We designed and built the website as well as the registration form.

This microsite gives key event information and allows for users to register their interest online. The registration form is custom-built to fit the exact requirements and it has some pretty complex logic. However, it’s a pretty straightforward project for us and one we’ve done countless times with great ease.

Fishing for inspiration

The game has some undeniably solid gameplay mechanics behind it, but how exactly did the actual idea behind the marauding sushi come about?

“There are a couple of hardcore cooking enthusiasts in the team,” explains Ng, “and the breakthrough came about when we realised that the enemies could be, well, anything. Even food. Then someone mentioned Sushi and the Yakuza. We thought getting non-threatening sushi to behave like gang members would be hilarious.”

In terms of Sushi Showdown’s design, a very popular genre in the App Store also proved influential.

“In essence, almost every tower defence game there is out there was an inspiration,” Ng says, “Cooking Mama as well. All of us at Mezmedia loved that game.”

Reeling them in

One of the game’s most notable strengths is its presentation. From the wonderfully bizarre opening cut-scene (see the trailer below) to the crisp and colourful artstyle the game oozes personality.

Ng claims that a lot of care ended up going into the design of the sushi itself, and is the part of the game that his team are most proud of.

“We really loved the characters, especially the Bosses,” says Ng. “The research that went into it was actually quite in-depth. We wanted them to be as authentic as possible.

“Take the Boss Udon for example – the pattern on the bowl was inspired by Yakuza tattoos. But instead of fearsome dragon, it’s a Bonita fish, the mainstay of Japanese cuisine.”

For more, do read the entire article on PocketGamer – Mezmedia on how Sushi Showdown on iOS is a true gaming delicacy. Download the free version of the game here.

Here’s an excerpt:

1. Create useful content for readers.
This should be the aim of any Web site, specifically since the drive behind Google’s decisions to update its algorithm typically revolve around delivering content that is high-quality and relevant to users. Ng noted that writing original content is not easy and requires significant resources and time, but he reminded businesses of their end-goal.

“Give great info and folks will visit and link to your site, thereby increasing your page rank,” he said.

He added that companies also risk the possibility of plummeting site rankings if they are found “cheating” by resorting to tactics such as content farming or link farming to increase their search rank.

2. Be unique.
“Search engines hate duplicate content,” Bunn said, but noted that original content aside, businesses fundamentally have to think about the proposition of its site.

“Is it really any different to the hundreds or thousands of other sites offering the same thing? What makes your site remarkable? If your answer to this question is ‘nothing’, then you will struggle to achieve ranking success,” he said.

3. Research the SERPs.
Search engine results pages (SERPs) nowadays are populated with many different types of content besides traditional Web links such as video, news, maps, images and shopping information, Bunn said. Hence, businesses must first find out what types of results tend to appear with their target keywords. For instance, he noted that for some keywords, optimizing for images or maps rankings are the quickest and easiest route to higher online visibility.

4. Keyword everything.
Ng explained that besides the actual text, other features on the site such as the URL, image names and links should also reflect the content by utilizing keywords that users would likely use while searching. The site will be more organized and better crawled by search engine spiders.

For example, by titling an image “healthy chicken.jpg” rather than “image001.jpg”, the pictures will turn up on image searches, he said. Similarly, use a link that reads, “Our menu offers healthy options” instead of “To find out more, click here“….

Read the whole article by ZDNet’s Jamie Yap here – 10 tips to boost search rankings.

Yes, finally, after months of Sushi-eating (and development), we’ve launched Sushi Showdown. Available on the App Store. Go download it! Only US$0.99.

The Sushi are alive and they are out to wreak havoc! Defeat Tamago, Tuna, and the rest of the Sushi gang before it’s too late. Fight their bosses like Boss Udon, Sashimi Sensei and more!

Get ready for the ultimate Sushi Showdown! The game that takes your fingers to the limit.

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/app/sushi-showdown/id446740132

Visit the Sushi Showdown Website: http://sushishowdown.com/

And the Facebook Page.

Watch the trailer:

Read the reviews:

CNET: Are you ready for a Sushi Showdown?

We’ve recently completed another website for NTUC. Called ‘U-league’, the site is built as a corporate scoreboard, ranking various unions and recruiters based on their recruitment numbers. The site also encourages online sign-ups too.

For more visit http://uleague.sg.

Here in Asia, Shared Services & Outsourcing for HR has been the premier event for HR professionals engaged in HR delivery strategies and operations for the last 8 years. With extensive research and partnerships we are building annual conferences on the issues which matter to the community now and provide insights to case studies and possibilities to benchmark against the best in class.

Event Website: http://www.ssohr.com

Venue: Prince Hotel

Date: 03/05/2011

Event Agency: 06/05/2011

Your Name: Sheryl Tan

Your Email: enquiry@iqpc.com.sg

Your Contact Number: 6567229388

Singapore Day, an annual event bringing a slice of home to Singaporeans overseas, is coming to Shanghai in 2011. Mezmedia is proud to be part of this special event, designing and building the online portal as well as creating a customized, user-friendly online registration system.

About Singapore Day
Singapore Day is organised by the Overseas Singaporean Unit (OSU), the event’s key draw is the authentic hawker food – where famous hawkers are flown in to re-create the Singaporean street food experience. If you are Singaporean living in China, visit www.singaporeday.sg to find out more.

Creating the ultimate registration form
The experience of creating the past two Singapore Day portals has helped us make further improvements to the registration process, making it more user friendly than before.

Based on certain fields the user has entered, the form was able to adjust accordingly, delivering appropriate content based on the user’s choice. This was by no means an easy process, as there were many factors and variables involved.

The final product enabled multiple registrations tied to a single user, while a step-by-step process minimized the number of fields shown to the user at one time.

It was also graphically pleasing and easy on the eye, an achievement no less, given how most registration forms churn out rows and rows of ugly rectangular boxes.

E-ticketing System
Successful registrants were also issued unique barcoded e-tickets. These tickets can easily be scanned on-site for quick verification, resulting in shorter queues and minimizing the wait.

Admin Portal and Statistical Analysis
Mezmedia was also tasked with creating a highly customized admin portal. This system enabled the OSU to manage their Singapore Day registrants from anywhere in the world, as long as they have an Internet connection. The portal was able to generate charts and reports as well, such as the rate of registration, age range and so on.

Visit www.singaporeday.sg for more details.

Building Envelopes Asia, which incorporates the successful Façade Design & Engineering Asia conferences, is the regional summit for building industry stakeholders. Developers, architects, façade engineers and consultants, regulators, property/facility managers and material and technology suppliers will assemble at the conference to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the building industry and to exchange the best practices in delivering high performance envelopes.

Event Website: http://www.buildingenvelopesasia.com

Venue: Singapore

Date: 27/04/2011, 28/04/2011

Event Agency: IQPC Worldwide

Your Name: Wendy Mah

Your Email: enquiry@iqpc.com.sg

Your Contact Number: 6567229388

This premiere summit is the ideal platform for those dealing with energy risk management and hedging to come together to discuss critical issues affecting their businesses. There will be strategic sessions on the global energy market and how this will affect Asia. Experts will be on hand to provide you with cuttingedge insights on risk management solutions and the benefi ts of energy derivatives. We will also showcase some real-life examples of hedging strategies from major end-users: aviation, refi neries, shipping, and utilities.
Key topics:
• Commodities outlook and impact on risk management
• Trends that will affect price volatility
• Corporate hedging strategies: the views from shipping, aviation and oil refining
• Fund flows and effect on energy price volatility
• Risk management in a deregulated power market
• The rise of commodity exchanges – new products and better transparency
• Utilising structured products for energy hedging
• Financial technology developments for the energy trading market
• Enterprise-Wide Risk Management – how can an integrated risk picture be created?
• Managing credit and counterparty risks
• Hedging in illiquid markets
For registration and further information:
1. Visit us at www.energyasiasummit.com
2. Email us at enquiry@iqpc.com.sg with your full contact details
3. Call us at +65 6722 9388

Event Website: http://www.energyasiasummit.com

Venue: Rendezvous Hotel Singapore

Date: 29/03/2011, 30/03/2011

Event Agency: IQPC

Your Name: Maria Andersson

Your Email: enquiry@iqpc.com.sg

Your Contact Number: 6567229388