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Train2Game News Gamers with Aspergers

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Gaming offers a unique appeal for people with Aspergers Syndrome.
The Really Awesome Gaming Expo, or rAge, is Africa’s ultimate destination for those who love gaming. Brought to you by NAG, rAge caters to every gaming and tech enthusiast across the board but also takes on a more serious purpose by encouraging development, growth and opportunities within the sector. In line with this approach, rAge will host the Start Up organisation as an exhibitor at this year’s expo. This organisation assists individuals diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) in finding and maintaining high-end employment opportunities as well as educational placement.

Nanette Botha, senior job coach at Start Up, explains AS thusly, “AS is a form of autism characterised by normal to superior IQ, accompanied by social and communication difficulties. These difficulties stem from neurologically based sensory and information-processing differences. Even though individuals diagnosed with AS might look like everybody else, their mind works in a significantly different way, and sometimes their behaviour and reactions will not be typical.”

Children with AS enjoy spending time with people they know well, but avoid crowds and busy, unpredictable places. They tend to be highly intelligent and are prepared to put all their energy into something that interests them, but somehow struggle to convey their thoughts. Noticing the slightest change in detail that others don’t even pay attention to while the “bigger picture” often goes by unnoticed is another marker in diagnosing AS.

Those with AS have unique talents and are being actively sought out by companies both locally and internationally as their “out of the box” thinking styles give undeniable value to their employers. From a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) as well as a business angle, it makes sense to hire these highly intelligent individuals,” adds Nanette.

A career in gaming is highly appealing to those with AS and many of these individuals show remarkable talent in gaming, computers and game development.

For more information on Start Up visit www.startupautism.com

Train2Game News 18th Century Search Engine

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Introducing the number one search engine for your 19th century needs.

With the launch of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate just around the corner, we wanted to help players delve into the Victorian era and uncover the most important information about the period.

To accomplish this, Ubisoft has created The 19th Century Search Engine – a rich historical research tool designed to look just like the search engines our great-great-great-grandparents used in 1868.

www.searchengine.assassinscreed.com

The search engine is filled with hundreds of pieces of original content – painstakingly researched and catalogued – which will allow fans to discover the forgotten facts of this celebrated era.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate will be available worldwide for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One on October 23, and will be available for Windows PC on November 19.

Train2Game News RPG Maker MV Preorder

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Degica and Kadokawa Corporation are excited to announce that the latest version of RPG Maker is now available for pre-order on their website and Steam for 10% off.

RPG Maker MV is the successor to RPG Maker VX Ace (one of the highest selling software titles on Steam). It provides many new enhancements and features including:

    -Mac Support: You can now create RPGs on the Macintosh!

    -Multiple Device Deployment: You can now release your RPG Maker Games on the following platforms:
        Windows (EXE)
        MacOSX (APP)
        Android (APK)
        iOS (IPA)
        HTML5 for Web Browsers

    -Battle Modes: You can now choose to use either the classic Front View, or the heavily requested and more modern Side View battle system.

    -Mouse & Touch Input support: Tired of playing your game with a keyboard? You can now play your RPG via touchscreen or mouse.

    -LARGER Database : Support for twice as many items as VX Ace for a grand total of 2,000

    -THREE Layers for drawing complex maps, with an intuitive interface that automatically selects the correct layer for you.

    -Higher Screen Resolution: With all assets being made 1.5 times larger, the default resolution is increased to 816×624, allowing for more detailed games.

    -Complete English Support, community and forums!

The pre-order starts September 30th and will run until the game launches on October 23rd.

In addition to a 10% discount, people who preorder will also receive 2 brand new resource packs free:

The Cover Art Characters Pack
For the first time in RPG Maker history, an official set of resources featuring RPG Maker MV cover art characters is available! Featuring a brand new main party and brimming with bonus material, this pack includes the essentials to build the perfect character party.

The Essentials Add-On
From expertly-composed original music to clever tileset add-ons and emotion-packed character facesets, this pack includes material that enhances the standard RPG Maker MV resources and really lets your projects shine.

RPG Maker MV Preorder Page: http://preorder.rpgmakerweb.com/rpg-maker-mv

Steam Preorder Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/363890

Train2Game News GameAid raises huge funding

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UK games industry charity GamesAid has smashed its funding record for the eighth year in a row.

£564,000 has been raised by the UK games business over the last 12 months, an increase of 29 per cent over previous years. This money will be split between eight charities – more than ever before.

Accuro, Action for Kids, The Clock Tower Sanctuary, Lifelites, MAPS, Safe @ Last, SpecialEffect and Jigsaw 4 U have all received £70,500 each.

“2015 has been another incredible year for GamesAid” commented GamesAid Chair Emily Britt. “Once again we’ve raised more money, supported more charities and distributed bigger individual cheques than ever before.

She added: “Before I step down after my three year tenure as a Trustee at Christmas, I am happy to say that GamesAid has never been more supported, stronger and positioned to make a massive difference to the lives of kids and young people throughout the UK.  We’re now support the work of eight diverse children’s charities. I’d like encourage anyone involved in the video games industry to become a member today and see what we can achieve next year!”

“GamesAid only exists thanks to the energy, passion and fundraising efforts of the UK video games industry. Thank you so much for your support. You are simply amazing.”

GamesAid has raised £1.7m in its eight-year history.

GamesAid charity initiatives this year have included the Stand Up For GamesAid comedy night, the GamesAid Golf day, the Brighton Poker Night and a variety of Humble Bundle initiatives. Games industry members are welcome to join the charity for free by signing up at gamesaid.org.

Train2Game News Merge VR Headset

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Walk with dinosaurs or fly into space all from the comfort of your own living room with the new Merge VR headset available to pre-order now, only at GAME.

Priced at only £49.99, the new portable headset is a great, affordable way for families to step inside a whole new world and experience the virtual reality phenomenon.

Compatible with both iOS and Android phones, the Merge VR headset allows customers to enjoy the extensive immersive content already on Google Play and in Apple’s App Store. Play games, explore an unknown world, or watch a concert in your own home just by downloading an app.

On 30th October, GAME customers can be among the first to take home the new Merge VR headset by pre-ordering online or in-store. From mid-October, customers will be able to get their hands on this innovative technology with demonstrations taking place in all GAME stores across the UK.

Charlotte Knight, UK Retail MD at GAME, comments: “Virtual Reality is the topic on everyone’s lips at the moment. With gamers eager to see what’s coming next, we’re incredibly excited to give our customers exclusive access to this new technology.

“At GAME we’re passionate about making the latest technology accessible for everyone. The Merge VR headset does exactly that, offering the Virtual Reality experience to gamers and families. For those thinking about Christmas gifting, the Merge VR headset is the perfect present for under £50.”

To make the new headset even more affordable, gamers can Trade-in their old software and hardware in exchange for cash or credit. Customers will also earn 2% back in Reward points on every purchase, which can go towards even more great games, tech and accessories from GAME.

To find out more about the Merge VR headset, head into your local GAME store or visit www.game.co.uk/MergeVR .

Train2Game News ChilliConnect Beta

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ChilliWorks have announced today the global beta launch of ChilliConnect, a cloud based backend platform for connected games.

This latest product in their technology suite – which also includes the open source game engine ChilliSource – places them as a fresh contender in the rapidly growing live games tools market.

ChilliConnect offers a powerful combination of both connected and social game features and analytics platform to provide developers with everything they need to successfully run a live game from a single platform.

ChilliConnect has already been deployed in a number of live service games for clients including Mind Candy, 505 Games and more recently on Activision’s recent mobile title, Downton Abbey: Mysteries of the Manor.

Mike Herron, Head of Product Development at ChilliWorks, marked this first release by commenting: “We believe all games can be improved by connecting players. The ChilliConnect beta release marks the first step on an exciting journey that will see us rapidly increase features, usability and support in the coming months”.

We have already seen first-hand how connected and back-end services can enable games developers to create better games, and generate improved commercial performance. Now we look forward to enabling a much larger number of game creators through the power of ChilliConnect”.

ChilliConnect provides developers with a reliable, scalable system, that includes everything they need to build, launch and maintain a game with live elements. The beta release includes features such as user management, analytics, leader boards and custom event tracking. An exciting roadmap will see ChilliConnect extend the offering with features including IAP validation, push notification and asynchronous multiplayer ahead of the full release in Q1 2016.

ChilliConnect beta is available for free download now from www.chilliconnect.com

Train2Game News Dark Souls 3 at Play Expo

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Today Replay Events are thrilled to announce that Bandai Namco Entertainment UK will be bringing Dark Souls III, the latest game in the critically acclaimed Dark Souls series, to Play Expo this October 10th- 11th.

This will be the first opportunity for the public to play the already lauded action RPG title that sees the return of Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls director Hidetaka Miyazaki.

Dark Souls III brings the new Battle Arts system to combat which Miyazaki calls ‘an evolution’ as it builds on the series’ trademark sword and sorcery combat and adds a new layer to the combat system. The trademark online multiplayer functionality has also evolved to seamlessly integrate online interactions into the single player story.

Dark Souls III is a turning point for the series and will be released in April 2016.

So don’t miss out on the chance to be one of the first people to play Dark Souls III on PlayStation 4 and book your Play Expo tickets today!

Tickets are on sale at the website: http://www.playexpo.net/tickets/
With further information also available: http://www.playexpo.net/

Train2Game News XBLIG Tribute

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In response to news that Xbox Live Indie Games is closing down, the Indie Games Uprising has returned to shed light on the positive effects the channel had.

As usual with XBLIG, articles have surfaced describing the channel as a failed experiment filled with zombie games and vibrator apps – but that isn’t the whole story!

The Indie Games Uprising Tribute promotion aims to highlight developers who started their career on Xbox Live Indie Games or gained something from publishing on the channel. XBLIG enabled many hobbyists who had no experience in game development to publish games, and in some instances pursue games as a career. XBLIG also attracted AAA veterans who could release their indie games with ease via the channel’s straight forward publishing process. XBLIG changed a lot of lives, and many of us involved with the Uprising don’t believe we’ll see something quite this special again.

You can look at this promotion as a “where are they now?” spotlight. Listed on our site are developers who feel XBLIG paved the way for them to work on exciting new projects on platforms such as PS4, Xbox One and Wii U. There are also links for their old school XBLIG games so you can see where it all started!

The Indie Games Uprising ran annually from 2010 – 2012, showcasing quality XBLIG games that weren’t getting the promotion they deserved. Each promotion was showcased on the front page of Xbox Live, receiving unofficial Microsoft support.

Official Website: http://www.indiegames-uprising.com/XBLIGTribute

Train2Game News UK Top 20 Games – 28.09.15

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FIFA-16In a chart that has surprised no one, Fifa 16 is number one, knocking Destiny The Taken King down to second. Skylanders Superchargers comes in at number four this week and Blood Bowl 2, based on Games Workshop popular board game, is number fifteen.

All formats

Week ending 26 September 2015

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 FIFA 16 EA SPORTS –
2 DESTINY: THE TAKEN KING ACTIVISION 1
3 FORZA MOTORSPORT 6 MICROSOFT 2
4 SKYLANDERS SUPERCHARGERS SKYLANDERS –
5 METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN KONAMI 4
6 PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2016 KONAMI 3
7 MAD MAX WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 5
8 GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 7
9 CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS ACTIVISION 14
10 – LEGO JURASSIC WORLD WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 10
11 SUPER MARIO MAKER NINTENDO 6
12 DISNEY INFINITY 3.0 DISNEY INFINITY 8
13 MINECRAFT: XBOX EDITION MICROSOFT 12
14 MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION EDITION SONY COMPUTER ENT. 16
15 BLOOD BOWL II FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE –
16 GEARS OF WAR: ULTIMATE EDITION MICROSOFT 11
17 DISNEY INFINITY 2.0 DISNEY INFINITY –
18 RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015 BIG BEN –
19 TITANFALL EA GAMES –
20 UNTIL DAWN SONY COMPUTER ENT. 13
< 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 World of Final Fantasy

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Square Enix Ltd., today released new WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY™ screenshots featuring the heroes Reynn and Lann, as a mysterious woman named Enna Kros guides them into the world of Grymoire.

Along the way, the siblings encounter notable characters, locations and monsters that will be familiar to FINAL FANTASY® fans, including the legendary Lightning from FINAL FANTASY XIII and the town of Cornelia from the original FINAL FANTASY.

The new images showcase Mirages, powerful creatures that can turn the tide of any battle to aid Reynn and Lann. Players can take advantage of the game’s unique stacking mechanic to increase attack power and HP, and unlock special abilities. Among the iconic Mirages are Shiva, Ramuh, Ifrit and Cerberus, ready to wipe out all enemies that oppose the duo. WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY also introduces train travel with the Cactuar Conductor for Reynn and Lann to journey across Grymoire.

WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY, a brand-new title in the FINAL FANTASY franchise, combines classic RPG gameplay mechanics with fresh and imaginative toy-like visuals to welcome both fans and newcomers to the series. Players will lead a pair of twins through varied FINAL FANTASY worlds and capture and raise such adorably familiar beasts as cactuar, chocobo® and behemoth to discover alternate forms and learn new abilities.

WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY will be available in 2016 for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment systems.

Official Homepage: www.worldoffinalfantasy.com