Village Gamer

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.

Loblaw’s is launching a menu of unlimited monthly plans for the first time as PC® mobile products and services offer Canadian families brand name mobile phones and new options for simple, affordable plans.

“We’re offering Canadians a great selection of stylish mobile phones to choose from and the value they’ve come to expect from the President’s Choice® brand,” said Sandra Daniel, senior director, PC Telecom. “Starting this month, shoppers will have new flavours of Unlimited talk, text and tweet options to choose from.”

PC® mobile products and services are offered through many of Loblaw Companies Limited (Loblaw) banner stores across the country and now include great new ways for customers to get value for their hard-earned dollars:

• Unlimited plans starting as low as $15 per month and the first month for free
• Simplified plans with talk and text options to suit any budget for $15, $25 or $35 per month
• All monthly plans include UNLIMITED regular text messaging throughout North America and Unlimited
• PC® mobile Family Calling, letting customers reach out to other PC® mobile customers locally, any time of the day or night
• Plans stuffed with more value so that Canadian families can talk and text to their hearts’ content, without blowing the family budget

“We want to make life easier for Canadian families,” added Daniel. “With PC® mobile products and services, what you see is what you get. There are no zones, gimmicks or hidden costs – just Unlimited calling and texting options using brand name phones, easy on-the-spot comparisons and unparalleled value.”

The PC® mobile line of products and services were introduced by Loblaw in 2005. PC® mobile customers enjoy free voice mail, call display, call waiting, call forwarding and three-way calling as well as free incoming texts. In addition to new unlimited monthly plans, Canadians can count on their PC® mobile service to keep them connected, running on a network that serves over 96 percent of the Canadian population.

New PC® mobile customers can enjoy a limited time offer: With the activation of a PC® mobile $35 monthly plan and phone by June 30, customers will receive 150 local anytime minutes each month and free unlimited incoming calls for as long as the plan is active.

Toronto-based GoGoNews, the online news resource for children, has launched GoGoNews.com, an interactive web site featuring daily news for school children ages seven to 13 years old. GoGoNews.com features popular headlines from mainstream media with filtered content, informing children of global events while simultaneously protecting them from images and story details appropriate for more mature audiences. In addition to breaking news, GoGoNews covers Science, Art, Government, Politics and Geography, offering fun facts and stories that capture children’s attention and encourage exploration of new subjects.

Designed to provide parents and teachers with interesting topics to engage children in conversation and expand their knowledge, GoGoNews provides a safe means for addressing the harsh realities of today’s world. The site is organized in stories that are packed with facts but concise enough to keep young readers engaged and hungry for the next article. The news articles can be readily accessed with the site’s simple and intuitive navigation:

Headlines – covers breaking news
Cool & Fun – contains items like brain teasers, puzzles and jokes
Picks – is filled with editor’s and children’s recommendations on top books, toys, and gift ideas
Planet – feature interesting facts about space and the environment
Talk – provides a forum for kids and parents to post feedback, comments and ideas
Teach – offers  suggestions for parents and educators on how to approach difficult news topics and innovative ways to introduce new lessons

“We created GoGoNews to inform kids about world events in a safe manner, feeding their young, inquisitive minds with real news, while also protecting them from content that is too sophisticated or beyond their

Golnar Khosrowshahi

comprehension,” said Golnar Khosrowshahi, founder and editor in chief of GoGoNews. “As a parent, I want my children to grow up and be educated in a global context; to think of countries near and far as their neighbors who do things just a little differently. I believe that the next generation of leaders will be those who have grown up connected to the world around them intellectually, academically and socially. With GoGoNews, we are creating the opportunity for children to improve their literacy, gain a new vocabulary and learn about different people, countries, and cultures in a fun and entertaining format.”

Khosrowshahi started GoGoNews in 2007 for her then five-year-old twin daughters after they saw a newspaper cover with a devastating photograph of a little girl after an earthquake in Pakistan. Rather than ignoring her daughters’ ensuing questions and finding them an alternative distraction, Khosrowshahi explained earthquakes and the types of damage they can cause.

The interest, emotions and discussion that followed inspired Khosrowshahi to create a daily online newsletter for her girls. The result was a compilation of culled headlines and relevant data that encouraged conversation about what they read, learned and felt about the news. The newsletter quickly gained a following among family, friends and elementary schools and led to the creation of GoGoNews.com, which, unlike other similarly branded news sources geared for children, is updated 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Today, GoGoNews is compiled by an editorial team, with consultation and input from an advisory board that includes teachers, child psychologists, curriculum specialists and various educators who guide classroom discussion and materials and advise on the treatment of stories about natural disaster. GoGoNews is currently being syndicated to elementary schools throughout the United States and Canada via the newsletter, GoGo On The Go.

Denver-based MapQuest, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Inc. has just announced the launch of MapQuest.ca to provide accurate mapping tools and directions for Canadian addresses.

“MapQuest has been providing solutions to Canadian users to meet their trip-planning needs for years,” said Christian Dwyer, senior vice president and general manager, MapQuest. “The launch of MapQuest.ca speaks to the growing needs of Canadian consumers for MapQuest tools, including search results and Canadian-specific directions providing a localized experience.”

MapQuest.ca is a key part of MapQuest’s strategy of inspiring consumers to explore and discover while on their travel journeys. MapQuest also offers tailored opportunities for advertisers looking to engage users.

According to comScore’s 2010 Canada Year in Review (published March 2011), Canadians are one of the most engaged online audiences, ranking highest among the top markets in both average hours and visits per visitor. MapQuest’s new, dedicated site provides a better experience to users through customized features including precise search, advertising messages geared toward individual inquiries and needs, and directions defaulting to kilometers.

Additional information on Canadian users:

• Directories/Resources (where mapping is) grew 18% Y/Y and is a top category
• Canadian males spent the greatest amount of time on Directories sites, averaging more than 94 minutes per month in Q4 2010.
• Women spent double the amount of time on Photos and Directories sites when compared to Q4 2009

“Though Canadians have been using MapQuest for 15 years, the new site provides new inventory for advertisers looking to reach travelers in all stages of trip-planning and discovery,” said Graham Moysey, general manager, AOL Canada. “We’re thrilled to bring these enhanced, new opportunities to our current and prospective advertising customers.”

MapQuest.com also operates with 14 language localization options and 27 country-specific open-source mapping sites that harness crowd-sourced map data. The launch of the dedicated Canada site underscores AOL Canada’s continued commitment to the Canadian marketplace, coming on the heels of the recently announced IAB Portrait (formerly known as Project Devil), the new ad format that could transform online marketing and the announcement of a Canadian version of The Huffington Post.

New to the Banff World Media Festival this year is Deal Makers Live, a new pitch competition and market simulation reflecting the realities of creating, selling and making shows in 2011 that will see eight finalists pitch their concept, winning audience and judge approval. The competition is open to industry veterans, emerging producers, writers, digital thinkers – anyone who thinks they can deliver a great elevator pitch and then, if selected by the audience, hold their own in a 15-minute creative meeting with major international content gatekeepers. One gifted participant will win top marks and be named Ultimate Deal Maker in this exciting new live format, created by Allan Novak and co-produced with AllScreen Entertainment.

The eight finalists will be selected based on their response to the competition’s Creative Brief (PDF). The Brief lets you choose your own genre, star, brand partner and cross-platform approach from a short list of possibilities. These choices will form the backbone of the pitch, but turning these elements into a compelling project and selling it effectively is entirely up to the entrant. This pitch is not intended to become a real project, but is a vehicle to explore different ideas and approaches, and for the eight Deal Makers to show the audience and judges what they’ve got.

Jonathan Torrens will host the final event, when the eight pitchers will take the stage at Banff, going head-to-head in a high-profile, high-tech battle for the hearts and minds of both the expert panel and the live Banff audience.
With state-of-the-art surprises, world-class guests and exciting twists and turns along the way, Deal Makers Live promises to be an exhilarating race to the finish as the eight contestants are narrowed down to one final winner.

To format your entry, use the Creative Brief as your guide, completing the questions to create what will become your introductory pitch to the judges. Along with your entry, send the selection panel a short, one-minute video telling them why you should be chosen to present live on stage in the first ever Deal Makers Live Showcase. Show off your outstanding pitching style and creative prowess, and give the selection panel a taste of what the show’s judges and audience will be seeing on the pitching floor if you are selected. The panel has posted a sample entry form to get you started.

To enter the Deal Makers Live, you will need to create an account on the Banff World Media Festival site. Once your account is created, you can log in as necessary to revise your submission(s). In the case of multiple entries, you can share your user name and password with colleagues, so that others may also submit programs on behalf of the company.

Entries will be accepted until May 20th, 2011 and this competition is free to enter.

Vancouver Film School will be holding its 4th Annual Impact Awards Gala in a formal affair on May 9th at FiveSixty, 560 Seymour in Vancouver. Tickets for the event cost $10.00 each for food, entertainment and the award presentations. They are available from the Entertainment Business Management department, which is located on the third floor at the VFS 198 W. Hastings Street campus.

Award Categories and Nominees:

More Than The Sum Of Its Parts

• Compendium Vol. 2 Lotus Eaters
• Square One
• Miles Off Track Episode 2

Difference Maker

• Army Wives Calendar
• Autumn
• Beautiful One

Outstanding Performance

• Melissa Steblyk
• Patricia Carr
• Bobbilee Mercer

Zero to Sixty

• The Blast Light “Le B’Anana”
• Littering
• Achito

Outstanding Character Design

• Professor Gianotten & Doctor Casion in A Case of Stars and Daggers
• Sundown Castle
• The Qallupilluk

Public Enlightenment

• Big Brother PSA
• Quake Ready
• Earthquake Preparedness Infographic

Outstanding Emotional Impact

• I See You
• Edie and Me
• Little Hero

Outstanding Setting Design

• Gaia
• Sweetest Thing
• Gliese 851

Friend of VFS

• Doug Carnegie (Vancouver Props and Costumes)
• Jonas Young (Technicolor)
• Debbie Mahood

Technical Achievement

• Face of the War
• Compendium Volume 3
• Kettle Corn

Mission Impossible

• Sudoku
• War Torn
• Square One

Story Teller

• I See You
• The Notepad
• Zombie Chicken

Award Presenters include Sebastien De Carstell, Louise Lee, Ncholas Humphries and Peter Marshall
Sponsors for the Impact Awards include Five Sixty, Megabite, Hollynorth, Artistat, Delectable Events and London Drugs.

A group of university students in BC have developed and released a colourful and challenging math game for mobile iOS. BeanNcounters by Think At The Park offers 8 levels of difficulty ranging from Grade 1 to PhD, a Daily Challenge and a Leader Board for the mathematically gifted, which I am not. The estimated time to get through each level is around the 1 or 2 minute mark, but they do admit that the more difficult puzzles could take longer. BeanNcounters is available now for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad for $1.99 USD. It requires iOS 3.0 or later and is rated 4+. There will also be a version for Android, but a release date has not yet been announced.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hM60wP-q5g]

The development group also has two fundraising activities tied to the game. For every game purchased, they will donate 10 cents to Water.org, a charity ensuring sanitation and fresh drinking water for developing countries. The other contest is directed at various university clubs. For a one year period, each club has a special purchase code that they can give to fellow students, family and friends. Those people then enter the code when they buy the game, and this code translates into 50 cents for the club whose code is used. The contest seems easy to understand, but not easy to explain, so here’s the video explanation directly from the developers:

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

From Black Swan to Bones: The Work of LOOK Effects is an evening session event being presented by the Vancouver chapter of ACM SIGGRAPH. Being held at the VanCity Theatre on May 18th, the evening will feature a cash bar networking reception when the doors open at 6:30, prior to the main event, which begins at 7:00. Tickets are $15.00 for SIGGRAPH members, $25.00 for non-members, with Group Pricing available at a cost of $20.00 per ticket for groups of 5 or more. Please note that Group Pricing is available only through advance on-line purchasing.

The evening’s presentation will offer insight’s into the company’s most recent work, including Black Swan, Limitless, Bones. LOOK Effects co-founder and visual effects supervisor Henrik Fett will give attendees a peek at how and why LOOK does what they do so well. Mr. Fett supervises digital effects production both on-set and in post production, and he is highly-accomplished in live-action production, 3D animation and digital post production.

Among LOOK’s other film credits are The King’s Speech, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Step Up 3D, Just Wright, and Bounty Hunter. The studio’s television credits include Harry’s Law, No Ordinary Family, Bones, Lost, and the Emmy-nominated effects for Life After People.

This event is sponsored in part by Annex Pro.

Chicago-based Media Chaperone, developer of Piggyback – a first of its kind Facebook application that helps parents monitor their kids’ online game use – has announced a strategic partnership with Quebec’s Frima Studio. The partnership will provide tens of millions of parents the ability to monitor and reward their children’s online gaming activity while playing Frima developed games.

Media Chaperone’s Piggyback application provides parents with important information, parental controls and protection for their kids’ online game play and learning. Parents can obtain, in real-time, an overview (through a parent’s Facebook account) of how their children are navigating the web within online gaming environments, social networks, and virtual worlds—and can easily manage entertainment expenditures, add monies for tokens, credit for continued gaming, while monitoring online behavior.

Ed Lewis, CEO of Media Chaperone acknowledged the value of partnering with a market leader like Frima Studio, “We are thrilled to partner with Frima Studio. They are a premier game developer, understand kids’ game play and have built outstanding games for market leaders including Build-A-Bear, Warner Brothers and Nickelodeon.”

Piggyback simplifies the ability for parents to follow along with their kids’ online game behavior, social activities and learning success—and has already been integrated within several popular online gaming environments, social networks and virtual worlds including: Everloop, Planet Cazmo, Webosaurs Whyville, and Woozworld among others. Frima Studio will collaborate with Media Chaperone to integrate Piggyback into leading kids’ online games to enable incremental revenue for its clients.

“Our clients can now leverage Piggyback to give parents insights and understanding into their child’s online gaming all with built in rewards,” said Frima CEO Steve Couture. “Parent engagement is a key to success for any kids game developer.”

Ratrod Studio Inc. is proudly announcing their latest video game title “Hockey Fight Pro”. The game is presented in collaboration with hockeyfights.com the world’s largest hockey fight collection and community. This action packed title is now available worldwide for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. An Android and Mac OS version is also set to launch shortly.

Drop the gloves and test your skills in this unique 3D hockey fighting game. The game is rough and the stakes are high. Fueled by pride or desperation, when it’s game time, nothing else matters. Once the players are ready to engage, they are bound for an altercation.

Hockey Fight Pro is the only hockey fighting game available on the AppStore. Developed by Ratrod Studio Inc. this new title is now available worldwide on the AppStore for only 99 cents.

Hockey Fight Pro features stunning 3D graphics using the multi-touch capabilities of your device to simulate an authentic hockey fighting experience. Using an intuitive control system, fight your opponents on the ice by executing punch combinations and over 40 unique combos to master. The game includes universal high definition support for regular, retina and iPad resolutions.

Play often to improve your career stats and submit your records to a global cross-platform leaderboard and become one of the world’s toughest hockey fighters. The top 100 positions are also displayed on the leaderboard at the official Hockey Fight Pro game website.

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

Follow an interactive tutorial to learn the basics. Users can enter a tournament or use the quick fight mode to battle against 9 of the world’s most dangerous hockey fighters.

The game also includes a multiplayer mode where you can challenge a friend using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Post your results on Facebook and Twitter to claim your fame and expose your achievements. View your fighting stats and replay highlights to improve your skills.

Defeat opponents or complete over 14 unique achievements to gain additional respect points. Users are able to customize and fully upgrade their character’s attributes to improve their skills. Complete the game to unlock a special “hardcore” mode. So whether you are a casual or advanced gamer, you will be able to enjoy hours of challenging opponents to suit your skill set. The game soundtrack features music by Avery Watts album “The Takeover EP”.

Ratrod Studio recently announced a new publishing deal with mobile giant and online game operator “The9” which will be distributing a localized version of their Ratrod’s Android titles in China. Ratrod Studio will also be publishing Android titles with “Cyberhull LLC” which already started the distribution of Drift Mania Championship on all major US mobile carriers store front including Verizon, T-Mobile, H3G and Orange.

Several projects are in development including a long-awaited sequel to their popular Drift Mania Championship title which received over 5 million downloads across all platforms. Information on Ratrod Studio Inc.’s upcoming line of titles will be announced shortly.