Volume turned out to be the common noun of FanExpo 2010; whether referring to the sheer deluge of people on the outside of the complex, the amount of amazing content provided to those canny enough to buy passes ahead of time, or the fever-pitch of cheering throughout the center’s amphitheatres, it is debatable whether any other Canadian convention could compare in terms of variety. With balanced attention paid to the five pillars of nerd culture, there truly was something for everyone. And with the lines outside the building never abating, it felt as though everyone knew it.

Upon arrival, most attendees headed directly for the second floor. Home to the convention’s merchandisers, artists, and largest corporate sponsors, guests could enjoy demos of a select few holiday video games while collecting comics and autographs. The demarcation of the booth depended predominantly on the weight behind it; while individual artists may not have been labelled prominently, there was no missing the booth of Tron: Evolution. Chris Whiteside, the lead design developer for the title at Vancouver’s Propaganda Games, was leading a demo when I arrived. The game is very much a fluid experience–any and all of the blockiness in Tron’s past has been done away with completely. Musings on the game’s inspirations led Whiteside and I to the subject of Canadian industry specialties.

“We’re drawing from the best ground-based games, Prince of Persia, Assassin’s Creed…Canada has some of the best developers in the world for mobility based games. Obviously, Prince of Persias on its fifth iteration now? They’ve had plenty of time to work things out. There are examples from America–Uncharted’s very good. But a lot are done in our neck of the woods.”

Patriotism was put aside from then on. The giants beneath Tron: Evolution exist, but Propaganda looks neither back nor down on its predecessors.

“…There were certain things we wanted to refine from Prince of Persia and Assassin’s Creed—we wanted to get the player to wall-run everywhere, and from Assassin’s Creed, we wanted to focus on accessible controls.”

Throughout the combat scenes, the young man at the controls stood rapt.

“We wanted to make something that was totally Tron. We all sat down together with Kosinsksi and Sean Bailey (director of Tron: Legacy, executive producer of Tron: Legacy) and did the story-writing. As we knew the story of the film, we built it into the story of the game. The hardest thing was being so underground with the game; we only really showed it off at E3. We were worried about whether the fans would embrace the game as feeling like Tron…I watched the movie two months ago, and it was amazing to see the characters of the film reference events of the game, and see the physical geography be based on what happened in the game. It’s the first time in our business where this kind of cross-media pollination has been done to this depth, and it’s something Disney’s going to do, moving forward. It’s hard work, but it pays off.”

The hard work of the panel organizers paid off in turn. When I arrived in the auditorium for the noontime Tron: Legacy panel at 11:30, the hall was half-full; by five minutes before, there wasn’t an empty seat to be found. The show got off to a late start for reasons unexplained, but the audience was well-behaved. When a member of the throng attempted to start a militant chant of ‘Tron’, none joined, and most laughed at the attempt at disorder. The panels’ MCs, Innerspace’s Teddy and Ajay emerged to great cheers, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover I would be enjoying more of Chris Whiteside’s company. His enthusiasm was doubtlessly fed by the crowd—justifiably so.

“There are four great things about the game. This is not a movie game—this is the bridge between the original story and the film coming out this Christmas. The second aspect is the tactile gameplay; we want to make the players feel as though they truly are in Tron. Thirdly, there are multiple lightcycles in the game. In the single player, it is set-piece given, while in the multiplayer, it’s totally up to you. And the really important thing is we just solved the big problem that was haunting the game—we are happy to announce that as of Thursday, we have ninety degree turns in multiplayer.”

Unsurprisingly, this won a round of applause.

The following video showed the interaction between the filming crew and the team behind the game; for a few short minutes, Vancouver filled the hall. Following the Propaganda video, Whiteside returned to narrate gameplay. The landscapes looked even more beautiful on the silver screen, and the controls looked tight, with the exception of the apparently sensitive lightcycle controls—but upon considering the demands of a vehicle whose existence defies every law of physics, a high-strung control system does not seem out of the question. The audience was delighted by the footage—if Whiteside believes that the game’s chief difficulty was its lack of exposure, that fear can be put to rest. A gentleman to the last, he gave a birthday shout-out to a man in the audience before leaving the stage to the MCs’ care.

The impact of Tron was celebrated with a video of cultural references to Tron synchronized to Daft Punk’s ‘Around the World’–with Daft Punk as the primary artist for the Tron soundtrack, there could be no more obvious choice. Tron himself (Bruce Boxleitner) came out at the end for a Q&A session, which regrettably had to be forgone in order to catch the Q&A of the cast and crew of Riese: The Series.

To make it in anything even briefly resembling time required great haste; thankfully, the panel more than justified the sprint. With the Steampunk Canada crew in attendance, the cast and crew had the luxury of a loving audience—perhaps not as large as that of Tron’s, but equally passionate. The chief subject of the panel quickly became the nature of the relationship between webcreator and fan. Ryan Robbins and Ryan Copple led the panel, but the five members of the team formed a unified front.

“Starting as a webseries, you have a different relationship with your fans. There’s a sense of entitlement, rightfully so, because they’ve been with you since their discovery. So it’s really disappointing when you can’t give them anything, due to networks, and network decisions…The waiting’s the hardest part, waiting until we can say ‘Here you go, fans, here’s some stuff!’.”

And this the perfect day for stuff. Every anecdote from the panel, whether on costume decisions, eager actors who want to be on Riese, or angry kickboxing mishaps, was punctuated by laughter. We now know the episodes will be re-edited when re-released, and that it will be carried on one of the two Canadian sci-fi channels in addition to SyFy in the USA. That release date will be released within the next two weeks–and most mysteriously of all, a new character will be edited into the show. In addition, the tie-in game by Genius Factor Games was given some attention.

“It’s standing to be released at the end of September, early October, and it’s a card battle-game that takes place in Eleysia, and you play as either the Resistance or the Sect, and it’s all about the campaign to take over the nation. There’s a lot of fun story elements, and some behind the scenes things too. It’ll be a companion to the story, but also a stand-alone game. Following the iPhone game there’ll be an iPad release in glorious HD. I’ll tell you a little easter egg—when we were doing the card art, we did a photo shoot, and pretty much every card is us…I’m about fifteen of the cards. If you look closely, there’s the shaved head again….Christine plays herself. That’s good.”

Christine Chatelain was comfortable and relaxed. When asked about the difference between her roles on Sanctuary and on Riese, her answer was light-hearted.

“Well, I went from wearing no clothes to a lot of clothes….Actually, in Sanctuary, I wore a neon…condom-type…It’s awful! The director was very nice, everyone felt so bad for me that he actually wore it one day of shooting.”

As much as fans love pomp and circumstance, there was something to be said for the intimate atmosphere that the Riese crew provided for its fans. It stood in contrast with every other part of my day at the convention; between the sheer scale of the upper hall and the raucous fans of Tron, intimacy was out of the question in every other hour. But kindness was present on both sides of the stage. Fans cared where the money went from the tie-in game; Riese was happy to assuage their fears and encourage downloads of Gravity Well. The panel ended with the Steampunk Canada crew welcoming the speakers to their booth in order to enjoy the company of their fans; the relationship of Riese with its fans is admirable, and true.

While Vancouverite content was plentiful, Torontonian entertainments were slightly more difficult to find. Toronto businesses were well-represented upstairs, with the Silver Snail having a noteworthy booth. By mid-afternoon, the upstairs level was nothing less than a labyrinth. The Hand Eye Society was retroactively grateful not to have been placed on that second floor; by the end of the day, there was no blaming them. The chaos of arranging the flow of people took up much of the staff’s energy; my hunt was unaided by the program and attendants.

Thankfully, upon my arrival at the ground floor booth of the Hand Eye Society, Miguel Sternberg was more than happy to show off the contents of the Torontron, their modified arcade machine demonstrating the products of his Spooky Squid Games, one of the founders of the Hand Eye Society. Three people surrounded his station to the right–two of them were children. The game they were playing, The Night Balloonists, had many charms for the younger set. Between its simple one-button control system and the art nouveau aesthetic, the game naturally caught the eye. Upon his completion of the round with them, he then gave his full attention to the Torontron.

“The Night Balloonists is one of several games that we have on display. One’s a prototype from a larger game we’re working on Guerilla Gardening: Seeds of Revolution, and then we have Night of the Cephalopods and Cephalopods: Cottage Defence, which are both Lovecraftian horror titles.”

What could be more Toronto than a defence of cottage culture?

“It’s really good in that doing an event like this would be hard as an individual, but great as working together. We don’t really see each other as people to compete with; we’re working together to do well, and that benefits all of us. I’m one of the co-founders; it was Jim Monroe that brought us all together, and we came together to discuss what that should be, and it became the Hand Eye Society.”

Heavy Weather, one of the founding titles of the company, plays as simply as it should. Heavy objects fall, and dodging them allows the player to continue. All of the company’s titles convey the same mildly twisted sense of humour; the machine remained popular throughout my time at the booth. Night of the Cephalopods stood out with its pitch-perfect narration. Guerilla Gardening stands on the horizon as a downloadable game, and further down the pipeline an unnamed Xbox Live game will make a debut. The Hand Eye Society is on the rise; I look forward to seeing each step of the journey.

FanExpo was a strong demonstration of Canadian-made products on the rise–the only Canadian fiasco was the convention itself. With more booked time and space, it can be one of the greatest conventions on the continent; with restraint, more efficient and more intimate instead. No matter which path is chosen, fans will clamour at the gates–if the convention hears them out, we can all look forward to FanExpo 2011.

“This was always our plan,” explained Norman Eldridge, ParetoLogic’s Technical Product Manager. “PC Health Advisor keeps its users covered, no matter where their computer problems originate. These new tools allow us to further expand the ways that PC Health Advisor protects and improves users’ PC performance.”

Developers combined the driver manager with the main PC Health Advisor scan to make operation as easy as possible. After analysing a user’s system, the scan displays outdated drivers and connects users with the new and updated drivers that they need. New drivers have the power to revive broken hardware, improve performance, and stop hardware error messages.

The file extension manager, found under the Optimize tab, searches for unsupported file extensions and provides links to the programs needed to open them. This allows users to always open the files they need, no matter how unfamiliar the extension.

“Drivers and file extensions are some of the most numerous, confusing, and time consuming items that a PC user has to deal with. By including these tools with PC Health Advisor, we’re going to save our customers a lot of time – and money,” said Mr. Eldridge.

All downloads of PC Health Advisor will now include these tools as part of the new version. Current PC Health Advisor users will be automatically updated to version 2.

“I’ve been helping new members get started selling stock for years, and this book contains everything they’d need to know to hit the ground running,” said Sylvan. “Beyond sharing the fundamental information needed for creating and selling stock imagery, I’ve included over 50 great examples of successful stock photos along with tips from many of their creators.”

Taking Stock helps readers look at their photos through the eyes of designers, photo editors, and other frequent buyers. It explains how to set up an effective digital workflow and, perhaps most importantly, how to focus on creating truly evocative imagery. It also covers:

* How to license photos as stock
* What type of images are in demand
* Effective use of titles, descriptions and keywords
* Tips on shooting food, people, places, nature, objects, and animals
* Editing techniques to maximize sales

Taking Stock retails for $35.99 (CAD) and is available at Chapters-Indigo, Amazon.ca, Black Bond Books and other retailers worldwide or directly via the publisher, Peachpit Press.

Thumpies is a unique rhythm-based music game for players of all ages. By correctly matching the beat of bouncing Thumpies the player progresses through a song. Unlike typical rhythm based games, Thumpies uses a mechanic of bouncing in time instead of just a series of notes. The quirky art design of Thumpies XL is accompanied by a unique musical score composed by award winning, industry veteran David Kerr. The music was crafted with game play in mind, giving the player a harmonizing experience.

Vancouver Film School’s Game Design Expo 2011 is now accepting speaker proposals from game industry professionals who have a passion to share their expertise. Past speakers at the consistently sold-out Industry Speaker Day at Game Design Expo have included the makers of games such as Dead Rising 2, Halo, Mass Effect, ModNation Racers, and Saints Row 2 (amongst many others). The deadline for submissions is October 4th 2010, so download the Speaker Proposal Package (PDF) today and send your completed proposal in as soon as possible.

Telefilm Canada announced today a streamlined approach to submitting corporate information as part of an application.

Previously, four documents were required in order to provide all required corporate information with an application; now only one is required. The new Canadian Status of Corporation and Corporate Information Affidavit (doc file) now online replaces the following forms:

* Corporate secretary’s certificate naming the shareholders and the number of shares held by each
* Corporate secretary’s certificate naming the officers and indicating their signing authority
* Declaration of Corporate Information
* Canadian Status of Corporation Affidavit

Telefilm Canada is committed to providing effective and efficient service to its clients and as such continuously works to provide new ways in which to work with the industry.

“For one week, Toronto will be the centre of the Mobile universe,” said Michael J. O’Farrell of The Mobile Institute, founder and co-producer of MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK. “Canada is a mobile industry powerhouse, but Canadian talent and innovation are rarely exposed to local and international audiences. MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK 2010 will showcase our mobile prowess together with global mobile industry leaders, while also giving Canadian organizations the tools and information they need to take advantage of the emerging mobile universe.”

MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK 2010 will feature more than 150 speakers and over 100 interactive presentations, moderated sessions and workshops. More than 2,000 are expected to attend from Canada, the US, the UK, Germany, Brazil and other international locations. MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK 2010 includes featured presentations by Adenyo, Bell Mobility, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC), comScore, Deloitte, Ericsson, Google, IDC Canada, KPMG, Microsoft, MyThum Interactive, OCAD University, RBC Financial, Research In Motion (RIM), Rogers Communications, Samsung, Sybase, Sympatico Mobile, The Globe and Mail, Visa, Yellow Pages Group and more.

Anchor events include:

Mobile Media World 10, co-produced by The Mobile Institute and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA). Mobile Media World 2010 will deliver in-depth coverage on:

* Mobile Web & Apps
* Mobile Marketing & Advertising
* Mobile Entertainment & Video
* Mobile Commerce & Payments
* Mobile Search & Augmented Reality
* Mobile Devices & Networks
* Mobile Internet & Consumer Trends
* The Future of Mobile Media

MobileBizBootCamp, co-produced by The Mobile Institute and the Mobile Experience Innovation Centre (MEIC). This one day event will focus on the business of mobile and is targeted at companies in the mobile space as well as those looking to make the leap into mobile. Over 20 mobile company executives and industry experts will share their insights into how they’re winning in the mobile marketplace. MobileBiz BootCamp will deliver in-depth coverage on:

* Opportunities in Mobile: What’s Hot, What’s Not
* From Idea to Revenue
* Start Up Central: How the Accelerate your Business
* Making the Perfect Financing Pitch
* Money Talks: Who’s Got it? And, Who’s Getting It?
* Selling Your Company: Insights & Practical Tips
* Getting Exposure: Capturing the Attention of Industry Analysts
* Legally Speaking: From Content to Contracts
* You’re Not Alone: Harnessing the Power of Associations and Community Programs
* Breaking into the Corporate Mobile Market
* Cracking into the Carriers for Business Opportunities

The Mobile ThinkTank Series, also produced by The Mobile Institute, will feature focused symposiums on mobile retail & commerce, mobile enterprise, mobile healthcare and mobile cities. The Mobile ThinkTank Series will also offer presentations from world class mobile executives, industry luminaries and thought leaders. The events feature:

* Four half-day symposia, keynotes and intimate breakout sessions
* Mobile industry thought leaders moderating discussion groups
* Compelling insights on how to position your organization in the emerging mobile economy
* Priceless business, industry, institution & executive networking

According to organizers, the FITC Mobile Developer Conference will cover all aspects of mobile content development and the event is jam-packed with presentations, demonstrations, and panel discussions:

* Two full days of presentations with three tracks of presentations, plus one optional day of pre-conference workshops
* Covering iPhone/iPad, Android, Flash 10.1, Windows Mobile, HTML5, Unity, Marketing, Usability, and other relevant topics in the mobile world
* Over 30 presentations and panels covering all aspects of mobile development
* Covering technical aspects of development but also marketing, funding, and other business aspects of mobile development

New additions for MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK 2010 include IN | 10 The Interactive Exchange, produced by Interactive Ontario, which will offer sessions on value creation through the newest generations of media experiences at the intersection of interactive and traditional platforms. Through forms like video games, mobile services, social networks, feature films and television, users and consumers of media entertainment are in search of engaging, compelling and emotionally satisfying content and services. IN|2010 will showcase and foster dialogue and debate about the creative and business enterprises that can build loyal audiences and strong revenue streams for producers and developers.

Mobile Experience + Design (MXD) is produced by MEIC, a not-for-profit organization that supports design leadership, innovation and applied research in Canada’s mobile and wireless industries. MXD2010 will feature an international speaking roster, bringing together designers, researchers, entrepreneurs and scientists.

Co-Chairs for MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK 2010 are Michael J. O’Farrell, founder of The Mobile Institute; Shawn Pucknell, director of FITC; Gary Schwartz, chair of the Mobile Entertainment Forum Americas and president & CEO of Impact Mobile; and Ian Kelso, president & CEO of Interactive Ontario.

Some data about Canada’s Mobile Industry from the Mobile Institute:

* Canada’s wireless carriers now offer coverage to more than 99 per cent of Canadians.
* At the end of June 2010, Canadian wireless phone subscribers numbered 23.4 million.
* The mobile sector offers high value employment, with an average salary level of $59,000, compared with a Canadian average salary of $42,640.
* Canada’s wireless carriers invest more than $1 billion in mobile phone communications infrastructure each year.
* The demand for highly skilled wireless communications specialists is so great that Canadian post-secondary institutions are creating programs specifically geared to the wireless industry.
* Wireless revenues in Canada totalled $16.9 billion in 2009.
* Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association says that the wireless market sector revenues are the largest component (41%) of total telecommunications revenues
* Eight percent of Canadians have made purchases using a mobile phone through a retailer’s site.
* Fifteen percent of Canadians have done banking through a mobile device, according to KPMG International’s “Consumers & Convergence IV Survey”
* Mobile Advertising Revenues in Canada exceeded budgeted expectations of $5.2 million, and grew by 347% over 2007 numbers, to just over $11.9 million for 2008.
* According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada’s “2008 Actuals/2009 Estimated Mobile Revenue Report” mobile content and mobile advertising (display/sponsorship) were the principal drivers behind the 347% increase in overall Canadian Mobile ad revenues in 2008.

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.

Those who cannot attend PAX in person can check out Ubisoft’s Twitter account for exclusive updates, behind-the-scenes photos and video from PAX throughout the duration of the event. PAX prize packs will also be given out each day of the show via Twitter for those consumers that are unable to attend PAX. To contribute to Ubisoft’s PAX coverage on Twitter, please use the official hash tag “#UbiPax”.

The Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX) is pleased to announce this year’s program, featuring an action-packed day of live presentations from Canada’s Hottest Innovative Companies, insightful sessions and facilitated meeting exchanges.

Unique to CIX, this fast-paced, expertly-curated series of presentations offers an up-to-the-minute snapshot of the most advanced technologies and companies at the forefront of the Information and Communication Technology, Digital Media and Clean Technology sectors. Only at CIX will you have the opportunity to engage in a one-day overview of the newest advances in these three important industries as presented by the companies’ CEOs themselves.

CIX features inspiring keynotes and meeting exchanges that offer you the chance to connect directly with the key players bringing exciting new products and initiatives to the marketplace. This year, CIX will include even more platforms for both structured and informal networking among participants, allowing you to develop the real contacts and relationships that lead to partnerships, investments and other opportunities for growth.

Rob Chaplinsky – Managing Director and Co-Founder, Bridgescale Partners
Paul Cummings – Principal, Honda Strategic Venturing
Mike Lee – Vice President, Venture Investments, Rogers Communications
Trond Unneland – VP Managing Executive, Chevron Technology Ventures
Steve Woods – Engineering Director, Google

Benefit from the experience and insight of industry experts with incisive sessions and panel discussions focused on the most pressing questions for today’s innovation economy. Faced with a dynamic and rapidly-changing marketplace, our speakers will provide invaluable tactics and strategies for navigating the new landscape of Canadian industry. Sessions include:

The Rise of Corporate Venture
Trials and Tribulations for Innovative Companies in Raising Private and Public Money in Canada
Canada – The World’s CleanTech Leader?

Fresh TV’s unique programming was recognized yesterday by the 25th annual Gemini Awards with two nominations for television series Stoked and associated website Stoked Interactive along with one nomination for their television series Total Drama Action – both series are TELETOON original productions. The Canadian television awards celebrate the year’s outstanding achievements in English language television.

“All of us here at Fresh TV are stoked to be nominated for this year’s Gemini Awards”, said Tom McGillis, President, Fresh TV Inc. “We’ve assembled a world class team of artists and writers to provide cutting-edge programming for youth worldwide and these nominations are a testament to that.”

Stoked director Faruk Cemalovic earned a nomination for Best Direction in an Animated Program or Series. Fresh TV was also acclaimed for its interactive work with a nomination in the Best Cross-Platform Project, Children’s and Youth category for Stoked Interactive. The project is a collaboration with marblemedia.

Total Drama Action, the second installment in the internationally acclaimed Total Drama franchise, earned one nomination for Best Children’s or Youth Fiction Program or Series.

Total Drama Action currently airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT and Stoked airs on Thursdays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on TELETOON. The latest series from the Total Drama franchise, Total Drama World Tour will premiere on TELETOON on Thursday, September 9 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Once players have registered with the key on the M.A.T. home page, they can download the game client and start playing immediately. Just like M.A.T. will be upon its full release, the closed beta is totally free for players to participate in, for as long as the beta lasts. Space is limited, so gamers should get their beta key today, and stay tuned for further announcements about special closed beta events and fun achievements.

“We are delighted to be bringing M.A.T. to North American players,” said Sam Ho, Director of Wicked Interactive. “The closed beta should provide a great sneak preview for veterans and new FPS players. With various game modes and state-of-the-art Dolby™ 3D sound support , we are certain that M.A.T. will prove to be a ton of fun for all players.”

M.A.T. is set in a fictional time not far from our own, pitting two teams against each other all around the world. From the male civilian with a vengeance to a war-torn female soldier with something to prove, characters from all walks of life come together to fight for a common goal.

Gamers looking for a serious shooter will be glad to know that M.A.T. was the only first-person shooter game good enough to be sanctioned for tournament play in 2009 by the China Electrical Gaming Committee, a nationwide online gaming tournament organizer that is part of the All-China Sports Federation. The M.A.T. closed beta release will include game modes such as Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, along with the tried-and-true formula of elimination-style Tournament play and the highly popular Bombing mode.

Those in the mood for a less competitive-minded shooter will be kept busy as well, with a variety of wild, white-knuckled game types. Mummy mode offers an intense survival horror experience, where a team of humans are confronted by ancient Egyptian mummies who have risen from the dead in search of you-know-what.

Complementing the exciting action of MAT are customizable characters that can be outfitted with a variety of clothing options, an item shop that contains everything a soldier needs out in the battlefield, and full Dolby™ 3D sound support, including state-of-the-art Dolby Axon™ technology which enables you to modulate your voice in real-time to change the way other players hear you-all in glorious surround-sound.

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 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.

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.

Google Canada has thrown a bigger hat into the social games market by purchasing Toronto developer SocialDeck, which has released four titles: Color Connect, Pet Hero MD, Shake & Spell, and Shake & Spell 3D.

Capcom and Blue Castle Games are happy to announce that Dead Rising 2: CASE ZERO, the prologue to its upcoming game, Dead Rising 2, is now available exclusively on Xbox LIVE. Players who download Dead Rising 2: CASE ZERO will get their first glimpse into the world of Dead Rising 2 as they are introduced to the new protagonist in the series, Chuck Greene, along with new gameplay features of Dead Rising 2, ahead of its release on September 28, 2010. Explore the link between the original game and sequel and experience the full “Dead Rising” story like never before, only on Xbox LIVE.

For 400 Microsoft Points, the prologue will give players a first taste of the zombie-slaughtering fun of combo weapons and ‘psycho’ boss fights. Character attributes collected in Dead Rising 2: CASE ZERO will also carry over into the main game such as Player Level, to a maximum of five, Prestige Points alongside skills, Combo Cards and a number of alternate outfits.

Disney Interactive Studios and Propaganda Games have announced that a collector’s edition of TRON: Evolution will be available for both the Xbox 360® and PlayStation®3. The collector’s edition will be packaged in a special protective casing with a drawer for the game and will include an exclusive TRON light cycle collectible based on the in-game model from TRON: Evolution. The light cycle model is being created by renowned collectibles manufacturer Sideshow Collectibles. The TRON: Evolution collector’s edition will only be available in limited quantities and will have a suggested retail price of $129.99 in North America. The collector’s edition will be available on December 7 with the rest of the TRON: Evolution video game portfolio before the TRON: Legacy film hits theaters on December 17 in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D.

Desire2Learn recently demonstrated how it is enabling fire rescue services to reduce injuries and save lives by providing better training at last weekend’s annual Fire-Rescue International Conference, which took place in Chicago.

There are several indisputable facts in firefighting: one of these is that training saves lives – the lives of both the victims of fire as well as the lives of fire fighters. Through implementation of the Desire2Learn Learning Management System, better training which is learner-centric, quantifiable and in alignment with departmental learning objectives, can be developed and presented resulting in engaged learners, delivery of standards-based outcomes and a reduction in overall training costs.

“As part of our ongoing commitment to best serve the needs and requirements of our clients, Desire2Learn is providing organizations, like fire rescue services, with cost-effective means to deliver lifesaving training,” says John Baker, President & CEO, Desire2Learn. “There are many opportunities for leveraging Desire2Learn Learning Suite to enable our clients to realize extensive time and cost-savings.”

In one of the exclusive conference Solutions Showcases16, Desire2Learn Sales Manager Jay Murdoch, will profile the recent Case Study “E-Learning Implementation in Fire Rescue,” constructed in partnership with the City of Edmonton Fire and Rescue Services, who has realized a 3-year cumulative cost avoidance of almost $1.5 million dollars after deploying a limited number of courses through Desire2Learn Learning Suite.

Kobo has expanded beyond Toronto, opening a new office in New York City. The strategic location and addition of Jan Ehrlich, Director of Newspapers and Magazines, and Amy Greko, Senior Manager of Vendor Relations (Books), will allow the company to focus more on publisher relations and content acquisition for the US market.

“Publisher relationships are something we take very seriously at Kobo, and our work with them is growing at a frantic pace as we continue to add new vendors, deepen our retail relationships, innovate on devices, and manage the intricacies of agency relationships,” said Michael Tamblyn, Executive Vice President of Content, Sales and Merchandising. “As part of our ongoing expansion, we are pleased to open Kobo’s latest office in Manhattan and we look forward to growing our New York team as we continue to push the boundaries of this amazing market.”

The new office is located at 30 East 23rd St. and Madison Avenue. Hiring is underway for a director focused on US book publisher relations and vendor managers serving the educational, Science/Technical/Medical and professional publishing communities.

“Since its deployment in the last quarter of 2006, the use of the Desire2Learn LMS has contributed to substantial cost avoidance, direct cost savings, due diligence with respect to compliance training issues, and learning around critical incidents,” states Ellen Whybrow, M.Ed. PMP, E-Learning Project, Edmonton Fire and Rescue Services. “The implementation of an eLearning training methodology, and the significant results attained over the past three years, has proven the value of this technology as a corporate training tool.”