Village Gamer

On any other Torontonian August Saturday, the streets would have been deserted. But on August 28^th, hundreds of fans of all denominations filled Front St. for their chance to get into the sixteenth annual FanExpo, held at the Metro Toronto Convention Center. The size of the crowds could have been anticipated from any stop on the TTC; en route, the t-shirts of eager guests-to-be displayed their franchise allegiances, with every voice loud and proud.

Volume turned out to be the common noun of FanExpo 2010; whether referring to the sheer deluge of people on the outside of the complex, the amount of amazing content provided to those canny enough to buy passes ahead of time, or the fever-pitch of cheering throughout the center’s amphitheatres, it is debatable whether any other Canadian convention could compare in terms of variety. With balanced attention paid to the five pillars of nerd culture, there truly was something for everyone. And with the lines outside the building never abating, it felt as though everyone knew it.

Upon arrival, most attendees headed directly for the second floor. Home to the convention’s merchandisers, artists, and largest corporate sponsors, guests could enjoy demos of a select few holiday video games while collecting comics and autographs. The demarcation of the booth depended predominantly on the weight behind it; while individual artists may not have been labelled prominently, there was no missing the booth of Tron: Evolution. Chris Whiteside, the lead design developer for the title at Vancouver’s Propaganda Games, was leading a demo when I arrived. The game is very much a fluid experience–any and all of the blockiness in Tron’s past has been done away with completely. Musings on the game’s inspirations led Whiteside and I to the subject of Canadian industry specialties.

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More than ever, PC Health Advisor from ParetoLogic is an indispensable tool for the home computer user. The all-in-one software recently enhanced its suite of tools with a driver update function and a file extension manager. Combined, the software now gives average computer users a quick way to stop errors and improve performance in the Windows registry, boost disk performance via disk defragmentation, remove privacy and junk files, destroy active Malware, speed up Windows startup times, update out-of-date drivers, and fix file associations, along with other Windows tweaks.

“This was always our plan,” explained Norman Eldridge, ParetoLogic’s Technical Product Manager. “PC Health Advisor keeps its users covered, no matter where their computer problems originate. These new tools allow us to further expand the ways that PC Health Advisor protects and improves users’ PC performance.”

Developers combined the driver manager with the main PC Health Advisor scan to make operation as easy as possible. After analysing a user’s system, the scan displays outdated drivers and connects users with the new and updated drivers that they need. New drivers have the power to revive broken hardware, improve performance, and stop hardware error messages.

The file extension manager, found under the Optimize tab, searches for unsupported file extensions and provides links to the programs needed to open them. This allows users to always open the files they need, no matter how unfamiliar the extension.

“Drivers and file extensions are some of the most numerous, confusing, and time consuming items that a PC user has to deal with. By including these tools with PC Health Advisor, we’re going to save our customers a lot of time – and money,” said Mr. Eldridge.

All downloads of PC Health Advisor will now include these tools as part of the new version. Current PC Health Advisor users will be automatically updated to version 2.

Stock photography is more popular with designers, businesses, web developers, publishers and artists than ever before, and the number of photographers who have found microstock to be a great source of part- or full-time income has increased steadily in the last few years. A new book, Taking Stock: Make Money in Microstock Creating Photos That Sell by veteran stock photographer Rob Sylvan, provides valuable insights into maximizing profit in this increasingly competitive industry.

An iStockphoto inspector since 2002, Sylvan helps determine which photos qualify to be sold on the most selective microstock site in the business. He has also had tremendous commercial success selling his own stock images privately. Sylvan writes the Under the Loupe column for Photoshop User magazine, and blogs about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom® at Lightroomers.com. In Taking Stock, he shares his hard-earned insider knowledge on how to shoot, edit and keyword photos that sell in this growing high-volume, cost-conscious market.

“I’ve been helping new members get started selling stock for years, and this book contains everything they’d need to know to hit the ground running,” said Sylvan. “Beyond sharing the fundamental information needed for creating and selling stock imagery, I’ve included over 50 great examples of successful stock photos along with tips from many of their creators.”

Taking Stock helps readers look at their photos through the eyes of designers, photo editors, and other frequent buyers. It explains how to set up an effective digital workflow and, perhaps most importantly, how to focus on creating truly evocative imagery. It also covers:

* How to license photos as stock
* What type of images are in demand
* Effective use of titles, descriptions and keywords
* Tips on shooting food, people, places, nature, objects, and animals
* Editing techniques to maximize sales

Taking Stock retails for $35.99 (CAD) and is available at Chapters-Indigo, Amazon.ca, Black Bond Books and other retailers worldwide or directly via the publisher, Peachpit Press.

Congratulations to Big Blue Bubble, whose iPhone/iPad application Thumpies won the award for Mobile Entertainment of the Year at the Mobile Content Awards 2010 in Seoul, Korea.

Facing some stiff competition that included more than 110 companies from 15 countries, Thumpies emerged victorious against semi-finalists Fallen EP-1 from 7th Sense Studios in the United Kingdom and UBC Mobile from UBC in Korea. Present to accept the award and the prize money, Big Blue Bubble CEO, Damir Slogar stated “After receiving nothing but absolutely glowing reviews from the media, Thumpies reached another milestone – formal recognition from industry professionals. This will just fuel our enthusiasm to bring the game to many new platforms.“

Thumpies is a unique rhythm-based music game for players of all ages. By correctly matching the beat of bouncing Thumpies the player progresses through a song. Unlike typical rhythm based games, Thumpies uses a mechanic of bouncing in time instead of just a series of notes. The quirky art design of Thumpies XL is accompanied by a unique musical score composed by award winning, industry veteran David Kerr. The music was crafted with game play in mind, giving the player a harmonizing experience.

Vancouver Film School’s Game Design Expo 2011 is now accepting speaker proposals from game industry professionals who have a passion to share their expertise. Past speakers at the consistently sold-out Industry Speaker Day at Game Design Expo have included the makers of games such as Dead Rising 2, Halo, Mass Effect, ModNation Racers, and Saints Row 2 (amongst many others). The deadline for submissions is October 4th 2010, so download the Speaker Proposal Package (PDF) today and send your completed proposal in as soon as possible.

Telefilm Canada announced today a streamlined approach to submitting corporate information as part of an application.

Previously, four documents were required in order to provide all required corporate information with an application; now only one is required. The new Canadian Status of Corporation and Corporate Information Affidavit (doc file) now online replaces the following forms:

* Corporate secretary’s certificate naming the shareholders and the number of shares held by each
* Corporate secretary’s certificate naming the officers and indicating their signing authority
* Declaration of Corporate Information
* Canadian Status of Corporation Affidavit

Telefilm Canada is committed to providing effective and efficient service to its clients and as such continuously works to provide new ways in which to work with the industry.

The Mobile Institute, a Canadian organization that supports global mobile innovation, has officially announced (we first told you about it last week) the return of MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK, a week-long series of events that explores mobile trends and advancements from around the world. Between September 13-18 more than 150 mobile industry experts will present at various events around Toronto, making it one of the most significant mobile industry events globally.

“For one week, Toronto will be the centre of the Mobile universe,” said Michael J. O’Farrell of The Mobile Institute, founder and co-producer of MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK. “Canada is a mobile industry powerhouse, but Canadian talent and innovation are rarely exposed to local and international audiences. MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK 2010 will showcase our mobile prowess together with global mobile industry leaders, while also giving Canadian organizations the tools and information they need to take advantage of the emerging mobile universe.”

MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK 2010 will feature more than 150 speakers and over 100 interactive presentations, moderated sessions and workshops. More than 2,000 are expected to attend from Canada, the US, the UK, Germany, Brazil and other international locations. MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK 2010 includes featured presentations by Adenyo, Bell Mobility, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC), comScore, Deloitte, Ericsson, Google, IDC Canada, KPMG, Microsoft, MyThum Interactive, OCAD University, RBC Financial, Research In Motion (RIM), Rogers Communications, Samsung, Sybase, Sympatico Mobile, The Globe and Mail, Visa, Yellow Pages Group and more.

Anchor events include: Read the rest of this entry »

New indie house Wild Games Studio Inc. has announced the title and genre of their first game in production, an open-ended RPG/Adventure game. The game, which will release a trailer in October, will be set in third person view. Dhaila’s Adventures will be a game for PC, Mac, PS3 and Xbox 360, with a playable demo coming soon.

Featuring Dhaila, a young fairy whose powers are bound to nature, the game will rely on gameplay taking place in an open world where the player will update the origins of Dhaila and help fulfill her destiny. In addition to the main quest, Dhaila could fill hundreds of side quests depending on the choices and actions proposed. Puzzles and large dungeons filled with traps and monsters will be part of her adventure to enhance the gameplay. Furthermore, Dhaila will be accompanied with a friend that can be controlled by another player to help Dhaila during certain puzzles through teamwork.

Orphaned in the fantasy world of Martania, Dhaila possesses unknown extraordinary powers. She has special skills, including one which can absorb the energy of nature directly through its DNA. She can also absorb the DNA of other creatures, making the heroine able to acquire their shape at any time. Living in one of these valleys, the village seems protected by an unknown magical force, more powerful than in other villages. Dhaila will leave to research her origins, while trying to release Martania of the influence of Dysan, a tyrant who has subjugated the people, forcing them to labour under the threat of the dragons he also holds sway over.

Selected as one of the glorious PAX 10, Retro City Rampage from VBlank Entertainment will be showcased at PAX Prime this weekend at booth 3017, where visitors can meet the dev team, play the game and get some fantastic swag.

This unbelievable FREE swag includes:

* Retro cartridge labels (stick ’em on NES carts)!
* Retro game boxes* (stick your cart in it)!
* Retro plastic case inserts (with BLURST processing)!
*Retro game rental case inserts (“INDESTRUCTIONS”)!

As an added Bonus, the team will also be having a daily draw to win a Retro City Rampage cartridge case in the box! The team does caution, however, that due to the indie budget and a recent price increase on Ramen Noodles, the “box” is a cleverly designed and exciting arts and crafts project. Simply cut out and fold it yourself for some analog fun Alternatively, you could frame it and stick it on the wall of your local museum.

Capcom will be taking up residence at PAX in Booth 652, where you can drop by and try out their upcoming lineup of titles including Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Okamiden and Blue Castle Games‘ Dead Rising 2 – shipping on September 28.

Ubisoft will have three booths at the show. You will find them in spaces 632, 622 and 712. Each booth will feature a variety of Ubisoft’s upcoming releases and lots of fun prizes for booth visitors.

For the first time in the U.S., PAX attendees will get to try out various titles from Ubisoft exclusively for Kinect™ for Xbox 360®, including Your Shape™: Fitness Evolved and MotionSports™, in addition to seeing the first public demo of Child of Eden™. Consumers will also get an opportunity to play H.A.W.X® 2 multiplayer, and see a sneak peak of Outland™, one of Ubisoft’s digital games for PlayStation®Network and Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. In addition, Just Dance® 2 will be available to play onsite at the show.

PAX attendees will have a chance to play Assassin’s Creed® Brotherhood, which will be playable on Xbox 360 and the PlayStation®3 at the Ubisoft booth before its November release. Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood fans who pre-order the game onsite at PAX will receive an exclusive Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood T-shirt, and there are also opportunities for consumers who fan the Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Facebook page to win Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood posters. Other giveaways include a Just Dance–themed t-shirt for anyone who pre-orders the October release of Just Dance 2 at PAX. Read the rest of this entry »

Wicked Interactive has announced that the popular, free-to-play, online first-person shooter Mission Against Terror (M.A.T.) will begin closed beta on September 3rd. Wicked Interactive’s SUBA Games platform will be hosting M.A.T., and the closed beta allows gamers to be the first in North America to experience this exciting new title. Gamers can get a head start before closed beta by visiting the title’s SUBA Games page to obtain a beta key.

Once players have registered with the key on the M.A.T. home page, they can download the game client and start playing immediately. Just like M.A.T. will be upon its full release, the closed beta is totally free for players to participate in, for as long as the beta lasts. Space is limited, so gamers should get their beta key today, and stay tuned for further announcements about special closed beta events and fun achievements.

“We are delighted to be bringing M.A.T. to North American players,” said Sam Ho, Director of Wicked Interactive. “The closed beta should provide a great sneak preview for veterans and new FPS players. With various game modes and state-of-the-art Dolby™ 3D sound support , we are certain that M.A.T. will prove to be a ton of fun for all players.”

M.A.T. is set in a fictional time not far from our own, pitting two teams against each other all around the world. From the male civilian with a vengeance to a war-torn female soldier with something to prove, characters from all walks of life come together to fight for a common goal.

Gamers looking for a serious shooter will be glad to know that M.A.T. was the only first-person shooter game good enough to be sanctioned for tournament play in 2009 by the China Electrical Gaming Committee, a nationwide online gaming tournament organizer that is part of the All-China Sports Federation. The M.A.T. closed beta release will include game modes such as Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, along with the tried-and-true formula of elimination-style Tournament play and the highly popular Bombing mode.

Those in the mood for a less competitive-minded shooter will be kept busy as well, with a variety of wild, white-knuckled game types. Mummy mode offers an intense survival horror experience, where a team of humans are confronted by ancient Egyptian mummies who have risen from the dead in search of you-know-what.

Complementing the exciting action of MAT are customizable characters that can be outfitted with a variety of clothing options, an item shop that contains everything a soldier needs out in the battlefield, and full Dolby™ 3D sound support, including state-of-the-art Dolby Axon™ technology which enables you to modulate your voice in real-time to change the way other players hear you-all in glorious surround-sound.

Are you ready for some SUMO? Frima Studio has announced a slew of updates and new features for its recent Facebook game, Rock Paper Sumo! Launched in June of 2010, Rock Paper Sumo has wrestled its way into the hearts and Favorite Apps List of thousands of players across the world with its hilarious take on the classic game of Rock Paper Scissors.

This new series of updates will allow players to fight more and earn more in-game currency, eat more meals (bento) to gain weight (increase rank) and give a larger sense of progression while still maintaining the game’s focus on Rock Paper Scissor challenges sent to and received by friends and fellow Facebook users.

Rock Paper Sumo updates include:

* The entire scoring system has been revamped – new Weekly Tournaments start every Thursday, and each week, players get a chance to be on the top of the pyramid (leaderboard) and win weekly prizes. Everyone in the top 6-10% will win a bronze medal, the top 2-5% will win a silver medal and the top 1% will earn the coveted gold medal. The number one player of the week will receive an exclusive crown that shows off your sumo prowess to everyone.

o Even if you don’t get to the top 10%, every week different items can be unlocked only by increasing your score, with a total of three exclusive items becoming available each week.
o All these items can be used to customize your sumo proudly. They will be unique from week to week, so collect them all! And since they will be given only as special rewards, none of them will be available for purchase in the shop, which is sure to turn your rival sumo wrestlers green with envy.

* All “old-timers” that had started playing before this update will receive a complete kit of exclusive items for free to thank them to their tremendous support.

* A new energy system is put in place to send fight challenges to your friends. Your energy will decrease when sending these challenges…BUT, when your energy gets low, your sumo gets hungry and it’s time to eat bentos that increase your weight level. When gaining weight, your maximum level of energy increases and allows you to send even more challenges to friends and rivals.

* The whole balancing of the game has also been tweaked to allow new players to progress faster and make sure that anybody has their chance to succeed even against the top players.

* More updates are planned for the coming weeks…stay tuned for more info.

Rock Paper Sumo embarks players on a quest to become the ultimate rikishi, and wrestlers must live by the ancient ways of sumo: train hard, eat lots of calorie-rich bento to pack on the pounds, engage in sparring sessions against a deadly dummy and fulfill dojo duties with honor! Spend hard-won Bento Bucks and Dojo Dollars on hysterical makeovers with over 200 accessories to choose from, like cowboy hats, pink Mohawk, fu manchu, assorted tattoos, or even a chest fro! Each player must challenge his or her Facebook friends to fight in order to win battles and unlock achievements, brawling their way up the global leaderboard to ultimately be hailed as the best rock-paper-scissors player in the world!

The Play Label of Electronic Arts Inc. today announced that it has expanded its North American virtual world, Littlest Pet Shop Online (LPSO), to the UK this September. Developed in partnership with Frima Studio, Littlest Pet Shop Online is an innovative, beautifully designed, online entertainment and community destination for girls based on Hasbro’s globally popular Littlest Pet Shop brand.

The web-based Littlest Pet Shop Online is a world of adorable islands filled with fun and exciting online games and activities. There are tools for girls to create, customise and play with their favourite Littlest Pet Shop pets, connect with friends and make new ones too.

Littlest Pet Shop Online embraces its essence of collectability with the Collect-a-Pet feature; enabling girls to unlock unique special edition “Reward Pets” through the completion of fun in-game activities to grow their virtual pet collection

“Littlest Pet Shop Online is all about providing girls with a place to bring their favourite LPS pets to life online,” said Stuart Lang, UK Marketing Director. “We’re excited Littlest Pet Shop fans have embraced and enjoy the game in North America, and are delighted to offer fans in the UK a new and exciting way to connect online with friends through their favourite pets too.”

Excitement and adventure unfold at every turn when girls explore Littlest Pet Shop Online’s islands of Waggington and Kittywood as they customise their virtual pet collection, decorate their pets’ home, play mini-games, discover hidden objects, and connect with friends both old and new. Players earn Kibble Coins, the game’s virtual currency along the way, which they can spend at boutiques like “Wooly Couture,” run by Woolma O’Chic, the most fashionable lamb in town. Players can take a ride between islands on Guppy the whale and meet featured pets, like Harmony Groovemore, the dancing dog who can Cha cha cha and owner of the Sassy Steps Dance Studio.

For girls who want to join the online fun while also expanding their growing offline Littlest Pet Shop collection Hasbro is launching an LPSO toy line in Europe this autumn. LPSO toys include LPSO Pets, which are cuddly plush, and the LPSO Dancing Dog, the groovy pet who dances to your music when plugged into your computer or MP3 player. Each toy comes with a code which unlocks virtual gifts.

Anyone can play by creating an account in just two easy steps, and enjoy many Littlest Pet Shop Online features. Premium Members have access to special features including extensive pet customization, ability to unlock all “Reward Pets” in Collect-a-Pet, games, spending Kibble Coins on exclusive clothes, food, and accessories, and much more.

Vancouver Film School has announced that the 2011 iteration of its Game Design Expo will be held in Vancouver on January 22nd and 23rd. The school has also made exclusive session videos from the 2010 Game Design Expo available online. just made exclusive video from the most recent Game Design Expo available for free online at the Expo’s website. These interviews, panel discussions, and presentations let you hear from the makers of ModNation Racers, Mass Effect 2, Dead Rising 2, and many more.

Autodesk and EA Sports present the Game Developer Webcast, featuring a discussion with Simon Sherr, Animation Director for Electronic Arts Tiburon, focused on how EA Sports MMA heavily leveraged Autodesk® HumanIK® in their production of complex character interaction. In this session we discuss implementation of HumanIK features for EA’s Mixed Martial Arts fighting game including: dynamic Footplanting, Non-Uniform Player Scaling, Interaction-based player scale compensation, and partial body “Relative IK” interactions. This Webcast will take place at 10:00A.M. PDT on September 9th. The one hour session is free, but registration is required.

Attention all of you Mac-using Dragon Age fans: Bioware’s Dragon Age Origins Awakening is now available for your platform over at GameTree Online for $29.95.

“The Dragon Age franchise has been exceptionally well received by Mac gamers and we’re excited about continuing the saga through the release of this expansion pack and all DLC add-on game content for the Mac community”, commented Vikas Gupta, President and CEO of TransGaming. “Our strategic partnership with Bioware provides Mac gamers with some of the industry’s most acclaimed RPG games and illustrates yet another example of how TransGaming’s technology and distribution channels are empowering EA to bring their best games to the broadest consumer audience.”

Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening is available now, plus Mac gamers can also enjoy great DLC add-on content packages such as Return to Ostagar, Darkspawn Chronicles, Leliana’s Song, and many more this year. Players are encouraged to sign up for GameTreeOnline news updates or Twitter alerts, as more great DLC add-on content releases for the Mac will arrive over the coming months, aligned with the PC releases.

Executive producer and Project Director on Mass Effect, Casey Hudson will reveal how BioWare navigated the challenge to create an (even more successful) sequel to Mass Effect in a keynote address at Future Game On. The new conference, which is the new European annual gathering for developers, creators and game and apps researchers in every field, will be held on September 9th and 10th at the Parc des Expositions de Paris – Porte de Versailles, hall 7. Read the rest of this entry »