Resistance is taking their Battles to the Web

News from Comic-Con 2011: The developers of Resistance have decided to take their competition-based battles to the web with a strategy based game.

In a panel discussion that involved the developers discussing the past, present, and future of Resistance, the news of the hour was the move to a web based strategy game. In the new web-based game players will be able to choose sides between human and Chimera. The players will use common strategy elements and PVP battles to win a persistent battle online.

According to the team, Global Resistance will utilize a player’s Facebook and PlayStation account. Players will be able to utilize Facebook for friend invites and status updates and their PlayStation account for the actual playing of the game.

With this new implementation of online play, Resistance 3 will be able to reach a larger audience. This is just one way the team has shown how much they have grown from the first Resistance as a PlayStation launch title Pin It

DIG and Digifest Partnership

The DIG team is extremely excited to announce an amazing new partnership with Digifest.

Digifest, much like DIG, is a festival celebrating innovation and digital creativity. Digifest, coming out of Toronto, Ontario, is an annual event where emerging designers, technologists, and artists come together to show off their presentation and outstanding demos.

Digifest is a one stop shop for all your Digital Interactive needs. Digifest shows off everything from gaming, to the newest releases in technology. One of the biggest annual events in Toronto, Digifest has the ability to carry live streams and bring in amazing speakers at the head of their industry.

Offering prizes, challenging competitions, and the newest in technology, Digifest is a must see for all DIG lovers. Pin It

Slash and Burn Management Style not Favourable

Laura Fryer, VP and General Manager of WB games, is saying that “slash and burn” management styles are harming the industry.

Speaking at an industry session, Fryer compared the management styles of creative studios with that of farms. She stated that many studios will hire a team, make them work until they burn out, and then suddenly drop the team.

Fryer instead urged developers to keep their team well maintained and to allow the creative juices to flow freely. To complete the task, she urges developers to allow the team to function by itself, allowing them to work at their own pace. After all, every team is different, and works at its own pace.

Fryer also suggested that game developers hold a post-mortem at the end of a project and at the end of each milestone. This way they can spot problems that come up before the development of the game is complete, giving the designers enough time to fix the problem they have created.

After all of this, Fryer still recommends there be a timeline so that people are held accountable. But remember, the designers are still adults and should not be looked at like children. Management should not be standing over designers’ shoulders at all times.

Source: Gamasutra Pin It

Paper Munchers - Review

Paper Munchers is a casual and very addicting game developed for the iPhone by Big Blue Bubble, based in London Ontario.

The objective of the game is to get the smaller monsters into the mouths of the bigger monsters. In order to complete the task the players must tap the screen which triggers a bomb and moves the monsters around the screen into the mouths of the bigger beasts. The bombs can be used at any time, even while the monsters are in flight. The munchers have a certain colour associated to them and if the player manages to get the same monster into the mouth of the muncher the player is awarded with an extra bomb. This comes in quite handy because each level only begins with three bombs.

There are two types of bombs that a player can use. One is permanent and is refreshed before every level. The player is given three of these. The other is temporary and can be purchased in game via in game credit or with real money.

The design of Paper Munchers is quite pleasing. The style is very playful and silly. The audio for the game is also very good. The munching effects created by the paper munchers always make me chuckle.

In my opinion Paper Munchers is a silly yet very entertaining game. You are sure to put many hours into this addicting game which has 75 levels. If you haven’t already, be sure to get the trial version of the game. Once hooked you will definitely want to purchase the actual game.

About the author: Vikas Sharma is a video game fanatic, always looking for the next big thing in the gaming industry. A fan of gaming ever since SNES to the next gen consoles, Vikas is a member of the DIG 2011 team. Vikas enjoys different styles of game play and games and is excited by the amount of progress he sees happening in the gaming world. Pin It

New Jobs Created in the Gaming Industry

Ontario is helping Gameloft Inc, a “leading international publisher and developer of downloadable video games” (Interactive Ontario), to open a foremost digital arts studio in Toronto. The new facility will be able to employ up to 205 individuals.

With the support of the province the company will be able leap in front of the competition in one of the fastest growing markets. With 300 games already available through Gameloft, the company will continue to create digital games designed specifically for mobile devices.

Partnering with business is a key part of the McGuinty government. The government plans to expand this industry and provide more jobs for Ontario families.

Ontario’s Interactive Digital media tax credit is attracting many game development businesses to Ontario. These tax credits were a major factor inin Gameloft choosing to locate itself in Ontario.

Source: Interactive Ontario Pin It

Junk Battles – Review

Junk Battles is built around RPG style game play. The creators have produced a unique system which incorporates quests and PVP battles, in a robot battle game. At first, I thought the game would be short and quick, with a racing and fighting style of game play. To my surprise, the game play was more like a RPG with similar MMORPG style tasks like tournaments and PVP battles.

In my opinion, game falls short on a few aspects. With repetitive music and graphics, Junk Battles needs to improve on its overall design.
The game battle style is more interesting; with timed attacks and customization the battles become more enjoyable. The added difficulty of measuring the amount of time for the weapon to be used adds an extra level of difficulty.

The game action stays pretty much the same, but with customization and new weapons Junk Battles keeps adding more levels and advancement.
In the end, the game is fun to play with the PVP battles and customization. If you are into RPGs and cars, I would suggest you try this game out.

About the Author: Vikas Sharma is a video game fanatic, always looking for the next big thing in the gaming industry. A fan of gaming ever since SNES to the next gen consoles, Vikas is a member of the DIG 2011 team. Vikas enjoys different styles of game play and games and is excited by the amount of progress he sees happening in the gaming world. Pin It

How To Choose an MMORPG?

Every gamer has played at least one MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). As a gamer myself, I have played many MMORPGs, putting in lots of time, and sometimes even getting a little addicted. It is the world of the game which traps a player and makes them want to play nonstop. The fact that the game actually never ends adds to the hours of gaming, not to mention, a lot of money spent on energy drinks.

In the online gaming world there are two routes a gamer can take: the F2P (free to play) MMORPG or the P2P (Pay to Play) MMORPG. There are a lot of really great F2P games, much better than the P2P games, but having a P2P adds the extra support of admins and GMs overseeing and making changes to the game on a consistent basis. Many MMO players jump from game to game constantly looking for a game that fits their style and has a community that they would like to join. I have come up with a list of things that might make it easier for gamers to choose a MMORPG that fits them just right.

Game Story

The story and content of a game are the main things that attract a gamer to an MMO. Make sure as a gamer you know what kind of player you are and what kind of stories you like. You can play a sci-fi game, a medieval style game, or a super-hero themed game, and the list goes on. You need to research does the story follow the gameplay and design you like. Also does the game have the content you want? Does it have PVP (Player vs. Player) and does it have raiding, or what is the levelling for your character like. These are things a player must consider before making a decision.

Mechanics

Once you have found a game with the story and content you like, now’s the time to look at game mechanics. This part requires a lot of research. Yes games do require research to be done by the gamer. A player should look at how a game balances while you are trying to play it. Is it very unbalanced, meaning that a certain class dominates and can win the PVE and PVP battles? Is everyone in the game going after the same health and manna points and armour or do you have variety to choose whether to be pure strength or pure magic or a hybrid and still have a chance to build a strong character. A game should have balanced characters and builds so not to have an unfair advantage for a certain class.

Design

Be sure to select a game which has a design that is appealing to you and can run on your computer. Many games look amazing and are visually appealing but will not play on your computer. A person should always look at if the game is something they can stare at for hours on end and if it’s playable on their PC.

Investment

As a player you need to know that you will be investing a lot of time into the game. I am talking about grinding (not on the dance floor) through a game to level your character. Some MMOs have a very long and arduous grinding process. They all make it seem easy at the beginning where it can take a day or less to get to LVL 50, but once you hit a certain mark, it can take 5 days to go up one level. This gets very aggravating. If you are a person who feels accomplished after reaching a higher level after 5 days (like me) then pick a game that will allow you to have that sense of accomplishment.

Identity

As you are playing the game it makes it easier to go through the long and hard process by identifying yourself with your character. If you buy the certain style of gear to make the type of character you like, it makes it a lot easier for you as the player to continue playing and having fun. Many games have introduced class and job platforms where a player can be a rogue and a craftsman. These sorts of things add extra excitement to the game.

All in all, research before you pick which game to play, and make sure you have the time to play it. While you may try not to get addicted to the game, it happens to the best of us. Pin It