BBC Adventure Calendar 2011

Thursday, 1 December 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The BBC have launched their traditional Adventure Calendar for 2011, which will once again feature videos, interviews, games, wallpapers, cards, quizzes and other items for fans to enjoy in the lead up to Christmas Day and The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe.

Day One sees the return of The Game of Rassilon, an interactive quiz featuring clips and questions about the festive episode, as well as testing your memory about the adventures of Christmas past.

Play the Game of Rassilon

Meanwhile, Doctor Who News is delighted to once again present Willy Phantom's Advent Calendar, featuring a new festive Doctor Who image in the sidebar every day until Christmas!

FILTER: - Online - Games - BBC

Sega acquires Worlds in Time

Thursday, 17 November 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Sega has announced that it has acquired games developer Three Rings, the company that has partnered with BBC Worldwide to create an online virtual multi-user Doctor Who game world, Doctor Who: Worlds in Time.

Daniel James, CEO of Three Rings, said:

SEGA is also excited to be collaborating with us and the BBC to bring Doctor Who: Worlds in Time to completion. In particular, SEGA has a very strong presence in the UK, and many SEGA folks there are great fans of the show.

Worlds in Time was announced in February, with game described as being "both highly engaging and fun, allowing players to socialize and foster genuine cooperation, building a global community where fans worldwide will now be able to experience first hand the exciting action and adventure synonymous with Doctor Who."

Though originally slated for late this year, at present no announcement has been made for its launch date. Interested parties can sign up for details of a closed preview via the Worlds in Time website.

The full press release from Sega can be read here.

FILTER: - Online - Games

The Gunpowder Plot - now available to play in the UK

Monday, 31 October 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The BBC have now released their new Adventure Game, The Gunpowder Plot:

The TARDIS lands in London, 1605, encountering a group of men who are plotting to assassinate the Head of State. The Doctor, Amy and Rory realise they are at a pivotal point in time but so are two alien races, each of which are more than happy to change history to suit their own ends...

The game was written by Phil Ford and produced by Gary Russell, and is available to download for free in the United Kingdom.

FILTER: - Doctor Who - Online - Games

The Gunpowder Plot : Teacher's Guide

Saturday, 22 October 2011 - Reported by Marcus

The BBC have released a Teacher's Guide to the latest Adventure Game, The Gunpowder Plot, which is due for release at the end of this month.

The game has been designed, much as Doctor Who was originally designed, to contain specific learning elements and allows players to discover historical facts while playing with historical references and key objects woven in throughout the game. Children will get the chance to step back in time and interact with famous figures such as Guy Fawkes and discover what was happening at this important moment in Britain’s history.

The Teachers Pack aims to provide resources to help them explain the issues raised by the game. The pack has sections designed for use at different stages across the primary school and early secondary education.

It is being released in four parts with the first looking at The Plot available now. Further packs will deal with Childhood (Released 31st October), Crime and Punishment (Released 5th December) and London Life in 1605 (Released 10 January). The final section will encourage students to create a museum or exhibition piece for the whole school.

The first pack is split into four sections and focuses on four main learning questions:

When and where did the Gunpowder Plot take place?
What was the Gunpowder Plot?
Who were the Plotters and why did they want to blow up the Houses of Parliament?
What really happened in November 1605?

It contains

Introduction for teachers (1.32MB) Aims and Objectives
The Doctor’s Detectives(5-7 year olds) (3.31MB) The students will gain a basic understanding of the main events of the Gunpowder Plot, the people involved and its place in British history.
Deep Cover Time Agents (7-11 year olds) (4.59MB) The students will gain an understanding of the main events of Gunpowder Plot, the people involved and the Plotters’ motivations.
TARDIS Media Team (10-14 year olds) (1.81MB) The students will gain an understanding of the historical interpretations of the Gunpowder Plot within the political and religious context of the period.

FILTER: - Online - Games

Coming Soon: The Gunpowder Plot

Saturday, 1 October 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward

The BBC has released further details about the new Adventure Game, The Gunpowder Plot. The story will feature the Doctor, Amy and Rory as voiced by Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Artur Darvill respectively. The cast includes Ralf Little (The Royle Family), Phil Daniels (Quadrophenia, EastEnders), Dan Starkey (A Good Man Goes to War) and CBBC presenter Chris Johnson. The BBC teases that one of the "UK's best-known actresses" will also have a role but say her identity will be revealed shortly. The game will be released on the BBC's Doctor Who website on 31 October 2011.

Doctor Who: The Gunpowder Plot is set in 1605. Guy Fawkes and his gang are hell bent on blowing up the Houses of Parliament and the Doctor becomes embroiled in their scheme when it emerges he's not the only alien in town... Old monsters return and new threats must be faced... By you, playing as one of the TARDIS time travellers!

Watch the preview clip below which features interviews with Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Ralf Little and Phil Daniels.

The Gunpowder Plot preview clip, BBC, via the BBC Doctor Who site - may not play outside of the United Kingdom
Alternatively there is a YouTube version.

FILTER: - Online - Games

The Mazes of Time arrives on Android

Wednesday, 17 August 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

After its original debut on Apple platforms last year, BBC Worldwide have now announced the release of Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time for the Android platform, their first gaming venture for the popular mobile operating system.

Robert Nashak, EVP at Digital Entertainment, BBC Worldwide said:

We’re delighted to be able to offer Android users the chance to play Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time. Android users make up an increasing percentage of the mobile market and we’re thrilled that they’ll now be able to find their way out of our mazes.

The basic game is free with an initial set of levels; further content packs are available to purchase, unlocking new levels, monsters and challenges.

The game is now officially available to download via the Android Marketplace.

An intrepid traveller through time and space and the last of the powerful Time Lords, the Doctor is armed only with his incredible intelligence and his sonic screwdriver. Join him and his human companion, Amy Pond, as they race to save an innocent family attacked by a rogue Dalek and hurtled into the depths of history. Your journey will take you from ancient Incan temples, to the frozen tombs of Telos and a stunning finale on a Dalek ship. Defeat your favourite enemies, solve devious puzzles, and restore peace throughout time!

(with thanks to BBC Worldwide)

FILTER: - Games - BBC

The Adventure Games: The Gunpowder Plot

Thursday, 21 July 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The BBC have announced that the next Adventure Game is to be released in October, and will be entitled The Gunpowder Plot. The release describes the game thus:

The Gunpowder Plot will be the most advanced of the Adventure Games so far. Gamers will be able to play as the Doctor, Amy and Rory, exploring the immersive environments of this historic period. The adventure will feature multi-linear gameplay, even more sophisticated puzzles, and a complex lighting system specifically designed to recreate the atmosphere of 17th Century London. And for the very first time, the introduction of portal technology will enable gamers to experience for themselves that the TARDIS really is bigger on the inside...

Written by Phil Ford and produced by Gary Russell, the game is set in 1605 and will see the return of two old enemies of the Doctor's - and of course will feature the main protagonist of the title, Guy Fawkes.

The game will also be accompanied by an online resource pack with downloadable assets to support History and Literature lessons in schools, via BBC Learning.

This isn't the first time the Doctor has encountered this period - the First Doctor, Ian and Barbara became embroiled in the plot back in 1996, for the Virgin Missing Adventures series book The Plotters written by Gareth Roberts.

FILTER: - Online - Games - BBC

Torchwood: Web of Lies - update (iOS only)

Wednesday, 22 June 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC Worldwide and Starz have released new details on the tie-in "motion comic" Torchwood: Web of Lies, which has been revealed to consist of a series of ten, three minute interactive narratives that will offer clues to the mysteries conjured up in Miracle Day. It has been written by Jane Espenson and Ryan Scott, and has been developed by Double Barrel Motion Labs for BBC Worldwide Productions and BBC Worldwide Digital Entertainment and Games.

However, the series will only be released through an application designed for the Apple-based iOS operating system, available through iTunes.

The press release provides details on how Web of Lies fits in with Miracle Day:

Torchwood: Web of Lies is an episodic interactive experience for iOS that fuses together motion comic and gameplay elements to tell an original and digitally exclusive Torchwood story. Players will participate in a parallel storyline to Torchwood: Miracle Day that includes lead characters Captain Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper – voiced by John Barrowman and Eve Myles.

Torchwood: Web of Lies runs alongside weekly premieres of Torchwood: Miracle Day, providing fans with a way to engage in the world of Torchwood between episodes. It reveals a past day in the lives of Captain Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper - a day they’ve both forgotten. The events of that day fuel a modern day conspiracy-laced treasure hunt, as Holly Mokri, voiced by Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse, Tru Calling, Buffy The Vampire Slayer), labours to uncover the secrets of Miracle Day.

Each week a new episode unlocks, allowing players to access another piece of original motion comic narrative and game which ties into and extends plot developments of the show, as well as providing new twists in its own narrative.

The first narrative and game will be released promotionally and the remaining nine can be purchased inside the app in packs of three, each for $0.99/59p. A special bundle for all 10 narratives and game can be purchased for $2.99/£1.79.

No information has been forthcoming as to whether fans of Torchwood using other operating systems will also be able to access the complimentary material featured in Web of Lies.

FILTER: - Torchwood - Games - Miracle Day (Series 4)

Monopoly

Saturday, 30 April 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Monopoly is about to have a Doctor Who makeover this summer, with Hasbro releasing a version of the long-lived board game dedicated to the Time Lord.

Listed by Forbidden Planet, the game is limited to 5000 copies, and will feature "all your favourite heroes, villains, monsters, planets and places."

It is due to be released on 1st August 2011.

FILTER: - Games

The Game of Rassilon!

Thursday, 28 April 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The BBC's Doctor Who website have launched a new quiz, entitled The Game of Rassilon.

Legends tell of a Time Lord challenge that would test the guile, intelligence and fortune of those brave enough to step forward. The challenge was known as The Game of Rassilon.

The Time Lords may be near to extinction and Gallifrey consigned to history, but after centuries in abeyance the game will be soon be resurrected...

The quiz features clips, images, exclusive new footage with Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill, plus other members of the cast and crew. It is aimed to test the player's knowledge on Doctor Who, with different questions every time, and themed around the episode on television that week (currently The Impossible Astronaut).

The game can be played here.

FILTER: - Online - Games

Previous 10 Stories

BBC Adventure Calendar 2011

Sega acquires Worlds in Time

The Gunpowder Plot - now available to play in the UK

The Gunpowder Plot : Teacher's Guide

Coming Soon: The Gunpowder Plot

The Mazes of Time arrives on Android

The Adventure Games: The Gunpowder Plot

Torchwood: Web of Lies - update (iOS only)

Monopoly

The Game of Rassilon!

This Week in Doctor Who

ARCHIVE

FILTER