Village Gamer

In this action-packed shooter by independent Canadian developer JoshOClock, you play the role of an adorable creature born to an empty nest because your family has been kidnapped by humans! This is an outrage, and something must be done to avenge this deed! Off you go on a mission to seek revenge for your kidnapped siblings, and armed with nothing more than destructive and smoking-hot fireballs, you’re ready for some mayhem and slaughter!

Burn The City features not only an amazing 45 levels of high-polished action, but also incredibly intuitive controls – touch, drag and release. Similar in style to Angry Birds™ and Worms™, this game will keep you addicted for hours, and includes explosive physics and Game Center support for the competitive players. At your aid to destroy all mankind you have your fireball attack, and by eating different colored YUMs that are gathered by destroying crates throughout the levels, you obtain 3 special attacks: the first is TNT, which turns the standard fireball into a green explosive shot! The second is “Sniper”, which gives better accuracy across far distances, and finally the third special attack is “nuke” (YES!), which unleashes a nuclear blast (oh yeah!!) when the screen is tapped! Go ahead! Download your personal copy of Burn This City, and get busy destroying humanity!

A free version of the game is already available on PC through Kongregate, and a version for the Android was released recently. The iOS version now available on the App Store is compatible with Apple iPhone®, Apple iPod touch® and Apple iPad® devices running iOS 3.0 or later. Burn the City is rated 9+ for Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence.

Going Loud Studios is proud to announce that “Lair of the Evildoer” is now available on the Xbox Live Indie Games marketplace. Gamers can download it from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 80 Microsoft Points.

“We strove to make a game that is fun to play from moment to moment but also has a driving force that makes it compelling to explore levels, collect weapons and improve your character.” said Ben Kane, founder of Going Loud Studios. “Twin-stick shooting can often be a shallow experience. The variety of enemies and levels as well as the vast arsenal of weapons available gives Lair of the Evildoer the depth to make it worth playing, worth finishing and worth playing again.”

The evil Dr. Odious has you trapped in his lair. He’s also not very fond of you. Make your escape by battling through hundreds of monsters, collecting over 25 weapons and leveling up as you go. Procedurally generated levels will keep you on your toes in this action RPG shooter, ensuring a different experience with every playthrough.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKvdsSlpY3k]

Game Features:

Procedurally generated lair:
Dr. Odious’ lair consists of 20 levels procedurally generated by pure evil, ensuring unique experiences with every playthrough. Take the fight through the laboratory, the dungeon and even the wood-panelled decor of Dr. Odious’ 70s-era office. The wood panelling may be the most evil thing in the lair.

Over 30 types of enemies:
Standing between you and the exit will be hundreds of monsters of varying levels of evil. Classic creations like skeletons and the undead are flanked by Dr. Odious’ mechanical Killbots, automated turrets and even his zombie accountants. Not one to rest on his laurels, Dr. Odious has given the walking dead a set of wheels, creating what he likes to call “Zoombies”.

Weapon affix system, featuring 25 weapon types with dozens of variations:
Your only allies in your attempt to escape the lair have names like “Boomstick”, “Tommy Gun” and “Sledgehammer”. Fortunately, each of the 25 different types of melee and ranged weapons can come equipped with a variety of properties and special attributes. Keep hunting for the best loot! The “Trusty Axe of Slaying” could give you the edge you need.

Level up your character to survive:
Everything in Lair of the Evildoer is governed by a stats system that you can customize as you progress through the game. Improve your accuracy and ability to carry ammo if you prefer ranged combat. Beef up your melee striking power and reduce the effects of knock-back if you prefer to get up close and personal.

Rock Hippo Productions Ltd. announced today that the online cartoon style and free to play third-person action shooter MicroVolts.  Officially launched one week ago, MicroVolts has enjoyed a rapidly growing player base, glowing player and critical reviews and over 31,000 Facebook fans. The company is celebrating its first week with the release of a new official wallpaper, events, prizes and more.

“We have been thrilled with the official launch of MicroVolts.  We’re seeing our player base grow in leaps and bounds and getting great feedback from our MicroVolts community,” said Howard He, President and CEO of Rock Hippo Productions.  “Our players’ characters are already sporting many of the newly released items such as Naomi’s Cupcake Dress and Knox’s Skeleton Jacket and arming themselves with new weapons such as the Mimic Grenade Launcher and the DareDev Gatling Gun. MicroVolters from all over the world are continuing to wage their secret war in the new map, The Studio, and all of this is just the beginning!”

To thank the growing community for helping make the game a success in its first week, Rock Hippo Productions has released an official MicroVolts wallpaper to commemorate the successful launch.  Players can download the official wallpaper showing Naomi, Knox, Pandora, and C.H.I.P .in action from the  MicroVolts web site.

Here are some of the things it seems MicroVolters can’t get enough of:

Clan Feature: MicroVolts’ new clan feature has boosted the competitive spirit amongst MicroVolters with over 1000 clans already created.  In the new Clan Hall, players can now create or manage their clans.  They can also request membership into coveted clans or recruit elite members to their ranks.  Players ultimately compete in-game with other clans for domination of the MicroWorld and placement on the Clan Leaderboard that will be re-launched tomorrow, Friday June 17 along with some other clan updates.

Shop: Players are enjoying the newly launched Web and In-Game Shop and all the access to exclusive items that this feature grants them. MicroVolts plans to continue to expand its payment options and availability to more countries to better support the ever-growing community.

“Free the Hippo” Tournament: Players are amped for the ”Free the Hippo: Free For All Tournament” being held on Saturday, June 18th. Prizes include up to 135K MP and a Hippo In Style costume set.

Rock Hippo Productions Ltd has announced that the free to play online cartoon style third-person action shooter, MicroVolts has officially launched.  Featuring all new content, players can expect non-stop fun and fast-paced action in this much-anticipated release.

“We want to thank all the MicroVolters who participated in the open beta phase of the game and invite them, along with new players,  to experience all the new content and gameplay we have in store for this huge launch ,” said Howard He, President and CEO of Rock Hippo Productions. “We are really stepping up the clan competitions and with the addition of a huge new map, all new weapons, costumes and more, new and returning players alike will all be treated to a great experience in the newly launched MicroVolts world.”                  

Players will be able to create their own clans and select the best members to join special teams. These teams will form the core of each clan, with reserve members fighting for those spots. This extra level of clan management will bring new strategy options to the game, especially for tournament players. More features such as comparing clan stats and clan leaderboards will be coming in the near future.

Celebrating the launch with a new map, The Studio. A huge new map with an incredible amount of levels and hiding spots, The Studio is a map that Zombie Mode enthusiasts will  especially enjoy as it gives plenty of options for evading those pesky zombies. Just don’t get too freaked out by the giant clown hanging out of the toy box.

Also released with the game’s official launch are new weapons, costumes and character set. The new Colonel Crac  costume set includes the C.H.I.P. character and allows players to outfit themselves in the style of the legendary Colonel. In addition, all characters will receive fresh new parts and accessories, available for both Micro Points and Rock Tokens.  But no character is complete without their awesome weapons.  MicroVolters will be introduced to three new ones including the Steel Hammer (melee), DareDev (Gatling Gun), and Mimic (Rocket Launcher).  Players should also be on the lookout for all new advanced versions of different weapon types!

Rock Tokens currency currency can be purchased from the MicroVolts Web Shop and will be used to purchase special customization items and extend gameplay options. Game modes include Free for All, Team Deathmatch, Item Match, Capture the Battery, Elimination, Zombie Mode, and many more featuring various maps designed by toy concept.

Rock Hippo Productions Ltd has announced that MicroVolts, the fast and furious MMO-TPS  is officially going live on June 9th, and since many players have already started their own clans, Rock Hippo decided it’s about time these clans received a home. The new Clan Hall is the place to create, manage, or join a clan and compete to see who’s best of the best in the MicroWorld. A new map is going to be revealed on June 9th, players can also look forward to a new character set, new weapons, and new costumes. A hint of what’s to come can be seen in the “Build Your Legend” trailer.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTuWJg1DcbQ]

The official release of MicroVolts will also mark the grand opening of the new online shop, where players will find exclusive weapons, parts, accessories, items and sets to help make their character truly unique. On Saturday, June 18th the “Free the Hippo” Tournament will take place, and the winners of this Free For All tournament will receive a ton of Micro Points and a Hippo-In-Style character set as prizes. Be sure to check the MicroVolts web site for tournament and in-game event updates.

Ubisoft^® has  announced the development of Far Cry 3^®, marking the return of the highly-acclaimed video game franchise. Development on Far Cry 3 is led by Ubisoft Montréal with the support of Ubisoft Shanghai and Massive Entertainment. Far Cry 3 will be available for the Xbox 360^®, the Sony^® PlayStation^®3 and Windows^® PC in 2012.

With Far Cry 3, players step into the shoes of Jason Brody, a man alone at the edge of the world, stranded on a mysterious tropical island. In this savage paradise where lawlessness and violence are the only sure thing, players dictate how the story unfolds, from the battles they choose to fight to the allies or enemies they make along the way. As Jason Brody, players will slash, sneak, detonate and shoot their way across the island in a world that has lost all sense of right and wrong.

“Far Cry 3 brings something new and unexpected, while still building upon the foundations of excellence that are inherent to the Far Cry brand,” said Dan Hay, producer at Ubisoft Montréal. “Whether you’re already a fan of the Far Cry series or jumping into the franchise for the very first time, you’re going to be blown away by the gritty story and epic adventure we’re going to deliver.”

Hothead Games has announced a batch of updates to the popular 99 cent iOS zombie-defense game Bunny the Zombie Slayer. Released today, this update offers expanded game play and in-game improvements for additional hours of zombie killing fun.

Bunny the Zombie Slayer version 1.2 now includes:

• Three different modes to play
  • Classic: how many waves of zombies can you defeat with your hardboiled hand-grenades?
  • 28 Waves Later: Put your skills to the test with even more hordes of zombies and no special eggs to bail you out.
  • Time Attack: Kill as many zombies as possible in 2 minutes—aim for the head for bonus time and high scores.
• Game Center support with leaderboards for each mode
• Native Retina Display support
• Automatic detection for device orientation

“Bunny the Zombie Slayer was a top 50 overall app in the first week it launched, and even with that success we still want to keep improving the game and make it even more fun for the players,” said Hothead Games producer Joel DeYoung. “We’ve listened to all the feedback that the game has received and are offering this update thanks to the comments and reviews from our customers.”

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

Bunny The Zombie Slayer is Rated 9+ for Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence and is compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.3 or later.

Rock Hippo Productions Ltd is pleased to announce that its new Zombie Mode for the anime inspired,cartoon-style third person MMO shooter MicroVolts is now live…or … undead. The highly-anticipated new mode allows players to become “Zombified” and take on the role of a Zombie Toy in this popular third-person-shooter currently in open beta.  In addition, the company has launched a new trailer that depicts the new Zombie mode in action.

With the introduction of Zombie Mode even toys can become zombies as infected players take on the role of a Zombie Toy with unique abilities to hunt players with uninfected toys.  Uninfected players will have all weapons available but may not have as much ammo as they are accustomed to playing with which may leave them vulnerable to a “Zombie Toy.”

“The new Zombie mode is great because not only does it introduce zombies into gameplay, but it also forces uninfected players to strategize with new weapons and less ammo than they are used to,” said Howard He, President of Rock Hippo Productions. “As players dive into the new Zombie mode they should also keep an eye out for news of some exciting upcoming events we have this month in celebration of the addictive new mode!”

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1ghvEHEfTg]

In order to fight off the hordes of toy zombies, players will have access to special Zombie Mode weapons. These will come in drop boxes randomly in the middle of a match, so players need to make sure to be the first to get to the box! There will be 4 new Zombie Mode weapons in total, each with their own unique ability.  Two of the new weapons to make their debut include the Firestorm and Blizzard; which both live up to their names!  The Firestorm lights up the competition in a blazing storm of fire, burning pesky zombies to a fine ash and zombies will freeze in fear at the chilly cold whirlwind of ice that the Blizzard dishes out!

MicroVolts features fast paced, third person shooter action and pits players against each other in a secret battle that has been waged and going unnoticed right in our own backyard for years.  No one knows for sure when or where the first toy declared war but rumor has it that the uprising began with four original limited edition figures, code named MicroVolts. Battle lines were drawn when Naomi, Knox, Pandora, and C.H.I.P. -the prototypes A -were soon joined by an endless number of modified versions. Now, toy figures around the world are engaged in an all-out war for valuable battery resources and supremacy of the Micro World.  All we can do now is stay out of their way and wait for a champion to be declared!

With a ton of weapons, inventive character designs, and a huge list of customization features, MicroVolts is destined to invigorate and re-energize the Free2play space. Intuitive controls and a third person view make the game easy to play and fun for both newcomers and veterans of shooter games.  Game modes include the brand new Zombie Mode, Free for ALL, Team Deathmatch, Item Match, Capture the Battery, and many more featuring various maps designed by toy concept.

Rock Hippo Productions Ltd is pleased to announce that its new Zombie Mode for the anime inspired third person MMO shooter, MicroVolts will launch next Thursday, May 5th. The much-anticipated feature will allow players to become “Zombified” and take on the role of a Zombie Toy in this popular third-person-shooter currently in open beta.

With the introduction of Zombie Mode, even toys can become zombies as infected players take on the role of a Zombie Toy with unique abilities to hunt players with uninfected toys.  Uninfected players will have all weapons available but may not have as much ammo as they are accustomed to playing with which may leave them vulnerable to a “Zombie Toy.”

In addition to the upcoming Zombie Mode, the MicroVolts online community hub continues to undergo updates to provide players with even more functionality.  Players now have the ability to directly compare their stats with friends and any MicroVolts player in the world!  In addition, achievements will be coming soon to the Club House along with the ability to share with friends, and competitive players can look forward to future updates taking their game to a whole new level.

“The unique style and variety of modes are some of the main components that make MicroVolts stand out from other shooters and throwing zombies into the mix makes it that much more fun,” said Howard He, President of Rock Hippo Productions. “We also know that the Club House is an important community hub for our players, so we are always striving to update it and give them features that help them interact with their fellow MicroVolts players.”

MicroVolts features fast paced, third person shooter action and pits players against each other in a secret battle that has been waged and going unnoticed right in our own backyard for years.  No one knows for sure when or where the first toy declared war but rumor has it that the uprising began with four original limited edition figures, code named MicroVolts. Battle lines were drawn when Naomi, Knox, Pandora, and C.H.I.P.-the prototypes a-were soon joined by an endless number of modified versions. Now, toy figures around the world are engaged in an all-out war for valuable battery resources and supremacy of the Micro World.  All we can do now is stay out of their way and wait for a champion to be declared!

With a ton of weapons, inventive character designs, and a huge list of customization features, MicroVolts is destined to invigorate and re-energize the Free2play space. Intuitive controls and a third person view make the game easy to play and fun for both newcomers and veterans of shooter games.  Game modes include Free for ALL, Team Deathmatch, Item Match, Capture the Battery, and many more featuring various maps designed by toy concept.

Deadline Extension: The final closing date for the Canada Media Fund English POV Program has been changed from May 9th to May 20th 2011.
Final Deadline: Online Registration for Canada 3.0 Forum closes today.
Live Tweets: Are you like me and couldn’t attend Merging Media? Follow the live tweets at #mergingmedia and #transmedia.

Source Studio has released their space shooter game ProtoGalaxy on Impulse for the PC, giving you arcade action, smart puzzles, space exploration and a built-in level editor for only $9.99.  In ProtoGalaxy, up to four players can team up, configure their ship and upgrade their weapons in order to defend Earth from powerful alien invaders. Throughout the game players will brave fierce battles, solve challenging puzzles and explore the far reaches of the galaxy in order to end the attacks and rebuild a home for the survivors.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_RwsKVdOxA]

“ProtoGalaxy is an intense space themed dungeon crawler,” said Alex Brown, company founder. “The game includes a built in editor which allows players to easily create entirely new levels. Players can share their creations online and download other people’s levels for endless game play,” Brown added.

Game features:

·         Level editor to create new galaxies
·         Single and multi-player mode (up to 4 players)
·         Array of weapon choice
·         Ship customization with large selection of parts
·         Use physics to solve problems
·         Includes free DLC: Proto Defense

Game publisher and distributor G4Box Inc. has announced the results of the donation drive for victims of the disaster in Japan hosted by its popular online military shooter, Cross Fire. G4Box and Cross Fire held the month-long “Cross Fire For Japan” charity drive from March 24th to April 24th and donated 10% of all sales of the game’s Panda and Japan Name Card Items to the Red Cross Japan Disaster Relief Fund. The Cross Fire player community showed their love and support for Japan by sporting Panda items and Japan Flag Name cards in-game and collectively helped Cross Fire and G4Box to donate more than $5,000 to the Red Cross Japan Disaster Relief Fund.

“The people affected by the tragedy in Japan are still facing so many tribulations and our community really stepped up to support them and donate to the cause during their time of need,” said Jason Yang, CEO of G4Box Inc. “We are lucky to have a very loyal and caring Cross Fire community who gladly supported this very important cause.”

Cross Fire is a free online military first-person shooter for Windows PCs. Players assume the role of either a Black List or Global Risk operative and compete in various modes of play including Team Death Match, the Mutant infested Mutation Mode, attack and defend Escape Mode, and the exclusive stealth-action Ghost Mode. Cross Fire includes a military ranking system, in-game friends lists, an integrated clan system, deep character customization options and social media integration via the Cross Fire website. Cross Fire is part of the Z8Games platform of free-to-play games.

Another Toronto publisher, Game Bridger Entertainment, has revealed two more playable character classes in its upcoming Free-to-play MMORPG Brawler, Aida Arenas. In these dual gameplay trailers, the Gladiator and the Priestess, after a brief warm-up, venture into Aida’s seedy underbelly to fight some baddies and round up some treasure.

When it comes to swords, the Gladiator has no problem wielding a blade almost twice his size. The bigger the better is his motto; just remember to hold on tight with both hands.  Overall, the Gladiator is a well-rounded class that can hold his own against monsters and arena PvPers alike.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcUzhG4PYak]

With her faithful pet Cocoli and a library of magical knowledge at her disposal, the Priestess comes equipped with a spell for just about any situation. On a story quest or in the competitive PvP arena, the Priestess is an essential part of any complete party.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n9wwv2B-aU]

Create a hero, explore dungeons, fight monsters,compete  with friends and discover hidden treasure in AIDA Arenas, the new MMORPG Brawler from GamerKraft. Combining elements of the classic beat ’em up arcade genre with the character progression and social features of modern MMORPGs – Aida Arenas offers an action-packed game-play experience unlike any you’ve seen before.

Well this makes me feel somewhat better, even though only one Canadian company made the Top Fifty list and most of these women started their businesses years ago. They aren’t currently trying to mash a whole slew of ideas into one cohesive business unit while trying to extricate oneself from an unrelated family business.  The Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), in partnership with American Express OPEN, the small business division of American Express, has released the fourth ranking of the 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned/led companies in North America. The Top 50 generated a combined $4.1 billion in 2010 revenues (mean of $82.7 million) and collectively employed 24,650 in 2010 (projected average for 2011 is 557 employees).

The lone Canadian company on this US-dominated list is SIMAC Canada, Inc., an Ontario-based company lead by President and CEO Gloria Bajkumar. SIMAC is a company that co-ordinates independent medical assessments.

“The Top 50 list includes a group of trailblazing women entrepreneurs who represent a variety of industries ranging from staffing to electronic systems providers, language services to security,” said Marsha Firestone, Ph. D., president and founder of the WPO. “We are pleased to partner with American Express OPEN to honor these powerful women and recognize their triumphs.”

In order to help the Top 50 continue to seize even more business opportunities, each of the honored business owners will be offered a Business Platinum Card⁽based on approvals) from American Express OPEN. The card will include 100,000 Membership Rewards® points, which may be used on capital investments including: the funding of employee recognition programs, business travel or the purchase of office equipment and supplies.

“Based on American Express OPEN’s ‘State of Women-Owned Businesses’ report, there are an estimated 8.1 million women-owned businesses in the United States, generating nearly $1.3 trillion in revenues and employing nearly 7.7 million people,” said Nancy Hood, Vice President at American Express OPEN. “We at OPEN are honored to support this elite group of women who diversify the full spectrum of industries and have become leaders within the women business community.”

All eligible companies were ranked according to a sales growth formula that combines percentage and absolute growth. From this list, the 50 Fastest were selected. To be qualified for the ranking, businesses are required to be privately held, woman-owned/led companies in the U.S. or Canada and have reached revenue of at least $500,000 by the first week of 2006 and $2 million in 2010.

More about the 2011 Top 50:

• Founded the Business: 90%
• Current CEO is actively involved in the day-to-day operations: 100%
• Average years in business: 16
• Average age: 47
• Average Number of Projected 2011 Employees: 557

All 50 companies will be honoured tonight at a special event hosted by American Express OPEN at the 2011 WPO Annual Conference taking place here in Vancouver. The awards reception will take place from 6:30PM to 9:30PM at the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel.