Village Gamer

Released: Homefront from THQ is in stores today. The PC version of this game was developed in Canada by Digital Extremes, a small detail glaringly overlooked in many of the press releases sent out by THQ, including today’s launch releases.

Meetup: Vancouver Social Games will be holding a Meetup on March 23rd at The Revel Room.

Released: Endloop Systems has launched their latest title on the iTunes App Store. Chicken Balls HD for the iPad is currently on sale, so take this opportunity to join the fray as the bravest chicken this side of New Mexico. It’s the summer of 1947, you’ve just come back from the Great War and had hoped to hang up your flight cap for good. When a UFO crash lands just outside the nearby town of Roswell you knew you’d have to take to the skies – one more time. Chicken Balls is a puzzle game that makes use of both slingshot and pachinko-styled physics to help you save the planet.

Updated: Shaw Media’s Video On Demand app for the iPhone and iPod Touch lets you search through new releases, coming soon, comedies, dramas, thrillers, classics, TV series and more. Read a short description of your selection, hit order and turn on your TV to enjoy the show. New features in this update include:

• Let your friends know what you’re watching through Facebook, Twitter or Email.
• See which movies are Coming Soon to Shaw Video On Demand.
• Choose to be notified when selected Coming Soon movies are released (IOS 4.0+).
• User interface improvements to make finding content easier and faster.
• Auto-suggest in Search.
• View your order History.
• Indication of TV episodes that you’ve already watched.
• Foreign language filtering.
• Auto-loading of more items in lists.

Now if they could just add an “OMG I forgot to set the PVR” feature to this app…

Today’s trailer feature is for Prototype 2, currently in development at Vancouver’s Radical Entertainment.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7304jLR3E6s]

Nothing like a bird’s eye view of the big city.

Apply Now: Could your Canadian tech company be one of the nation’s Fast 50? Here’s the application and here’s the categories:

• Technology Fast 50^TM ranking – Recognizing the 50 fastest growing tech companies with the highest percentage revenue growth over five years.
• Companies-to-Watch award – Honouring younger, promising Canadian tech companies that are in business for less than 5 years.
• Technology Green 15^TM award – recognizes Canada’s leading GreenTech companies, including any technology that promotes a more efficient use and re-use of the earth’s resources in industrial production and consumption.
• Technology Fast 50^TM Leadership award – Their ability to create a distinct competitive advantage in a high-growth market allows them to dominate their sector and quickly join the ranks of other Canadian global leaders.  Chosen by Deloitte and its sponsors from the applicants to the Technology Fast 50^TM ranking, these companies are the elite members of the Canadian technology industry

Apply Before May 20th: The CBC Prime Time Television Program is tailored to address the individual’s creative & craft needs as well as the industry’s ever changing marketplace & business practices. Our residents gain a solid understanding of the importance of collaborative work and how to successfully marry creative inspiration with industry savoir-faire.

The curriculum of the CBC Prime Time Television Program takes the following approaches:

* Training on an individual, discipline specific and story department level.
* Individual mentorship, constant self analysis and critical feedback are central to developing a writer’s creative & professional integrity
* Strong business/career management skills are critical to their success and our priority is to arm our writers with confidence in their skills, an expanded network of peers, strong TV spec scripts and a viable original series package to shop.

The Canadian eLearning Enterprise Alliance (CeLEA) has introduced the first survey in what the Alliance hopes will become a regular series of surveys of the elearning landscape in Canada. This initial survey is intended to gather general information from a broad cross section of industry participants. CeLEA is particularly interested in the commercial elearning sector and in future surveys we will address specific issues, challenges and opportunities within that part of the eLearning industry.

If you or your company falls within this demographic, the Alliance would greatly appreciate a few moments of your time to respond to the survey. Responses will be collected over the coming few weeks, after which the results will be analyzed and a summary presented through the CeLEA web site.

The 8th edition of the Montreal International Game Summit (MIGS) will be held at the Hilton Bonaventure of Montreal this November 1st and 2nd. The MIGS team is seeking local and international game industry experts interested in presenting at MIGS and therefore contributing to the quality of the event. All session proposals must fall within one of the following five tracks: Arts & VFX, Business, Design, Production and Technology. Interested professionals can apply via the MIGS website before April 4th.

“Montreal Shines” is the new slogan for the 8th edition of the event. “This theme is full of meaning. It reminds people that Canada, thanks in part to Montreal, is now the third worldwide game development cluster. It also reflects the bubbling created by this gathering of industry professionals at MIGS, as well as its radiance on the global scene”, says Marie Claude Bernard, director of the event.

Last year, the MIGS welcomed more than 80 speakers from all over the world. “The 2010 edition was truly successful, thanks in great part to its substantial schedule. We’re aiming at no less than surpassing that success by offering an even richer one this year!”, proudly announces Ms Bernard.

Entries for the .CA Impact Awards are approaching the 500 mark. The Canadian Internet Registry Authority (CIRA) encourages other impactful websites to enter and compete for the chance of winning $5,000 and national recognition.

“The overwhelming number of entries has surpassed all of our expectations here at CIRA,” says CIRA’s president and CEO, Byron Holland. “This is proof that Canadians truly live in a society that values the importance of .CA websites.”

The .CA Impact Awards are designed to recognize youth, educators, not-for-profit organizations, small businesses, technology developers and web designers for their innovation, the quality of their work, and the impact of their .CA websites and applications.

There are only two weeks remaining to enter your website and have a chance at winning $5,000 and the recognition of being the most impactful .CA website in your category.

There are four broad categories for entries:

• Small Business – celebrating a company whose website or application has helped a business contribute to its community, foster sales or create jobs.
• eLearning – recognizing youth and educators who use their .CA website to share knowledge and promote education.
• Not-for-Profit – distinguishing an NGO or association whose website or application is making a difference in the lives of members, donors, or the public.
• Web Technology and Design – recognizing individuals and organizations for innovation and impact in enhancing the speed, reliability, practicality and/or security of the Internet for all users.

Entries for the awards will be received until 11:59 p.m. (PT) March 25, 2011. Judging takes place in April 2011 and the inaugural awards will be presented at the mesh Conference in Toronto on May 24, 2011, all expenses paid for the four winners.

Mood Media Corporation has  entered the Chinese market as part of its long-term global growth strategy. China’s booming retail sector represents a major opportunity for Mood Media to further deploy its in-store media solutions in one of the world’s fastest growing economies.

Lorne Abony, CEO and Chairman for Mood Media Corporation stated that “China presents a fantastic opportunity for our global expansion plans. While in-store media is mature and well understood in most territories around the world, it is still considered a new segment in China. This is changing quickly as Chinese retailers are starting to understand the substantial sales uplift a managed media service generates. We also know the timing is perfect for Mood Media to activate its expansion growth plan as aggressive measures are being undertaken by the Chinese government to enforce copyright protection and to legalize how media is reproduced and broadcast.”

Mood Media currently provides music services in China to Western brands such as Polo, Puma, Coach, Costa coffee and Hilton hotel group. The company is currently in discussions with many potential new Chinese partners. A key element of the initiative is to deepen its network of industry and government relationships that are required for navigating China’s complex regulatory environment.

Mood Media plans to become a key player in China’s vast and growing retail sector. In the first two months of this year China’s retail sales rose 15.8 percent year on year to 2.9018 trillion yuan (441.67 billion U.S. dollars), according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics.

The US Court action between Vancouver’s Destiny Media Technologies, Inc. and Toronto’s Yangaroo has concluded. Yangaroo had filed a complaint for patent infringement against Destiny on May 5 2009, claiming that Destiny’s Play MPE® secure distribution system infringed on their US patent number 7,529,712, issued the same day.

On June 7, 2010, the Honorable William C. Griesbach ruled in Destiny’s favor, directing the Clerk to dismiss Yangaroo’s claim in its entirety. Yangaroo appealed this decision, and on March 10^th, 2011 three circuit judges heard oral arguments in Washington DC and on March 14^th, affirmed the original decision, dismissing the lawsuit in its entirety. Destiny Media noted that it will be filing a motion for costs.

Manitoba’s new media industry has received a huge development injection with an announcement yesterday by The Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification, who revealed that the province will receive federal funding of $433,000 to help its new media industry grow and become more globally competitive.

“Our Government’s investment in New Media Manitoba will provide enormous benefits for Manitoba’s vibrant and growing digital economy, the economy of tomorrow,” said Minister Yelich. “This project will help our digital media sector to capitalize on global opportunities, while also meeting the evolving needs of local industries.”

Since 2006, Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) has invested close to $28 million in new media projects across the west to purchase and upgrade new media technology, improve its access for businesses, universities and Canadians, and to create more jobs for the industry.

New Media Manitoba (NMM) will use the funding from WD to help Manitoba’s digital media sector adapt its products, services and business processes to succeed in global markets, as this vibrant sector hits the world stage.

“We are thrilled with this announcement,” said Kevin Hnatiuk, Executive Director of New Media Manitoba. “The planned initiatives will support new media producers looking to grow their business, and create new prospects for graduates from digital media programs at the Universities and Colleges. Manitoba New Media Companies will now have new support and guidance to make a significant economic impact for themselves and their industry partners.”

The non-profit agency will work with its members to facilitate training opportunities, commercialize their products and services, improve business models and practices, identify new markets and become export-ready. NMM will also help to further the awareness and knowledge of the industry, while developing business relationships to support the growth of Manitoba’s digital media companies.

Canadian multimedia production and distribution company Distribution Access has launched their Business and Education Apps on the Apple iTunes Store. The apps are initially for the business and education markets with two pay-per-use apps, and one free app for the iPod, iPhone and iPad.

The apps enable delivery of a selected group of video content from the extensive Distribution Access library of over 15,000 educational and learning titles and provides significant value for both education and business training.

“We are pleased to provide yet another way to access our award-winning educational content. Creating new channels for teachers, business professionals and consumers to access our large library of content is key to our strategy for this year” said Doug Connolly, President of Distribution Access.

The new apps were developed in partnership with MoboVivo, a leading Canadian company that develops ‘Video and TV Everywhere solutions’ with adaptive streaming, ‘download guard’ and screen shifting for set-top boxes, Smart TVs, mobile, PC, and tablet delivery.

“The demand for video as a tool of education and business is large and growing,” said MoboVivo founder and CEO, Trevor Doerksen. “MoboVivo’s myScreens platform, which powers these apps, leverages video and social media to engage users in rich relationships.”

Since 1997, Distribution Access has been providing schools, libraries, businesses, community organizations and life-long learners with award-winning multi-platform productions on a wide variety of subjects. The company operates from offices in Toronto, Vancouver and Saint John, with over 50 agents and representatives worldwide.

Co-founder of  recently closed Vancouver game studio Propaganda Howard Donaldson has officially joined the team over at the Centre4Growth. An initiative of the BC Technology Industry Association (BCTIA), the Centre4Growth is a one-stop resource of complimentary services and programs designed to help BC technology entrepreneurs grow their companies. With access to support services including Education, Business Intelligence, Business Connect and the CEOs in Residence, opportunities abound for those looking to nurture their ventures into successful, viable corporations.

Mr. Donaldson joins the CEO-in-Residence team comprised of Neil McDonnell, Peter Payne and Bill Tam in Vancouver, with Rob Bennett, who is based in Victoria. Mr. Bennett is also the Business Coach for Victoria tech group VIATeC and also co-chair of the VIATeC Grow Op panel.

Interested parties are welcome to apply to the CEOs-in-Residence program, all you need to do is fill in the application, share your concerns and challenges, and the organization will respond usually within 5 business days.

Update: This Forum is at capacity for applications. The Centre4Growth is also presenting the Xcelerate Forum on March 30th. Fifteen companies will be invited to participate in this day-long seminar which will feature two mini-events:

Give Your Pitch – Deliver your 5-minute pitch to a panel of veteran panelists and hear their unabashed comments and recommendations.

Get Coaching – Choose from 15 private coaching sessions led by subject matter experts

as well as a full slate of sessions including:

Identifying the Marketing Opportunity
Planning and Execution
Raising Money
Alternative sources of Capital
Building Talent for Growth
Employment Contracts
First deals & partnerships
Managing IP and Patents
Corporate Structure
Structuring Licensing
Market Intelligence
Secrets of SR&ED
Customer Development
Building Sales
Lead Generation & Marketing
Governance

You could also spend 30 minutes with a panelist. Simply wow an Xcelerate Panelist and get an invitation for a private 30-minute meeting. Panelists for the forum include David Bookbinder (Managing Partner with Tandem Expansion Fund), Bill Bryant (Venture Partner with Draper Fisher Jurvetson) and Amos Michelson (Former CEO of Creo). There is a limit of four people from any one company – tickets are $300.00 each. Apply now to attend – only those companies who are chosen will be charged for tickets.

The Centre4Growth initiative is supported by the Federal and Provincial Governments through the British Columbia Ministry of Sciences and Universities, National Research Council Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), Western Economic Diversification Fund, the Discovery Foundation as well as with the support of industry partners Acetech, Active Network, Clark Wilson LLP, Custom House, Fasken Martineau, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Vancouver Economic Development Commission.

…and now that you probably have Manic Monday worming its way into your head…

Reminder to Developers: GameTreeTV is holding a competition with over $50 000.00 in prizes.

New: The National Film Board of Canada now has a free Android App to help you find, share and watch NFB productions.

Big Sandwich Games has confirmed a release date for the Steam version of their critically acclaimed strategy arcade game Hoard™, which puts up to four players in control of powerful dragons hoarding gold, frightening villagers and ransoming princesses.

Hoard™ will release via Steam for your PC and Mac on April 4th, and will retail for $9.99. Pre-sales will begin on March 21st with a limited time “fire-sale” discount of 25%. In addition, sharing with your friends is rewarded, as a 4-pack of Hoard™ can be purchased for the low price of $28.00. Steam Play is supported, meaning Steam users who own both a PC and a Mac only need buy the game once.

The Steam version includes the same fire-breathing fun as the console release plus some brand new features. The game has 4 modes, over 35 levels, leaderboards, full multiplayer suites (4-player co-op and competitive), and 100+ Steam achievements. In addition, never seen-before features such as Night Mode (for vibrant fiery goodness), a Winter tile set, and new maps are added as a reward for PC and Mac fans’ patience. Finally, cross-play allows PC and Mac users to compete or cooperate in their quests for gold.

“Hoard™ is a great fit for Steam’s vibrant player community,” says Tyler Sigman, the game’s designer. “We’re thrilled to finally confirm a date, and look forward to seeing a lot of dragons flying around on April 4!”

The game’s innovative design and addictive combination of action and strategy earned it a “Best Quick Fix” award and a nomination for “Best Competitive Multiplayer” in IGN’s Best of 2010 Awards. Joystiq says “Hoard’s gameplay shines,” and 1UP reports “the game hides a surprising layer of complexity and strategy.” Ars Technica quips it “will keep you scorching villages for hours on end.” Village Gamer hasn’t played Hoard yet, but we’ll let you know what we think once we do.

There is now a Wii Demo Version for Digital Leisure’s Mix Superstar in the WiiWare store, with the full version available for 500 Wii Points. Mix Superstar lets you create, mix and record your own royalty-free musical masterpieces right on your Wii console. There are more than 1,000 Dance, Hip Hop and Techno loops included across multiple instruments like Drum, Bass, Synth, Guitar and even voice tracks. Once you’ve got that next hit created, it’s time to show it off. Mix Superstar allows you to export your music creations, and download them to your computer so you can take them on the go. You can also use the WiiConnect24 service to send those hits to your Wii friends who own the game, and even collaborate on mixes. Also included is full support for both the Logitech® USB Microphone and the Wii Speak™ accessory (sold separately) so you can lay down your own vocals. Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play service even allows you to enhance your music creation experience with additional loop packs from a variety of genres. Mix Superstar is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB – now go on and make some noise.

Fluik Entertainment is very excited to announce the release of Gunner Galaxies and Gunner Galaxies HD for iPad. The studio had earlier teased that the game would be cheap. Well, it is – so cheap, in fact, that the price vanished entirely. Yes, Gunner Galaxies is free, and packs a ton of gameplay and features.

Activate weapon systems and blast your way to wealth and power in Gunner Galaxies, Fluik’s follow-up to the best-selling Gunner. Work your way up the ranks as you mine asteroid fields for the treasure and crystal buried within. It’s a dangerous business, of course, but you can always upgrade your ship to turn your ship into an unstoppable destructive force! Gunner Galaxies is classic arcade action updated for the 21st century and beyond. Strap yourself in, but don’t get cocky.

Game Features:

– 25 missions spanning 4 different galaxies
– Over 120 different upgrades for your ship and lasers
– Over 140 achievements for you to achieve
– Loads of power-ups and abilities to keep the rocks crumbling

We haven’t played this game yet either, but Behaviour’s Rango The Videogame has been hailed by critics as “visually stunning” (IGN) and “biggest surprise of the year” with 5/5 game score (Pixel Perfect). Now players can show their love for the Wild West with new Rango-themed Avatar Outfits and sidekicks which can be found on the Xbox 360 in the “Lifestyle” section of Avatar Marketplace.

Rango Hats and T-shirts for 80 Microsoft Points

• Sheriff Hat
• Mariachi Hat
• Bucket Hat
• Mr. Timms T-Shirt
• Rango T-Shirt

Rango Props for 160 Microsoft Points

• Sheriff Costume
• Rango Hawaiian Shirt
• Rango Hoodie

Rango Items for 240 Microsoft Points

• Rango Head Mask
• Rango Animation pet (character prop)
• Owl Mariachi Band pet (character prop)
• Rattlesnake Jake pet (character prop)

Rango The Videogame is an action-adventure game inspired by Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Movies animated feature film, Rango in theaters nationwide . The family-friendly game captures the spirit and humor of the movie, with an extended storyline that goes beyond the vivid world of Dirt. Players of all ages will interact with the residents of Dirt as they make their way through Rango’s all new tall tales of adventure, brimming with intense action and outlandish scenarios. Rango The Videogame is ESRB rated “E” for Everyone on Nintendo DS, and “E10+” on Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

Good Guy Robots has released a Windows Phone 7 version of its mind-boggling puzzle game Codex. Available now in the Zune store. There is a free trial version with the full game available for 99 cents USD. Codex features 30 mind bending levels embellished by stunning visuals and a beautiful custom sound track.

The objective of the game is to solve each puzzle in the fewest number of moves in order to earn medals. Solving a puzzle involves shifting rows and columns of scrambled tiles to match the puzzle key pattern. Each shift counts as a move until the puzzle is solved and the number of moves you make determines the kind of medal you earn – bronze, silver or gold. Finishing the puzzle in the fewest known moves earns you a gold medal.

I have the Xbox 360 version of Codex, and I have yet to make it through all of the puzzles. They are very challenging, and I used this game as a test on my parents, who have no interest in playing video games at all. It was interesting to note that my Mom picked up the mechanics of the controller faster than my Dad, but it was my Dad who completed the most puzzles. He likes puzzle games like those metal “get the ring off of these welded together pieces” puzzles you can buy in stores, I believe that if he had access to a 360 or owned a smartphone, he would be attempting this game when no one else was around.

The 360 version of Codex has been nominated in several categories for this year’s Canadian Video Game Awards, and while the developers are hesitant to say they deserve such nominations, I feel that the game is in fact innovative and can stand on its own merits. If you’d like to try the 360 version, there is a trial version and the full version is available in Xbox Live Indie Games Marketplace for 80 MS Points.

Some standout features in the game are:

* Rotary dials for level selection is very satisfying on a touch screen device
* The Soundtrack is outstanding. Music was composed for the game by the following super talented artists:

o Westcoast Requiem – Terence Mazon and Ariana Bliek
o Illest Orchestra – Mr Famous (aka Ryan Bantog)

* Game can be played in any orientation portrait or landscape, the text will auto rotate with the option to lock a rotation in the settings.
* When you play your own music and launch the game it will display track/artist info in game.
* The game always starts at the last puzzle you attempted
* The tutorial on the first level purposely gives you the silver solution so that you can go back and try for gold. The player really understands how to play when they figure out how dumb the tutorial suggestion is for the last move.

You can also listen to your own music while you play the 360 version of Codex – the game’s background assets react to music, adding another level of visuals to the player experience. If you reset a puzzle, it doesn’t go back to the same one, you get a whole new puzzle to solve, which adds more to the replayability factor of the game. There is also a mood meter and a timer – all of which work in conjunction with the earning of medals. Even though Codex is essentially a single player game, it really does make a good party game when everyone gets in on the attempts to win gold medals – and every puzzle has more than one solution. You will need to channel your inner patience skills to make it through all of the levels. There is no rushing through Codex, and just so the rest of you can become addicted to this incredibly challenging game, it will be available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android in the near future.

I gained early access to Arctic Empire’s latest game, Galaxy Express, which has now launched in the iTunes App Store. This latest release is a puzzle game that features main character Jonathan Rowe, whose task is to deliver packages to the many planets sprinkled throughout the galaxy. He has a cranky boss named Mr. Bluckerman and a cheeky robotic assistant named Kim-Bot. As the game progresses, you are introduced to enemies who are trying to interfere with the smooth flow of courier activities in outer space. First you encounter a former childhood acquaintance who has embraced the pirating way of life – hopefully you are able to successfully fend him off this time, but you know he’ll be back for more, because pirates don’t like to admit defeat, and he’s going to bring friends.

You will also need to out-maneuver The Enemy – nasty little spaceships that will cause your ship to blow up on impact. Some puzzles require that you alter your own course, while others require altering that of The Enemy and still others require a combined solution. As the levels get progressively harder and you run into little obstacles like cannons, you will be thankful that there is no instant death time-limit nor a limit on the number of lives you have. Some puzzles will take a lot of hit and miss (remember, in the case of The Enemy, miss is a good thing) in order to figure out their solutions. I’ve also discovered that even though some puzzles seem really complicated, the solution is usually very, very simple – these will often bring on a *facepalm* moment when you realize how simple that particular puzzle really was. Well you might not, but I have.

The first 30 levels of the game are available for free, but you can unlock a further 75 levels with a $2.99 USD in-app purchase, and I recommend unlocking the additional levels if you are a puzzle addict, because they will challenge you right to the end. Upgrading to the full version also means you will receive all future game updates and any new puzzles the studio creates. On the start screen you will also see that the studio is planning on giving players the ability to build their own levels with an in-game level builder, as well as bonus levels.

Galaxy Express is compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch (it works well on my 2nd gen model) and the iPad, providing you are running iOS 4.1 or newer. The graphics are of good quality, and you do have the option of skipping the 2D retro-styled story screens, not that I would recommend this as several of them contain important information on how to combat the enemies. If you do need to look for a tutorial, all of those levels are marked with a “T” which makes things a tad easier as they explain the new game mechanics you will encounter.

The audio and soundtrack for the game are of good quality and not the least bit irritating. That said, you do not need the sound enabled to play the game, and while Galaxy Express has been configured for low battery usage, being able to turn off the audio eases battery use just a little bit more. The controls for the game are very easy to understand and use. You can also set the speed with which your ship will move through the puzzle – just remember that all of The Enemy ships, cannonballs and other interferences will move at the same speed as you – so other than navigating the puzzle faster, there isn’t really any advantage.

The developers have also added the ability to share puzzle solutions via email, Facebook and Twitter, and you can also ask for help via this same method if you’re really, really stuck. I personally haven’t used these options for sharing or asking for help, but they are nice additional features for the game. There is no scoring system, so you are not competing for ownership of a leaderboard, however if you’re playing against friends, you can always see who can solve the puzzle first simply by solving, sharing the solution and see who posted it first. The only challenge feature I’d like to see added is a time-keeper – not to penalize a player for not solving a puzzle in time, but to keep track of how quickly the player can solve the puzzle, thereby opening the challenge of beating one’s personal times.  That said, even if you’ve solved the puzzles, Galaxy Express does have a good replayability factor.

Overall, I give Galaxy Express a 9.5 out of 10 – if there had been a personal timekeeper and if the toolbar were movable (for those of us who are left-handed), it would have earned a full 10 – although these two features are not game-breakers for me.  I can still easily access the toolbar for what I need to do in order to play the game, it’s a personal preference.

Last Chance: Registration for the Great Canadian Appathon closes at 5pm tonight.

Last week during IUGO’s GDC Smartphone Summit Session, their VP of Biz Dev, Sarah Thomson, announced IUGO’s latest social game venture; Sunshine Cruise Lines. IUGO’s first social title, Lil’ Pirates (published by Capcom Mobile), launched in November 2010 and was a breakout success earning accolades from users, critics and fellow industry colleagues alike. Lil’ Pirates went on to win Pocketgamer’s best FREEmium title of 2011.

Having proved their chops as a solid social game developer, IUGO plans to launch several social titles during the course of 2011/2012. “Lil’ Pirates was a great experience for us,” enthuses Thomson. “We saw that we could build a unique experience that users loved. It was amazing to see how “into” the game players got. On top of that, the game was monetizing really well solely from virtual items, which was a testament to our design strengths as a studio,” Sarah adds.

“Now, with Sunshine Cruise Lines, the team is super excited to build a game around a theme that appeals to virtually everyone: Travel,” offers Thomson. Setting sail later this Spring/early Summer of 2011, Sunshine Cruise Lines is a FREEmium game in which players manage their own cruise ship while traveling the world. “There is so much we can do with this theme,” she explains. “This is an opportunity for us to play on users’ imaginations while having the world at their fingertips. Players will find the game familiar and easy to play as we’ve kept a foundation of tried and true mechanics. But the team has been really amped to try new things in Cruise,” alludes Sarah. “With Cruise players will enjoy a more dynamic environment that encourages experimentation. Players will have a number of different options for how to make their cruise ship unique, while offering deeper social interaction. The team is focused on making every facet of the Cruise experience special and fun from the art style, the UI, the audio to how they all tie in and enhance each other. We can’t wait for people to play our game!”

Don’t get caught dead in that island wear, it’s so last season! Quebec’s Frima Studio and SFO’s Bolt Creative have announced that the Pygmies of Pocket God on Facebook have arrived dressed to impress with Episode IV: Dressed to Kill. This latest addition to the Pocket God world introduces new items, including St. Patrick’s Day accessories, as well as a new dance taking the island by lightning storm.

Since its debut in December 2010, the Facebook version of Pocket God has grown exponentially and is attracting more players every month. More than 40 million loyal, unquestioning Pygmies have met their demise over that time, with two million of those being sacrificed by volcano alone (that’s approximately the same amount of people who visit Pompeii every year – coincidence?). Another two million sacrifices can be attributed to friends on Facebook sacrificing other friends in a host of brutal and irreverent ways, including electrocution, shark attack, venus fly traps, tornados, tar pits, and more! What good is a friend if you can’t sacrifice them every once in a while?

The new updates for Dressed to Kill include:

• All New Customizations: Fans have been waiting for the chance to dress up their Pygmies and the time has come! Pygmies can now be customized in a variety of ways, including wearing t-shirts, bow ties, life jackets (no worries, they won’t actually work), an oh-so-taboo censor bar, and more!
• All New YPDA (Youth Pygmy Devotee Association) Dance: It’s fun to hang with the Y-P-D-A! Even though the Pygmies constantly meet death, it doesn’t dampen their spirits, and they’re now prepared to show the world their latest dance craze. Go ahead and join in already, we swear no one is watching!
• St. Patrick’s Day-themed Items: For the Pygmy leprechaun in all of us, players can now customize their favorite faithful followers with holiday-themed items such as clover hair ties and fashionable green suspenders to hold that grass skirt up. Players can also do a little jig with the new St. Patrick’s Day dance. All holiday-themed content is available for a limited time.
• Brand New Quests: Of course, we have added more quests for all the deities out there looking to bring their sacrifice count to an all-time high.

The National Lacrosse League, which is comprised of teams from Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto (along with some American teams) has announced that NLL 11, the NLL’s officially licensed video game by Pittsburgh’s Crosse Studio in conjunction with Guelph’s Stir Fry Games, is in development for release this spring on Xbox 360’s Indie Game Channel.

The game will feature all ten NLL teams and the league’s 230 players, a completely new game engine, franchise mode, player statistics, celebrations and much more. For the first time, NLL 11 will include fighting in the video game. NLL Lacrosse 2011 will be available on the Xbox 360’s Indie Game Channel and will be priced at $5.00 USD.

While you’re waiting for NLL11 to debut, you could check out Stir Fry’s latest game, Office Brawlers, which is available on Xbox Live Indie Games. You can try it before you buy it, the price is 240 MS Points. Playing as your Avatar, you fight your way through Story Mode with 11 crazy weapons. You can play against your friends either on or off-line. Be the greatest Office Brawler of all time and achieve the highest score by playing in Survival Mode.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgxG-CHPlXE]

What started out as a very small Meetup group for independent developers in the Vancouver area has now become Full Indie. The new group was unveiled to a packed house of over 100 developers at Tuesday night’s monthly event for what is now the largest collective for independent game creators in Vancouver.

In May 2010, game developers Jake Birkett and Alex Vostrov founded the aforementioned Meetup group in order to connect with their peers. After only nine meetings with overwhelming event attendance and community input, Jake and Alex agreed that a formal brand, mission and web presence were the next logical steps. The group’s mandate will be to continue with its very successful monthly events which include presentations and networking as well as develop the Full Indie web site as a community-sourced endeavour, with centralized resources to assist indie developers not only in Vancouver, but around the world, with the development, publishing and publicizing of their work.

In keeping with the National Film Board’s commitment to digital production, and reflecting the evolution of audiences into dynamic participants, the eastern section of the NFB Mediatheque in Toronto is currently being transformed into an interactive hub that will provide new ways to connect with the NFB. Its redesign guided by the principle of engaging and communicating with Canadians, this area of the Mediatheque will soon offer access to , where visitors can check out recent web-based projects via the NFB Interactive portal, the Online Screening Room featuring more than 1,800 streaming films, and news and information about the NFB.

This flexible new space will also be outfitted with ceiling-mounted projectors, floor-to-ceiling screens and a state-of-the-art audio system, providing a venue for innovative new content such as participatory programming and immersive multimedia installations based on NFB online productions. The space will also host exhibits and screenings; its resources will be creatively incorporated into the Mediatheque’s many workshops and camps, and it can be tailored for private event rental. A webcam-enhanced touchscreen will allow the public to further connect with the NFB and record instant feedback on their experience such as film reviews, workshop recommendations and programming suggestions. Visitors will continue to enjoy over 5,500 NFB titles on free digital viewing stations, and services and events at the Mediatheque will not be affected. This new area will open to the public in early April, 2011.

This is a good start, but doesn’t go nearly far enough; I hope that MP Tony Clement will keep the pressure up in regards to telecom pricing in all areas:

In response to numerous requests, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today clarified the form and scope of its proceeding to review wholesale residential high-speed Internet access services, which was launched on February 8, 2011.

Canadians will have an opportunity to share their views at a public hearing starting on July 11^th in Gatineau, Que. The CRTC will also hold an online consultation. Details of both the hearing and consultation will be announced shortly.

Although the scope of the proceeding will not be limited to reviewing usage-based billing proposals, the CRTC intends to focus on issues such as:

• usage-based charges, whether aggregated between the Small Internet service providers (Small ISPs) or applied to each Small ISP
• usage-based charges driven by peak traffic periods, and
• an examination of network capacity and congestion.

The CRTC will not be expanding the scope, as requested by several parties, to include the billing practices for retail Internet services. There is no evidence that market forces are not working properly in this unregulated market.

Finally, the CRTC will not review, as was also requested by several parties, the overall regulatory framework for wholesale high-speed Internet access services. The overall framework was not part of the decision that is being reviewed, and it would not be appropriate to initiate such a wide-ranging review within the current proceeding.

Telefilm Canada announced today that the agency is embarking on a broad initiative intended to deliver on the primary objective of its new corporate plan: stimulating demand for Canadian content. The underlying principles of its new corporate plan were unveiled by Telefilm’s Chair, Michel Roy, and Executive Director, Carolle Brabant, during the organization’s annual public assembly held last December in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

“Telefilm wants to create a groundswell in favour of Canadian content,” Carolle Brabant reiterated today. “The current success of Canadian films provides an ideal context for achieving this initiative, provided we put the necessary effort behind it. I am delighted that the Canada Media Fund (CMF) is joining us in this major endeavour and that Valerie Creighton has accepted Telefilm’s offer to lead this project.”

“This initiative underlines the Canada Media Fund’s expanded mandate for the marketing and promotion of Canadian content. One of the Fund’s strategic objectives is to reward the success of our rich and compelling Canadian ideas, stories and creative content,” stated Valerie Creighton, President and CEO of the CMF. “The initiative will build on past success and explore new and innovative ways to ensure content is more widely accessible and stimulate demand for Canadian stories.”

Brabant and Creighton are of one mind that the time has come to leverage the success and investment in our content. The project will look to industry expertise from the production, broadcast and distribution sectors as well as other agencies to work towards a cohesive strategy that positions Canadian content in the forefront, and that will explore and leverage the opportunities offered by multi-platform digital distribution and social media.

The strategy to be developed will be grounded in the rich cultural and entrepreneurial vitality of Canada’s provinces and territories. Advice and engagement will be sought from the Telefilm staff, industry, elected officials, business as well as other community leaders and influencers in cities and towns throughout the country.

The goal is to establish dynamic public-private partnerships, to generate innovative ideas and locally tailored solutions to improve the visibility of, and demand for all Canadian content: feature film, television and interactive digital media.

In parallel to the work undertaken at the local level, initiatives will also be developed to track, promote and further enable the international success of Canadian film, television and interactive digital media projects, including co-productions, reinforcing the industry’s dual role as the window on the vibrancy of Canadian culture and as a significant driver of the Canadian economy.

“With the launch of this initiative in April 2011, our objective is to further support the expression of Canadian culture by enabling a broader local and international reach of compelling content,” stated Carolle Brabant. “This in turn will provide economic and cultural benefits to Canadians and develop a pride of ownership in the investment, success and impact of Canadian content.”

Meanwhile, I recently found out about two BC Film funding opportunities from Toronto digital media business analyst and producer Sasha Boersma. I did reach out to the BC Film for more information than what was available on their web site, but have not yet received a response.

The BC Film’s Digital Media Development Envelope is a one year pilot program created in partnership between British Columbia Film and the BC Arts Council with funding provided by the 2010 Sports and Arts Legacy. The program is intended to provide film or television based entertainment companies with an envelope of money to support a range of eligible interactive digital media activities. The funding is a non-recoupable advance of up to $25,000 and does not require matching funding or market support to trigger eligibility. Applications are reviewed through a competitive, subjective process. Please note that the deadline to apply for this initiative is March 14th, which is Monday. There goes your weekend.

The Interactive Fund is a one year pilot program created in partnership between British Columbia Film and the BC Arts Council with funding provided by the 2010 Sports and Arts Legacy. The program  is intended to support the production of high quality, original, interactive digital media content owned and controlled by BC companies or individuals. The funding is a non-recoupable advance of up to $50,000 and does not require matching funding or market support to trigger eligibility. Applications are reviewed through a competitive, subjective process, and the deadline to apply for this initiative is March 31st, so you have a little more breathing room for this fund.

For more specific information regarding either the Interactive Fund or the Digital Media Development Envelope, please contact Business Analyst Erika Kumar at the BC Film office.

Register Now: The Great Canadian Appathon happens this weekend, don’t miss out on this opportunity for some collaborative learning and great prizes.

Congratulations to our friends over at Greedy Productions – the studio announced this morning that Electric Playground and Reviews on the Run now have an additional slot on CityTV Vancouver and will begin airing from 6-7pm nightly in addition to the 12-1pm & 11pm-12am time slots.

Footloose Games has launched Munchies Lunch, a game that the Cavechild took a look at back in December. Munchies Lunch is a puzzle game that involves some quick and clever maneuvering of your characters in order to avoid becoming a monstrous lunch entree for the Hungries, the story’s bad guys. The game’s premise is that you must lead your family away from the dangerous Hungries who are invading your forest dwelling. Travel the world to find safety in the far-away jungles, gathering food and power-ups for your family while eluding those nasty Hungries. Available now for Windows XP,  Vista and Windows 7, you can try the family-friendly Munchies Lunch before you buy it. With the low price tag of only $5.99 and a high replayability factor, Munchies Lunch offers good value for its price.

Additional System Requirements for Munchies Lunch:

CPU: 1 Ghz
Ram: 512 MB
Hard-Drive Space: 150 MB
Video Card: Must support Pixel/Vertex Shader 1.1

Most of you already know this, but I’m going to share it anyway. Science fiction novelist, blogger, and technology activist Cory Doctorow has been selected to present one of the keynote presentations at SIGGRAPH 2011, the 38th International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques taking place this August 7th-11th at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Di-o-matic is offering a free 85+ minutes masterclass, where viewers will learn many key techniques from modeling to rigging as well as animation using Autodesk 3ds max, MotionBuilder, FBX, Mudbox and Softimage FaceRobot as well as Di-O-Matic Facial Studio, Morph-O-Matic and Maskarad. As an Autodesk Authorized Developer, Di-O-Matic earlier announced that new versions of all Di-O-Matic plugins will be made available shortly after the release of Autodesk’s 3ds max 2012, Maya 2012 and Softimage 2012.

comScore is pleased to announce the release of the 2010 Canada Digital Year in Review, its annual report on the prevailing digital trends of the past year and their implications for navigating the uncertainties in the year ahead. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the digital landscape in Canada including overall Internet usage, high-growth categories, online advertising, video and search.

* How are Canadians consuming digital media, and how does this compare to other countries?
* Which trends dominated the digital landscape in 2010?
* How does media consumption differ across age and gender segments?
* What trends are we seeing in the social networking space, and what impact does that have on email activity?
* How has digital advertising shifted in the last year, and how has social media played a part?
* Which content categories are serving up the most videos? Who’s watching online video in Canada?
* What is the current state of the search market?
* How will mobile media consumption in Canada stack up against other markets?

Not surprisingly, the key motivator for consumers to pirate films and television programs is the reward of free content. But aside from the traditional reason of price, leading factors also include consumers’ desire for earlier access, a perception that “everyone is doing it” and the explosion of free content available online. This is according to PwC’s new piracy study from its US consumer research program measuring consumer attitudes towards piracy and related behaviours.

At the same time, consumers in Canada are being faced with escalating access fees and the usage based billing debate is ongoing. “Usage based billing if a reality will push consumers back to traditional and payment based methods of consuming content,” says Michael Paterson, a partner in PwC’s Canadian Entertainment & Media group.

Among key findings in the PwC study:

* 81% of the consumers who admit to pirating TV, movie and video content say they will likely continue to do so.
* 40% of those who report “pirating” content via traditional methods said they will probably also pirate on mobile devices within the next six months.
* US$3 for a movie and US$1 for a television show is the maximum amount consumers who admit to pirating are willing to pay to access content.

Combating piracy remains a struggle and a prime concern for entertainment companies – especially with the growing ease at which consumers can now access a variety of content on multiple platforms at their fingertips. Given the proliferation of smart phones, consumers are increasingly using their mobile devices to access the Internet—on average, 35 times per week.

“Mobile piracy is poised to escalate with the proliferation of smartphones, says Paterson. “This will need to be addressed in anti-piracy efforts. There is some good news in sight as consumers expressed concern about potential piracy pitfalls, including poor quality of some content and the possibility of downloading a virus or facing legal trouble.”

Funcom has unveiled a new site design for The Secret World, along with a brand new trailer that offers gamers a unique glimpse into the world, the monsters, the myths, and the gameplay of the much anticipated online game. In ‘The Secret World’ players get to play the character they want to play without being limited to classes or levels, as they adventure through modern-day, real-world locations. No release date has been announced. The game is being co-published together with EA Partners, a division of Electronic Arts Inc.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMnJD7Dt1GY]

“It is truly exciting for us to show gamers just how much freedom they will be able to enjoy in ‘The Secret World’,” says Director and Producer Ragnar Tørnquist. “The video perfectly encompasses the four important pillars of ‘The Secret World’: the modern-day setting, the freeform character progression, the dramatic storyline, and the unique secret society conflict. It feels great to reveal new details on the ‘The Secret World’ as we continue to make strides in the development of the game.”

Score Media Inc. and WWE have expanded their partnership with a multi-year agreement that will bring more high-energy WWE entertainment than ever before to fans across Canada. The unprecedented deal builds on Score Media and WWE’s already successful, exclusive television relationship to include online, mobile and VOD rights. In addition, theScore and WWE will work together to bring new original WWE content to Canadians across all platforms.

More than 60 leaders who shape Canada’s ICT industry will speak at the 2011 Canadian Telecom Summit, being held this May 31st – June 2nd in Toronto. The event will include over 15 keynote addresses offering insights into the future of Canadian ICT, examining the services, technologies, consumer & business trends and regulatory & policy initiatives that drive the information economy. This year, in addition to its always popular Regulatory Blockbuster panel, the conference is featuring sessions devoted to:

* LTE: The future of mobile
* Connecting Canadians: Delivering broadband to all
* Wireless Broadband: Our insatiable thirst for spectrum
* Privacy & Security: Guarding information in a transparent world
* Unified Communications: The evolving future of business
* Evolution of Consumer Communications: Compete or collaborate
* Tablets, TVs and Smartphones, Oh My!: The explosion of the multiscreen universe
* Cloud Computing

Fair-Play has launched its new website. An essential reference tool, the site allows both industry people and the public at large to find out more about Fair-Play’s many television products among which are Quebec’s current mega hits Les enfants de la télé and Peut contenir des Rachid. Headlining the company’s latest news and featuring an exhaustive production catalogue, video excerpts, and a Who’s Who of the Fair-Play team, the new site profiles a company founded in 1998 now firmly established in prime time and on the Web.

Television series, variety shows, documentaries, comedy, drama, live performance recordings, public affairs – their catalogue has grown over the years and will continue to expand. As the organization looks forward to producing more entertaining and provocative content, it remains proud of the creative environment it strives to foster for its writers, creators, performers and other colleagues.

Canon Canada Inc. has announced the availability of its Cloud Portal software for imageRUNNER ADVANCE software enabling a broad range of Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE office systems to access Google Docs and Microsoft SharePoint Online cloud-based services directly from the MFP panel. Using its MEAP technology, Cloud Portal for imageRUNNER ADVANCE software is available as a free application that allows users to scan and store paper-based documents directly to the cloud, as well as to print documents stored in the cloud to imageRUNNER ADVANCE office systems.

The Cloud Portal for imageRUNNER ADVANCE software is a server-less, driver-less application that requires no additional hardware to enable direct connection to the cloud via the MEAP application. By facilitating direct integration with leading cloud services, the new application increases end-user flexibility and helps to increase productivity by allowing users to access cloud-stored data from a PC, tablet device or smart phone, and print or share the data with multiple users across locations. To print from the cloud, the Canon Direct Print Kit or the PS Printer Kit needs to be installed on the imageRUNNER office system. Please see the Canon site for full information not covered here.

I have mixed feelings about this – I guess in households that don’t have laptops or have to share a PC this might be great, but I seriously don’t need to watch what’s going on on Facebook this closely, and should it become available on Shaw, I highly doubt that I’d use it.

TELUS is giving Western Canadians something new to “Like” about Optik TV. TELUS has introduced a new Facebook application on its Optik TV platform designed to provide customers convenient access to Facebook features and content without missing a second of their favorite TV shows. This innovative application is a Canadian first, and brings a whole new dimension to both TV watching and social media. Through “Share my View”, users are able to post what they’re watching on their Wall, creating a social TV viewing experience that brings their whole friends list into the picture.

“IPTV is the future of television, and with Optik TV the future is here at TELUS. We are committed to enabling a truly connected home, offering new ways for our Optik TV customers to stay connected and multitask while enjoying television, and to that end we plan to launch a number of applications this year,” said David Fuller, Chief Marketing Officer, TELUS. “TV applications are a great example of the power of Internet-enabled TV. This Facebook app brings social networking to the living room – it’s all about making TV viewing a social activity again, in an exciting new way.” Read the rest of this entry »