Category Archives: game

Train2game News Marmalade at Microsoft Developer Conference

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Marmalade Technologies Ltd is attending Build 2016, Microsoft’s annual developer conference.

Between March 30 and April 1, the team behind the award-winning game development platform will be on-hand in the Moscone Center, San Francisco, showcasing the latest version of the Marmalade Platform.

Marmalade is excited to demonstrate how the Marmalade Platform, Windows and Visual Studio work together to create innovative games for Windows 10 and more.

“Marmalade has worked closely with Microsoft to support both Windows 10 and Visual Studio 2015,” says Ryan Gilmour, Head of Product Management at Marmalade. “The Universal Windows Platform, at the heart of Windows 10, and Visual Studio 2015’s focus on cross-platform development are an ideal fit for our technology.”

The Marmalade Platform offers simple, direct integration with Visual Studio 2015, requiring only a single click to open your project in the IDE: it’s then ready to build, deploy and debug.

“Being able to offer Marmalade developers the ability to build, deploy and debug their games for iOS, Windows 10 and Android, with Windows and Visual Studio, is a great feature,” continues Gilmour. “And thanks to the built-in Visual Studio Emulator for both Windows and Android, you don’t even need to have a physical device on-hand to get going with debugging natively.”

Build 2016 delegates will also see how Marmalade 2D Kit reduces the time and cost of building a rich, dynamic and engaging UI experience for gaming apps. On top of this there will be an opportunity to glimpse the future of Marmalade 3D Kit, including Marmalade’s next generation graphics architecture, built to take full advantage of technologies such as DirectX 11 and DirectX 12.

Marmalade will be at booth #707 during Build 2016. All Windows developers attending the event are invited to visit us to see the Marmalade Platform and Visual Studio in action together.

Build 2016 visitors interested in speaking to Marmalade in person at the event can book a meeting via the Build 2016 event page on the Marmalade website.

Train2game News Train2game Student meet up at Rezzed

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Attendees heading to Rezzed this year have a great chance to meet and hang out with other students.

One of the biggest indie events on the UK calendar, EGX Rezzed takes place 7-9 April and Train2Game students are using the opportunity to hang out. Train2Game student Richard S is heading up plans to meet up and wants students to get in touch then join him at the event.

Gaming events are a great chance to meet other students; talk courses and games. Students can meet people in a similar situation and potentially work together. It’s great to meet people on the same course and on different courses to hear about their experiences.

There’s a number of amazing things to see at Rezzed, including: all things Indie and VR. It’s good inspiration to get into gaming and to strive forward in completing the course. Meeting up is a real positive and good for personal progression.

Events like Rezzed are a superb chance to interact with the industry and see what games are coming out. It’s a start at networking with the industry, a chance to build confidence.

Richard S spoke to Train2Game about why he is attending and why others should join him.

Richard S, Train2Game student: ‘I am very excited that Rezzed has come around again. I will take in what I can from the event and no doubt this event will give me a lot of drive with carrying on through my course, and even give me ideas with possible future projects I might be a part of.’

‘Since joining up with Train2Game on the Games Developer course I have tried to throw myself right into the industry. I believe that networking is a helpful component to finding work within the games industry. I want to meet Developers, publishers and industry bodies (like UKIE), also other fellow gamers.’

‘I feel that relating to people in a similar situation to myself is a positive: being on a long distance learning course and having a considerable interest for computer games. Meeting up would help me and my motivation for completing the course.’

‘If I meet with other programmers we can discuss how we are finding it and can discuss too possibly how we approach our studies. I feel I could even benefit I think from hearing how other people study even if they are on a different discipline like game design or arts or the QA course.’

‘I’m looking forward to Dead Pixels 2, Gang Beasts, Job Simulator, Orcs Must Dies Unchained, Overcooked (I do like a party game), Total War Warhammer, Warhammer The End Times Vermitide.’

‘These games catch my eye. I would like to see every game on show however and if anyone catches my interest I will hope to try and have a play on it even if a short go. I am keen to see what might be on offer in the Leftfield Collection also which are games that may be a little different from the norm.’

‘I am incredibly keen to have some time with the VR headsets this event as well. I’ve had a few tries with VR before from events. I am incredibly keen to have more time on these again. I find VR to be incredibly exciting as a gamer two fold.’

‘Rezzed is a big deal because this is a video games event from the people behind at Eurogamer.net. They have playable pre-release games for PC and console. A focus on indie titles particularly, developer sessions from people within the industry and The Gamesindustry.biz career fair where you can acquire advice relating to getting into the industry. Also the Rezzed sessions I am a fan of where you can get insight into games making, advice for developers and for people looking to get into development.’

‘It’s a chance to find out about the courses other students are studying and what they enjoy about it personally. Talk games, games and possibly a bit more games. Find out if anything in particular has attracted them to Rezzed this year. Get to know each other on a non-course related level too.’

‘I hope to see any other students that are planning on going this year. I have actually made a thread in the forums to try and help us meetup over the three days so feel free to post your interest in there. I hope everyone is doing alright on their courses too. Keep at it and best of luck.’

For more information contact: mark@train2game.com
Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry
Read the Train2Game blog at www.train2game-news.co.uk Train2Game is a proud supporter of  www.gamatier.com

Train2game News Inon Zur Album

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Award-winning composer Inon Zur, renowned for his evocative scores and ethereal songwriting for epic fantasy video game franchises such as Baldur’s Gate, Dragon Age, EverQuest, Icewind Dale, The Lord of the Rings and Rift, releases the first music video from his forthcoming original fantasy album, “Songs From The Tavern”, on iTunes and YouTube.

“Meneleya” is the first song to be released from Inon Zur’s new album and was written in collaboration with Juno award winning composer-producer Ian Nickus and singer-songwriter Mimi Page – the same team behind “The Path of Destiny” from the Dungeons & Dragons role playing game, Sword Coast Legends. Page also provides the track’s ethereal vocals and is featured in the video.

“Songs From the Tavern is my appreciative response to the many fans and their requests for an original album in the style of my music from Dragon Age,” explains Zur. “It is a natural progression from my work on RPG and MMORPG titles in the fantasy genre.”

Zur’s sophomore album “Songs From the Tavern” will feature all new material and follows the release of “Age of Sirens” (2015), a collection of previously unreleased music and arrangements.

“Meneleya” is available for viewing at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7XPaPmXQyc and can be purchased from iTunes and Amazon.

Inon Zur is a three-time BAFTA nominated composer renowned for his emotionally dynamic original music scores for film, television and blockbuster video game franchises such as Dragon Age (Forbes’ Top Video Game Soundtracks of All Time), Fallout (British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Spike TV Best Original Music nominations, Factmag’s Greatest Video Game Soundtracks), and Prince of Persi a.

Recently Zur’s original score for Fallout 4 was selected as one of the best video game scores of 2015 by The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, The Game Awards, PlayStation Awards (Editor’s Choice), FACT Magazine, Paste Magazine and Classic FM. His upcoming projects include the mystical adventure game Syberia 3 written and directed by visionary series creator Benoît Sokal.

Inon’s music has been performed in concerts worldwide (Cologne, Leipzig, London, Los Angeles, Malmo, Seoul, Sydney) by top orchestras including the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in London. He has recorded with The London Symphony Orchestra and Academy of St. Martin In The Fields at Abbey Road Studios and also produced and collaborated with international recording artists including Florence + The Machine (Dragon Age II).  For more information on Inon Zur visit: www.inonzur.com .

Train2game News Pokémon GO Details

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The Pokémon Company and Niantic Inc. today revealed new features for their upcoming mobile release, Pokémon GO.

The much-anticipated mobile game launching later this year on the App Store and Google Play will encourage fans to search far and wide in the real world to discover Pokémon. An early user test limited to Japan only is planned for Pokémon GO while the game is still in active development. Features, available languages, design, and overall appearance are not finalized.

In Pokémon GO, players around the globe will explore their surroundings to find and catch wild Pokémon hiding in our midst. Some wild Pokémon appear only in their native environments; for example, Water-type Pokémon may only appear near lakes and oceans. As players explore the world around them, their phones will vibrate to let them know a Pokémon is nearby. Once they have encountered a Pokémon, it can be caught by using the phone’s touch screen to throw a Poké Ball. Poké Balls and other special items can be found at PokéStops located at interesting places such as public art installations, historical markers and monuments.

As players progress through Pokémon GO, their Trainer level will increase, enabling them to capture more-powerful Pokémon and gain access to more items. Some Pokémon can be evolved if the same species is caught on multiple occasions. Pokémon Eggs, which can be found at PokéStops, will hatch after players walk a certain distance. Players will be able to impress their friends by unlocking achievement medals that are earned by completing a variety of challenges.

During gameplay, Pokémon GO players will be encouraged to join one of three teams and engage in Gym battles with other teams. Once they have joined a team, players will have the ability to assign their Pokémon to empty Gyms. Like PokéStops, Gyms can be found at real locations in the world, and because only one Pokémon per player can be placed at a given Gym, team members will need to work together to build a strong defense. A Gym claimed by one team can be challenged by the other two teams.

With real-life surroundings providing a backdrop for encounters with wild Pokémon, this unique Pokémon game represents the next generation of Niantic’s “Real World” gaming platform, which combines mobile location technology and Augmented Reality to create a gaming experience that motivates players to go outside and explore the world around them. For more information, visit www.pokemon.com/go .

Train2game News PlayStation VR at EGX Rezzed

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Sony Computer Entertainment UK is pleased to announced that PlayStation®VR will be available to demo at EGX Rezzed during next month’s London Games Festival giving fans the perfect opportunity to experience Sony’s latest entertainment innovation ahead of its October launch.

Taking place from the 7th-9th April at the Tobacco Dock in London, visitors to the PlayStation stand will have the opportunity to experience the upcoming PlayStation VR exclusive software titles recently shown at GDC, and available to demo for the first time in the UK including RIGS: Mechanized Combat League and THE PLAYROOM VR. Additional titles available to demo on the stand include PlayStation®VR Worlds and the first UK hands on opportunities with the VR reboot of first-person tank warfare classic, Battlezone, and first-person puzzler SUPERHYPERCUBE, which will launch first on PlayStation® VR.

In order to experience a PlayStation VR demo at EGX Rezzed and to avoid disappointment, visitors will need to pre-book their appointment.

To be notified when the PlayStation VR demo booking system is live follow @PlayStation UK on Twitter or sign up to receive updates at https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/explore/playstation-vr/get-updates . 

All PlayStation VR demo participants will need to be in possession of a valid EGX Rezzed ticket and be 12 or over. A limited number of walk-on demos for THE PLAYROOM VR will also be available across the three days.

Visitors to the PlayStation stand will also be able to try a range of the best digital exclusive games coming soon to PlayStation 4 including Giant Sparrow’s What Remains of Edith Finch, Heavy Spectrum’s Shadow of the Beast, Dino Dini’s Kick Off Revival, Invent Games’ Strength of the Sword, Housemarque’s ALIENATION and Dreadbit’s Seraph.

For further information on PlayStation®VR visit playstation.com/psvr or follow us @PlayStationUK.

Train2game News Pikachu Card

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The Pokémon Company International continues to celebrate 20 years since the first Pokémon video games launched with a special partnership with GAME.

From March 25, fans will have the chance to receive a limited-edition foil Pikachu card as a gift with purchase of any Pokémon product in participating GAME stores across the UK, whilst stocks last.

This highly collectible card, from the new Pokémon Trading Card Game: Generations expansion, is a special card featuring Pikachu, marked with the Pokémon 20th logo. It will not be made available anywhere else in the UK.

As part of the partnership, participating stores will feature special Pokémon bays containing some of the latest Pokémon merchandise and some GAME exclusive products including Mew plush, figurines and a range of Pokémon T-shirts from Bioworld. There has never been a better time to be a Pokémon fan.

Be sure to visit Pokemon.co.uk/20 for more information about Pokémon 20, Train On projects and join the conversation using #Pokemon20. Pokémon. Twenty Years. Train On.

Train2game News LEGO Force Awakens Gameplay Trailer

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Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today released the FIRST official Gameplay Trailer for LEGO® Star Wars: The Force Awakens™, showcasing the exciting new content that will be coming to a galaxy… not so far, far away on June 28, 2016.

For the first time, fans can get a glimpse of the brand new features available in this epic adventure, including:

·         Blaster Battles – Players can now engage in intense Blaster Battles, seeking cover behind nearby objects, which is a first for a LEGO game. Characters can then pop out from the safety of cover to fight enemies with blaster fire.

·         Multi-Builds – The enhanced Multi-Builds system allows players to choose from multiple building options to solve a puzzle and advance the game in different ways. For the first time, t he same pile of LEGO bricks can be used in multiple ways, with the player building and re-building different objects for different purposes.

·         Flight Gameplay – Experience the thrill of high-speed, action-packed flight gameplay like never before, piloting iconic vehicles (including the legendary Millennium Falcon) through arena-based battles and dogfights in space.

To view the gameplay trailer for LEGO  Star Wars: The Force Awakens, please visit the WB Games UK Youtube channel at https://youtu.be/Fsa8HkZiVwg.

LEGO Star Wars : The Force Awakens marks the triumphant return of the No. 1 LEGO videogame franchise and immerses fans in the new Star Wars adventure like never before. Players can relive the epic action from the blockbuster film in a way that only LEGO can offer, featuring all of the storylines from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, retold through the clever and witty LEGO lens. The game will also feature exclusive playable content that takes fans and newcomers on adventures set in the time leading up to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, providing additional insight about the new movie and its characters.

The game will be released on June 28, 2016 for PlayStation®4, PlayStation®3, PlayStation®Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U™, Nintendo 3DS™ and Steam (PC).

Train2game News SEGA Art Prints

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Funstock.co.uk today announced a brand new range of officially licensed SEGA art prints (in common poster sizes) featuring iconic imagery from classic titles; Sonic The Hedgehog, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Altered Beast, Shinobi and Alex Kidd.

The majority of this stunning collection is scheduled for release at the end of March, however, there are 2 sets of Limited Edition prints that are scheduled to co-inside with Sonic the Hedgehog’s 25th Anniversary (in June) with one piece releasing in April and the second one in May. The Limited Edition prints are all hand numbered and limited to just 995 prints!

The range features a split of prints across magnificent 300GSM textured paper and 300GSM paper in a variety of sizes and 14 unique designs.

The SEGA Art Prints are available at: www.funstock.co.uk .

Train2game News GDC 2016 Record Attendance

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UBM Game Network’s 2016 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest and longest-running event serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games has set a record for event attendance, with more than 27,000 game industry professionals at last week’s conference in San Francisco’s Moscone Center.

This year, UBM Game Network also debuted the 2016 Virtual Reality Developers Conference (VRDC), an event dedicated to the creation of new video games, entertainment and technology around virtual and augmented reality (AR), which was held alongside GDC. The organizers have announced that GDC will return to the Moscone Center in San Francisco from Monday, February 27 to Friday, March 3, 2017, and will see the return of VRDC. Call for submissions for both GDC and VRDC to open this summer.

GDC 2016, through its introduction of the VRDC, has helped bring greater focus to the nascent field of Virtual Reality (VR) development, with two days of dedicated talks and sessions surrounding challenges and opportunities tied to the rapidly-maturing field of VR and AR.  The event and its resulting buzz helped to set the stage for Sony Computer Entertainment’s announcement of the price point of $399.99 in the United States and October 2016 release date for their upcoming PlayStation VR headset, which was first unveiled (under the project name Morpheus) at GDC 2014.

GDC 2016 marked the 30th edition of the event, and to celebrate the history and legacy of the conference, the organizers hosted a comprehensive retrospective talk on the history of GDC. On Wednesday, March 16, the main conference opened with the “Flash Backward: 30 Years of Making Games,” a session that brought together industry luminaries from GDC’s history. From conference founder Chris Crawford’s talk on the first GDC hosted at his house, to Lori Cole’s experiences crafting pioneering PC adventure games, to speakers including Phil Harrison, Ken Lobb, Tim Schafer, Palmer Luckey and others, the session covered insights into the history of game consoles, the birth of digital game distribution and the promising future of VR. 

The annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) and Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) ceremonies took place on Wednesday evening.  Developer Sam Barlow’s Her Story won the IGF Seumas McNally Grand Prize award of $30,000, as well as the IGF award for Excellence in Narrative. The IGF ceremony also played host to the ID@Xbox Rising Star Award, that went to Girls Make Games, which is a series of international summer camps, workshops and game jams designed to inspire the next generation of female designers, creators, and engineers. Sam Barlow made a reappearance on the Awards Show stage, as Her Story also went on to win the Game Developers Choice Awards for Innovation, Best Narrative and Best Handheld/Mobile Game during the ceremony that immediately followed the IGF Awards.

The GDCA Game of the Year went to CD Projekt Red for their game, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

The bustling Expo Floors in the Moscone North and South Halls exhibited some of the most notable names in the tech and games industry, including Amazon, Epic Games, Google, Microsoft, Oculus, Sony, Unity and more than 550 other companies who offered product and tech demonstrations, networking and recruitment opportunities. The Moscone North Hall housed the IGF Pavilion which featured all the award finalists’ games, as well as the GDC Play area. Inspired by the success of the IGF Pavilion, GDC Play similarly offered a dedicated space where developers could show off their playable games and conduct meaningful business at GDC.

In addition to the Expo Floors, GDC hosted a variety of Interactive Spaces throughout the week. Independent developers and some of the latest indie games were featured in the GDC Train Jam, alt.ctrl.GDC and Mild Rumpus areas, a special edition of Double Fine’s “Day of the Devs” and the Indie MEGABOOTH showcase. The GDC VR Lounge featured a range of VR and AR demos across all the upcoming VR platforms. For fans of tabletop board games, ”Shut Up and Sit Down” hosted a selection of the best board games of the year for all attendees to enjoy. iam8bit returned to GDC this year with a 1980’s living room where attendees could pose for pictures and pay homage to the very first Game Developers Conference, which was held in the living room of GDC founder and developer Chris Crawford’s house in the 1980’s.

“This year’s GDC, paired with the inaugural VRDC, allows us to look both backwards at the legacy and lessons of previous years, and forward to the future of games and VR experiences. Even in its 30th edition, GDC continues to evolve and grow to encompass all of the key lessons, advancements and artistic strides that the industry makes. Once again, the staff, volunteers, speakers, students and attendees have made GDC 2016 an amazing, fun and safe show all around,” said Meggan Scavio, general manager of the Game Developers Conference. “As technologies mature and tastes in games change, we’re happy have a place for all of our friends, colleagues and soon-to-be-friends to meet about, learn about and discuss the games and VR experiences that we love. Games are becoming the most popular form of entertainment in the modern world, so it’s only appropriate that GDC carry with it the same spirit of fun, adventure and discovery as the games themselves, just as it has since its beginning.”

For additional information about GDC and VRDC, visit www.gdconf.com .

Train2game News Resident Evil 20th anniversary

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20 years ago today with the debut of the first Resident Evil game, the doors to the infamous mansion first opened and ushered in fans to a whole new world of survival horror.

Dark hallways and ominous corners led to thrills and chills that would leave a lasting imprint on everyone who dared to see what was behind each new door. Who could forget the creepy turn of the first zombie’s head as it looked up from its feast, the startling surprise of a Cerberus zombie dog crashing through the window of an eerie hallway, the almost Jill Sandwich, or the miracles of typewriter tape and potted herbs?

Since the birth of the series on March 22, 1996, Resident Evil has gone on to become one of the most iconic and successful gaming franchises of all time. With game sales topping 66 million copies worldwide and its expansion into successful Hollywood feature films, merchandise, attractions and events across the globe, the series continues to infect the hearts of survival horror fans everywhere.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series, Capcom will be releasing a series of developer interviews featuring commentary from some of the team members who have played a vital role in developing the brand into what it is today. Hear from the team as they go back through the mansion doors to look at how the survival horror phenomenon began and its epic rise over the years. The first video with producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi is available for download from the press site now.

The anniversary celebrations will continue over the next year and the team is already hard at work to deliver some amazing new surprises. Stay tuned to our channels throughout the year for more news on what the team has in store.

Capcom would also like to take this opportunity to thank our media partners, gamers and the fans that have shown their passion and support for the Resident Evil titles over the last 20 years. There’s no doubt that the continued success of the series is all because of you.