22nd June 2010

Cities Named for Monopoly Canadian Version

Longbow GamesLongbow Games has announced that the studio will be launching a boxed version of their innovative new historical wargame Hegemony: Philip of Macedon at the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio from June 24-27, 2010. Recently called “the most in depth ancient world strategic simulator on the market,” by Greg Wild of The Reticule, the boxed version of Hegemony which includes a full-colour printed manual will launch exclusively at the show for $30 (reg. $39.99 + shipping).

“We’d like to invite all fans of history and strategy to come out to our booth at Origins and give Hegemony a try,” says Rob McConnell, lead programmer at Longbow Games. “We’re going to have multiple game stations available where guests can play the full game as well as free demo cds to take home and big discounts for those who purchase Hegemony at the show.” Hegemony Philip of Macedon

Hegemony: Philip of Macedon lets you conquer the ancient Greek world in this PC RTS war game that follows the rise of Philip of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great. Players campaign continuously, unfettered by load screens, across a satellite-accurate map of ancient Greece encountering the full range of warfare from reconnaissance to raids to field battles to mountain blockades. The game also features:

* Innovative supply system – Siege and starve the enemy by cutting their supply lines or burning their crops, all the while building and protecting your own supply network to support your growing empire.
* Steeped in history – In-game pedia and 100+ historical objectives recreate the rise of the Macedonian empire.
* Detailed and Stylized World and Map – Transition smoothly between the detailed 3D world and the stylized board-game map while maintaining complete control over your empire.
* Subjugate your enemy – Chase down and capture routed enemy units to create slave gangs to work your mines or build your forts. But don’t leave them unguarded or they could rebel and wreak havoc in your empire’s heartland!
* Conquer the seas – Build or capture a fleet of triremes to protect your coastlines, raid enemy merchants, or drop an army at your enemy’s backdoor.

HasbroAfter passionate campaigns across the country and more than one million votes from Monopoly fans from Kelowna to Kawartha Lakes, 22 of Canada’s favourite cities now have a home on the new Monopoly: Canada Edition game board. Chatham-Kent, Ontario now represents the coveted Boardwalk spot, with Saint-Jean-Sur Richelieu Quebec capturing Park Place to round out the prestigious dark blue property group in the popular game invented by Charles Darrow in 1935.

“We are thrilled to celebrate Canada Day with this new all-Canadian edition of the world’s favorite family game brand featuring cities voted by Canadians!” said Michelle Sinclair, Brand Manager of Games & Puzzles for toy and game-maker Hasbro Canada. “We hope that Canadian Monopoly fans will enjoy playing on a game board that includes an interesting mix of our cities featuring all of the dynamic cultures, sights and history of this country.”Monopoly Canada

Votes were cast during a six-week period in early 2010. The first four weeks of voting determined 20 of the 22 cities featured in the game, picked from 65 pre-selected cities based on the population size of the province in which they resided. The remaining two spots were reserved for a wildcard vote for any city across Canada. Ten cities with the most nominations for the wildcard faced off for two weeks in February 2010 and Beauceville, Quebec and Banff, Alberta earned the brown property spaces on the game board, traditionally occupied by Baltic Avenue and Mediterranean Avenue.

The following 22 cities earned spots on the Monopoly: Canada Edition game board, and are listed with the highest rent properties first:Mr. Monopoly

– Dark Blue: Chatham-Kent, Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu
– Green: Calgary, Sarnia, Edmonton
– Yellow: Windsor, Quebec City, Trois-Rivieres
– Red: Medicine Hat, Gatineau, Shawinigan
– Orange: Kawartha Lakes, Chilliwack, Montreal
– Magenta: Kelowna, North Bay, St. John’s
– Light Blue: Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver
– Brown: Beauceville, Banff

Along with the 22 property spaces featuring great Canadian cities, the game will include updated Chance and Community Chest cards that highlight events and culturally relevant scenarios from Canada. Players may take flight at the International Balloon Festival in Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, skate along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa or win big at the casinos in Niagara Falls. The new Monopoly: Canada Edition also features an Electronic Banking unit with cards instead of cash. Players can collect rent and buy their favourite Canadian cities with the touch of a button!

Today, the Monopoly brand provides entertainment experiences for players around the world. Whether they play the board game, digital or online games, or participate in casino or lottery gaming, there is a Monopoly experience to fit every lifestyle. Stemming from the strategic alliance between Hasbro and Electronic Arts Inc., EA has created digital versions of Monopoly which are available for download for mobile phones or free online at Pogo. Monopoly is also available for console gaming systems, including the Nintendo Wii™, Xbox 360™, PlayStation®2 and PLAYSTATION®3. The new Monopoly: Canada Edition will be available in stores across the country, in both English and French on June 28th, 2010 for an Other Ocean Interactiveapproximate retail price of $39.99.

SEGA® of America’s Super Monkey Ball™ 2, which was developed by Other Ocean Interactive, has been updated with two brand new mini-games. The first mini-game, Monkey Target, is a high-flying experience that launches you into the atmosphere. From there, it’s up to you to guide your character back down to a safe landing while grabbing as many bananas as possible along the way. Monkey Golf lets you hit the links with your simian friends and play your way through a full 18-hole course. Remember to watch out for those sand traps!

A2MArtificial Mind & Motion and 505 Games have released the official launch trailer for Naughty Bear, which comes out this coming Tuesday (June 29th) for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game features seven episodes, each with a set of four challenges, and as players make their way through the episodes, they will unlock special costumes that can later be used to their own advantage in multiplayer campaigns (see below). Competitive online play gives players the opportunity to experiment with new traps and power-ups. The Paint Trap covers opponents in fluorescent paint, preventing them from taking refuge from Naughty Bear by hiding in the woods. Power-ups like the Rage Capsule makes players stronger, while the Speed Capsule makes players run faster.

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While killing bears is certainly extremely naughty, terrorizing foes through a wide variety of creative tactics helps players achieve the most Naughty Points possible in Naughty Bear. With over 250 ways to be naughty, gamers can quickly build up and maintain their points multiplier. Players can also amp up on Naughty Points by ensuring other bears witness naughty acts, or by leaving injured bears to wander and frighten others into a state of intense anxiety. Clever scares are awarded even more points, so cunning players will be rewarded for their efforts through the game’s complex AI and responsive game engine.

Weapon choices in Naughty Bear also give players extensive gameplay options. From baseball bats, bear traps and guns to frozen legs of meat and even heavy machinery, the bears provide Naughty with plenty of ways to achieve sweet justice.

Naughty finds himself facing a motley assortment of foes as the bears call for reinforcements in each episode. Through sabotage, Naughty Bear can also lure in new victims as they rush to the scene to correct his acts of vandalism. As Naughty’s rage progresses throughout the game, police officers and ninjas are only the first line of defense for the island’s inhabitants. Naughty will face foes from all corners of the world and beyond as they unite in their attempts to try to put a premature stop to his brutal vengeance.
Naughty Bear
Current mulitiplayer modes include:

Assault mode, which pits two teams of red versus blue bears against each other as one team attempts to destroy an iconic statue in the Island of Perfection while the other team tries to protect it. Each team rotates from either defending or attacking the statue in two-minute rounds. Teams can use any tactic, including the strategic use of traps, barricades or hiding in the woods, to prevent their opponents from destroying the statue.

Cake Walk, where players attempt to hold the Glorious Golden Cupcake for as long as possible. Holding the cupcake puts the player in a vulnerable position where he can’t attack or defend himself. A typical game starts with a mad dash to the prize and then, once someone has the Cupcake, it’s a battle to maintain possession as long as possible. The player that holds the Glorious Golden Cupcake for the longest period of time wins.

The Golden Oozi of Doomness is a gun with unlimited ammunition, and the only way to gain points in this mode is by using it to kill enemies. This unique scoring system makes players work as a team one moment to destroy the current wielder, and then backstab each other to steal the prized gun. The winner of this mode is the player that racks up the most kills using the Golden Oozi.

The Jelly Wars scenario features cooperative gameplay and intense strategy as there is no coming back from the dead in Jelly Wars mode! Three players take on the roles of Daddles, Cozy and Sunbeam and bring jelly desserts to a giant mixing machine in order to create the most awesome jelly of all time. Watch out though, as Naughty Bear will try anything to stop them! The bears will have to protect each other, transport delicate objects, call back up, repair objects and heal others while Naughty attacks them, disables their tools and hides their jellies. The winner decided when the bears collect five jellies if Naughty Bear annihilates them all first.

Hothead GamesAnother made-in-Canada humour-based game will also be hitting the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 soon. Hothead Games‘ highly-anticipated and long-awaited Ron Gilbert title DeathSpank is DeathSpankscheduled for release to PSN and XBL on July 14th. Anticipated cost for the downloadable Action/RPG game is $15.00 on PSN or 1200 MS Points on XBL. Upon completion of the “Confirm Your Download” Level, players will be launched into an epic story of puzzle-solving, justice-dealing and loot-collecting, whereby those handling the controller can vanquish evilness either alone or with the aide of sidekick Sparkles The Wizard. At least he’s not a vampire…named Sparkles…there’s already been enough of that in the current entertainment market.

With DeathSpank complete, Hothead Games can now turn its full attention on Swarm, which is the basis for a recently announced agreement between Hothead and Ignition Entertainment. Heading for a major cross-platform release in 2011, Swarm was conceived via The Great Canadian Game Competition, which was sponsored by Telefilm Canada, and has since Swarm has gone on to become “a unique comedy action game in which players control entire herds of strange, daft little characters as they clash in chaotic and hilarious situations.”

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EA SportsEA Sports announced today that Oklahoma City Thunder small forward, Kevin Durant, will be the cover athlete for NBA EliteE 11. A 2010 NBA All-Star, Durant became the youngest player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring this past season, and he helped lead the Thunder to an impressive 50 win season and an NBA Playoffs berth. NBA Elite 11 is currently in development under the EA Sports™ brand by EA Canada in Burnaby and will be available worldwide this October for the PLAYSTATION®3 and Xbox 360®.
NBA Elite 11
NBA Elite 11 introduces significant gameplay changes that promise to revolutionize the basketball videogame experience. Hands-On Control is an innovative new control scheme that allows for one-to-one responsiveness of a player’s movement and actions on the court, as opposed to predetermined animations from the past that require users to wait while a scenario played out before making the next move. Hands-On Control is unique to NBA Elite 11 and it is used to manage everything within a player’s offensive and defensive arsenal, including: dribble moves, dunks, drives to the basket, fadeaways, mid-air adjustments, blocks, steals and more.

“I’ve always been a fan of EA Sports,” said Durant. “This has been an exciting year for me and the team, and capping it off with being on the cover of NBA Elite 11 is cool.”

“Durant is a game changer,” said Jordan Edelstein, VP Marketing, EA Sports. “There has never been a player his size with his skill set, and there has never before been a basketball videogame like NBA Elite. Just like we see Durant as the future of the NBA, NBA Elite 11 represents the future of basketball videogames by providing a gameplay experience you simply won’t find anywhere else on the market.”

Picked second overall in the 2007 NBA Entry Draft, Durant has accumulated an impressive list of accomplishments in his short professional career, including being named the 2008 T-Mobile NBA Rookie of the Year. Additionally, he will be representing the USA in the 2010 FIBA World Championships this summer in Turkey. Durant is only the third player in EA Sports history to be featured both on the pack of an NCAA and an NBA licensed product. Durant was featured on the cover of NCAA March Madness 08.

netromediaVictoria’s NetroMedia has added Apple iPad streaming to its suite of online broadcasting services. This new feature was launched as part of the company’s Multi-platform strategy, in order to maximize online streaming media coverage.

Released in early 2010, the iPad is Apple’s latest addition to the Tablet PC market, achieving an impressive one-million sales in its first month. It is considered by Apple to be a “magical and revolutionary” device designed for easy Internet surfing and media consumption.

Streaming to the iPad (Apple iOS) is done using H.264 video compression with AAC (Main Profile level 3.1) audio via RTSP/RTP. NetroMedia uses packetizing technology to prepare the stream for iPad viewing.

The encoding profile used to reach Apple’s iPad can also be used to serve the iPhone, PC and Mac computers. Both on-demand and live streaming are supported. 24/7 access to an online self-management streaming portal is included with NetroMedia’s services. This is where users manage and provision channels “in the cloud”, as well as analyze their project’s usage statistics.

Earlier this year NetroMedia announced the transition from bandwidth-based services to a pooled-bandwidth environment across channels. This move prepared the ground for a cost-effective Multi-platform streaming solution, in additional to increasing the distribution of unused bandwidth within accounts.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010 at 11:50 am and is filed under Action Adventure, Board Games, Casual, Digital Products, Everyone, Everyone 10+, Game Dev, Mature, Mobile, National News, New Releases, Platform, RPG - MMORPG, Sports, Teen, Upcoming Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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