Category Archives: games

Train2Game News Xeno Quest Beta

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XenoQuestNGames, a leading online games publisher, is today thrilled to announce that the open beta for fantasy MMORPG, Xeno Quest, will be launching for Android and iOS gamers on July 30th and July 31st respectively.

The lands of Xeno Quest are brought to life by the powerful Unity 3D Engine, combining fine artwork with advanced technology to create a fluid, fully 3D mobile gameplay experience. Players will develop powerful Knights to utilize in turn-based combat, forge unique equipment and collect vast bounties of treasure as they team up with friends on special daily quests – or fight them for glory! Who will become the ‘Son of Destiny’ and use their power to change the fate of the world?

The Xeno Quest alpha test closed July 18th, following 18 days of successful stress testing. Thousands of would-be warriors joined the alpha adventure and NGames is now working through player submitted bug reports and suggestions ahead of the anticipated open beta launch.

“We cannot wait to open the gates of Xeno Quest to more players,” says an excited Tracy Wang, NGames PR Manager. “The alpha community had a lot of fun and did a brilliant job of tracking down bugs and making gameplay suggestions. We’re putting as many in place as possible for the beta launch on July 30th!”

The Xeno Quest open beta is scheduled to launch for Android on the Google Play Store on July 30th. iPhone and iPad gamers can join the fantasy adventure through the App Store on July 31st.

Warriors who helped shape the Xeno Quest adventure during the alpha phase will be rewarded with special gifts when the beta launches, including Firecrush – a powerful mythical beast assistant exclusive to alpha testers.

Open beta testers will have the opportunity to submit bug reports and gameplay suggestions ahead of Xeno Quest’s full launch this Summer.

Follow Xeno Quest and learn more about the exciting new game on the official Facebook page now: http://www.facebook.com/XenoQuest

Official site: http://xq.game321.com/

Train2Game News Trinity Magnum VR peripheral

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Trinity MagnumTrinityVR, a start-up company focused on building a scalable input platform for virtual reality (VR), today announced the development and manufacturing of the Trinity Magnum, a precision motion controller for head-mounted displays (HMD) such as the Oculus Rift.

The Trinity Magnum Development Kit includes an SDK (software development kit) designed specifically for VR experiences and will be available to developers, tech early adopters and enthusiasts this fall. The Magnum provides users with independent freedom to look and aim with a natural dual-grip form factor that makes them feel like they are interacting with the object in a virtual world.

Optimized to bring VR first-person experiences to the next level, the Magnum will provide an intuitive and accessible method to enable players to target and interact with enemies and move through environments. The Magnum features easily accessible inputs for improved muscle memory designed with VR in mind and includes two joysticks, four buttons and one trigger. It can be used one-handed (“mono grip”) or two-handed (“dual grip”) for gameplay versatility and diverse application development. The Magnum Development Kit is optimized specifically for VR, including support for the Oculus Rift DK1 and DK2 but will also function in PC first person shooter games.

Additional Magnum features include:

  • Accessibility – Intuitive ease of use requiring minimal practice and ergonomic form for all players
  •     Set-up and Integration – Easy set-up time and minimal collaboration
  •     Low latency, 1:1 Tracking – Complete inertial orientation tracking combined with optical positional tracking (optional) using any OpenCV compatible webcam as well as PlayStation Eye Camera and Kinect for Windows.
  •     Form Factor – Ergonomic “dual-grip” design includes rumble feedback
  •     Affordable – Under $100; significantly lower on average than competitive VR peripherals

“Old school keyboards, mice and controllers are now approaching obsolescence with the rebirth of virtual reality. We are passionate gamers and game developers who firmly believe in VR as the future of game entertainment. We wanted to enhance players’ experiences beyond existing modes of interaction through the Trinity Magnum to make first person VR experiences even more immersive and intuitive,” said Julian Volyn, co-founder and Chief of Product at TrinityVR. “Through developer support — and with the Magnum’s low price point — we expect to support the incremental growth of first-person motion-controlled content in VR.”

With Magnum’s integration tools, TrinityVR plans to work with developers by retrofitting their previous titles for the controller and adding support for popular mods. The Trinity Magnum is designed with first person shooter games in mind but its form factor lends itself to versatility in other genres. Whether players are using motion control in VR as a first-person military sniper, fire fighter, a medieval wizard swordsman, space age fighter pilot or in an epic battle of cake decoration, the Magnum provides a versatile motion control interface that’s comfortable and affordable.

The first game optimized for TrinityVR in VR is  Z0NE — a VR first person space shooting game formerly titled  Rift Wars from PixelRouter .

“The Magnum’s design — particularly the accuracy in aiming and analog sticks — has really heightened the potential for first-person, motion controlled experiences in VR, and we’re seeing that played out flawlessly in  Z0NE,” said James Andrew, founder of PixelRouter. “As a developer, we’re thrilled for fans and new players to experience  Z0NE in a completely different way. With the Magnum, the possibilities for next generation game content are now limitless.”

In an effort to bring the Magnum to developers and consumers, TrinityVR today launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the Magnum project. For 30 days through the Kickstarter campaign, developers and consumers can help fund the development and manufacturing of the Magnum Development Kit. Once fully funded, TrinityVR plans on delivering Magnum Development Kit units later this year.

To visit the Trinity Magnum Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/316228545/1427168445

For more information on TrinityVR and the Magnum, visit: www.TrinityVR.com

Train2Game News UK Top 20 Games – 21.07.14

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Watch DogsOnce again the charts are irritatingly quiet. The only change this week is that Football Manager 2014 has once again breached the top twenty by squeezing in at number twenty.

All formats

Week ending 19 July 2014

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 – WATCH DOGS UBISOFT 1
2 FIFA 14 EA SPORTS 3
3 CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS ACTIVISION 6
4 – WOLFENSTEIN: THE NEW ORDER BETHESDA SOFTWORKS 4
5 SNIPER ELITE 3 505 GAMES 2
6 MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION MICROSOFT 7
7 MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION 3 EDITION SONY COMPUTER ENT. 8
8 TITANFALL EA GAMES 5
9 BATTLEFIELD 4 EA GAMES 10
10 MARIO KART 8 NINTENDO 16
11 – GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 11
12 THE LEGO MOVIE VIDEOGAME WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 14
13 – ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG UBISOFT 13
14 TOMODACHI LIFE NINTENDO 9
15 TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK ACTIVISION 18
16 LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 19
17 – PLANTS VS ZOMBIES: GARDEN WARFARE EA GAMES 17
18 EA SPORTS UFC EA SPORTS 12
19 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL EA SPORTS 15
20 FOOTBALL MANAGER 2014 SEGA –
< 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 Roundish Squarish looking for staff

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Rounded SquarishA Train2Game student studio is looking for a Developer to join their team to take the studio to a new level.

Rounded Squarish have been together for 3 years and have taken the plunge and decided to make a go of turning the student studio into a professional one. The company are now fully registered through companies house and are now currently looking for a talented and enthusiastic programmer to join the team.

The studio are currently working digitally and this, for now at least, is going to be where all of the work is done. They do intend on meeting in person and after a few Skype meetings intend on organising this.

The first project that would be worked on with the new team member would be a small title called ‘Slinger: Monsters of the West’. This is an RTS Turret Defence type game with a splash of Rounded Squarish thrown in!

The player is placed into a world where the mythical land of monsters and the legendary era of the spaghetti western collide, fighting to defend their town and take back the west.

Development of the game is already under-way and several screenshots can be shown to give the potential staff an idea of what the studio is aiming to create.

They are initially looking to take it through to an early alpha stage within a short period of time and, following feedback, will look to persue it further, or continue onto other projects in the pipeline.

Ben Cooper of Roundish Sqaurish said “We are looking to this game as a way of getting to know the coder and see if they like working with us, and vice versa, and to find out if they share the same passion and enthusiasm as we do. That’s definitely the most important thing for us. We need to get on well with them and also to be able to rely on them. We also need to assess their abilities to ensure that they are at the right stage for where we want to take the games. We don’t want them feeling over (or under) whelmed by what we are trying to do.

We very much appreciate the early stage that we are at right now and that we may not get everything right and would love for any prospective team mates to appreciate this also. Unfortunately it does mean that, for now, the position is unpaid but we are really pushing to change this in the months to come!”

If anyone does want to get in touch, they can email Ben at:

ben@roundedsquarish.co.uk

You can follow the studio on Facebook at

https://www.facebook.com/RoundedSquarish

Train2Game News SpecialEffect help Ben back in the game

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SpecialEffectSpecialEffect, the gamers charity, have recently helped a young man named Ben to be able to play video games for the first time.

Ben, who has spinal muscular atrophy, never thought he’d be able to play video games. He’d found out about SpecialEffect online and told his parents, but they hadn’t said much. It turned out they’d subsequently arranged a visit to the charity in Oxfordshire without telling him, so one morning in April they took him for ‘a bit of a drive’ and an hour or so later, to his absolute surprise, he found himself in their games room.

“I’ve never played a proper computer game,” he said. “I’ve always watched my friends play. Games are important to me because I can’t go out and play football like other kids so I do it on a computer screen.”

Ben uses a joystick to drive his wheelchair and control his PC at home, so the dev team from SpecialEffect bluetoothed it to a laptop so it could act as the left gaming stick for games like FIFA and Grand Turismo. They also rigged up a selection of light-touch switches and connected them into the PlayStation via a couple of interfaces.

The end result is that Ben’s able to play on the PS3 for the first time ever, and he’s barrelling into a range of games including Gran Turismo, FIFA and Minecraft. The equipment he needs has been lent to him, and now he’s one very happy gamer.

“It’s good because I get the same amount of fun as they do. I can do everything on it and it’s amazing”

This is just one of many stories from an amazing charity that deserves continued support from as many people as possible.

You can view Ben’s story below

Train2Game News Google Play outnumbers iOS

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Google PlayGlobal Google Play downloads exceeded iOS App Store downloads by around 60 per cent last quarter, according to a new report.

According to the Q2 2014 Market Index from analyst App Annie, Google Play downloads shot up by 15 per cent compared to the same period in 2013.

The growth is apparently being driven by emerging markets, with Brazil, Thailand and India all seeing significant increases in Google Play downloads.

In India this is being helped by a large number of consumers switching to smartphones. The country climbed two spots to become the third biggest Google Play downloader during Q2 2014.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s market share in Google Play downloads doubled in the Sports category from Q1, partially thanks to the country’s hosting of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The World Cup’s impact on the Sports category wasn’t limited only to Brazil – the entire category grew by 20 per cent, with notable increases in World Cup winner Germany, runner-up Argentina and the US.

China and Japan were the primary drivers of iOS revenue, which despite falling download numbers still managed to bring in 80 per cent more revenue than Google Play. The latter remains the largest country in terms of App Store and Google Play revenue combined, with games providing more than 90 per cent of the total figure.

Oliver Lo, EVP of marketing at App Annie, commented on India’s rise in the download charts: “The notion that ‘West is Best’ is holding less sway as Google Play and iOS App Store are being increasingly supported by emerging smartphone markets such as India and China.

“The fact that only 10 per cent of the Indian population is smartphone-enabled is an exciting prospect for app publishers looking for new markets to explore. We expect strong Google Play downloads combined with future smartphone adoption to help set the stage for rapid growth in India’s mobile app-related revenue by 2017.”

Source: MCV

Train2Game News VRTGO Conference

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VRTGOThe North East of England will be host to the first major VR conference in Europe on September 11 2014 at the Baltic Centre in Gateshead.

The conference will be looking at both entertainment, commerical and serious applications for Virtual Reality. In addition attendees will have the oppotunity to go hands on with both Sony’s Project Morpheus and the Oculus Rift.

The conference will look at where the future of VR is taking the entertainment and games industry and see what this cutting edge technology can do for serious applications for automotive, modelling, training, marketing etc.

There will be speakers from a number of different companies talking about the different features of VR and how it can be used to create new exciting experiences. Speakers from SCEE, CCP and Zerolight with plenty more that are yet to be announced.

An after-show party is planned which could be excellent for networking and discussing ideas with other like minded individuals.

So attend and witness the future of interactive entertainment first hand. You can sign up using the eventbrite link here.

Train2Game News Your Beautiful Game Shortlist

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After receiving hundreds of nominations via the ‘Your Beautiful Game’ microsite, Turtle Beach has collated the votes and created a shortlist of the community’s favourite games.

The following list contains the top video games that fans have passionately campaigned to be included in the final poll to be crowned the best game of all time.

The Top 15 Beautiful Games

    Borderlands 2
    Call of Duty: Ghosts
    Dwarf Fortress
    Far Cry 3
    FIFA 14
    Final Fantasy X
    Grand Theft Auto V
    Halo 3
    Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
    Pac Man
    Resident Evil
    Super Mario Galaxy
    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
    The Last of Us
    The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

From now until July 18th, gamers can vote via http://yourbeautifulgame.com/ for the one game in the shortlist that they feel deserves the title of the true “Beautiful Game.”

As an added incentive everyone who votes in the poll will also be in with a chance to win a Turtle Beach gaming headset.

Voting and full terms and conditions are available at http://yourbeautifulgame.com/

Train2Game News Videogames writers guild chair filled

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Steve InceFollowing the Guild’s AGM on Friday July 4 2014, games writer Steve Ince has now taken up the position of chair of the Videogames Committee within the organisation, a position he is proud to take up and hopes it encourages more game writers to join the Guild.

Steve says:
“I joined the Guild two years ago because I believe it’s important to be part of a strong organisation that works in the interests of professional writers and, by extension, those writers who wish to become so.

“As a professional game writer I not only want to help shape the direction of writing within games with the work I do, but also be a part of how game writers are perceived by the wider writing community and within the game development industry.

“With this in mind I put myself forward for the Videogames position within the Writers’ Guild which was confirmed at the recent AGM, for which I’m very honoured.

“As a first step in this new position I’d like to invite all eligible game writers to consider joining the Guild, details of which are on the Guild website.

“Game writers, like most other scribes, can feel a little isolated at times, so being part of an organisation with such a rich history will give you a place in a strong community of creative individuals from every part of the writing spectrum.

“Previous holders of this position have done a fantastic job to date and I hope I can match that, particularly as there’s still a lot to do in respect to what the Guild means for game writers.  By joining or becoming part of the discussion, game writers can help give direction in a field that is evolving faster than all others.

“I welcome comments, questions and suggestions on anything related to the game writing side of the Guild, including membership enquiries, and look forward to hearing from you.

“I hope to achieve something positive for both the Guild and game writing while in this position.”

Train2Game News From Bytes to Boxed

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Sold OutSold Out Sales & Marketing Limited, one of the UK’s leading publishers of boxed titles, claims that many independent developers are missing out on substantial amounts of additional revenue by ignoring traditional routes to market.

The firm – which recently announced a partnership with Team17 Digital Limited to bring its forthcoming digital titles to retail – is now actively seeking new publishing opportunities which can generate an additional tranche of revenue for the developer.

In the case of high-profile digital releases, many mainstream publishers have forecast that their digital revenues may be as little as nine per cent of their boxed income. Microsoft’s decision to keep boxed as part of their Next-Gen strategy indicates that even where a business intends to be primarily digitally focused, retail earnings are still very key in the revenue streams.

“Digital publishing has proved a fertile ground for innovative, lean independent developers – but many are ignoring additional opportunities – which is leaving that cash on the table,” says James Cato, Sales Director at Sold Out.

“Whilst the digital marketplace is undoubtedly convenient for indie developers, we’re able to very quickly and easily open up routes to traditional markets, reaching players who prefer to build physical collections – or those who remain fearful of purchasing online.”

In the latter half of 2014, Sold Out will bring at least seven new titles to retail – including some of the highest-profile digital releases of the year. More information will be revealed at a later stage. These titles will be in addition to Sold Out’s own digital releases across PC and home consoles.

“We’re actively seeking new partners,” adds James Cato. “We’re as simple to work with as it comes: getting your games into shops requires very little additional manpower, and we’re not interested in owning anyone’s IP or digital revenues, all we offer is additional profits and access to a traditional market – literally every sale we make is a bonus to our partners.”

For more information in working with Sold Out, please contact sales@soldout.uk.com / +44 (0)203 405 4585