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  • Grubby Games Named To Finalist List For IGF Awards

10th January 2009

Grubby Games Named To Finalist List For IGF Awards

Grubby GamesVancouverGrubby Games, an independent Vancouver game development studio co-founded by Ryan Clark and Matt Parry in 2004, has been named to the final nominees list for the upcoming Independent Games Festival Awards. Their new 2D physics-based Incredibots game is in the running for an award in the Technical Excellence category.

Grubby Games co-founder Ryan Clark says that he came up with the idea for Incredibots afterIncredibots playing a physics game which allows the player to control a small tracked vehicle. “I really enjoyed playing with that little tank! I decided that if such a simple little application was so much fun, a full-featured robot editor would be far more fun!”
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9th January 2009

Tom Clancy’s EndWar Faction Elite Pack DLC Available for Xbox 360 and PS3

Three New Battalions and Six New Upgrades Included in the Latest Content

EndWarMontreal – Ubisoft today announced the release of the “Faction Elite Pack” downloadable content (DLC) for Tom Clancy’s EndWar™ available for the Xbox 360® entertainment system from Microsoft and for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. The UbisoftDLC is available for 300 Microsoft points.

The “Faction Elite Pack” DLC will include three new battalions (one per faction) and six new upgrades (two per faction). These new elite battalions include the legendary JSF 15th Special Operations, the Spetsnaz Alpha Brigade, and the Enforcer Corps Battlegroup. The “Faction Elite Pack” will also grant immediate access to six exclusive unit upgrades including Ceramic Armor for the Spetnaz Guard Brigade and Caseless Ammunition for The European Federation’s Gunships to name but a couple.

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8th January 2009

Second Update for Sword of the Stars Released

Second Update Released for 4X Space Strategy Game A Murder of Crows

Lighthouse InteractiveToronto – Leading video game publisher Lighthouse Interactive and acclaimed developer Kerberos Productions continue to prove their commitment to the dedicated Sword of the Stars community, by releasing the second update (1.6.4) for A Murder of Crows (PC) to the public shortly after a surprise, early release to gaming fans on the Kerberos and Lighthouse message boards.

The following key features are included in Update 1.6.4:

• Auto-pause feature added to single-player games.
• Added tech negotiation news event art.
• Fleet list can now be filtered by Flagship or Deep Scan.
• Slavers are back!
• Research bonus added for killing the VN grand menace.
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8th January 2009

Build And Prove Your Football Knowledge With EA Sports Football Academy

EA SPORTS Announces First Title Exclusively Developed For Nintendo DS Coming In March 2009

EA Sports VancouverEA SPORTS™, a label of Electronic Arts Inc., today announces EA SPORTS™ Football Academy – a collection of mini-games and challenges that improves football knowledge in a fun and entertaining way. EA SPORTS™ Football Academy, currently in development at EA Sports in Vancouver, will launch exclusively for the Nintendo DS in March 2009.Football Academy

EA SPORTS Football Academy offers an entertaining way to learn football strategy, positioning and technique. Players build their knowledge by completing tasks and take their improved skills onto the pitch to compete against their friends. Additionally EA SPORTS Football Academy offers a variety of mini-games that provide fun for fans of all ages.

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7th January 2009

EA Announces Upcoming Skate 2 Demo on Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network

Get on Board Early With the Skate 2 Demo on Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network

Black Box Vancouver – Black Box, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio announced today that the Skate 2 demo will hit Xbox Live Marketplace on January 8th and the PlayStation Network on January 15, 2009. The demo introduces players to the city of New San Vanelona where they can skate with style and individuality via access to the enhanced character customization tools. Gamers will get a first glimpse of the deep single-player story and exciting challenges in all-new locations. The Skate 2 demo will also feature two of the game’s online Party Play modes: Thrasher’s Hall of Meat and Spot Battle.

Skate 2 ups the ante in delivering all the grit, creativity and culture of skateboarding. EquippedSkate 2 with double the bag of tricks, players are tasked to rebuild their career and revive the skate scene. Now with the ability to get off-board and move objects, gamers can create their own epic spots and challenges, which can then be uploaded, shared and experienced by others around the world.

Skate 2 hits retailers in North America on January 21st, and worldwide on January 23, 2009 – making it one of the first must-have games of 2009. Skate 2 is developed by Black Box, a studio of Electronic Arts in Vancouver, British Columbia and will be available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB.

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7th January 2009

Beta of New Auditing Skills Game set for February

New game an ideal training tool for any management system auditor

Distil Interactive OttawaDISTIL Interactive announces a beta release date of February 1, 2009 for its Auditing Skills game. This will be the 10th off-the-shelf game designed by DISTIL, in partnership with the Canadian Standards Association. The Auditing Skills game can be used by companies using any management system, in order to train new auditors, accelerate auditor development and identify top-performing or underperforming auditors. The game is designed to help internal auditors develop the competencies specified in ISO 19011 guidelines.

The internal auditor role is a critical one in an organization, one that requires strong communication skills and effective investigative abilities, often in addition to the employee’s usual workplace role. According to auditing principles and the requirements specified in many Standards, individuals must be independent of the areas they are auditing to ensure impartiality and objectivity. Novices to the auditing field often express concerns around the interpersonalAuditing Skills skill requirements – auditing senior management can be especially daunting; and seek practice in the interpretation of evidence. This learning product provides a safe but challenging environment for learners to develop their competence as auditors. Strong training not only improves auditors’ personal performance, but leads to accurate and complete audit findings that can facilitate improved corporate performance.

In the game, learners perform the role of internal auditor in a virtual audit of a fictitious company’s Business Management System (BMS). The BMS requirements will appear familiar to anyone who is familiar with management system standards such as ISO 9001,

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7th January 2009

Big Blue Bubble Releases Masters of Mystery: Crime of Fashion

Big Blue BubbleLondon, ON Big Blue Bubble is proud to announce that Masters of Mystery: Crime of Fashion is scheduled for release on all major portals and is available now at the Big Blue Bubble Arcade. Crime of Fashion is the first in a series of hidden object games that will appeal to fans of the genre and anyone who loves a good murder mystery!

The New York fashion world is turned upside down when Detective Carrie Chase discovers that aCrimes of Fashion famous Fashion Designer has been murdered. She soon comes to the frightening realization that a serial killer is at large with an eye for design and a thirst for murder. Masters of Mystery: Crime of Fashion is a thrilling, hidden object game with a twist. Using interactive forensic tools, the player will solve cunning puzzles to ultimately uncover the horrifying truth behind these brutal crimes.

Key Features

* a compelling mystery to solve
* stunning, photo-realistic scenes

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7th January 2009

Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant Is Good Clean Fun

Crash Bandicoot Mind Over Mutant Title: Crash Bandicoot – Mind Over Mutant
Developer: Radical Entertainment
Publisher: Sierra – Activision
Platforms: Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PSP, PS2
Release Date: October 7 2008

Mind over Mutant is the latest addition to the Crash Bandicoot franchise from Vancouver’s RadicalMind Over Mutant Entertainment, and the general consensus among those of us at the Village Gamer HQ who played the 360 version over the holidays is that “Crash rocks!”

The plot line for Mind Over Mutant requires Crash to save his friends and everyone else from the evil clutches of the nasty Dr. Neo Cortex and the equally warped Dr. Nitrus Brio. The squabbling and delusional duo have released a new device called the “NV” on the Bandicoot world, a mind controlling unit which bears an odd resemblance to today’s real world mobile devices. The NV has not only affected Crash’s sister CoCo and his best-friend Crunch, but also each of the Titan “clans” which also populate Crash’s world.

Mind Over Mutant - MissionMind Over Mutant is full of player achievement objectives, ranging from health and skill upgrades for Crash and his small army of Mutant Titans to missions, side-missions and treasure hunts. Skills and health can also be upgraded by collecting mojo jewels, while main mission objectives are obtained from characters in the story. Completing percentages of the game results in achievement awards, and some objectives which can only be successful through co-op play.

While the co-op areas can be accomplished with one player using two controllers, we found it far more fun to actually play co-operatively. Other achievements throughout the game include unlockable skins (or costumes) for Crash and art collections. The artMind over Mutant - Jacked Titan collection featuring fan art must have thrilled the many young artists whose work was included, and I feel this was a very special and thoughtful way to thank Crash Bandicoot fans.

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3rd January 2009

Call Of Duty: World At War

Call of Duty: World at War

Format: Wii (also available for Nintendo DS, Mobile, PS2, PS3, PC, X360)
Release Date: November 11, 2008
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Treyarch
Official Website: http://www.callofduty.com
ESRB Rating: M – Mature 17+

Introduction

Call of Duty (COD): World at War (WAW) is a very intense, brutal and addicting gameCall of Duty World At War that can be played with two players or with friends and strangers via Wi-Fi connection. Although the game is rated M for Mature, WAW does a very good job of not exaggerating the blood, violence, and language; however, I would recommend waiting for the kids to go to bed before playing this one.

Beginning

Picking up the campaign section of the game (if you haven’t played the other COD games) was very simple. The game gives you hints as you go along on how to master the skills needed for the mission you are playing. I used the Wii zapper for this game, which did make it much easier to aim and shoot. The down side of the zapper was it made it harder to quickly throw back grenades and to drop mounted weapons in order to run away from grenades. I took off the zapper for a period of time, and found myself doing much worse – I decided to stick with the zapper for this one.

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2nd January 2009

Puzzlegeddon

Official Website: Puzzlegeddon
Format: PC
Developer: Pieces Interactive
Publisher: Pieces Interactive
Genre: Action
ESRB Rating: E – Everyone

Puzzlegeddon

Puzzlegeddon features an inventive mix of puzzle, action and strategy. Select your island of choice and puzzle for resources to defend yourself and to defeat opponents throughout the many galaxies, game modes and challenges which await you in Puzzlegeddon.

When I was asked to review this game I had never heard of it or even seen any screenshots; I wasn’t sure what to expect. So when I read how the game functions, I was quite impressed. The main goal of the game is to defeat your opponents by solving a puzzle of different colors. As you solve the puzzle you will earn different resources to use against your opponents and decrease their health. Along with those resources that do damage to your opponent, there are also resources you can collect to protect yourself.

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