Check Out The Watch Dogs 2 Launch Trailer

Watch Dogs 2 is collaboratively developed within the Ubisoft family, including Ubisoft Toronto. It's out November 15th for PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It'll be out on Steam on November 29th, and Ubisoft released a launch trailer:

After being wrongly profiled as a criminal risk by a citywide operating system, Marcus Holloway investigates to find rampant corporate corruption and manipulation of the public. Marcus and his group of hackers, DedSec, wage a war to take down the system and return power to the people.

Runbow Coming to Steam This Month

Well I was a little off when I thought 13AM Games would be releasing some DLC, since today they announced that Runbow will be coming to Steam later this month.

The store page doesn't appear to be up yet, but make sure to check out 13AM Games on Twitter. The game will release on Steam November 18th, but can be picked up on Wii U right now, and new 3DS later this year.

Ubisoft Releases 'Watch Dogs 2 - Live Dedsec Hack' Video - Overview For Dedsec R3sistance campaign

Lots of marketing push for Watch Dogs 2, as we'll see the game released this month. Ubisoft have released a Watch Dogs 2 'Live Dedsec Hack" video, which is to give an overview of the Dedsec R3sistance Campaign.

On October 13th, 7:30pm ET, the hacker group known as DedSec launched a live hack operation on HAUM Electronic Inc.'s smart home demo, located in Toronto, Canada.
Ubisoft Canada selected Canadian fans to participate in the tour of this cutting-edge smart home as a promotional stunt for the upcoming release of Watch Dogs 2.
Unbeknownst to the visitors, this operation was broadcast live on Ubisoft Canada's Facebook & YouTube channels simultaneously and invited viewers to decide how DedSec would hack the smart home.
This was the climax of DedSec's campaign against HAUM in Canada. Check the rest of the campaign on DedSec's Canadian Hub: www.dedsec.haumcanada.com

On October 13th, 7:30pm ET, the hacker group known as DedSec launched a live hack operation on HAUM Electronic Inc.'s smart home demo, located in Toronto, Canada. Ubisoft Canada selected Canadian fans to participate in the tour of this cutting-edge smart home as a promotional stunt for the upcoming release of Watch Dogs 2.

Watch Dogs 2 is out for PlayStation 4, Xbox One on November 15th, and Steam on November 29th. You can check out some further details about Dedsec R3isistance below, and at their website.

About the Dedsec R3sistance Campaign
Last September, Ubisoft launched the Dedsec R3sistance Campaign, inviting Canadians to immerse themselves in the world of WATCH_DOGS 2 and explore its themes of privacy and ultra-connectivity. Fans were encouraged to visit the Dedsec Canada Hub to fight alongside a collective of hackers and participate in weekly missions and hacking challenges that culminated in the ultimate live hacking challenge in Toronto on October 13. During this final part of Dedsec Canada’s mission, a group of fans got a sneak peek of the Show HAUM in-person, while Canadians on the Dedsec Canada Hub were invited to hack it in real time, from the comfort of their own homes.
About USER PROFILED
Ubisoft Canada and VICE Canada partnered to create USER PROFILED, a two-part documentary series exploring themes from WATCH_DOGS 2, such as growing concerns around online user profiling, its implications for user privacy and the increasing threat it poses to Canadians’ civil liberties. Both episodes of USER PROFILED are available here.
 

Arrow Heads Gets An Audio Guy - Releases Small Teaser

Arrow Heads, the multiplayer game from Oddbird Studio now has an audio guy. PJ Tremblay, a producer out of Oakville will be composing music for the game, as announced via Twitter.

They also released a teaser for the score, which you can check out on Youtube. Make sure to subscribe to their channel!

We have partnered with an amazing individual named PJ from Audio4n6 to compose the various songs for Arrow Heads. He has done an absolutely outstanding job, and we wanted to give a brief sneak peek of the upcoming music!

Sounds awesome! Make sure to follow Oddbird, and PJ Tremblay on Twitter.

Pirate Pop Plus Out On Steam - 13AM Games Teases Something For Monday

I'm a little late on this one, but Dan did discuss it on the podcast this week. Pirate Pop Plus is now out on Steam, which you can get here. A few weeks ago it was released on Wii U, and 3DS as cross-buy.

The Japan developed puzzle game was published 13AM Games, who released Runbow last year for Wii U. You can pick it up on Steam for $5.49 CAD.

Get ready for the bubble-popping, gravity-defying, retro-arcade action game Pirate Pop Plus! Join Pete Jr on his quest to defeat the nefarious Bubble Pirate, an evil villain who has trapped the innocent townsfolk in bubbles! Dodge and pop bubbles with your anchor while collecting power-ups and managing Bubble Pirate's constant gravity-switching mischief!

Additionally, it looks like we won't have to wait long for the next piece of 13AM Games news. They tweeted today to look forward to Monday (tomorrow) for something, which looks to be maybe secret characters? Perhaps some Pirate Pop Plus DLC isn't to far away. We'll find out together, tomorrow.

 

 

Release Date For Maize Announced

Finish Line Games had announced Maize earlier in the year, and now we know when the first person adventure game that may or may not contain talking corn will be out December 1st.

They announced this via Youtube, where they released a trailer introducing Vladdy who apparently is never happy:

Maize is a first-person adventure game involving sentient corn. But, you may not know that it also includes a talking Russian robot bear that just happens to be your sidekick. Introducing Vladdy. He's not happy. Ever. Maize will be released December 1, 2016 on PC via Steam.

You can check out the official Steam page here, while also adding it to your wishlist. If you're in the San Francisco area, they'll also be showing the game at the Day of the Devs event.

Toronto Developers Highlight the 7th Annual Canadian Video Game Award Nominations

The nominations for the 7th Annual Canadian VideoGame Awards have been announced, and there are quite a few Toronto developers being nominated for various awards. I tooked at the local games being developed, which you can check out below.

Nominations (Local Developers Only)

Game of the Year:

  • Severed
  • Far Cry Primal (Ubisoft Montreal nominated)

Best Console Game:

  • Far Cry Primal (Ubisoft Montreal nominated)

Best Mobile/Handheld Game:

  • Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
  • Severed (DrinkBox Studios)
  • Loud on Planet X (Pop Sandbox Inc)

Best PC Game

  • Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander (Massive Damage)

Best Virtual Reality Game:

  • Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes (Steel Crate Games)
  • Modbox (Alientrap)

Best Animation:

  • Far Cry Primal (Ubisoft Montreal nominated)

Best Art Direction:

  • Severed (DrinkBox Studios)
Severed

Best Audio:

  • Far Cry Primal (Ubisoft Montreal nominated)

Best Educational Game:

  • Modbox (Alientrap)

Best Game Innovation:

  • Modbox (Alientrap)

Best Indie Game:

  • Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
  • Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

Best Musical Score:

  • Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
  • Severed (DrinkBox Studios)
AloneWithYou

Best Narrative:

  • Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
  • Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

Best New Character:

  • Sasha - Severed (Drinkbox Studios)

Best Technology:

  • Modbox (Alientrap)

Fans’ Choice Award: Best Canadian-Made Game:

  • Alone With You (Benjamin Rivers)
  • Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

You can check out the full nominations at the official site.

 

 

One More Story Presents: Attack Of The Killer Zombie Cats

Barrie developer One More Story Games is helping us get into Halloween mood with releasing 'Attack of the Killer Zombie Cats' as part of their Story Stylus, a program that helps authors bring their creations to digital life.

Battle to save Earth from the Killer Zombie Cats. Everyone has disappeared except you, Donald Trump aka Trumpy Cat, and his evil horde of zombie cats who have been poisoned! Can you save the world by defeating evil?

The game is actually written by 11 year old Keira Palmer, but make sure to follow One More Story Game on Twitter, and check out the rest of their catalog on their main website.

Runbow Shantae DLC Out - Retail Deluxe Slightly Delayed

A few updates on everything Runbow. First, the Shantae DLC is now avaliable as a free download. Additionally, Runbow Deluxe, the retail version that comes with the main game, all DLC and soundtrack has been pushed to November 1st:

Due to an unforeseen error at the magical video game factory, Runbow Deluxe’s official ship / street date is being moved to November 1st. We’re sorry if this caused any inconvenience but some wishes not even an all powerful half-genie can grant.
Shantae

With all this fun, there is also a patch for Runbow which can be downloaded on Wii U. You can check out the patch notes on their official tumblr.

Caveman Cliff Becomes A Paid App On iOS

We've spoken about Toronto developer Shiny Talisman before, who have three releases to their name: Warp Looter, Gravtrav, and Caveman Cliff.  Gravtrav was released a few weeks ago, and now Caveman Cliff, which was originally a free to play game, but has been moved to being premium app costing $2.79.

In an email to me, developer Brad Kennedy said: 

"Without the paywall I was able to make some changes that really improved the game including taking down the difficulty early on to help ease the player in and getting them to the good stuff quicker, like the dino-might and whirlwinds."

Caveman Cliff. Ever want to battle pterodactyls with dinomight, whirlwinds and biceps as big as your head? Well now you can. Clear all the boulders off the cliff so that Cliff can make it his home. The pterodactyls want it too but you're quicker than they are! Another game by Shiny Talisman.

This paid version of the app includes no-ads, and no in-app purchases.

Caveman Cliff is a story about a caveman, named Cliff, who wants to live on a cliff. As levels are completed puzzle pieces will be earned. The revelation of the puzzles will guide the user through Cliff’s adventure as he struggles against the pterodactyls. New game mechanics will unlock in relation to what is happening in the story. Four gorgeously illustrated puzzles (30 levels) will need to be completed to find out how the tale ends for Cliff. Levels are completed by clearing the cliff of boulders. The pterodactyls want the cliff for themselves so they’re going to try and stop you. Things will go quicker if you pile boulders together creating boulder chains. These chains will also boost your abilities once they’ve been unlocked.

Caveman Cliff can be picked up on iOS right here, you can also follow the developer on Twitter.

Pirate Pop Plus Out Now On 3DS And Wii U

As previously announced, Pirate Pop Plus the game from Tokyo developer Dadako, and published by 13AM Games is out now on Wii U and 3DS. The title is cross-buy between the two platforms, which you can picked up right here.

Get ready for the bubble-popping, gravity-defying, retro-arcade action game Pirate Pop Plus! Join Pete Jr on his quest to defeat the nefarious Bubble Pirate, an evil villain who has trapped the innocent townsfolk in bubbles! Dodge and pop bubbles with your anchor while collecting power-ups and managing Bubble Pirate's constant gravity-switching mischief!

Illumination Games Releases Dawn Of Mars On iOS And Android

Illumination Games, who had previous released Ace Academy: Black Flight early in the year, have released their next title: Dawn of Mars on iOS and Android.

Space Frontiers: Dawn of Mars, is the Canada Aviation and Space Museum's latest mobile app. In this strategy-based colonization game, survival depends on your ability to gather resources, expand bases, and reach new territories. As commanding officer, you must balance colony survival with mission requirements while battling hazardous and unpredictable conditions.

Join the first-ever colony on Mars. Your survival will depend on your ability to gather resources, expand your bases, and conquer new territories.
Control a fleet of rovers and extract precious resources from the Martian soil. As commanding officer, you will need to balance colony survival with mission requirements, while battling hazardous and unpredictable conditions on the Red Planet.

You can follow the gang on Twitter, and much like Ace Academy before it, the game is in partnership with the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum. The game can be download for free on iOS and Android.

Dwarrows Reaches Kickstarter Goal - Now Onto Strech Goals

Last we spoke, Dwarrows had just launched their Kickstarter, and the gang at Lithic Entertainment were kind enough to join us on the podcast to talk about it.

Hey there! We're back and we discussed Dwarrows with the gang at Lithic Entertainment. We also talk about the Indie Series from Ubisoft, and Ballistic Tank now being out on Kickstarter. Subscribe on iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/video-game-podcast-toronto/id1025606427?mt=2

Happy to say that Dwarrows has reached its Kickstarter goal of $12,000, and are now on their way to their first stretch goal with 12 days left.  If you haven't checked out their Kickstarter yet, make sure to go do that. Let's get us some more pets!

In the meantime, make sure to follow the gang on Twitter.

GameON: Ventures - October 20th-21st

I've been in talks with the gang behind GameON Ventures, and they were nice enough to provide some copy for their event next week. They are on the Events page, but I've copied some more details below:

GameON: VenturesInteractive Ontario's signature 2-day conference heads to MaRS Discovery District this coming October 20th and 21st.

Games (including mobile, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality) account for $3 billion of the Canadian economy, and while there is lots of event-based support for fans, GOV aims to develop and foster the business side. GameON: Ventures will provide an opportunity to meet and hear from speakers from Ubisoft, King Games (of Candy Crush), and Twitch, as well as business leaders in VC, VR and more. 
This year's keynote speaker is John Romerowidely considered the pioneer of the first-person shooter. An award-winning game designer, level designer and programmer, John's work spans over 130 games including the iconic works Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM and Quake.
We're looking forward to checking out The Interactive Digital Media Expo which will feature Canadian and International companies showcasing cutting-edge interactive products, including video games, virtual and augmented reality, eLearning and more. It will offer the attendees the opportunity to test out awesome new programs and ideas. 
A new Pitch Competition this year will invite 10 international and 10 local entrants —game developers or publishers—to pitch the next big thing in gaming/mobile—winners will receive $10,000 and in-kind support. 
Tickets to this conference are still available at www.gameonventures.io

Steel Crate Games Releases 'Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes" on PlayStation VR

PlayStation VR launched today, and while no Toronto developer was involved in the release, we only have to go as far as Ottawa to get some Ontario content. Steel Crate Games, who released Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes' on Steam last year (and came in third in our Game of the Year voting)

Available October 13, 2016 for PlayStation VR In Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, one player is trapped in a virtual room with a ticking time bomb they must defuse. The other players are the "Experts" who must give the instructions to defuse the bomb by deciphering the information found in the bomb defusal manual.

You can pick up Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes on the PlayStation Store right here, which currently has a 10% discount going.