For all of those who asked, Train2Game Winners now has it’s own Facebook page! You can follow the page and get updated with all the new students that are updated.
If you want to see what your fellow students have accomplished head over to the Facebook page and give it a like!
The link for the page is here.
Another new week and another quiet week in the charts, FIFA 14 still holds the number one spot with Call of Duty: Ghosts just behind. There is a new entrant this week, Mario Party: Island Tour which has entered the charts at number eighteen.
All formats
Week ending 18 January 2014
| POS. | TITLE | PUBLISHER | LAST WEEK |
|
| 1 | – | FIFA 14 | EA SPORTS | 1 |
| 2 | – | CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS | ACTIVISION | 2 |
| 3 | – | BATTLEFIELD 4 | EA GAMES | 3 |
| 4 | – | ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG | UBISOFT | 4 |
| 5 |  |
LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | 6 |
| 6 | |
KILLZONE: SHADOW FALL | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | 8 |
| 7 | – | NEED FOR SPEED: RIVALS | EA GAMES | 7 |
| 8 | |
MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION | MICROSOFT | 9 |
| 9 |  |
GRAND THEFT AUTO V | ROCKSTAR | 5 |
| 10 | – | ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES | SEGA | 10 |
| 11 | – | JUST DANCE 2014 | UBISOFT | 11 |
| 12 | – | FORZA MOTORSPORT 5 | MICROSOFT | 12 |
| 13 | |
FOOTBALL MANAGER 2014 | SEGA | 14 |
| 14 | |
WWE 2K14 | 2K SPORTS | 15 |
| 15 | |
BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | 13 |
| 16 | |
NBA 2K14 | 2K SPORTS | 19 |
| 17 | |
DEAD RISING 3 | MICROSOFT | 18 |
| 18 | MARIO PARTY: ISLAND TOUR | NINTENDO | – | |
| 19 | LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | – | |
| 20 | |
DEAD ISLAND: RIPTIDE | DEEP SILVER | 16 |
| < previous week |
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.
Skateboarding game OlliOlli, developed by Roll7 – who employed some Train2Game students, is coming to PlayStation Vita on January 22 in Europe.
OlliOlli is a 2d skateboarding game that mixes addictive one-life gameplay with over 120 tricks and grinds with 100 deviously crafted levels & 250 challenges across four gameplay modes.
OlliOlli rewards the most skilful and riskiest of players, always tempting you to go for that massive 360 Inward Heelflip and ludicrous chain of combos. Leaving you to time your landing to perfection – or risk losing your score!
The whole game is hand-drawn in pixelly loveliness, which is no mean feat considering the number of tricks, grinds, slams and stages.
“At PlayStation, we’re delighted to be working with the talented Roll7 to bring the savagely addictive genius of OlliOlli to the PS Vita” said Shahid Ahmad, Senior Business Development Manager, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE). “We loved OlliOlli from the first prototype and can’t wait for PlayStation fans to play this beautifully crafted game on their PS Vitas”
OlliOlli is developed and self-published by Roll7 and was QA tested by a couple of our very own Train2Game students! This is a big triumph for them and will do wonders for their CV’s
You can enjoy the trailer for OlliOlli below:
Now the new year has begun and the next generations are under way, one of my contacts from musicMagpie sent me this infographic about the life of the PlayStation 3.
We will just have to wait and see if the PlayStation 4 can match up or even beat its predecessor.
In March 2013, Unity Technologies announced a partnership with Sony based on support for every single one of SCE’s PlayStation platforms, in addition to Unity for PlayStation 3.
Today, Unity announced that with Unity 4.3 they are releasing Unity for PlayStation Vita to the public.
Developers with a licensed developer agreement from SCE for PS Vita will now be able to deploy their game to PS Vita via the Unity engine and make use of platform-specific functionality including:
· Motion sensors
· Front and rear cameras
· Dual analog sticks
· Rear Touch pad
Furthermore, Unity for PS Vita will allow them to integrate the full suite of PSN features into their games, including Trophies, Friends and Matching functionality into your game.
Unity for PS Vita allows developers to develop their game once, without rewriting the code from scratch; simply build and run it on the PS Vita devkit. Not only that, developers can now create both 2D and 3D games with Unity 4.3, animate almost anything with the native animation system Mecanim, and implement awesome graphics.
Zoink! has just released their new game “Stick It To The Man” developed in Unity for both PS3 and PS Vita. Check out “Stick It To The Man” at http://www.stickitgame.com/
Gamers mark your calendars as the first of four massive Downloadable Content Pack offerings for Call of Duty: Ghosts, is on the way with Call of Duty: Ghosts Onslaught.
Onslaught debuts four unique multiplayer maps, each with their own distinct environments, small to medium scale and varied gameplay, as well as the all-new “Maverick” dual-purpose Assault Rifle/Sniper Rifle. Anchoring Call of Duty: Ghosts Onslaught is “Episode 1: Nightfall,” the first instalment in Extinction’s four-part episodic narrative that delves deeper into the storyline and features new characters, a new weapon and new alien species including a towering, three-story tall alien enemy.
Onslaught is also included as part of the Call of Duty: Ghosts DLC Season Pass, which gives fans access to four epic Call of Duty: Ghosts DLC Packs planned to release in 2014 – Onslaught, Devastation, Invasion and Nemesis. Additionally, Call of Duty Ghosts DLC Season Pass holders get instant access to the downloadable multiplayer map, “Free Fall,” as well as the Team Leader Digital Pack, which comes with a unique multiplayer character head, weapon camo, reticle, player patch, player card and player background.
“We know our fans have an appetite for new gameplay content all year long and the team here is committed to delivering a full season’s worth of amazing new maps, weapons and more, starting with Onslaught in January,” said Mark Rubin, Executive Producer at Infinity Ward. “This year will see an assortment of content for players to dig into, with new, uniquely themed maps, new multiplayer weapons and an episodic Extinction story arc that introduces new characters, new locations and new weapons as they try to uncover the genesis of the aliens’ existence.”
Call of Duty: Ghosts’ initial DLC Pack will include the first instalment in Extinction’s four-part episodic narrative, “Episode 1: Nightfall.” Introducing a narrative driven by two new characters and featuring two all-new alien species and an exclusive weapon, “Episode 1: Nightfall” is a fast and frenetic, action-packed continuation of the original Extinction experience in Call of Duty: Ghosts. Set in a remote facility hidden deep within the Alaskan wilderness, the shadowy Nightfall Program has been researching the origins of the newly revealed alien threat. A small recon team of elite soldiers must infiltrate the site to retrieve intel and exterminate the hordes of savage creatures and along the way uncover a three-story tall terror unlike anything they’ve faced before.
Call of Duty: Ghosts Onslaught is set to launch on 28th January first, exclusively on Xbox Live for both Xbox One and Xbox 360.
Following the announcement of the Train2Game Winners website, the story was then picked up by Gamasutra and Develop.
The news of how great our students are doing is spreading around the internet which is fantastic news! The more recognition our students get the better.
If you would like to view the captures of the articles you can do below:
The links for the articles are below:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/208061/Train2Game_Winners_Launched.php
https://www.develop-online.net/press-releases/train2game-winners-launched/0187808
If you would like to be featured on the website you can email your achievements and story to Harrycole@swanpr.co.uk
For my first review of 2014 I got to review my first Xbox One Game, Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood.
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a 2.5D side-scrolling platform video game developed by Press Play for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The game is a reimagining of Press Play’s previous work, the 2010 Max and the Magic Marker.
This is in essence the first arcade game to be released on the Xbox One and it is a good starting point. The graphics for the game are not the ultra realistic that most current games for the XB1 are, they are a nice cartoon style that still looks very attractive on the next generation console.
The game play reminds me of Limbo but it does miss that charm that Limbo has which makes it the classic game it is. Max uses his Magic Marker to create; pillars, vines, branches, water slides and Fireballs to navigate his way through the levels and overcome puzzles. When I first saw the trailers for the game I assumed the magic marker was going to be controlled using Kinect which could have shown off how well it can work but the game only uses the controller.
There is a nice level of humour within the game with the main antagonist being called Mustacho which never failed to make me smile. Speaking of Mustacho though, when facing him it has to be one of the most frustrating final bosses I have ever faced.
Throughout the game where death doesn’t hold much of a punishment apart from being restarted at the puzzle you were on, during the boss this becomes incredibly irritating.
My issue with the final boss aside, Max: Curse of the Brotherhood was still an entertaining first arcade game for the Xbox One. If you enjoyed Limbo you will enjoy this.
Max: Curse of the Brotherhood is out now on Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
It’s the usual suspects in the charts again this week with just a bit of a shuffle around. FIFA 14 is still sitting at the number one spot.
All formats
Week ending 11 January 2014
| POS. | TITLE | PUBLISHER | LAST WEEK |
|
| 1 | – | FIFA 14 | EA SPORTS | 1 |
| 2 | – | CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS | ACTIVISION | 2 |
| 3 | |
BATTLEFIELD 4 | EA GAMES | 4 |
| 4 | |
ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG | UBISOFT | 3 |
| 5 | – | GRAND THEFT AUTO V | ROCKSTAR | 5 |
| 6 | |
LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | 7 |
| 7 | |
NEED FOR SPEED: RIVALS | EA GAMES | 6 |
| 8 | |
KILLZONE: SHADOW FALL | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | 14 |
| 9 | |
MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION | MICROSOFT | 8 |
| 10 | |
ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES | SEGA | 15 |
| 11 | |
JUST DANCE 2014 | UBISOFT | 9 |
| 12 | |
FORZA MOTORSPORT 5 | MICROSOFT | 11 |
| 13 | |
BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | 12 |
| 14 | |
FOOTBALL MANAGER 2014 | SEGA | 17 |
| 15 | |
WWE 2K14 | 2K SPORTS | 14 |
| 16 | DEAD ISLAND: RIPTIDE | DEEP SILVER | – | |
| 17 | |
TOMB RAIDER | SQUARE ENIX | 19 |
| 18 | |
DEAD RISING 3 | MICROSOFT | 13 |
| 19 | NBA 2K14 | 2K SPORTS | – | |
| 20 | |
GRAN TURISMO 6 | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | 10 |
| < previous week |
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.
Valve is just days away from releasing its own virtual reality software development kit, according to studio game designer Brian Coomer.
Speaking to the BBC, Coomer said the SDK would offer developers a standard method to provide an interface for virtual reality controllers.
Valve is expected to showcase the SDK and release it during the Steam Dev Days Conference next week, which takes place between January 14 and 15.
It is believed Valve is working on its own virtual reality technology, but will also support the Oculus Rift.
“There’s also technology in development at Valve based around head-tracking and headset manufacture and design,” he says.
“We are working with other companies right now but we have not made any specific announcements.”
As well as a VR SDK, Valve is expected to release a new toolset to assist developers with the creation of games for its Steam Machines, which uses the SteamOS and a unique haptic controller.
The Train2Game Blog 