PAX Registration Opens…Sorta?

April 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This would usually be the post where I talk about how PAX Prime registration opened yesterday, how long it took for them to sell out, and you better find a scalper now, yada yada. However, the good folks at Penny Arcade decided to go for a new provider for their registration system. They went looking for Engine Yard, but unfortunately they found BCeSis instead.

Here’s where we’re at:
#1. We tried a new registration vendor this year. It….didn’t work out. We are going back to our previous vendor and registration should be set up next week.

#2. For those of you who have successfully registered, we’ll shoot you an email next week to confirm your registration.

#3. We’re really sorry about this =(.

Oh well, better luck next time guys. 🙂

Source: PAX Prime.

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Comic Con in Dubai

April 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I realize this story is a little out of the way for Raingeek, but it was so fascinating I just had to share it. Dubai has just held its first film and comic convention last weekend, with guests such as John Rhys-Davies from Indiana Jones and Laurie Holden from The Walking Dead. Of there was lots of cosplay, and even a zombie walk. What makes this so incredible is that this is happening in Dubai of all places! This is the same country that’ll lock you up if you so much as step on a joint of marijuana. Even a country like this can loosen up and let a lonely stormtrooper have some fun. It’s stories like this that remind me that these conventions are ultimately a force for good in this world.

Source:The National.

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Family Guy Online Interview with Ian Verchere, co-founder of Roadhouse Interactive

April 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The Family Guy Free-to-play Online game is being developed by Roadhouse Interactive in Vancouver. Gamezebo has posted an interview with the company co-founder, Ian Verchere. He talks about his experiences with the game industry and how Family Guy’s “MMLOL” gameplay will work.

…Family Guy Online is the first “MMLOL,” and I think, in order to deliver major laugh out loud experiences, the action format definitely made the most sense. And it gives us the opportunity to deliver the notion that this is going to be a funny game. You have the characters in the show standing around and telling you to go and do silly stuff.

If you’ve got a game that sends you to get a wolf’s skin that you can trade for a fire rune or whatever, that’s fun. But if you have a game like Family Guy Online that sends you on a quest to find something…naughty so you can do something naughtier with it, that’s kind of fun, too. It helps the game feel like the show.

Source: Gamezebo

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‘Axe Cop’ Animated Series Coming to Fox

April 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment

http://youtu.be/4ZquaoUMfIc

Television is about to get awesome. We all know Axe Cop as the web comic that was drawn by a 29-year-old and written by his 5-year-old brother. Variety reports that the Fox network has ordered 6 15-minute episodes of Axe Cop to be shown in their Animation Domination block along with The Simpsons and Family Guy for the 2013-14 TV season. Unfortunately, the series will probably be written by adults, and in keeping with TV’s more conservative mores, will be shown on an adult schedule. Let’s all hope that they can keep the series inimitable insane logic intact! At the very least they should be able to bring that badass narrator back.

Source:Variety

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Vancouver’s Iugo Mobile Entertainment Gets Funding from Japan

April 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment

IUGO Mobile Entertainment, the Vancouver studio behind Daisy Mae’s Alien Buffet and Lil’ Pirates, has just announced a partnership with Gree, a mobile game conglomerate based in Tokyo. According to the Press release, Gree is particularly interested in IUGO’s proprietary technologies, the IUGO Games Library, IRender 3D Engine, and IUGO Mesh Social Game Engine. Gree is a massive company, with subsidiaries in London, San Francisco, Sao Paolo, and Beijing. Whether Gree will buy IUGO outright remains to be seen.

Source: IT Business.ca.

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Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters at the Vancouver Art Gallery

April 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment

More images from the new Percy Jackson movie have surfaced courtesy of Hollywood North on Location. The crew is shooting in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery with some temporary grass sod in place. I’m not sure which seen from the book they’re filming, but Brandon T Jackson is on hand, confirming he’s returning as Grover the Satyr. You can see the rest of the images here.

Source: Hollywood North On Location

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Valve Employee Manual Revealed Online

April 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The Valve employee handbook has been “leaked” to the internet, either through some unsecured share drive or a brilliant viral marketing campaign. The document details the company’s flat organizational structure and their dedication to promoting creativity and flexibility among their employees.

Most of the internet is ooh-ing and aah-ing over what it would be like to work in the company that makes their favourite games, but why is Valve such an exception? In this economy, with every company scrambling to get as much value as they can out of their employees, why is their so much focus on heirarchy instead of making money? Even Japan, the most heirarchic society in the world had quality control meetings where employees could contribute ideas in workplaces from warehouses to strip clubs. I’m not saying we should go so far as having desks on wheels like Valve does, but the fact that they are the exception and not the rule should drive us all to drink.

Source: Boing Boing.

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Canadian Video Game Awards Winners Announced

April 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

It was a full house at the Canadian Video Game Awards last Saturday where the very best examples of Canadian video game production were honoured. Deus Ex: The Human Revolution and Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP biggest hardware haul of the show, with five awards each. It was a stroke of genius to promote the CVA’s along with FanExpo Vancouver, bringing an unprecedented amount of publicity. As time goes on, we’ll be able to showcase the unique talent that Canada brings to the video game industry. The Canadian Video game Awards will be televised on Citytv on April 28, 2012 at 8:00 pm and G4 Canada on April 28 & 29, 2012.

Winners of the 2012 Canadian Videogame Awards

Game of the year
FIFA Soccer 12 (EA Canada for EA Sports)

Console game
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Eidos Montreal for Square Enix)

Game on the go
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP (Capybara Games)

Downloadable game
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP (Capybara Games)

Social/casual game
Margaritaville Online (Exploding Barrel Games for THQ)

Indie game
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP (Capybara Games)

Audio
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Eidos Montreal for Square Enix)

Original music
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP (Capybara Games)

Game design
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Eidos Montreal for Square Enix)

Technology
Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012 (Ubisoft Montreal)

Visual arts
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (Ubisoft Montreal)

Writing
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Eidos Montreal for Square Enix)

New character
Adam Jensen from Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Eidos Montreal for Square Enix)

Innovation
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP (Capybara Games)

Future Shop Gamer’s Choice Award
NHL 12 (EA Canada for EA Sports)

 

Source: The Straight.com

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FanExpo Vancouver 2012 Photo Gallery

April 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Now, what would any good convention be without Cosplay? Vancouver brings out its best Comic Book costumes out against the backdrop of the beautiful Vancouver Convention Center!

[Read more…]

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Fanexpo Con Report

April 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

After 17 years of entertaining in Toronto (a.k.a the center of the universe), the organizers of FanExpo decided it was time for Vancouver to have a comic convention of its very own. While Vancouver has has had many anime, sci-fi and comic conventions before, it hasn’t really been able to scale up its events for those world-famous convention centres it has down at the water front. Anime Evolution was probably the nearest contender, with well over 6,000 attendees at its 2010 outing.

The Vancouver Convention Centre is a gorgeous place to hold a fan event. It’s a shame there hasn’t been one there before. FanExpo took place on the lower level of the West building, which opened in 2009. The opportunities for cosplay photography are exquisite. You have the sails of Canada place, a clear view to the North Shore, the Olympic Torch sight, as well as Portal Park across the street. It’s got that right mix of nature and futuristic cityscapes that make for great shots.

The organizers of FanExpo were expecting to merely break even with 12,000 attendees. They blew that figure out of the water with over 20,000 attendees. People were lined up out the block to get in, and by noon they had completely sold out. And this is with almost zero promotion on the convention’s part! The Canadian Video Game awards had no problems giving out all their tickets within minutes. Last year, they had to get their audience to bunch up at the front so they would look like they had an actual crowd. Much kudos needs to go to the staff of the FanExpo and the convention centre, who were extremely professional at keeping the foot traffic moving.

The exhibitors hall was very impressive, even though they weren’t expecting this many people. The guests were positioned at the back of the hall, and were quite accessible for anyone who wanted to walk up and say hi.

Our cosplayers had a great turnout for the many first-time con-goers at the convention. The 501st legion and the Ghostbusters of BC held some great booths this year and took lots of pictures with the attendees. There wasn’t much room for any giant “hall-sweeper” type costumes, but rest assured, with a venue this size we will definitely see more elaborate costumes next year.

I can definitely say that Vancouver has really joined the big leagues of cons with FanExpo Vancouver. This town was hungry for a convention, and FanExpo delivered in spades. We’ll see more of what our fair city can do when Anime Revolution comes to the convention centre in August. I hope to see you there!

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