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Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag debut trailer sets sail, screens too
No need to worry about leaks anymore, shipmates. Blackbeard's here to introduce you to the newest hero in the Assassin's Creed lineage, one Edward Kenway, as well as the latest, piracy-stuffed entry in the series. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag docks on the shores of North America on October 29, and Europe on October 31 (UK November 1). The game is coming to PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC, and next-gen consoles (at some point) including the PS4. %Gallery-180322%
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag screens leak, trailer sails again [Update]
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag's reveal is leakier than a boat with no hull. This morning the screenshots that were likely to be associated with tomorrow's intended reveal have leaked on AllGamesBeta.Not only that, but the site has the game's debut trailer up too, which leaked yesterday, but was quickly plugged up again.Go check it all out before Ubisoft has its lawyers set sail again. Or, who knows, maybe by this point even they've given up.[Thanks, Michael]Update: NintendoEverything has its hands on another leaked trailer, this one introducing the character Edward Kenway. Head there to view the video before it's forced to walk the plank.
Assassin's Creed 4 dated Oct. 29, confirmed for next-gen consoles
Ubisoft's official Asssassin's Creed site reveals a launch date for Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag by use of some technical wizardry that involves replacing a letter in the URL.As DarkZero discovered, heading to the official AC4 site for the world premiere trailer, which will launch in four days, and then simply adding a "v" to the end of the url reveals the above image.The Ubisoft site notes an October 29 release date for AC4 and states it's "also coming to next-gen consoles." Sony announced the PlayStation 4 last week, Microsoft is expected to announce the next Xbox within a few months.
Watch Dogs box art has its hands full
Aiden, the main character of Ubisoft's Watch Dogs, looks a bit preoccupied on the game's cover. Is he contemplating what to order for dinner on his fancy cell phone? Why is he holding a gun? He's not planning on paying for his meal, is he?The game's box art is leaving us guessing, which is why we have higher-res versions to investigate in the gallery below, found on the official Watch Dogs North American and UK Facebook pages. The game is confirmed for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, PC and Wii U, and is expected to launch sometime in 2013. %Gallery-179606%
PSA: Assassin's Creed 3's 'Tyranny of King Washington' DLC out now
Assassin's Creed 3's first downloadable content pack for the "Tyranny of King Washington" is available today on Xbox 360 and PC, along with the PS3 following the standard weekly update.The three-part story begins with "The Infamy," as an alternate history unfolds with George Washington's head getting bloated and heavy as he wears the crown of the Americas. Infamy can be purchased on its own for $10 (800 MSP) or in the Assassin's Creed 3 Season Pass bundle for $30. The content will also be available on Wii U at some point in our current timeline. %Gallery-179178%
Rumor: Watch Dogs on 'all home consoles' this holiday
According to some leaked marketing materials, Watch Dogs is indeed a next-generation game – specifically, a game destined for "all home consoles." The marketing materials obtained by Kotaku and embedded past the break suggest that Watch Dogs will also be available during the holiday season later this year, which is in line with what we already know: a 2013 launch has always been the plan.Ubisoft has provided no official comment outside of confirming the game is definitely coming to Xbox 360 and PS3.
Footage of Ubisoft project 'Osiris' surfaces, 'no longer moving forward'
A mock-up trailer for a Ubisoft project titled Osiris has been uncovered. The trailer was uploaded five months ago by composer Mark Kilian (Rendition), who purports that it was commissioned by Ubisoft Montreal. The video itself is cobbled together from live-action motion capture sessions and concept art. It takes place in an Egyptian setting, featuring a street brawl, a magically summoned swarm of insects and a rather beefy protagonist. The video shares some similarities with screenshots that were leaked last year, which many thought to be taken from a new Prince of Persia (a claim series creator Jordan Mechner later refuted).Whatever Osiris was – a new IP or a Prince of Persia sequel – it's not a Ubisoft project anymore, the publisher told Polygon. "The content in question was from a Ubisoft project that is no longer moving forward," a spokesperson said.
Metareview: Far Cry 3
Far Cry 3 concludes the 2012 holiday review season for big budget games on a high note. Beyond explaining the game's excellence, our review of Far Cry 3 also held a valuable life lesson: "Goats ... are not to be trusted." Eurogamer (100/100): "Far Cry 3 is all the best things about open-world gaming. It's a glorious anecdote factory, where you manufacture brilliant new memories every time you wake up in a safehouse and head out into the jungle. ... And it always lets you play, but it also controls the tempo - sometimes a little heavy-handedly, but always with good intentions." Gamespot (90/100): "Stretches of unpredictable exploration and free-form hunting alternate with challenging pirate confrontations, sometimes culminating with a rocket blast to the helicopter hounding you from above. This is an ambitious and finely tuned adventure that gets better and better as you play." Game Informer (90/100): "After two remarkable but uneven offerings, Far Cry finally pulls everything together in the third installment. The diverse open-world action, compelling story, and an alluring environment that begs exploration are all high water marks for the series. This is an island adventure all shooter fans should experience. " IGN (90/100): "Far Cry 3 is important for the same reason as Far Cry 2. It's a shooter that considers shooters thoughtfully, both in the way they're designed and the way we play them, and then asks us to do the same. Should massacring hundreds be a great way to entertain ourselves? Maybe not. But it is. " Destructoid (80/100): "While riddled with minor gripes, there is no one overwhelming, glaring fault that threatens to drag the whole experience down. With the third installment in the Far Cry series, Ubisoft has managed to deliver a game that provides not one, not two, but three well-crafted experiences that may vary in terms of longevity but all manage to be of uniform quality."
Far Cry 3 review: The slippery corpse
Far Cry 3 likes holding your hand, but not in the clingy, clammy way committed by worrywart games. A more pedantic guide would have dragged you through a clockwork jungle, crushing the chaos that lies beneath brilliant moments of discovery and sudden warfare. What you get on the pirate-infested island paradise of Far Cry 3, with great relief, is a tug in the right direction, and tacit approval when you decide to frolic and fling grenades at goats.Goats, by the way, are not to be trusted. They seem like innocent targets in their grass-chewing congregations, but there's evidence of an assassination plot burgeoning between the billies. One led me across the road, just as an enemy patrol car came rattling around the bend. I pursued another through a frenzy of gunshots and screams, amidst mercenaries and a ... collective noun of Komodo dragons. And the most evil of all goats had his revenge in death, sliding down the hill while I bent down and followed, trying to liberate his skin for a carrying bag. That's when I fell off the cliff, chasing a slippery corpse. %Gallery-172621%
Assassin's Creed 3 survey pops the question of co-op in series' future, again
Online poller GMI Surveys recently posted an Assassin's Creed 3 questionnaire which not only asks players to rate that game, but also evaluate potential additions to the next series entry. After dealing with various aspects of AC3, the survey queries expectations of a future Assassin's Creed game on Xbox 360 or PS3, asking respondents to rate potential features as either must-have, nice to have, or not interested. The features include co-op story missions, assassin creation and customization, underwater gameplay, a new present-day hero, and something that sounds a lot like SmartGlass functionality.Next, the survey asks about expectations of Assassin's Creed 3 DLC. It first presents a description of one of the game's future DLCs, one that matches the press release for the upcoming "The Tyranny of King Washington" DLC. According to the survey, the King Washington DLC is split into three parts, each around two hours in length. The survey first asks about general interest in the DLC before gauging a potential price of £18 (around $29), at £6 ($9.60) per part. Before closing, the survey also asks about interest in an Assassin's Creed game released in 2013.GMI Surveys uploaded an Assassin's Creed Brotherhood survey two years ago. Similar to that instance, it's unclear if Ubisoft officially commissioned this AC3 survey, or how much it will affect inclusions in the next Assassin's Creed. After all, the 2010 survey popped many of the same questions, like the addition of co-op, and a new assassin in a new time period. While the second one came true in AC3, it's hard to imagine how it wouldn't have.We've got the survey's full list of potential new features after the break.
Far Cry 3 won't have dedicated servers
Far Cry 3's online multiplayer will not have dedicated servers at launch, a Ubisoft representative has stated on the company's forums. Although Far Cry has always leaned toward the single-player experience, it's a bummer for those who thought things may have changed since Far Cry 2.Reddit members were the ones to find the quote, hiding in the corners of a Ubi forum, where a community manager noted, "The online experience does not support dedicated servers."Far Cry 3 is set to launch on console and PC on December 4 in North America. If you're confused about what bizarro world you're currently living on that a Ubi game would launch on PC and console at the same time, it probably has a little something to do with the delay from months ago.
Far Cry 3 shows off its features and Lost Expeditions
Producer Dan Hay reckons he can show you exactly how far Far Cry 3 pushes the boundaries of the first-person shooter, all in 1 minute and 44 seconds. Should you need more, there's also a short vid of the Lost Expeditions pre-order missions.
Guillemot: There's a 'good chance' Rainbow 6: Patriots is next-gen
Rainbow 6: Patriots encountered a rough production patch earlier this year when it swapped out creative director David Sears for Jean-Sebastien Decant. That doesn't mean the game is any less ambitious, and Patriots might even even up on next-gen platforms, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot tells Polygon.Answering a direct question about Patriots being a next-gen game, Guillemot says, "There's a good chance it can be." Patriots is still scheduled for a launch in 2013, remember.Ubisoft is working with Sears' original vision, which involves taking down a homegrown terrorist cell called the True Patriots, and making ambiguously moral decisions about the lives (and violent deaths) of civilians along the way. "But that's what is interesting with the concept – being able to give a choice to the person who is playing," Guillemot says.
Far Cry 3 trailer asks: How far will you go?
While on a tropical vacation, your friends are kidnapped. Would you fight psychos? Would you take on man-eating jungle creatures? Would you consume narcotics of a questionable nature? Honestly, we'll get to your friends in a second, but are those things you'd do for a Klondike bar?
Assassin's Creed Anthology is 'EMEA exclusive,' not coming to North America 'for now'
Ubisoft today confirmed Assassin's Creed Anthology for PS3 and Xbox 360 in Europe, but for now it's not coming to North America. Reached for comment, Ubisoft told us Anthology isn't currently confirmed for the US, and is only slated as an "EMEA" release, meaning it's only currently releasing in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. We should mention Ubisoft did use hedging language like "exclusive for now" and "isn't currently confirmed for US release" in our follow-up.The collection contains Assassin's Creed 1, 2, and 3, Brotherhood, and Revelations, along with all of those games' expansion packs and other DLC. Ubisoft confirmed that includes Assassin's Creed 3's Season Pass. Also bundled in are five lithographs, one for each game, and an exclusive steel book, all in a chunky-looking collector's box.Anthology is priced at £119.99 in the UK, and €150.00 in Europe. It's exclusive to Amazon in the UK, and is being released there November 30. Based on listings on Amazon Germany and Amazon France (now taken down), it's coming to the rest of Europe November 29.
Assassin's Creed 3 day-one patch clears up the past
The good thing about a game that takes place inside a computerized reconstruction of someone's memories is that you can pretend there's a narrative justification for a day-one patch. Take, for example, the Assassin's Creed 3 update that will be waiting for players today.While pre-patch Desmond may have remembered being stuck at the bottom of a waterfall after jumping, a quick kick to the Animus system rectifies that memory simulation. And Connor was not nearly as loud when stealth-killing guards from behind as the still experimental Animus technology would have.Find the full patch notes after the break; we'll warn you that some of the fixes might constitute spoilers, as they name specific missions and mention activities within them.
GameStop cancels Assassin's Creed 3 midnight events in northeast
Listen, we get it, we'd go out in a hurricane too for Assassin's Creed 3, but the simple fact of the matter is GameStop stores in the path of today's storm in the northeast United States won't be open at midnight."Our top priority is the safety of our employees and customers. In compliance with directives issued by state and local authorities, stores in the path of the storm will remain closed until it is safe to re-open and midnight openings for Assassin's Creed 3 have been cancelled in the northeast," a GameStop representative informed Kotaku. "Customers should check with their local stores for details on when we will re-open."And as I sit here, staring out my rain-battered window in Boston, watching the trees wave and the final leaves of autumn be ripped off horizontally, I echo GameStop's concern: if you're also being affected by Sandy, please stay safe tonight.
How Ubi is selling Assassin's Creed 3 to the general public
Ubisoft debuted the above commercial for holiday blockbuster Assassin's Creed 3 alongside the opening of the NFL season this week, prompting one Joystiq editor's father to call the game "impressive." For us, it serves to highlight how we've become snobs about the music Ubisoft uses in its trailers. Hey, when you set such a high precedent, it's hard to shrug off just some boring old song, you know?
Embark on 'Mighty Quest for Epic Loot,' Ubisoft Montreal's first free-to-play game
Ubisoft Montreal certainly has its hands full with projects like Assassin's Creed 3 and Far Cry 3, but that hasn't stopped the studio from making its first foray into the free-to-play space. The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot is an asynchronous dungeon crawler designed for "middle-range gaming PCs," Ubisoft product manager Matthew Zagurak told Joystiq during an unveiling event in San Francisco last week.The premise of The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot is pretty simple: Players construct their own castle from a pool of available tiles. They build hallways and rooms, and then fill them with monsters who try to kill invading adventurers, who can be random players or friends made through the in-game social network or pulled from Facebook.On the other side, you can assault castles with your adventurer, whom you can customize with equipment and abilities that you unlock as you earn experience points. You do that by killing monsters and ransacking other castles of their glittering spoils.Each castle trip culminates in a final boss encounter, the last stop before wayward adventurers discover the riches awaiting them in the treasure room (assuming they get that far to begin with). The kind of enemy units and bosses you can drop into your castle is determined by your level – the more you play and progress, the more things you can unlock for your castle and your own warrior. Through an in-game social network, users can vote on published castles and compare their hero's progress against friends and others.The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot doesn't have a launch date, though Ubisoft says a closed alpha test phase is planned to start next month.%Gallery-164492%
Far Cry 3 gets high, puts on some crocs
Far Cry 3 keeps finding new, exotic jaws to wrap around the poor protagonist's arm. Last time it was a tiger, this time it's a crocodile. Either way, don't wander all willy-nilly near the water.
