Monthly Archives: May 2015

Train2Game News 2015 Pokémon UK Championships

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2014 World Champion’s Pokémon Pachirisu will be distributed at the 2015 Pokémon UK Video Game National Championships on May 30–31, 2015, at EventCity, Manchester.

Those attending this year’s Pokémon Video Game National Championships in the UK will be able to receive the Electric-type Pokémon Pachirisu through a special distribution. And this isn’t any ordinary Pachirisu! This special Pokémon was part of the successful team used by last year’s Masters Division World Champion.

In 2014, Se Jun Park became the first Pokémon Video Game World Champion from South Korea in the history of the Pokémon Championships. His win shows the ever-increasing expansion of the Pokémon Championship Series to more than 30 countries in all corners of the globe, and comes right on the heels of the 2013 win by Arash Ommati of Italy, the first Video Game World Champion from Europe. Could an English Pokémon Trainer take the crown this year?

Pachirisu played a key role in Se Jun’s victory, and he kept a Pachirisu Poké Doll by his side on stage, which he waved to the crowd after he won the Championship.

Pachirisu is legal in tournaments for the 2015 season. The Level 50 Pokémon offered in this distribution has the moves Nuzzle, Follow Me, Super Fang, and Protect, and the Hidden Ability Volt Absorb.

The free-to-enter UK tournament will take place at EventCity in Manchester on May 30–31, and will determine who will go on to win Travel Awards or invitations to the 2015 Pokémon World Championships in Boston, Massachusetts, in August.

The UK Video Game National Championships are open to players of any nationality, while the Pokémon TCG tournament is open only to citizens of the UK.

To compete in the video game tournament, players need to bring a system from the Nintendo 3DS family and a copy of Pokémon Omega Ruby or Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, along with their Player ID. To get a Player ID, please visit Pokemon.co.uk or register at the event. To receive the special Pachirisu, players are not required to take part in the tournament, but will need to bring along their systems.

The final joint European VG and TCG National Championships of the season, will take place at the 2015 Pokémon Italian National Championships: June 13–14, 2015, at Mediolanum Forum, Assago

Additional European TCG National Championships and other qualifying video game events will also take place this spring, and information on these events can be found using the event search tool here: www.pokemon.co.uk/play

Train2Game News Women in Games aiming to double females in industry

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The women in games organisation, Women in Games WIGJ, announced today that its core objective is to double the number of women in games working in the UK and European Games Industry by 2025.

The organisation recently reviewed its strategy with a group of interested parties including representatives from several publishers and developers and has identified a layer of initiatives that will be revealed in the coming weeks and months to accelerate the movement towards this goal. WIGJ is already in discussion with a number of industry groups including Ukie and STEMNET and hopes to collaborate with as many other interested parties as possible to make this dream a reality.

The Women in Games WIGJ network is open to both women and men. WIGJ believes firmly that encouraging more talented girls and young women to consider a career in the games industry will not be at the expense of others. The games industry needs to hire the most talented, creative people to compete with other industries in tech and the media. The games industry in the UK and throughout Europe is generating many new jobs though tax breaks and the continued growth of new formats. The growth of the games sector will create additional opportunities for all.

Recently appointed CEO, Jenny Richards-Stewart commented, “More girls and women playing games mean more women are interested in working in the games industry but we should not assume that this will solve the current gender imbalance without the industry doing more to welcome a more diverse workforce. Intel working with the IGDA demonstrated in January a significant commitment to bring more women and other diverse talent to the tech and games industries.  We want more companies to step forward on issues of diversity and inspire the next generation of talent .The games industry in the UK and Europe is keen to do more and we are here to help. We want the games industry to get behind this goal. ”

Dr Jo Twist, CEO of Ukie, said “Women represent 52% of regular players in the UK, but they only make up a small proportion of the games industry workforce, far behind other creative sectors. We have a shared responsibility as an industry to take action to ensure a diversity of people are inspired into a career in our sector from a young age, and stay in the sector. We are doing that via our Digital Schoolhouse programme as well as through the Video Game Ambassador scheme, and we actively encourage a diverse range of people to put themselves up for Ukie Board election and to speak at events.”

To find out more visit http://www.womeningamesjobs.com/

Train2Game News Guitar Hero Live track list

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Activision is officially starting to roll out the track list for #GuitarHeroLive.

Below is the first set of songs that will be playable in the game, including hardcore tracks that Guitar Hero fans will love from Alter Bridge, Pierce the Veil and System of a Down, plus Black Veil Brides, Sleigh Bells and The Pretty Reckless, as well as classics from Judas Priest and Pantera.

With hundreds of songs in the game, fans will also get to rock out to songs from Rage Against the Machine, Green Day, The Rolling Stones and Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as songs that take a new twist on the classic Guitar Hero rock, such as The Killers, The Black Keys and Fall Out Boy.

New tracks will be announced every week on #TracklistTuesday, so be on the lookout for news about all the great music coming to #GuitarHeroLive! You can also visit facebook.com/guitarhero and  guitarhero.com to check out the latest. Here’s the first 24:

Newly Announced Artists and Tracks:
·         Judas Priest – “Breaking the Law”
·         Pantera – “Cowboys From Hell”
·         Alter Bridge – “Cry of Achilles”
·         Rage Against the Machine – “Guerrilla Radio”
·         Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Higher Ground”
·         Sleigh Bells – “Bitter Rivals”
·         System of a Down – “Chop Suey!”
·         Black Veil Brides – “In The End”
·         The Pretty Reckless – “Going to Hell”
·         Broken Bells – “Leave it Alone”
·         Alt-J – “Left Hand Free”

Previously Announced Artists, Newly Announced Tracks:
·         The Rolling Stones – “Paint it Black”
·         My Chemical Romance – “Na Na Na”
·         Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)”
·         Green Day – “Nuclear Family”
·         Pierce the Veil – “King for a Day (feat. Kellin Quinn)”
·         Blitz Kids – “Sometimes”
·         The Black Keys – “Gold on the Ceiling”
·         The Killers – “When You Were Young”
·         Gary Clark Jr. – “Don’t Owe You a Thang”
·         The War on Drugs – “Under The Pressure”
·         The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
·         Ed Sheeran – “Sing”
·         Skrillex – “Bangarang”

Follow us for the latest updates:
Web: http://www.freestylegames.com/guitarhero
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/guitarhero
Twitter: http://twitter.com/guitarhero

Train2Game News SEGASaturday at REZtron

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REZtron Ltd., today announced it will be hosting a #SEGASaturday party with FREE entry for those come dressed in video game cosplay.

Guests will be transported into the golden era of SEGA gaming, mixed with drinks,networking,music,competition,prizes,Karaoke and much more…all under the roof of an award winning cocktail bar…
SW4’s sexy cocktail bar Aquum will be filled with nothing but SEGA consoles spanning four generations, including Master System, Mega Drive, Saturn and the legendary Dreamcast.

·         Legendary games including Golden Axe,Rastan, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter II, R-Type, Streets of Rage 2,Alien Storm, Sonic 2, Road Rash II,Thunder Force III, Super Monaco GP,Virtua Racing,Shadow Dancer,Italia ’90, 8 – player Micro Machines 2, Virtua Cop,Virtua Fighter 2,Fighters Megamix,SEGA Rally, Virtua Tennis,Virtua Striker 2,Crazy Taxi, House of the Dead 2,Power Stones,Soul Calibur,Marvel Vs Capcom and many more…
·         Displayed on RETRO Bang & Olufsen,Sony Trinitron,LG,Philips CRT TVs and huge Projector screens

·         Speed run competition on Sonic the Hedgehog (5-8pm)
·         WIN A MEGA DRIVE!
·         2-4-1 drinks until 9pm
·         DJ playing the greatest hip hop and techno of the 80s/90s
·         80s/90s KARAOKE in an ELEVATOR!
·         and more….

#SEGASaturday Retrotainment will take place on Bank Holiday Saturday 23rd May,5pm til 10pm followed by an after party til the early hours.

Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite

8,16,32 and 128-BIT SEGA Retrotainment awaits you….

Train2Game News Cooking up a career in Games Development

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After a change in his family’s circumstances, professional chef Ben Randall quit working in a Michelin Star kitchen to study Games Development with Train2Game and to have more time with his family

When life changed for Train2Game student Ben Randall, 27, from Peterborough, he left his job in the kitchen to spend more time with his family and study Games Development. He now balances his time studying QA, working with student studio Devils Inc. and looking after his children and temporarily disabled wife.
 
Getting into studying Games

“I took to work as a chef straight out of school and worked my way up on the kitchen ladder to being sous chef in a number of restaurants with high standards (even a Michelin star).”

“I then started a family and the working hours got longer and it was hard to be with my family. Then unfortunately my wife fell ill and is now temporarily disabled. My wife and kids need my care at home so I had to leave work, but I’m not the type to sit around doing nothing.”

“That’s when a friend of mine said he was on a fantastic art and animation course for video game development and I jumped on that bandwagon faster than Mario on Koopa’s, but my six year old daughter has better art work than I do, so I spoke to the Train2Game rep that came out and he recommended QA.”
 
Studying with Train2Game

“I have been studying with Train2Game for around eight-nine months now. It’s been great so far. The course has a good learning curve to it so I find that it’s getting harder but you have already learnt all you need to cope with that change.”
 
“I am pleased with the course, mainly that for a QA tester to train at college they would need to study IT and software based courses and then move over to the gaming industry, whereas T2G specialize the course to the right area.”

“The positives of the Train2Game courses are they are specialized and that you can do them in your own speed, but at the same time you are not alone. I would recommend the course to others. I feel that T2G push students towards making a strong portfolio of work to present to employers later down the line.”

Working with Train2Game student studio Devils Inc.

“I have seen first-hand just how important teamwork is in the development of games and adding more work to a portfolio is great, but a QA tester is nowhere without something to test so I am happy to branch out and work with anyone at any level of their course experience.”

“It’s great working with Devils Inc. Casual, but great. Because of the nature of each member of the team working from home and using Skype to keep in touch the team trusts that each member is hard at work at their own pace.”
 
“I’m proud to say I am Head of QA in Devils Inc…. ok, Lead tester…… Ok, I’m all of QA (only one) for now as the project is in pre alpha stages at the moment. I have put a test plan in place and set a host server for a bug database and test anything the programmer throws my way. At the Beta stages if the testing process seems too large for one I will recruit testers to follow the test plan and delegate testing to them.”
 
“It’s a great opportunity to see exactly how each role in the team comes together in a project. I don’t think any amount of text book reading can demonstrate this better than real world experience in a development team.”
 
What’s next?

“We are now working on a new take on classic arcade game style space shooter in 2D.

The game will feature waves of enemies in a space setting that the player has to defeat with a small team of 3 AI planes to help. The game will switch when a boss is encountered to a 3D FPS fight (Lylat wars style) The game will then work on multiplayer features so that 4 players join forces or fight each other because.. who doesn’t love Co-op play?”
 
“In the long term future my dream is to work up within QA of a development studio (big or small) and be part of making triple A games you would be proud of.”

Train2Game News Dinosaur survival

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Independent developer Studio Wildcard has pulled back the curtains on its Jurassic creation today with the announcement of ARK: Survival Evolved, an open-world dinosaur survival game where players fight for every breath amongst the most ferocious creatures to ever walk the earth.

In development for PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Windows PC, Mac, and Linux, ARK: Survival Evolved will launch on Steam’s Early Access program June 2, 2015, for survivors to begin exploring the vast, formidable environment and its many secrets.

Watch the trailer on YouTube HERE: www.youtube.com/c/survivetheark

Powered by Unreal Engine 4, ARK: Survival Evolved takes on the survival genre with a unique blend of emergent multiplayer cooperation and competition. Players awake naked and starving on the beach of a mysterious island among a herd of other confused humans. On ARK, they must then hunt, harvest, craft, research technology, and build shelters to protect against scorching days, freezing nights, volatile weather systems, dangerous wildlife, and potential enemies.

Use cunning strategy and tactics to tame and ride the many dinosaurs and other primeval creatures roaming the dynamic, persistent ecosystems across land, sea, air, and even underground. Build your character’s strengths and gain items, skills, and pet creatures using in-depth role-playing systems. Start a tribe with hundreds of other players to survive and dominate competing tribes…and ultimately discover the ARK’s true purpose.

“ARK taps into the scale, size, and wildly unpredictable nature of the dinosaur eras like no other game before it, then pairs it with the wonders of exploration and technological discovery,” said Jesse Rapczak, co-founder and co-creative director, Studio Wildcard. “We’re particularly excited to bring ARK to consoles, as open-world survival gameplay is typically found solely in PC games.”

Tame one of 60 amazing dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts, including gargantuan creatures on a scale never before seen in video games! Fly a Pterodactyl squadron over the snow-capped mountains, race through the deep jungle with your pack of trained Raptors, tromp through a fortified enemy base along a convoy of gigantic Brontosaurus, or chase down prey on the back of a raging T-Rex.

Players will quickly learn that dinosaurs aren’t the only dangerous creatures on the island. Other players are organizing rebel tribes to accumulate resources, experience, re-spawn points, and to construct sprawling villages and cities, with technology spanning the primitive stone-age to the modern electric-powered era and beyond. And they will fight to destroy anything they see as a threat.

ARK: Survival Evolved will launch in early 2016 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One via the ID@Xbox program and Steam, including Oculus Rift VR support and a thorough integration of Steam community features such as Steam Economy and Steam Workshop for custom maps and mods. The world of ARK is designed to be player-oriented and ever-expanding!

Train2Game News FunPlus Group PublishingPlus

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PublishingPlusThe FunPlus Group, a worldwide mobile social gaming company, today announced the creation of PublishingPlus, a revolutionary new mobile game publishing program that will provide game developers with a simple, transparent alternative to “traditional” publishing. PublishingPlus is now open for all free-to-play developers to apply, regardless of team size or location.

Before joining FunPlus as Head of Business Development, Greg Essig managed the games section of the App Store at Apple, where he liaised with numerous game publishers and developers. Prior to Apple, Essig helped create the gaming division for Creative Artists Agency (CAA) where he led numerous development and publishing arrangements. These roles helped shape his understanding of the mobile games marketplace and how PublishingPlus can make it better for developers.

Drawing from FunPlus’ expertise as a global leader in the free-to-play mobile industry, and strong local presence in major marketplaces worldwide, PublishingPlus will provide independent development partners with a wide range of financial and operational support in addition to expert guidance throughout all stages of their games’ lifecycles. Through a structured tier-based system, the program will give developers clearly defined, pre-negotiated milestones and deliverables to ensure concrete expectations for both parties with significantly mitigated risk.

The PublishingPlus program is based on four differentiating tenets:

100% upfront financial support from concept to launch
A 50/50 net revenue split between FunPlus and developers
Global marketing and operations support on iOS and Android
Developers’ continued ownership of their IP

“PublishingPlus is a major step into the future of mobile game publishing,” said FunPlus Co-founder and CEO Andy Zhong. “The current market has let too many great games fall by the wayside due to uncertainty. By eliminating that confusion and offering FunPlus’ wealth of experience and resources, we hope to change this trend so that talented developers have a chance to shine.”

The PublishingPlus website is live and officially accepting applications as of today, May 11. In its transparency, FunPlus includes an easily accessible term sheet for interested developers.

“PublishingPus is a mobile publishing design for the modern mobile market,” said Essig, “With our structured program, developers can focus on making great games, without the headaches that come with negotiating for the resources needed to get there.”

FunPlus gives developers unparalleled support in the mobile free-to-play games space. This includes project financing, art guidance, engineering and tech assistance, design, analytics, localization, monetization, marketing and live operations services.

“As a developer, choosing a publisher is critical to the success of our project, and of our company, and it can be downright scary,” said Octact Co-founder and COO Paul Chieffo. “FunPlus made it easy. Their team has given us the resources to succeed and stands behind us every step of the way. PublishingPlus will make the marketplace more approachable for indie developers everywhere.”

Game developers interested in applying are free to submit their ideas for consideration at any stage of development. PublishingPlus will consider applications as early as paper documents or as far along as geo-beta. Financing begins immediately and support continues for each successful tier and milestone met.

For more information about PublishingPlus, please visit: http://publishingplus.funplus.com

Train2Game News UK Top 20 Games – 11.05.15

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Project-CarsIn the first time in 2 years a racing game is at the top of the charts with Project Cars taking the number one spot. The rest of the charts are practically the same just with a slight shuffle around with Watch Dogs creeping back in to the top twenty.

All formats

Week ending 9 May 2015

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 PROJECT CARS BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT –
2 – GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 2
3 MORTAL KOMBAT X WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 1
4 – FIFA 15 EA SPORTS 4
5 DYING LIGHT WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 6
6 CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE ACTIVISION 8
7 BATTLEFIELD HARDLINE EA GAMES 3
8 MINECRAFT: XBOX EDITION MICROSOFT 7
9 – HALO: THE MASTER CHIEF COLLECTION MICROSOFT 9
10 DESTINY ACTIVISION 16
11 MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION EDITION SONY COMPUTER ENT. 5
12 FORZA HORIZON 2 MICROSOFT 17
13 SKYLANDERS TRAP TEAM SKYLANDERS 19
14 WWE 2K15 2K SPORTS 10
15 TERRARIA XBOX 360 CLASSICS 12
16 DISNEY INFINITY 2.0 DISNEY INFINITY 11
17 ASSASSIN’S CREED: UNITY UBISOFT 20
18 FAR CRY 4 UBISOFT 13
19 LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 15
20 WATCH DOGS UBISOFT –
< previous week
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2015 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 Tony Hawks Pro Skater 5 at GAME

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Hot on the (w)heels of the news of the Autumn launch of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, GAME is delighted to announce a format exclusive – available to pre-order now.

Available on both PS3 and Xbox 360 – only from GAME-  the highly anticipated release offers skaters a fresh take on combo-driven skateboarding and a state-of-the-art skate park build.

Featuring  classic Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater gameplay, extended trick combinations and endless shred sessions, the new game can be pre-ordered in store or online at www.game.co.uk.

For those with PS4 and Xbox One consoles, the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 also comes with the most advanced online multiplayer experience, offering online skate sessions and the ability to challenge other players from around the world.

Charlotte Knight, UK Retail Managing Director at GAME, says, “We’re just as excited as fans at the announcement of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5. It’s a game that will appeal to skateboarders and gamers of all ages – we know that many of our customers have grown up perfecting their tricks and this new release will put their skills to the test. With our exclusive format, there is a game for everyone.”

Train2Game News Batman Arkham Knight Cast Announced

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Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment confirmed the voice talent behind some of the most notable characters in Batman: Arkham Knight, the epic finale to the award winning Batman: Arkham trilogy from Rocksteady Studios. 

Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) joins the cast as James Gordon, Ashley Greene (The Twilight Saga) as Barbara Gordon, John Noble (Sleepy Hollow, Fringe) as Scarecrow and Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights, Hart of Dixie) as Nightwing.

Banks, Greene, Noble and Porter join an ensemble cast that includes fan-favourites Kevin Conroy, who returns as Batman; Tara Strong as Harley Quinn; Troy Baker as Two-Face and Nolan North as Penguin.

Batman: Arkham Knight is based on DC Comics’ core Batman license and will be available on June 23rd, 2015 exclusively for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and PC.

Batman: Arkham Knight brings the award-winning Batman: Arkham trilogy from Rocksteady Studios to its epic conclusion. Developed exclusively for the new generation of consoles and PCs, Batman: Arkham Knight introduces Rocksteady’s uniquely designed version of the Batmobile. The highly anticipated addition of this legendary vehicle, combined with the acclaimed gameplay of the Batman: Arkham series, offers gamers the ultimate and complete Batman experience as they tear through the streets and soar across the skyline of the entirety of Gotham City.

In this explosive finale, Batman faces the ultimate threat against the city that he is sworn to protect, as Scarecrow returns to unite the super criminals of Gotham City and destroy the Batman forever.