Webcarzz, Inc. today announced a planned corporate name change to Vector Entertainment and product name change to Vector City Racers. The new product name, Vector City Racers, is intended to better represent the Company’s casual MMO/virtual world. Vector Entertainment and MCS Games are developing an upcoming virtual world targeted to boys and their affinity for racing. In celebration of the new name, Vector Entertainment also announced the Fastest Road to Fun Contest.
“As we develop the game, we have been conducting deep consumer research to ensure we deliver a product that meets the needs of our target audience. As a direct result of our findings, Vector City Racers more accurately reflects the game’s visual style and unique gameplay experience that is geometrically structured,” said Chris Bergstresser, CEO, Vector Entertainment.
Since the CarStructor tool for building vehicles to race in the game was first launched in January, kids have been creating the usual cars, trucks and planes, as well as original vehicles depicting such items as a “pogo stick”, “pirate hat”, and “cheese sandwich”. Continued Bergstresser, “The game’s design has evolved to encompass so much more of what a child’s imagination can hold. By offering kids tools and an environment to unlock their creativity, we are giving them a sense of freedom and empowerment not seen in online games before. There is no limit to what children can create with this game, as evidenced by the examples above.”
Contest
The Fastest Road to Fun Contest invites all players to design their own vehicle using CarStructor, an easy-to-use online creation workshop, and submit it to Vector City Racers. A panel of five judges from the company will select the grand prize, second place and third place winners. The Fastest Road to Fun Contest begins on April 22, 2009 and ends on June 24, 2009. Winners will be announced on July 1, 2009.
The grand prize winner’s original vehicle will be featured in the game as one of several default starter vehicles. The grand prize also includes tickets and air travel for up to a family of five to one of the following of the winners choosing: Red Bull Grand Prix, NHRA Autolite Nationals, MonsterJam Truck Show, or NASCAR Allstate 400. Second place winner will receive a lifetime membership to the Vector City Racers game. The third place winner will receive a signed copy of the Vector City Racers comic book from world renowned comic illustrator and writer Kyle Baker.
To enter The Fastest Road to Fun Contest, players need to visit www.vectorcityracers.com and build their own customized 3D vehicles with CarStructor. Starting with a basic canvas consisting of two cubes and a set of wheels, children can create original 3D vehicles with simple drag and click motions. CarStructor empowers kids to stretch and pull the cubes’ corners in three dimensions, as well as widen, narrow, shorten or lengthen the wheels. A wide palette of colors is provided to further customize each vehicle. Branded and original decals that add an extra touch of personalization are also available. CarStructor features an easy-to-use camera that allows kids to see their creation from every angle. For full contest rules and regulations visit: www.vectorcityracers.com during the month of April.
Vector City Racers is an integrated game experience that combines the depth of a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) and the competition of circuit track racing in a casual environment where all roads lead to fun. Vector City Racers’ environment is comprised of shapes and structures that are constructed in real-time 3D as the players explore and interact through the game’s cities. Vector City Racers is currently in closed beta. For more information on the closed beta test, visit www.vectorcityracers.com.
This game looks great and quite nostalgic. Should be interesting to see what the controls will be like and how the gameplay works out. Check out the trailer:
Later today, a launch of a new service could turn the gaming industry upside down: Games on demand, no hard copies, and no downloading. Gamers would play the games across a network. Up to now, this hasn’t been possible because, while the technology requiring computer power to process the games has been rapidly improving, the ability to compress data has not. The new project, called OnLive, has the potential to move beyond gaming and could finally be the missing piece of the puzzle that brings the internet into our living rooms. Read more…
From Wired.com:
Comics industry giant Marvel has teamed with virtually unknown gaming firm Gazillion Entertainment to create a host of online games, reports VentureBeat.
First on the docket is a family-friendly online title based on Super Hero Squad, a cartoon set to debut on Cartoon Network this fall featuring Marvel’s characters. The game should land “sometime in 2010.”
Perhaps more interesting to Marvel fans is news that the long-dead Marvel Universe MMO isn’t quite as dead as we’d all thought. Gargantuan, a California-based development arm of Gazillion, is currently working on a PC and console version of the game, according to VB.
This agreement seemingly has no bearing on Marvel’s agreement with other game publishers (Activision, for instance) that allows for the creation of console games based on Marvel properties.
Sister site WatchMojo.com takes a closer look:
From IGN.com:
February 26, 2009 - Normally we’d scoff at the idea of Nintendo releasing yet another new controller (hell, we’ve already got the Wii-mote, nunchuk, zapper shell, wheel shell, balance board, classic controller, and GameCube controller, not to mention third party offerings like the Hori sticks and alternate pads) but in this case, we’re on board.
As seen above, Nintendo’s Japanese website has been updated with a new Classic Controller PRO model, and while it’s got no release date or price just yet, we’re already more than intrigued at this larger, more form-fitting design.
If you want to game on Virtual Console, your best bet right now is the Classic Controller or a GameCube pad. Still, while the Wii’s throwback offering has the look of the Super NES pad from the golden era of gaming, it doesn’t exactly feel form-fitting in its design. The back is oddly slanted, the finish on the controller feels a bit slick, and the sticks are too close together to really feel comfy.
From the info we’ve already got on the PRO, we know it’s a larger controller, not only in thickness, height, and width, but it also makes use of one of the more well-received concepts out there, which is the extension grips, which gives it a GameCube, Xbox Controller S/360 look. As you can see, the Z buttons (Z/L and Z/R) are larger now, and placed like the R1/R2, L1/L2 setup found with Sony controllers. The PRO even borrows from the Nyko Classic Controller and Click Grip, shown below.
We’ll have more on Nintendo’s controller as news breaks. As for price and strategy from here on out, Nintendo hasn’t commented but we’d estimate a worldwide release by the end of 2009 (a slow move from Japan to Europe, US, and beyond, with no real fanfare for the switch), and a price tag of $24.99, five bucks over the current Classic Controller, at least until the old model is worked out of retailers. The Pro makes use of a Wii-mote for power, and we’re hoping Nintendo makes use of a back-mounted cradle system for the Wii-mote, though of course nothing has been mentioned yet on that.
Microsoft seems to thinks so, so they set up a new institute to study it. From ItProPortal.com:
Microsoft Corp. has come up with a new learning institute in a bid to help researchers to comprehend the constructive influence of video games on gamers.
In order to learn the impact of video games on gamers, the software giant has invested a whopping $1.5 million into the new institute, dubbed as “The Game for Learning Institute (GfLI)”, a collaborative endeavour from the New York University and other colleges.
The company, which publishes a variety of games ranging from Halo to Gears of War, is analyzing the response of gaming enthusiasts to spot whether video gaming can enhance the learning capabilities in classrooms.
Quoting the objective behind the new learning institute, Microsoft’s head of gaming research John Nordlinger, said in a statement “We want to figure out what’s compelling about the games. If we can find out how to make the games fun and not make them so violent, that would be ideal”.
Researchers already have kicked off their research study on a few middle school students to see if video gaming is beneficial in enhancing their learning practices.
However, Microsoft isn’t the first to do this kind of research, as researchers from the University of Wisconsin have purported that playing “World of Warcraft” can boost scientific thinking.
from Kotaku.com:
A Taiwanese study - backed by British researchers - has found that playing too many video games can (can) contribute to a a rise in stress levels and feelings of anxiety in “young people”.
The report found that many games cause a “fight or flight” reaction in the player’s mind, which can often trick the brain into releasing adrenaline into the body. Because that’s what the body needs to either fight or take flight.
Problem being that when playing games, the body doesn’t do either of those things. It just sits there. And if the adrenaline is released into the body and stays there - which it will if you don’t fight/run it out - it can contribute to an adrenaline “overload”, which in turn can lead to neurological issues like anxiety disorders.
It doesn’t mean this happens to all gamers. Nor that the effects - which are similar to that of a drug addict - mean you’re all a bunch of worthless drug addicts. They’re just sayin’, is all. Be careful.
Walsh is far from the typical gamer stereotype. With an addictive smile, impressive contract and his own groupies it was a shock to him when the league and Walshy’s teammates both recently betrayed him… without even letting him know.
Its amazing to look back and see how far some games have come. It’s also amazing to think back to how fun some of these old games still are to play despite their primitive graphics.
Check out this cool feature from UnrealityMag.com
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