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Train2Game Christmas competition 2010 – The result

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The result is in!  After a very closely fought Christmas competition we finally have the winner, and it was very very close.  By a winning margin of just half a point, the victors are …. <drum roll> … Horizon Studios!

Congratulations to Marty and the rest of the gang at Horizon studios.  Everyone involved with the judging was impressed with the amount of work covered by the team in just 10 days and the game they developed was fun and was close to the competition brief.

Who did they pip by just half a point?   Rampage Designs!  Well done to Aaron and his crew, it was very tight between them and Horizon Studios.

“Firstly I just want to thank everyone who took part for their efforts.” said Dave Sharp of Train2Game.

“Mete, Rory and I enjoyed playing the games and overall the standard was very high.   We’re looking forward to working on the game now and bringing it to life on the iPad.  Everyone that submitted a game should be proud of their efforts, there were some good game ideas.  I hope the teams to can continue to develop the games they have started and take them forward.”

You can discuss the Train2Game Christmas competition result here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.

Playfish social games played by 55 million people a month (and other fun facts for Train2Game blog readers)

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Playfish Madden Superstars Train2Game Blog Image

Casual game developer Playfish has released some figures that Train2Game students may find interesting.  The EA casual firm now has 55 million users a month, a very impressive number given that the studio was founded in just November 2007.

Playfish has revealed a lot of other statistics that could very much encourage a Train2Game student to take a look at producing casual Facebook games in future. They certainly quite fascinating, especially with the fun facts and images included by Playfish.

  • 55 million people play Playfish games every month.
  • More than 340 million Playfish games have been installed and played worldwide.
  • More than 90 million items are virtually transacted daily in Playfish games
  • There are nearly 57 million restaurants in the game Restaurant City
  • Over 2.2 million American football teams have been created in Madden NFL Superstars
  • Almost 80 million people own virtual pets in Pet Society.
  • 1.7 billion apples have been purchased and fed to virtual pets since July 2008
  • 187 million pairs of shoes have been bought in Pet Society.
  • 10.9 million people have built their own ancient Roman city in My Empire.
  • 10.6 million football clubs have been created using FIFA Superstars
  • And nearly 25 million people own hotels in Hotel City.

The numbers are very impressive indeed, but pale slightly next to the Facebook giant that is Zynga. As reported on the Train2Game blog last week, their latest social game Cityville now has over 100 million users playing.

That news came just a day after a report stated that one fifth of consumers are now playing casual games online. And with an increasing amount of users purchasing in-game items, there is an increasing incentive for Train2Game students to look into producing social games in future.

For more information about in-game purchases, be sure to check out the Train2Game interview with industry consultant Nicholas Lovell.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the success of Playfish? Have you played any of their casual games? If so, what do you think?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Souce: Playfish via MCV Online]

Final Fantasy XIII-2 trailer

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This morning we revealed on the Train2Game blog that Square Enix announced Final Fantasy XIII-2 with a brief teaser trailer at an event in Japan.

Now both the trailer and the official press release have appeared online.  According to Square Enix, Final Fantasy XIII-2 be better than the original:

“FINAL FANTASY XIII-2” is currently in production with an aim for producing high quality game content which exceeds “FINAL FANTASY XIII” in every aspect; namely, a brand-new story which stems from the previous title as well as a battle system which has evolved further since “XIII” – and more. We will be disclosing further details about the new game in the future.”

Anyway, enough with the text. Train2Game blog readers can see the Final Fantasy XIII-2 trailer below. Oh, it’s in Japanese by the way…

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is scheduled for release “next winter” for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Square Enix will be hoping it can go some way to matching the success of Final Fantasy XIII which has shipped 6 million units worldwide since its release in March 2010.

Square Enix has also launched a European Final Fantasy XII-2 website which Train2Game blog readers can check out for soon  more information.

You can also see trailers for Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Final Fantasy Type-0 here on the Thoughts of Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Final Fantasy XIII-2 trailer? Does it convince you that Square Enix are doing the right thing? Will it be as successful as Final Fantasy XIII?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: CVG]

Final Fantasy XIII-2 announced

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Final Fantasy XIII-2 Train2Game blog image

Here’s something that Train2Game students may not have expected; Square Enix has revealed that Final Fantasy XIII-2 is in development.

The announcement was made during Square Enix’s 1st Production Department Premier event in Japan by Director of Final Fantasy XIII – and the new sequel – Motomu Toriyama. A short trailer showed protagonist Lightning battling with an unknown character with purple hair. It’ll be available online in a few days.

The announcement marks Square Enix’s second attempt at developing a direct sequel to a Final Fantasy game.  The only previous direct follow up to any game in the series long running history was Final Fantasy X-2 in 2003.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is scheduled for release in Japan before the end of this year and will reach Europe “next winter”

If any Train2Game students can read Japanese, they can check out the official Square Enix website for Final Fantasy XIII-2 here. The rest of us may have to wait a little longer for more information.

During the same press conference, Square Enix also announced upcoming Final Fantasy Agito XIII for the PSP has been renamed ‘Final Fantasy Type-0’. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy Versus XIII still looks like it’ll be a PlayStation 3 exclusive.

Update: the first screenshot has also arrived, which you can see courtesy of Famitsu below.

Train2Game blog Final Fantasy XII-2 screenshot

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the newly announced Final Fantasy XIII-2? Did you enjoy the original? If so are you excited about Final Fantasy XIII-2? Or did you feel let down by Final Fantasy XIII last year?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: CVG]

Update: the first screenshot has also arrived, which you can see courtesey of Famitsu below.

Train2Game blog student interview #2: Game Developer Stuart Wragg

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There are over 2000 students currently on Train2Game courses, and with so many out there we decided it’d be a great idea to chat to them. Oursecond mini interview is with Train2Game Development student Kevin Wragg (AKA Nova on the Train2Game Forum)

Hi Kevin, Why did you choose to study with Train2Game?

Train2Game student Kevin: The main reason I decided to take up a course withTrain2Game, was due to fact I was unable to do the same course at collage or university because of financial commitments.  Train2Game allowed me to study while I was still working and was therefore the only course that ticked all the boxes.

Train2Game blog: Which Train2Game course did you decide to take and why?

Train2Game student Kevin: From a very young age I have always loved video games, but developing them never really struck me as a career path. It was only when I started running an online game for me and some friends, writing NPC scripts, adding new items and interfaces, that that I realised I loved it and wanted to learn more. So it was a little surprise when one day at work during my lunch break, I opened the paper to find an article on the games industry with a link to the Train2Game website. I promptly ripped the article from the paper, the rest as they say, is history!

Train2Game blog: What were you doing before you started your Train2Game course?

Train2Game student Kevin: Before I got interested in game development my life lacked any direction. When I left school I had no idea what I wanted to do, and ended up building boilers in a factory, which I’m still doing to this day. Before Train2Game I was a very ambitious person with no ambitions, now I feel like I have a direction in life.

Train2Game blog: How are you finding balancing the course with the rest of your life?

Train2Game student Kevin: Due to the nature of my job I often find myself tired after work, so most of the work I do for the course is at the weekends.  Its one aspect of this course that enables the course to fit around me rather than the other way around.  Another bonus is that during holidays I can put more work into it while I have the free time.

Train2Game blog:  What has been your favourite part of the course so far?

Train2Game student Kevin: It was great to meet Dave Sharp from Train2Game and the other students at the Newcastle meet, and I find the Train2Game forum a great place to meet like minded people all working towards the same goal.  I think the best is yet to come, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed what I have learnt so far and I’m eager to get stuck into the rest of the course.

Kevin is on the Train2Game Game Development course


iOS owners download an average of 60 apps per device

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Train2Game blog App Store Image

Apple device owners have downloaded an average total of 60 apps each according to analyst group Asymco.

The news is sure to please any Train2Game students who are thinking of developing game applications for likes of the iPad and iPhone in the future, with over 30 million apps being downloaded everyday.

The study by Aysmco was conducted through measuring iOSdevice sales against actual Apple App store data.

And with re-downloads not being taken into account, it’s likely that the there are in fact more iPhone and iPad app sales everyday.

Many ‘casual’ games on Apple devices will also make extra revenue through in-App sales. Both these in-app sales, and the downloading of games themselves, means research group eMarketer predict that social media gaming will be worth more than $1 billion in revenue by the end of this year.

The prediction is made even more likely given that another report suggests that one in five consumers now play social games.

It’s also likely that the number of apps being downloaded as the market for iPhone’s and iPad’s gets larger, will only increase.  Last month the Train2Game blog spoke with industry consultant Nicholas Lovell , who discussed the concept of in-game purchases as part of the interview.

30 million apps downloaded a day, and Ios users owning 60 each on average, what are your thoughts on this Train2Game? Do you own an iPhone or an iPad, how often do you download apps and games?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Develop Online]

The Train2Game blog Top 5 most anticipated games of 2011

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2010 was a great year for video games and 2011 looks set to be even better. With that in mind, the Train2Game blog presents a run down of our top 5 most anticipated games of the year. Some of these may not be absolute blockbusters, but represent what we’re personally looking forward to in the coming year.

5. Fight Night Champion


This might be a controversial one to begin with because previous comments on the Train2Game Facebook page suggest that the excellent Fight Night Round 4 wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. However, as a fan of the sport myself I thought it was an excellent game that truly represents an accurate simulation of boxing, without forcing you to step between the ropes.

Fight Night Round 4 looked great and played even better and it felt great taking a created boxer to the top in the career mode. If the trailers that have already been revealed are anything to go by then Fight Night Champion isn’t just an update with a few new fighters on the roster, the game looks like it’s been updated in every department.

If the screenshots we’ve seen are anything to go by then not only does it look better, but fighters will react more realistically to damage during fights. Noses can be broken, eyes can be bruised and the new stamina system where each limb has its own energy means you’ll need to do more than just throw right hooks for 12 rounds.

Not only that but the new story based champion mode means that the latest incarnation of Fight Night is set to become the first EA game to have a mature rating thanks to a gritty tale involving corruption, drugs, and prison. It should be excellent entertainment for boxing fans.

Fight Night Champion is due for release on March 4th.

4.  Portal 2

Train2Game blog Portal Image

The original Portal was released in 2007 and was perhaps the biggest surprised to come out of the rather amazing Orange Box. The charming little puzzler based around the use of portals may not have been very long, but it stole the hearts of many. (Over three years later this tribute recently turned up in Minecraft!)

Now, 2011 sees Valve release a full sequel to Portal that not only is at least twice as long as the original, and a lot of new features, but also full length game co-op game mode. As we’ve seen in previous posts on the Train2Game blog, Portal features a lot more character interaction for silent-protagonist Chel in the form of Wheatley, a small robot voiced by Stephen Merchant. Portal 2 also apparently features 13,000 lines of dialogue which points towards there being more conversations rather than listening to the oh-so-adorable sentry guns talking at you.

Personally, what I’m looking forward to most is the new co-op mode, especially when you take Valve’s track record with co-op and team based games into consideration.  You may have heard of two little games called Team Fortress 2 and the Left 4 Dead series both of which make co-operation the utmost importance.

And if for some reason you need extra convincing that that Portal 2 should be one of the best games of the year, then remember that it’s from Valve, the team behind Half Life 2. (Of course, there will be some of you who’d hope that Half Life 2: Episode 3 or Half Life 3 will at least appear this year!)

Portal 2 is released on April 22nd. If that’s too long to wait, you can check out these trailers on the Train2Game blog.

3. Tomb Raider


No, Train2Game blog reader you haven’t angered a wizard and been sent back in time to 1995, Tomb Raider is coming out this year. Tomb Raider is simply a reboot of the entire franchise that see’s a 21 year old Lara Croft stranded on an island and fighting for survival.

From what we’ve seen so far this open world adventure not only takes a number of elements from the world of survival horror, but will also require the player to sustain Lara with drinking water. It’s another game that looks set to have a mature rating with Lara able to suffer a number of brutal deaths if the player isn’t careful enough.

The open world nature and change in tone from previous games in the series certainly marks Tomb Raider out as one of top prospects of the year.

You can check out some artwork for the upcoming Tomb Raider here on the Train2Game blog.

There’s no official release date for Tomb Raider yet, but it should be with us before the year is over.

2.  Uncharted 3


Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was an impressive video game, while Uncharted 2 was arguably even better.  Will Uncharted 3 continue the trend and trump them both?  It looks like we’ll be getting a lot more of the fantastic character interaction that features in all of the Uncharted games thanks to screenshots and gameplay footage that show Drake and mentor Sully playing a bigger role in the game.

The intense action sequences, the game play and the dialogue between the characters have all helped make the Uncharted games classics of this generation and have near enough made Nathan Drake the icon of the PlayStation 3.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception will see our protagonists spending a lot of time in the desert and from what we’ve seen so far it looks visually amazing. Expect fast paced action, an epic story and lots of twists and turns when Uncharted 3 is release for the PlayStation 3 on November 4th.

1. Dragon Age 2


So, given that how much we at the Train2Game blog have praised Dragon Age: Origins in previous posts, we may get called out as biased here, but Dragon Age 2 lets set to be amazing.

OK, some people aren’t happy that we’ll no longer be able to ‘truly’ create our own character anymore thanks to us now being restricted to a human called Hawke. But we’ll still be able to make decisions through now fully voiced dialogue and decide which class our main character will be. The Dragon Age 2 team recently released this video saying why focussing on one character will make it a better game.

Some PC gamers are also worried that Dragon Age 2 has been ‘dumbed down’ for the console market but Bioware have been keen to show that the tactical option is still available for players who want to experience Dragon Age 2 as a true role playing game.

But looking at any of the trailers for Dragon Age 2 that have appeared which demonstrate shiny new graphics, a new visual style, both old and new characters and lots of huge battles, it looks like Dragon Age 2 is sure to be very impressive indeed.

Personally it’s a PC release for me, but when Dragon Age 2 is released on March 11th, it’s also available on PS3 and Xbox 360

Of course, this list is just my opinion, and will focus on the sort of games I like. Perhaps you’re looking forward to other games in 2011? If so, why not leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum?

Portal’s ‘Still Alive’ composed using Minecraft note blocks

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Minecraft + Portal Train2Game blog image

Minecraft has a huge following on the Train2Game forum, so given the subject of a new video that has appeared,  it’s a no brainer to post this!

Train2Game Minecraft players have probably already seen the Note Block that was released during the latest update. Some have probably even made their own little tunes.

However, they probably won’t have put as much effort as Tritex989 has into using the Note Blocks to compose the ending theme from Portal and all round internet favourite ‘Still Alive’ Apparently the project only took around 6 hours to complete which is rather staggering given the effort involved.

Train2Game students can watch Minecraft being used to play Still Alive in the video below.

It’s impressive, isn’t it? And you can download the map here. Also impressive is the fact that Minecraft has now been sold over 1 million times. Not bad at all for a game by an indie developer which only recently entered its Beta stage. Developer Notch says Minecraft will get a full release before the end of the year. For more information about the indie sensation that is Minecraft, on the Thoughts of Train2Game blog.

Train2Game blog readers will know that there’s a lot of love for Portal on the internet, with one example being this recreation of the game made using LittleBigPlanet 2.

Portal 2 itself is due for release on April 22nd this year, having originally been scheduled for February. You can check out a trailer here which features Stephen Merchant as robotic companion Wheatley. You can also see how the new additions of Faith Plates and Repulsion Gel work in these mini trailers.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Minecraft recreation of Still Alive? Will you download the level? And what songs would you like to make using Note Blocks?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

UK Charts: Black Ops back on top

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Call of Duty: Black Ops is once again top of the UKIE GfK Chart-Track All Formats Top 40. It’s Black Ops’ seventh number one and now the game only needs one more to match Modern Warfare 2’s total of eight weeks at the top.

It marks something of a revival for Call of Duty: Black Ops, which had slipped to third last week. The change at the top pushes FIFA 11 – which had held top spot for the previous two weeks – back down to second, while Just Dance 2 drops one place to third.

The top five completed by two motion controller based games with Wii Fit plus up one place in fourth while Kinect Sports has jumped from fifth to tenth spot.

The rise of these two pushes Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit down two places to sixth while Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and former Number 1 Gran Turismo 5 drop a spot each to seventh and eighth respectively.

Another former chart topper in the form of Fallout: New Vegas remains in the top ten but slips to ninth while Sony’s PC and PS3 MMO DC Universe Online claims 10th spot in its first week on sale.

The UKIE GfK Chart-Track All Formats Top Ten for the week ending January 15th 2011 is as follows:

1. Call of Duty : Black Ops (Activision)
2. FIFA 11 (EA)
3. Just Dance 2(Ubisoft)
4. Wii Fit Plus (Nintendo)
5. Kinect Sports (Microsoft)
6. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (EA)
7. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft)
8. Gran Turismo 5 (Sony)
9. Fallout: New Vegas (Bethesda)
10. DC Universe Online (SOE)

The coming week sees a couple of big releases in the form of the long awaited Mass Effect 2 release for PlayStation 3, and LittleBigPlanet 2.  The latter has been getting some great review scores which you can see here on the Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, are you surprised to see Black Ops back on top? What do you think about DC Universe Online making the top ten? And will one of the big new entries this week be Number 1 come next Monday?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Nintendo sold 15 million consoles in US during 2010

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Train2Game blog image Nintendo Logo

Over 15 million Nintendo consoles were sold in the United States alone during 2010 the gaming giant has announced.

Their figures say the various Nintendo DS consoles sold a combined total of 8.5 million units during 2010 while the Nintendo Wii was the best selling home console with over 7 million of them sold.

Nintendo sold more than 2.5 million Nintendo DS systems and more than 2.3 million Wii systems in December alone, bringing their lifetime U.S. sales totals to more than 47 million and more than 34 million, respectively.

“Nintendo has sold more game systems than anyone else for five years running,” said Charlie Scibetta, Nintendo of America’s senior director of Corporate Communications.

“Of the quarter billion hardware systems sold in the United States during the past 10 years, Nintendo sold more than half. We look forward to bringing fun new experiences to consumers when Nintendo 3DS launches in March.”

The 3DS looks set to bring Nintendo even more success. The handheld console doesn’t yet have a European release date, but it’s likely to be revealed at an event in Amsterdam next week. The Nintendo 3DS already has a Japanese release date which is set for 26th February

While we have no official confirmation of what the European launch titles will be, though this is likely to change after the Nintendo event! You can check out the Thoughts of Train2Game blog to see which games Gabe believes will be available with the Nintendo 3DS at launch.

It’s not only the Nintendo consoles that had a successful 2010, with Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports resort both appearing the top selling UK games of the year.

What do you think about Nintendo’s success? Is it well deserved? Can they keep the momentum going? And how successful do you think the Nintendo 3DS will be this year?

You can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.