Ubisoft Message Board older than one year ago

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?

A portion of a GamesBeat interview with Ubisoft's Toy Key...

GamesBeat: Who will be the audience for the Wii U: casual gamers or hardcore gamers?

Key: We’ve got a pretty wide offering of experiences. ZombiU is something that a core gamer will appreciate, as is Assassin’s Creed III. Rayman is something core gamers have always gravitated to. The core press have been very kind to the brand in their reviews. Rayman Origins got a 90 percent Metacritic score. Then we have Just Dance, which is more of a family or party game, and likewise with Rabbids Land. We have a mix of casual and core. We have a fitness game. We have a sports game. We have Avengers: Battle for Earth, which is a fighting game for a more casual audience. So we’re doing both. The early adopters tend to be people who are very passionate about gaming, and so a lot of them are core gamers. We think that there’s enough stuff there for them to try it out and see if they like the Wii U or not.

GamesBeat: How much further into the future do you see your support continuing? Are you going to wait and see how everything is received at launch first?

Key: Well, we have a lot of titles, a lot of upside on the Wii U for Ubisoft. We’re going to be the number one third-party publisher. When Wii U becomes a hot machine, Ubisoft is going to be well-positioned. We have Rayman Legends in Q1, and we haven’t announced any other games beyond that, but… All we can say is that we’re all in on the machine. We believe in it.

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.

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.

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.

#assassinscreed Assassin's Creed III is a dazzling looking game. But it's not only the game's accurate recreations of Colonial America that impress, but also its realistic portrayal of dogs. Don't believe me? Just ask this cat. More »

#assassinscreed So, you guys remember Lindsey Sterling, right? She takes her video game music very seriously. As you're about to see in this Assassin's Creed clip that's like a cosplaying music video. More »

'Assassin's Creed Anthology' is currently listed on Amazon France, possibly representing a collection of all the home console games in the series, along with all the DLC. It's priced at €150.00, which converts to around $191, and is coming to PS3 and Xbox 360 on November 29. There is no North American listing at present. Reached for comment, Ubisoft told us it should be making an official announcement further detailing the anthology later this week.

Based on the current Amazon France listing, the collection only includes Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed 2, and Assassin's Creed 3; but not AC2: Brotherhood or AC2: Revelations. However, Russian fan-site Assassin's Creed RU claims it pulled an image from the listing (now apparently taken down) which says the anthology includes all five games, and all available single-player and multiplayer "bonus content." The image also details lithographs for each game and a steelbook case.

Given that Amazon France is selling Assassin's Creed 1-3 separately on Xbox 360 for just under €76, a 3-in-1 collection at double the price would seem, to be kind, ambitious. To be less kind, it would be downright crazy, and very odd given the already announced Ezio Trilogy coming to PS3 next week. Once we confirm what's included in the anthology and where it's headed, we'll be sure to let you know.

[Image Source: Assassin's Creed Wiki]

Assassin's Creed 3 has sold an estimated 3.5 million units, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot announced in the company's earnings release. Guillemot said these sales - specifying sell-through, meaning sales to consumers, not just to retailers - represent "a year-on-year increase of more than 100%."

We're quite certain that is a comparison to Revelations' sales, and not to Assassin's Creed 3 a year ago. AC3 sales are up infinity percent over AC3 sales last year.

#playthis Last week Ubisoft's RedLynx studio released a fun and challenging rollercoaster-based psychics puzzler for iOS. You might have missed it, as the app icon is a cartoon cat and the game is called Nutty Fluffies. More »

'Assassin's Creed Anthology' is currently listed on Amazon France, possibly representing a collection of all the home console games in the series, along with all the DLC. It's priced at €150.00, which converts to around $191, and is coming to PS3 and Xbox 360 on November 29. There is no North American listing at present. Reached for comment, Ubisoft told us it should be making an official announcement further detailing the anthology later this week.

Based on the current Amazon France listing, the collection only includes Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed 2, and Assassin's Creed 3; but not AC2: Brotherhood or AC2: Revelations. However, Russian fan-site Assassin's Creed RU claims it pulled an image from the listing (now apparently taken down) which says the anthology includes all five games, and all available single-player and multiplayer "bonus content." The image also details lithographs for each game and a steelbook case.

Given that Amazon France is selling Assassin's Creed 1-3 separately on Xbox 360 for just under €76, a 3-in-1 collection at double the price would seem, to be kind, ambitious. To be less kind, it would be downright crazy, and very odd given the already announced Ezio Trilogy coming to PS3 next week. Once we confirm what's included in the anthology and where it's headed, we'll be sure to let you know.

[Image Source: Assassin's Creed Wiki]

#assassinscreed Amazon France has outed a mega-bundle that offers every console game made for Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed fanchise. According to Polygon and Eurogamer, the Assassin's Creed Anthology will include last week's Assassin's Creed III along with Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed 2, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, and Assassin's Creed: Revelations. More »

Trackmania 2 is growing into a frenzy, with 'Stadium' and 'Valley' joining 'Canyon' in early 2013. The Stadium environment returns from Trackmania Nations Forever, updated with all of the features available in Canyon. and made over in the new engine. Meanwhile, Valley introduces a new rally-like environment, albeit with highways and the series' penchant for the ludicrous thrown in. Both updates are coming to the ManiaPlanet platform early next year, with Eurogamer reporting Stadium is free-to-play.

Nadeo also announced a January 23 release date for Shootmania Storm, the developer's shooter-come-shooter-builder. In the meantime, you can check out the trailer for Valley above, while Stadium's is after the break.

After conquering the urban jungle, free-runner Ronnie Shalvis steps through time to bring his brand of parkour to the colonies, a la Assassin's Creed 3. As before, the accomplished flips and jumps impress as much they make you wonder if a direct route is sometimes better advised.

Utilizing the patented RPS Matter Relocation Device (note: it is actually a very big catapult), we recently flung Dan so high that he landed on Maniaplanet. There, he slowly but surely integrated with their society and partook of their most exotic cultural fineries. When he returned using the patented RPS Inertia Disruption Field (which may or may not bear striking resemblance to a trampoline), he was quite rightly confused as to what exactly both new TrackManias are bringing to the table. Now, though, you can get a glimpse of what he experienced – namely, TrackMania: Stadium and TrackMania: Valley – and puzzle over the pair yourself.

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Nadeo's multiplayer shooter and shooter construction kit Shootmania Storm will be released on PC January 23. A new beta, featuring several software updates, will begin in December, open to players who sign up on the website, and to all who pre-order the full game.

The new beta adds a "Welcome Build" for new players, a couple new game modes, and new moves like "Laser Jump," "Wall Jump," and "Grappling Hook." It also allows players to import 3D objects into their levels, and create tournaments in-game.

RedLynx's next mobile game, Nutty Fluffies, launches on both iOS and Android today. Nutty Fluffies is about a bunch of amusement park prize animals letting loose after the park closes and taking the coasters for a ride.

It's the latest in RedLynx's line of physics-based racers, tasking players with managing a speeding rollercoaster and keeping it from being flipped upside down and ripping the stuffing out of those adorable plushies. You wouldn't let that happen, would you?

Ubisoft hasn’t mentioned anything about their show-stealing, hacker stealth game Watch Dogs for a while. That’s presumably because they’re off making it. And they need more people to help craft the initial entry of what’s presumably a new franchise. Based on the comments in the video above, the team working on Watch Dogs seems to be at least as large as on an mainline Assassin’s Creed title.  Still no hints on a platform. Nor are there clues as to a firm release date because, hey, they’re still building the thing.

RedLynx's next mobile game, Nutty Fluffies, launches on both iOS and Android today. Nutty Fluffies is about a bunch of amusement park prize animals letting loose after the park closes and taking the coasters for a ride.

It's the latest in RedLynx's line of physics-based racers, tasking players with managing a speeding rollercoaster and keeping it from being flipped upside down and ripping the stuffing out of those adorable plushies. You wouldn't let that happen, would you?

As good as the the single player portion of Assassin’s Creed III is, the designers of the game’s multiplayer deserve credit for crafting one of the year’s best gaming jokes—and for maybe getting the last laugh. They’ve taken some of the most obnoxious things about modern gaming, and they’ve twisted them. In fact, they’ve damn near justified them at the same time they’re mocking them.  The skewering comes in the form of the creepy video above, the first of several “developer diaries” unlocked as players gain experience playing in the game’s multiplayer matches. Does it seem creepy? Creepier than the standard developer diaries that game companies are always putting out?  It’s supposed to be. Leveling up more will unlock more official videos, all of which apparently will focus on the “official” story behind Abstergo Industries, the Templar-controlled company in Assassin’s Creed games. They’re the bad guys, more or less, and the supposed creators of the ACIII’s multiplayer mode. But! You can unlock other videos that show these developers in another light. I’ve not gotten to these yet, but they’re achieved by performing various achievements numerous times, like getting 50 ground finish bonuses or 20 aerial kills.  These videos show you the version of reality unearthed by a mysterious hacker called Erudito. Yes, this quasi-fictional, quasi-evil game you’re playing has been hacked, which sort of makes the hacker the good guy. Here’s what a good hacker guy will do for you: he or she will let you access content early that you’d otherwise unlock only by playing the game—if you’re willing to pay for it. That’s right, this game lets you pay small amounts of real money to unlock taunts, weapons and other items that the game’s real developers assure me can all be unlocked through simply playing the multiplayer game. Microtransactions, people… publishers love being able to charge you for stuff like this. A couple of weeks ago, while I played online with the game’s real-life lead multiplayer designer, I was told that the business people at his company wanted microtransactions but that the developers wanted to do something cool with them. Hence the whole hacking plot. Kind of weird, right? If you want to, say, buy a taunt… You can get those in-game  Abstergo points (the amount next to the white icon) or pay in Erudito credits (the amount next to the orange icon)… Same with this gun… You can get your Eurdito credits for a few real bucks… Microtransactions and slick promotions of games are facts of modern interactive entertainment. They’re part of the promotional machine. It’s no surprise to see another game embrace them. It’s at least refreshing to see a game have some fun with them. But if they were charging extra for in-game items that couldn’t be earned through gameplay? On day one? Then I think we’d have a very different story. Good on Ubisoft for not doing that. -Stephen Totilo

The head of the Joystiq order deemed Assassin's Creed 3 a "bold, uneven, occasionally brilliant, often frustrating action game." Other orders have had their say too.

• The Escapist (100/100): "Assassin's Creed 3 lets you jump into an intriguing point in history, and it succeeds on nearly every level with nimble combat, fun diversions and the chance to captain your own ship. Connor might not be an altogether likeable hero, but the New World he's fighting to protect is one you won't forget."
• Game Informer (95/100): "An overwhelming experience in its own right, Assassin's Creed 3 is the crown jewel on an already excellent series, and it sets the mind reeling about the potential for where the story goes from here."
• IGN (85/100): "Not everything about the game gels together convincingly and the missions' unnecessary prescriptiveness sometimes undermines the sense of freedom that the rest of the game works so hard to create. But it achieves so much that you can't help but respect it; no other open-world game has ever given us a setting that's as impressive to observe or as full of things to do as this."
• GameSpot (85/100): "Other games stimulate emotion with manipulative music and teary monologues; Assassin's Creed 3 rouses your mind and your heart by giving you a glimpse into its characters' souls and letting you judge them on their own merits."
• Destructoid (75/100): "Cohesion (or lack thereof) is the main issue with Assassin's Creed 3. There are dozens of secondary elements which make up the content of the game, but they offer little in terms of reward and rarely contribute anything to the Assassin/Templar conflict. While the game is often quite fun, beautiful to look at and empowering to the player, it doesn't offer much challenge beyond the endurance necessary to complete all of the single-player campaign elements."

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.

The pig herding segment in Assassin's Creed 3 is probably the best one this year. If you play these games for the thrills of pudgy livestock redirection, it's the number one reason to buy Assassin's Creed 3. For everyone else (is anyone even still reading?), the recommendation must be more reserved.

Animal control is an optional activity on your sprawling homestead, but an essential rite in grasping the confused composition of Assassin's Creed 3. As new protagonist Connor mutters to himself about the things he does for his people, it becomes a little too easy to relate to such a banal chore. The things I do for this game, you'll think - this bold, uneven, occasionally brilliant, often frustrating action game.

This month has been a tough one for Loot Drop, the developer behind Ubisoft Facebook game Ghost Recon Commander. Loot Drop co-founder (and newlywed) Brenda Brathwaite had her "Old-School RPG" Kickstarter canceled, and the developer's biggest game, Ghost Recon Commander, will no longer continue.

Loot Drop posted the news on Facebook, also confirming that layoffs had hit as part of the cancelation. "As a result, we laid off a team of awesome developers. Coders, artists, amazing assistant designer, and awesome QA guy." We've reached out to Ubisoft for comment and will update accordingly.

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.

#ghostrecon The Ghost Recon Facebook game, Ghost Recon Commander, has been canceled. More »

Assassin's Creed 3 will feature some form of microtransactions, according to the most recent PlayStation Store update. The latest update includes several bits of DLC for Assassin's Creed 3, notably five different packs of "Erudito" ranging in price from $0.99 for 20 all the way up to $19.99 for 950.

We currently have two theories. Either Abstergo has created a new brand of cheese-frosted tortilla chips for the discerning scholar, or Erudito is an in-game currency used to unlock content. Our money is on the latter, and presumably Ubisoft hopes yours is too.

#assassinscreed More »

The Ghost Recon: Future Soldier DLC is a bit later arriving on PC than it did on console, allowing Ubisoft to surprise PC players with a season pass offer. The season pass is available today for $24.99 (at least that's the price on Steam) and offers access to all current and future DLC, for $10 less than it would cost separately.

That DLC includes Arctic Strike, which was released on PC concurrently with the Season Pass offer.

#farcry We already knew that a Far Cry 3 destination would be hitting Minecraft. And now it looks like the bizarre crossover between trippy, drug-fueled shooter and open-world construction sandbox has gone live. You'll be able to wander through this addition to Mojang's blocky landscapes and look for Far Cry 3 characters like madman antagonist Vaas and discoverable items tied to Ubisoft's upcoming shooter. Head here to download the pack. More »

Assassin's Creed 3 hasn't yet arrived, but Ubisoft already claims its trip through the American Revolutionary has garnered the highest number of pre-orders for the company so far. We don't know any hard numbers at this point, save for the fact that AC3 has over double the pre-orders of last year's Assassin's Creed: Revelations, with a few days to go before launch at the end of the month.

GameStop is predictably thrilled: Company president Tony Bartel is practically climbing trees with excitement in the press release below. Ubisoft also says the Assassin's Creed series has sold over 40 million games worldwide, and it expects the official number 3 to add to that total significantly. Wherever the series is going, it certainly isn't down.