Pocket Gamer Awards 2012 – Connect2Media Receive 2 Nominations

It’s that time of year again! When the red carpets are getting unfurled, the champagne is being poured, and envelope manufacturers are being rushed off their feet. That’s right, it’s awards season.

This year, Connect2Media has been nominated for not one, but two games in the Mobile Game of the Year category in the 2012 Pocket Gamer Awards. Both Farm Frenzy 2 and Square King both received nominations in the category, so now it’s just a game of wait and see. Both nominations mean a lot to us, and it’s truly an honour to be in a category that includes so many other incredible games, and to have been nominated in the awards in the first place!

To take a look at all the nominations, head over to Pocket Gamer’s 2012 Awards page here

Tags: awards, Connect2Media, Games, Gaming, gaming event, mobile game, mobile games, mobile gaming, News, Pocket Gamer

No getting board of these games – Pocket Gamer Awards part 2

It’s part 2 of our Pocket Gamer Awards showcase this week, and this time we’re looking at another winner, 365 Board Games!

A single game pack with bags of value that offered up to 7 games, user customisable rules and 3 levels of difficulty, the game was a massive hit for board game lovers everywhere. As Pocket Gamer put it,

“the sheer range of content on offer will keep mobile boardgamers grinning.”

And it certainly had them grinning enough to give the game a bronze award. However, they did point out there was some room for improvement so we hit the drawing board and came back with the much improved 365 Board Games 2 in beautiful high definition!

This sequel will not only feature up to 10 classic board games including Snakes and Ladders, Ship Wars (Battleships), Four in a Row, Chess, Backgammon, Ludo, Checkers, Reversi, Nine Men’s Morris, and Tic Tac Toe, but we’ve also created a multiplayer option so you can play with up to 3 friends on the same phone!

Each game has fully customisable rules, and with improved HD graphics, it’s the perfect Christmas board game collection to play during the holiday season. In fact, we know that 365 Board Games 2 is so cool that you’ll want to tell everyone about it, so now you can brag about your wins on Facebook!

The game will be available from December via your mobile operator game portal or on the Android market place, so make sure you check it out and never be caught without an entertaining board game this festive season!

If you need any more convincing, here’s a sneak peek at some of the games on offer:

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If you missed last week’s showcase, check it out here.

Tags: award, Christmas presents, family game, festive, game release, mobile games, multiplayer, Pocket Gamer, showcase

Help us raise money Children in Need 2011!

It’s been a long wait, but finally Children in Need 2011 is here! If you’re not one of the lucky ones going to the Children in Need Rocks concert tonight, in Manchester (Connect2Media’s home town), don’t forget that it’s being broadcast on BBC One between 8pm and 10pm, as well as on Radio 1.

As part of our contribution this year, we’ve teamed up with T-Mobile and are offering you a chance to donate money by downloading some games from T-Mobile UK’s “Play for Children in Need” section. A share of the revenue will go straight to the charity, and will help to make this the biggest year of fundraising yet! So, show your support, and if you happen to not be on T-Mobile, but know someone who is, let them know! The promotion will run for the whole of November, so you have no excuse to not take part!

Last but not least, don’t miss Pudsey’s big night tomorrow from 7:30pm on BBC 1! And if that’s not enough Children in Need action for you, tell us what you did to raise money this year by posting a comment on our blog, writing on our new Facebook Page wall or sending us a Tweet – you can find us as Connect2Media or our new account 365 Games!

Tags: BBC, charity, Children in Need 2011, CiN, fundraising, Games, Manchester, t-mobile

Prizes and awards galore – Pocket Gamer Awards part 1

It’s been an exciting few weeks here at Connect2Media!

We gave away some prizes for our Top Trumps competition, with the main prize, an iPad 2, going to lucky James from High Wycombe. We also received some games awards from Pocket Gamer! So, we’ve decided to do an early yearly recap and highlight some of the games what were given awards, as well as some upcoming sequels that are coming out soon.

Let’s kick off with a spot light on Farm Frenzy 2, which was awarded a Silver Pocket Gamer Award for Android and a Bronze one for Mobile.

This is the sequel to the smash hit Farm Frenzy and tests your management skills in running a farm. But it’s so much than just a farming sim! Farm Frenzy 2 is addictive, thrilling and with 90 story-based levels gives you hours of arcade fun! You start off small, with some chickens and other bits, but as you progress through the different levels, you can grow grass, buy chickens and feed them, collect eggs and take your produce to market. Once you’ve made a sale, you can spend your earnings to expand your farm, or buy tasty treats for yourself. As Pocket Gamer put it:

“Because everything needs to be managed at once, on a time limit, and without missing a beat, Farm Frenzy 2 turns from what looks like another Farmville-style cartoon farming game into complete and utter pandemonium.”

The game is available on Android and on Java, so check it out on Android Market or go to games menu on your handset and search for ‘Farm Frenzy 2′ to join in the fun.

Also, don’t forget to check back next week for part 2 of our Pocket Gamer Awards recap.

Tags: gaming awards, gaming news, mobile gaming, news updates, Pocket Gamer, yearly round up

CELEBRITY GLITZ & GLAMOUR HITS TOP TRUMPS APP

We have just released an update to our ‘Top Trumps Collection’ (free) app for iPhone/iPod touch and are so excited we are giving away an iPad 2 as well as an iPod touch and a host of beautiful Top Trumps merchandise.

The update to the top five App Store smash, Top Trumps Collection, features the all new ‘Celebs’ pack in all its tinsel town glory. Priced, in game, at 69p it joins the recently released ‘European Football Stars’ and the ever expanding range of packs including ‘Dinosaurs’, ‘Gumball 3000 Supercars’ and ‘007 Best of Bond’.

Prizes as follows:

1st: iPad 2 plus Top Trumps Tournament board game
2nd: iPod touch 4 plus Top Trumps Tournament board game
Runners up: 8 x Top Trumps Tournamentboard game and NBA Top Trumps card pack.

We think it’s a good way to increase interest in the game and to get some sign-ups to our mailing list – time will tell.
If you are interested in entering the competition, just point your browser to toptrumpsgame.com, enter your email and hit submit. Simple!

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Special thanks to ThePrizeFinder, Loquax Competitions, Competitions UK,
LatestDiscountVouchers.co.uk, OfferOasis.co.uk and CrazyCompers.co.uk for helping us to promote the draw.

Mobile Gaming Weekly Round-Up 5

After a whopping 8 weeks since the last mobile gaming round-up we thought it was high time for the next in the series. And what an interesting week of news it has been! We bring you four juicy news stories covering tablets and tables and everything in-between. Enjoy!

Tablet News

This week it’s all about the tablet. Firstly, to add to the recent surge of mobile patent warfare, we have the on-going patent battle between Samsung and Apple about whether Samsung tablets infringe on Apple’s concept. Samsung’s most interesting comeback so far has been that Apple didn’t infact invent the tablet, 2001: A Space Odyssey did!

Personally we think they are playing a quick game of Civilization IV on their early iPads in the image below! What do you think?

Table News

Moving on from tablet news we have table news… with the iTableous – a wonderfully massive version of an iPhone 4. Packed with HD 40-inch screen, 4GB of RAM, accelerometer, and most importantly the functionality to play games, here at Connect2media we desperately want to get our hands on one for the office! Unfortunately the maker, German inventor Benjamin Bachmeier, has only made one and it’s for personal use. So we’ll have to make do with watching the video, below:

The Future of Gaming?

Could an “electronic tattoo” invented by US scientists be the future of mobile gaming? The device is thinner than a human hair, sticks to skin using the same force that sticks geckos to walls and can wrinkle and stretch without breaking. Scientists attached one to a volunteer’s throat and it was able to tell the difference between words like up, down, left, right, go and stop which they used to power a simple computer game. John Rogers, professor in material science and engineering at the University of Illinois, said: “It’s a technology that blurs the distinction between electronics and biology.”

So we’ve gone from keypads to touchscreens to voice, what’s next?

Apple vs Android

And to finish we bring you some data from the guys at Hunch. From a series of answers given by 2000 respondents they have found some interesting differences between users of iPhones and Android phones, including:

iPhone users are more likely to eat sushi and sorbet, whilst Android users are more likely to like mini-pizzas and ice-cream!

iPhone users are more likely to have been early adopters of the internet, whilst Android users are more likely to have just one email address!

iPhone users like watching HBO while Android users like X-Men and Harry Potter!

What do you think? Does this sound like you? Answer in the comments section below, or over on our Facebook page!

 

Tags: apple vs android, future of gaming, gaming news, itableous, massive iphone, mobile gaming, mobile patents, Samsung vs Apple

Calling all T-Mobile customers….

Connect2media have partnered with T-Mobile to give their customers the chance to win £100 shopping vouchers!

How to Enter:

Buy the new “Bubble X Mania Deluxe” mobile game between 1st July and 31st August 2011, and you’ll be automatically entered into the prize draw. Simply text BUBBLEXMANIA for free to 22222 to get a link

Bubble X Mania Deluxe

Pop against the clock before the time elapses in this addictive bubble puzzle.

Pop your way to bubble success with this classic puzzle logic game. Stick 3 or more bubbles of the same colour together to pop them away. Experience the new levels and game modes to find special bonuses along the way. The more you pop, the bigger the reward!

Terms and Conditions:

You have to be 16 or over to enter. You can’t enter if you work for, or are related to someone who works for, T-Mobile or Connect2Media.

Tags: bubble x mania, competition, mobile games, t-mobile, win vouchers

Da-da, da-da, dadadadada …. It’s JAWS!

Did you know…

• JAWS broke box office records on its release in 1975, grossing more than $470 million worldwide!
• The film received universal acclaim and even holds a rare 100% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes
• Tiny actors were used in a miniature shark cage to give the illusion of massive sharks
• Spielberg got scared that his crew were going to chuck him in the water at the end of the final scene, so simply didn’t turn up! It has since become a tradition for Spielberg to be absent when the final scene of a film he directs is being filmed

 

 

 

 

Jaws on mobile

Stay out of the water this summer, as Connect2media is bringing the terrifying blockbuster JAWS to a smartphone, feature phone or tablet near you! Roger Davies, Chief Commercial Officer, Connect2Media said about the partnership with Universal:

“JAWS is one of the greatest film franchises ever, not only smashing box office records but making significant waves in the film industry. It is much more than a movie; it is a truly iconic part of popular culture. We expect this game to take a huge bite out of the market when it’s launched.”

 

 

 

 

Get JAWS on your phone’s game store, or buy from the Android market:

Tags: android, competition, JAWS, JAWS facts, JAWS film, JAWS movie, mobile game

Working in Mobile Gaming

Sophie

Michael

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here at Connect2Media we are sad to say goodbye to two of our newest placement students, Sophie and Michael, who have joined us for a 3 month masters placement and a week’s work experience respectively. Before they left they shared their thoughts on their time with us, and gave advice on how to get into the industry:

So… tell us a bit about yourself:

Michael: I’m 17, fromLiverpool, currently studying maths, further maths, physics and computing at A-level. I want to study Engineering or Computer Science at University, but my aim is to get a job working in the games industry as a designer or producer. I mainly play RPGs and FPSs on the PlayStation 3.

Sophie: I’m 21, from the Valleys of South Wales, and I’ve nearly finished my masters in Business and Marketing. I’m a casual gamer at heart and can spend hours at a time playing games on my mobile!

What have you been doing on your placement?

Michael: With the marketing team I took screenshots for promotional material, as well as helping update the Facebook and Wikipedia pages. With production I helped make minor changes to an Android game called “Color Stars”, and also designed the user interface and thought of some new game mechanics for the 365 Board Games sequel.

Sophie: I’ve been working with the marketing team to implement a new social media strategy, running competitions and engaging gamers on forums. One of my bigger projects was to undertake some consumer research into casual gamers and analyse the results.

What is the most interesting thing you’ve learnt?

Michael: The most interesting thing I have learnt is how the game creation process works- who and what is involved at each step. This has helped my understanding of the creation process and has made me want to join the industry even more.

Sophie: I was a bit of a mobile gaming novice before I started, so everything I’ve learnt has been new and interesting!! I think the most fascinating thing though has been watching titles transform from simple ideas to fully formed games that people are discussing on our social sites and forums.  

Any advice to others trying to get work experience with a mobile gaming company?

Michael: Just keep asking at as many places as you possibly can, and eventually somewhere will let you in.

Sophie: I agree with Michael. Don’t be shy, just ask. The worst that can happen is they say no! And once you get some experience remember to write down everything – it can be a lot to take in on your first day!

If you want to ask Sophie or Michael any questions about their time with us, follow them on Twitter at @sophierussler and @mikeh1194

Tags: development, job, marketing, mobile gaming, placement, publishing, work experience

World Series of Poker – Connect2Media Competition!

So the event that poker fans across the world have been waiting for is finally here!

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, with a massive $10,000 buy-in, begins at 12pm today. And guess who is playing? None other than our favourite poker star, Phil Hellmuth, who is battling to get his all important 12^th gold bracelet.

Phil Hellmuth is the star of our mobile game, Hellmuth’s High Stake Hold’em, where you play along with, and learn from, the great man himself. He coaches you hand-by-hand in game so that hopefully one day you can battle in the main event yourself!

Competition 

To celebrate, we are launching #WSOPcountdown, where you can win amazing Hellmuth merchandise every single day!!

Today (7^th July) – follow us on Twitter and retweet our competition message later today. You can win one of these worth $29.99!

Friday (8^th July) – missed out on winning the hat yesterday? Don’t worry, simply head over to our Facebook page and answer the question there to be in with the chance of winning a second one

Saturday (9^th July) – Want one of these bad boys? Simply follow us on Twitter and retweet the competition message that we send out. Good luck!

Sunday (10^th July) – missed out on the t-shirt yesterday? Don’t worry, we’ve got another three up for grabs. Simply answer the poker related question that we send out on Twitter today

Monday (11^th July) – Today we’ve got an even bigger and better prize! This time win a hat and t-shirt combo. Simply answer the question that will appear in the comments section below!

Tuesday (12^th July) – We’ve saved the biggest and best prize till last! Win 1 of 5 Hellmuth t-shirts!! Simply head over to Facebook and answer the question that will appear. Clue: it’s going to involve this rap!

Good luck everyone! And don’t forget to read our competition terms and conditions.

Tags: competition, phil hellmuth, world series of poker, wsop