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  • HappyUFO Releases Debut Title, Assassin’s Creed 2 Infiltrates the iPhone Market

20th January 2010

HappyUFO Releases Debut Title, Assassin’s Creed 2 Infiltrates the iPhone Market

HappyUFOCalgaryHappyUFO has released their debut title, DungeonSHIFT: Secret of the Blood Chrysanthemum. A casual game for those seeking to sink their teeth into a bitdungeonshift more of a challenge than the average, DungeonSHIFT combines an engaging story with a unique “Jigsaw Riddle” style of puzzling. Search through clues and create the key to opening doors that get in your way all the while following the story of Joachim, a hero who left his family behind in search of a cure that would save mankind from a mysterious plague. Unlock your way through 20 brain bending levels, featuring hand drawn environments from the artist who brought Illutia to life. DungeonSHIFT: Secret of the Blood Chrysanthemum is available for download directly from HappyUFO for $10.24 CDN.

UbisoftMontrealUbisoft has released a bit of news and a few screenshots for the upcoming Assassin’s Creed 2 iPhone title. Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery for iPhone and iPod Touch lets players discover an exciting chapter of the Assassin’s Creed® II storyline. They follow Ezio as he travels to 15th-century Spain to rescue fellow assassins being held under the guise of the Inquisition, only to uncover a Templar plot to sail west and discover the New World. ”

Assassin's Creed 2 Discovery iPhone

vanilla forumsMontreal – On the community building front, Vanilla Forums has closed a $500,000 (CAD) Round A funding for its innovative, open source community forum software. Vanilla also released its forum hosting platform and additional premium features for its rapidly growing customer base. Both this funding and the new forum hosting platform and business oriented premium features solidify Vanilla’s position as a leading open source community forum solution.

Vanilla Forums closed a Series A funding round led by Montreal Startup, with a significant investment also made by Denver, CO based eonBusiness. Silicon Valley based Klein Venture Partners and Denver, CO based Norseman Capital also contributed to the round. Vanilla, located in Montreal, will use the investment to expand its marketing, development, and sales efforts. “Montreal has a vibrant entrepreneur community and is a hot-bed for open-source software,” said Mark O’Sullivan, Vanilla’s CEO.

Vanilla Forums also announced the immediate availability of their forum hosting platform. The Vanilla Forum hosting platform enables customers to quickly and easily deploy a community forum solution without having to write a single line of code. Vanilla also released two new premium features, custom domains and ad-removal, that enable seamless integration with a customer’s existing web presence. Vanilla plans to release additional premium features including custom css, single sign-on, and forum analytics in the near future.

“With over 19 million forums on the internet, forum software is more relevant than ever,” said John Stokes, Managing Partner at Montreal Startup. “Vanilla were the first to recognize that forum solutions must evolve into proactive tools that help businesses to both grow and interact with their customer base and we are excited to help facilitate Vanilla’s growth in this market.”

“Vanilla proves that forums are much more than the origin of social media – they’re an important and compelling part of its future,” said Jeffrey Kalmikoff, Director of Design and User Experience at Digg.com.

“It’s been amazing to watch Vanilla grow since they participated in TechStars this past summer. They’ve got great technology and are a super team. We’re thrilled to see them put together this round with some great investors.” said Brad Feld, Managing Director at Foundry Group and one of the co-founders of TechStars. “Vanilla is already one of the most popular forum solutions on the Internet, and I’m excited to watch their continued growth.”

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20th January 2010

Assassin’s Creed 2 and Dragon Age: Origins Nominated for GDC Awards

Ezio

Assassin's Creed 2

Organizers have revealed the nominees for the tenth annual Game Developers Choice Awards, the leading peer-based video game industry awards. Nominations this year are led by Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 2, with seven nominations. The acclaimed title is closely followed by five nominations for Thatgamecompany’s evocative downloadable game Flower, and four nominations for Ubisoft Montreal’s well-received Renaissance action game sequel Assassin’s Creed II.

In addition to the aforementioned Uncharted 2 and Assassin’s Creed II, this year’s Game Of The Year nominations are rounded out by BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins, From Software’s Demon’s Souls, and Rocksteady Studios’ Batman: Arkham Asylum. Other multiple nominees include notably diverse titles such as PopCap’s Plants Vs. Zombies and Infinity Ward’s Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

The changes in today’s game industry are well represented in the Game Developers Choice Awards this year by the inclusion of multiple iPhone titles (including Flight Control and Spider: The Secret Of Bryce Manor) as nominations in existing categories, as well as console

downloadable titles such as Q Games’ PixelJunk Shooter and RedLynx’s Trials HD. Organizers have also further diversified the awards by adding a Best New Social/Online Games category this year, with both Facebook and free-to-play online games competing for the new prize.

 

 

Dragon Age: Origins

The Game Developers Choice Awards are open to any video game, with no restrictions or payment for game submission, and Main Competition finalists are chosen via a combination of open game industry nominations and the votes of the leading creators in the Choice Awards Advisory Committee. Starting this year, winners are now being selected by the Game Developers Choice Awards-specific International Choice Awards Network (ICAN), which is a new invitation-only group comprised of 500 leading game creators from all parts of the video game industry. Choice Awards organizers believe that, in tandem with their goal of having the most focused, impartial awards in the game industry, this additional voting transparency will further boost the awards’ reputation.

The complete list of nominees for the 10th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards are as follows:

Best Game Design
Batman: Arkham Asylum (Rocksteady)
Assassin’s Creed 2 (Ubisoft Montreal)
Flower (Thatgamecompany)
Uncharted 2 (Naughty Dog)
Plants Vs. Zombies (PopCap)

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19th January 2010

A New Release From Bight Games Plus Upcoming Events and Association News

Bight GamesCharlottetownBight Games are announcing the immediate availability of Fleeced! – Shear Terror on the App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch. Early previews have been overwhelmingly positive and Pocketgamer.co.uk has included Fleeced! on their list of the 10 most anticipated games of 2010.

The somewhat bizarre premise of feuding Pseudo-Peruvian brothers, llama shearing and canons make for a truly unique tailor-made experience for the iPhone. Bight CEO Stuart Duncan says “There were times when even we thought, is this too weird? Will people get the sense of humour? I think it’s fair to say that given the great response we’ve been getting that people really love the game.”

To support the launch of Fleeced! two of Bight’s other popular games, Puzzlings and Kill All Bugs will be available for free during the launch window. Fleeced! Shear Terror is available for $3.99 USD from today.

Emily Carr University

VancouverEmily Carr University of Art + Design and DigiBC present Disney Stories and Games – Making Technological Innovation a Reality, a public lecture by Newton Lee and Krystina Madej.

NUS Hollywood Lab co-founder, Newton Lee will speak on the process of creating some of his most successful projects, from his work as a software engineer at Media Station, which was contracted by Disney to develop their fist CD-ROM games in the early 1990s, to his work as a technical architect and senior producer at Disney for many successful online projects. He will also present the work he’s undertaken to develop a sustainable research environment where academia and business can collaborate: his work with ACM’s online Computers in Entertainment Magazine, the Hollywood Lab, the Institute for Education, Research and Scholarships, and other new technology initiatives.

Adjunct professor at SFU SIAT, Krystina Madej, will introduce Lee and speak on Disney’s innovative use of story in new media since the early 1900s. Lee and Madej are currently collaborating on a book that presents Disney stories in new media. This event is free and is open to the general public.

digital albertaCalgary – A reminder that Digital Alberta and Telefilm Canada are presenting Financing Your Digital Vision on January 26th, at a cost of only $150.00 (+GST) per person. One of the highlights of this session will be the Entrepreneur Panel including industry experts Ken Bautista, Seek Your Own Proof; Michael Sikorsky, Robots and Pencils; Trevor Doerkson, MoboVivo; and Ron Thiele, XPAN Interactive, who will also present on Bootstrapping. Also recently confirmed as presenters are: Luke Azevedo, Calgary Economic Development; Earl Hong Tai, Telefilm Canada; Henry Kutarna, Alberta Deal Generator.

Alliance-numeriqueMontreal – Pierre Proulx, CEO of Alliance Digital, has announced the appointment of Ms. Sylvianne Pilon  as Director of Alliance Game, the position which was left vacant by the departure of Alain Lachapelle. Ms. Pilon will be responsible for developing new strategies for Alliance Game, to lead the industry through marketing activities and networking, along with the organization and management of the International Game Summit Montreal ( MIGS).

During the announcement, Pierre Proulx said he was “pleased to have the broad expertise and network of contacts Ms. Pilon has in the gaming industry and in a broader context also for interactive entertainment. Her doctoral thesis on the genesis and development of game clusters in Montreal, Los Angeles and Lyon according to an analysis in economic geography and anthropology, along with her experience as co-founder and president of Alliance America, a firm specializing in business relationships and trade missions between Quebec and Chile, are just some examples of her achievements. In addition, her work with the SIJM09 team as Deputy Director of Alliance Gaming and Head of Business only confirms that Ms. Pilon is a powerful addition to the permanent team.”

For her part, Ms. Pilon welcomes the new challenges. “My achievements and my great desire to work for and with the Quebec video game industry, will allow me to confront these challenges headlong and thus provide outstanding service to our members.”

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19th January 2010

Certified Scrum Product Owner Training in Vancouver Feb 11 – 12

 



Certified Scrum Product Owner Training

Scrum increases the emphasis on assessing and driving business value through close collaboration with the delivery team. The Scrum Product Owner establishes the interaction between the business and the delivery team that is so essential to increasing productivity within an Agile organization. Product Owners who assume this crucial role have the ability to guide the team and the process to gain the full benefit of Agile delivery.

When: February 11th – 12th, 9:00 a.m – 5:00 p.m.
Where: Vancouver, BC
Cost:

$960 Early Bird

Also, 5th Seat Free!

When registering 5 or more, registration for 5th student is

free

The Certified Scrum Product Owner course is interactive and highly experiential. Participants gain practical tools and techniques for engaging with software delivery teams. The training includes the following:

  • Scrum Overview
  • Roles and responsibilities
  • The product backlog
  • User Stories
  • Estimation and prioritization
  • Acceptance criteria
  • Working with teams
  • Scaling
  • Release planning and tracking
  • External relationships
  • Metrics and reporting

Who should attend:

Product management, product owners, project managers, business analysts, ScrumMasters, Executive management, stakeholders.

Note: This course provides a Scrum Product Owner certification through the Scrum Alliance.

PMI Credits: This course can be claimed for 14 PDUs with the PMI institute.

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19th January 2010

Enter The Cerberus Network in Mass Effect 2

Bioware CorpEdmontonBioware has revealed ‘The Cerberus Network’, an in-game portal in Mass Effect 2 that will keep fans engaged with the rich and dynamic Mass Effect universe through downloadable content (DLC) and news. ‘The Cerberus Network’ is activated exclusively by original purchasers of Mass Effect 2 through a single-use unlock code that comes included in retail and digital versions of the game worldwide. ‘The Cerberus Network’ is a conduit for players to receive bonus content as well as daily messages and news on upcoming releases for Mass Effect 2 for no extra charge. For players who do not buy the game new, ‘The Cerberus Network’ can be unlocked through a one-time, in-game purchase of a new activation code, which will then be tied to a specific EA Online account and is non-transferable. Mass Effect 2 Collector Armour

Mass Effect 2 is the first blockbuster video game release of 2010, having recently been named as one of the “Most Anticipated Games of the Year” by the New York Times, IGN and Wired. The title finished in second place in our own Canadian Video Game Awards, one percentage point behind Dead Rising 2 for Most Anticipated 2010 Title.

“The Cerberus Network augments and extends the rich universe of Mass Effect 2,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA. “We’re thrilled to be able to reward loyal BioWare and Mass Effect fans with ongoing, high quality content and provide a direct channel for our players to dive deeper into the intriguing lore of Mass Effect.”

Players who access ‘The Cerberus Network’ will receive the first DLC pack on January 26th (launch day in North America) featuring new missions and in-game items. Included in this pack is a mission that introduces Zaeed, a rugged and deadly gun-for-hire who is recruited to join Commander Shepard’s mission to save mankind.

After launch, BioWare will release another DLC pack for Mass Effect 2 that introduces the Hammerhead, a new vehicle in the Mass Effect universe. This agile hover tank features improved handling on rough terrain and maneuvers deftly in combat — a necessity for players traveling across harsh planetary environments throughout the galaxy. In addition to this new vehicle, BioWare will release new missions and unique in-game items, including Cerberus Assault Armor which boost shields, health and heavy weapon ammo and the M-22 Eviscerator Shotgun.

The Mass Effect trilogy is an epic science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, players will step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, commanding a crew of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that it’s potentially suicidal. Featuring intense shooter action, a rich futuristic storyline, stunning space exploration and emotionally engaging characters, the game delivers an unparalleled cinematic experience.

Mass Effect 2 is scheduled for release on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC on January 26, 2010 in North America and has been rated ‘M’ for Mature by the ESRB.

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19th January 2010

Meanwhile, on the other side of the century: A Drupal House’s Adventures in Social Media

by 80elements.com

What began as intermittent tweets and a few flickr images has been transformed into a nearly full time job. Social media today is seen as essential for business. The Business To Client broadcast model is dead, many maintain, and conversations between users on forums and facebook pages are becoming the norm. One-way brick and mortar business is simply not enough.  As overheard in a recent social media course, “for many people today, if you don’t exist online, then you don’t exist in real life.” A pretty big statement to make, no doubt, but there is a definite basis for this.

A year ago, a twitter account, a facebook group, and a flickr page were in use by 80elements to increase social media presence – all were set up, but keeping each active was not viable due to a deficit of time to devote to active creation. A solid message is difficult to maintain without this consistency, and so the 80E social media image was blurry.  Today, 80E blogs, vlogs, facebooks, tweets, and updates linkedin along with a real aim towards consistency in time and identity. This shift has created a full time commitment towards social media and has brought the entire team into the mix, affecting each of us in different ways. As a business, especially in web and iPhone app development, if we aren’t active online, we do not exist. Social media time is thus allotted into the production and promotion schedules. So far, so good, but time will identify the true long-term return on investment.

As one can quickly learn from blogs and google searches, the reasons for a business to move into social media are both numerous and necessary. Each business will soon be aiming towards creating online identity through Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, google profiles, Youtube, blogging and all sorts of other new social sites coming and going. The data and content to pull it off can be staggering. To top it off, it can be very easy to have your content become part of the blur of data that passes us by online. “Every minute, 20 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube.” That is a HUGE amount of data to contend with, and equal to the very viral J*zz In My Pants by The Lonely Island being uploaded 480 times per minute or 28800 times per hour. A unique branding strategy is necessary to keep people interested, and keep your brand visible and searchable online.

Where does all this data go after it’s no longer viral/live? Thankfully for search, it stays online. Like your status updates on Facebook, your data is not deleted from the system – it is merely backed up.  In 50 years, if YouTube continued to receive the same upload levels as current (doubtful as it will of course fluctuate), then J*zz In My Pants could be stored 12 614 400 000 separate times. A twitter update, or an occupation field on LinkedIn, are not that data heavy – if twitter were to have similar data creation rates, in 50 years, this would be equivalent to  4 054 628 571 541 200 tweets of 140 characters. All of it stored, backed up and, in the end, no longer owned by the creator/user.

Personally, if I am approached to work with a person or business, I first look online. If I find little/nothing, it can be a definite hindrance to moving forward. Questions may spring to mind: “why are they not online? What are they hiding? Should I be concerned about this?” and I find it more difficult to make a decision. Indeed, many employers do this with potential employees as well (LinkedIn, Facebook). Which identity is more valid? After finding more information online, my opinion of my real life experience can most definitely be changed. Research and reassess after all, and this comes into play with all identities. In 10 years, the line between online and offline identities will be much less defined, let alone half a century from now.

As social networks expand, our personal data is pulled out further and further from its source.  If you wanted to remove your presence from the internet today, could you? How about in 50 years, when Facebook has shut down (or not) and all that data is still on its servers, owned by someone other than yourself. Remember Friendster, the old ICQ and sixdegrees.com? They’ll remember you. A demand exists for those who want to get out of the game. A successful social media suicide app, designed by developer mobblr_, would delete your online presence but has now been banned by Facebook. Terms of use violation, Facebook asserts. Attempted data loss, definitely.

As a company, this may not be a big issue, but as a private individual, this may be the start of a change in how we interact.

“In 2006, AOL voluntarily released the search data of 650,000 of its users over a three-month period — some 20 million Web queries in total. Although the AOL user name had been changed to a random ID number, one could analyze all the searches done by a single user and deduce who the person was. Understandably, the online community was outraged, and AOL acted swiftly, removing the data and issuing apologetic press releases.” For users, its too little, too late.

Read more

Where will social media be in 50 years? This is a big question and one that requires an answer and major goals to be set. If this is not brought up in the present, then the future design and architecture of our online (read: new reality) world will be out of the hands of those it affects most: the users. These users are people, governments, businesses, and even religions (yes, the Vatican has a Facebook Page).  When/if privacy concerns overwhelm the system, a big shift will occur once again.

In the end, I of course do not have an answer for how or what will happen, but I do assert that if it is not the public that steps forward to maintain its rights to information and to identity, then it will be out of the public’s hands. If I am not in control of my identity, then someone else will be. If online and offline identities are blurred, where will I end up? Where will I exist in the world?

“Web 3.0” will necessitate a rebellion.

by Ryan at 80elements.com

ryan@eightyelements.com

Feed – twitter.com/80elements

Vlog – youtube.com/ryan80Elements

FB – facebook.com/ryan80e

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18th January 2010

New TVOKids App, Mingleverse Offers Virtual Offices During Olympics and mplayit comes to Canada

tvokidsTorontoTVOKids has launched its first iPhone app for preschoolers. As a leading provider of innovative, educational and entertaining multi media content, TVOKids is excited to add Melvin’s Marvellous Words to its offerings.

Based on the Ontario kindergarten curriculum, Melvin’s Marvellous Words is teacher tested and developed in conjunction with TVO’s in-house educational specialist. Inspired by the popular Melvin's Marvelous WordsTVOKids and tvokids.com game of the same name, the app is a fun and interactive word-matching game that helps preschoolers learn to read common, high-frequency words. Learning these words prepares preschoolers for reading, and makes them feel more confident as they begin to read.

“Parents will find that Melvin’s Marvellous Words is an effective educational tool for preschoolers who are always on the go,” says Patricia Ellingson, TVO’s creative head of Children’s Media Content and Programming. “It challenges young minds in an interactive and educational literacy game that makes learning fun.”

Now, for a limited time only, Melvin’s Marvellous Words is available free at the Apple App Store. The app will be on sale for $1.99 at the Apple App Store starting February 1.

mingleverseVancouverMingleverse Laboratories is offering Vancouver organizations free use of its award-winning 3D Audio Visual internet communication service for the entire duration of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. The offer is being made in response to the call by Translink, the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) for a massive reduction in vehicle trips in Vancouver during the games.

“The Mingleverse Mingle Room service is for everyone and is the first real alternative to travel. By providing organizations with our immersive communication service they will sound and interact just like being in the same room together,” said Ron Stevens, Co-Founder and CEO of Mingleverse. “Instead of clogging up the streets, and having staff delayed and frustrated, any Vancouver company or organization can use Mingleverse to work, collaborate and communicate as if they were physically together – for free – during the games.”

Translink, metro Vancouver’s regional transportation authority, made the call this week via a statement on their website, which reads in part: “Our public transit and road networks will experience a significant increase in traffic, and there will be road and parking restrictions close to Games venues, particularly in downtown Vancouver, and along key routes. Whether it’s changing travel choices to leave the car at home, shifting travel times to avoid peak periods or removing the need to travel altogether – it all helps get athletes and officials to their events, while reducing the number of vehicles on the road.”

In addition, Translink has initiated a voluntary “TravelSmart Olympic Pledge” program designed to provide a way for all Vancouver businesses and organizations to publicly demonstrate their commitment to traffic reductions during the games. To obtain a free Mingle Room, simply sign up for a Mingleverse account and mention Mingleverse in your organization’s pledge.

Several high profile organizations in Vancouver have already signed on to use Mingleverse during the games, including representatives of the Vancouver Board of Trade and The Telus World of Science.

“Science World will certainly be looking at using Mingle Rooms to help manage teams that will be working remotely during the Olympics. It could also help to coordinate some of our province-wide science programming,” said Bryan Tisdall, President & CEO. To further encourage Vancouver organizations to participate, Mingleverse pledges to provide the top 5 most active “teleworking” companies with a free virtual Mingle Room for a year.

“Mingles can replace the need for most physical meetings and live venues,” Stevens said. “We encourage businesses to make use of this technology, try something new and help make the logistics of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver much more efficient, reducing traffic, emissions and frustration.”

mplayitCanada-wideMplayit, the company best known for its groundbreaking new social mobile app stores on the Facebook platform, today announced plans to bring their technology to major new international carrier partners. Mplayit has been available for Telefonica O2 customers in the United Kingdom since November 2009 and today the company announced new partnerships in Canada with Rogers and with Australian market-leader Telstra.

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18th January 2010

Rogers Wireless Pulls HTC Dream Phones

Effective immediately, Canadian wireless carrier Rogers Wireless has pulled all HTC Dream smartphones from their shelves, halting all sales and upgrades for this model of phone.

HTC Dream, one of the first cell phones to sport Google’s “Android” Operating System (and a change for HTC which was moving over from the Windows Mobile market), has been reported to be experiencing severe issues with its internal GPS and 911 calls. Owners and users are advised to disable the internal GPS until the Android 1.5 upgrade becomes available. Rogers has not gone into further detail as to what issues are caused with 911, or any short-term solutions, so owners may be stuck calling from landlines for now.

There is no word if these issues also affect the HTC Magic (or any other Android 1.0 phones), but as the Dream seems to be the only one being pulled from shelves, Magic owners appear to be safe for now. There also does not appear to be (at this time) any reports of other carriers experiencing the same issue with the phone, so it would seem that it is isolated to Rogers Wireless.

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18th January 2010

And The Winners Are…

Readers Choice AwardsThank you to everyone who took the time to nominate and vote in our first annual Village Gamer Readers’ Choice Canadian Video Game Awards. The running in many categories was very tight, often with only a vote or two separating the top three choices. We saw some great titles, studios and characters nominated, and we’re already looking forward to next year when we can do it all again. We extend our congratulations to all of the nominees and winners.

Without further ado, here are the results followed by the percentage of votes received:

Best PC Title

1. Assassin’s Creed 2 – Ubisoft Montreal (25%)
2. Dragon Age: Origins – Bioware (23%)
3. Prototype – Radical Entertainment (19%)

Best Xbox 360 Title

1. Assassin’s Creed 2 – Ubisoft Montreal (36%)
2. Prototype – Radical Entertainment (21%)
3. Dragon Age: Origins – Bioware (19%)

Best PlayStation 3 Title

1. Assassin’s Creed 2 – Ubisoft Montreal (40%)
2. Prototype – Radical Entertainment (25%)
3. The Bigs 2 – Blue Castle Games (18%)

Best Wii Title

1. The Bigs 2 – Blue Castle Games (30%)
2. Academy of Champions – Ubisoft Vancouver (28%)
3. Avatar – Ubisoft Montreal (14%)

Handheld PSP or Nintendo DS Title

1. The Bigs 2 – Blue Castle Games (20%)
2. Zombie Tycoon – Frima Studio (16%)
3. Fighting Fantasy: Warlock of Firetop Mountain – Big Blue Bubble (13%)
3. Avatar – Ubisoft Montreal (13%)

Best Handheld Phone or PDA Title

1. Gravity Well – Genius Factor Games (28%)
2. Sky Babes vs Fly Boys – A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Games (18%)
3. Jamble – No Robots Interactive (13%)

Best Indie Title

1. Braid – Hothead Games (33%)
2. Gravity Well – Genius Factor Games (21%)
3. Madballs in Babo: Invasion – PlayBrains (15%)

Best Kids Title

1. Academy of Champions – Ubisoft Vancouver (29%)
2. Where’s Waldo: The Fantastic Journey – Ludia (14%)
3. Ice Age 3: Dawn of The Dinosaurs – Artificial Mind & Movement (13%)

Best Casual Title

1. Academy of Champions – Ubisoft Vancouver (31%)
2. Gravity Well – Genius Factor Games (27%)
3. Critter Crunch – Capybara Games (14%)
3. Masters of Mystery: Blood of Betrayal – Big Blue Bubble (14%)

Best Sports Title

1. The Bigs 2 – Blue Castle Games (24%)
2. NHL 10 – EA Canada (23%)
3. Academy of Champions – Ubisoft Vancouver (20%)

Best Driving Title

1. Need For Speed Nitro – EA Canada (71%)
2. My Sims Racing – Artificial Mind & Movement (29%)

Best Action Adventure Title

1. Assassin’s Creed 2 – Ubisoft Montreal (32%)
2. Madballs In Babo: Invasion – PlayBrains (22%)
3. Prototype – Prototype – Radical Entertainment (17%)

Best RTS Title

1. Dawn of War 2 – Relic Entertainment (48%)
2. Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor (40%)
3. Supreme Ruler 2020 GOLD – Battlegoat Studios (12%)

Best RPG Title

1. Dragon Age: Origins – Bioware (64%)
2. Whiskey Mountain Wars – Kiko Games (14%)
3. Fort Zombie – Kerberos (11%)

Best Shooter Title

1. Prototype – Radical Entertainment (54%)
2. Wet – Artificial Mind & Movement (20%)
3. Garters & Ghouls – Big Blue Bubble (13%)

Best Fighting Title

1. Fight Night Round 4 – EA Canada (54%)
2. Warriors Orochi 2 – Koei Canada (27%)
3. KrabbitWorld Origins – KrabbitSoft (19%)

Best Family Title

1. Academy of Champions – Ubisoft Vancouver (22%)
2. The Bigs 2 – Blue Castle Games (20%)
3. NHL 10 – EA Canada (15%)
3. SceneIt? Bright Lights! Big Screen! – Artificial Mind & Movement (15%)

Best Multi-Player Title

1. Madballs In Babo: Invasion – PlayBrains (40%)
2. The Game Cartel – Roundhouse Interactive (31%)
3. Warriors Orochi 2 – Koei Canada (27%)

Best Free To Play Title

1. Dragon Age: Journeys – Bioware (73%)
2. Whiskey Mountain Wars – Kiko Games (27%)

Best Social Media Title

1. Assassin’s Creed 2 Twitter Assassination Experience – Ubisoft Montreal (41%)
2. Need For Speed Nitro – Facebook App – Ayogo (25%)
3. SceneIt? Online – Facebook App – Fuel Industries (20%)

Best Music Title

1. Guitar Hero Smash Hits – Beenox (69%)
2. Jamble – No Robots Interactive (31%)

Best Serious Game Title

1. QuickStickz – Skillz Systems (32%)
2. Count Caddy – Zinc Roe (24%)
3. Learn CNC – LearnCNC.org (22%)
3. WeMuv – WeMuv (22%)

Best Audio Production

1. Prototype – Radical Entertainment (20%)
2. Dragon Age: Origins – Bioware (19%)
3. Assassin’s Creed 2 – Ubisoft Montreal (15%)

Best Environment Design

1. Assassin’s Creed 2 – Ubisoft Montreal (32%)
2. Prototype – Radical Entertainment (19%)
3. Dragon Age: Origins – Bioware (17%)

Best Cinematic Design

1. Assassin’s Creed 2 – Ubisoft Montreal (28%)
2. Prototype – Radical Entertainment (23%)
3. Dragon Age: Origins – Bioware (22%)

Best Writing In A Canadian Game

1. Dragon Age: Origins – Bioware (37%)
2. Assassin’s Creed 2 – Ubisoft Montreal (25%)
3. Prototype – Radical Entertainment (23%)

Favourite Character In A Canadian Game

1. Alex Mercer – Prototype – Radical Entertainment (23%)
2. Morrigan – Dragon Age: Origins – Bioware (11%)
3. Oculus Orbus – Madballs in Babo: Invasion – PlayBrains (10%)

Canadian Publisher

1. Ubisoft Montreal (72%)
2. Dreamcatcher Interactive (16%)
3. Meridian4 (6%)
3. Strategy First (6%)

Canadian Studio

1. Radical Entertainment (18%)
2. Blue Castle Games (17%)
3. Ubisoft Vancouver (15%)

Most Anticipated Canadian Indie Title of 2010

1. Dawn of Heroes – Wicked Studios (66%)
2. Duality ZF – Xona Games (17%)
3. Riese the Series iPhone Game – Genius Factor Games (17%)

Most Anticipated Canadian Title of 2010

1. Dead Rising 2 – Blue Castle Games (21%)
2. Mass Effect 2 – Bioware (20%)
3. Modnation Racers – United Front Games (10%)

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15th January 2010

Get Your Tickets Now for SparkFX 2010

SPARK FX 2010VancouverSpark FX 2010 is fast approaching, and they have a full slate of events happening. With 8 films, more than 30 speakers taking part in 17 presentations, a party, a mixer, hundreds of industry attendees and, of course, T-Shirts! SPARK FX 2010 is helping to start the year off with a bang (along with that other winter party). Taking place January 27 – 31 at VanCity Theatre on Seymour, full event tickets are $200.00 for members, $250.00 for non-members – it is also possible to purchase tickets to individual sessions and films which may better suit your schedule or areas of interest.

The films are almost fully confirmed – a mix of classic films and recent blockbusters – and there is an unbelievable line-up of industry speakers led by ILM veteran John Knoll. There will be film makers talking about their work on virtually every big effects film of the past year including Avatar, District 9, Transformers 2, GI Joe and half a dozen more. If you’re eager, you can buy a pass now for full access to all the main speaking sessions. Full passes include the 3-day conference, 2 party tickets and an event T-shirt.

Brought to you by the SIGGRAPH Vancouver Chapter, SPARK FX 2010 is sponsored in part by Telefilm Canada, Vancouver Economic Development, BC Film, Digital Domain Vancouver, Annex|Pro, MPC, 3vis, Visual Effects Society, Visual Effects Association of BC, Graphic Designers of Canada – BC Chapter, and Women in Games Vancouver. If you need a place to stay, the Sheraton Wall Centre is the official partner hotel of SPARK FX 2010.

ODD1MontrealCatch Me! If You Can is an iPhone and iPod Touch game from ODD1 that pays tribute to a classic arcade game. Available in both free and premium ($1.99 usd) versions, this chasing game through colorful mazes presents a thief fleeing from three guards who try catch him to… take his place and get rich!Catch Me If You Can

As player, you first take on the character of the thief and must collect a maximum of gold nuggets. If you’re caught, the roles are reversed and you become one of the guards who each have a unique special power. Your goal, then, is to catch the thief and switch back to your original role – starting again to get rich! But be careful… the rules can change and you might need to catch all of the thieves who keep appearing out of nowhere!

The game features a “Story” mode with progressive levels to unlock, and a “Challenge” mode for more fast-paced action. Players can also join the “Band of Thieves” community to send their gold into the collective “Treasure Vault.” The faster players accumulate and share gold, the faster new Grossologylevels and content will be unlocked!

The free version includes the first three levels of the “Story” mode as well as the “Band of Thieves” community feature, which is key to the release of new, generally free content. All levels and the “Challenge” mode are available in the premium version.

ODD1 also recently released a game based on the TV show Grossology for Tribal Nova and Nelvana. Kids become special agents and dive into the Grossology universe to play four gross missions or to use the level editor to create their own mini games to challenge their friends. There is also a free version which can be played online.

TerraceRusty Axe Games has released the Financial Guru Value Pack for Windows based PC home computers. Financial gurus rejoice as they can now show their financial acumen playing Rusty Axe financial strategy games… and at the cash register by picking up all of our most Rusty Axe Gamespopular games bundled together for one low price! Real Estate Empire 2, Real Estate Empire and Big$hot have all been bundled together into the Financial Guru Value Pack for $29.99.

Real Estate Empire 2 is a goal based game that is easier to pick up and play than it’s predecessor. Big$hot is a turn based property management game featuring simple game mechanics that allow for complex business property management strategies. Real Estate Empire is the classic house flipping game that teaches people how and when to buy, fix up and sell houses through an ever changing economic climate and against cutthroat AI adversaries.

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posted in Associations, Business News, Careers, Casual, Digital Products, Education, Events, Everyone 10+, Mobile, New Releases By: | Print This Post Print This Post

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