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Looks official at last: Red Steel sequel
While it certainly looked like things were headed in that direction, now it seems that a Red Steel sequel is pretty much confirmed. The only thing left is for an official press release to start making the rounds. The good ol' Dojo of Pain, the game's community website, recently featured the following telling quote: "...if any student think he anywhere near ready for Red Steel 2...Get Ready to Do My Laundry! [sic]"Late last year, Ubisoft posted a job listing announcing they were in need of a designer for more Red Steel action ... a designer with online experience. While Red Steel may not be the best game ever to hit consoles, the multiplayer is actually pretty fun, and taking the fun online could really make this a viable franchise. Well, that and actual cut scenes.
Mac OS X port, as well as new world, added to Myst Online
As one of the most captivating, if not vastly underrated, titles of last year, any news from the Ages of Uru is good news. GameTap has announced that not only will their MMO adventure, Myst Online be receiving an entirely new world to explore, but a new platform on the Mac.As GameTap is not yet (will not ever be?) available for the Mac, TransGaming Inc. will be in charge of porting the title over (using their Cider product we presume). With not so much as an estimated time for this release, Mac users will be left sitting on their hands until further information is revealed ... or discovered in a mysterious book. Those in the nether realm of the PC, however, will have new content to enjoy as soon as tomorrow with the release of the Great Zero area to explore. With a brand new platform of users to engage and a continued push of content, Uru sure has come a long way from the days of Ubisoft's waffling. If Mac gamers are really dedicated (and/or impatient), there's always Boot Camp to get your GameTap fix.
Ridiculously nice shots of GRAW 2
Our brothers in arms over at Gamertag Radio (also running a cool Bullet Witch contest, by the way) have posted some 'effing amazing shots of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2. Seriously, if we hadn't already seen how nice the first GRAW turned out, we wouldn't have bought these screenies for a minute. Just look at the smoke. Look at it! Head on over to GTR and check 'em out. You'll even get a chance to check out the European cover for the game, which isn't nearly as exciting as the actual screen shots. Any GRAW fans chomping at the bit to get this yet?
Shadowbane developers announce new project
When Wolfpack Studios was shut down by UbiSoft last May, they left behind a legacy that included semi-popular MMORPG Shadowbane. So color us not surprised that Stray Bullet Games, which includes many members of the disbanded Wolfpack team, has announced that their first project will be -- are you ready for this? -- an MMORPG that looks a lot like Shadowbane. Shock and awe.While a name has yet to be given to this new title, which is based upon an original intellectual property, the pictured concept art and the announcement itself all seem to point to a heavy Shadowbane influence. Player versus player combat looks to be the focus once again as "characters, guilds, and global factions will engage in meaningful, exciting, and fun mass combat."Stray Bullet Games also announced they will also be making use of middleware to get the job done, as opposed to creating their own game engine from scratch. I think we speak for all who remember Shadowbane's years languishing in development hell when we say, "Godspeed."
Enchanted Arms to grope PS3 in March
Ubisoft have announced that the bilingual PS3 port of Enchanted Arms will be released in North America this March. When it landed "exclusively" on the Xbox 360 last year, From Software's first-to-an-empty-market initiative ticked just about every box on the official list of Japanese RPG requirements. Goofy protagonist with a hazy memory and an untapped power? Check. An ancient evil unleashed within the opening moments of the game, completely wiping out the hero's beloved town? Check. A surly princess who refuses to act like a princess? Check. A flamboyantly gay stereotype and an army of sentient pizzas? Ch -- wait, that doesn't seem to be on here.If you were one of the few that embraced Enchanted Arms initially, you'd know that it was a solid, albeit unremarkable, RPG with an enjoyable battle system and varied golem creation (essentially a form of enemy recruitment). The Ubisoft press release mentions "Sixaxis wireless controller integration" as one of the PS3 enchancements, but it's unclear whether motion sensing is actually used in gameplay. Apparently, you can "use the motion-sensitive controller harness weapons, recover your EX power meter, unlock more powerful attacks and solve puzzles." We're not convinced that means you'll be doing anything other than pushing buttons on a motion-sensitive controller, but lack of tilt control isn't a common complaint in the wonderful world of turn-based RPGs.
New GRAW 2 screens and video
Xboxygen posted some new screenshots and video of upcoming Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2. Ubisoft's sequel looks to be coming along just fine with some rocking explosive effects and nifty camera shots. Check out more screenshots and video (especially video 3 and 4) after the jump. From the looks of things, do you think GRAW 2 is shaping up to be better than the original, being more than a simple rehash of the GRAW? Speak your mind, but please leave your SA-80s at the door.
Assassin's Creed nominated for Visual Effects Society awards
Come February 11 Assassin's Creed could be taking home two Visual Effects Society awards, for 'Outstanding Real Time Visuals in a Video Game' and 'Outstanding Pre-Rendered Visuals in a Video Game', as the visual effects organization hosts its fifth annual awards ceremony at the Kodak Grand Ballroom in Hollywood, CA. A pair of impressive accolades would certainly look good on the retail box, but how can a game with an unconfirmed release date be considered for a real time visuals award next month?We suppose nominating Assassin's Creed for pre-rendered kudos (based on the trailer?) is admissible (as long as the game doesn't win), but don't go heralding Ubisoft's title as a real time effects masterpiece when a playable demo isn't even publicly available. Why not consider Assassin's Creed for a VES award next year; and give credit to current games instead? As it stands, the PlayStation 3 version of Fight Night Round 3 is the only other title nominated in this year's 'Real Time Visuals' category.
Which publisher is the PSP's biggest supporter? [Update 1]
The other day I got to thinking about how many antelope it would take to kill a professional wrestler. After I was done thinking about that, I wondered which publisher is the biggest supporter of the PSP. Then I remembered that I have no life and also blog on a PSP site, so I decided to get an answer to that question. Before I started looking into it, I assumed Capcom would be in first or second place for supporters just judging my library and what I typically see in stores.Surprisingly, they weren't even the third biggest supporter with only ten games on the system. My next hunch was that either EA or Ubisoft (being the giant companies they are) must have the most games on the PSP. They do have a lot of games out, but at eleven games each, they can't take the crown of biggest supporter. Activision did beat out many contenders with their number of games totaling fourteen, but they also were not the winner. So who is the PSP's biggest supporter? While this may or may not be surprising, it's Sony themselves. SCEA has at least twenty-six games on their own platform and easily bested all comers with their release library. While a first-party publisher winning may be obvious, to many PSP fans (including myself), I often think Sony isn't doing enough to support their portable. While that may or may not be true, they still have by far the most games out on the platform. Let's just hope that Sony as well as other publishers continue to be kind to our beloved portable in this new year. [Via Gamespot][Update 1: Fixed font error.]
More games from Ubisoft
According to IGN, an Ubisoft subsidiary from Spain has released documentation revealing a few new projects. While Ubisoft's continued support has been well documented, we wonder if the company might be stretching itself too thin in attempting to tackle all of these projects at once. Regardless, the more games the merrier we are ...So what games are they, you ask? Well, first up is a Wii installment in the Brothers in Arms series, dubbed Brothers in Arms: D Day. Personally, if this were to turn out to be true, we'd be very happy. Next is Spelling Spree, a title that would obviously focus on grammar and spelling exercises. Finally, the third title on the list is Cosmic Family, a port of a PC title and also aimed toward younger gamers.
Ubisoft confirms GRAW 2's release date
TVG is reporting that today Ubisoft announced Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 will be available in North American March 9th. Not only was the release date of GRAW 2 revealed, but also formally Wii exclusive Rayman Raving Rabbids will be coming to the 360 this coming Spring. Ubisoft has a boatload of titles in the works for multiple platforms ranging a wide gamut. Here's hoping that their busy schedule doesn't affect the quality of a nearly finished GRAW 2. [Thanks, Machiavelli 420]
Ubisoft announces 5 European launch titles
Sometimes we wonder why Sony didn't just wait to launch worldwide in March, then we remember how utterly crazy that would have been -- so instead we wonder why Sony didn't just launch worldwide in November, then remember how that would have probably turned out. The solution? Apologize to Europe with an extensive list of launch titles... and these five are from Ubisoft. Recently announced, recently given the thumbs-up by us... except for all the damn Tom Clancy games. What a jerk. Don't ask why; just believe and it will be so. Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 Splinter Cell: Double Agent Rainbow Six: Vegas Blazing Angels The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Geez. We really need to stop making games called "Blah Blah [COLON] Subtitle Nonsense". I'm sick of staring at colons. Get it? Colons are in your body, too. Seriously, making a title have a forced pause to sound more powerful and dramatic is getting really old. Yeah, it's trivial and pointless, but it bothers me, so I thought I'd throw that out there. Anywho, Europe, get ready to get your Ubisoft games on. Or your Tom Clancy on.
Tom Clancy infiltrates Euro PS3 launch
Ubisoft's latest release schedule sees the publisher readying five titles for the European PS3 launch, more than half of them labeled with the esteemed Tom Clancy name. The cherished children's author will see some of his more popular works come to life in Rainbow Six: Vegas (which sees the six Color Rangers fight the addictive nature of gambling), Splinter Cell: Double Agent and the latest entry in the Ghost Recon franchise. The last is said to feature vastly improved ghost capturing mechanics. The rest of Ubi's launch lineup is comprised of Blazing Angels and a game you've never even heard of, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It seems all good things really do come to those who wait. [Lego Sam: Planet of the Geeks]
Bunnies can't stand Christmas
Personally, we find ourselves filled with anger at the thought that we are unable to procure such excellent ornaments for our Christmas tree. Seriously, what kind of world do we live in where we can't hang raving rabbids like tinsel? Regardless of our anger, at least the rest of the video makes up for it in humor. Juicy, luscious humor ...As always, the video is available after the jump.
Bunnies like Penny Arcade
The best part of Michel Ancel's Rayman Raving Rabbits is its humor and ad campaign. Every level is given a phrase such as "bunnies like carrot juice" or "bunnies like to rave." Ubisoft asked Penny Arcade to contribute to the Rabbid lore. Here's what Gabe and Joe Pekar (he colored) came up with: Bunnies lie about their age Bunnies are extremely good at ping pong Bunnies are nostalgic Bunnies can smell your fear So Ubisoft, how about capitalizing on Wii's online services and turn these golden ideas into party games.
Double Agent still PS3-bound
Don't fret PlayStation 3 faithful, Ubisoft has not forgotten you. After releasing versions for GameCube, PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, and Wii, the Splinter Cell developer has turned its attention to the PS3 release of Double Agent, due ... sometime in March. The delay is not without consolation, as Ubisoft will tack in some Sixaxis wiggle n' shake action. New maps and skins will also be added to multiplayer.
Frag Dolls pwn Rainbow Six CPL tourney, first pro win
The Frag Dolls won their first pro-circuit event last night, beating "The Unknown" to earn first place in the 4v4 Rainbow Six Vegas competition at Winter CPL. Aside from being the Frag Dolls' first big victory, it appears that this is also the first time an all-female team has won a (co-ed) pro-circuit tournament. Valkyrie, Seppuku, Calyber, and Psyche (all pictured) proved to be the winning combination for the Ubisoft-sponsored team.
Splinter Cell: DA sneakily patched
What's with all the patches today? Another patch arrives today, this time for sneak master extraordinaire, Splinter Cell: Double Agent. The patch fixes several online bugs, including connection issues, lobby issues, and a few lag problems as well. There are a few other random fixes in there regarding scores and whatnot, too. We intimated before that we haven't had a chance to fire up Tom Clancy's latest, but we're going to go out on a limb and assume these fixes will be welcomed by Fisher fans.Anyone gotten the patch yet? Are the problems really history?[Thanks, Mark]
First shots of Ninja Turtles on 360
TeamXbox reports that Ubisoft has switched gears on development for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, opting to bring the game to the 360 instead of the original Xbox. The game is set to ship on March 13, just days before the March 23 release of the new TMNT movie. Along with this announcement, Ubisoft has released the first Xbox 360 images of the game. Looking at the shots, we picture a cartoony version of Ninja Gaiden, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The game promises plenty of ninja combat, acrobatics, and a "darker, more realistic Turtle experience." A realistic game about mutated, crime fighting turtles? It's about damned time. Follow the read link for one more screenshot and nutritious PR speak.Somebody finish this lyric: "Heroes in a half shell ...."
Rival Swords: Wii Prince of Persia has a new name, but same game
Ubisoft's betting you're familiar with 2005's Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. So the publisher has cleverly tweaked the name for its Wii release. Now it's Prince of Persia: Rival Swords. But wait ... it's got Wii controls! Lame.It's clear that Ubisoft is testing the waters, seemingly asking itself: how little is enough to succeed on Wii? Indeed, why waste development costs on new content when you can dig yesteryear's game outta the crate, tack on some wrist-flicking action, and push it back out to retail? True, Rival Swords has multiplayer modes and new quick-play levels (confirmed for PSP version); but let's not kid ourselves, this is Two Thrones all over again.Ubisoft isn't the first company to re-release a product with some new features, but the name change certainly feels deceptive; and in general, offerings like Rival Swords look to water down Wii's potency. The console's strength is not in finding new ways to play the same old games.
Prince of Persia gets his Wii on
There are new shots floating around from the upcoming Prince of Persia title slated for the Wii that show some of the controller movements. Though we knew a little about how the Wiimote and nunchuk were going to handle the action, it's nice to have a visual to shape some sort of foundation for what we're going to be doing next spring. Check out the screens after the jump.
