Village Gamer

Effective immediately, Canadian wireless carrier Rogers Wireless has pulled all HTC Dream smartphones from their shelves, halting all sales and upgrades for this model of phone.

HTC Dream, one of the first cell phones to sport Google’s “Android” Operating System (and a change for HTC which was moving over from the Windows Mobile market), has been reported to be experiencing severe issues with its internal GPS and 911 calls. Owners and users are advised to disable the internal GPS until the Android 1.5 upgrade becomes available. Rogers has not gone into further detail as to what issues are caused with 911, or any short-term solutions, so owners may be stuck calling from landlines for now.

There is no word if these issues also affect the HTC Magic (or any other Android 1.0 phones), but as the Dream seems to be the only one being pulled from shelves, Magic owners appear to be safe for now. There also does not appear to be (at this time) any reports of other carriers experiencing the same issue with the phone, so it would seem that it is isolated to Rogers Wireless.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate and vote in our first annual Village Gamer Readers’ Choice Canadian Video Game Awards. The running in many categories was very tight, often with only a vote or two separating the top three choices. We saw some great titles, studios and characters nominated, and we’re already looking forward to next year when we can do it all again. We extend our congratulations to all of the nominees and winners.

Without further ado, here are the results followed by the percentage of votes received:

Best PC Title

1. Assassin’s Creed 2 – Ubisoft Montreal (25%)
2. Dragon Age: Origins – Bioware (23%)
3. Prototype – Radical Entertainment (19%)

Best Xbox 360 Title

1. Assassin’s Creed 2 – Ubisoft Montreal (36%)
2. Prototype – Radical Entertainment (21%)
3. Dragon Age: Origins – Bioware (19%)

Best PlayStation 3 Title

1. Assassin’s Creed 2 – Ubisoft Montreal (40%)
2. Prototype – Radical Entertainment (25%)
3. The Bigs 2 – Blue Castle Games (18%)

Best Wii Title

1. The Bigs 2 – Blue Castle Games (30%)
2. Academy of Champions – Ubisoft Vancouver (28%)
3. Avatar – Ubisoft Montreal (14%)

Handheld PSP or Nintendo DS Title

1. The Bigs 2 – Blue Castle Games (20%)
2. Zombie Tycoon – Frima Studio (16%)
3. Fighting Fantasy: Warlock of Firetop Mountain – Big Blue Bubble (13%)
3. Avatar – Ubisoft Montreal (13%)

Best Handheld Phone or PDA Title

1. Gravity Well – Genius Factor Games (28%)
2. Sky Babes vs Fly Boys – A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Games (18%)
3. Jamble – No Robots Interactive (13%)

Best Indie Title

1. Braid – Hothead Games (33%)
2. Gravity Well – Genius Factor Games (21%)
3. Madballs in Babo: Invasion – PlayBrains (15%)

Best Kids Title

1. Academy of Champions – Ubisoft Vancouver (29%)
2. Where’s Waldo: The Fantastic Journey – Ludia (14%)
3. Ice Age 3: Dawn of The Dinosaurs – Artificial Mind & Movement (13%)

Best Casual Title

1. Academy of Champions – Ubisoft Vancouver (31%)
2. Gravity Well – Genius Factor Games (27%)
3. Critter Crunch – Capybara Games (14%)
3. Masters of Mystery: Blood of Betrayal – Big Blue Bubble (14%)

Best Sports Title

1. The Bigs 2 – Blue Castle Games (24%)
2. NHL 10 – EA Canada (23%)
3. Academy of Champions – Ubisoft Vancouver (20%)

Best Driving Title

1. Need For Speed Nitro – EA Canada (71%)
2. My Sims Racing – Artificial Mind & Movement (29%)

Best Action Adventure Title

1. Assassin’s Creed 2 – Ubisoft Montreal (32%)
2. Madballs In Babo: Invasion – PlayBrains (22%)
3. Prototype – Prototype – Radical Entertainment (17%)

Best RTS Title

1. Dawn of War 2 – Relic Entertainment (48%)
2. Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor (40%)
3. Supreme Ruler 2020 GOLD – Battlegoat Studios (12%)

Best RPG Title

1. Dragon Age: Origins – Bioware (64%)
2. Whiskey Mountain Wars – Kiko Games (14%)
3. Fort Zombie – Kerberos (11%)

Best Shooter Title

1. Prototype – Radical Entertainment (54%)
2. Wet – Artificial Mind & Movement (20%)
3. Garters & Ghouls – Big Blue Bubble (13%)

Best Fighting Title

1. Fight Night Round 4 – EA Canada (54%)
2. Warriors Orochi 2 – Koei Canada (27%)
3. KrabbitWorld Origins – KrabbitSoft (19%)

Best Family Title

1. Academy of Champions – Ubisoft Vancouver (22%)
2. The Bigs 2 – Blue Castle Games (20%)
3. NHL 10 – EA Canada (15%)
3. SceneIt? Bright Lights! Big Screen! – Artificial Mind & Movement (15%)

Best Multi-Player Title

1. Madballs In Babo: Invasion – PlayBrains (40%)
2. The Game Cartel – Roundhouse Interactive (31%)
3. Warriors Orochi 2 – Koei Canada (27%)

Best Free To Play Title

1. Dragon Age: Journeys – Bioware (73%)
2. Whiskey Mountain Wars – Kiko Games (27%)

Best Social Media Title

1. Assassin’s Creed 2 Twitter Assassination Experience – Ubisoft Montreal (41%)
2. Need For Speed Nitro – Facebook App – Ayogo (25%)
3. SceneIt? Online – Facebook App – Fuel Industries (20%)

Best Music Title

1. Guitar Hero Smash Hits – Beenox (69%)
2. Jamble – No Robots Interactive (31%)

Best Serious Game Title

1. QuickStickz – Skillz Systems (32%)
2. Count Caddy – Zinc Roe (24%)
3. Learn CNC – LearnCNC.org (22%)
3. WeMuv – WeMuv (22%)

Best Audio Production

1. Prototype – Radical Entertainment (20%)
2. Dragon Age: Origins – Bioware (19%)
3. Assassin’s Creed 2 – Ubisoft Montreal (15%)

Best Environment Design

1. Assassin’s Creed 2 – Ubisoft Montreal (32%)
2. Prototype – Radical Entertainment (19%)
3. Dragon Age: Origins – Bioware (17%)

Best Cinematic Design

1. Assassin’s Creed 2 – Ubisoft Montreal (28%)
2. Prototype – Radical Entertainment (23%)
3. Dragon Age: Origins – Bioware (22%)

Best Writing In A Canadian Game

1. Dragon Age: Origins – Bioware (37%)
2. Assassin’s Creed 2 – Ubisoft Montreal (25%)
3. Prototype – Radical Entertainment (23%)

Favourite Character In A Canadian Game

1. Alex Mercer – Prototype – Radical Entertainment (23%)
2. Morrigan – Dragon Age: Origins – Bioware (11%)
3. Oculus Orbus – Madballs in Babo: Invasion – PlayBrains (10%)

Canadian Publisher

1. Ubisoft Montreal (72%)
2. Dreamcatcher Interactive (16%)
3. Meridian4 (6%)
3. Strategy First (6%)

Canadian Studio

1. Radical Entertainment (18%)
2. Blue Castle Games (17%)
3. Ubisoft Vancouver (15%)

Most Anticipated Canadian Indie Title of 2010

1. Dawn of Heroes – Wicked Studios (66%)
2. Duality ZF – Xona Games (17%)
3. Riese the Series iPhone Game – Genius Factor Games (17%)

Most Anticipated Canadian Title of 2010

1. Dead Rising 2 – Blue Castle Games (21%)
2. Mass Effect 2 – Bioware (20%)
3. Modnation Racers – United Front Games (10%)

Vancouver – Spark FX 2010 is fast approaching, and they have a full slate of events happening. With 8 films, more than 30 speakers taking part in 17 presentations, a party, a mixer, hundreds of industry attendees and, of course, T-Shirts! SPARK FX 2010 is helping to start the year off with a bang (along with that other winter party). Taking place January 27 – 31 at VanCity Theatre on Seymour, full event tickets are $200.00 for members, $250.00 for non-members – it is also possible to purchase tickets to individual sessions and films which may better suit your schedule or areas of interest.

The films are almost fully confirmed – a mix of classic films and recent blockbusters – and there is an unbelievable line-up of industry speakers led by ILM veteran John Knoll. There will be film makers talking about their work on virtually every big effects film of the past year including Avatar, District 9, Transformers 2, GI Joe and half a dozen more. If you’re eager, you can buy a pass now for full access to all the main speaking sessions. Full passes include the 3-day conference, 2 party tickets and an event T-shirt.

Brought to you by the SIGGRAPH Vancouver Chapter, SPARK FX 2010 is sponsored in part by Telefilm Canada, Vancouver Economic Development, BC Film, Digital Domain Vancouver, Annex|Pro, MPC, 3vis, Visual Effects Society, Visual Effects Association of BC, Graphic Designers of Canada – BC Chapter, and Women in Games Vancouver. If you need a place to stay, the Sheraton Wall Centre is the official partner hotel of SPARK FX 2010.

Montreal – Catch Me! If You Can is an iPhone and iPod Touch game from ODD1 that pays tribute to a classic arcade game. Available in both free and premium ($1.99 usd) versions, this chasing game through colorful mazes presents a thief fleeing from three guards who try catch him to… take his place and get rich!

As player, you first take on the character of the thief and must collect a maximum of gold nuggets. If you’re caught, the roles are reversed and you become one of the guards who each have a unique special power. Your goal, then, is to catch the thief and switch back to your original role – starting again to get rich! But be careful… the rules can change and you might need to catch all of the thieves who keep appearing out of nowhere!

The game features a “Story” mode with progressive levels to unlock, and a “Challenge” mode for more fast-paced action. Players can also join the “Band of Thieves” community to send their gold into the collective “Treasure Vault.” The faster players accumulate and share gold, the faster new levels and content will be unlocked!

The free version includes the first three levels of the “Story” mode as well as the “Band of Thieves” community feature, which is key to the release of new, generally free content. All levels and the “Challenge” mode are available in the premium version.

ODD1 also recently released a game based on the TV show Grossology for Tribal Nova and Nelvana. Kids become special agents and dive into the Grossology universe to play four gross missions or to use the level editor to create their own mini games to challenge their friends. There is also a free version which can be played online.

Terrace – Rusty Axe Games has released the Financial Guru Value Pack for Windows based PC home computers. Financial gurus rejoice as they can now show their financial acumen playing Rusty Axe financial strategy games… and at the cash register by picking up all of our most popular games bundled together for one low price! Real Estate Empire 2, Real Estate Empire and Big$hot have all been bundled together into the Financial Guru Value Pack for $29.99.

Real Estate Empire 2 is a goal based game that is easier to pick up and play than it’s predecessor. Big$hot is a turn based property management game featuring simple game mechanics that allow for complex business property management strategies. Real Estate Empire is the classic house flipping game that teaches people how and when to buy, fix up and sell houses through an ever changing economic climate and against cutthroat AI adversaries.

Edmonton – Most Dragon Age: Origins fans probably already know this, but the DLC pack Return To Ostagar is now available for download. I grabbed it from XBL for 400 MSPoints last night, but haven’t yet had time to play through it. I’m going to work some DA play time in today between returning from the Salt Mine and the return of Bones this evening, and will share my thoughts on the expansion with you tomorrow.

*Update – and just as I posted this, I received another update that the DLC released yesterday is buggy and has been removed. No further updates on the Return to Ostagar DLC are available at this time. This is sad.

Montreal – Ubisoft has released a new video for Splinter Cell: Conviction. Sam Fisher’s old friend Victor Coste shares his views on what’s happened to Sam, and delivers what amounts to a thinly veiled warning for his interviewers. The video features a quick look-back at some Sam’s previous assignments and important events which serve to lead us to where the story currently sits.

Online – The CATAAlliance and Canadian Innovation Centre invite you to join them on January 19 for their “Critical Factor Assessment: Are You Ready to Succeed” webinar.

Your new technology innovation may be leading edge, but there are many other factors that will influence your ability to win in the marketplace. Examining these issues upfront can help you determine your readiness to succeed, and what gaps you need to fill to enhance your chances of success.

The Critical Factors Assessment (CFA) service offered by the Canadian Innovation Centre, has been used to evaluate over 20,000 innovations. It has been proven to be an accurate predictor of success. This predictive power is made possible by the proprietary, peer-reviewed tool covering 40 factors that are key to any commercialization endeavour, supported by an extensive library of case studies and secondary research.

The CFA tool has been adapted for use by many organizations in evaluating start-ups opportunities and it often helps in securing early financing.

Join us to learn about the Critical Factor Assessment process and how it can help you increase your probability of success.

Critical Factor Assessment: Are You Ready to Succeed
Date : Tuesday January 19th at 12:00 EDT
Register : Online
There is no cost to attend, but space is limited, so don’t miss it – sign-up now!

The Ready Set Grow webinars are intended as a resource for emerging and established Canadian Technology companies to help them accelerate their growth. Each webinar features recognized subject matter experts and Canadian tech industry executives addressing a broad range of the issues facing growing companies.

The series is being presented by the Canadian Innovation Centre and the Technology Marketing Resource Centre in collaboration with the Canadian Advanced Technology Association (CATA). The Ready Set Grow series is sponsored by Export Development Canada (EDC) and the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC).

Vancouver – Delivered in partnership with ACETECH, BCTIA presents the first annual Xcelerate Forum, a full day committed to improving your corporate strategies and operations through dynamic two-way discussions with professional experts and industry coaches specializing in legal, finance, markets, talent, product development, planning, sales, licensing, and many more.

Xcelerate Forum is a dynamic learning experience delivering the highest degree of coaching possible in a short period of time. To ensure we deliver the best results possible, only twenty-five companies will be selected to attend Xcelerate Forum.

Read the rest of this entry »

Vancouver – After a successful 2009 debut at which more than 800 members of the Canadian game development community came together for learning, inspiration and networking, the Game Developers Conference™ Canada (GDC Canada) will return for a second year to the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, BC from May 6-7, 2010. GDC Canada will once again serve as the premier local event for developers and business development professionals looking for best practices for managing established franchises, developing new global titles, or looking to take advantage of new distribution models. This year’s conference will feature tracks focused on Digital Distribution, Social Games, and iPhone Games alongside tracks on Game Design, Business and Production, Programming, and Visual Arts. The Game Career Seminar also returns to GDC Canada as a one-day event for students and individuals who want to break into the video game industry. The second annual GDC Canada is presented by Reboot Communications and Think Services, the organizers of the industry-leading Game Developers Conference. Registration and conference information is available online at the official GDC Canada website. In addition to all of the conference’s editorial content, GDC Canada features an expo hall and a host of evening networking events.

“Attendees to this year’s GDC Canada will gain new insights to current technologies across different game platforms as well as new business opportunities and distribution models,” said Izora de Lillard, event director. “We’re proud return to Vancouver and provide the forum for Canadian developers to connect, celebrate, and further the industry.”

GDC Canada 2010 will return with visionary keynotes, lectures, panels and roundtable discussions programmed by an advisory board of industry veterans from all across Canada. This year’s advisory board is comprised of Brenda Bailey (Deep Fried Entertainment), Steve Bocska (Pug Pharm), Howard Donaldson (Disney Interactive Studios), Dave Elton (EA Blackbox), Tabitha Hayes (EA), Dan Irish (Threewave), Jerome Kashetsky (National Research Council of Canada), Colin Macrae (EA), Dr. Gerri Sinclair (Great Northern Way Campus), Tarrnie Williams (EA), Kerry Whalen, (Ubisoft), and Kelly Zmak (Radical Entertainment).

Montreal – Ubisoft has released their quarterly fiscal outlook, and while some areas reflect the dismal economic performance being seen around the globe and across all industries, the bombshell that immediately grabbed our attention – especially that of MMO enthusiast Michael, is news that there will be a third Assassin’s Creed in 2010. With multiplayer. This new expansion is over and above the two DLC additions already slated for release over the next couple of months, and is not an expansion on Assassin’s Creed 2. With the Assassin’s Creed franchise at the top of my own personal favourites, this is exciting news indeed. Of course with Ubisoft’s fiscal year for 2010 not beginning until April, this could well mean it will still be another year before this new chapter appears on game machines everywhere.

Disappointing news also contained in this press release was notification that Splinter Cell: Convictions has been held back until April, and the highly anticipated R.U.S.E., currently in development over in France, has also been delayed.

Not surprisingly, Avatar the Game did not sell as well as was anticipated. Whether or not this is because many families don’t yet own the levels of technology – such as 3Dtv – required to play this title in the manner for which it was developed, or simply because the storyline didn’t grab gamer attention as much as was hoped, remains to be seen.

Yves Guillemot

Yves Guillemot, Chief Executive Officer, spoke to the news contained in the fiscal report, stating that “Despite a number of highly successful titles, such as Assassin’s Creed 2 – which is expected to reach 9 million sell-in units by the end of March 2010 – and Just Dance – our great Wii success during the holiday season – Ubisoft has not met its financial targets. The considerable contraction in the DS market during the year particularly affected Ubisoft, leading to a €160 million (approx. 240 million CAD), or almost 50%, year-on-year drop in the Company’s casual segment sales. At the same time, like in 2008, the year 2009 saw the release of many more very high-quality games than in the past. Against this backdrop and with a view to further reduce our exposure to the DS, we intend to continue to refocus our development resources on our major franchises and on the Xbox360 and PS3, the two consoles that are expected to see sales growth in games for gamers in 2010. Ubisoft has already demonstrated its capacity for success in the high-end games market thanks to Assassin’s Creed 2, with sales 40% higher than for the first title. The 2010-11 line-up – which is stronger in franchises for Xbox360 and PS3 – reflects our refocusing efforts and should enable us to both win market share and enhance our profitability.”

With that said, Ghost Recon fans will be happy to know that a new title in that franchise is coming, along with Raving Rabbids 4 and of course the highly publicized Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, along with a new Driver title. Hopefully we will see vast improvements in the Driver franchise with the release of this new title.

Something in the Ubisoft statement does concern me, though. There is mention that the company will be focusing on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, which in the studio’s opinion are “the consoles which are expected to experience sustained sales growth in games for gamers in calendar 2010.” Does this mean that Ubisoft considers the Wii to be on the decline because of lower sales in the DS market? While the studio did also announce that other titles and innovations would be made public throughout the year, will the Rabbids be exiting from the Wii, the console which is credited with bringing families to the gaming arena – or will the Rabbids be Ubisoft’s main saving grace in the family market?

I do have to wonder about how Ubisoft concentrates its efforts on repeat business from franchise title fans (okay, I am guilty on that count), while not taking full advantage of the newer, high quality family titles like Academy of Champions Soccer from its Vancouver studio. While it certainly promoted the title to industry at E3 and GDC San Francisco, it did not, in my opinion at least, successfully promote the title to the buying public or to those buyers responsible for stocking stores, and I feel that this is one area in which the massive corporate hierarchy at Ubisoft fails – and could in part be responsible for lowered sales and lowered publicity – simply because there appears to be no logic or consistency in the flow of media relations and access to assets for publication and promotion (Ubisoft Corporate is not the only developer/publisher to be guilty of this). Perhaps this is an area which Ubisoft should be addressing when looking at their overall corporate performance as they enter their coming fiscal year – innovation isn’t important only in game development, it’s important in game marketing as well, because the times have changed, and not all game purchase dollars are spent the same way. In an age when citizens are urged to “buy local” – why not promote locally-made titles to the local buying public, so that they know when they spend money allocated to, say, family entertainment titles – they can base part of their decision on choosing to support a locally (or even nationally) made quality title, thereby also supporting their local economy.  This would add another selling feature to Canadian-made titles, kind of in the way clothing has a “Made in Canada” label, but that’s just my opinion.

Toronto – The world’s first teacher-designed, 100% online training course that brings the SMART Board fully to life in every K-12 classroom was introduced today by Blossom Learning, an online training company comprised of former educators and AV presentation professionals who are dedicated to transforming the way technology is integrated in the classroom.

The “Online Applied SMART Board Course” provides K-12 teachers and school administrators with a simple low cost way to fully maximize their investment in SMART Boards. That’s because, the 100% Internet based “Online Applied SMART Board Course” is being made available for the precedent-setting price of only US $69.95. What’s more, the eight-chapter step-by-step guide to fully integrate the SMART Board into any classroom environment is hosted by a 21st Century avatar named “Mrs. Blossom,” a composite K-12 teacher that every professional educator will immediately relate to.

“It’s time to change the way educators learn how to use the SMART Board,” declared David Weatherhead, Blossom Learning’s Sales & Marketing Manager. “There’s more than one way to do training and it doesn’t just have to be face-to-face based. Our course offers a supplement to traditional training, as well as an impressive stand alone offering for districts on tight budgets. Thanks to the robustness of today’s high-speed Internet, we can now develop and deliver comprehensive and compelling online training courses that inspire creativity in the classroom, help school districts leverage their investments in hardware technologies, and dramatically increase the productivity of every dollar invested in training.”

With the average cost of a typical face-to-face SMART Board training seminar now hovering around $1500 for a three day equivalent course (not including supply teacher and travel expenses), it’s clear how the US $69.95 priced Blossom Learning “Online Applied SMART Board Course” could radically transform the SMART Board training landscape, particularly for school districts located in remote areas where face-to-face training is rarely available.

The “Online Applied SMART Board Course” comes with built-in LMS administrative facilities that allow school districts to facilitate purchases, allocate courses to teachers, and track individual teacher progress toward completion. Designed by former teachers and AV presentation professionals, the “Online Applied SMART Board Course” integrates 21st century information and animation into an eight chapter course hosted by the teacher avatar Mrs. Blossom. The course allows teachers to complete training on their schedule, which shouldn’t take any more than two to three weeks. However, teachers will be able get up and running with the SMART Board within ten minutes of beginning our course! By the time they are finished, teachers will have progressed sequentially from the Fundamentals level through the Intermediate and Advanced levels, and receive a personalized Certificate of Completion.

Blainville – Machine 22, an independent game developer with not a lot of information on its web site, has announced the release of Blimp Wars. Blimp Wars is a browser based multiplayer game where players are fighting in the sky at the controls of steampunk blimps.

Features:

- Steampunk themed multiplayer action
– 3 multiplayer modes for up to 6 players in each game
– Solo challenges teaching the basics of the game
– Over 60 parts and boosters offering hundreds of possibilities to players while customizing their blimps
– Achievements system
– Family friendly and colorful 2D graphics

Free and requiring no download or plug-in, Blimp Wars offers quick and instant actions to players with little time on their hands but still looking for the excitement only multiplayer games can provide.

Vancouver – Mountain Equipment Co-op™ (MEC), Canada’s leading outdoor retailer, and the Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC), Canada’s national public avalanche safety organization, have deepened their longstanding partnership by developing a new software application – or app – that enables iPhone users to obtain detailed and regionally specific avalanche information.

Available free of charge, the avalanche app provides users with a similar experience and the same depth and breadth of information as is available through the CAC’s website.

The application was conceived and financed by MEC, which contracted a local digital agency, Idea Rebel, to design and develop the app. The CAC provided technical assistance to the project.

“As an outdoor retailer, supporting the CAC and the app’s development go hand-in-hand with MEC selling technically advanced avalanche gear,” said George Weetman, MEC’s web marketing manager. “Promoting avalanche awareness and safety is an example of MEC’s ethic of corporate social responsibility.”

“MEC has long been one of our most loyal and generous sponsors,” said CAC Executive Director Ian Tomm. “This app is yet another example of MEC’s creative and innovative approach to helping us do our work in public avalanche safety. We are deeply grateful for their support.”

The app provides avalanche bulletins, weather forecasts, incident reports and realtime weather for seven avalanche-prone regions of British Columbia as well as links to similar information for national and provincial mountain parks in BC, Alberta and Quebec.

Vancouver - The BCTIA has opened nominations for the Technology Impact Awards, which celebrate the successes of our industry and the companies, people and innovation that continue to put British Columbia on the map and who serve as role models for others in our province.

The Awards Categories are:

Technology Awards
Most Promising Pre-Commercial Technology
Excellence in Product Innovation
Best Application of Technology

Company Awards
Most Promising Start-up
Emerging Company of the Year
Company of the Year

Personal Recognition Awards
Team of the Year
Community Leadership
Person of the Year

Vancouver – The CATA special interest group Women In Technology (BC Chapter) are holding a breakfast seminar on January 27th at the SFU Segal School of Business (500 Granville Street) titled Generational Differences in the Conception of Work Life Balance. The seminar, which features speaker Melissa McCrae, PhD Candidate (HRM) and Director of Graduate Studies, SFU, takes place from 7:30 – 9:30a.m. Tickets are $15.00 per person and include a continental breakfast. Those who are interested in attending can register online.

Toronto – Which Canadian city is your favourite? Hasbro is launching a nation wide vote to find our nation’s 22 favourite cities that will be included on the new Monopoly Canada game board!

The voting began last night at midnight ET, with Monopoly fans casting their ballots for  their favourite Canadian cities to help create a new Monopoly Canada game board. Sixty-five great Canadian cities have been pre-selected for the top 20 city vote and Canadians are invited to cast their ballots for 3 of these great cities each day of the vote, which will be open until February 7, 2010. The city that receives the most votes will be placed on the highest rent property traditionally held by Boardwalk.

The 20 cities that receive the most votes will be part of Monopoly history as the first cities selected to be on the Canadian game board through a consumer vote. However, two spaces on the board will be reserved for cities that are nominated through a wild card vote, which means any city in Canada can be nominated for these property spaces. Once the top 20 city vote is complete, the top 10 nominated wild card cities will also be put to a vote and the wild card winners will occupy the low-rent property spaces traditionally held by Mediterranean Avenue and Baltic Avenue. The wild card vote will take place from February 8, 2010 until February 21, 2010.

“Monopoly is the world’s most popular branded board game and it transcends cultural barriers,” said Michelle Sinclair, Brand Manager for Monopoly. “More than 750 million people have played the game since it was first introduced 75 years ago and its popularity shows no signs of slowing down.”

“The final result of the Monopoly Canada Edition will be surprising and only time will tell how the vote will turn out. We hope that fans will vote early and often for their favourite Canadian city” added Michelle.

The 65 cities pre-selected for the nation-wide vote are:

Edmonton – BioWare™ has announced that accomplished composer, Jack Wall, will compose the original score for Mass Effect™ 2, the epic second act in the award-winning action-RPG trilogy. Featuring nearly three hours of extraordinary orchestral arrangements, the score explodes with a symphony of sounds that spur the game’s intense action and dramatic storytelling. Wall scored the award-winning soundtracks for the original Mass Effect.

“We are thrilled to again be collaborating with Jack Wall, this time on Mass Effect 2,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA. “Jack did an outstanding job with the original game and has a firm grasp for our vision of the trilogy. His score for Mass Effect 2 perfectly blends classic sci-fi inspired sounds with unique arrangements to achieve an emotionally charged complement to the dramatic, action-packed gameplay.”

“Working on the Mass Effect franchise has challenged me to create music beyond what I’ve written before,” said composer Jack Wall. “With Mass Effect 2, the story is even more engrossing and affecting, so it was important for me, along with my team of composers Sam Hulick, David Kates, Jimmy Hinson, and music implementation by Brian DiDomenico, to develop a score that complemented the scope and intensity of the gameplay while captivating the players and drawing them deeper into the story.”

The Mass Effect trilogy is an epic science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, players will once again step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, commanding their crew of some of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that it’s potentially suicidal. Featuring intense shooter action, a rich futuristic storyline, space exploration and emotionally engaging character interaction, the game delivers an unparalleled cinematic experience.

The Mass Effect 2 soundtrack will be available for purchase from digital retailers on January 19, 2010. Mass Effect 2 is scheduled for release on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC on January 26, 2010 in North America and has been rated M by the ESRB.