Village Gamer

Rogers Media announced today that Citytv.com is launching the first iPad video application by a Canadian television broadcaster. The new Citytv Video app will feature shows from its primetime broadcast schedule along with CityLine and Breakfast Television Toronto. The ad supported Citytv.com video app for iPad is available free from the App Store on iPad.

“How Canadians interact with traditional television is evolving. They want to watch their favourite shows when and where they want to on their preferred device – whether it’s a television, smartphone or a tablet,” says Claude Galipeau, SVP & GM, Digital Media, Rogers Media Inc. “Rogers has a reputation for innovation in Canada. Launching the first Canadian TV iPad application reinforces Rogers’ commitment to deliver seamless entertainment experiences for our customers. In addition to catching-up on their favourite shows online, on Citytv.com, through Rogers Video On Demand and RogersOnDemand.com, audiences can now access the easy to use and convenient iPad option.”

With the launch of the Citytv iPad video app, Rogers Media is advancing its strategy of bringing multi-screen branding opportunities to its advertising partners. The Shorts in the City app for iPad and iPhone, which launched in May of this year, is another example of a multi-screen programming initiative.

The app gives Citytv fans the ability to catch up on full-length television programs and clips on their iPad. The Citytv app also includes a number of convenient features, such as a TV schedule and a notification service that allows users to be reminded when their favourite shows are available on the app and on TV. Other features include the ability to share video links on Facebook, Twitter and via email. The app also saves your viewing history and favourites.

American PC game distributor CompuExpert has announced that the company has signed a deal with Capcom to be the exclusive North American PC distributor for Dead Rising 2, the highly anticipated sequel to 2006’s critically acclaimed survival horror action game developed by Blue Castle Games (now Capcom Game Studio Vancouver).

Set several years after the Willamette incident of the original game, Dead Rising 2 takes place in Fortune City, a glamorous entertainment playground where people attempt to escape from reality and the threat of zombie outbreaks by winning at games of chance. Players take on the role of Chuck Greene, a former national Motocross champion and handyman who is willing to do anything for his daughter Katey, including fighting the undead.

The original Dead Rising forced gamers to fend off hundreds of zombies at any time by using everyday objects like bowling balls, shower heads and traffic cones. Dead Rising 2 will pack even more zombies on screen, as well as additional new items that Chuck can use to make customized weaponry, such as explosive footballs or chainsaws strapped to kayak paddles.

Dead Rising 2 for the PC will be available at Gamestop, Best Buy, Amazon and other PC game retailers tomorrow, September 28th. The game has been rated M for Mature by the ESRB.

Women In View, an association of independent Canadian professionals in media, will be presenting SexMoneyMedia on October 14 – 16th in Vancouver. Registration for this event is now open, and you are invited to join a stellar group of media artists, industry leaders, scholars and policy makers in celebrating the achievements of women in media and creating a more vibrant, innovative and equitable media landscape for the 21st century. SexMoneyMedia will provide an unprecedented opportunity to engage in an international, multi-sector public dialogue on the future of media culture focusing on 4 core themes

• Vision and Representation
• Cultural Labour, Audiences and Markets
• The Unfolding Digital Universe
• Remedies, Policies, and Strategies

The opening keynote address will feature Trina McQueen, OC., Broadcast Journalist & former President of CTV Inc. and Rita Deverell, CM., Broadcaster & Nancy’s Chair in Women’s Studies, Mount St. Vincent University.

In addition to the symposium, there are also a number of Master Classes being offered, including a full day CFC Media Lab workshop on Interactive Storytelling featuring Ana Serrano and Anita Lee. There are several half-day workshops also being offered, including Documentary Storytelling, Behind The Scenes, and Visual Rights and Clearances. Space for these and other workshops is limited, so you should register soon to avoid disappointment.

Leading academics, professionals and artists will gather at Emily Carr University of Art and Design for the International Digital Media and Arts Association’s 8th annual conference to explore the world of digital technologies with a focus on the subject of The Digital Narrative. The conference will include workshops, keynote speakers, “extreme close-up” guest panels, paper presentations, networking, discussions, student showcase and social events as well as opportunities to explore Emily Carr’s state of the art facilities and the Innovative Program Awards.

New digital technologies and mediums are informing, challenging and reinventing our notions of narrative structures and storytelling. Non- linear, virtual, artificial, interactive, and cyber culture have become common terms and concepts when describing the emerging integration of science, art, and sociology. The Digital Narrative explores ideas of how storytelling and communication is influencing and influenced by new and emerging technologies. The conference takes place in Vancouver this November 4 – 6th, with Early Bird pricing available until October 20th.

Following the worldwide success of Naughty Bear for the home console systems, 505 Games and developer Artificial Mind and Movement (A2M) today announce the release of an Apple iPhone/iPod® Touch game featuring everyone’s favourite omni-present and, let’s face it, omni-moody bear.

“In the last six months Naughty Bear has captured the imagination of a very wide fanbase and very quickly become an icon within the gaming world and a beacon for the disenfranchised and the disgruntled everywhere,” said Tim Woodley, Head of Global Brand Management, 505 Games. “With the launch of the iPhone version, Naughty Bear fans can finally, and quite literally, take matters into their own hands.”

“We knew that Naughty Bear was perfect for on-the-go gaming and we have put a lot of time into refining the experience to reflect the new format, controls and objectives,” said David Osborne, creative director at Artificial Mind and Movement.

Naughty Bear for the iPhone ($2.99) delivers an all-new way to take control of the vengeful title role and once again wreak havoc on every stuffing-filled foe that crosses your path. With a unique control system tailored specifically for the iPhone and iPod Touch’s touchscreen inputs and a top-down viewpoint, the camera zooms in for up-close-and-not-so-personable signature kill moves which have become the trademark of our hapless bear.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIezoKGypG4]

Following the already established formula of the console versions, the game features a vast array of weapons, objects and scare tactics for gamers to employ to maim, bash and slash their island cohabitants in the quest for ever-important Naughty Points, earned by exacting sweet revenge against any stuffed animal brave—or stupid—enough to cross Naughty’s path.