Village Gamer

Waterloo – Research In Motion today announced new and enhanced tools for developing web applications for BlackBerry® smartphones. The tools include the new BlackBerry® Web Development Plug-in for Eclipse and the BlackBerry® Plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio version 1.2. These tools are part of a complete portfolio of BlackBerry® developer tools for web and Java development and a rich set of APIs that enable developers to easily create a wide variety of mobile applications that connect BlackBerry® smartphone users to the information they care about. The BlackBerry application platform also incorporates significant advantages, including real-time push technology, unmatched security and highly efficient data compression and network bandwidth utilization, allowing developers to deliver optimized applications on the most powerful, secure and efficient platform in the industry.

“The BlackBerry developer tools portfolio aims to bring together the best of Java and web development for the creation of web applications that are integrated with core BlackBerry smartphone functions for a seamless, intuitive and robust user experience,” said Alan Brenner, Senior Vice President, BlackBerry Platform Group at RIM. “The evolving portfolio of web development tools for the BlackBerry platform allows developers to work in familiar development environments to create, debug, profile, test and optimize their web applications for BlackBerry smartphones.”

The BlackBerry Web Development Plug-in for Eclipse is a new plug-in that allows developers to create web applications and content for BlackBerry smartphones within the familiar Eclipse 3.4 environment. Using this plug-in, developers can debug and profile Internet/intranet web pages displaying HTML and CSS content in addition to more complex rich internet applications using AJAX, Silverlight, PHP, ASP, Ruby on Rails, JSP, and Python.
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Canada – Just announced late last night, Vancouver independent game designer and consultant Adrian Crook has been signed to design a console game for a new movie IP. Congratulations Adrian, and I am definitely looking forward to more details when they are released. This will be Adrian’s second freelance console game project.

Vancouver’s Annex Pro will be attending SIGGRAPH 2009 in New Orleans to promote several of the products they carry, including Vicon Boujou v5, PipelineFX Qube, Pixologic ZBrush, EyeonFusion, HP, Chaos Software V-Ray for Maya and the wide range of Autodesk titles, as well as StudioGPU with MachStudio Pro at the AMD booth. Please contact Kerry for a product and booth tour at the show.

I’d also like to send a shout-out to the folks at dimeRocker and Overinteractive Media whom I finally had the pleasure of meeting in person at last Friday’s Unity 3D Vancouver Users’ Group launch at District 319. It was a great event, and Unity 3D looks like a great development tool. In addition, and in support of Unity 3D’s Summer of Code initiative, dimeRocker would like to offer free office space for a lucky Vancouver candidate who receives support from Unity for their project. You will be surrounded by like-minded Unity heads, given a desk and chair in a cozy corner for you and your laptop as well as access to our humble amenities, including coffee throughout the week and beer on Fridays.  Those lucky individuals chosen by the gang in Copenhagen can forward their resume and brief description of their Unity-supported project to J.Joly at Overintactive Media. Thank you to Kerry Corlett of Annex Pro for the introduction to Micah Groberman, Executive Director of Vancouver’s Somatone Interactive Audio studio, and to Carolyn Carnes of Flash Fire Communications for bringing Corey Rollins of Shogun Gamer to our attention.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Ted Nugent, President of Genius Factor Games. His studio has a new title coming out in just a few weeks which will join their previous title, Gravity Well in the iTunes App store. Also keeping busy are developers John Warner, Mitch Lagran and writer Steve Waldman, all keeping busy at Greener Grass Games on “a free to play, full 3d, episodic, browser-based game that centers around environment exploration and features a compelling, mysterious story line.”

Just a reminder that we are holding a contest to give away a copy of PROTOTYPE for the 360. Entries close tonight (late entries not penalized, we just wanted to see how many people could make deadline), and the winning name will be randomly drawn by Kelly Zmak and Dave Fracchia over at Radical’s studio this Thursday afternoon.

Splinter Cell fans will have to wait a bit longer for the next title in the series. Ubisoft announced yesterday that Splinter Cell: Conviction™ and Red Steel® 2, whose releases were previously planned for the third fiscal quarter, will now be released in the fourth fiscal quarter. Ghost Recon® and I am Alive™, which were previously scheduled for release in the fourth fiscal quarter, will now strengthen the line-up for fiscal 2010-11. Read the rest of this entry »

Vancouver – Thank you to Adrian Crook for reminding me about the announcement last week from Telefilm and the Canada New Media Fund naming the successful programme applicants. This announcement happened while I was away at Casual Connect, and while I’m a tad late in publishing this, a little extra promotion never hurt anyone – especially when the news is good – plus I wanted to take the time to look up each company and provide links to their sites so that readers can easily visit them – with the exception of the few I could not easily find sites for, which is not good for those who wish to grow their corporate presence.

With such a wide range of projects receiving funding, this programme once again puts the spotlight on our Canadian talent and innovation in digital media. According to the CNMF press release, “independent websites and applications designed for mobile devices (iPhones and PDA’s) received the majority of support in the Western region; console or handheld-console games and independent websites fared very well in Ontario & Nunavut; regional funding in Quebec focused on console or handheld-console games and independent websites; and in the Atlantic region console or handheld-console games and applications for mobile devices received the most support.
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Burnaby – Electronic Arts Inc. today unveiled the full soundtracks for Madden NFL 10, FIFA 10, NHL®10 and NBA LIVE 10. This first-ever quadruple announcement represents the sounds of this fall’s four sports franchises and affirms EA’s standing as the leaders in worldwide videogame music and marketing.

“Each EA SPORTS game is unique to every gamer that picks up the controller, we wanted to make sure the music matched each of those unique experiences,” said Steve Schnur, Electronic Arts’ Worldwide Executive for Music and Marketing. “With the big songs and huge bands in Madden NFL, bringing back the Soul of the Game to NBA LIVE, tapping into the hard hitting metal tracks of NHL and the international flavor of FIFA, this year’s EA SPORTS soundtrack line up aligns with each of the game’s unique styles.”

NBA Live 10 Trax

NBA LIVE 10

Long recognized as the premiere showcase for diverse and innovative new music, NBA LIVE 10 features more than 80% exclusive tracks, including reinvented classics from Afrika Bambaataa, Dead Prez and Snoop Dogg, along with ground-breaking collaborations by indie-rockers Matt & Kim with the legendary De La Soul, and newcomers Mickey Factz & B.o.B. The soundtrack also spotlights never-before-heard songs from Beastie Boys and Wyclef Jean.
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Aldergrove – In celebration of PROTOTYPE’S early success (and continued success as well), Village Gamer is giving away a copy of the game for the Xbox 360. It’s easy to enter, all you have to do qualify is be 17 years of age or older (as per the ESRB) and live in Canada. The contest closes at midnight on Wednesday July 29 2009.

How do you win? It’s relatively easy: send us the answer to our question (note there is only one correct answer) which can be found on the PROTOTYPE website or via Google.

And the question is: What is the number one reason to play PROTOTYPE?
remember – there is only one correct answer to this question.

To enter, please send the following information to Village Gamer (contest.at.villagegamer.net) using PROTOTYPE as the subject.

1. Answer to the above question

2. Your Name

3. Your Date of Birth and Age

4. Complete (and correct) Mailing Address

5. Tell us if you’re male or female

All correct entries will be placed into a draw box, and the winner will be randomly selected by Kelly Zmak, President of Radical Entertainment, in Vancouver BC on either July 29 or July 30 2009 (we’re working on the scheduling).

Please note that we reserve the right to publish your name, age and city in our “And The Winner Is” post, which will also appear on our Twitter and Facebook pages. The winner will also be contacted by email, and he or she will receive their copy of PROTOTYPE via Canada Post Priority Mail.

Montreal – Ubisoft has announced that Hollywood actress Sigourney Weaver will voice the role of Dr. Grace Augustine for Ubisoft’s video game, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game. Weaver’s character will be featured in the versions of the game released on Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Wii™ system from Nintendo and PC. Other actors from the film that will appear in the game include Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi and Stephen Lang.

Yannis Mallat, Sigourney Weaver & Stephen Lang

James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game is the official video game based on the highly anticipated film James Cameron’s Avatar. The video game will take you deep into the heart of Pandora, an alien planet that is beyond imagination. Gamers will encounter the Na’vi, Pandora’s indigenous people and discover other life forms the likes of which have never been seen in the world of video games before. When conflict erupts between the RDA Corporation, a space-faring consortium in search of valuable resources, and the Na’vi, gamers will find themselves thrust into a fight for the heart of a planet and the fate of a civilization.
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Halifax – WCG Canada is looking for the best Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne player to represent our country at the next WCG Pan-American Championship in Mexico. This major gaming event will be held on September 11-13, in Guadalajara.  All expenses will be paid for by WCG (air travel, accommodation and meals on site).  This tournament will determine who will win a trip to Mexico!!

A qualifying tournament will be held on Saturday, July 25th, at 7pm Eastern Time. Matches will be played 1v1 on Battle.net. Registration fees are $20 per player.  Please make sure you provide your name and complete contact information otherwise your registration will be rejected. Note, you must also have a valid Canadian passport with an expiry date later than March 2010.

Click here for registration info.

Also confirmed is the date and venue for the WCG 2009 Canada Western Qualifier, which will be the only live event for gamers who wish to be part of Team Canada at the next WCG Grand Final in China. The top team/player from each qualifier will be invited to be part of the National Finals in Toronto, presented by Samsung Electronics Canada, from August 28-30.
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Vancouver – The BC Innovation Council (BCIC) is pleased to announce that submissions are now being accepted for the annual BCIC Awards, to be presented at Connect ’09, BCIC’s premier event for technology start-ups and innovators. Connect ’09 takes place on Monday, October 19, 2009 at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre and will provide start-up companies and innovators invaluable access to top-tier BC business leaders.

Connect ’09 highlights:

– Featured Speaker: Leonard Brody – Be inspired by this internationally recognized Canadian technology entrepreneur, venture capitalist, best-selling author and business visionary.

– Unique Structured Networking – Learn directly from prominent BC technology leaders invited for the vital purpose of sharing their experience with technology start-ups and innovators.

– Expert Panels – Learn the techniques and strategies from industry experts and entrepreneurial case studies that directly impact a start-up’s success.

Panel Topics:

– Get Fundable – Access to capital in the current economic climate
– Friends in High Places – Leveraging partnerships to accelerate growth
– The Accelerator Factor – Case studies on the benefits and value of accelerators
– The Design Imperative – Optimizing commercialization through product design

– Technology Expo – Discover emerging innovations from academic institutions in BC.

– Awards – Awards will be presented for exceptional achievement in, or potential for, commercialization of technology.
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August 21st will be the day when everyone will get to have a first look at James Cameron’s Avatar. Twentieth Century Fox and Cameron debut the film’s trailer everywhere – while select cinemas and IMAX® theaters will screen extended footage prepared by the renowned filmmaker for this global “Avatar Day” event. The movie’s official site went live this morning, allowing viewers to sign up for Avatar updates.

Avatar The Game Screenshot

In addition on the 21st, Ubisoft® will unveil the trailer for their videogame James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game. Ubisoft is at this weekend’s Comic Con in San Diego – make sure you stop by and say “hi” to Avatar Community Manager Gabe if you’re there. A Flickr account was opened yesterday, and fans are encouraged to upload their photos from Comic Con and the upcoming Penny Arcade Expo.  Avatar the Game will be available for the 360, PS3, PSP, DS, and Wii with a release date of November 24 2009. Pre-orders are being taken at most game stores.

The worldwide trailer launch will be presented in all formats, including IMAX® 3-D, IMAX® 2-D, digital 3-D, digital 2-D, and 35mm 2-D. The trailer will also be available online. In addition to these events, Mattel will reveal the action figures for the film’s Avatar and alien Na’vi characters.
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Montreal – Today marks the first day of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed 2 Twitter Assassination Experience (Beta). I’ve seen several tweets about the game, and it appears that the Frag Dolls are in on the experience as well. This real time game allows participants to assassinate other players via Twitter, SMS or other Twitter client. Twitter assassins are assigned random targets throughout the day via Tweets from the Assasin’s Network. Players need to carry out their assassinations within a set amount of time. For those who wish to the rogue, players can enter “aggressive mode” and directly attack other players. Targets are able to launch counter attacks, but again, only within a certain amount of time.

As players move through their list of targets, they gain skills and weapons as well as increased rank on the leader board. Watching the game through the Visualizer can be mesmerizing. At last glance, there had been 7441 matches,  4369 assassinations and 56 escapes made by 349 players. Ademdevincent was in the lead with 2270 points when I checked the leader board.

Skills & Weapons Visible On Profile Page

The Twitter mode is played exclusively in Twitter, using “reply tweets” to respond match assignments from the Assassin’s Network. The Aggro Mode, for you rogue assassins, is played exclusively on the Assassination Experience web page. Here you can attack up to five opponents as once – or, conversely, you can be attacked by up to five opponents. When you attack someone in Aggro Mode, their Twitter icon will be added to the victims’ column, along with the time remaining for them to respond to an attack. Players also have the option of turning the assignment mode “off”, meaning that they will not receive Tweeted assignments until they switch their mode back to “on”.

Players are given 100 points for a successful assassination, 150 points for a successful counter attack, and 50 points can be earned by escaping. Level one weapons include a dagger, axe and sword, but more weapons become available as skills are improved. In keeping with the ESRB rating for Assassin’s Creed, players must be 18 years of age and over; logging in with your Twitter account is required in order to participate in the Assassination Experience game.