Village Gamer

Stegersaurus has released a new title on Xbox Live Indie Games. Avatar Without A Chute is a flying game – kind of. It’s actually a falling game. Players “toss” their avatars out into thin air and then let them fall to earth, collecting points on the way down. The object of the game is to be the first avatar to reach the ground. Now I have to try this game to see if my avatar will go splat, and how well it will splat. For some reason, I find the splatability of my avatar to be somewhat intriguing. There are no power-ups to collect, so riches are to be found in the number of points you can garner before hitting the ground.

Avatar Without A Chute features single player fun in offline mode while in online mode you can play with 2-4 friends. There is a free trial, or you can get the full game for 80 MS Points.

Android users now have a premium skee ball style game to call their own. Ball-Hop Bowling by Renown Entertainment has been customized for Android smart phones and tablets, previously available only on Apple iOS and Facebook.

Ball-Hop Bowling features high definition 3D graphics, fun ultra-realistic physics, tons of prizes, and standard/premium content to keep you coming back for more. Best of all, it’s FREE!

President James Lau notes “This arcade classic is a staple on mobile devices and we’re proud to offer this best of category experience for Android. Ball-Hop Bowling garnered near perfect user reviews and shot to the top of the Apple App Store charts in addition to being featured worldwide in its first day of release. The universal appeal on iOS is undeniable, and we hope Android users are equally excited to get this quality game in their collection at no charge.”

“The team obsessed over creating a faithful version of the real world counterpart. They measured and weighed the balls, played on a variety of machines, captured videos for reference, and tuned the physics until the game was exceptional.”

Don’t have an Android? Get it free for your Apple iOS device or play on Facebook and challenge your friends to compete for the highest score on the Ball-Hop Bowling leaderboards.

TVO has launched its first app for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet. My Canada is a fun and engaging memory sequencing game just in time for Canada Day. Beginning today, My Canada is available as a free download for BlackBerry PlayBook on BlackBerry App World™. It is also available as an online game at TVOKids.com.

My Canada is the perfect game for parents who want to help their kids learn about Canada’s geography, and nurture their children’s sense of pride in their country. It helps kids ages 6-11 learn about the locations of the provinces and territories, the capital cities and Canada’s Great Lakes. At the same time, the game focuses on “working memory” which can help enhance important memory skills in kids.

“We’re proud to announce the launch of TVO’s first app for the BlackBerry® PlayBook tablet,” says Lisa de Wilde, CEO. “My Canada is another example of the many ways TVO is using new digital media platforms to nurture important 21st century literacy skills and to complement classroom learning. My Canada makes learning about Canadian geography fun and accessible for kids.”

TVO’s My Canada memory game was designed with learning objectives that support the Ontario school curriculum and has been classroom and teacher tested and developed with TVO’s on-staff educator.

The introduction of TVO’s My Canada for BlackBerry PlayBook closely follows the recent launch of TVO’s two early learning mobile apps for BlackBerry® smartphones. Polka Dot Shorts and Flower Frenzy were downloaded over 250,000 times within the first two weeks of launching and recently held the number 2 and number 4 most downloaded positions on BlackBerry App World in the Education category.

Ubisoft^® has announced the development of The Black Eyed Peas^® Experience video game, the second game in the multi-million selling ‘Experience’ franchise. The new dance game will feature fun and dance moves as well as hit songs and fan favorites from The Black Eyed Peas multi-platinum selling catalog. It will be released on the Kinect™ for Microsoft Xbox 360^® and Nintendo Wii™.

“The Black Eyed Peas are the perfect artists to headline our next Experience game. Their award-winning music, dance moves and artistic style will be combined into a gaming experience that will excite both fans of the group and those who enjoy playing dance titles,” said Yves Guillemot, co-founder and chief executive officer of Ubisoft. “The Black Eyed Peas are a worldwide phenomenon and Ubisoft is the worldwide leader in dance games – together we are going to make The Black Eyed Peas Experience a game that fans around the world will love.”

Ubisoft’s Experience franchise has sold more than three million copies to date by making an artist’s universe accessible to fans in an interactive and immersive game. The Black Eyed Peas Experience takes that concept even further, and features a comprehensive selection of the The Black Eyed Peas’ hit music tracks as well as dance routines arranged by the group’s famed choreographer, Fatima Robinson. In the Microsoft Xbox 360 version of the game, which Ubisoft is developing in partnership with renowned music game developers iNiS, players will control their on-screen avatar via the Kinect™ for Microsoft Xbox 360^® entertainment system while following the dance moves of 3D avatars, including avatars of each of The Black Eyed Peas: apl.de.ap, Fergie, Taboo and will.i.am.

The Wii™ version of The Black Eyed Peas Experience, being developed by Ubisoft Quebec, will feature game play similar to Ubisoft’s Just Dance titles, where players hold a Wii™ Remote and follow the moves of the The Black Eyed Peas’ on-screen avatars.

“We are thrilled to be working with Ubisoft to create The Black Eyed Peas Experience video game,” shared will.i.am, frontman for The Black Eyed Peas^®. “Ubisoft has both redefined and dominated the dance category in the video game industry and we can’t wait to be part of taking that to the next level by infusing an experience that’s 100 percent authentic to The Black Eyed Peas.”

IUGO is pleased to announce the launch of its next mobile social title Sunshine Cruise Lines. Sunshine Cruise Lines is a free-to-play title offering a fresh and innovative spin on social games. Begin your cruise today by visiting the iTunes App Store and downloading Sunshine Cruise Lines for your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad device running iOS 3.0 or later.

“We have strived to create a new and unique experience for mobile gamers, and I think we have succeeded with Sunshine Cruise Lines,” states IUGO’s CEO Hong-Yee Wong. “It is engaging, easy to play, and you can share the experience with your friends.”

Sunshine Cruise Lines App Description

Welcome aboard your very own cruise ship! Build, customize and manage your one-of-a-kind dream cruise. Play with friends, earn rewards and have the most fun in the sun.

• Customize your own cruise ship with over 40 different facilities, unique crew members, color schemes and more
• Choose your play style! Fun, fast-paced en-route gameplay or take it easy and let the crew handle it for you
• See the world! 50 different ports around the globe (and more to come)
• Take on the role of Captain while getting to know your lovable and quirky crew
• Rich storyline infused with personality and humour
• Play with friends through Facebook (optional)
• Gamecenter achievements give you and friends plenty of rewards
• 100 beautiful postcards to collect and share with friends
• Hundreds of fun destination facts
• View friends‘ routes on your world map
• One-of-a-kind art style, signature IUGO polish and quality
• In-app purchases optional with Cruise Bucks

The rich mystery and puzzle-solving fun of Big Fish Games’ Mystery Case Files™ game series soon will be available on the Wii™ console for the first time. With the June 27 launch of the Mystery Case Files™: The Malgrave Incident™ game – available exclusively for Wii – players can enjoy a mysterious adventure in their own living rooms, as well as test their sleuthing skills together with up to three friends in new multiplayer modes. Solo or as a group, players of any experience level can solve their way through a series of fun hidden-object puzzles as they uncover the secret behind the peculiar purple substance scattered across the enigmatic Malgrave Island.

Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident follows a wealthy recluse named Winston Malgrave who claims to have made an extraordinary discovery. His private island is home to a strange dust that may have the power to cure many of the world’s ailments. When he requests the aid of the master detective of the Mystery Case Files detective agency to help him save his beloved wife, Sarah, he opens the door into a world of shadowy intrigue and closely guarded family secrets. Is there more to this eccentric client’s case than meets the eye?

Using the Wii Remote™ controller, players must explore Malgrave Island and solve multi-layered hidden-object puzzles to advance the story. They can play the main adventure on their own or cooperatively with up to three friends. For another layer of fun, players can choose from three competitive multiplayer modes: in Swift Pick, players must find certain hidden objects before their opponents do; in Tick Tick Pick, they must find a hidden object and pass the ticking time bomb to an opponent before it explodes; in Classic Pick, whoever finds the most hidden objects is the winner. Additional controllers are required for multiplayer modes and are sold separately.

“Anyone who loves puzzle games or great detective stories will savor Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident from start to finish,” said Ron Bertram, Nintendo of Canada’s vice-president and general manager. “The ability to play with or against others makes it easy for friends and family to throw a mystery party anytime they want.”

Each hidden-object scene in Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident comes with a list of objects that players must locate. For the first time in the Mystery Case Files series, scenes have three visual layers, inviting players to scroll and zoom with the Wii Remote as they search for objects. Each scene also contains a special inventory item that allows players to access new areas of Malgrave Island and solve additional puzzles. An on-screen hint button can also be used to highlight the area around hard-to-find objects.

Big Blue Bubble Inc. is pleased to announce that Paper Munchers, an explosively new physics-based game has officially arrived on Apple’s iPad (Lite Version), iPhone and iPod Touch (Lite Version), as well as on Mac OSX via the Mac App Store.

That’s right, the Paper Munchers are here, they’re hungry and it’s up to you to make sure they get fed. Use the explosive power of your touch to match deliciously cute monsters with the ferocious mouths of the Paper Munchers. Use your arsenal of bombs to launch those delicious monsters into the jaws of the malicious maws.

Explode your way through five worlds and 75 levels of munching mayhem! Paper Munchers is packed full of explosive physics, unique characters, and 5 Worlds with a whole feast of new content to come!

Features of this monster eat monster world:

• 75 explosive levels with more on the way
• 5 Beautiful Paper Craft Worlds of nom nom nomming
• Tight physics based gameplay
• Game Center Achievements
• Tons of explosions and carnivorous action

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiiixY1RsC8]

Fit Brains has released a new iPhone app that encourages you to get walking.  Available as a free download, Arookoo: Walk+Game is a breakthrough app that makes it fun to walk because every step counts.

This new app and its companion web site turns walking into a game by sending you on fun challenges that motivate you to move around your city. Arookoo rewards you for increasing the amount of steps you walk each day by completing a wide variety of fun activities, including:

• Fun Walking Challenges and GPS Map-based Scavenger Hunts – Arookoo’s strong game layer makes walking fun through imaginative walking challenges, collectable GPS-map rewards, and a loads of special awards to earn
• Daily Team Challenges with Friends – Invite friends to join your team or compete against you, and help each other stay motivated
• Healthy Calorie & Distance Tracking – Want to go deeper? Improve your health by setting personal walking goals, tracking distance, burning calories, and more
• Is always with you – Arookoo automatically tracks your walking, making it easy to walk and take more steps to a healthier you

Big Blue Bubble, Inc. has burned its way onto Android with their smash hit Burn the Rope, which is finally available on Android Market. A critically-acclaimed best seller, Burn the Rope is a puzzle adventure where the goal is as simple as it is addictive: burn as much rope as possible. I can attest to this – the game is incredibly addictive and has a very high replayability factor. Release your inner arsonist and ignite your way through over 100 delightful levels, with new user generated puzzles every day. Get involved and submit your very own puzzle to be featured in Puzzle of the Day.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCj9HorjsG8]

Game Description:

In Burn the Rope users have the freedom to set fire without any fire hazard or need for a fire extinguisher. The game involves a mix of strategic planning, thinking ahead, coordination and the ability to stay in deep focus. Users have to feed the fire and burn as much rope as they can in each level to progress. The challenge is that fire only burns upwards, leaving players to tilt and turn their iPhones to keep the flame alive.

The game features 116 devilishly tricky levels with polished graphics and mesmerizing fire effects. Bugs that crawl along the rope spice things up demonstrating different reactions to the flame from level to level. Ants change the color of the flame so that users could burn different colored ropes, and the spider shoots out a web bridge providing access to the parts of the level that were beyond players’ reach before.

Burn The Rope is also available on Ovi for Nokia phones, the iTunes App for mobile iOS devices and in the Mac Store.

Calling all secret agents – Rocketfuel Games has announced your latest assignment. Step One is to download the free app from the iTunes App Store and unlock the clues at a museum, science centre, zoo or aquarium in a city near you – see below for the currently available locations.

Upon completion of your mission sync your award to Discovery Kids: Seek Your Own Proof to earn tokens and special rewards. You can continue your career as a secret agent by customizing your avatar, playing online missions and puzzles, and defeating the villains of I.C.E.

While currently-available sites are limited, Rocketfuel invites their secret agent corps to submit locations for further investigation.  The free to download Discovery Kids Field Missions is rated 4+ and is compatible with  iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad devices running iOS 4.0 or later.

*Current Investigation Locations*

Canada

Lethbridge, AB – Galt Museum & Archives

United States

New York, NY – Discovery Times Square
Seattle, WA – The Burke Museum
West Palm Beach, FL – Johnson History Museum