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A screenshot from Shank.

Earlier this week I discussed some of the better known Canadian-made games that will be at E3 in Los Angeles next week. Now it's time to give some love to a few independent titles made in our home and native land likely to be peppered between higher profile exhibits.



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We'll start with Shank, a side-scrolling action game with highly stylized graphic violence that won acclaim at the 2010 Independent Games Festival and was subsequently picked up by Electronic Arts, which plans to publish it for PC, Xbox Live Arcade, and the PlayStation Network this summer. It's being made by Vancouver-based Klei Entertainment, a startup studio founded by television animator Jeff Agala and game developer Jamie Cheng that was originally funded through family loans and cashed-in stocks. If the video above is any indication, it looks to be an impressive effort for a studio with such humble beginnings. E3 attendees will have a chance to play it at EA's booth.



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Fellow Vancouver studio Hothead Games, which made a name for itself with 2008's Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness, will have a stylish looking Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network game of their own on display in DeathSpank. Headed up by Ron Gilbert (of Monkey Island fame), this action role-playing game will purportedly deliver a 15-hour campaign filled with clever dialogue options and extensive character customizations. Think Diablo with a lighter, cartoonish vibe. This one should be at the EA booth as well.

Moving east, Toronto-based DrinkBox Studios' will likely use E3 to take the wraps off its first project: Tales from Space: About a Blob. Funded both internally and via government support programs, this game is being developed as a downloadable release for yet-to-be-named console(s). According to studio head Ryan MacLean it's a 2D platformer with an emphasis on puzzles and exploration that stars an innocent little alien blob "that grows and grows until it eats the whole world." Little else is known about the game, but the studio plans to release more information soon. If you're attending E3 and would like to see it I suggest keeping an eye on the studio's website for updates.



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Meanwhile, Toronto's Capybara Games will be showing the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network versions of Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, a habit-forming and critically acclaimed puzzler with RPG elements that was originally released for the DS last year. The two new editions promise similar play but with sparkly, high-definition graphics. Look for them both at Ubisoft's booth.

Capybara fans may also want search out Superbrothers: Sword & Sorcery EP, an iPhone app the studio is working on with Toronto-based artists, designers, and musicians that should also be on display somewhere in the cavernous Los Angeles Convention Centre. I can't really do justice to this curious app's artistry or intent in this space; I recommend checking out its official website.



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One more Canadian indie worth calling out is Naughty Bear. Made by Montreal's prolific Artificial Mind and Movement (a.k.a. A2M) and published for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 by 505 Games, it's set in a world filled with sentient teddy bears who lead seemingly idyllic lives. However, the titular bear-a worn out, stitched up outcast-isn't feeling the love. He sets off on a rampage marked by extreme teddy bear carnage that's best left to be seen in the game's many trailers (one of which is posted above). If you played Conker's Bad Fur Day you'll have some idea what to expect. A request I made to the game's publicist for E3 exhibit information has yet to be answered, but since it's pretty much done and set for release at the end of this month it will almost certainly be found somewhere on the show floor.

Update: Just learned Naughty Bear will indeed be at the show. Attendees should look for it at 505 Games' booth.

Follow me on Twitter: @ chadsapieha

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