Village Gamer

Ahoy, mateys! Global video game publisher 505 Games and developer Artificial Mind & Movement (A2M) today announced the latest downloadable chapter for Naughty Bear is available now for Xbox LIVE® Arcade and PlayStation® Network. The new pirate-themed Chapter 9 pits the naughtiest bear around in a bid to lay siege to the Island of Perfection with even more mischievous action, including all-new characters, costumes and challenges.

Filled with exclusive hidden treasures, deadly weapons and brutal buccaneers, Chapter 9 serves up four new challenges to swashbuckle while taking up arms against baddie bears and their leader, Admiral Giggles, as well as The Pirates and their leader, The Great Bear Beard.

To commend their efforts in combat, Chapter 9 players can dress Naughty in his own version of the Pirate Bear costume or even assume the identity of The Great Bear Beard, find two new hats and collect the lethal cutlass, with unique ultra-kill capabilities.

Naughty Bear is available now for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and also for iPhone & iPod Touch through the Apple App Store for $2.99 CAD. The downloadable Chapter 9 is available now on Xbox LIVE Arcade for 400 MS points and on PlayStation Network for the equivalent of $4.99 USD.

Sierra Wireless today announced a multi-year strategic agreement for the company to provide M2M (machine-to-machine) Services Management for Telus. Telus will integrate the Sierra Wireless AirVantage™ Services Platform into their network operations to provide M2M customers with online access to a comprehensive suite of M2M service creation, delivery and management capabilities, making it simpler and faster to bring M2M services to market and opening new service opportunities for Telus and its partners.

ABI Research forecasts M2M connection revenue in Canada to grow at a rate of 26 per cent per year from 2010 to 2015, to a total of $575 million (M2M Market Forecasts, ABI Research, Q3 2010, Total Cellular M2M Connection Revenue by Region, World Market Forecast 2007 – 2015 ). M2M services cover a wide range of applications, including remotely collecting vehicle data, remotely monitoring equipment such as pipelines and wind turbines, wireless point-of-sale devices, and connecting innovative consumer devices such as e-book readers, personal navigation devices, and cameras. Read the rest of this entry »

Vancouver’s Gnosis Games, developer of award winning Facebook games Candace Kane’s Candy Factory and Piñata Bash, today announced the release of Seek and Find, a fun, fast-paced, and colorful brain and reflex trainer exclusively for the Apple iPad that will have kids and adults alike clamoring to grab high scores while also sharpening their recognition and memory skills. Seek and Find is available for immediate download and is priced at $2.99.

Seek and Find features 45 levels and various mini-games that require players to find and identify cute, funny faces hidden among a plethora of different faces. With each game type, players will be given the task of locating a particular face amidst a slew of others and touch it with their finger, nabbing more points the quicker a face is found. Mini-games like Find the Odd One or Find Three of My Kind will require the player to seek and find one or several faces among static or moving faces. As levels progress, the movement and speed at which faces are to be found increases, challenging even adults as they play along with their children. Seek and Find also supports multiple profiles and tracks each person’s score on a leaderboard, advocating friendly competition that will have everyone vying for that top spot on the ladder!

“As kids, we all remember playing board games with our parents, creating a bond through quality time shared over friendly competition. Seek and Find on the iPad can be used to create this same experience, with parents and children challenging themselves, and their dexterity and speed, with the hours and hours of content Seek and Find has to offer, ” said Dan Irish, CEO of Gnosis Games. “I’m sure kids will love trying to, and undoubtedly will, beat their parents’ best scores!”

Ubisoft® revealed it’s developing Petz® World, a massively multiplayer online (MMO) free-to-play game tied to its multimillion unit-selling Petz brand. Petz World is an online pet simulation adventure game for kids and tweens being developed by Frima Studios and will be available in 2011 for the PC.

“Ubisoft is excited to be propelling its popular Petz brand into the MMO space. This game is a unique way for children and parents to play games together,” said Chris Early, vice president of digital publishing at Ubisoft. “Petz World allows players to share their progress and adventures, helping each other to receive more coins, achievements and unlockables.”

In Petz World, players can adopt unique pets with their own personality and embark on remarkable adventures in realistic environments around the world. The Petz will be able to explore and learn about exotic locations, meet new and exotic animals and even save them. Petz World will be ever-growing with more locations to visit, more animals to unlock and more places in the world to discover.

On the heels of a successful weekend which saw the debut of ladder competition in Mission Against Terror (M.A.T.), publisher Wicked Interactive has announced that the World Online Gaming League (WOGL) will extend competitive gameplay for its popular free-to-play online shooter through the end of October. The competition, celebrating the third explosive week of the game’s open beta, begins today, Friday, October 1 and runs through Sunday of every weekend through October 31, Halloween.

“Last weekend was about getting players comfortable with the new ladder system,” said Stephen Tucker, CEO, World Online Gaming League. “Now we have teams in place as we add more and more players each weekend throughout the competition.”
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Sean Doherty, president and founder of New Brunswick-based Freelance Games, is proud to announce the release of its first independent game for the XBOX 360 – Starchon.

In development for over a year, Doherty is happy to see the game released to the public. “Starchon has a tremendous amount of depth and innovation for a game classified as a ‘shooter’”, says Doherty. “It’s hard to believe that Starchon actually started as a PC game back in 2005. It’s been a huge amount of work and consumed endless amounts of time. But, everyone agrees that the final product is well worth the effort.”

The arcade game’s description is as follows: The Engage the Pigia horde and defend the Super Defense Carrier while you destroy everything in your path. Unlock 5 game-altering playable starships, plus more than 39 components including weapons, shields, engines, and power generators. Over 80+ sectors of glorious victory.

“Starchon is a fun and engaging game in the spirit of classic arcade fun. This is one game that you won’t be worried about your kids playing,” says Doherty. “This style of game is more like how games used to be when I was growing up, but Starchon has been updated for today’s XBOX high definition gaming experience.”

Doherty is considering plans for Freelance Games’ future. “Starchon is the first game in the Starchon universe, but it will not be the last. I want this title to be the beginning of a series of independent video games for us,” says Doherty. “Today’s gaming platforms allow independent developers to publish games side-by-side with the big studios. It’s a great opportunity.”

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieHptQH9Ezw]

Starchon can be purchased by surfing to the XBOX Live indie games forum, and searching for “Starchon”. In addition to being available directly through the Games Marketplace on Xbox 360 consoles, the game can be queued for download at the Xbox 360 Marketplace site. The price of the game is 80 Microsoft Points (equivalent to about $1).

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.

THQ Inc. has announced a new addition to its cover Superstars lineup for WWE® SmackDown® vs. Raw® 2011, the upcoming release from the renowned simulation-based cornerstone of the company’s WWE videogame portfolio. WWE Hall of Famer and Canada native Bret “Hit Man” Hart®, WWE Superstar and Canada native Edge® and legendary WWE Superstar Undertaker® will be featured on an exclusive limited edition front cover of the videogame throughout Canada for the Xbox® 360 and PlayStation®3. The new artwork will join previously announced regional covers for WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011, including WWE Superstars John Cena®, Big Show® and The Miz® on the front cover in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and India, as well as WWE Superstars Randy Orton®, Undertaker® and Sheamus® on the front cover available throughout Europe. Additional regional covers are expected to be announced later this year.

“Bret Hart, Edge and Undertaker have played instrumental roles in many of WWE’s most memorable moments,” said Danny Bilson, Executive Vice President, Core Games, THQ. “WWE has incredible lineage in Canada, and we are pleased to honor these Superstars and our Canadian fans with their own exclusive cover artwork for WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011.”

“It is an honor to be featured on the cover of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 and part of a videogame franchise that has become so massive over the years,” said Bret Hart, WWE Hall of Famer. “What really makes this special for me is this cover will be available exclusively in my native country of Canada, and the image captures one of the proudest moments of my career.”
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Electronic Arts Inc. and Hothead Games™ have unleashed the T-rated DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue (T.O.V.), making it available first for the PlayStation®Network on September 21 for $14.99. Those of us who are Xbox LIVE® Arcade users will have to wait until September 22, when we can grab the expansion for 1200 Microsoft Points.

The follow-up to last summer’s award-winning, chart-topping action RPG, DeathSpank: T.O.V. is a fresh new adventure where players hack, slash and shoot their way through mission after mission, in search of the six mystical thongs that are corrupting the universe. Gamers who download DeathSpank: T.O.V. in its first week (see below) will also receive two pieces of free downloadable content, the Snowy Mountain Dungeon, which adds another layer of gameplay and Sidekick Tankko, a cute-and-cuddly ogre who is available as a playable co-op character.

“We took all of the things that people loved about DeathSpank and amped it up a hundred times more,” said Vlad Ceraldi, Director of Game Development at Hothead Games. “DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue is a bigger, deeper, funnier and longer experience. We’ve added more crazy weapons, more areas to explore, more enemies and more thongs!”

DeathSpank: T.O.V. puts players in the mighty boots of DeathSpank in his quest to destroy the six mystical thongs which have corrupted those who wear them, and thus the universe. Players will travel through war-torn country sides, outer space and even the North Pole in an epic battle against an Evil Santa, collecting tons of loot along the way. DeathSpank T.O.V. also includes a local co-op mode, allowing a second player to help in the search for the thongs with either of his two trusty sidekicks, Sparkles the Wizard or Ninjatastic Steve.

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Owners of DeathSpank: T.O.V. on Xbox Live Arcade will be able to download both the Snowy Mountain Dungeon and Sidekick Tankko DLC for free from September 22 – 28. After that time period is over, the Snowy Mountain Dungeon will be available for 240 Microsoft Points and Sidekick Tankko will be available for 80 Microsoft Points.

Owners of DeathSpank: T.O.V. on PlayStation Network will receive both pieces of DLC when downloading the main game on PSN from September 20 – 27 (or September 22 – 28 depending on when the game is available in certain regions). After that time period is over, the Snowy Mountain Dungeon will be available for $2.99 and Sidekick Tankko will be available for $0.99.

I had a sneaking suspicion that the mention of legendary pirates and treasure in one of Naughty Bear’s load screens would lead to new DLC for the title and I was right, because publisher 505 Games and Quebec developer Artificial Mind & Movement (A2M) have announced plans to release a new pirate-themed downloadable chapter for Naughty Bear via Xbox LIVE® Arcade and PlayStation® Network. Chapter 9 will soon lay siege to the Island of Perfection with even more mischievous action, including all-new characters, costumes and challenges.

Filled with exclusive hidden treasures, deadly weapons and brutal buccaneers, in Chapter 9 players will be able to plot a course through four new challenges. As the terrors of the high seas come ashore to battle, players will encounter the other Bears and their leader, Admiral Giggles, as well as The Pirates and their leader, The Great Beard Bear.

To commend their efforts in combat, Chapter 9 will allow players to don two new hats (Admiral Naughty and Pirate Naughty). Players can also choose to dress Naughty in his own version of the Pirate Bear costume or assume the identity of The Great Beard Bear, and even collect the lethal cutlass, a classic pirate’s curved sword with unique ultra-kill capabilities.

Naughty Bear is available now for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and the downloadable Chapter 9 will be available by the end of September on Xbox Live Arcade for 400 MS points and on PlayStation Network for $4.99 USD.

Previous DLC for Naughty Bear included a free code update and Chapter Eight, where gamers were introduced to the X-Bears, a gang of superhero bears led by Danger Bear. Adored by their fellow bears on the Island of Perfection, the X-Bears possess super powers and are always ready for battle. Players will also meet Bubbles, Danger Bear’s ultimate die-hard fan, who is identified by his sidekick mask and the Danger Bear hat he wears. Though Bubbles has no superpowers of his own, he solidifies his dedication to Danger Bear and the X-Bears by employing an Uzi in the fight against Naughty.

Kobo ereader service has launched its Kobo Desktop Application, a free, downloadable application that enables users to read, build a digital library, and shop for eBooks directly from their computer or laptop. The new application also allows Kobo customers with 3rd party eReaders, such as the Sony Reader, to easily connect to the Kobo service to download or purchase content.

The new Kobo Desktop Application offers a personalized, secure and central destination where users can manage their entire Kobo reading experience. Through the Desktop Application customers can instantly access their library and download their purchases directly to their computer and read offline without an Internet connection. Additionally, the Kobo Desktop Application enables users to shop for eBooks through the integrated Kobo eBook Store and download content to their desktop to easily build and manage their library.

Kobo currently offers dedicated applications for iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Android, Android Tablets, as well as the Kobo eReader. Now with the Kobo Desktop Application users can sync their entire library between their mobile devices and the desktop. Customers with popular eReaders can now manage their digital library in one place, connect to the Kobo store to buy or download free content from over 2.2 million titles, and benefit from Kobo’s range of free applications for mobile devices. The free application also comes preloaded on every Kobo eReader making it easy for users to organize their library right out of the box.

Consistent with the overall Kobo reading experience, the Kobo Desktop Application allows users to customize font, style and size to suit their own reading preferences, and the company’s signature bookmarking feature makes it possible to pick up reading where you left off. Plus, bookmarks follow a user from the Kobo Desktop Application to their smartphone, tablet, or eReader, allowing for continuous reading on any device.

“Kobo has long supported reading across platforms, and now we are the first to provide an experience that supports a wide range of eReaders and mobile devices,” said Michael Serbinis, CEO of Kobo. “As an avid reader and book lover, I understand the importance of knowing your books are safe, secure and always at your fingertips. The Kobo Desktop Application is the first phase of a new Kobo initiative to give readers more control over their eBooks, and new tools to display and share their growing library.”

The Kobo Desktop Application supports both Windows and Macintosh operating systems and also comes preloaded on every Kobo eReader. The Kobo eReader is available for purchase at Borders in the US, Indigo Books & Music and Walmart in Canada, and Whitcoull’s, A&R, and Borders in Australia / New Zealand.

Marvel’s famous web-slinger is back in action and on store shelves in Spider-Man™: Shattered Dimensions from Activision Publishing, whose Quebec development studio Beenox has created a unique, immersive experience allowing fans to play as four distinct versions of Spider-Man in four unique worlds – Amazing, Noir, 2099 and Ultimate – in a race to save their universes against the villainous machinations of Mysterio, Carnage, Deadpool, Vulture, Kraven and more.

“The team at Beenox is giving fans an incredibly diverse Spider-Man™ video game experience,” said David Pokress, Head of Marketing for Licensed Properties, Activision Publishing, Inc. “Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions casts players in an epic action adventure where they battle in four different worlds, rife with classic villains re-interpreted within each world, offering a rich variety of gameplay and striking art styles in one unique storyline.”

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions transports players to a variety of locations, from lush jungles and sand quarries to a futuristic NYC, and allows them to use unique gameplay styles for each Spider-Man, including stealth moves in Noir, gliding maneuvers in 2099, black-suited tendril attacks in Ultimate, and innovative web combat in Amazing.

Penned by acclaimed Marvel comic book writer Dan Slott, the story takes players on a mission to restore the magical energy of the Tablet of Order and Chaos, which has been shattered and scattered across parallel universes. Gamers are challenged to battle fan-favorite villains such as the lethal Kraven and a custom, never-before-seen Noir version of Hammerhead, in a quest to restore the fabric of reality.

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Each of the actors voicing Spider-Man in the game has portrayed the web-slinger in previous Spider-Man animated television series. Neil Patrick Harris (Amazing Spider-Man) voiced the wall-crawler in “Spider-Man: The New Animated Series” in 2003; Josh Keaton (Ultimate Spider-Man) was the voice of Spider-Man in “The Spectacular Spider-Man” from 2008-2009; Dan Gilvezan (Spider-Man 2099) starred in “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends” from 1981-1983; and Christopher Daniel Barnes (Spider-Man Noir) voiced the iconic Super Hero™ in “Spider-Man,” the 1994 series.

Additionally, legendary Spider-Man co-creator and comic book icon Stan Lee will guide players through the storyline of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions as the game’s narrator, and Emmy Award-winning composer Jim Dooley has created an original orchestral score for the game.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB and is available now on the Xbox 360®, PlayStation®3, Nintendo Wii™ and will be available soon for Windows PC, all developed by Beenox. A Nintendo DS™ version, developed by Griptonite, is also now available and features a side-scrolling adventure full of unique villains, such as the first-ever appearance of Calypso Noir and two other boss characters created exclusively for this version.

The Mission Against Terror beta keys we first told you about on Wednesday are go going fast. To acknowledge all those who have unlocked the beta keys for M.A.T., SUBA Games has organized a special opening weekend reward – To the Victor Go The Spoils, a three-day promotion this weekend (September 3-5) that allows players to earn double the silver coins they normally would. In addition, all those who log in for the first time receive a complementary AK-47 assault rifle. Efficient, effective, and reliable; only the best for our troops! Now, what are you waiting for, soldier? Get in there, rack up those coins, then deck yourself out.

The M.A.T. closed beta release will include game modes such as Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, along with the tried-and-true formula of elimination-style Tournament play and the highly popular Bombing mode.

Those in the mood for a less competitive-minded shooter will be kept busy as well, with a variety of wild, white-knuckled game types. Mummy mode offers an intense survival horror experience, where a team of humans are confronted by ancient Egyptian mummies who have risen from the dead in search of you-know-what.

Complementing the exciting action of MAT are customizable characters that can be outfitted with a variety of clothing options, an item shop that contains everything a soldier needs out in the battlefield, and full Dolby™ 3D sound support, including state-of-the-art Dolby Axon™ technology which enables you to modulate your voice in real-time to change the way other players hear you-all in glorious surround-sound.

To enlist in the closed beta, players must obtain an exclusive closed beta key from the game’s official site or one of the game’s official affiliate partners. Once players have registered with the key on the M.A.T. home page, gamers can download the game client and start playing immediately. Just like M.A.T. will be upon its full release, the closed beta is totally free for players to participate in, for as long as the beta lasts. Space, however, is limited, so gamers should get their beta key today, and stay tuned for further announcements about special closed beta events and fun achievements.

Transport yourself into the near-future, not far from the present moment, where the war is already raging. Fierce battles whose stakes are no less than the future of humanity have transformed everyday men and women into warriors hell-bent on the destruction of the enemies of everything they hold dear. This is the world of M.A.T. – Mission Against Terror, Wicked Interactive’s hotly anticipated, free-to-play, online first-person shooter. There is no time to waste. No time to think or second-guess. You are either fighting this war or you are its victim.

New indie house Wild Games Studio Inc. has announced the title and genre of their first game in production, an open-ended RPG/Adventure game. The game, which will release a trailer in October, will be set in third person view. Dhaila’s Adventures will be a game for PC, Mac, PS3 and Xbox 360, with a playable demo coming soon.

Featuring Dhaila, a young fairy whose powers are bound to nature, the game will rely on gameplay taking place in an open world where the player will update the origins of Dhaila and help fulfill her destiny. In addition to the main quest, Dhaila could fill hundreds of side quests depending on the choices and actions proposed. Puzzles and large dungeons filled with traps and monsters will be part of her adventure to enhance the gameplay. Furthermore, Dhaila will be accompanied with a friend that can be controlled by another player to help Dhaila during certain puzzles through teamwork.

Orphaned in the fantasy world of Martania, Dhaila possesses unknown extraordinary powers. She has special skills, including one which can absorb the energy of nature directly through its DNA. She can also absorb the DNA of other creatures, making the heroine able to acquire their shape at any time. Living in one of these valleys, the village seems protected by an unknown magical force, more powerful than in other villages. Dhaila will leave to research her origins, while trying to release Martania of the influence of Dysan, a tyrant who has subjugated the people, forcing them to labour under the threat of the dragons he also holds sway over.

Selected as one of the glorious PAX 10, Retro City Rampage from VBlank Entertainment will be showcased at PAX Prime this weekend at booth 3017, where visitors can meet the dev team, play the game and get some fantastic swag.

This unbelievable FREE swag includes:

* Retro cartridge labels (stick ’em on NES carts)!
* Retro game boxes* (stick your cart in it)!
* Retro plastic case inserts (with BLURST processing)!
*Retro game rental case inserts (“INDESTRUCTIONS”)!

As an added Bonus, the team will also be having a daily draw to win a Retro City Rampage cartridge case in the box! The team does caution, however, that due to the indie budget and a recent price increase on Ramen Noodles, the “box” is a cleverly designed and exciting arts and crafts project. Simply cut out and fold it yourself for some analog fun Alternatively, you could frame it and stick it on the wall of your local museum.

Capcom will be taking up residence at PAX in Booth 652, where you can drop by and try out their upcoming lineup of titles including Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Okamiden and Blue Castle Games‘ Dead Rising 2 – shipping on September 28.

Ubisoft will have three booths at the show. You will find them in spaces 632, 622 and 712. Each booth will feature a variety of Ubisoft’s upcoming releases and lots of fun prizes for booth visitors.

For the first time in the U.S., PAX attendees will get to try out various titles from Ubisoft exclusively for Kinect™ for Xbox 360®, including Your Shape™: Fitness Evolved and MotionSports™, in addition to seeing the first public demo of Child of Eden™. Consumers will also get an opportunity to play H.A.W.X® 2 multiplayer, and see a sneak peak of Outland™, one of Ubisoft’s digital games for PlayStation®Network and Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. In addition, Just Dance® 2 will be available to play onsite at the show.

PAX attendees will have a chance to play Assassin’s Creed® Brotherhood, which will be playable on Xbox 360 and the PlayStation®3 at the Ubisoft booth before its November release. Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood fans who pre-order the game onsite at PAX will receive an exclusive Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood T-shirt, and there are also opportunities for consumers who fan the Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Facebook page to win Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood posters. Other giveaways include a Just Dance–themed t-shirt for anyone who pre-orders the October release of Just Dance 2 at PAX. Read the rest of this entry »