Claiming to be the best seadog shooter for iOS devices, the game features:

• Three chapters each including six levels with waves of badass Black Covian ships.
• Cool ammunition to shoot them into kingdom come: Balls of Steel, Blue Balls, Great Balls of Fire, Human Catapult, Fart Bombs, Homing Missiles and more.
• Bosses who, among other things, have tentacles. Tentacles!
• Game center: show the world that you are the man by dominating the online charts!

Head to www.facebook.com/SinkEmAll for more information, and check-out this trailer!

This is a fascinating development that can be downloaded at www.nevigo.com/articydraft, where a 30 day trial is available.

The approach is to split a game into fragments which can then be interconnected to form a story network. Every branch represents a plotline that depends upon the players’ actions and decisions. The fragments within a branch can contain an inner structure that can be broken down into further fragments. Thanks to this nesting, non-linear plots, mission trees, dialogues, tech trees and other elements can easily be planned from the rough outline to the smallest detail.

Nevigo development director Stefan Nyul is naturally enthusiastic about the tool.

“Finally we can offer a comfortable and efficient solution to everyone who is working or involved in game and story design and who had to get by without a professional tool.”

Images, documents, videos, and other assets can also be attached directly to the fragments allowing for easy access to all the elements of each plotline, with characters, objects, items, and locations available directly within articy:draft where they can be connected as appropriate.

“We wanted to develop a professional game design tool that perfectly meets the demands of the game industry and we’ve successfully achieved it. Thanks to the invaluable feedback from our beta partners, articy:draft is a very sophisticated tool.” says Nevigo CEO Kai Rosenkranz. “This year we’re going to add localization features, an interactive presentation mode and further export functions to facilitate an even broader range of game and story development projects.”

Additionally, the tool has been developed with the modern needs of game design and collaboration in mind. Nyul:

“Users can log on to their servers and work together with other team members, greatly benefiting from the integrated asset management and workflow functionalities.”

We await the first titles developed with this great new utility with fevered anticipation!

I’ve previously written about Ubisoft’s DRM at length on other websites (one whose treatment of its writers won’t benefit from a link here) and wondered like many about how they can justify such intrusive measures in protecting their published properties.

Next week will prove to be a real test of this supposed protection when they switch off their servers for a migration project.

If you’re unfamiliar with Ubisoft’s DRM then it basically works like Steam but omits to allow you to play without an Internet connection. The result of this is that without a game server to connect/authenticate to repeatedly throughout a gaming session, you’re unable to play a title that could have cost around £40 or more.

The following extremely popular games will be affected.

To reiterate, you won’t be able to play The Settlers 7, Splinter Cell Conviction, Assassin’s Creed or Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. 2 during this time.

Clearly there is a flaw in the planning here. These are not MMORPGs; therefore the authentication data should be manageable enough to migrate over a much shorter period of time.

But then how would anyone know – in their wisdom, Ubisoft haven’t revealed how long the project is going to take!

Note that the following games will be playable during this stage of the migration:

But the point is, of course, that if you’ve paid money for a game you should be able to play it when you want. Owners of Ubisoft games are already forced to be online to play single player titles – isn’t this enough?

Because if I was desperate enough to want to play Splinter Cell Conviction over the next few days (and I don’t but mainly because I’ve played it a lot already) I could easily download a pirated copy.

Which completely and utterly defeats the object of the horrific DRM that gamers have to put up with when they choose a Ubisoft title.

It’s yet another in the nail of the coffin of freedom from a company whose treatment of its customers is almost wholly one of derision and disrespect.

The question is, when will people say enough is enough?

Has the time come at last?

We shall see.

(Thanks to @BritishGaming)

Kicking off yesterday at www.youtube.com/start this is one of the first official YouTube channels to launch in 2012 and will feature a mix of original live and long-form programming for anyone who loves or plays games.

The channel will also allow IGN to reach new audiences via new forms of content that it can’t use within the terms of the editorial format of the IGN site. As a result, START provides an entirely new vehicle to deliver professionally-produced video content for advertisers and IGN UK has secured SEGA as its Europe-wide launch partner for START in a month long deal.

In partnership with SHINE Group’s Reveille Productions, START will debut with five original shows, with new episodes available weekly:

The Next Game Boss – In this reality show competition, up-and-coming developers put their game creation skills to the test in head-to-head challenge where only the best will walk away with a life-changing prize.  [Airs Tuesday at 9pm beginning January 31^st]

UP at Noon with Greg Miller – a fast paced geek-culture talk show that looks at the world of games, comics, movies and TV.  Includes sketches, regular correspondents and industry guests.  [Airs Mondays at 9pm beginning February, with a special premiere episode on Tuesday, January 31st]

Cheap, Crazy, Cool ­ – We scour the globe for the coolest gear the world has to offer, from wallet-friendly gadgets to the bank-breaking tech dreams are made of. [Airs Thursdays at 9pm beginning February 3^rd]

Mix’d Review – This review aggregator show compares all the game review scores gamers care about in one perfect package, mixing IGN’s expert judgment with those from other respected games media around the globe.  [Airs Friday at 9PM beginning February 3^rd]

Maternal Combat – It’s easy to claim you’re the king of Call of Duty, but can you teach your mum to become a pro?  This reality show pitches experts in a gaming battle where their rookie relatives decide the outcome.  [Airs Wednesdays at 9pm beginning Mid February]

IGN Entertainment’s Ian Chambers enthused over the project, noting:

“We’re delighted to be working with SHINE to develop START into a must visit destination for gamers.   Games are increasingly one of the world’s most popular forms of entertainment, and START is the perfect opportunity to create a channel born in the exciting world of video games and the culture that surrounds it.

“IGN’s content engages with more 18 to 34 year old males than ever before, and we continue to take games content to wherever users will consume it.”

It has been 15 years since IGN launched, with the website network regarded as a major voice in gaming.  START’s selection of launch shows sound like pretty good, focused stuff and it is good to see that it will also build on its existing programming in the coming months with a wealth of new content, including live event coverage from the IGN Pro League, dedicated to the world of eSports.

The phenomenal Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim slips slightly meanwhile with Just Dance and TWO Zumba Fitness titles clogging up the path for Assassin’s Creed Revelations and Saints Row: The Third.

Star Wars: The Old Republic teeters on the edge of the Top 40 meanwhile, although that is likely to be back in the top 5 at various points throughout its lifespan. Football Manager 12, however, is at a surprisingly low 14th.

Top 40 Entertainment Software (All Prices), Week Ending 28 January 2012

Fifa 12, Electronic Arts
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Activision Blizzard
The Elder Scrolls, Bethesda Softworks
Just Dance 3, Ubisoft
Battlefield 3, Electronic Arts
Resident Evil: Revelations, Capcom
Zumba Fitness, 505 Games
Saints Row: the Third, Thq
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Ubisoft
Zumba Fitness 2, 505 Games
Rage, Ethesda Softworks
Rayman Origins, Ubisoft
Mario Kart 7, Nintendo
Football Manager 2012, Sega
Sonic Generations, Sega
Super Mario 3d Land, Nintendo
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012, Ubisoft
Kinect Sports: Season Two, Microsoft
Cars 2, Disney Interactive Studios
Wwe ’12, Thq
Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney Interactive Studios
Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure, Activision Blizzard
The Sims 3: Master Suite Stuff, Electronic Arts
Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo, Mind Candy
Need for Speed: the Run, Electronic Arts
Dead Island, Koch Media
Wii Fit Plus, Nintendo
Forza Motorsport 4, Microsoft
Mario & Sonic London 2012 Olympic Games, Sega
Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7, Warner Bros. Interactive
Batman: Arkham City, Warner Bros. Interactive
Mario Kart Wii, Nintendo
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Sony Computer Ent.
Skate 3, Electronic Arts
Dirt 3, Codemasters, Ubisoft
Abba: You Can Dance, Ubisoft
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Microsoft
The Sims 3, Electronic Arts
Just Dance 2, Ubisoft
Star Wars: the Old Republic, Electronic Arts

The UKIE Games Charts© are compiled by GfK Chart-Track

These games hold immense importance in the history of gaming – without them, there would be no industry, so it is only fitting that Theurer should be awarded for his creativity in the early days of gaming with a Pioneer Award at the 12^th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards.

They don’t give these awards to just anyone; to start off with you have to have been involved in an era that helped create modern game genres and define methods of user interaction.

For the uninitiated, Missile Command, was a seminal trackball-based shooter that was a milestone in early computer games. It was followed in 1981, by Theurer’s iconic, vector-based tube shooter release Tempest.

Thought of as the original psychedelic shooter, the game inspired a slew of other innovations in arcade video games and was an early title to use 3D perspective in gameplay.

Of course, like many gaming pioneers a career in enterprise software lay ahead of Theurer, but not before he designed the cult groundbreaking arcade title I, Robot, released in 1983. Although not commercially successful at the time, I, Robot is recognised as being the first commercial video game with filled 3D polygon graphics, as well as being the first video game to feature camera control options.

It was literally decades ahead of its time.

“It’s very difficult to find a game developer who doesn’t have a single memory of Missile Commander or his other classic, Tempest,” said Meggan Scavio, general manager of the Game Developers Conference.  “We’re delighted to honor Dave Theurer for his work as a designer which resulted in shaping so many developers’ creative drive in the genre.”

The 12^th Annual Choice Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 6:30 pm, at the San Francisco Moscone Center and is open to all Game Developers Conference attendees. If you can’t make it, for the third year running both sets of awards show will be streamed live online via GameSpot.com.

The Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony, hosted by Epic Games’ Cliff Bleszinski, is held immediately following the Independent Games Festival Awards.  For more information about the 12th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, check out the official website at www.gamechoiceawards.com – and for information about the 2012 Game Developers Conference, please visit the www.gdconf.com.

It has been announced today that leading independent developer and publisher of online games Jagex Games Studio has achieved victory in a two-year legal battle with the developers of macroing/botting software that targeted and harmed the popular MMORPG RuneScape.com for a number of years until the Bot Nuke of October 2011.

In a judgment against Impulse Software – brothers Mark and Eric Snellman – a judge ordered that Jagex should be awarded damages, while an injunction was placed upon the brothers to prevent the future development of botting software for any Jagex product as well as blocking the provision of assistance to others developing or use botting software. Discussing Jagex, the lawsuit or RuneScape has also been restricted.

Botting and gold farming has been a big problem within RuneScape, leading Jagex to engage in a number of legal battles over the past couple of years in order to tackle the adverse impact it has on the game. Today’s result is a significant win for a games company and is likely to set a precedent for future legal cases regarding this kind of abuse.

It is telling that newer games (such as BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic) explicitly ban the use of such tools.

Mark Gerhard, CEO & CTO of Jagex, stated:

“We began the legal action against the Snellmans over two years ago as a part of our ongoing commitment to ridding RuneScape of bots and gold farmers. Faced with this significant challenge we have continued to demonstrate that we will never shy away from difficult battles, we don’t  compromise on taking the right course of action and, regardless of the time, money or effort involved we always do what  it takes in order to protect our community”.

“We have spared no expense fighting this case, as demonstrated by the seven figure bill this action has cost, but the point of this and other cases of its kind, is that we will continue bring to justice those who set out to harm the game or our beloved community. We are delighted to say that we have convincingly neutered them after a very long battle.”

It’s good to learn that the announcement follows news that the recent Bot Nuke action to combat botting has been a success, with Jagex’s ‘Cluster Flutter’ tools have – coupled with various other countermeasures – rendered 98% of all in-game bots obsolete. Neither iBOT nor any other bots developers have been able to publish working updates to overcome the “Bot Nuke” despite their continued efforts to do so.

“Technically speaking this is a veritable arms race, there is no permanent triumph in cyber security,” said Gerhard, “The only serious long term strategy is to ensure you continuously innovate well ahead of the challenges faced today; that way you should hopefully always be a few steps ahead in the future. I’m happy to say 1337 Ninja’s are already well underway with “Optimus” Jagex’s next generation obfuscation and encryption framework which will be released shortly.”

It should come as no surprise to learn that as a condition of this case the Snellmans have been ordered to give up all websites, domains, source code and customer details to Jagex along with all the details of all those individuals who have developed scripts for iBOT and sold or re-sold those scripts.

KIE’s Andy Payne OBE and Ian Stewart, founder of Sheffield’s Gremlin Graphics, Mark Hardisty of Brinsworth Comprehensive School Academy Trust and Dr Jake Habgood of Sheffield Hallam University

The Games Britannia festival has been announced, and includes a Yorkshire-wide games competition for schools to redesign the classic Gremlin Graphics character Monty Mole – shortlisted games will be made at the Gremlin Game Jam part of the festival. (See www.gamesbritannia.com/montymole for more on this)

Set to be the UK’s biggest ever festival for videogame education, The Games Britannia festival was launched this week at Sheffield Hallam University by the chairman of UK Interactive Entertainment, Andy Payne OBE.

“We’re thrilled to be able to announce the launch of Games Britannia hot on the heels of the games industry’s recent success in lobbying for a new computer science curriculum to replace ICT in schools.

“It’s vital to our future economy that the next generation become creators of technology and software, not just consumers of it. And it is exciting events like Games Britannia that will help to lead the way in redressing this imbalance.”

Running from July 2md-8th at the MAGNA Science Adventure Centre, the festival includes Games Britannia: REPLAYED, which opens the doors to the public for a weekend of games-based learning and entertainment.  It’s all been organised by a partnership that includes Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, Sheffield Hallam University, Brinsworth Comprehensive School Academy Trust, Replay Events and UK Interactive Entertainment, and is backed by industry companies including Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

Dr Jake Habgood is a senior lecturer on Sheffield Hallam’s game development courses, and he’s keen to engage children to demonstrate the opportunities available in the videogame industry.

“Making games is a fantastic way to challenge and inspire students to study programming, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – as well as art, English and music – by applying them all creatively to a finished product.

The idea, of course, is to tackle the identified skills shortage in the industry, something that needs to be tackled by schools and the wider education establishment.

“The Games Britannia festival will address those issues by providing children with practical hands-on workshops in game development, much of which can be replicated in homes and schools after the event. The festival will also inform young people on career paths in the industry – and it will be a celebration of the rich videogame development heritage that our region has.”

In the lead up to the event, teams of school children from across the region will compete to write, illustrate and compose ideas for a new video game based on one of the games industry’s most iconic characters – Monty Mole.

As part of the launch event, the University gave students from schools across South Yorkshire a lesson in PlayStation®3 development – the first time a class of school children have ever been given an introduction to professional game development kits.

Sponsors of the event currently include Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, local developers Sumo-Digital and YoYo Games. The event is supported with workshops by Raspberry Pi and BBC CBBC/CBeebies.

To find out more about the Games Britannia festival visit www.gamesbritannia.com.

As it turned out, however, your editor also had the opportunity to sing… although not the track he would have wanted:

Yep, that’s me singing The Animal’s “House of the Rising Sun” at the recent launch of Nordic Games’ We Sing UK Hits and We Sing Rock, both for Nintendo Wii.

As you will see from the clips, while there wasn’t the opportunity to try the game properly (the live group was a little too loud!) everyone had a great time and you could do far worse than get yourself a copy of one of the great games from the We Sing series!

At their most basic moral frameworks are the foundations of religion.  Forget the deities and heroes; religion acts as a control mechanism in an increasingly chaotic world.  As I write this people are being shot at, beaten, kidnapped and abused, all around the world.  Not just in warzones initiated by our governments but in the lands of those we call our neighbours.

Hell, it’s even in our backyards.

With things so desperate on the socio- and geo-political fronts, it could be said that it’s a bit late to introduce a real-time strategy game concerning the battle between good and evil in a contemporary setting that is heavily based on the events described in the Tribulation (Book of Revelation).  Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins’ Left Behind series of books has been a worldwide success and has spawned the LEFT BEHIND: Eternal Forces real-time strategy game.

You may well wonder “does the world need a Christian RTS”?  Surely gamers want sex, drugs, rock’n’roll, car theft, killing sprees, re-enactments of key victories of World War 2 or the opportunity to (virtually) dress in spandex and display a range of super powers? You might be right, but you would also be a little slow on the update – LEFT BEHIND: Eternal Forces has been around for a few years now. It was launched in 2006 to a curious audience but it seemed that despite going gold, few hung around. By 2008 1 million copies were given away free

The answer is of course that following the GTA “Hot Coffee” scandal, the moral crusaders have had a strongly-focussed eye on video games.   It was once thought that LEFT BEHIND: Eternal Forces would be accepted into the homes of video gaming Christians across the world and feature what the creators consider to be “positive game content”. Sadly for the developers, things didn’t quite work out this way.

To be fair the developers can’t be blamed too much. They avoided creating a game of mawkish reverence, the aim being to defeat the forces of the antichrist, the wonderfully named Nicolae Carpathian.  With this, the makers hope to finally engage with the generation of disenfranchised youths currently buying games and introduce a concept of morality.  The problem is that the young men and women of today’s society already have a set of morals; they’re just different to the longer-established ones the majority of us adhere to.  There is an issue of choice here, a basic freedom; the Romans had a moral code quite alien to our own – who is to say we are right? We’re certainly not that much more civilized.

It seems that freedom of choice is not an issue when religious groups demand that games are taken off shelves, copies burned, and so forth for representing a mirror image of the world in which we live – as all good art should.  With the control mechanisms of church failing, there is a feeling that we live in desperate times, and that a connection needs to be made between God (the “rules”) and fans of GTA and 25 to Life (the “lost sheep”).

Video gamers are at the hands of self-appointed moral guardians who assume to think and make choices for the rest of society.  The suggestion that balanced individuals would murder prostitutes in real life following a similar event in a video game is absurd. Just as there have been no cases of young men wandering the countryside healing people without a bye-or-leave.

So why did LEFT BEHIND: Eternal Forces fail? Was it too close to the truth?

For some, it seems that not only do we live in a world of rape, war, greed, deceit and spandex, we also inhabit a world of fear, a world wondering whether it is dancing to the tune of a self-fulfilling prophesy, a world where one minute video games are idle distractions not worthy of serious attention and the next they are the spawn of the devil.

Or was it just crap?