As it is Friday afternoon Train2Game news has decided to treat you all to a new trailer for the hugely anticipated Bioshock Infinite.
The trailer packs together grand vistas of the soaring city of Columbia, insight into its fire-and-brimstone ruler Zachary Comstock, and plenty of explosive combat against men and monstrosities. Keep an eye out for a special guest appearance from an American President as well.
The trailer is for mature audiences only and is made using only in game footage.
A post and video on the PlayStation firm’s official blog invites fans to “see the future” at an event set for February 20 at 6pm EST. Sony has also launched a countdown website with the tagline “be the first to know”.
A report suggest that invites have been sent to media and investors for a ‘PlayStation Meeting’ in New York City on the same date.
The Wall Street Journal reports that people “familiar with the matter” have confirmed the event will indeed be an unveiling of the PlayStation 4.
The ‘Orbis’, which is the PlayStation 4 code name, has been the subject of an increasing number of high profile ‘leaks’ in recent weeks, including more than one alleged system specifications dossier. In January senior games studio sources announced the next PlayStation will utilise a brand new controller and that versions featuring a biometric sensor and LCD touch screen have been tested.
Sony has publicly suggested that the next PlayStation will not go on sale before Microsoft’s Xbox 360 successor. Whether this is a good plan is yet to be seen.
There have been rumours that the next Xbox will also be announced in some form before E3, but further leaks of information are not likely.
Train2Game Student Gareth Brook has had an excellent start to the year. He has had some individual success and team success with Road Hog Games.
Gareth Brook from Leeds, West Yorkshire, is a Train2Game student on the games design course who has recently started his own studio, Road Hog Games with fellow Train2Game students, Amy Methven, Terri Mardel, Matthew (Izzy) Greenwood, in addition he has enlisted Justin French to create audio and Jonathan Parker to do extra coding work. They are currently working on a project known as Little Green Dude.
Recently, Gareth and Road Hog Games had an article featured in the Yorkshire Post after getting financial support from Microsoft. This article caught the eye of a games industry veteran who is now aiding them in their journey to create Little Green Dude.
The industry veteran, who can only be known as Ian, has previously worked on titles such as Pure Football, Academy of Champions and Manhunt 2. He has been in the industry for over 14 years so he is bringing a wealth of knowledge to Road Hog Games.
In addition to the success his company is having, Gareth is also making strides in his personal career in to the gaming industry. He has recently uploaded a game template which is being used at an educational facility to aid in the teaching of computer games design and computer science.
Gareth said about his recent success “2013 is going to be a very exciting year, and I’m already proud of what I have achieved in a short period of time. Train2Game has provided fantastic support for all involved at our studio and since starting the course last April it has opened many doors for me. New ones are still opening!”
I wish Gareth and Road Hog Games the very best of luck with everything and I look forward to the games he produces.
If you want to find out more about Road Hog games you can like there Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/RoadHogGames
and if you would like to look at Gareth’s personal portfolio you can find that here, including the template he had made: www.gbrookdesign.com
New Nintendo Direct looks at Nintendo’s vision for Wii U, including launching Virtual Console and how Miiverse and second-screen gaming features will continue to evolve
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata unleashed Wii U news in an instalment of Nintendo Direct today as he outlined Nintendo’s future plans for the console. Iwata revealed how the Wii U launch line-up will be bolstered by a long list of top game franchises headed for the new console. These are games that long-time players and newcomers alike will love to play, and everyone will be experiencing them in new ways, thanks to the integrated second-screen experiences enabled by the Wii U GamePad controller.
Iwata also detailed a number of enhancements designed to make the Wii U game experience more social, even if people are not playing in the same room. “The fun of video games is not only just playing games, but also sharing experiences together with people – even though they live far away, their skill levels are different or their experience does not happen at the same time,” Iwata said. “We want Wii U to be the system that brings everyone together.”
To view the Nintendo Direct in its entirety, visit http://nintendo.co.uk/nintendodirect.
The many announcements included:
Game News
Two Zelda Games: Eiji Aonuma, the producer of The Legend of Zelda series, revealed two entries in the series for Wii U.
Super Mario is on His Way: The Nintendo EAD Tokyo Software Development team that created Super Mario games such asSuper Mario Galaxy for Wii and Super Mario 3D Land for Nintendo 3DS is working on a new 3D Mario action game for Wii U. The game is scheduled to be playable at this year’s E3.
Racing Ahead!: Nintendo is also working on a new installment of the hit Mario Kart franchise. This game is also planned to be playable at E3.
Yarn Yoshi: The team that created Kirby’s Epic Yarn is hard at work on the first console game to feature Yoshi as the main character since 1998’s Yoshi’s Story for Nintendo 64. Takashi Tezuka, director of Yoshi’s Island and Yoshi’s Story, is supervising the development of the new game, which is set in a fanciful world of yarn and textiles.
Wii Fit U Communities: New features coming to Wii Fit U include letting players create user communities on Miiverse from within the game. Community members can discuss exercises, BMI or weight changes and other health topics with other players as a way to encourage one another to reach their fitness goals. Similar functionality for other games is also planned.
Pikmin 3 Photos: The upcoming Pikmin 3 game includes a feature that lets players use the Wii U GamePad as a camera to share the same perspective as Pikmin and take close-up pictures of landscapes and creatures in the game and share them in Miiverse.
The Party Continues: A new installment in the Wii Party franchise is planned to launch this summer. The game features various play styles, including one that lets both players compete head-to-head using just the GamePad.
RPG Mash-up: Nintendo has begun many collaborations with outside development partners to bring the best franchises and experiences to Wii U. In one such partnership, Nintendo and Atlus are working on a collaboration that features the Fire Emblem and Shin-Megami Tensei franchises. A video trailer for the game was shown in the Nintendo Direct.
A New Game from Monolith Soft: Tetsuya Takahashi and the team at Monolith Soft that worked on Xenoblade Chronicles for Wii are working on a new game. A video trailer for the game was shown in the Nintendo Direct.
More on the Way: Iwata shared a new trailer for The Wonderful 101. That game and GAME & WARIO are scheduled to launch in the first half of 2013. Iwata also showed a new video for Bayonetta 2. That game and the new Super Smash Bros. installment are still on the way, but will need more development time before details can be revealed.
Virtual Console
Virtual Console for Wii U: A spring system update will add Virtual Console software to Nintendo eShop on Wii U. The service will launch right after the spring update and will include a selection of NES and Super NES games, with Game Boy Advance games to be added in the future. The prices for NES and Super NES Virtual Console games for Wii U will be the same as they were for the Virtual Console on Wii. People who have already purchased the Wii version of a certain NES or Super NES Virtual Console game and transferred it to their Wii U console can buy the enhanced Wii U version of the same game for the reduced price of £0.99 for NES games and £1.49 for Super NES games.
Classic Games for 30 Pence To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of the Famicom in Japan (which was known as the NES in Europe), Nintendo is making one NES or Super NES game available each month now through to July at the anniversary price of just £0.30. Each game will be available at that price for 30 days, and the first is the NES game Balloon Fight, which is now available in the Nintendo eShop for Wii U.
Social and System Enhancements
Miiverse Expands to Smartphones: Starting this spring, people will be able to browse Miiverse from their smartphones. Initially the experience will be browser-based, but Nintendo plans to create a dedicated Miiverse app in the future.
System Updates: Two major updates are on the way, one in the spring and one in the summer. The updates will introduce a wide range of functionality, such as Virtual Console capabilities and shortening the time it takes users to launch software or return to the menu screen.
For further details:
Nintendo Direct website http://nintendo.co.uk/nintendodirect
Nintendo Direct on Ustream http://www.ustream.tv/NintendoUK
Wii U website http://wiiu.co.uk
Nintendo of Europe on Twitter https://twitter.com/nintendoeurope
Nintendo UK on Twitter https://twitter.com/nintendouk
Wii U (UK) on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WiiU.co.uk
Nintendo UK on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/nintendoukofficial
It’s time for another Train2Game mid-week round up!
As the Kickstarter draws to a close for the Gamestick console, images of the android gaming machine have been released. You can visit the Kickstarter site to view the console and add to the cause if it takes your interest. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/872297630/gamestick-the-most-portable-tv-games-console-ever
In previous Bioshock games, the moral decisions have been to choose whether the Little Sisters lived or died. In Bioshock Infinite, the decisions you have to make are more powerful and less commonplace. BioShock Infinite will still present plenty of moral quandaries, but these are not tied to a specific system that in turn determines what ending you’ll get.
Google is to provide UK schools with 15,000 free Raspberry Pi Model B computers. Qualifications awarding body OCR will also create free teaching and learning packs to go with each Raspberry Pi. Responding to the news, games industry veteran Ian Livingstone said: “Putting Raspberry Pis into the hands of children on this scale is potentially the most positive initiative to spur digital creativity since the advent of the BBC Micro in the 1980s.”
Lifetime Xbox 360 sales look certain to overtake those of current-gen leader Nintendo Wii in the UK. Microsoft’s console was less than 200,000 sales behind Wii at the end of December, having sold over four times more units than Wii in 2012. Nintendo UK confirmed before Christmas that around 8 million Wii consoles had been sold in the UK. Despite a reported 33% decline in video game console sales last year, Xbox 360 is said to have outsold its current-gen rivals by a “significant margin” in Britain during 2012. Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2 remain the UK’s first and second best selling games consoles respectively, with Wii and Xbox 360 currently in third and fourth spots.
Temple Run 2 has been released for iOS and now Android. The sequel to the hit game has hit 20,000 downloads on iOS alone. Developed by Imangi Studios, the app rushed to the top of the free App charts on iOS in just eight hours, and also hit number three in the Top Grossing chart. In its first week on sale, Temple Run 2 racked up 210 million sessions and 1,775 years of gameplay.
Train2Game is bringing you more industry jobs this week across all industry sections.
DEVELOPER
| Job Title | Programmers wanted for a AAA Game Studio – Multiple roles! |
|---|---|
| Job Category | Programming |
| Skills Required | Gameplay, Audio Programmer, Animation Programmer, Graduate Programmer |
| Location | North West, UK & Europe |
| Job Description | Do you want to work with a AAA Game studio that makes multiplatform games!? This is your chance to work with a Studio that has been making great AAA games for the last 15 years! It is an Award winning studio that has a great Location in the North West! The Studio is mainly looking for gameplay programmers however experience in other types of programming is a massive bonus.
They are looking for someone that has: – Excellent C++ programming skills Team player with a very strong work ethic and cooperative attitude Previous professional experience with 3D action game development is also a big plus! The studio offers a very competitive salary with paid overtime as well as a bonus scheme! If you or anyone you know is interested and would like further information or wish to apply please contact me Richard Balding via email: richard.balding@amiqus.com. |
DESIGN
| Job Title | Technical Designer London – Contract until Sep’ 13 |
|---|---|
| Job Category | Game Design |
| Skills Required | Game Design |
| Location | South East |
| Job Description | Location – London Contract until September 2013 Day rates between £225 to £250 OPM are pleased to be offering an excellent opportunity to join one of the most successful international development and publishing houses at their London studio. The Task Responsibilities Key Skills Catherine Cope| Design Consultant |
ART
| Job Title | Environment Artist |
|---|---|
| Job Category | Art / Animation |
| Skills Required | Environment Artist |
| Location | Brighton |
| Job Description | We are a small talented team of game developers based in the Brighton area. Our recent work includes Monkey Slam on iOS and converting CSR Racing to the Mac.
We are growing our studio to work on an exciting AAA mobile game with a well known publisher and are looking for a talented Environment Artist to come and work with us! If you can prove the following we’d love to hear from you:
Experience:
Software:
Advantageous:
Applying: All applicants will be asked to produce a portfolio. This role is for a short term contract initially between 5-6 months. We offer a competitive rate and an exciting, tight-knit working environment. You can apply here. |
QA
| Capcom, Beeline is currently seeking a motivated QA Tester to join our London studio.The successful candidate will work with the QA team and the development team to ensure high quality bug free releases of our market leading games.
Required Skills:
|
Train2Game radio got the pleasure of speaking to Dan Rutter about his new studio him and his wife have started, Turret Studios. They have a great game idea and a lot of ambition to get it done.
You can listen to part one of the radio interview here: http://audioboo.fm/boos/1181723-train2game-student-dan-rutter-talks-to-mark1
and part two here: http://audioboo.fm/boos/1181705-train2game-student-dan-rutter-talks-to-mark2
Or read the transcript below:
Hello my name is Dan, I am on the Art and Animation course and I live in Teddington.
Hi Dan, how you doing?
I’m fine Mark, how are you?
I’m great thank you buddy! So, tell me a bit about yourself. What’s your story and the past experiences that have shaped your life?
OK, I went to university studying Model Making for TV and Film. I came out of that with a degree, I’ve ended up working in the model making field, I’ve done some stuff for film and TV. I then moved in to Architecture but through all of that games have been a massive passion of mine and my wife. So I looked at the Train2Game course, applied in May 2 years ago now I think it was. Entered the Game Jam competition in November where we came in the top three, ended up going to the Gadget Show Live in April where we had some pretty good success. I mean, we didn’t win but it was a fantastic experience and I met loads of great people! I’ve been plodding on with the course since then and new year, new resolutions and new goals, decided to branch out and do something different this year.
Yeah and what was that?
My Wife and I have started our own company, Turret Studios, aiming to make apps for iOS and Android platforms using the Unity 4 engine.
Is it just Unity that you’re going to be using?
At the moment yes as it is the only engine we can find that enables you to make apps for iOS and Android, giving us as large a spread of the market as possible. We obviously loved using the Unreal Engine during the Game Jam but at the moment it only supports iOS. Whether the Unreal 4 engine will be any different, and I really hope it is because I do really enjoy using that.
Yeah, so what are you working on at the minute? If you can say
Yeah, we can. Our first game is called Digital Dojo and it’s kind of cross between Pokémon and Top Trumps. It’s a collectible type of game, the idea is you go around and scan the bar-code of an object and those numbers, from a pool of robot pieces, will generate a robot which you can level up and customize and then you can challenge your friends through Facebook and if you win you get points so you can upgrade your robot further.
That sounds quite fun!
Good!
I would be interested in that one. So is it just you and your wife working on it or have you got other people as well?
At the moment it’s just myself and my wife. I have a coder friend who goes by the name of Wurley who is giving some of his spare time to help work it out which is good, but we will be looking at trying to get some other students involved if possible. We actually have two competitions that we are going to launch, one is to design a robot character for the game and the other is to design an environment for them to fight in. All the details will be up on our website and you can download templates to sketch over the top of or Photoshop files with layers if you want to work digitally and then we will put them up on our website and let people do a poll so they vote for their favourites and hopefully those designs will end up in the game.
Very nice and what’s the website?
It’s http://www.turret-studios.com
Are you a registered company yet or are you still looking in to that?
Nope, we are a registered company. That paper work has been done.
You are?
Yup, so what I have recently done now is I have switched from full time work and have gone back to Free lancing as a Model Maker. So at the minute I am doing a lot of work for other companies just doing some technical drawings and laser cutting drawings just to bring in some cash that way, which enables us in to putting as much time as possible in to this to get it up and running.
Very nice and have you seen the new forum section that has gone up as well?
I had a browse around last night, I haven’t had a good rummage but I have noticed there have been a few changes.
Yeah like there is a new student studio section that you can apply for it and its only student studios that can post on that to get advice and get people talking, so that’s where you can put things like your competition.
That sounds fantastic! I’ll be doing that straight after this.
Excellent! So did you and your wife meet through gaming or was that something before?
My wife and I met at University. I was doing Model Making and she was doing Furniture and Applied Products but we soon found we were sat in front of the Playstation 2 back then playing SSX and all kinds of games which was quite good fun. We even had Little Big Planet wedding toppers at our wedding and our wedding cupcakes had Marshmallow space invaders on the top, so that’s how heavy in to games we are.
That sounds beautiful! That sounds like the kind of wedding I would like.
It was pretty awesome. Our favour boxes had Marvel Superhero candy sticks and penny sweets in.
So is your wife more the arts type like you or does she do other things as well?
She is very good with her Admin and things. She works in a job where she isn’t doing what she wants to do but it brings in money. In terms of the company and how she fits in to things, at the moment she is looking at learning coding, so she’s got some books and signed up to some courses as a long term goal and in the short term she is running all of our social media, the website and keeping the books, making sure things balance.
Very nice, is she going to get in to Train2Game as well do you think?
It’s definitely an option. It’s just trying to get some things set up and sorted and then try and find time for her to do that. She works quite long hours and works every other Saturday and things like that. So we will be looking in to that
So finally, what is your greatest ambition?
At the moment my greatest ambition is just to get that first app out there, hopefully succesful and what I would really love is to be stood on the train, look over some ones shoulder and see them playing our game. I think that would be fantastic!
That’s a beautiful idea
It’s a great idea, it’s kind of the app equivalent of walking in to a shop and seeing it on a shelf.
Excellent. Well I wish you all the luck with everything Dan
Thank you very much
My pleasure and thank you very much for talking to us today!
No trouble at all, cheers!
In the top 20 this week not much has changed. Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 has got back to number 1 and last weeks number 1, Devil May Cry, has slipped down to number 4.
| POS. | TITLE | PUBLISHER | LAST WEEK |
|
| 1 |  |
CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II | ACTIVISION | 3 |
| 2 | – | FIFA 13 | EA SPORTS | 2 |
| 3 | |
FAR CRY 3 | UBISOFT | 4 |
| 4 |  |
DMC | CAPCOM | 1 |
| 5 | |
ASSASSIN’S CREED III | UBISOFT | 10 |
| 6 | |
NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED | EA GAMES | 5 |
| 7 | |
JUST DANCE 4 | UBISOFT | 6 |
| 8 | |
FOOTBALL MANAGER 2013 | SEGA | 7 |
| 9 | – | THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM | BETHESDA SOFTWORKS | 9 |
| 10 | |
HITMAN ABSOLUTION | SQUARE ENIX | 8 |
| 11 | |
LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | 17 |
| 12 | |
LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | 11 |
| 13 | HALO 4 | MICROSOFT | – | |
| 14 | – | SONIC & ALL STARS RACING TRANSFORMED | SEGA | 14 |
| 15 | – | SKYLANDERS GIANTS | SKYLANDERS | 15 |
| 16 | |
WWE ’13 | THQ | 12 |
| 17 | |
DISHONORED | BETHESDA SOFTWORKS | 13 |
| 18 | |
FORZA MOTORSPORT 4 | MICROSOFT | 16 |
| 19 | FORZA HORIZON | MICROSOFT | – | |
| 20 | – | BORDERLANDS 2 | 2K GAMES | 20 |
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2013 UKIE Ltd
Train2Game students invited to work with developers of puzzle title Imp Paired
Take part in the Train2Game exclusive beta, plus a chance to become part of professional development team
Casual puzzle title Imp Paired is offering Train2Game students exclusive access to a specially determined period of its beta test. In exchange for their time and expertise, students will receive a host of supporting and background information and the opportunity to engage the developers in conversation about the beta test from a developer’s point-of-view. As well as helping to test the game for bugs as part of the beta team, the Imp Paired developers are also looking for assistance with on-going development and managers to interact with the Imp Paired community. There is a genuine opportunity that the students who excel in this stage of Imp Paired’s development could continue to contribute to the ongoing development of this title and future releases from the studio.
Sign up for the Beta by emailing: nicholas@imppaired.com
Beta testers
The Imp Paired beta test is aimed at bringing the game up to release quality over the next few months. Testers will be given a copy of Imp Paired to install on their iOS devices and will be asked to give their feedback on new builds as they arrive throughout the test period.
The first builds are bound to be a little rough around the edges, but the developers behind Imp Paired are looking for the sort of people who like finding out where rough edges lie because it will be their feedback that drives the development process during the beta period.
As a beta tester you will be instrumental to the development process and you will be able to add the experience to your CV and portfolio.
Community managers
Community managers will be asked to field questions from and join in with the growing community through the Imp Paired website and social media channels, relaying information and questions between developer and audience. As part of the community team students will manage hubs like the Imp Paired Facebook page, contributing posts that offer opportunities for engagement.
Imp Paired
This puzzle title is best described as a cross between Pairs and Tetris. Where in traditional Pairs games you start with a full board and attempt to empty it, in Imp Paired you start with a half empty board and attempt to prevent it from filling. The task the player is presented with is to keep on top of their workload on a package sorting production line by revealing and matching pairs and sets of patterns on the packages’ reverse sides. New packages keep arriving all the time and the player must prevent their board from filling up or it’s game over.
The player is taken through the game by a pair of imp characters who pop-up between levels to instruct, encourage, insult and infuriate the player. The imps seem to be in charge, but as the player gains mastery of the increasing challenge the relationship between the player and the imps begins to unfold.
Imp Paired has both single and multiplayer modes and a range of difficulties. It sits together as a smart, humorous and fun experience, which lets newcomers and experts alike enjoy an exciting and challenging puzzle game.
To find out more about Imp Paired go to:
Website: imppaired.com
Facebook: facebook.com/imppaired
Twitter: twitter.com/imppaired (@imppaired)
YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvNFTGwmKf3nhX_aluHatJA
Imp Paired will be released for iOS in 2013, with a planned release for Android at a later stage.
To sign up for the Imp Paired beta or to join as a community manager email the team at the contact email address below.
Train2Game student studio Global Empire Soft launch exclusive Beta to Train2Game students
Man Alive spins gaming as we know it on its head and challenges gamers to find ways to kill the main character to progress through the game. With dark humour and superb artwork this completely individual title is set to get gamers talking. By taking part in the Beta, Train2Game students will be able to work with Global Empire Soft to trouble shoot the title ahead of its full release.
The Beta – The Beta testing stage will be the final step towards releasing the game and will be open to students for around two weeks. Those who sign up for the Beta will be asked to play through Man Alive and reply to the global Empire Soft team with their feedback over the period.
To sign up to the Beta, contact: manalivebeta@globalempiresoft.com
Man Alive – Puzzle-platformer but with a unique twist, Man Alive is a bit like Mario meets Limbo and then falls down some stairs.
The goals within Man Alive are very unique, as is the way the player uses the character. The aim of each level is not to survive the onslaught of enemies, but more to avoid being delayed in killing yourself. Some levels you will find yourself using the remains of your previous life to achieve this, such as jumping on your drowned corpse to cross a lake.
Global Empire Soft – The Global Empire Soft team is made up of Train2Game students and non-students, including, CEO, Richard Hoffman.
Man Alive on Steam – The Global Empire Soft team have also posted Man Alive on to Steam and they are looking for support to get their game on to the platform. If you follow the link below you can vote to help give Man Alive that opportunity.
To find out more about Man Alive go to:
Website: http://manalivegame.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manalivegame
Twitter: https://twitter.com/manalivegame
Man Alive will be released in 2013
To sign up to the Beta, contact: manalivebeta@globalempiresoft.com
For PR enquiries for Global Empire Soft and other Train2Game studios, contact:
Harry Cole
harry@swanpr.co.uk
The Train2Game Blog 