month–approximately 10 books a week–across a broad range of fiction with an emphasis on romance and its sub-genres, including science fiction, fantasy, erotica, gay/lesbian, mystery, suspense and thriller. Carina Press ebooks vary in price from $2.99 to $6.99 depending on the length of the work, which can range from 20,000 to more than 100,000 words.

“More and more readers are migrating to the digital world,” said Angela James, Executive Editor of Carina Press. “They’re as interested in refreshingly original stories, told by authors with truly distinct perspectives, as they are compelled by the immediacy of digital publishing. With a click they can have the book right in front of them on their computer or portable device. There’s no waiting for a book to arrive and it’s never out of stock.”

Carina Press ebooks are available on the Carina Press website and through third-party retailers such as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Carina Press ebooks are published in the ePUB format and can be read on a variety of devices, including computer, iPad, Kindle, Sony Reader, nook, Kobo, BlackBerry and mobile phone. Carina Press does not utilize digital rights management so readers are able to share stories between devices. Carina Press also offers digital review galleys through NetGalley.

Audible Inc. will produce unabridged audio versions of many Carina Press titles and make them available at Audible.com, iTunes and Amazon.com beginning in July 2010.

Carina Press is currently accepting submissions in all genres of commercial fiction. Carina Press will consider shorter length stories, genre novels from 50,000 to more than 100,000 words and complex narratives of over 100,000 words. Carina Press will also acquire books that have been previously released in print form, but for which the author has either retained digital rights or had digital rights revert to them.

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.

Global

* Thank You Gift: Xbox LIVE would like to say thank you for coming to our party! Buy all three House Party titles and download the free “Game Room” app and receive 400 Microsoft Points back to your account**! And for Xbox LIVE Gold members, the deal gets even sweeter, by purchasing all three House Party titles and downloading the “Game Room” app for free, you will not only be credited with 400 Microsoft Points, but you’ll also get an extra month of Gold membership absolutely free++!

* Extra Tickets: We don’t want anyone to miss out on the great multiplayer action House Party will bring you and your friends! From 12:00 EST March 26 – 12:00 EST March 29, House Party is making it easy for you to play together with a special Xbox LIVE House Party Multiplayer Unlock weekend! For this weekend only, we’re unlocking the online multiplayer features of all House Party titles for Xbox LIVE Silver Members to play for free.

* Attire for your Avatar: Starting on March 3rd, stop by Xbox LIVE Avatar Marketplace to ensure your avatar is decked out in the best House Party attire! From cola hat dispensers and plaid shorts, to plastic jelly shoes, your Avatar will party in style this March. You can even pick-up a BBQ grill so your Avatar won’t go hungry over the course of the month-long party.

* Guests of Honour: Most parties only have one star of the show, but Xbox LIVE Arcade House Party has four blockbuster guests we’re celebrating them in style!

Get the lowdown on the featured titles below:

Toy Soldiers
March 3 | 1200 Microsoft Points
Fight for survival in this intense, action-packed game on Xbox LIVE Arcade! Enjoy world-class visuals as you put your foot soldiers and fighter pilots to the test in vintage WWI dioramas. ESRB rating: Teen

Scrap Metal – Developed in BC by Slick Entertainment
March 10 | 1200 Microsoft Points
With guns blazing, drift around corners and take out legendary competitors in this fast-paced top-down racer. Customise your car to help you blast through enemies, or race against your friends to crush their cars in one of the many pulse-pounding online multiplayer matches. ESRB rating: Everyone 10+

Perfect Dark
March 17 | 800 Microsoft Points
The classic sci-fi shooter has made its way to Xbox LIVE Arcade and is ready for you to download and hit the ground running. Digitally remastered with better frame rates and updated graphics, now you and your friends can experience every twist and turn in this heroic story. ESRB rating: Mature

Game Room
March 24 | Free to Download
240 to 400 Microsoft Points for game downloads | 40 Microsoft Points for single gameplay
Xbox LIVE Arcade is kickin’ it back to the old school, with “Game Room.” Now you can relive the glory days of playing classic arcade games in their original forms. Download the free “Game Room” app for your Avatar and purchase and play some of your favourite retro games from Intellivision, Activision Inc., Konami Corp. and Atari Inc. with friends. ESRB rating: Everyone 10+

++FREE GIFT OFFER TERMS:
Purchase all 3 games: Toy Soldiers, Scrap Metal, Perfect Dark, & download the free Game Room app before March 31, 2010 11:59 EST, and receive 400 Microsoft® Points – FREE! As a bonus, all current Gold members as of April 30, 2010 that fulfil this offer will also receive 1 month of Gold for FREE! Limit one (1) of each gift per person. To qualify for your gift, you must purchase all three (3) games from Xbox LIVE Arcade and download the free Game Room app using your Xbox LIVE account, by March 31, 2010 11:59 EST. To qualify for the bonus month of Gold, you must have a current Gold account (sold separately) as of April 30,2010. The free Points and 1 month of Gold will automatically be deposited into your Xbox LIVE account after the end of the promotion period. Please allow 4 weeks for delivery – on or around April 30, 2010. Offer available only to legal residents, age 13 plus, of all countries that support Xbox LIVE, while supplies last, is non-transferable, not redeemable for cash, and cannot be combined with any other rebate or offer. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient. Broadband internet required for Xbox LIVE; for terms of use and system requirements see XBOX LIVE.

To be developed by Artificial Mind & Movement (A2M), Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! offers a wide variety of media-rich trivia that provides movie fans and social gamers with a lively, competitive group gaming experience. Trivia content in the game will include recently released 2009 movies as well as fan favorite Hollywood hits from the last four decades. There are numerous game improvements, including:

* Thousands of new questions
* A new and improved single player option
* Party play modes
* Many new puzzle types
* 12 all-new player avatars
* A simplified game interface
* A new, very entertaining game host
* New, unique mini-game content

Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! brings it all together and provides incredible fun for the whole family. Single-player mode challenges player speed and entertainment trivia know-how, while multi-player mode creates a challenging social gameplay experience.

Also today, Screenlife and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) announce a distribution agreement where WBIE will handle worldwide distribution of Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen!

“We are thrilled to collaborate with WBIE on the release of Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen!,” said Barry Watts, Chief Executive Officer of Screenlife. “Combining WBIE’s world-class distribution expertise with our most entertaining console trivia game to-date, Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! is sure to be a smash hit with movie and pop-culture fans of all ages.”

“The globally successful Scene It? brand and movie based trivia are a great fit for Warner Bros. as a games publisher and a film studio,” said John Quinn, Executive Vice President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “We are launching Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! on a variety of videogame consoles to more widely offer its dynamic entertainment experience to the expanding casual videogame audience.”

The first hour I was playing, I felt very at home with it. I was rapidly getting used to the steering wheel which my Wii-mote fit right into. With this, I can actually guide my go-kart along the race track! Just using this steering wheel you all ready feel like you’re having fun. Of course, those of us who have played all the previous versions of Mario Kart will immediately want to jump right into the race track that we all know from previous games. Nintendo was gracious enough to include some previous popular tracks in this latest version. How cool is that?! Alongside the old tracks are new tracks that are catered around other Nintendo games and previous Mario games. (e.g. Super Mario Sunshine.)

The controls are so easy to use and very natural feeling. With your newly purchased game, you receive a plastic steering wheel that your Wii-mote will fit right into. Using this device you can feel like you’re truly steering your vehicle around on the track. While this new concept really does require you to get a feel for, after no time you will be driving like a pro. Essentially you can just use the Wii-mote by itself without the steering wheel, but remember it’s going to feel a lot less comfortable sitting in your hands as just the Wii-mote itself.

Nintendo did a very good job at updating the graphics. There’s a huge facelift with this game and it was needed. The game, of course, has been kept in the same cartoon style. All characters have an updated appearance and are clearer to the eye and are more believable. The interface got a nice glassy finish and is structured more easily for navigation throughout menus. The graphics are not drop dead stunning, but I think they are much better than all previous games. Some effects used in the game do not slow the frame rate down at all either. I’ve noticed Nintendo in other games have mistakenly made their effects bring frame rates down to a noticeable drag. This isn’t the case with Mario Kart Wii.

All of the Mario Kart fans out there are going to hear a lot of recognizable songs and sounds in this version. A lot of the previous games music has been scored to a more modern feel. From what I noticed, every sound effect is from previous versions except with an updated feel to them. Like I have said previously, you will really start to feel at home with this game when you start playing and listening to music and sound effects.

I’m sure you’re wondering what the replay ability is like. Sure, you have your tracks that you can compete on against a computer or friends. Nintendo did pack in a nice feature that, I think, Mario Kart will greatly benefit from. Online play! You can compete with friends on your Wii Friend list or take it a step further and play regionally by your country. If that doesn’t satisfy you, start playing globally! I think this will greatly make the game playable for years to come.

Mario Kart Wii shows you that Nintendo has really been listening to its fans and putting in content that the fans wanted. I would highly suggest getting this game for your home collection. The game play is natural and exciting, music and sound is top notch, graphics are greatly improved, and there’s online competing! I would give this game a 5/5 stars. Now go out and buy it if you haven’t all ready done so! Shame on you for not having it yet!