Toyota have recently launched the English version of their minisite for the new Verso. Based around a series of minigames, the Verso minisite was built as a collaboration between Rehab Studio and Away Media for the Brussels branch of the media agency Saatchi & Saatchi.

Away Media were responsible for the development of the minigames, which included some 3d elements that were created using Away3d. Each game integrates with the rest of the site using video shorts that play after completing one of the game tasks. Games developed by Away Media include the Luggage game, Personal storage, Driving dynamics and Harmony.

The entire site is built to be localised and has already been translated into French & Dutch for the Belgian version which can be found here.

Last week saw the launch of the new version of Intel’s ITManager gaming experience: IT Manager 3 : Unseen Forces. The premise is a simple one - you are an IT manager charged with running an office whose success relies on your ability to keep things running smoothly.

Away Media acted as 3d consultants on the project, assisting MRM Worldwide to achieve the best possible 3d experience with the Away3d engine. The game takes advantage of a lot of Away3d features to produce something never before seen in a Flash game - highly detailed interactive 3d scenes running at a smooth pace.

Starting with only 3 floors, you can work your way up to bigger and better offices by providing the best technical assistance to the company. Performance is linked to a number of different scoring systems, including your mystical ITChi level which reacts to the overall competence of your actions. Get this above a certain point and you’ll achieve “ITChi enlightenment”, a nirvana-like state in which everything turns a calm blue, and special power-ups are awarded.

The game requires that you register a username and name of your virtual company before commencing battle with your evil computing nemesis. For login details, go to  http://itmanager3.intel.com.

While having a brief respite from the pressures of the very real 3d world, I managed to slot in a game for my friends over at creativestream. It’s a tribute to the slightly backward but still immensely popular Deal or no Deal game on Channel 4, and instead of money, you win christmas turkeys (among other things). You get one chance to win a prize every day, all the way up to the 24th. Surely that’s better odds than the lottery! Oh wait…

Unfortunately his paisley-shirtedness Noel was unavailable for comment.

Rob