Village Gamer

New indie house Wild Games Studio Inc. has announced the title and genre of their first game in production, an open-ended RPG/Adventure game. The game, which will release a trailer in October, will be set in third person view. Dhaila’s Adventures will be a game for PC, Mac, PS3 and Xbox 360, with a playable demo coming soon.

Featuring Dhaila, a young fairy whose powers are bound to nature, the game will rely on gameplay taking place in an open world where the player will update the origins of Dhaila and help fulfill her destiny. In addition to the main quest, Dhaila could fill hundreds of side quests depending on the choices and actions proposed. Puzzles and large dungeons filled with traps and monsters will be part of her adventure to enhance the gameplay. Furthermore, Dhaila will be accompanied with a friend that can be controlled by another player to help Dhaila during certain puzzles through teamwork.

Orphaned in the fantasy world of Martania, Dhaila possesses unknown extraordinary powers. She has special skills, including one which can absorb the energy of nature directly through its DNA. She can also absorb the DNA of other creatures, making the heroine able to acquire their shape at any time. Living in one of these valleys, the village seems protected by an unknown magical force, more powerful than in other villages. Dhaila will leave to research her origins, while trying to release Martania of the influence of Dysan, a tyrant who has subjugated the people, forcing them to labour under the threat of the dragons he also holds sway over.

Selected as one of the glorious PAX 10, Retro City Rampage from VBlank Entertainment will be showcased at PAX Prime this weekend at booth 3017, where visitors can meet the dev team, play the game and get some fantastic swag.

This unbelievable FREE swag includes:

* Retro cartridge labels (stick ‘em on NES carts)!
* Retro game boxes* (stick your cart in it)!
* Retro plastic case inserts (with BLURST processing)!
*Retro game rental case inserts (“INDESTRUCTIONS”)!

As an added Bonus, the team will also be having a daily draw to win a Retro City Rampage cartridge case in the box! The team does caution, however, that due to the indie budget and a recent price increase on Ramen Noodles, the “box” is a cleverly designed and exciting arts and crafts project. Simply cut out and fold it yourself for some analog fun Alternatively, you could frame it and stick it on the wall of your local museum.

Capcom will be taking up residence at PAX in Booth 652, where you can drop by and try out their upcoming lineup of titles including Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Okamiden and Blue Castle Games‘ Dead Rising 2 – shipping on September 28.

Ubisoft will have three booths at the show. You will find them in spaces 632, 622 and 712. Each booth will feature a variety of Ubisoft’s upcoming releases and lots of fun prizes for booth visitors.

For the first time in the U.S., PAX attendees will get to try out various titles from Ubisoft exclusively for Kinect™ for Xbox 360®, including Your Shape™: Fitness Evolved and MotionSports™, in addition to seeing the first public demo of Child of Eden™. Consumers will also get an opportunity to play H.A.W.X® 2 multiplayer, and see a sneak peak of Outland™, one of Ubisoft’s digital games for PlayStation®Network and Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. In addition, Just Dance® 2 will be available to play onsite at the show.

PAX attendees will have a chance to play Assassin’s Creed® Brotherhood, which will be playable on Xbox 360 and the PlayStation®3 at the Ubisoft booth before its November release. Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood fans who pre-order the game onsite at PAX will receive an exclusive Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood T-shirt, and there are also opportunities for consumers who fan the Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Facebook page to win Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood posters. Other giveaways include a Just Dance–themed t-shirt for anyone who pre-orders the October release of Just Dance 2 at PAX. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you ready for some SUMO? Frima Studio has announced a slew of updates and new features for its recent Facebook game, Rock Paper Sumo! Launched in June of 2010, Rock Paper Sumo has wrestled its way into the hearts and Favorite Apps List of thousands of players across the world with its hilarious take on the classic game of Rock Paper Scissors.

This new series of updates will allow players to fight more and earn more in-game currency, eat more meals (bento) to gain weight (increase rank) and give a larger sense of progression while still maintaining the game’s focus on Rock Paper Scissor challenges sent to and received by friends and fellow Facebook users.

Rock Paper Sumo updates include:

* The entire scoring system has been revamped – new Weekly Tournaments start every Thursday, and each week, players get a chance to be on the top of the pyramid (leaderboard) and win weekly prizes. Everyone in the top 6-10% will win a bronze medal, the top 2-5% will win a silver medal and the top 1% will earn the coveted gold medal. The number one player of the week will receive an exclusive crown that shows off your sumo prowess to everyone.

o Even if you don’t get to the top 10%, every week different items can be unlocked only by increasing your score, with a total of three exclusive items becoming available each week.
o All these items can be used to customize your sumo proudly. They will be unique from week to week, so collect them all! And since they will be given only as special rewards, none of them will be available for purchase in the shop, which is sure to turn your rival sumo wrestlers green with envy.

* All “old-timers” that had started playing before this update will receive a complete kit of exclusive items for free to thank them to their tremendous support.

* A new energy system is put in place to send fight challenges to your friends. Your energy will decrease when sending these challenges…BUT, when your energy gets low, your sumo gets hungry and it’s time to eat bentos that increase your weight level. When gaining weight, your maximum level of energy increases and allows you to send even more challenges to friends and rivals.

* The whole balancing of the game has also been tweaked to allow new players to progress faster and make sure that anybody has their chance to succeed even against the top players.

* More updates are planned for the coming weeks…stay tuned for more info.

Rock Paper Sumo embarks players on a quest to become the ultimate rikishi, and wrestlers must live by the ancient ways of sumo: train hard, eat lots of calorie-rich bento to pack on the pounds, engage in sparring sessions against a deadly dummy and fulfill dojo duties with honor! Spend hard-won Bento Bucks and Dojo Dollars on hysterical makeovers with over 200 accessories to choose from, like cowboy hats, pink Mohawk, fu manchu, assorted tattoos, or even a chest fro! Each player must challenge his or her Facebook friends to fight in order to win battles and unlock achievements, brawling their way up the global leaderboard to ultimately be hailed as the best rock-paper-scissors player in the world!

The Play Label of Electronic Arts Inc. today announced that it has expanded its North American virtual world, Littlest Pet Shop Online (LPSO), to the UK this September. Developed in partnership with Frima Studio, Littlest Pet Shop Online is an innovative, beautifully designed, online entertainment and community destination for girls based on Hasbro’s globally popular Littlest Pet Shop brand.

The web-based Littlest Pet Shop Online is a world of adorable islands filled with fun and exciting online games and activities. There are tools for girls to create, customise and play with their favourite Littlest Pet Shop pets, connect with friends and make new ones too.

Littlest Pet Shop Online embraces its essence of collectability with the Collect-a-Pet feature; enabling girls to unlock unique special edition “Reward Pets” through the completion of fun in-game activities to grow their virtual pet collection

“Littlest Pet Shop Online is all about providing girls with a place to bring their favourite LPS pets to life online,” said Stuart Lang, UK Marketing Director. “We’re excited Littlest Pet Shop fans have embraced and enjoy the game in North America, and are delighted to offer fans in the UK a new and exciting way to connect online with friends through their favourite pets too.”

Excitement and adventure unfold at every turn when girls explore Littlest Pet Shop Online’s islands of Waggington and Kittywood as they customise their virtual pet collection, decorate their pets’ home, play mini-games, discover hidden objects, and connect with friends both old and new. Players earn Kibble Coins, the game’s virtual currency along the way, which they can spend at boutiques like “Wooly Couture,” run by Woolma O’Chic, the most fashionable lamb in town. Players can take a ride between islands on Guppy the whale and meet featured pets, like Harmony Groovemore, the dancing dog who can Cha cha cha and owner of the Sassy Steps Dance Studio.

For girls who want to join the online fun while also expanding their growing offline Littlest Pet Shop collection Hasbro is launching an LPSO toy line in Europe this autumn. LPSO toys include LPSO Pets, which are cuddly plush, and the LPSO Dancing Dog, the groovy pet who dances to your music when plugged into your computer or MP3 player. Each toy comes with a code which unlocks virtual gifts.

Anyone can play by creating an account in just two easy steps, and enjoy many Littlest Pet Shop Online features. Premium Members have access to special features including extensive pet customization, ability to unlock all “Reward Pets” in Collect-a-Pet, games, spending Kibble Coins on exclusive clothes, food, and accessories, and much more.

Vancouver Film School has announced that the 2011 iteration of its Game Design Expo will be held in Vancouver on January 22nd and 23rd. The school has also made exclusive session videos from the 2010 Game Design Expo available online. just made exclusive video from the most recent Game Design Expo available for free online at the Expo’s website. These interviews, panel discussions, and presentations let you hear from the makers of ModNation Racers, Mass Effect 2, Dead Rising 2, and many more.

Autodesk and EA Sports present the Game Developer Webcast, featuring a discussion with Simon Sherr, Animation Director for Electronic Arts Tiburon, focused on how EA Sports MMA heavily leveraged Autodesk® HumanIK® in their production of complex character interaction. In this session we discuss implementation of HumanIK features for EA’s Mixed Martial Arts fighting game including: dynamic Footplanting, Non-Uniform Player Scaling, Interaction-based player scale compensation, and partial body “Relative IK” interactions. This Webcast will take place at 10:00A.M. PDT on September 9th. The one hour session is free, but registration is required.

Attention all of you Mac-using Dragon Age fans: Bioware’s Dragon Age Origins Awakening is now available for your platform over at GameTree Online for $29.95.

“The Dragon Age franchise has been exceptionally well received by Mac gamers and we’re excited about continuing the saga through the release of this expansion pack and all DLC add-on game content for the Mac community”, commented Vikas Gupta, President and CEO of TransGaming. “Our strategic partnership with Bioware provides Mac gamers with some of the industry’s most acclaimed RPG games and illustrates yet another example of how TransGaming’s technology and distribution channels are empowering EA to bring their best games to the broadest consumer audience.”

Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening is available now, plus Mac gamers can also enjoy great DLC add-on content packages such as Return to Ostagar, Darkspawn Chronicles, Leliana’s Song, and many more this year. Players are encouraged to sign up for GameTreeOnline news updates or Twitter alerts, as more great DLC add-on content releases for the Mac will arrive over the coming months, aligned with the PC releases.

Executive producer and Project Director on Mass Effect, Casey Hudson will reveal how BioWare navigated the challenge to create an (even more successful) sequel to Mass Effect in a keynote address at Future Game On. The new conference, which is the new European annual gathering for developers, creators and game and apps researchers in every field, will be held on September 9th and 10th at the Parc des Expositions de Paris – Porte de Versailles, hall 7. Read the rest of this entry »

Longueuil’s D-BOX Technologies Inc. has reached an agreement with Sony Pictures Releasing Corporation to feature D-BOX’s immersive MFX with Resident Evil: Afterlife in selected theatres on September 10. Thus far, the Cineplex Odeon Queensway in Etobicoke is the only Canadian theatre equipped with D-Box’s motion technology.

“The consistent support of movie studio giants like Sony speaks volumes about industry and consumer confidence in our immersive motion technology,” said President and Chief Executive Officer of D-BOX Technologies, Claude Mc Master. “This is our second collaboration and we are pleased to add an exciting, action-packed sci-fi thriller to our growing catalogue of D-BOX Motion Code™supported films.”

Nintendo is dropping the suggested retail price of its Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™ video game systems. Effective Sept. 12, the new suggested retail price of the Nintendo DSi system will be $149.99 USD, while the new suggested retail price for the Nintendo DSi XL system will be $169.99 USD. The Nintendo DS™ Lite model will remain at a suggested retail price of $129.99 USD.

“We know shoppers want to get the maximum value out of every dollar they spend,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Our new Nintendo DSi prices make it easier than ever for consumers to access the tremendous variety of games, applications and social tools on the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL systems.”

Video Games Live has announced several Canadian performance dates for 2011, beginning with Victoria’s Royal Theatre on April 12th followed immediately by two nights at Vancouver’s Centre for the Performing Arts on April 13th and 14th. Video Games Live will then move across the Rockies to perform in Calgary’s Jack Singer Concert Hall on April 17th and the Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton on April 18th.

Moving across the prairies, VGL will perform at TCU Place in Saskatoon on April 20th and Conexus Arts Centre in Regina on April 23rd. Winnipeg will have a matinee and evening performance at the Burton Cummings Theatre on April 23rd before the show moves on to Ontario for four performances. Thunder Bay’s Community Arts Centre will be the first stop on April 25th, then it’s on to Centre in the Square for April 27th in Kitchener. April 28th will see VGL at the Place Theatre in Hamilton and then the Civic Centre Theatre in Ottawa on April 29th. The show will close out April at Montreal’s Place Des Arts on April 30th before returning to Toronto to perform at Massey Hall on May 2nd. VGL’s final announced show will be on May 3rd at K-Rock Centre in Kingston. Visit VGL’s site to sign up for VGL’s newsletter to get the latest news and advance ticket sale notices as well as to volunteer at the pre-show events in each city.

Yahoo! and Canadian real estate search site Zoocasa have partnered for the launch of a new application that enables Canadians to access Zoocasa’s online real estate search service directly from their Yahoo.ca homepage.  The new app will enable visitors to search for a new home, research local neighbourhoods and receive updates about properties that fit their personal profile, all through the Zoocasa.com application on their Yahoo.ca homepage. Combining real-time listing information and mapping technology, Zoocasa.com allows users to personalize their search experience and discover community, demographic and lifestyle information to help them choose the right home.

“Our vision is for Yahoo.ca to be the best guide for Canadians for both their online and offline worlds,” said Laurie Maw, director, Business Development for Yahoo! Canada. “The Zoocasa application is an important addition to Yahoo! Canada’s current line-up of online apps that includes everything from Flickr and Facebook, to links to our Sports and Finance channels.”

Zoocasa offers a variety of real estate search options to Canadians, including searches by region, city, price range, number of bedrooms/bathrooms and property type. Users can also enhance their decision making process by learning about their city and area of choice using online guides and maps.

“We are excited to work with Yahoo! Canada to launch a Zoocasa.com app that gives Canadians another great way to streamline their house-hunting efforts,” said Butch Langlois, president of Zoocasa. “From Vancouver and Edmonton, to Toronto and Montreal, Canadians can find detailed, real-time information about the regions, cities, neighbourhoods and houses they are interested in.”

Zoocasa is a portfolio company of the Rogers Ventures Group, a new source of funding for technology start-ups and a support mechanism for Canada’s innovation ecosystem.

SpinTop Games, Popcap Games’ Vancouver studio, has released Mystery P.I.™ Stolen in San Francisco, a new “hidden object” puzzle game set in the Golden Gate City. Stolen in San Francisco is the latest addition to the immensely popular, award-winning Mystery P.I. series, which has been downloaded more than 100 million times since the series began in 2007.

Mystery P.I. Stolen in San Francisco challenges players to solve the biggest theft in San Francisco history by exploring dozens of locations for hidden “clues.” Mystery P.I. Stolen in San Francisco carries a retail price of US$19.99, and a free trial of the deluxe version is available now for download. The game will also be available on other leading game portals, including Gamehouse, MSN Gaming Zone, Pogo and Yahoo! Games, later this quarter.

“Since San Francisco is sometimes affectionately dubbed the Golden City, we thought it was the perfect setting for a gold heist. Glittering and gritty locations alike make this seek-and-find mystery a fun adventure for the whole family,” states Duncan Magee, co-director and co-founder of SpinTop. “We focused our efforts on creating the best visual locations ever to keep our millions of Mystery P.I. fans happy. We’ve always kept our artistic standards high, and I think we’ve exceeded them with Stolen in San Francisco!”

In Mystery P.I. Stolen in San Francisco, $250 Million in solid gold has been stolen from an armored car. The gold’s owner has hired you, the world famous Mystery P.I., to find and return the gold before the trail goes cold. Seek and find over 2100 hidden objects in 25 amazing San Francisco-centered scenes to track down the stolen gold! Locations include the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Haight-Ashbury, Fisherman’s Wharf and many more.

Mystery P.I. Stolen in San Francisco features three enthralling ways to play: In ‘Find the Stolen Gold’ mode you must find clues that will lead you to the gold. Collect all the Keys & Peace Symbols to unlock two bonus game modes: Unlimited Seek & Find and a Match-3 bonus game. Go for a ‘Perfect Investigation’ and speed bonuses to maximize your points to become a Master P.I.!

Key features of Mystery P.I. Stolen in San Francisco include:

- More than 2100 cleverly hidden objects to find.
– 25 stunning San Francisco locations to explore and investigate.
– 3 fun game modes: ‘Find the Stolen Gold’ plus two Unlimited game modes
– 7 unique mini-games: Match-3, Word Search, Circle Rotation, Spot-the-Differences and Jigsaw, plus a unique final puzzle.
– Locate the secret Keys and Peace Symbols to unlock two Unlimited game modes.

Canadian publisher Meridian4 is excited to announce the release and availability of the first official add-on to Arma 2 – Operation Arrowhead in the form of DLC named Arma 2 – British Armed Forces. The downloadable content is now available on their site for $9.99.

“We are really excited to work with Bohemia Interactive to bring this new content to gamers,” said Steve Milburn, Marketing Director, of Meridian4. “With new playable content and new weapons, vehicles and units, Arma 2 : British Armed Forces is a great addition to the Arma 2 family.”

“The ongoing enthusiasm and incredible passion of our community continues to inspire and encourage us” said Marek Spanel, Bohemia’s CEO, “to that end, we’re excited to invite them back to Takistan for another slice of tactical action. This downloadable content is both an answer to their wishes and evidence of our commitment to providing quality post release support and content to the already huge Armaversum.”

Less than two months after Operation Arrowhead successfully routed the Takistani military regime, NATO coalition forces face a large-scale outbreak of guerilla insurgency. A mechanized force of British troops are about to deploy and embark upon a large-scale counter-insurgency campaign, which will define the future of the coalition presence in Takistan: Operation “Crimson Lance”. Read the rest of this entry »

Now you can compete against your Facebook and Twitter friends in the latest release of ApeZone’s SoliScare card game for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. The new version adds 11 leaderboards and 18 achievements to this already addictive little card game.

SoliScare lets you embark on a fantastic journey through graveyards, haunted houses, and spooky castles. Put the beat down on ghosts, zombies, and classic movie monsters in 100 levels of play.

Game play follows one simple rule: move monster cards to your hero pile by choosing cards that are one higher or lower than your current hero card. As you make longer card runs, you’ll capture these creatures and add them to your jailhouse. Capture all 37 ghosts, zombies, and monsters to become the new Van Helsing.

Ludia Inc., and Sony Pictures Consumer Products announced today that Ludia will create video games based on the hugely popular Pyramid series of television game shows. The licensing deal will result in games across major console platforms, PC/Mac, iPhone/iPod touch and iPad, the first of which games is slated for release in Q1 2011.

“Pyramid is a classic TV game show favorite, and we are thrilled to create games around the property so that fans of the show and broader audiences alike are able to feel the thrill of reaching ‘Winner’s Circle’ from home,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “This deal serves to further expand Ludia’s prominence across platforms in the game show video game category, which has been a successful growth strategy for us.”

Pyramid will feature all the favorite elements from the show as the game pits pair against pair in a bid to reach the coveted ‘Winner’s Circle’. Players pick from six categories on the pyramid-shaped game board, and guess a series of words or phrases as described by their team mate. The duo that scores more points than their opposing team wins the match, and gets a shot at the grand prize. Additionally, the Pyramid video games 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.

“Pyramid has been a long-standing and successful game show franchise, and we are delighted to work with Ludia to create new opportunities that will bring an engaging entertainment experience to fans of the show,” added Mark Caplan, Vice President Licensing, Sony Pictures Consumer Products.

Three of EA Sports’ titles are vying for the top spot in the Golden Joystick Awards. FIFA 10, Skate 3 and 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa are all in the final run to the top. Ubisoft Canada is also competing against itself in the Action Title category, with both Assassin’s Creed 2 and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction in the running.

Assassin’s Creed 2: Bonfire of the Vanities and FIFA 10 are finalists for Downloadable Game of the Year while Next Level’s Punch Out!! and EA Sports’ Fight Night Round 4 have entered the ring for Fighting Game of the Year. EA Blackbox is trying to be first over the finish line in the Online Game of the Year with Need For Speed World while franchise twins Assassin’s Creed Bloodlines and Assassin’s Creed Discovery are both in the running for Portable Game of the Year. We have a cross-country showdown going between EA Montreal’s NFS Shift and United Front’s Modnation Racers in the Racing Game of the Year category.

Bioware fans will have a real problem voting in the Role Playing Game of The Year category as Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age Origins Awakening have all made it to the final list. In the soundtrack category, we have Mass Effect 2 competing against Assassin’s Creed 2, and in the RTS category we have household favourite Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising from Relic. The voting for Ultimate Game of the Year is going to be hot and heavy with Assassin’s Creed 2, Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins all hoping to take the podium. Read the rest of this entry »

A very special starring role has been played in the upcoming tween detective web series, Ruby Skye P.I. The esteemed Dragon Academy joined forces with one of Canada’s most innovative online storytellers – Jill Golick of Story2.OH – to become the first member of the local education community to embrace direct sponsorship of original, responsible and engaging online entertainment for Tweens; one of the world-wide web’s most under-served audiences. Principal Dr. Meg Fox declares the partnership “a wonderful opportunity”, noting the shared sensibilities between the school, and the digital series concept: “Our principal educational goals are to encourage all the things that Ruby Skye cares about too: creativity, freedom of expression, collaboration and commitment to social justice.”

Founded in Toronto’s Yorkville district in 2001, The Dragon Academy is a socratic, museum-based, integrated school revered for valuing rich, challenging and unusual content in its curriculum via lively connections with Toronto’s key cultural institutions. This made it the ideal local sponsor for the equally inspired new form of storytelling featured in the pending, locally created & produced web series, Ruby Skye P.I. The Dragon Academy is heavily featured as a principle location for the series’ action: it is just the sort of school environment to promote the curious, inquisitive and often hilarious sleuthing adventures of the quick-witted, impulsive mystery devotee, sixteen-year old Ruby Skye — a very young would-be detective bent on getting to the bottom of a mysterious email scam which has defrauded a well-meaning but eccentrically naive neighbour.

Ruby Skye P.I. is a tween web mystery aimed at kids ages 8 through 14 and is one element of an impressive cross-platform project intended to entertain, engage and educate kids online around the world. Ruby Skye P.I. is the brain-child of Canada’s pioneering transmedia creator, Story2.OH’s Jill Golick (Hailey Hacks, Crushing It, BoyMeetsGrrl) and already represents a dazzling collaboration among community, corporate, and creative partners — all keen to see Canada reach the cutting edge of excellent online content for young people.

The first Ruby Skye P.I. mystery began principal photography at The Dragon Academy and on location around Toronto on August 16th and continues shooting its first mystery, The Spam Scam until September 2nd. Ruby Skye P.I. is one of nine digital web series projects selected for investment by the highly-competitive Canadian Independent Production Fund’s new web series program. Ruby Skye P.I. continues to seek local, national and international partners to fully realize its exciting vision. Interested potential sponsors can contact creator Jill Golick at 416.414.8539.

Good Guy Robots Inc. (GGR) has just released Codex, a puzzle game that has gotten gamers to scratch their heads and think. Codex is a spatial logic puzzle with one goal in mind: to solve the puzzle in the fewest moves to earn gold medals. The gold medals are showcased in the leaderboards, where players are ranked based on score with an option to display their medal haul. The medal haul shows off how each player did on each level.

Codex has 30 levels in progression of puzzle size and difficulty grouped in 6 stages. Finishing a puzzle will unlock the next one as long as you finish the puzzle within the prescribed moves. You can go back and play any puzzle you’ve already completed, however this feature is disabled in trial mode.

Codex also has music visualizations during gameplay that are hooked into the music shared to the Xbox from your computer or USB device. The music visualization has each of the gears tuned to a specific frequency as the music is playing. GGR felt that this added to the look and feel of the game as well as allowed for a better experience by allowing gamers to listen to the music they enjoy.

Codex will be available on Xbox Live Indie Games on August 28th for 240MSP ($3 USD). GGR chose that price point because they will include new levels in future updates that would normally be bought as DLC in other markets. GGR plans to release the game on iPhone and iPad as well with the option to buy new levels as they are available.

GGR felt their price strategy was risky since console gamers who buy Indie games are used to buying games at the bargain basement price point (80 MSP), however, as GGR plans to absorb the cost of developing the new levels in the initial cost of game, there are no plans to drop the price after the 90 day price freeze from initial release. GGR is proud of this release and hopes that the market is receptive to it so that they can continue to make high quality games on Xbox Live Indie Games. Codex can be queued for download to your Xbox360 via web or by perusing the Xbox 360’s community games section.

PayPal and leading Canadian companies announced two new ways for Canadians to use the power of smartphones and social media to quickly and simply send charity donations or raise money for their favourite causes.

The new version of the PayPal Mobile 2.5 released today on iTunes allows customers to send charity donations to 17 highly-regarded, national Canadian non-profit organizations directly from their iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Donations can be funded from a PayPal account balance, bank balance or credit card. PayPal worked with Artez Interactive, a Toronto-based online fundraising solutions provider to make the donate feature possible.

“Canada is a caring society and Canadians are very technologically savvy,” says Darrell MacMullin, General Manager, PayPal Canada. “By bringing these two powerful qualities together and making charitable giving and fundraising simpler on the digital platforms Canadians use every day, PayPal hopes to help charities find new ways of raising money.”

The use of smartphones to buy products and services from online retailers, known as mobile commerce, has exploded in recent years. PayPal customers completed $25 million in mobile purchases in 2008. In 2009, the figure jumped to $141 million. In 2010, PayPal expects to process more than $500 million in mobile transactions.

Part of that growth has been fueled by the rapid adoption of smartphones in Canada. According to an IDC report in January 2010, smartphone penetration among businesses and consumers in Canada is about 25 per cent, but is growing at a rate of 30 per cent year over year. In Canada, the growing number of advanced networks is expected to continue to drive smartphone adoption.

“Customers are comfortable using smartphones for all kinds of professional and personal needs, so making it easier for Canadians to give to charities that way is important,” said Philip King, President and CEO, Artez Interactive. “For charities, mobile giving is a new channel; one that allows people to give quickly and simply and one that may help reach new, younger audiences who don’t respond as readily to traditional fundraising campaigns.” Read the rest of this entry »

My 360 is going to be very busy downloading new DLC from Bioware next month. Earlier this week the studio announced The Lair of the Shadowbroker for Mass Effect 2, which is due out on September 7th. Also coming out on the same day is Witch Hunt for Dragon Age Origins. It appears that this DLC chapter will cost the same as Leliana’s Song, 560 MS Points or $7.00.

The dreaded Archdemon has been slain and the advance of the darkspawn halted by a lone, heroic Grey Warden. The kingdom rejoices, but at least one question remains: what happened to Morrigan? The sorceress joined the Wardens cause, but it is said her true purpose was not revealed until the eve of the last battle. She vanished into the shadows, and while rumours claimed she crossed over the mountains into Orlais, no trace of her path could be found. She was never heard from again… until now. Nearly a year has passed since the Archdemon’s death, and word has reached the Wardens that Morrigan has returned to Ferelden. She has been sighted in the southern wilderness where she was first encountered, but is it truly her? If it is, then why is she here and what secret does she carry with her? The Warden heads into the forest to find out and tie up this last loose end once and for all.

Key Features:

* Confront Morrigan in this dramatic conclusion to the Origins storyline
* Earn powerful rewards that transfer into your Awakening and Origins campaign
* Import your character from Origins or Awakening or create a new, high-level hero

Witch Hunt will also introduce Ariane, a new character who is a gifted Dalish warrior, and her clan’s best hunter. When an ancient artifact belonging to the clan’s Keeper is stolen, one with a history tied to the very roots of the elven people, Ariane is charged with the task of reclaiming it. She is determined to carry out her solemn duty, and when her task turns out to intersect with the Warden’s quest to find Morrigan she realizes that there may be far more to the artifact’s disappearance than simple theft. There are two more character links, but as of right now they are both “sealed” – perhaps more will be revealed in the coming days?

Unity Technologies has announced that Jesse Schell, CEO of Schell Games, will keynote at Unite 2010. Unite 2010 is Unity Technologies’ fourth annual developer conference for artists, programmers, designers, researchers, publishers and enthusiasts taking place November 10-12 at the historic Marché Bonsecours in Old Montreal, Canada following the Montreal International Game Summit.

Jesse is a lauded author and lecturer on the subject of games design and his Schell Games studio is using Unity to develop ‘The Mummy Online’ in collaboration with Universal and Bigpoint. This Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) is set to launch in Winter 2010.

“I’ve been dreaming for years about a ubiquitous 3D solution for web browsers, and Unity is that solution,” said Jesse Schell, CEO of Schell Games. “It’s changing the face of online game development, and we’re just at the beginning of what is possible.” Read the rest of this entry »

Electronic Arts Inc. and independent Vancouver development studio Klei Entertainment would like to remind you that the highly anticipated downloadable 2D action game Shank, will be available for download today on PlayStation®Network for $9.99 and tomorrow, August 25th, on Xbox LIVE® Arcade (1200 MS Points). At press time, Shank was still showing a release date of “08.2010″ on PSN, but the XBLA page has been updated with tomorrow’s release date. With its blend of classic side-scrolling action gameplay and stylized animation set against a modern-Western canvass, Shank tells a bloody story of revenge, penned by award-winning game writer Marianne Krawczyk.

“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. Read the rest of this entry »

A-la-carte tickets for Spark Animation are now available. Vancouver’s ACM SIGGRAPH chapter have officially opened the event’s site for individual session or film session purchases. The festival will open with a social mixer on Wednesday, September 8th and will feature a full schedule of inspiring speakers, panels and films.

Vancouver indie studio Ninja Robot Dinosaur has declared Ray Ardent: Science Ninja done. The product of indie developer & design veteran Shane Neville, Ray Ardent: Science Ninja is a high speed platformer where players assume the role of Ray Ardent, a retro pulp combination of Nicholas Tesla and Chuck Norris who saves the world with his unique combination of Science and Ninjutsu. Power-ups like Science Slide, Triple Jump and nine others let gamers customize Ray to play how they want him to. Ray Ardent features 15 levels and is currently up for licensing on Flash Game License. Ray Ardent was built using the Flixel game libraries created by Adam Saltzman of Canabalt fame, with John Tennant providing the audio work.

Big Blue Bubble Inc.’s newest iOS game, Fighting Fantasy: Creature of Havoc has been released to the iTunes Store. Fighting Fantasy: Creature of Havoc is the fourth release in the Fighting Fantasy series and includes iPhone/iPod Touch support, as well as our new iPad support.

You begin this adventure not knowing where you are or who you are. All you know is that you are some kind of creature of instinct, understanding little. During the course of the adventure, it may be possible for you to begin to control your bestial nature, to find out more about yourself, and even to learn your destiny. But even if you know all this, success is by no means certain, for the traps and terrors of Trolltooth Pass are many.

Now you can experience the books that have sold over 15 million copies worldwide, on your iPhone or iPad. Fighting Fantasy fans will love the classic story and original illustrations with a technological twist. No more dice, pencils, or bookmarks. All of the special features are built in:

* New! Player Achievements
* Universal app iPad support
* Scrolling image gallery of unlocked in-game art
* Tap the on screen buttons to flip pages (No papercuts!)
* Shake to roll the 3D dice using the accelerometer (or tap through with ease)
* Inventory items selectable via touch-screen
* Game-save feature allows you to retrace your steps
* Includes both original illustrations by Ian McCaig and digitally re-mastered versions
* Integrated iPod music library access

Bioware has just announced that the newest DLC for Mass Effect 2 for PC and Xbox 360 will be released on September 7th. Available for 800 Bioware/MS Points, players who purchase Lair of the Shadowbroker will  join Liara T’Soni on her mission to track down the mysterious Shadow Broker. She’ll do anything to recover the man the Broker kidnapped, and the Shadow Broker’s agents will do anything to stop her. Team up with Liara and chase down clues as you adventure from the luxurious heights of Illium to the Shadow Broker’s own secret lair. In this new DLC, players will gain access to the Shadow Broker intel center, new research, and five new achievements. Mass Effect 1 players who carried their characters over to ME2 will also have the chance to continue a relationship with Liara. Read the rest of this entry »

A quick reminder that Microsoft Tech Days will be touring across the country beginning next month. You may still have time to get in on the Early Bird pricing if you act fast. Early Bird prices close six weeks prior to tour arrival dates.

Vancouver: September 14-15
Edmonton: October 05-06
Toronto: October 27-28
Halifax: November 02-03
Ottawa: November 09-10
Montreal: November 23-24
Winnipeg: December 07-08
Calgary: December 14-15

If you are a Joss Whedon fan, then you will want to be spending some time at Whedon Fest, a 3 day unofficial convention to celebrate all that is Whedon. The convention will feature guests and events from Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dr. Horrible and Dollhouse. Organizers and fans will be celebrating the Joss ‘verse from Friday October, 1st to Sunday October, 3rd 2010 at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Centre in Toronto, Canada. The unofficial Whedon Fest convention will comprise of guest talks, autograph and photograph sessions, charity auction, a Saturday night masquerade and dance, contests, and more.

BattleGoat Studios and Paradox Interactive are pleased to announce that Supreme Ruler Cold War, the next title in the Supreme Ruler series, is scheduled for release in Q2 2011. Building on Supreme Ruler 2010 and 2020, BattleGoat Studios invites you to relive the tension and uncertainty of the Cold War. As the 1950’s approach, the Korean War looms, the Arms Race intensifies, the Berlin Crisis leads to the formation of NATO, and the world anticipates a new World War.

As leader of the United States or the Soviet Union, you must make the correct Economic, Diplomatic, Domestic and Military decisions to successfully navigate your country through this dangerous historical era and increase your nation’s Sphere of Influence on the world stage.

Features

- Play as the United States or Soviet Union in Campaign Mode
– Control any Nation in Post-World War II Era in Sandbox Mode
– Use Diplomacy, Trade and Espionage to influence the policies of other nations
– Research new Technologies to give your nation an edge
– Grow and Modernize your Economy
– Control Military production and deployment, or let your Ministers take care of the details
– And when Diplomacy Fails… Sophisticated Real-Time Strategic and Tactical Control of your Military Forces!
– Enhanced Graphics and Sound including New 3D Terrain
– Experience the redesigned GUI with improved On-Map feedback and streamlined controls
– Up to 16 players in Multiplayer over local network or Internet

ApeZone has released a free version of SoliScare for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, letting you take a free peak at their whimsical card game, specifically designed for the iPhone’s touch screen. The free version lets you play though ten ghost levels, where you will use your astral weapons of everyday objects to beat down ghosts. Drawing a club, gives you a golf club, a spade gives you a shovel, and so on. As you make longer runs of cards, you’ll capture ghosts and place them in your jailhouse. Try to capture all 13 ghosts. Collect coins as you clear cards and buy game perks to help you out.

Paradox Interactive and Vancouver’s Kerberos Productions have released new screenshots and gameplay scenes from Sword of the Stars II, the sequel to the hit 4X franchise, Sword of the Stars. Scheduled for release in Q2 2011, Sword of the Stars II will feature the six races from SotS and its expansions, as well as revealing the dark, running secret of the original series, the Suul’ka – an ancient race that is responsible for tampering with other races in the Sword of the Stars universe.

“We’re really excited to have the Sword of the Stars II as a part of our lineup at Gamescom” Says Executive Producer Mattias Lilja at Paradox Interactive. “PC gamers have a lot of love for the genre and we’re no exception. The game looks and plays great already and we’re really looking forwarding to showing off the game.”

nGen, Niagara’s Interactive Media Generator is pleased to announce the opening of its $3 million, state of the art facility designed for digital interactive media advancement. Funded by the Community Adjustment Fund, a government fund established as part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan to address the short-term economic needs of Canadian communities impacted by the global recession. The new facility houses cutting edge digital interactive media technologies and will undoubtedly increase Niagara’s already growing reputation as a hub for digital interactive media. The expanded facility has been branded the Generator at one. Located at one St. Paul Street in downtown St. Catharines the facility has the capacity to enable entire media projects to be created at one location. Read the rest of this entry »