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  • Wii Version of NBA Jam From EA Sports Gets Political

12th November 2010

Wii Version of NBA Jam From EA Sports Gets Political

EA GamesEA Partners, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. has signed an agreement with independent Montreal developer Trapdoor, to publish Warp™. This unique stealth action game features a top-down sci-fi world with a distinctive art style, addicting levels, hazardous traps and challenging puzzles. The new game will debut on Xbox LIVE® Arcade, PlayStation® Network and PC in Summer 2011.

“Working with EA Partners allows us to expand our distribution to a much larger audience while still being able to retain our creative vision and identity,” said Ken Schachter, Founder of Trapdoor. “As an independent studio we are thrilled with the opportunity to leverage the expertise and talent of EA’s publishing organization to bring our very first game on console to life.”

“One of our goals at EA Partners is to seek out the leading independent developers within the downloadable games market and publish their titles to a wide audience,” said Jamil Moledina, Outreach Director, Business Development at EA Partners. “We are thrilled to add Trapdoor to the EA Partners family and bring this EA Sportsbest-in-class sci-fi stealth action title to gamers everywhere.”

EA Sports has released a new video for NBA Jam, which is scheduled for release on November 26th for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. Titled Politicians, this new video features appearances by several well known American politicians forming a team of Democrats and a team of Republican. Thus far, these two unlockable teams have been announced as being available only on the Wii version of the game.

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The Democratic team includes President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore.  The Republican team features George Bush, Dick Cheney, Sarah Palin and John McCain.

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5th November 2010

GameOn Finance 2011 Open For Registration

GameON FinanceGameON: Finance 2011 will return to the Design Exchange on January 20 and 21, 2011, and the Kick-off rate of $489.00 is available now through November 15th 2010. Early Bird Tickets go on sale from November 16th through December 15th, with a price of $559.00. Once the Early Bird rate expires, ticket prices will go up to $699.00 if you purchase online, or $874.00 if you want and buy them at the conference. Interactive Ontario members will save an additional 30% off all ticket prices. See the event site for details.

GameON: Finance is Canada’s top business forum for the interactive entertainment industry connecting developers, innovators, investors and industry leaders. Delegates will gather in downtown Toronto for two days of keynotes, case-studies, lectures and panel discussions which will provide insight on topics such as:

* Emerging opportunities in game project financing
* The bottom line on equity investments
* Dealmaking across transmedia platforms
* Tips and tricks to optimize public finance opportunities

GameON: Finance’s 2011 Advisory Board members are: David Crow (Influitive), Jason Della Rocca (Perimeter Partners), Vikas Gupta (TransGaming Technologies), Marc Jackson (Seahorn Capital Group), Sean Kauppinen (International Digital Entertainment Agency), Jim Laird (Bedlam Games), Wanda Meloni (M2 Research), Ray Sharma (XMG Studio), Scott Steinberg (TechSavvy Global), John Sutyak (DDM) and Dean Takahashi (GamesBeat).

To compliment the release of Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, Ubisoft has launched Your Shape Centre, a Ubisoftwebsite which works in tandem with the game, offering a truly personal online gym centre.

· Track your workouts and set yourself fitness challenges
· Compete and compare your progress with friends
· Set yourself fitness challenges
· Get advice from other players and fitness experts to help you reach your fitness goals
· Share your fitness achievements on your Facebook or Twitter

Open TextTo help organizations meet expanding requirements for archiving, eDiscovery and regulatory compliance, Waterloo’s Open Text will embed Oracle technology to deliver a new set of enterprise content solutions. Read the rest of this entry »

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4th November 2010

New Title For Paramount Coming From EA and A2M

EA GamesElectronic Arts Inc. and Paramount Digital Entertainment today announced a distribution agreement that will catapult an upcoming Paramount property into the hands of gamers worldwide. Rango The Video Game is an action-adventure title inspired by the upcoming animated feature film starring the voice of Johnny Depp.

In development at Artificial Mind & Movement, Rango The Video Game invites players to continue on Rango’s wild journey through new adventures inspired by the movie. The game is set in the Old West town of ‘Dirt’ where players romp through a gritty, pint-sized, Wild West filled with wild rides, off-color characters and frantic shoot-outs. Rango is Paramount Pictures’ first full-length animated feature film; both the film and the video game will be released in March 2011. A2M

“We are thrilled to be working with Paramount and the upcoming release of the video game version of its first animated feature,” said Sinjin Bain, Vice President of EA Partners at Electronic Arts. “Rango is a one-of-a-kind character that we know kids will love. We’re excited to give families worldwide the opportunity to take the humor and fun from the big screen into their living rooms.”

“We are pleased to team up with EA to deliver an exciting, action-packed adventure game that captures the spirit of the film and puts the fate of Dirt in players’ hands,” said Tom Lesinski, President of Paramount Digital Entertainment. “We’ve added exciting twists and turns in the video game that will challenge players of all levels on their adventures as Rango.”

Rango The Video Game will be available on console platforms including the PlayStation®3, Xbox 360®, Nintendo Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ in March 2011. Rango The Video Game has not been rated by the ESRB.

Sales of EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer EA Sportsfranchise titles has surpassed 100 million units lifetime during the launch of FIFA Soccer 11, according to EA internal sales data. The best-selling sports videogame franchise in the world, now in its 18th year, sold a record-breaking 2.6 million copies in the first five days after launching FIFA Soccer 11 to become the fastest selling sports videogame of all time. Counting the first four weeks of sales, FIFA Soccer 11 sales are up 20% versus last year on a comparable basis with sell-in approaching 8 million units. Read the rest of this entry »

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2nd November 2010

Transgaming Launches New Site

TransGamingTransgaming Inc. has launched a brand new web site for its game development studio. Transgaming Studio features information about its launched titles, In The Mix Featuring Armin van Buuren, G-G-Goal, and the recently released PuzzleQuest: Challenge of the WarLords for iOS. Also featured is news about its latest game in development, Garage Inc. for the Mac, PC, iPhone and GameTreeTV. Garage Inc., a time management game set in 1928 Chicago, is based on an original IP by Global Fun and is being produced through a partnership with Breakthrough Entertainment. Players will guide recent Italian immigrant, Angelo Marito, as he tries to manage and grow a car garage. Game play features include the ability to diagnose and fix cars, hire workers, and try to steer clear of the ever-present mob while pursuing the American dream.

NinjaCAPCOMCapcom has announced that the Dead Rising 2 Ninja Theme Pack is now available on Xbox Live, Games for Windows Live and the PlayStation Network. With the new ninja pack, Chuck gains a “stealth mode” that allows him to evade zombies by making it harder for them to detect Chuck’s presence. Sword-type weapons (broadswords, katanas, etc.) have their attack power increased and will allow Chuck to perform new special attacks. Stackable items and throwing items such as nails, plates, gems, etc. will also do more damage and Chuck’s throwing speed is increased. The Dead Rising 2 Ninja Theme Pack is available for 160 Microsoft points, or $1.99 on the PlayStation Network.

audiokineticAudioKinetic’s Wwise 2010.1.2 platform has been nominated for a Game Developer magazine 2010 Front Line Award in the Audio Category. Also named as nominees in this category are FMOD Designer 4.32 (Firelight Technologies), Miles Sound System 8 (RAD Game Tools), ProRemote 2.0.1 (Far Out Labs) and ProTools 8.0.4 (Avid Technology). Read the rest of this entry »

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27th October 2010

Get Ready for FIFA 11 Ultimate Team from EA Sports

EA SportsJoin over a million fans and play EA SPORTS FIFA 11 Ultimate Team, a free game mode download for FIFA 11 on the PlayStation®3 and Xbox 360™ (FIFA 11 & internet connection required for online play. Restrictions and conditions apply) this November 3rd. Take on the challenge of building a squad of the world’s best football stars by earning, buying, selling and trading players with other Ultimate Team gamers around the world. Create and manage multiple squads putting together the best players with the highest chemistry and then take them into competition in online and solo single-player tournaments, all dynamically updated each week.

FIFA 11 Ultimate Team delivers a number of major changes as requested by gamers. Pit your ultimate team directly against your friends’ best squads in Play-A-Friend online matches—the No. 1 requested new feature. Build your dream team and match them against your friends’ best teams whenever you want by sending them an invite directly, making it easy to prove who has the best ultimate team.

FIFA 11 Ultimate Team now lives beyond the console. Access your Ultimate Team campaign from the web through an enhanced Ultimate Team web app which links your experience on your console. Access full trading and auctions, manage squads and the chemistry of your line-ups, show-off your best squad and rare in-form players to friends, and search for coveted players in the auctions ready for when you get back to your console.

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Build your ultimate football club the way real-world coaches and managers build the truly great football teams. Choose how to manage your team—focus on creating one formidable squad, or manage multiple squads to match dynamic requirements for tournaments and competitions. Be strategic and tactical in preparing your squads for the various in-game competitions. A deep, strategic chemistry system built around player relationships on the pitch, means that managing teams and squads to their full potential is critical to success.

Key Features

* Play-A-Friend: compete head-to-head in online play with your friends, the #1 requested feature from FIFA 10 Ultimate Team gamers. Build your dream team and challenge others to do better.
* Ultimate Team Web App: Now Ultimate Team lives beyond your console with online web connectivity. Access your Ultimate Team, manage squads and your chemistry of your line-ups, show-off your best squad and rare in-form players to friends. Search for, buy and sell players and other items in the auctions ready for when you get back to your console—all from the web.
* Ultimate Team Generations: Now you can also access your players from FIFA 10 Ultimate Team and mix them with your existing FIFA 11 Ultimate Team on the web. Put together teams featuring all your players to show off your legacy to other gamers.
* Build Your Ultimate Team: Build your FIFA 11 Ultimate Team squad from a database of more than 8,000 players and all 30 leagues – including the addition of the MLS and Russian Premier League and the superstars from those leagues for the first time. Buy, trade and acquire star players item packs. FIFA 11 Ultimate Team makes acquiring players easier than ever with an intuitive store and item trading and auction system. Auctions also include the ability to track bids, and a comprehensive item search feature.
* Authentic Team Management: FIFA 11 Ultimate Team advanced team management feature delivers an authentic football gameplay experience. Choose the right squads for the right competitions as you seek the perfect balance of players on the pitch. With a chemistry system that takes into account nuances of real player preferences, teammates interact with each other as they would in real life, making your manager role all the more crucial.
* Competitive Tournaments: Enter one of 23 dynamic solo and multiplayer tournaments plus participate in new updated tournaments weekly to test your club-building skills. Every time you go back to your console, there’s a brand-new challenge.

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21st October 2010

EA SPORTS NBA JAM to Feature Online Play on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3

EA SportsEA SPORTSNBA JAM will be available in stores worldwide November 17 for the PlayStation®3 and Xbox 360® and, for the first time ever for the arcade classic, in high definition and featuring online play. Described by Gamesradar.com as “virtually perfect”— NBA JAM will take advantage of the online communities playing on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 to bring all the action into your own virtual arcade.

Featuring gameplay that is true to the original, NBA JAM will have players spinning with ankle breaking moves to the basket and on the way to high-flying, backboard-smashing dunks. With two distinct game modes—Classic Campaign and Remix Tour—plus online modes, EA SPORTS NBA JAM offers something for everyone.

At launch, gamers will be able to take on all rivals playing Classic 2-on-2 online^ for the first time ever, measuring their success on Friends and Global Leaderboards. In December 2010, the online features for NBA JAM will expand significantly with several major online features being delivered through a free title update for connecteNBA Jamd gamers. In December, connected fans will be able to team-up locally and online to compete in Remix Games, including classic arcade hoop games like Backboard Smash, Domination Free-for-All, Elimination, and 21. Fans will also be able to make it a Jam Party online by inviting up to 3 friends to play. Plus, gamers will be able to take on the world in Online Progression, levelling up through a series of challengers and secret online JAM Challenges to unlock online exclusive rewards and hidden content in the ultimate quest for global bragging rights.

“We have listened to our NBA JAM fans and appreciate their desire to play this game online, so we are going to deliver the online feature set they expect and deserve,” said Trey Smith, Creative Director of NBA JAM. “Fans will be able to play Classic JAM online right out of the box, and can expect to enjoy features like Team-up, Remix Online, Jam Party, Online Progression, and even more secret players and teams, in December.”

In Classic Campaign, players can take a trip down memory lane, individually or with a friend, as they play all 30 teams in the NBA in a worst to first ladder tournament. In Remix Tour, players will be faced with a new twist on the traditional NBA JAM experience. From boss battles against some of the NBA’s greatest legends, to half-court game modes with distinct challenges and winning conditions, players will be taken through an NBA JAM experience completely unique to the basketball videogame genre while demonstrating classic arcade hoops at its best.

According to Metacritic.com, EA SPORTS NBA JAM for Wii™ is currently the 8th highest rated sports game ever on the Wii platform as of Oct. 19th, and is available in stores now. EA SPORTS NBA JAM is rated “E” for Everyone by the ESRB and has an MSRP on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation3 of $49.99 USD.

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19th October 2010

Stinger Table Hockey 1.2 for iOS Available Now

Stinger GamesBurnaby indie developer Stinger Games kicked off the start of hockey season by announcing that Stinger Table Hockey 1.2 has gone Universal, adding iPad and iPhone 4 support for Retina displays. The #1 paid App in Canada looks even better with improved graphics. Newly added goalie control adds to the fun as Bullet Physics provides a realistic and fun game of table hockey in your hand.Stinger Hockey 1.2

Push, pull, and spin your players to shuffle, pass, and shoot the puck past the other teams goalie. Use Dual Touch controls to be able to setup the perfect pass & one timer goal. Challenge a friend using Wifi or Bluetooth multiplayer. Play against CPU controlled opponents in a single game or in a tournament.

Bullet Physics provides a realistic, dynamic physics simulation that allows the puck to physically behave like a real puck, including sliding, spinning, bouncing up in the air, off the post, and even flying out of the arena. Used on next generation consoles, Bullet Physics has been harnessed to provide a unique gameplay experience for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Choose from one of 41 international teams or create and customize your own team. Including the ability to fully customize the jersey color and paste your own logo onto the players directly from your Photo Library. Then face off against your friend using your favorite teams.

Statistical tracking along with OpenFeint Leaderboards and Achievements add a whole dimension on to the game. Compete against the whole world to see who has the hardest shot, best one timer, and who is the king of the shootout. Unlock achievements that award you OpenFeint points.

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Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires iOS 3.0 or later
* 12.9 MB

Stinger Table Hockey 1.2 is $1.99 USD and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category.

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18th October 2010

New Trailers and Titles For PC, Wii and iOS Games

EA Sports has released a new trailer forEA Sports EA Sports Active 2. Titled Real Fitness, this video touches on the features and focus of the title, showing how EA Sports Active 2 is like having your own personal trainer in your home. EA Sports Active features a 9 week fitness programme, extra downloadable content, motivational prompters and more – all designed to help you get in shape and improve your heart’s health.

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Glacier Games has also released a new trailer for its upcoming iOS title Them, a game that takes you back to Glacier Gamesthe Cold War era, where you play as Albert, a former employee of the ruthlessly terrifying and mysterious agency known only as Them. Through strategic play and your ability to stay alive, you will unlock new weapons, power-ups and more. Them will be released first for the iPhone and iTouch, with an iPad version to follow.

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THQ and Relic Entertainment have also released a new trailer today, this one for the upcoming March Relic Entertainment2011 Warhammer 40K Dawn of War II expansion Retribution. Today’s release introduces the Tyranid race, a combative, hive-like alien society that was not present in Dawn of War I, although they have been a part of the Warhammer 40K universe since the first edition of the Rogue Warrior source/rule book.

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big stack gamesBig Stack Studios, a Ph03nix New Media company, is releasing their first educational app for iPod, iPhone, and iPad. The “Piano Pals” app fuses colorful animated characters and music with learning and skill-building drills that will keep any child engaged for hours. This is the app that allows you to spend some quality (learning) time with your child!

Piano Pals was developed by parents, for parents. Much too often we download apps that keep ‘us’ occupied for multiple hours per day, yet we never include any educational apps that could assist in mixing quality time with our kids, along with learning and play time. Piano Pals does just that! With multiple modes to choose from, this app can help improve your child’s motor skills while engaging him/her in fun learning activities. There are many modes to choose from, including:

Animal Mode: In animal mode, pressing the keys on the keyboard causes an animal in the scene to animate and make noise. Young children begin to associate a colored key with a certain animal. The names of the animals appear on the keyboard to help older children learn word association as well.

Music Mode: Music mode simply turns the keyboard into a multi-touch Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do piano.

Color Mode: In color mode, pressing the keys on the keyboard causes the correlating color to wipe across the screen as a pleasant female voice speaks the color.

Number Mode: In number mode, each of the keys on the keyboard have a number of dots on them. When your child presses the key with five dots on it, the number 5 wipes across the screen as a pleasant female voice speaks the number.

Piano Pals initially comes with the ‘Farm Theme’ which includes a Horse, Cat, Duck, Rooster, Sheep, Pig, Cow and Dog. For an expanded experience with many more animals, users can purchase additional theme packs including The Safari, The Forest, The Arctic and The Jungle.

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12th October 2010

Venus Williams Named Brand Ambassador for EA Sports Active 2

EA SportsEA Sports™ has announced the signing of global tennis superstar Venus Williams as North American brand ambassador for EA Sports Active 2, an innovative line of interactive fitness products that feature personalized, customizable workouts. Williams will act as the franchise spokesperson and will join the EA Sports Active family along with David Beckham, who was recently named brand ambassador in Europe and Australia. EA Sports Active 2 focuses on improving muscular strength, endurance and flexibility, while providing an intense cardio workout; it will combine a heart rate monitor and wireless motion tracking EA Sports Active 2data to deliver a fitness experience that achieves authentic, measurable results. EA Sports Active 2 will be available on Kinect™ for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 and Wii™, in North America on November 16 as well as iPhone® and iPod touch® at a later date.

“Venus is one of the most recognizable, popular and accomplished tennis players in the world; her success can be attributed to both her talent as well as her dedication to fitness,” says Jon Slavet, EA Sports Active Vice President, Product Strategy. “Her commitment to healthy living and ability to inspire others makes her a natural fit for EA Sports Active 2.”

On the court Williams has achieved great success since she turned pro at the age of 14 with 41 career titles, including seven Grand Slam Titles as well as three Olympic Gold medals. In July 2008 Venus won her fifth Wimbledon® singles title and joins Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf as the only ladies in the Open-era to have won five or more Championships. She is currently ranked third in the world. Read the rest of this entry »

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7th October 2010

EA Sports Teams Up With Susan G. Komen For The Cure

EA SportsElectronic Arts Inc. has begun a special promotional partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure® in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month through specially marked EA Sports™ games during the month of October. Starting in early October, select Best Buy store locations will have available for sale EA Sports video game titles featuring the Komen Running Ribbon logo to acknowledge the $100,000 dollar donation from EA Sports.Komen for the Cure

“This year marks the third year of commitment on behalf of EA Sports in continuing to create awareness in the fight against breast cancer,” said Christopher Erb, EA Sports Senior Director of Partnership Marketing. “EA is honored to work with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to spread awareness and to give EA Sports consumers an opportunity to participate in finding the NHL 11 Komen For The Cure Covercures.”

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which is now the world’s largest breast cancer organization and the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer with more than $1.5 billion invested to date.

“Over the past 30 years, significant advancements have been made in the fight against breast cancer,” said Katrina McGhee, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing FIFA 11 Komen For The Cure CoverOfficer for Komen for the Cure. “Without partners like EA Sports, Komen wouldn’t have been able to pay for half a million breast screenings for women last year. Together, we are literally saving lives.”

Best Buy, the exclusive retail partner for the EA Sports and Komen for the Cure promotion, will have the limited edition video game packages in select stores throughout the month of October. EA Sports titles marked with the Komen Running Ribbon logo will include FIFA Soccer 11, , NCAA Football 11, NHL 11 for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and will be featured on Madden NFL 11 and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 11 across the PlayStation 3 system, Xbox 360 and Wii™ gaming consoles.

A check of both Canadian and American Best Buy web sites did not return any results for the specially marked covers, so it would appear that the “select” locations designation does not apply to online, and will also most likely be only at Best Buy stores located in the USA.

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