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Watch Dogs PC specs announced, R18+ reclassification in Australia
Two doggie-snack sized bits of Watch Dogs news to report, starting with Ubisoft Montreal releasing the minimum specifications required to run the hacker game on PC. To become a Watch Dog you need a 28.8 BPS modem, an active-matrix display with a million psychedelic colors... oh wait, wrong specs. What you'll really need at minimum is an IntelCore 2 Quad Q8400 2.66Hz processor, or an AMDPhenom II X4 940 3.0 GHz. That's with 6GB of RAM, a 1024 VRAM Direct X11-capable graphics card, a Direct X9 sound card, and 25GB of disk space. There's no info yet on recommended specs, but we're sure Ubisoft will make that available closer to the game's release date of May 27. The second piece of news comes from Australia, where the often-prominent classification board has upgraded - if that's the right word - the game's rating from MA15 to R18+. Watch Dogs received the MA15 rating ahead of its originally planned release late last year, but it was re-submitted to the ACB following the delay and whatever's been added was enough to nudge it into the R18+ category. Comparing the two ratings, the ACB deemed there to be more impact from violence, drug use, and sex in the new version. It's probably still not as wild as Zero Cool, though. [Image: Ubisoft]
Rumor: Watch Dogs closed beta spotted on Xbox One store
Two Reddit users posted separate photos of a Watch Dogs closed beta listed on the Xbox One Games Store yesterday, suggesting Ubisoft might be giving players an early hack at the game. The listing's not on the storefront currently, so if it was there, it's been swiftly baleeted. We've reached out to Ubisoft for comment. As MP1st suggests, this could well be an internal beta that accidentally went external: Even if the photos are accurate, Ubisoft hasn't made any announcements about an impending beta, and the game is due to hit Xbox One, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, and PC on May 27. That said, it wouldn't be the first super-close-to-launch beta of the year. Although Ubisoft Montral has been cultivating Watch Dogs for half a decade, the studio took the risk of delaying the game last year; it was originally due as a PS4 and Xbox One launch title. In our recent preview, Xav de Matos said, "Watch Dogs is an unbelievably slick world with unique elements and if its distractions can fit seamlessly into the narrative without feeling shoehorned in for the sake of 'another thing to do,' it may have been a risk worth taking." [Image: Reddit user AbletoFail]
Watch Dogs sets May 27 release date
After a delay that pulled its newest open world title from the roster of two console launches, Ubisoft has set a new release date for Watch Dogs: May 27, 2014. The new release date targets versions in development on PC, Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360 and PS3. During a financial call in February, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot announced that the Wii U release of Watch Dogs would see its own separate delay, pushing the version's release beyond other platforms in order to "focus the team's resources where they could have the broadest possible benefit for both our customers and Ubisoft." No firm date for the Wii U version has been established. Speaking with Joystiq, Watch Dogs Senior Producer Dominic Guay could only say the Wii U version would arrive "a few months" after the game's release on counterpart platforms. [Image: Ubisoft]
Rumor: Watch Dogs see all May 27
Watch Dogs, prepare to get voyeuristic on May 27. For the second time this week, UK retailer GAME has leaked a big announcement, as VideoGamer captured the social media spread of the release date. NeoGAF also has a link to the game's trailer with the image above at its conclusion. [Image: Ubisoft]
Ubisoft lowers drawbridge on The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot beta
Ubisoft's free-to-play dungeon crawler The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot has gone into open beta. Anybody can sign up and start playing through Steam, the game's official website or Uplay. In The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot, players choose a hero from four different classes and raid other players' castles in search of treasure and glory. To build a castle, you select trap placement and enemy spawn locations, then publish your personalized gauntlet online through the game's built-in social network. Each castle run culminates in some sort of boss encounter and, if the baddy is bested, a treasure room full of riches. After being criticized for The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot's microtransaction elements in last year's closed beta, developer Ubisoft Montreal stripped all pay-to-win elements from the game. The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot is currently only available on Windows PC. [Image: Ubisoft]
Watercolor JRPG Child of Light tells its story on April 30
The whimsical Child of Light, inspired by Japanese role-playing games, will launch on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Wii U and PC through Steam on April 30, Ubisoft has announced. The game will be a $15 download across all systems. Child of Light is the product of a small internal team at Ubisoft Montreal headed up by Far Cry 3 Creative Director Patrick Plourde. The story follows a young princess named Aurora who is mysteriously whisked away to the land of Lemuria, where all of its citizens have been turned into crows. Aurora, along with her magical blue orb companion Igniculus, must not only discover what caused this, but find a way to reverse it. Plourde's Child of Light is built entirely in UbiArt Framework, the same engine powering Rayman: Origins and Rayman: Legends. Combat in Child of Light is turn-based and employs a set-up not unlike the Active Time Battle system seen in the Final Fantasy series. There is also a co-op element where a second player can jump in at any time and control Igniculus. [Image: Ubisoft]
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon director building 'dream team' for new project
Dean Evans, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon's director, is already assembling a team for his next game. It's not a follow-up to the standalone laser-filled neon shooter, but rather a new game – a "dream project." "It's the one all of us have always wanted to make and it seems like they're gonna let us do it," Evans told Polygon. Evans and his team are currently occupying the former offices of THQ Montreal, which Ubisoft snatched up during THQ's liquidation. Evans has already enlisted a concept artist, Darren Bartley, and an unnamed art director whose past experience includes AAA stealth games and third-person shooters. "These are two guys I've wanted to work with for a very long time. And because of how Blood Dragon went down, I've got the trust from the guys upstairs [at Ubisoft] to go and build a compelling and unique universe." Evans added that this doesn't necessarily mean we'll definitely see his game released – Ubisoft could still pull the plug at any time. "The audience I'm interested in speaking to is people that dismiss games and don't consider themselves gamers," Evans added about this new project. "There is so much we can do to bring new gamers into the fold, but we're constantly putting up barriers all the fucking time." But, as far as a Blood Dragon sequel is concerned, Evans thinks the universe could support another game. "If we do something we want to make sure we take our time with it. When working on the game, I built a universe - and that's the most amazing process to go through, your world building. And when you build a world and you build a universe that has tight logic on it, you have longevity in that." Last year, actor Michael Biehn, who plays Blood Dragon protagonist Rex "Power" Colt, said that Evans was pitching the idea for a sequel to Ubisoft. Unfortunately, Ubisoft did not respond to our inquiries on the matter.
Report: GameStop Italy refusing pre-orders on Watch Dogs on Wii U [update 2]
Update 2: The canceled pre-orders were a glitch, and Watch Dogs will be available on Wii U again in the US and Italy, GameStop Italy and a US "source" tells Kotaku. Why didn't you just say so, Ubisoft? Update: By means of an email from GameStop Italy's customer service, we're told that in regards to Wiitalia's report, "This information is wrong, tomorrow the reservation[s] of Watch Dogs will restart." We're reaching out to GameStop Italy for clarification, and will continue to update the story as we learn more. Original story: An Italian report pours doubt over Watch Dogs reaching the Wii U, and Ubisoft hasn't stepped in to deny rumors of a cancelation for the platform. Wiitalia claimed GameStop Italy is refusing to take Wii U pre-orders of the open-world hacking adventure, after a reader was told by a store employee that Ubisoft had dropped the Wii U version. Wiitalia said it then called other GameStop stores and was unable to order the Wii U version at any of them. We've reached out to GameStop Italy to clarify the situation.
Hacktivists and Watch Dogs: How real-world threats inspired Ubisoft Montreal's new open-world
Once relegated to campy and inaccurate parodies in Hollywood movies, hacking is increasingly becoming a part of our daily lives. With the PlayStation Network, LinkedIn, Twitter and, most recently, Target all being attacked, as well as the countless attacks fielded by various "hacktivist" groups, computer technology and security issues are becoming impossible to ignore. The group known as LulzSec, a disparate band of anarchists, managed to take down over a dozen websites and services, including the PSN, for months. As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, the potential vulnerabilities grow exponentially. Our lives, and especially the infrastructure on which they rely, have never been more vulnerable. If Watch Dogs – Ubisoft's recently delayed open-world, multiplatform title – could be said to have a point, that would be it. "People should question technology and their relationship to it," one of many on the Watch Dogs team that have decided to to 'take control of their digital lives,' tells me. "The more we put ourselves in the online world the easier it is to be exploited, and many people are completely blind to how fast their world is changing."
Assassin's Creed 4's 'Freedom Cry' heard tomorrow
Taking place 15 years after the events of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Freedom Cry follows Kenway's quartermaster Adewale as he tends to some personal issues with the slave trade in the Caribbean. The DLC is available tomorrow and features a "more than four-hour, self-contained story," according to Ubisoft. It's priced at $9.99 and is included with the $19.99 season pass. Also included in the season pass is the upcoming Blackbeard's Wrath.
Assassin's Creed 4 Freedom Cry DLC confirmed for next week
Hark, now hear the Freedom Cry: The Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag DLC arrives on Xbox One, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, and PC on December 17. European PlayStation owners have to wait one day longer to smell the DLC's sea and feel its sky on December 18. The single-player DLC comprises nine missions, in which players take on the role of former slave Adewale. Now first mate to blond buccaneer Edward Kenway, Adewale finds himself washed up in Haiti, or as it was back then, the French-owned colony of Saint-Domingue, a land itself plagued by slavery. Although he begins unarmed and crewless, Adewale finds new weapons in a machete and blunderbuss gun, as well as a personal reason to fight. "We're still true to how his character was established in Black Flag," said AC4 Lead Writer Jill Murray on Ubisoft's blog. "He's not standing in for every black man who was ever a slave in the 18th century. He's Adéwale. He's the character we know. He has the wit that we've come to expect; he has heart. We see him as an older guy. He's matured and changed in some small ways. I think those are the kinds of character details that always take precedence over pretty much everything else that can happen in the story." Freedom Cry will be available for $10, or as part of the game's $20 season pass.
Report: Assassin's Creed 4 bellows Freedom Cry DLC in two weeks' time
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag gets new single-player content on December 17, according to a magazine ad. As spotted by Videogamer.com, the latest issue of Game Informer pins the date for the Freedom Cry DLC, with logos for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, and PS3 visible. Freedom Cry puts players in the role of former slave Adewale, now second in command to flaxen-haired hero Edward Kenway. The DLC finds Adewale shipwrecked in the French-owned Caribbean colony of Saint-Domingue, forced to fight alone across nine missions. We've reached out to Ubisoft to confirm details on the DLC, which FYI is covered by the game's $20 Season Pass. One platform that won't hear the roar of Freedom Cry is the Wii U, after Ubisoft revealed it isn't bringing any Assassin's Creed 4 DLC to the Nintendo console.
The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot arrives on Steam
The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot, the game with the cheeky title that turns into a monstrosity of an acronym, has arrived on Steam. Ubisoft Montreal's free-to-play game is available as part of Steam's Early Access program, and while it's free, there are several bundled packages for sale. The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot is a multiplayer action game that incorporates castle-building (and pillaging) and is currently in closed beta. Massively will be taking a closer look at this game in the near future, but in the meanwhile, why not give it a whirl and sound off in the comments?
Ubisoft expects 'double the console installed base of previous generations'
Tony Key, senior VP of marketing and sales at Ubisoft, recently said the publisher's "feeling is the installed base of these machines will be much faster to take hold than previous generations" in regards to the PS4 and Xbox One an interview with Games Industry International. "In the first couple of years, we expect double the installed based of previous generations," he added, referring to the number of systems sold over the same period of time. "The reason why is: The last cycle was longer, so there's a lot of pent up demand." Key isn't alone in believing that the new systems will continue to sell well, as Sony's Jack Tretton projected that three million PS4 consoles would be sold by the end of the year. The PS4 is off to a good start; the next-generation console sold one million units within its first 24 hours at retail. Key also spoke to the delay of Ubisoft's Watch Dogs to spring 2014 in the interview, saying that "Watch Dogs is designed to be a long-term brand for Ubisoft. We won't launch it until we know it's equaling the vision it can achieve." Update: Clarified language regarding Key's expectation for next-generation console sales.
Assassin's Creed 4 sets sales for PC starting November 19
Ubisoft has just announced that Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag will be available to purrrrrrrchase on November 19. Ignoring that we just rolled our r's like a cat instead of a pirate, the game will be available for Windows in three different verrrrrrrsions. We can't stop! Standard edition will be available at retail and through digital distribution networks. The Deluxe Edition includes the game, plus "new locations to discover and explore, additional customization items and a new adventure starring Aveline as the main character." There's also the Uplay Deluxe Edition, available through the Ubi store, which includes all the contents from the Deluxe Edition, plus the "Pride of the West Indies" pack. Players who pre-order the game through the Uplay front will also receive 25 percent off the game's season pass. And that be all the information there arrrrrrrrrrre. Nailed it, finally!
Murder on Iguana Beach: An Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag Video Review
Though it's already been released on current systems, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag presents one of our first extensive looks at a game that will also launch alongside the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November. We've already published our review of Edward Kenway's piratical course across the Caribbean, and followed up with a look at some of the visual enhancements in the PlayStation 4 version. We've tried to combine both in our video review, which we hope isn't too upsetting for lovers of cute, ever-scampering lizards.
Metareview: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
Assassin's Creed 4, according to our review, will have "you leap between the roles of assassin, pirate and one-time whaler wracked with guilt." But we aren't the only fish in the sea, let's see what others thought. Gamespot (90/100): "A story that keeps you invested throughout the whole thing. If there was ever any question that Assassin's Creed needed something ambitious to get the series back on track, Black Flag is that game and then some." Edge (90/100): "We never felt like we had enough gold to buy everything we wanted, which seems engineered to push you out to sea to do what pirates do best: raid other ships. You peer through your spyglass to see what cargo they are carrying, then decide whether to engage in naval combat. The choice can be a fraught one. " Game Informer (83/100): "Black Flag is ultimately better than Assassin's Creed 3. Some elements seem crafted directly in response to criticisms about the previous game. You get to the piracy rather quickly, without the need for several hours of tutorial missions." Polygon (75/100): "For all of its mechanical improvements; for the wonder I felt as I sailed the ocean, with orca, dolphins, even great whites breaking the surface to my port side as I outran a royal trade armada; for the excellent performances and character moments throughout ... it felt disjointed." VideoGamer (70/100): "There's only so many times, however, that you can tolerate the poorly-defined stealth and terrible AI. Eavesdropping returns, and is as poor as before, and most missions devolve into 'follow the man, kill the man' repetition. "
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag PS4 review: Avast, conspiracy ahead
Here are just some of the things you can do in Assassin's Creed 4: climb a tower, hunt a whale, hide in a haystack, steer a ship in a storm, stick a sword through a man's eye socket, shoot an iguana, stab a shark, stand atop a church balcony and sprinkle coins onto the people below, regardless of their beliefs. But you can't just crouch when you want to, which seems a bit odd for a game that spins around sneaking, subterfuge and poking holes in the heads of a secret war between assassins and templars. The struggle for supremacy intersects with old-fashioned analogue piracy in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, which lets you sail across the massive caribbean, swim in its perfectly turquoise waters and make any treasure your own. Not having a squat button in the middle of a meticulous recreation of Havana is the ultimate first-world, 18th century problem. You do, however, bend your knees and lower your stance automatically as soon as you enter a bush, and the good news is these stealth shrubs are everywhere. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is a more honestly designed game than the last, appearing cognizant of where it needs to lay down some rug-shrubs to cover up the seams between – how many systems is it now? There's sword-fighting, pickpocketing, free-running, air assassinating, diving, sailing, eavesdropping, harpooning; all slave to another massive, richly rendered slice of history. And it's all the better for designers understanding the monster they've created.
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag digs up a launch trailer
We're in danger of parroting this info, so let's cutlass right to it: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is pegged to board PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U on October 29, before cannoning onto PC on November 19. You can take your picaroon of next-gen versions at the console launches: November 15 for PS4, and November 22 for Xbox One.
The Crew projected to sell over 2.5 million, Watch Dogs forecast unchanged
Ubisoft expects the The Crew to sell more than 2.5 million units, while Watch Dogs is still projected to exceed the 6.2 million first-year sales of the first Assassin's Creed. In an investors' conference call, CFO Alain Martinez said Ubisoft is "still in line" with its Watch Dogs projections despite the publisher delaying the formerly next-gen launch title to spring 2014. In the case of The Crew, pushed back to mid-2014 at least, Martinez noted a "more limited potential" compared to Watch Dogs because it's a racer. "We generally have spoken to about over two-and-a-half million units" said Martinez. "We'll see where we go and we believe that we have a nice potential for the future." Ubisoft Reflections' open-world multiplayer racer was previously slated to arrive on Xbox One, PS4, and PC in the first calendar quarter of 2014 (January to March 2014). In Ubisoft's press release regarding both the Watch Dogs and The Crew delays, co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot stated, "In a context of growing successes for mega-blockbusters, the additional time given to the development of our titles will allow them to fulfill their huge ambitions and thus offer players even more exceptional experiences." When pressed on the Watch Dogs delay during the conference call, Guillemot said that Ubisoft was playtesting the game until the last minute before making the decision: "What we saw in the playtests is that we were very close to the quality we wanted but not exactly at the level, and we saw that with more time we could give it a far bigger potential. So we think it's the best way to take care of this brand, is to make sure it has everything ... it can supply to the customers who are expecting it."
