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This is you in Far Cry 4
Ubisoft has released a good shot of Ajay Ghale, the protagonist of Far Cry 4. Why bother showing the face behind a first-person shooter? Well, as I wrote earlier this week, Ghale represents an important change from who we were in Far Cry 3. [Image: Ubisoft]
Far Cry 4 is Far Cry 3's worst enemy
In Far Cry 3, you are the savior that fell from the sky. Unfortunately, you are also Jason Brody, the rich white kid diving out of an airplane joyride, and ultimately rescuing a tribe of Pacific islanders from vicious pirates. As fun as Far Cry 3 was in the midst of a gunfight, its story was rooted in problematic themes and hung around the necks of air-dropped outsiders. That's set to change significantly once you tread the Himalayan footpaths of Far Cry 4, says narrative director Mark Thompson. The game's opening moments see new protagonist Ajay Ghale persecuted in his former home of Kyrat, barely escaping an encounter with a vile, sacrilegious despot named Pagan Min. Ghale is a returning native, while Min, an elite figure from Hong Kong's criminal underworld, is the outsider casting the shadow of monarchy. The story of Far Cry 4 clearly hinges on the history of Nepal and its bloody turn from monarchy to sovereign state, but it also reflects on Far Cry 3's sham of a hero.
How Assassin's Creed: Unity brings the brotherhood into co-op
It seems one major rule of cooperative assassination is "keep your distance." Few know that as well as Ubisoft, which reacted to some of our questions about Assassin's Creed: Unity's cooperative multiplayer component. Assistant Art Director Patrick Limoges told Joystiq that co-op missions are online only, so assassin buddies won't get to rub elbows while slashing at guards in the Xbox One, PS4 and PC game. "How it works is that you're playing the single mission in the story of Arno. He has his own mission, but when you play co-op it's like you're playing a brotherhood mission," Limoges explained. "So your friends joining you, they can walk through the city with you, they can actually join you in a specific mission, a co-op one."
Watch Dogs sells 4 million copies
Ubisoft sold four million copies of Watch Dogs in the game's first week at retail, the publisher announced today. The game is now Ubisoft's "best-selling game ever in week one," according to its internal sales estimates. Watch Dogs launched last Tuesday for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. It managed to sell more copies in its first 24 hours on shelves than any other game in Ubisoft's publishing history. Our four-star review of the game praised it as a "more fluid and modern power fantasy than we're used to." Watch Dogs still awaits one more platform; it's slated to launch on Wii U this fall, which Ubisoft is now "fully focused on." [Image: Ubisoft]
UK charts: Watch Dogs hacks up records, Mario Kart 8 boosts Wii U
Watch out Glenn Beck, because Watch Dogs is turning Brits into hackers too. The Ubisoft game broke the UK charts record for most copies sold by a new intellectual property at launch, toppling previous holder L.A Noire by a chunky 58 percent. No surprises it's Ubi's biggest ever week 1 seller in the country, beating Assassin's Creed 3 by 17 percent. That means Mario Kart 8 has to settle for the silver trophy, with sales-compiler Chart-Track saying it was "no contest" for top spot. The racer was still the proverbial super mushroom to the country's Wii U sales, which rose by a whopping 666 percent from the week before. With no hard numbers to hand, it's hard to assess if that says more about the new game's impact than the sales from the previous week. Either way, it's the highest we've seen a Wii U exclusive in the UK charts since Pikmin 3, even if it couldn't blue shell its way to the top.
Why you can't visit Soldier Field in Watch Dogs
In March, playing a preview build of Watch Dogs in Montreal, I found myself fixated on one word: Soda. In one of the random missions available to me, I spotted the word brandished on the front of a vending machine deep within a building that protagonist Aiden Pearce was assigned to invade. Something about it felt wrong. There are generally two recognized generic terms for carbonated beverages throughout North America: Soda and pop. (Texas calls everything Coke.) Based on a study by a German linguistics and philology major from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2008, Illinois is primarily "pop" territory. Though Ubisoft Montreal did not set out to create a carbon copy of Chicago for its Watch Dogs setting, the developer says it worked hard to ensure the experience was authentic to its real life setting. Regional language, Watch Dogs lead writer Kevin Shortt says, was something the developer knew it had to get right. Soda would become pop. Characters would no longer say "waterfront" as it was originally written, but rather use the local colloquialism "lakefront." While Ubisoft's version of Chicago isn't a reproduction of reality, the developer feels it has captured the essence of the city's strong cultural signature, despite being forced to bend a number elements to conform to its design and budget. There's more to building a recognizable city than just getting the skyline right, as it turns out.
Metareview: Watch Dogs
The first installment of a new Ubisoft franchise just wouldn't be the same if it didn't create critical disagreement. Reviews for Watch Dogs were formed with all the gestational efforts and subsequent knee-jerk commenter fervor that we haven't seen since the original Assassin's Creed. Our review basically equated the Watch Dogs experience with that of being a wizard in modern times. Let's see what others downloaded from the experience ...
Playdate: We're livestreaming Watch Dogs for PS4! (update: game over)
Welcome, ladygeeks and gentlenerds, to the new era of gaming. The one where you get to watch, and comment, as other people livestream gameplay from next-gen consoles. Because games! They're fun! What would you do if you could control your hometown with nothing more than a smartphone? That's what the world of Watch Dogs asks. Here, escaping the cops (and Big Brother) takes a little more than fancy driving skills and sheer firepower; it takes brains and creativity. We've been itching to get our hands on the game since its show-stealing debut back at E3 2012 and now that wait is over -- we'll be streaming live at 4PM PT/7PM ET! Feel like hacking the planet along with us on PS4 before picking up your copy? All it takes is a press of the button below. And if you've already grabbed your copy, let us know what you think of Watch Dogs in the forums; we've set up a thread and everything!
Watch Dogs mobile griefing app out today
Ubisoft's mobile companion app for Watch Dogs is now available on Android and iOS, and gives players the opportunity to interact with others in the game's online sections. Though the word "companion" doesn't have the same ring to it in the "ctOS Mobile" app, as players use it to mess with others' surroundings in an attempt to thwart their attempts to reach the finish line in both race and free ride modes. For instance, players within the ctOS Mobile app can control a Chicago PD helicopter and go on the hunt for their rivals, controlling ctOS devices within the helicopter's range like road blockers and traffic lights to halt other players. Mobile players will also dispatch Chicago police units like squad cars and SWAT teams and upgrade their effectiveness. As app users complete challenges, they earn experience and skill points, with which they can enhance their police arsenal as well as their own abilities. The app is free to download and doesn't require that players own the console game. Ubisoft has a list of its compatible devices on its blog. Our review of Watch Dogs, now available today, notes that the game is "a more fluid and modern power fantasy than we're used to," likening players in the game to being a wizard. [Image: Ubisoft]
Take a trip across Chicago in Watch Dogs video
Some players may want to familiarize themselves with the world ahead of Watch Dogs' release tomorrow and need all the resources they can get. With that in mind, this video guides viewers through the game's map, courtesy of the YouTubers at PlayStation Access. The video does miss a few areas of the map, but generally winds its way across the game's version of Chicago. Watch Dogs will launch tomorrow for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. The Ubisoft Montreal-developed open-world game will also arrive on Wii U at some point, which Ubisoft said it is "fully focused on" earlier this month. [Image: Ubisoft]
Conan reviews Watch Dogs, turns it into Grand Theft Auto
You give a man like Conan O'Brien an open-world game like Watch Dogs, he's going to play it like Grand Theft Auto. After deriding the concept of a city run by one operating network, the chat show host goes about destroying Chicago in almost every way possible.
Watch Dogs on Commodore 64 teaches old system new tricks
Man, that Watch Dogs sure looks like a Commodore 64 game, no wonder Ubisoft delayed it. Joking aside, there's a poetic side to Balazs Kalocsai's retro vid: Hacking rose to prominence in the 1980s, with films like WarGames really bringing it into the public eye. So in that way, a Commodore 64 take is a very apt fit. And, more importantly, how good is that music? For more of Kalcosai's retro videos, head on over to YouTube. If you're after the real Watch Dogs, it hits Xbox One, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on May 27, and Wii U later this year. [Image: Ubisoft]
Joystiq Weekly: transferring destiny, final fantasies and light-children
Welcome to the Joystiq Weekly wrap-up where we present some of the best stories and biggest gaming news from our sister-publication.
Peek behind the curtain at Child of Light
Ubisoft's upcoming gorgeous RPG Child of Light launches on April 30 for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. In a new video released by Ubisoft Montreal, the developer allows us to peek behind the curtain and see how the game is progressing. Did we mention it's gorgeous? [Image: Ubisoft]
Games so bad they're good: Far Cry 2
I was invited to be on the "Games So Bad They're Good" panel at PAX East, but a scheduling conflict prevented me from taking part. Fortunately, my Editor in Chief, Ludwig Kietzmann, was ready and willing to take my place. His selection, Far Cry 2, took more than a few people by surprise - the reaction on Twitter went something like "Are you crazy? Far Cry 2 is awesommmmeeeeee!" His reasoning was ... unusual, to say the least, so we're reprinting his argument. These are the notes he used for his presentation, exactly as he used them, thus the atypical format. For the record, my choice was going to be Phantasy Star Online. I think Luddy won this one. --Susan I tried to be considerate about this, and cognizant of why bad qualities can lead to pleasure. The thing about bad movies like Plan 9 is that you're looking at an event so awkward and terrible for the people involved that you want to instinctually stop them and protect them, but you can't because it's already committed to film. It's too late to stop the tragedy, so now you are allowed to enjoy it. In a game, if your actions don't align with your expectations or what the game is about, it's frustrating. Most games are good despite their bad qualities, like story and controls, and not because of them. At first I thought: Okay, what about games that give the player all the power and then back away? Is that bad game design? Is God of War so bad, because they let you rip out a monster's medulla oblongata and then bash their head in with it and then you're like, "This violence is a bit mindless isn't it?" Or, what about games that overcomplicate and abstract simple, physical actions, like QWOP, Surgeon Simulator and Octodad? Then I had an epiphany, I yelled, "Eureka! "and someone said, "Shh, this is a library, keep your revelations to yourself." I'm going with Far Cry 2, and here's why.
The Mighty Quest For Epic Loot adds loot-fetching pets
The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot's playerbase knows well the busywork of sorting heaps of loot to find great items, but now they can leave the task to a sidekick and focus on earning glory. Ubisoft Montreal has added four pets to the free-to-play dungeon crawler, which tag along for castle raids if you're willing to part with the involved funds. Players can pick between Lil Flameo, a miniature crimson dragon, Lil Arachbro, a spider Ubisoft describes as "adoragross," Snugglemuffin, a hamster that rolls around in a protective ball, and Mr. Squiddlins, a bucket with an eye and a tentacle. They all serve the same purpose, but Mr. Squiddlins can be purchased with 7,000 gold, while the other three pets are available in exchange for 575 Blings, the game's currency that's exchanged for real-life money. Adventurers seeking a particular grade of loot can tell their pet which types of items to covet and which to ignore via the Options menu. If you're ready for a sidekick, you can adopt a pet at the in-game Cornelius' Emporium. [Image: Ubisoft]
Check out the sounds and sights in Ubisoft's upcoming Child of Light
Have you seen Child of Light Ubisoft's platforming RPG? It's coming on April 30 For consoles and PC. If you hadn't already guessed The whole story's told in rhyme Luckily Ubisoft has better poets Than Joystiq does. Check out our preview. [Image: Ubisoft]
Watch Dogs season pass features campaign missions, new playable character
Ubisoft's Watch Dogs has a season pass listed on GameStop's site for $20. According to the description, the season pass will save hacktivists 30 percent from buying each of the items a la carte. The season pass includes a "unique Single Player campaign" with a new playable character, along with more missions and weapons. PC players can check out the recently announced specs here. The game will download and corrupt the status quo retail on May 27.
Child of Light rhymes fairy tale charms with JRPG arms
Woods darker than night Shadows lost of light. Like its watercolor visuals that flow between foreground shadows, etched lines and background shades, Child of Light is a game of several layers. The first is the painting-like look, rendered by the UbiArt engine that powered Rayman Legends, but peel that back and there's the fairy tale story told comprehensively in rhyme, even down to the most incidental bits of dialogue. Peel another layer and there's the distinct turn-based combat inspired by Japanese role-playing games, and behind that, fairly deep crafting and leveling systems, and even co-op play. I kept peeling through all these layers when I played the first three hours last month, and while a cursory glance might suggest Child of Light is another pretty platformer, the least of the truth is that there's more to it than that. [Images: Ubisoft]
Splinter Cell Blacklist game director now at Warner Bros. Montreal
Splinter Cell Blacklist game director Patrick Redding left Ubisoft recently to join Batman: Arkham Origins studio Warner Bros. Montreal, where he's working as a creative director on an unannounced project. An Ubisoft veteran of nearly ten years, Redding's previous role was as a creative director at Ubisoft Toronto, again on an unannounced project. According to his LinkedIn profile, Redding's switch to WB Montreal occurred sometime last month, but the news was confirmed yesterday by Arkham Origins creative director Eric Holmes. With Rocksteady revealed as the developer behind the recently unveiled Batman: Arkham Knight, whatever WB Montreal's working on is currently remaining cloaked. [Image: Ubisoft]
