If you’re not sure whether the new Star Trek video game released today will be right for you, there’s still the Assassin’s Creed franchise to fall back on.
While waiting for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, fans of Assassin’s Creed III have been enjoying the alternate-history version of American history told in the three-part DLC tale The Tyranny of King Washington. The first two parts of the story are already out, and today the final portion of the tale can be downloaded for Xbox 360 and PC. The PlayStation 3 version of the content will be available tomorrow, April 24, and the Wii U version will launch on May 16.
Titled “The Redemption,” the latest DLC will see Ratonhnhaké:ton journey to New York and break into Washington’s pyramid-shaped “monarch fortress.” Ubisoft also mentioned something about discovering the “power of the bear.”
Early this morning I had a terrible thought. It had been four days since Ubisoft posted the last trailer for Assassin’s Creed III, and I was beginning to get worried. Had something happened to the Ubisoft marketing team? Worse yet, had they run out of new footage to show us? Have we seen the entire game already?
My mind can rest easy now, as Ubisoft today revealed yet another Assassin’s Creed III trailer. This one features a preview of the game’s multiplayer modes.
The game will feature classic multiplayer modes such as deathmatch, but will also have a wolf pack co-op mode and a team-based domination mode. Wolf pack has players team up to find and assassinate enemies throughout a map before a timer runs out. Domination is a capture the hill-type mode where teams capture territories and hold them against enemy teams.
Check out the trailer below to catch a glimpse of the varied multiplayer maps, character models, abilities, and perks included with the game:
The amount of gameplay and behind-the-scenes footage being released for Assassin’s Creed III is almost staggering. Already, we’ve been treated to every aspect of the game’s setting, weapons, and main characters. Hopefully, Ubisoft simply understands the incredible competition coming its way from games such as Halo 4, Dishonored, and Borderlands 2 this fall, and isn’t just trying to hype its game for pre-orders before gamers get their hands on something the company doesn’t truly believe in.
Either way, another trailer for Assassin’s Creed III has been released today, this time highlighting one of the many historical events players will find themselves in the middle of during the game. Specifically, the new trailer describes a simplistic version of the Boston Tea Party and teases that the real revolution is the one players will undertake during the game. Previous footage of Assassin’s Creed III has shown that Connor, the game’s main character, will meet George Washington and take part in the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Assassin’s Creed III is set for an October 30th launch for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. PC gamers can get their hands on the title later in November.
It’s clear that the marketing budget for AAA gaming titles is now huge. In addition to Microsoft releasing a flood of Halo 4documentaries, a web series, and trailers, Ubisoft has been keeping pace by releasing a ton of preview content for Assassin’s Creed III.
Some of the content, such as the preview for the underwhelming Mayan Ruins pre-order mission, has been disappointing. The developer video documentary shorts, however, have been a wealth of information about the characters, gameplay, and setting of Assassin’s Creed III. They have revealed just what was going on in the developer’s minds when they decided to set the next game in one of Ubisoft’s flagship IP’s during the American Revolution.
The third documentary short out of four was released this week, and it delves into the background of the main character of Assassin’s Creed III, Connor. As half Native American, half European, it appears Connor will find himself, literally, embodying the conflict between the new world and the old.
This week’s video also shows how deeply Connor will be involved in the American Revolution. Players will get to be a part of the Battle of Bunker Hill, meet George Washington, and dispatch what looks to be hundreds of Redcoats.
Ubisoft may have ditched its game-breaking always-on DRM requirements, but the company is still driving the pre-order exclusives into the ground. For Assassin’s Creed III, players who pre-order the game from GameStop will receive an exclusive, day-one DLC mission called Lost Mayan Ruins.
Today Ubisoft released a trailer for the bonus level, and it looks way more boring than its name suggests. No enemies are shown in the ruins, so it appears to be a simple climb-and-fetch mission slapped together so that Ubisoft didn’t just give GameStop pre-orderers the real object of the mission: the Sawtooth Sword. The sword is evidently the long lost treasure of Captain Kidd. If it’s as amazing and “legendary” as the video makes it out to be, it might be game-breaking.
No matter how many times gamers are subjected to retailer-specific, day-one DLC and add-ons it, unfortunately, seems the scheme is here to stay. Even Nintendo is getting in on the action, at least in a small way. As long as gamers keep pre-ordering from brick-and-mortar stores for the chance to have their game character, during the American Revolution, travel all the way to Mexico to retrieve the sword of a Scottish privateer, then retailer-specific DLC will be here to stay.
The release of Assassin’s Creed III is now only two months away (unless you want it on PC), and the marketing team for the game has revealed nearly all the secrets to the game’s background and that of it’s PlayStation Vita tie-in game, Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation.
Now the team behind Ubisoft’s new game is revealing some of the behind-the-scenes footage of the game’s development. Last week, the first of a four-part documentary series called Inside Assassin’s Creed III showed off the hard work of the development team and outlined why the American Revolution was chosen as a setting.
The second part of the documentary, seen below, shows off the weapons and combat system of Assassin’s Creed III. Setting the game during the American Revolution is a huge change for the series, and the design team states that they took their time to find period-specific weapons for Connor to use when slicing up redcoats. The Native American assassin primarily uses a tomahawk, bow, and rope dart. The combat system was apparently designed to be more free-flowing and allow for quick escapes.
Next week’s portion of the documentary has been teased as being about the game’s main character, Connor.
Gamescom 2012 is shaping up to be the best gaming conference of the year. While developers and publishers teased gamers at E3 with hints of what is to come, Gamescom is becoming a show-and-tell-all event. Of course, part of the reason for this is that the holiday buying season, and therefore the release dates of major titles, are just on the horizon.
Assassin’s Creed III is only a little over two months away (though not for PC gamers), and anticipation for what is already one of the most anticipated games of the year is still increasing.
At Gamescom this week Ubisoft has unveiled yet another trailer for Assassin’s Creed, this time for Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, which is the PlayStation Vita version of Assassin’s Creed III. The trailer shows how the female assassin Aveline de Grandpré will make her way in an 18th century version of New Orleans:
Martin Capel, a Producer at Ubisoft also provided answers about Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation for a global q & a session at Gamescom. When asked about Aveline, Capel stated:
“What I can tell you about Aveline is that she is of mixed heritage – her father is French and her mother African. She is born of a form of temporary marriage called plaçage, where wealthy young men would typically take an African, Chinese or Native American women for a bride before they later found a more “acceptable” French bride. Plaçage was created because not enough French women could be persuaded to immigrate to the New World, and resulted in many children. Some of the children were pressed into slavery, while others were truly loved by their fathers, and were raised and educated with all the benefits that their father’s wealth could bring.
“Aveline is one of these lucky ones.
“As she grows, Aveline sees New Orleans from both sides – the luxury and social position that her father’s money brings, contrasted by the treatment she sees of those who share her mother’s heritage. Becoming a young woman, Aveline’s inner strength and confidence develop – she becomes an opponent of slavery, while her father’s love, wealth and status shields her from repercussions from the more conservative elements.”
Ubisoft confirmed today that the PC version of Assassin’s Creed III will be coming late. Specifically, the PC version of the title will be released nearly one month after the console versions. The game’s publisher, Ubisoft, announced the PC release date in the UK as November 23, implying that the North American release date will be the previous Tuesday, November 20.
No specifics were given by Ubisoft as to why the PC version would be delayed. The title is currently set for an October 30 release date for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 consoles. It will also be released as a launch title for the Wii U this fall.
PC gamers looking forward to Assassin’s Creed III were disappointed, but not surprised when Ubisoft Montreal Creative Director Alex Hutchinson told Gamespy that the game would not receive a much support for a keyboard and mouse setup. Even in that interview, there were questions about whether the PC version of Assassin’s Creed III might be delayed. As with past Assassin’s Creed games, it’s easy to see that the PC version of the game is a bit of an afterthought for the developers. Even so, take a look at the latest Assassin’s Creed III trailer below and see how one of 2012’s most anticipated games is shaping up:
If Nintendo jumping onto the trend is any indication, retailer-specific pre-order exclusives are here to stay. Luckily, most of the pre-order bonuses offered for games haven’t yet been completely game-breaking, and consist mostly of early access to extra content, different character skins, or posters and other schwag.
Before retailer-specific pre-orders became the norm, though, players were first frustrated by content exclusive to specific consoles. A good example is Soul Caliber IV, which released with either Yoda or Darth Vader as a playable fighter depending on which system it was bought for. That trend has largely fallen by the wayside in recent years as publishers realize that gamers have already chosen their console. Those publishers are not likely to give Sony or Microsoft exclusives that may upset half of their customers. With the next generation of the console wars heating up, though, expect to see more of these types of exclusives starting next year.
Today it was revealed that one of the most anticipated games of 2012, Assassin’s Creed III, appears to be offering quite a large exclusive to PlayStation 3 owners. According to the picture of the game’s cover on the Amazon UK web store, the PlayStation 3 version of the game “Includes 60 minutes of exclusive Gameplay.” (sic)
There is no indication of what that extra hour of game will include. In fact, Ubisoft has not yet announced any such console exclusives. So while this updated box art could be a mistake, it is probable that the PlayStation 3 version of the game will include an extra mission or two, which will most likely become downloadable contend (DLC) for other consoles and the PC. If this turns out to be true, it also seems likely that Xbox 360 owners will not be completely snubbed, and will have some exclusive content of their own. Also, it is a given that the Wii U version of the game will have exclusive features that take advantage of that console’s nature.
I’ve always thought that the Assassin’s Creed games were some of the more beautiful games of the current generation. The design is top-notch and the technical side of things is solid. I didn’t think it could get any better after how good Assassin’s Creed Revelations looked, but I was proven wrong.
The newest trailer for Assassin’s Creed III is a little different from past trailers. The focus this time is not on story or gameplay, but rather the game’s engine. That’s not to say that gameplay and story don’t factor into the trailer. The game’s engine, AnvilNext, is extremely important in crafting the narrative and the gameplay that I can’t wait to dig into come October.
I think that Ubisoft has something really impressive on their hands here. The fact that the game’s engine is able to render over a thousand NPCs at once is nothing short of incredible. It wouldn’t be that big of a problem on the PC, but to achieve the level of quality seen here on current generation consoles is pretty astounding.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that Connor finally kills a colonist in this trailer. After months of saying that Connor wasn’t going to take sides, he finally kills a non-Redcoat. I think we can all agree with one YouTube commenter when he says, “Hey British people, Connor just killed a colonist… You happy now?” As for the answer, only time will tell.
Wednesday is July 4, the day Americans set aside to celebrate their independence by shooting fireworks made in China and eating hamburgers prepared in Canada. To commemorate the occasion, Ubisoft has released a new trailer for Assassin’s Creed III. It’s fitting to an extent since the protagonist kills plenty of Redcoats in the name of freedom from the Templars.
For those hoping for more details from the latest trailer, you’re out of luck unfortunately. It’s another montage showing a battle during the War for Independence with both sides taking heavy casualties. The game still has the “America F*ck Yeah!” motif that has many European gamers concerned that the game won’t play it straight with Connor only killing Redcoats. Ubisoft has promised that Connor isn’t picking sides, but all the trailers so far, including this one, seems to firmly place him in the American camp.
That being said, the YouTube comments are always a great source of humor with Europeans arguing back and forth about the game. It’s especially funny seeing non-Brits finding offense when the game doesn’t even involve their country. There are some people who can see through the hoo-rah and see that it is just a game:
Damn it fellow Europeans! I’m Belgian and I’m very happy this game is set in America! It’s just a game… The American history is extraordinary good for a new AC game. Yes, you’ll have to kill Britains, so what? IT’S JUST A FIRETRUCKING GAME. Would you hate on the Crysis-game series, on the newcoming Watch Dogs or on the movie ‘The Avengers’ just because it is set in New York? Come on, grow up.
In other news, Ubisoft took the holiday as an excuse to announce the Limited Edition for Assassin’s Creed III. It was already a given that there would be some kind of Collector’s Edition, but the details had been scarce until now. It seems that those who are willing to drop $119.99 will get an Assassin’s Creed-inspired colonial American flag, a 9-inch Connor statue and a belt buckle.
The publisher will also release a special PC-only Digital Deluxe Edition for $64.99 that includes a notebook telling “George Washington’s true story,” three single-player missions, two in-game outfits and the soundtrack. For the price, that’s not bad at all.
Assassin’s Creed III is still scheduled to launch on October 30 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. There have been rumors that the PC launch will be delayed by a month… again. While Ubisoft has never been upfront about their PC delays, the general consensus is that they want to capture the players that just can’t wait. Most PC gamers also own a console so they might buy the console version at a premium first instead of waiting for the price-reduced PC version a month later.
Either way, Assassin’s Creed III looks great, no matter what console you own it on. We’ll be counting the minutes until we can get our revolution on. It’s sure to be a fun ride.
The gameplay footage of naval battles shown during Sony’s E3 press conference demonstrated that Assassin’s Creed 3 would be more than a gimmicky romp through the American Revolutionary War. Today, the guys at Ubisoft have released a seven minute walkthrough of all of the mechanics players will encounter in Assassin’s Creed 3. The footage is, quite obviously, part of the beginning part of the game, where the player, as the half-British half-Native American man named Connor, journeys through the wilderness, hunting, killing, and assassinating.
The video highlights the new tree navigation, which is similar to the building navigation in other Assassin’s Creed games. Connor glides through the winter forest as if he were an orangutan. The player in the video is shown hunting a deer, and turning in the meat as a side quest. After that, he is assigned a proper assassination mission, which demonstrates the game’s approach to stealth, Connor’s ability to assassinate on-the-run, and a rather gratuitous black-powder barrel explosion. Take a look at the footage below, narrated by Assassin’s Creed 3 Creative Director Alexander Hutchinson:
Two things stand out in the video that aren’t impressive, though. First, the tree-swinging seems a bit unrealistic. Connor would have to be severely underweight and a few feet shorter to jump through branches and not make them give at all. Second, while the combat of the game looks very smooth, it’s obvious that this is because enemies wait to attack Connor one or two at a time. It was bizarre to see British soldiers watch for seconds at a time while their mates were sequentially counterattacked.
Still, even with these minor flaws the game looks to be incredible fun, and the premise is wonderful. Assassin’s Creed 3 is already available for pre-order and will hit stores on October 30 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.
Ubisoft’s masterful appearance at this year’s E3 has been welldocumented. Besides letting the world know about their upcoming titles, the company also took the opportunity to really show off the upcoming Assassin’s Creed III with gameplay footage and official trailers, all of which has been very well received.
Not only that, but the upcoming Playstation Vita ACIII title, Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, was also featured heavily. The Vita title is scheduled to hit the shelves around the same time as the console version of ACIII, which is scheduled for release on October 30. As indicated, there are quite a few trailers and footage videos of each title. For these purposes, we’ll start with the official trailer for Assassin’s Creed III and work our way to the Liberation footage:
After all of that, the desire to drool uncontrollably is hard to fight. One thing, however: those are some incredibly sturdy branches… From here, we move on to the PS Vita’s Assassin’s Creed: Liberation title. This, too, was given the red carpet treatment at E3 with a couple of trailers, starting with the reveal:
Clearly, Ubisoft is looking to own the fall/winter season with what looks like two massively in-depth titles. While I’m leaning more towards the console version, from the looks of the Vita footage, those who play on that particular platform won’t be disappointed. With ACIII, the next installment of Far Cry, and another entry into the world of Splinter Cell, among other titles, Ubisoft is in position to have a very lucrative fiscal year as gamers flock to their new titles.
Ubisoft has announced a special edition of the upcoming Assassin’s Creed III that it is calling the “Ubiworkshop Edition.” From the product description on Ubisoft’s order page:
Knowledge is power. Content is king. You have enough gadgets on your shelf already. These 3 wise sayings guided our hands while we conceived Assassin’s Creed III Ubiworkshop Edition.
The Ubiworkshop version of the game comes with an updated (second edition) version of the Assassin’s Creed Encyclopedia as well as the graphic novel Assassin’s Creed Subject 4. The novel contains a Daniel Cross/Nikolai Orelov story that merges Assassin’s Creed: The Fall and Assassin’s Creed: The Chain.
Pre-orders for the Ubiworkshop Edition of Assassin’s Creed III (both the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 version) are on sale for only $100 until July 4, when the price will be raised to $110. In addition, Ubisoft is offering free worldwide shipping for Ubiworkshop Edition pre-orderers. Assassin’s Creed III discs will not have a region-lock, meaning the game will work in consoles around the world.
Ubisoft is promising plenty more announcements at E3 next week. The company will be live-streaming its conference presentation as it reveals details about Assassin’s Creed III, Far Cry 3, and more. You can watch the live stream on Ubisoft’s YouTube page or on uplay.com.
Ubisoft is poised to have an interesting showing at E3 next month. They have traditionally been one of the strongest partners with Nintendo and the Rayman Legends leak proved that they’re doing some impressive things with the Wii U. There is plenty more to look forward to as well.
Ubisoft confirmed today that they will be hosting their regular press conference to kick off E3 on Monday, June 4 at 3 p.m. PDT. Like usual, it will feature demonstrations and trailers of all the new games the publisher has coming out this year. They are also promising a few surprises, perhaps some news about Beyond Good and Evil 2.
The games that are currently confirmed to be shown at E3 this year are Far Cry 3, Rayman Legends, Rocksmith and Assassin’s Creed III. The publisher will obviously have more, but we’ll have to wait till the show to see what they have planned.
“This year’s E3 promises to be one of our biggest and best yet,” said Yves Guillemot, Founder and CEO of Ubisoft. “We’re showcasing the strongest, most competitive collection of core titles we’ve had in years, innovative new games for new platforms and a broad lineup that has something for everyone.”
Ubisoft is also using its intrusive DRM gaming service Uplay for the first time this E3. Players will be able to pose questions to the teams at Ubisoft which will be asked on stage during the press conference. The publisher will also be sending eight of its Uplay members to E3 to talk to the teams behind games like Assassin’s Creed III and Far Cry 3.
Unfortunately, E3 is invite only and so is Ubisoft’s press conference. For us lowly peons who aren’t important enough to attend such an event, Ubisoft will be streaming it live via their YouTube channel. Uplay will also be host to videos and exclusive content similar to what Nintendo will be doing with their own E3 coverage.
My only hope is that Ubisoft gets Mr. Caffeine back. He was simultaneously the best and worst thing to ever happen at E3. Here’s a recap of what last year was like:
