Village Gamer

Electronic Arts Inc. today unveiled the complete music track listing for EA Sports™ FIFA 12, featuring 39 artists from 15 countries, to create the soundtrack of the season for football fans. Every year, EA’s FIFA franchise brings together an unprecedented mix of genre-spanning music gathered from around the globe to represent each country and its passion for the game.

The FIFA 12 soundtrack delivers new music from Kasabian, The Ting Tings and CSS and hot tracks by Chase & Status, TV On The Radio, Foster The People, The Strokes and Thievery Corporation. In addition, this year’s soundtrack includes such international breakthrough artists as Holland’s The Medics, Brazil’s Bloco Bleque, England’s The Vaccines, Monarchy and Graffiti6, New Zealand’s Naked & Famous, Sweden’s Little Dragon, and American indie rock bands GIVER, Grouplove and Portugal. The Man. Read the rest of this entry »

EA Sports™ NHL® 12 for the PlayStation®3 and Xbox 360® is now available in retail stores throughout North America. Developed by EA Canada, NHL 12 is rated E10+ by the ESRB. EA Sports NHL 12 is the second title to participate in the EA Sports™ Season Ticket program. Season Ticket subscribers were provided full digital access to EA Sports NHL 12 three days before retail launch.

“As a winner of twenty-two sports game of the year awards, the NHL franchise has a history of producing high quality and innovative entertainment experiences and this year we have taken it to new heights. With over 300 gameplay improvements and the ability to play with some of the NHL’s greatest legends, such as Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, NHL 12 is our most exciting offering yet,” says Dean Richards, General Manager Team & Action Sports, EA Sports.
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Stinger Foosball League takes the handheld foosball game to a whole new, dynamic level. Scheduled to release this month, the newest title by Stinger Games combines realistic physics and AI with fantastic 3D graphics.  The game also features multiplayer modes, a full season and tournament mode, as well as four mini-games to build your foos skills and compete against others in online leaderboards, adding many hours more of gameplay. Read the rest of this entry »

Electronic Arts and Euroleague Basketball have announced a licensing partnership that makes the global interactive entertainment software company an official partner under the video gaming category. Under this agreement EA Sports will include Turkish Airlines Euroleague players in the upcoming release of the mythical arcade game NBA Jam: On Fire Edition.

This is the first time that European clubs will be officially represented in the NBA JAM franchise, one of the most successful video games in sports history. All fans will be able to choose any of the four participating teams in the last Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four. Dimitris Diamantidis and Mike Batiste of Panathinaikos Athens, Lior Eliyahu and Sofoklis Schortsanitis of Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, Bo McCalebb and Ksistof Lavrinovic of Montepaschi Siena, Sergio Llull and Carlos Suarez of Real Madrid will be amongst the players representing the four Euroleague teams in the 2–on–2 basketball games.

Currently in development at EA Canada,  NBA JAM: On Fire Edition will change the way players play this iconic franchise. All your favorite moves, spins and dunks are still available but now includes a host of gameplay improvements.  NBA JAM: On Fire Edition brings you even more to this basketball arcade classic.  Enhanced gameplay, ground breaking artificial intelligence and exciting online features continue to bring countless hours of enjoyment to this over-the-top experience.  The game will be available via digital download.

Electronic Arts Inc. has announced that EA Sports™ is developing an authentic street soccer game that will replicate the way the game is played by street players all over the world. From the creators of the award-winning EA Sports FIFA Soccer franchise at EA Canada, and inspired by street soccer styles and stars from around the world, EA Sports FIFA Street will be built to the level of quality and depth that millions of FIFA fans have come to expect from the EA Sports FIFA development team. The game will be available for the PlayStation®3  and Xbox 360® in early 2012.

“This is the first time our award-winning FIFA development team is creating a street soccer game, and we are going to deliver a level of authenticity never before seen in this genre, along with amazing gameplay,” said Matt Bilbey, Vice President and GM of Soccer, EA Sports. “FIFA Street will appeal to new fans that are looking for a unique, fun soccer experience, and long-time FIFA fans looking for an authentic street soccer experience with the level of quality that they know and love from the FIFA franchise.”

Powered by the revolutionary FIFA Soccer gameplay engine, and introducing Street Ball Control, FIFA Street will deliver an arsenal of groundbreaking street dribbling styles and trick moves that ignite the one-on-one battles within matches. Whether performing one panna after another without breaking a sweat the way street soccer is played in Amsterdam, or a physical, fight-for-possession style the way players compete in London, fans will enjoy a superior fidelity of ball control and responsiveness than anything ever experienced in a soccer videogame. Plus, for the first time ever, utilize aerial skills to maneuver past opponents, an all-new sophisticated one-touch passing system for quick, precision passes, and over 50 never-before-experienced skill moves.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp5pWBNvL0g]

Play with and against the stars of the most popular clubs in the world—or real-life street players—and compete at more than 35 locations around the world. From one-on-one battles in parking lots and parks to prestigious 5v5 tournaments on the streets of the world’s biggest cities, FIFA Street will replicate the unique street soccer style. Plus, it will feature a host of modes and online features that will be revealed in the months ahead that will make the game a social, connected experience.

FIFA Street will be connected to EA Sports Football Club (Online Pass, FIFA Street and internet connection required), so from the first nutmeg on, gamers will be contributing to their Football Club identity. Fans who purchase EA Sports Season Ticket will also get, as a bonus offer, full-game digital access to FIFA Street three days in advance of launch.

An EA Sports Season Ticket subscription provides full-game digital access to all participating EA Sports games three days before launch, a 20% discount on all downloadable content, free premium web content and membership recognition through an in-game and online EA Sports Season Ticket badge. An annual subscription to EA Sports Season Ticket is now available through the PlayStation Store and Xbox LIVE for $24.99 or 2000 MS Points. EA Sports Season Ticket is available for Xbox 360 in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and PS3 in North America. Benefits begin with the launch of Madden NFL 12. Moving forward, participating franchises include NHL hockey, FIFA Soccer, Tiger Woods PGA Tour golf and NCAA Football. Subscribers will also get, as a bonus offer, three-day early digital access to FIFA Street.

Electronic Arts will showcase the best of interactive entertainment at this year’s gamescom in Cologne, Germany. The company’s top intellectual properties are set to delight visitors, highlighting this year’s blockbuster launches and offerings for console, mobile phones, tablets and the Web. The publisher will also be providing 350 gaming stations at the EA booth allowing more consumers than ever before to get hands-on play with each game.

Jens Uwe Intat, Senior Vice President of EA European Publishing, said, “The old model of making games every few years to coincide with new hardware launches is gone. We have a very powerful set of games for today’s consoles, and now we offer that IP to players as year-round entertainment across all of their devices and platforms. We’re looking forward to our fans’ response when they get hands-on with our line-up at the show – we think they’ll like what they see”.

Canadian-made games at the show include:

• FIFA 12: Huge space that puts players on the pitch to experience the gameplay action.
• Need for Speed™ The Run: Get behind the wheel in a race for your life from the Golden Gate to the Empire State.
• Mass Effect™ 3: Bioware’s high octane alien invasion adventure explodes in an all-out galactic war. The time has come to join the war effort and experience the industry’s most critically acclaimed RPG first-hand.
• The Secret World: Funcom producers will be showing an exciting live demo in one of many dungeons, highlighting combat, progression and boss fights.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Toronto’s XMG Studio has been very busy lately. The studio recently joined forces with toy manufacturer Spin Master Ltd. to deliver innovative mobile gaming to the newly announced App Blaster. The collaboration is bringing a new dimension of realism to shooter games everywhere, giving users a truly unique way to interact with their favourite XMG sniper game, Marine Sharpshooter, which is currently being optimized for the App Blaster. With over 5 million unique downloads, Sharpshooter has become one of the most popular sniping games, making it a perfect fit for the peripheral.

“Working with Spin Master on this has been really exciting”, says Ray Sharma, Founder and CEO of XMG Studio. “It’s a great opportunity to really expand the expectations of what people consider to be traditional mobile gaming.”

This partnership marks a major strategic alliance of these leaders in their respective industries. The concept of combining an out-of-game experience with an in-game effect and using an interactive, real world object is extremely cutting-edge. The App Blaster will revolutionize the way future first person shooter games for mobile devices are played – less button mashing, more strategic aiming. Now, with the innovative toy-making and consumer expertise of Spin Master, coupled with the mobile gaming savvy of XMG Studio, sniper-fans everywhere can have something incredible to look forward to with a far more intense game-play experience, bringing them closer than ever to the skill and precision of the real thing.

“What we have here with App Blaster is very cool and very innovative,” says Dave Colebrook, VP Marketing at Spin Master.  “Gamers haven’t yet seen this type of gaming, so we’re glad to be working with such a company as XMG to bring this to concept to life.  This is just the beginning of this kind of interactive gaming.”

In addition to some awesome updates to one my favourite game titles, Cow vs Aliens, XMG Studio has also recently two great new games in Apple’s App Store that you might be interested in checking out.

Degrassi: A story-driven game based on the hit TV series, it has already reached a #1 ranking in the App Store’s “Role Playing” category. As their first days of school unfold, players make important decisions, engage in meaningful conversations and play their way through classes, all in the ever-familiar locations of Degrassi. The player is free to forge his or her own pathway through the game, ultimately resulting in a different ending depending on which choices were made. Degrassi is the most watched drama on MuchMusic in Canada, and highly rated on TeenNick in the U.S. It’s an interactive role playing game that allows the user to build and maintain relationships with familiar characters from the popular TV series.

Louisville Slugger Homerun Challenge: There are plenty of baseball games, and even some home run derby apps, but Louisville Slugger distinguishes itself in a few ways in that it’s extremely accessible with simple, responsive swipe controls. The game has crisp hand-drawn artwork, multiple game modes, stadiums, and Louisville Slugger bats modeled after original Louisville Slugger models. (published by our partner mLamb Productions)

Well-respected broadcaster and former England forward Alan Smith was unveiled today as part of the main English commentary team for EA SPORTS™ FIFA 12, joining long-time commentator Martin Tyler as the primary voices of this year’s title. FIFA 12, chosen Best Sports Game by the E3 Game Critics, launches September 27 in North America and September 30 worldwide.

“Alan will bring a fresh, new perspective and insight to FIFA 12, working alongside the trusted and well-known voice of Martin Tyler,” said David Rutter, Senior Producer of FIFA 12. “As one of the top-tier broadcasters on the UK football scene, he brings enormous knowledge and expert analysis to the game so that we can deliver the most authentic FIFA experience this year.”

“The natural chemistry that Martin and I have developed working live matches for TV has transferred very well to the virtual broadcast booth,” said Smith. “I’m really looking forward to FIFA fans hearing our work this fall as we bring all the match day emotion and excitement to this year’s game.”

For the first time ever, FIFA 12 will feature two English broadcast teams, and more than 10,000 lines of fresh commentary, making the game sound new and different all year long. The second commentary team, featuring Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend, will call tournament matches, giving these games a real-world broadcast feel and sound. Fans will also have the option to customize the audio to their preferred commentators for any matches.

FIFA 12 will be available in stores September 27 in North America for the PlayStation®3, Xbox 360®, PC, Wii™, PC, PlayStation®2, Nintendo 3DS™, PSP®, iPhone®, iPad™, and iPod® touch. The game will also be available for digital download on PC at origin.com.