Village Gamer

Finally.

I’ve been waiting for months to have a go at TransGaming Studio’s upcoming title Kula Blox, in part because the studio staff have been taunting me mercilessly with each new iteration and character reveal. They haven’t been playing fair, to say the least – but I got my chance to try it on not just one, but two platforms at Casual Connect Seattle. Was it worth the wait? Most definitely. I really didn’t want to put it down, and I feel that this will be one of the top Canadian-made casual game titles of the year.

My first go-round with the game was on TransGaming’s GameTree TV platform, which puts games right on your smart TV. We don’t have a smart TV (we just got an LCD HDTV a few months ago – can’t rush these upgrades), so I was also getting a first look at this interesting new way to play. GameTree TV gives players the option of trying, renting, or purchasing casual game titles. Adding to the challenge was using the uWand controller, so this first play-through was a trifecta of new things to wrap my mind around.

I am impressed with the GameTree TV interface, which works via a set-top box to offer gamers a wide variety of titles. I watched many Casual Connect attendees pick up the controller and easily figure out how to pick and launch titles, as well as play them – no previous experience required. While I did get to spend a fair bit of time playing Kula Blox on GameTree, the title is still in development so the GameTree version was not yet fully optimized for the platform. Even still, the game has an over-all high appeal – the graphics are crisp and clear, the music is not annoying, and the sounds, while somewhat repetitive, were original and fit in well with the game’s environment.

When Kula Blox is released, it will be available for GameTree TV, Mac, PC, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Not that a release date has been confirmed as of yet; TransGaming Studios’ Creative Director Jason Azevedo would only commit to “late Summer but definitely by Fall” no matter how many times I tried to reword the question and get a confirmation from him. Unfortunately, if we go by this year’s west coast weather patterns, “late Summer” could be virtually never.  Although, it does appear to be summer today. Tomorrow could be a different story.

Kula Blox is an arcade-style game with a diverse cast of characters who have a habit of falling to Earth from some unknown skyward region. Perhaps they’ve been evicted from the Cloud. I’m not really sure. During this losing battle with gravity, players will use their animal character to eat up the other animals who are also falling through the air. There is a catch to this feeding frenzy, though. The player’s animal can only lunch on those animals which are smaller in stature while carefully avoiding those which are bigger. The bigger animals are rather persistent though, shadowing the player through the air, hoping for an easy meal.

Watching out for the big bullies isn’t the only obstacle, either. That would be too easy. There are branches and rock outcrops (depending on which map you’re playing through) to avoid – and while the developers were nice enough to put arrows on the screen to let you know that an obstacle is forthcoming, we gamers have been trained to believe that arrow paths are where we are supposed to go. Wrong. Don’t go there, you’ll get splatted and lose health.

There are also power-downs in addition to the traditional power-ups. Each animal has its own special power that you can use once it’s charged up, giving you a distinct advantage over the enemy. The universal power-ups give you things like a turtle shell helmet to keep the big bullies from turning you into a lunch entree while power-downs such as bear poop (yes, you read that correctly) do things like make your animal character smell. If you are unlucky enough to have fallen through the bear poop, the smaller animals will avoid you, making it harder for you to consume them so that you can grow big enough to take on the bullies. However, in my mind, this is somewhat illogical because poop is a fertilizer…

When you do finally reach ground you will land with a resounding crash, breaking several (or at least one) wooden crate. These crates contain different types of prizes such as gold coins to reward you for losing your battle with gravity. These coins can then in turn be used in the game’s store to purchase unlocks, which can also be accomplished through micro-transactions. None of the price points have been announced yet, which includes the purchase price as well as those for the in-game upgrades. I considered torture but I have a feeling TransGaming Studio’s Managing Director has ensured that the creative staff have a high tolerance to such measures, so I let that idea go.

Kula Blox gives gamers of all types and ages a challenge that is fun to pick up and play, whether it’s just for a few minutes or a few hours. The controls are very intuitive and allow the player to use either tilt mechanics or side-to-side pinball-styled touch controls. With GameTree TV, you could use either the controller’s side-to-side buttons or motion detection in place of touch control; they work in the same way. I found the pinball touch controls on the iPad easier to use, but that is just because I am rather inept with tilt and motion controls. Yes, I am one of those players; I prefer the Wii’s classic controller over the Wiimote.

I asked Jason where the concept for Kula Blox came from, and he told me that it actually started out as an entirely different game that was pitched during one of the studio’s “Pitch Your Game Day” events. These pitch days are often held at the end of a development cycle, and Kula Blox has retained some of the original ideas from that initial introduction. The quick, fun casualness of the concept stuck with the creative staff, and like their recent Garage, Inc. game release, Kula Blox feels fresh and new. It definitely has some of the characteristics of a casual game that I like – scores to beat, things to collect (or not collect, in the case of bear poop) and many levels to unlock and revisit.

I also tried to pin Jason down in trying to get him to choose between Garage, Inc. and Kula Blox, naming one of them as his favourite, but he wouldn’t commit to that either. He stated that the titles are like children, and he likes them both equally, but for different reasons. Not hard to tell he’s a parent – and he was a real trooper, too – he’d endured probably one of the worst flights from Toronto to Seattle ever, with a long flight delay and late luggage, but that didn’t put a dent in his humour or enthusiasm. In fact, everyone I met from TransGaming was very friendly, and as some of us had been conversing back and forth on Twitter for some time now, it was much like meeting up with a long-time friend. My only regret (aside from not getting away with the iPad & game) was that I couldn’t have stayed at Casual Connect for longer than one day, because I really wanted to play more Kula Blox and talk with everyone more about the studio and all of its aspects.

At launch, Kula Blox will have three distinct map areas – The Forest, The Jungle and The Savannah, each with its own characters, prizes and themes. I did pry a little bit of information out of Jason – there will be post-release updates with more items and levels. The only other pre-release information I could get out of him is that they are still working hard on some power balancing as well as polishing sounds and mechanics. Through my incessant pestering, TransGaming is also working on a video trailer for the game, which we will be showing in our booth (1018) next week at SIGGRAPH 2011 in Vancouver, along with trailers from several other Canadian studios.

EA has revealed an iconic lineup of international stars that will help launch EA Sports™ FIFA Soccer 12, winner of 20 “Best Sports Game of E3” awards, including the prestigious E3 Game Critics award.* Headlining the group of players is Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney and Real Madrid’s Kaká, who will be joined by stars Philippe Mexès in France, Gerard Piqué in Spain, Giampaolo Pazzini in Italy, Mats Hummels in Germany, Jack Wilshere in United Kingdom and many others all over the world to launch FIFA Soccer 12 on September 27 in North America and September 30 worldwide. The international stars will grace the cover of FIFA Soccer 12 packaging, be integrated into marketing and advertising campaigns, and utilized in social media activities around the world.

“This is an iconic group of players who all passionately play our game, and we are excited to have them speak to fans around the world about their own personal experiences playing the best sports game on the planet,” said Matt Bilbey, Vice President and GM of Soccer, EA Sports. “With all the accolades FIFA Soccer 12 has received so far we are confident we have the most authentic and highest quality game we have ever created, and these superstars will play an integral role in sharing their excitement for its highly anticipated launch.”

For the first time ever, Rooney will appear on the cover of FIFA Soccer 12 in North America. Rooney has won the England Player of the Year award twice, in 2008 and 2009, and played for the England national team in the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup. Today is the first of a series of announcements as the complete FIFA Soccer 12 player lineup is unveiled leading to the game’s launch. Rooney will be joined on the cover of FIFA Soccer 12 in North America by two additional players, and other stars will be revealed in other countries around the world.

FIFA Soccer 12 brings to the pitch the game-changing new Player Impact Engine, a physics engine built to deliver real-world physicality in every interaction on the pitch. Revolutionary gameplay innovations inspired by the real-world game make FIFA Soccer 12 deeper and more engaging. All-new Precision Dribbling creates a higher fidelity of touch on the ball for better control in tight spaces, more time to make decisions on attack, and more control over the pace of the game.

Innovations in attack are balanced by a re-designed defending mechanism called Tactical Defending, which fundamentally changes the approach to defending by placing equal importance on positioning, intercepting passes and tackling. Plus, players have been infused with Pro Player Intelligence, the next generation of player intelligence and performance.

FIFA Soccer 12 also introduces EA Sports Football Club—the heartbeat of FIFA Soccer 12. This live service is available at no additional cost and connects players to the real-world game with fresh, new content all the time, enabling them to support their favorite club and connect and compete with their friends, and millions of players around the world.

Not yet rated, FIFA Soccer 12 will be localized into 18 languages and available in 51 countries. It will be available for PlayStation®2 and PlayStation®3, PSP®, Xbox 360®, PC, Wii™, , Nintendo 3DS™, iPhone®, iPad™, and iPod® touch. The game will also be available for digital download on PC at Origin.

Rock Hippo Productions Ltd. has officially partnered with Valve’s Steam platform to distribute its two popular free-to-play games, MicroVolts and the upcoming Brawl Busters.  Both action-packed games will soon be available to Steam users and will offer all of the exciting benefits of Steam’s strong community features to a vast worldwide audience. Steam just began hosting free-to-play games this summer, and players can look forward to adding two more high-quality titles to their library.

“The online gameplay of MicroVolts and Brawl Busters make them a perfect fit for Steam, and we are thrilled to be among the first free-to-play games to launch on the platform,” said Howard He, President and CEO of Rock Hippo Productions. “We look forward to introducing both games to the millions of Steam users so they can experience all of the fun, excitement and non-stop action our games offer with all the ease of use that Steam provides.”

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 -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!  Featuring a ton of weapons, fresh character designs, and a huge list of customization features,

Game modes include Free for All, Team Deathmatch, Item Match, Capture the Battery, Zombie Mode and many more featuring various maps designed by toy concept. Players can also check out the recently released Summer Recharge patch that includes a brand new map, Magic Paper Land, new weapons and hot summer items such as a Pink Polka Dot Bikini that is sure to heat up the battlefield.

Brawl Busters is an upcoming action brawler that features competitive and co-operative battle modes all in a unique third person view. With its simple and intuitive controls, this easy to pick up and play game makes team strategy a must as player’s battle against each other or team up against computer controlled enemies.

Players will find five unique character classes including the Slugger, the Firefighter, the Rocker, the Boxer and finally, the Blitzer. With its signature funky visual style, the game will offer tons of exciting maps and will also feature a huge variety of customization options including body type, gender, weapons, costumes and accessories along with the ability to upgrade weapons and costumes with new abilities. Brawl Busters will feature an intense training mode, challenge missions, leaderboards and persistent stat tracking.

From the incredibly warped minds at Hothead Games comes Kickin Momma, a hilarious new game coming to iPhone ($1.99) and iPad ($3.99) this August 4th. In this latest title, players control Momma as she aims and drop-kicks her babies into a shiny field of jewels and gems. Once launched into the air, Momma’s helpful children will hit, bounce and ping off pegs like pinballs.

You may well ask why do these youngsters put up with this, and where are Child Protective Services? Well, in the classic cliche of overbearing mothers, Kickin Momma’s children will do anything to make her happy, including being kicked into fire, ice and explosive pegs and being booted around 36 fun-filled levels to find all the gems in the game’s 3 dynamic worlds, all because Momma wants a shiny new necklace.

Players can also earn Bronze, Silver, or Gold medals upon completion of each level, as well as unlock fashionable accessory items to dress up Momma. Momma can be pimped out with costume items such as kicking boots, a mustache, a crown, and even a monocle while questing for Momma’s most-wanted prize piece: a gem-encrusted necklace.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPVXBjF_a3A]

Game Center encourages masterful Mommas to compete with their friends for achievements or bragging rights to the highest place on the leader board. Prepare to kick the kids, collect the shiny gems and wear the necklace as everyone’s favourite Kickin Momma.

Toon Boom will be unveiling Toon Boom Harmony 9 & Storyboard PRO 3D at SIGGRAPH 2011, Booth 708. These ground-breaking applications skyrocket animation styles to untapped creative realms, offering mind-blowing digital capabilities to creators.

Toon Boom Harmony Highlights:

• Draw with pencil lines supporting textures and variable line thickness. • Deform images and drawings animated over time using advanced bone and curved deformers.
• Built-in particle effects and dozens more!
• 2D-3D import integration, 3 axes object transformation Toon Boom

Storyboard Pro 3D Highlights:

• Work with 3D space with Camera View, Top and Side Views to position your 2D drawing.
• Build your own 3D Library for reuse.
• Export project to 3D software using FBX format.
• Take advantage of Digital Storyboarding capabilities

Hothead Games is pleased to introduce Bob from Marketing, DeathSpank’s new co-op character in the upcoming action RPG, The Baconing, and I’ve come all the way from Spanktopia to impart a marketing message or two about my good friend’s almighty armaments – The Weapons of Justice.

Of course, these are no ordinary weapons – they are fueled by justice itself! When DeathSpank fills his Justice Meter, the weapons are capable of unleashing destruction like none the world has ever seen. You will not be disappointed as the game’s battle component improvements and all the expected USPs will deliver the added value as per the creator’s blue-sky vision!

The latest and greatest is the Drill of Justice, the ultimate in drilling technology. With a five-speed all metal transmission generating over 10,000 rpm, this baby is guaranteed to screw your enemies full of justice and major injury.

For long-range killing nothing can beat the Mobile Nuker, weapon of the future. Besides being able to bash evil in its smirking evil face, the Mobile Nuker has the ability to call in air support, raining destruction down upon DeathSpank’s enemies.

To keep you all on the hook, I also have some other armor images and Hero poses just to whet your media appetite! Exciting, extravagant, fierce, and full of synergy, DeathSpank will be ready for evil as he struts his stuff in confidence.

The Technocrat Armor is a high-tech armor set for your high-tech life. This is one of DeathSpank’s twenty armor sets, but remains of my favorites. Inspired from robotic policemen and 1950s cars, the Technocrat Armor set is truly remarkable at protecting your valued inside from the harsh outside.

The Pinstripe Platemail Armor outfits a protected hero in the latest gangster fashion. This set is complete with a fully functional felt fedora and fool’s gold coated in real gold and then another layer of fool’s gold. His accessories are the Perfectly Legal Bat and the Lucky Crossbow, which can shoot seven rapid-fire shots when fully charged.

With these trusty Weapons of Justice (and five spectacular others) plus an extensive wardrobe of armor, you can help DeathSpank and I vanquish the evil AntiSpank, and bring harmony back to Spanktopia!

The Baconing will be released on PC, Mac, and other platforms this summer.

Square Enix® interactive entertainment products and Eidos-Montreal are proud to announce that Deus Ex®: Human Revolution™ has “gone gold” and will be available in North American retail stores on August 23, 2011 (according to GameStop Canada). Deus Ex®: Human Revolution is the exciting debut title release for Eidos-Montreal. The game will be available for the PlayStation®3, the Xbox 360®  and Windows® PC, Steam® and OnLive®.

“We couldn’t be more excited that Deus Ex: Human Revolution has gone gold and will soon be in the hands of expectant gamers,” said Stephane D’Astous, general manager of Eidos-Montreal. “As the first release for Eidos-Montreal, it’s impossible to express how extremely proud we are of the final product and all of the hard work that went into its creation.”

The return to one of the most critically acclaimed video game franchises of all time, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is an action RPG that offers open-ended, hybrid gameplay.

Telling the story of Adam Jensen, a man cybernetically augmented against his choice who finds himself in the middle of a global conspiracy to which he holds the key, Deus Ex®: Human Revolution is set in a near-future world where humanity is at a turning point.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIqhx9B8HYA]

By offering players the chance to play the game in multiple and vastly different ways, Deus Ex: Human Revolution challenges the foundations of gaming and provides an immersive experience where every choice has a lasting consequence.

Following recent App Store policy changes imposed by Apple, Kobo has announced that development is underway on an HTML5 eReading web app. With the development of the HTML5 app, Kobo will continue to provide the most optimized experience for iOS users and users on other Kobo platforms.

Kobo is dedicated to an open-platform experience and believes that consumers should have the freedom to read on any device, at anytime, anyplace in the world. With the new HTML5 web app, Kobo remains committed to open solutions and extends eReading capabilities to a platform that can be quickly enhanced and updated with the latest eReading features and functionality. Kobo’s HTML5 app will not replace the company’s existing apps, but extend its read-across-any-device strategy to reach a broader set of users and add additional value for their current customer base.

Over the past weeks, Kobo has worked with Apple to create a solution that would benefit the iOS eReading community within Apple’s new App Store guidelines. Unfortunately, Apple has mandated that Kobo, along with all eBook retailers, substantially change the eReading experience for consumers by removing in-app access to the Kobo store.

Even after modification, Kobo’s hugely popular and heavily downloaded eReading iOS apps continue to offer powerful features in the new 4.5.1 version, from the Reading Life social platform to the app’s industry leading reading experience. Kobo users can continue to use the Kobo app to read existing books in their library, purchase new books from Kobo using any popular web browser and shop from Kobo’s selection of over 2.4 million eBooks – latest New York Times bestsellers, new releases and more. Any books purchased on Kobo.com are automatically updated in the iPhone or iPad Kobo app.

This change does not affect Kobo’s other free eReading apps, all of which retain the integrated eReading and in-app Kobo Store access. Kobo’s move to provide an HTML5 web app will offer additional convenience to consumers and deliver a rich and seamless experience to Kobo app users across platforms, including Android, RIM and HP WebOS.

“Kobo believes in providing an open platform for users, and our HTML5 development will support the company’s current app strategy to reach a broader base of users worldwide,” said Michael Serbinis, CEO, Kobo. “HTML5 allows us to add more features and update our popular Reading Life social experience far more quickly, providing an agile method to deliver advanced enhancements to consumers without limitation.”

Kobo continues to innovate, and the HTML5 app development will let Kobo users enjoy the best eReading experience worldwide, allowing consumers to read, browse, shop and share on dedicated eReaders, smartphones, tablets, netbooks, laptops and desktop computers. Kobo’s HTML5 web-based app will continue to offer the company’s popular, industry-leading features to readers around the world, as well as quick and easy access to Kobo’s massive eBook store of over 2.4 million titles. Kobo expects to launch the new HTML5 web app later this year.

EA Sports has released a first look video for the upcoming NBA Jam On Fire Edition, currently in development at EA Canada. NBA JAM: On Fire Edition will change the way players play this iconic franchise. All your favorite moves, spins and dunks are still available but now the game includes a host of gameplay improvements.

NBA JAM: On Fire Edition brings you even more to this basketball arcade classic.  Enhanced gameplay, ground breaking artificial intelligence and exciting online features continue to bring countless hours of enjoyment to this over-the-top experience.  The game will be available via digital download from Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network this October.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTwJ6mb3_Sk]

• Enhanced Gameplay — In addition to vast improvements to the core experience and more variety across the board, NBA JAM: On Fire Edition will include a Tag Mode where gamers can swamp players on the fly, Team Fire – the ability to ignite your entire team and Razzle Dazzle – special style moves that allow players to creatively express themselves in the midst of gameplay.
• Using the groundbreaking AI system from the Fight Night series, NBA JAM: On Fire Edition will feature more organic play giving gamers a less robotic and more real gameplay experience.  AI behavior will be based on Archetypes – Big Man, Forward, All-Rounder, Shooting Guard and Point Guard.  In addition, at any given time gamers have the option of playing against their own AI for the ultimate challenge.
• He’s Back!  – Boomshakalaka!  Legendary Tim Kitzrow is back and bringing more unforgettable calls for NBA JAM: On Fire Edition!

Ubisoft® has introduced Assassin’s Creed Embers, a new computer-generated animated short movie that will ship when Assassin’s Creed® Revelations hits store shelves on November 15th. Assassin’s Creed Embers expands on the final chapter of the life of master assassin Ezio Auditore and a journey that has spanned more than four decades.

The animated short, developed by UbiWorkshop, will be available with the Assassin’s Creed Revelations Signature Edition at GameStop for pre-order, and for download on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and on PlayStation®Network.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRaI7ros2nI]