Village Gamer

Burnaby – Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that Orlando Magic center, Dwight Howard, will be the cover athlete for NBA LIVE 10. A three-time NBA All-Star, Howard is currently looking to lead the Magic franchise to their first NBA Championship. The No. 1 pick of the 2004 NBA Draft was the 2009 NBA Defensive Player of the Year presented by Kia Motors, an All-NBA First Team selection the last two seasons, and stole the show at the 2008 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest with his superhero antics. Additionally, Howard was the starting center of the 2008 U.S. Basketball Men’s Senior National Team which won the gold medal at the Olympics in Beijing. NBA LIVE 10 is currently in development under the EA SPORTS™ brand by EA Canada in Vancouver, B.C. and will be available worldwide this October.

“It’s an honor to be named as the cover athlete for NBA LIVE 10,” said Howard. “This year has been a crazy ride and this is a cool way to cap it off. Of course – there is one more thing I’m on the hunt for that would complete it.”
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Vancouver – I saw the movie trailer for G.I. Joe The Rise of Cobra for the first time today, and I have to say that it looks very impressive. This is a movie that we will be sure to catch on the big screen, because all of those visual and CG effects look incredible. I went and checked to see who was behind all of those great effects, and I wasn’t surprised to see a few Vancouver companies listed – with a few from that other movie place further south along the coast and some on the other side of the Atlantic.

It would appear that CIS Vancouver, Stan Winston Studio both contributed to those disintegrating buildings, massive traffic problems, huge explosions and more that we will get to experience this August when the film is released. Two other studios with Vancouver locations are also listed in the credits, but according to MPC’s site, it was the London studio which worked on Rise of Cobra. The Frantic Films web site does not list the movie at all, although they are heavily listed in the show’s info page on IMDB, so at the time of this writing I am unaware of which Frantic Films studio produced the assets.
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Burnaby – Via E3 – On the heels of winning 25 international gaming awards with FIFA Soccer 09, Electronic Arts Inc. today revealed the first features for its top-selling* soccer franchise from EA SPORTS™. Responding to consumer feedback from more than 275 million online games played**, FIFA Soccer 10 will deliver a new standard for authenticity with gameplay refinements and innovations that will make it the most complete and intelligent simulation of soccer.

On the pitch, critical gameplay fundamentals have been enhanced to ensure that FIFA Soccer 10 mirrors real-world soccer, providing more sophisticated ball control, and physical interaction between players. In addition, players now move, behave and position themselves more realistically. On attack, players analyze space more effectively, curve their runs in an attempt to stay onside, create passing lanes naturally, and drive for more variety in attacking options. On defense, new concepts like position priority enable defenders to multitask so dangerous spaces left open by teammates out of position are covered. Plus, slide tackle targeting, press marking, and better-urgency clearance logic provide new options that make defending a tactical skill in FIFA Soccer 10. In goal, a myriad of improvements and refinements to goalkeeper intelligence result in a more responsive and powerful rushing system and ultra-realistic saves.
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Vancouver – via E3 – United Front Games Ltd. is developing ModNation™ Racers, a creative twist on classic karting, designed exclusively for the PLAYSTATION® 3.

ModNation™ Racers puts innovation and creativity directly into the player’s hands with simple, intuitive and fun tools to create custom characters, karts and race tracks. These can be shared and played freely by anyone in the world on the PlayStation®Network.

“We are excited to be creating an accessible, endlessly imaginative and original property. Our team is inspired to push the limits of player creativity in this new take on racing.” said Julian Beak, Lead Producer. “Working directly with Sony is an honor.”

“With the creative pedigree and vision of this team and our plans for the PLAY CREATE SHARE™ genre, this partnership was a great fit for our strategic vision of this emerging genre.” said Scott Rohde, vice president of Product Development, Worldwide Studios America. “We are really happy to be working with United Front Games in bringing ModNation Racers to life, and excited to see what our consumers will create when they get to play in 2010.”

ModNation™ Racers was officially unveiled to the world during Sony’s E3 press conference.

Montreal – Via E3 – Earlier today Ubisoft unveiled their lofty list of upcoming titles at E3 – and I will admit that they did surprise, thrill and tantalize my tingly gamer senses. Ubisoft’s trailers have always been well done, but in this round, I have to say that the creativity, especially with the Red Steel 2, Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage and R.U.S.E. trailers, has advanced to new levels. Even the new Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Convictions may have won me over – this new incarnation of Sam Fisher looks like my kind of game hero – and the trailer appears to have some pretty intense game play and storyline happening.

A very pleasant surprise in the bevy of trailer reels was the preview of Academy of Champions. The game is very colourful with stylized characters and a highly-detailed environment, and judging solely from the trailer, Academy of Champions looks like the kind of game a player could end up investing a lot of time in. It would be easy to become drawn into the story and work hard to make sure that the good guys are victorious over the bad. My favourite though, is of course Assassin’s Creed 2. I am very much looking forward to seeing how the continuation of the story will unfold – along with all of that sneaking about with shiny blades stuck up my sleeves.

Continuing on with Ubi’s big announcements, filmmaker James Cameron made a surprise appearance on the press stage, introducing the first details for Avatar: The Game along with Yannis Mallat, CEO of Ubisoft Montreal.
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Vancouver – Via E3 – Big Park Studios, which was recently acquired by Microsoft Game Studios has announced their new Xbox 360 title, Joy Ride. The title will only be available to Xbox Live silver and gold subscribers, and will allow players to race their XBL avatars against friends.

Game Details:

Put your avatar behind the wheel of a vehicle you select and customize to match your personal style, and drive your avatar WILD. Trick out your avatar with styles and animations to guarantee you’ll stand out in the crowd. The game universe constantly evolves and expands with new downloadable content, including new stunt parks, tracks, cars, car upgrades, avatar clothing and animations, and new events. Once you’re all customized, take your avatar out for a spin. Make friends around the world as you catch huge air, pull off crazy stunts, and participate in fun community events.
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Montreal – Activision announced earlier today that Artificial Mind & Movement (A2M) will be the developer for the Nintendo DS version of the upcoming title Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

The talent from Twentieth Century Fox’s highly anticipated Ice Age™: Dawn of the Dinosaurs feature film will reprise their roles in the upcoming video game. The game features the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah and Josh Peck as members of an unlikely herd of prehistoric pals on a rescue mission across the tundra and beyond as they meet new friends and discover a mysterious world teeming with lush vegetation and fierce dinosaurs.

“The actors have brought life and familiarity to these admired prehistoric Ice Age characters,” said Rob Kostich, head of marketing for licensed properties, Activision Publishing, Inc. “Their presence in the game brings authenticity to the experience, immersing players in the Ice Age movie universe.”
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Waterloo – Majesco Entertainment Company, an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, has announced Flip’s Twisted World exclusively for Wii™. This unique puzzle platformer places the world literally in the palm of players’ hands as they navigate topsy-turvy worlds where up and down, and left and right are only a matter of perspective. Developed by Frozen North Productions, Flip’s Twisted World is expected to launch in January 2010.

“Flip’s Twisted World offers a truly innovative take on the traditional platform game by sidestepping conventional design in favor of a three-dimensional, perspective-altering approach,” said Gui Karyo, Executive Vice President of Operations for Majesco. “With a charismatic main character, fantastic puzzle landscapes and a unique gameplay mechanic, Flip’s gives platform game fans something to look forward to in the new year.”
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Montreal – Interactive entertainment company Ludia Inc. today announced that its premiere game, The Price Is Right, has sold one million units across multiple platforms since its launch in March 2008. Based on information from retail and digital distribution channels, a Price Is Right game has been purchased on average almost every thirty seconds since its release online, in retail and on the Apple App Store.

“We are very proud that The Price Is Right game has given so many players countless hours of enjoyment on the platform of their choice, said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “The strong sales of this game show title in retail and digital channels proves that our multiplatform strategy can result in tremendous reach and ongoing sales potential.”

“After more than 37 years, The Price Is Right remains a highly successful television game show with phenomenal longevity,” said David Luner, Senior Vice President, Interactive & Consumer Products, FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME), North America, the program’s licensor. “Ludia’s The Price Is Right game hitting this impressive milestone is very exciting to see, and is a strong affirmation that the brand continues to resonate in new ways with fans of all ages.”
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Vancouver – THQ Inc. today announced Warhammer® 40,000™: Space Marine®, from renowned internal studio Relic® Entertainment, will bring Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 science fiction universe to life on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system for the first time. The Action-RPG title will put players in control of individual units throughout a narrative-driven story campaign and in wide-scale online battles. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine will be unveiled at E3 2009 in THQ’s booth – number 5300 in the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

“The Warhammer 40,000 universe has a huge global following and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine will bring that world to life on the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 systems for the first time ever,” said Kevin Kraff, vice president, global brand management, THQ Inc. “Relic Entertainment is leveraging years of experience developing games within the universe to create an Action-RPG experience unlike anything seen before.”
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