Village Gamer

Decapod Studios, an independent game development company in Vancouver, is pleased to announce the release of their first title. Murphid is now available for download on XBOX Live Indie Games channel. In Murphid players must use their puzzle solving skills and fast reaction to withstand attack of gorgeous marble hordes and bring those beasts under control. Deep, yet simple core game mechanics coupled with astonishing graphics, immersive sound effects and adaptive gameplay result in intense climatic moments that modern gamers have come to expect. Murphid has been optimized for XBOX Live platform, works flawlessly with XBOX controllers, and looks dazzling in high definition.

Among the game’s features are:

• Engaging Campaign spawning more than 70 levels of marble blasting madness
• Three game modes for players to choose from to suit their playing style.
• More than 10 powerups to help players redefine the game field and wreak havoc in a blink of an eye.
• 8 Exclusive Awards to boost the replay value further by throwing extra challenges at the player.
• Pre-filled Leaderboards to give the game nostalgic, old-school touch.
• Awe-inspiring 720p HD visuals with full widescreen support
• Charming sound effects to create the ambience.
• Adaptive gameplay technology for challenging and fun gaming experience for players of all ages.

“We are very excited to share the joy of Murphid with gaming community and hope everyone will have as much fun playing Murphid as we had developing it. I hope you dig it!”, says Dennis Brandis, Decapod Studios’ Managing Director.

Murphid is available on XBOX Live Indie Games channel for 240 MS points (approx $2.99) in the following countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States.

EA Sports™ is giving its fans an opportunity to create their own one-liners for the upcoming EA Sports NBA Jam videogame (no purchase necessary). Fans can submit and vote for their favorite lines to be read by the original voice of NBA Jam, Tim Kitzrow, who reprises his role as the legendary announcer.

Fans can submit their one-liners the game’s Facebook page, and 64 finalists, as chosen by the EA Sports NBA Jam team, will go head-to-head in a single elimination bracket with fan votes determining the winners. The four finalists will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have their one-liners included in the game and heard by millions of people around the world. Eligibility restrictions do apply, please see the Contest Rules for complete details.

Contest Schedule:

May 13th – Contest Submissions Open
May 19th – Contest Submissions Close
May 24th – 64 Finalists Announced
May 25th – Fan voting begins
June 23rd – Winners Announced

“NBA Jam is one of the most popular and culturally influential arcade basketball games ever made, and is widely known for its one-liners like Boom-Shaka-Laka and He’s on Fire,” says Kitzrow, the original voice of NBA Jam. “I am really excited to be a part of the remake and for fans to create the expressions that could become culturally iconic in the years to come.”

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5qGpiu4ei8]

EA Sports NBA Jam revives the classic franchise with vintage NBA Jam gameplay, and all-new features that deliver a fresh new take on the game. Featuring the sights and sounds that fans of the franchise will instantly recognize, EA Sports NBA Jam mixes the old school with the new, to deliver a one-of-a-kind sports presentation on the Wii™.

G4BOX Inc. has announced that the company will team up with the World Online Gaming League for the Cross Fire North America/UK Championship. Teams will compete in tournament play for a chance at a $1,000 cash prize and the opportunity to compete in an international Cross Fire competition at the World E-Sports Masters held in China this October.

There will be two types of tournament play offered to Cross Fire players: a free-to-play and paid league option. Players may purchase a “Tournament Pass” which will give them access to compete in WOGL’s Professional Cross Fire League while free players will be able to register and play directly from the WOGL website. Prizes will range from in-game weapons and ZP credits to $1,000 in cash! The first place team will also win a trip to China to compete in the International Cross fire Competition at the World E-Sports Masters this October. Transportation and accommodations will be provided to the five-member team as they square off for huge prizes against Cross Fire teams from all over the world including China, Russia, Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines and Korea. Registration opens today May 14th and closes June 14th with pre-season running until the end of June and the regular season running throughout the month of July. Playoffs will start August 7th and end no later than August 28th.

“This tournament will take Cross Fire and its fans to a whole new level,” said Howard He, Chief Executive Officer of G4BOX. “We are thrilled to team up with WOGL and think that this type of intense tournament play is exactly what Cross Fire players thrive on!”

Cross Fire is a free online military first-person shooter for Windows PCs supporting Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Players assume the role of either a Black List or Global Risk operative and compete in various modes of play including Free-for-All, Team Death Match, the exclusive stealth-action Ghost Mode, and brand-new Mutation Mode. Cross Fire includes a military ranking system, in-game friends lists, an integrated clan system, and deep character customization options. Cross Fire is part of the Z8Games platform of free-to-play games.

Telefilm Canada is pleased to announce that the Perspective Canada series will once again be held at the Cannes Film Market. During Perspective Canada, 12 Canadian feature films will be screened for international buyers attending the Market, which is part of the Cannes Film Festival running from May 12 to 21, 2010.

“Through Perspective Canada, Telefilm provides buyers and programmers from around the world with the opportunity to watch a variety of new Canadian feature films,” says Sheila de La Varende, Telefilm Canada’s Director of National and International Business Development. “Perspective Canada, at Cannes, helps the films’ creative teams strike distribution agreements with players from the international film industry, thereby helping raise the profile of our cinema on the world stage.”

Perspective Canada is among the activities organized by the Canada Pavilion, which gathers together more than 70 Canadian companies. These activities, notably, facilitate the development of international partnerships focused on co-production as well as the sales of Canadian products, and also help to promote Canadian talent.

Telefilm Canada has launched a microsite that provides information on the Canadian presence at Cannes, including details and schedules for films being shown at both the Festival and Perspective Canada, and the names and contact information of Canada Pavilion participants.

The Canada Pavilion at the Cannes Film Market is a Telefilm Canada initiative in partnership with British Columbia Film and Ontario Media Development Corporation as Principal Partners, Manitoba Film & Music as Major Partner, Film Nova Scotia, Saskfilm and Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation as Associate Partners, the Canadian Film and Television Production Association as Contributor Partner, and the National Bank of Canada as Silver Sponsor.

On a different note and as the Mom of a future Navy Cadet (my daughter will be sworn in this August), I’d like to draw your attention to an initiative by Canadian rock group The Trews. Beginning on May 18th, their song Highway of Heroes, will be available for purchase on iTunes. Net proceeds from all sales of this song will go to support The Canadian Hero Fund. I hope that you will choose to help support the great work this organization does in assisting our military families.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffCDwMRfShs]

The Screenwriters Summit is coming to Vancouver this August 7 & 8th. Screenwriting gurus Syd Field, Linda Seger, Michael Hauge, and John Truby will provide you an unmatched depth and understanding of screenwriting and story that is ideal for screenwriters, filmmakers, TV writers, producers, directors and creative executives. Half-day classes taught by each of the four speakers will be followed by a half-hour Q&A session in which you’ll be able to follow-up with any questions you may have. The Summit is being held at the VanCity Theatre and will run from 9am until 6pm each day. Tickets are $395.00 and include a Saturday night social mixer.