Monthly Archives: May 2014

Train2Game News The Game Crowd

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A new Console game company called The Game Crowd has been created in Nottingham to focus on the next generation of console gaming.

The Game Crowd CEO Rik Alexander stated “We’ve always loved making console games and we think the timing is right for a new company to take advantage of the next generation and the creativity they enable. Having recently acquired the award winning racing technology that was used by the Monumental Racing Studio where there was a huge investment in the technology, tools and pipeline, we’re in perfect shape to be able to focus on that creativity and deliver some truly outstanding original games”

The new company already has deals in the pipeline and is looking for a publisher for its original off-road racing game due for delivery in Q4 2015. Rik added “We’re actively talking to and seeking potential publishing partners about how our concepts could fit into their release schedules and we’re always interested in talking to businesses that have a need for amazing next-generation content”

The Technology currently sits on X360, PS3 & PC and is being augmented for both Xbox One & PS4 with iOS & Android in the pipeline. It features a rich racing heritage with the award winning and critically acclaimed MotoGP series. The Game Crowd is investing in enhancing the engine focusing on the character, multiplayer and environmental aspects initially.

Alexander went on to say “Handheld devices are becoming more powerful and though may never catch up with next-generation consoles output due to the power consumption behind those platforms, we do envision a future where the similarities between devices becomes less noticeable to the player and helping to make that a reality is that’s one of our longer term goals”

The sister company AppCrowd is working hard with a number of publishers on IP driven titles which have yet to be announced.

Train2Game News Andy McCartney on Train2Game

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Andy McCartneyMicrosoft Ventures Andy McCartney was interviewed at the recent Game Jam that Train2Game held.

Andy is CEO of the Microsoft Ventures intiative which gives independent games development studios the help and support they need throughout the course of developing an app.

You can enjoy the video interview with Andy below and found out more about Microsoft Ventures at https://www.microsoftventures.com/

Train2Game News Mark Cerny Developmental Legend

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Mark CernyMark Cerny will be inducted as 2014’s Development Legend at the Develop Industry Excellence Awards in Brighton, UK on July 9th.

The video games icon will join an elite few to pick up the prestigious accolade. Previous recipients include the likes of Tim Sweeney, Mark Rein, David Perry, Peter Molyneux, David Braben, Charles Cecil, Phil Harrison and Ian Livingstone.

The award acknowledges Cerny’s significant contribution to the games industry throughout his impressive career.

His debut game at age 18 was Marble Madness for Atari in 1984, the first release in a sparkling career that saw him travel the world working on major hits such as Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter, Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, Killzone 3, and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

Most recently Cerny is celebrated for being the mastermind behind the technical architecture of Sony’s PS4 console. The device for which he was lead system architect has already sold over seven million units, just six months after release – a games industry record.

Cerny will collect the award in person at the Develop Industry Excellence Awards, an event hosted by Develop (www.develop-online.net) and its publisher Intent Media.

“Mark Cerny is a true legend of games development,” said Develop’s publisher Michael French. “He is a respected games designer and hardware developer with a multi-faceted, cross-discipline skill set. He has helped shape some of the most compelling original titles in the history of interactive entertainment, and has been a true visionary in the design of new games machines. We look forward to presenting this award to him and celebrating his career on July 9th.”

The Develop Awards take place at the Brighton Metropole hotel. The event honours the achievements and efforts in the last year by European games studios, global technology partners and hardworking service companies.

The finalists for the award were unveiled last week. 136 companies are in the running to win one of 24 awards. You can see the full its of nominees here:  http://www.develop-online.net/news/develop-awards-2014-the-finalists-revealed/0192226

You can book a table or single seat at the event by contacting  Kathryn.Humphrey@intentmedia.co.uk or calling 01992 535 646.

Train2Game News New Pokémon Games announced

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????????????????????The Pokémon Company International and Nintendo announced today that Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire will launch worldwide in November 2014, exclusively for Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 2DS. Pokémon fans will collect, battle, and trade Pokémon in a new adventure.

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire are a fresh take on Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire, which launched in 2003 and were fan-favourite hits on the Game Boy Advance system. The new titles promise to take players through a dramatic story within a spectacular new world.

Be sure to visit Pokemon.com frequently for more Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire news and information that will roll out leading up to the worldwide launch in November.

Train2Game News Kinect Sports Rival teardown

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kinect-rivalsThis year, for the first time, the Develop in Brighton Conference will devote a whole day in one room to a teardown of a single game – Rare’s Kinect Sports Rivals.

This highly interactive and innovative strand will reveal how each aspect of the game was achieved – and how each aspect’s progress was interrelated and coordinated.

Rare’s Kinect Sports Rivals is one of the studio’s most ambitious titles to date. Designed with unique motion control and avatar generation systems, the game presented unparalleled technical, artistic and production challenges and made huge demands on every creative discipline.

The teardown sessions will provide an unprecedented insight into the full working practices of one of the world’s greatest developers.

“Because of the usual time pressures, and the need to cover so many topics, it can be difficult to dive too deep for any length of time on a single issue. This year that’s changed with our first teardown strand that will get right under the skin of a single game and analyse in detail the ideas and processes that brought Rare’s Kinect Sports Rivals to life,” commented Ali Fearnley, Conference Director at Tandem Events.

Session 1 – Design: A walkthrough the two-year design and incubation process that Rare undertook to devise a game to take motion gaming to the next level. How can this experience help you make better games?

Session 2 – Art: Lifting the lid on Rare’s new high-fidelity character art style, the reimagining of Xbox LIVE Avatars, and meshing player likenesses with the in-game world of Kinect Sports Rivals.

Session 3 – Production: How do you take cutting-edge technology out of the lab and into a game for a platform that is still being finalised? How do you ensure design, art, and the latest in machine vision technology comes together in a game people want to play – on-time and on-target?

Session 4 – Programming: Like all slickly coded products gamers should never know it, but Kinect Sports Rivals is doing a bunch of clever stuff under the hood. Learn how Rare’s programmers rose to meet the challenges set by the game’s designers and art department.

The teardown session will take place in Room 3 and start at 12.15 on Thursday 10th July.

Develop in Brighton includes the following:

Tuesday 8 July Evolve Conference

Wednesday 9 July Develop Conference, Develop Expo, Indie Showcase and Boot Camp

Thursday 10 July Develop Conference, Develop Expo, Indie Dev Day and Showcase, Audio track

Registration is open now at www.developconference.com and Super Early Bird rates are available until midnight on Wednesday 7 May, saving up to £170 off a three day pass.

Train2Game News UK Top 20 Games – 06.05.14

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Spider man 2The Amazing Spider-man 2 has swung into number one this week in the game charts pushing Titanfall down to number two. Further down the chart just breaching the top ten Ubisofts Child of Light has debuted at number nine.

All formats

Week ending 3 May 2014

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 ACTIVISION –
2 TITANFALL EA GAMES 1
3 FIFA 14 EA SPORTS 4
4 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL EA SPORTS 2
5 CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS ACTIVISION 3
6 – MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION MICROSOFT 6
7 LEGO THE HOBBIT WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 5
8 – THE LEGO MOVIE VIDEOGAME WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 8
9 CHILD OF LIGHT UBISOFT –
10 – BATTLEFIELD 4 EA GAMES 10
11 LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 12
12 SOUTH PARK: THE STICK OF TRUTH UBISOFT 7
13 PLANTS VS ZOMBIES: GARDEN WARFARE EA GAMES 9
14 DARK SOULS II BANDAI NAMCO GAMES 18
15 METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES KONAMI 16
16 INFAMOUS: SECOND SON SONY COMPUTER ENT. 15
17 ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG UBISOFT 11
18 GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 13
19 TRIALS FUSION UBISOFT 14
20 – BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 20
< previous week
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2014 UKIE Ltd

These charts cannot be reproduced either in print or online without obtaining permission from Ukie. If you wish to reproduce the charts in print or online, please contact david.smith@ukie.org.uk for the appropriate license.

Train2Game News Call of Duty Advanced Warfighter reveal

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Kevin SpaceyA new trailer for the next Call of Duty has been revealed starring Hollywood A Lister, Kevin Spacey.

In the last 20 years, global combat has seen a steady shift towards the use of private military corporations, or PMCs. What happens when the highest bidder becomes the world’s next superpower?

This is the question that is faced in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare developed by Sledgehammer Games and Activions.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare envisions battlegrounds of the future, where both technology and tactic have evolved to usher in a new era of combat for the franchise. Power changes everything on 4th November, 2014.

You can enjoy the reveal trailer for the game below:

Train2Game News PlayExpo 2013

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PlayExpoFollowing in the high octane tracks of last year’s hugely successful event, the nation’s army of gamers, puzzle pros and arcade gurus will descend on Manchester’s EventCity 11-12 October as the most action packed and utterly immersive gaming expo bursts into multi-player life.

Officially launched today and set to be the largest multi-sensory video gaming event in the North of England, Play Expo is a high tech-meets-retro-extravaganza set across five fantastic zones. The two day event will also pit amateur gamers against the best in the country as the Classic Gaming Championship finals reach their nail biting conclusion in a duel to the death on the main stage. Final heats will take place on Saturday with the Grand Final scheduled for Sunday, where the UK’s greatest retro gamer will be crowned.

Meanwhile, visitors can delve deep into the world of their favourite TV and film franchises, take the driving seat with exclusive sneak previews or be amongst the first in the country to sit at the controls of some of the UK’s hottest under the radar indie games titles.

“The all-encompassing Play Expo is unlike any other gaming event on the planet,” said Andy Brown, show co-organiser. “Whether reliving childhood favourites with the Expo’s unique haul of arcade collectables, getting up close and personal with authentic film props or taking to the main stage in a movie-worthy crafted costume, Play Expo is totally unique.

“Now in our fifth year, we have developed five huge zones which we know hardcore gamers and enthusiastic amateurs alike will love and we have some truly outstanding concepts. Exclusive hardware, game launches, cult actors and characters from the best of TV and film franchises – think Doctor Who and Star Wars and then take it to a whole new level.”

Gamers can expect to immerse themselves in a clutch of no holds barred experiences at the show which was nominated for an MCV award earlier this year.

You can buy tickets and find out more at http://www.playexpo.net/

Train2Game News PlayStation 4 big update

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PS4Sony have announced a huge update for PlayStation 4 including a rich new video editing application, is available today.

In version 1.70 SHAREfactory will be available to download on to your next generation Sony console. Once installed, the app will let you edit video game captures with special effects and, video commentary with picture in picture and the ability to add a custom sound track to your videos. Once created your videos can then be shared straight to Facebook or downloaded on to a USB hard drive.

In the new update you will also have the ability to automatic pre-download so those games that you have pre-ordered that you are dieing to play will be available to be downloaded several days before the release date so that your game is ready to go on the day with no pesky waiting!

There are many other updates coming in the new update and a full list of features can be found at http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2014/04/30/ps4-system-update-1-70-launches-tomorrow-full-feature-list/

Train2Game News Games for gold May 2014

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Games With GoldThe new games for gold on Xbox have been announced for this month. Dust An Elysian Tale and Saints Row The Third.

Dust, which is usually priced at £9.99 / $14.99, is now free until May 15. Saints Row The Third, which is normally priced at £14.99 / $19.99, will be free to download from May 16 until the end of the month.

Dust An Elysian Tale is a beautiful arcade game with an engaging story. The game play is a bit repetitive but the story and characters keep you engaged through out. The game was designed, created and coded all by one independent coder named Dean Dodrill. A truly astounding spectacle of one mans works.

I imagine Saints Row The Third needs less of a description with the high popularity it received along with it’s recent sequel Saints Row IV. The game is along the same lines as the GTA series but with a total level of insanity added to the mix.

Enjoy the Games with Gold this month!