Ubisoft Message Board older than one year ago

#mightmagic It's been over a decade since we last saw a proper single-player, first-person PC Might & Magic game. That's far too long. Thankfully Ubisoft and developer Limbic Entertainment agree, and Might & Magic X Legacy is on its way. More »

Ubisoft has launched Trials Evolution: Gold Edition on PC today, exposing a whole new segment of sadists to annoying rap-rock intro songs. You can pick up Gold Edition through Steam or other major games retailers for $19.99.

Trials Evolution: Gold Edition is a collection of the XBLA success Trials Evolution and all of the levels from its predecessor, Trials HD. Rounding out the package is the in-game level editor, which was used to recreate the Trials HD levels found in this very package. Not included: A way to stop playing Trials once you start.

'The Betrayal,' the second of Assassin Creed 3's 'The Tyranny of King Washington' DLC triad, comes today to Xbox 360, PS3, and PC in North America. As usual, PS3 owners in Europe get it one day later. It costs 800 MSP or $9.99, or nada if you've got the Season Pass.

'The Betrayal' sees the easily-spelled Ratonhnhaké:ton make his way to Boston. There he learns the power of the eagle, granting him the means to fly short distances, the ability to swoop enemies for assassinations, and permanent room and board in California.

The content will come to the Wii U, but a date remains unannounced.

The main Might and Magic line looks set to return after a decade in the wilderness. Ubisoft is teasing a Might and Magic website with the above image, with the words "Meet us at PAX East!" beneath it.

While the Might and Magic name has seen continued releases through the Heroes of Might and Magic strategy line and Clash of Heroes, the main role-playing series hasn't seen a release since 2002's M&M IX. After consulting our Roman Numerals handbook, we reckon the image heavily points towards M&M X and a reveal at this weekend's PAX East.

After original M&M publisher 3DO went bankrupt in 2003, new license holder Ubisoft said M&M X was unlikely to ever happen because of branding choices. However, an unofficial open-source M&M X project emerged last year, and is still in development.

While it's never 100 percent safe to assume anything, the most damning evidence of all for M&M X's upcoming announcement is Ubisoft's own tweet, which includes an unfortunately failed attempt to hashtag the game - gotta watch out for those ampersands.

The Far Cry Franchise Pack is on sale for $40 on Steam today as the platform's Daily Deal. This deal is part of a larger Steam sale, as today is day three of the Ubisoft Publisher Weekend, so other Ubisoft-published games are 35 to 50 percent off on the platform as well.

The Far Cry Franchise Pack includes all three games in the series along with the Far Cry 3 Deluxe Bundle DLC, which is 40 percent off ($5.99). Far Cry and Far Cry 2: Fortune's Edition are each 75 percent off today ($2.49), and Far Cry 3 has been hacked down by 40 percent ($29.99). Among the other Ubisoft games on sale today, Rayman Origins is 66 percent off ($6.79) and Assassin's Creed 3's price has been chopped by 35 percent ($32.49).

Patrice Desilets is officially employed at Ubisoft - again - the studio tells Polygon. The designer left Ubisoft in 2010 after serving as creative director on Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed 2, and once his non-compete agreement expired he began work at THQ Montreal.

When THQ went under and sold off its studios this year, Ubisoft walked away with Montreal and, supposedly, Desilets, though it was unclear if he would rejoin his former employer.

Ubisoft also absorbed all of THQ Montreal's current and unannounced projects, including Desilets' 1666 and something called Underdog.

As promised, Ubisoft has released a "reveal" trailer for Call of Juarez: Gunslinger. We're not sure what's so much more revealing about it than last week's offering. Believe it or not, the gameplay involves shooting things with revolvers.

Extract from ‘An Oral History Of The End Of The World’, circa 2045. Subject: Male, 23, nameless.

Yeah, I can tell you when it all started. First there was that teaser trailer for the ‘reveal’ trailer. Then the trailer itself. We should have spotted the pattern right away and taken action. Two trailers in two weeks? It was obviously a beginning. If someone had deleted all the copies of Adobe Premiere from Ubisoft’s computers, we might have been spared. But hindsight is a son of a bitch, and here we are. There is no world left. Every computer was clogged with self-replicating copies of Call of Juarez – Gunslinger trailers. The sound of gunshots rang out of every speaker. Children started to speak in Ye Olde Western voiceover. We couldn’t Google anything. We didn’t know. We. Didn’t. Know. I blame Craig Pearson. If only he hadn’t posted the new trailer, all of this would never have happened. I can’t take it. I CAN’T LIVE LIKE THIS!

*sound of gunshot*(more…)

Last week, we announced March’s Instant Game Collection additions for PlayStation Plus members. Spec Ops: The Line led the charge, and this week, you’re going to want to channel your inner Evel Knievel, as Joe Danger 2: The Movie, is next to come your way free as a PlayStation Plus member. The folks over at Ubisoft also have some spectacular deals prepped, including discounts on the long awaited Online Multiplayer Pack for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

March 12th PlayStation Plus Update

Joe Danger 2: The Movie

PSN Price: $14.99, Free for PS Plus members

Take Joe Danger on a death-defying thrill ride across the set of the greatest blockbuster movie ever made. Chase crooks on your police bike, destroy laser firing robots with a stolen jetpack, escape giant boulders in a minecart, time-travel to punch dinosaurs and divert the nuclear missiles on your unicycle. Yes, it’s as awesome as it sounds.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Ultimate Edition

20% Discount for PS Plus members (PSN Price: $14.99; PS Plus Price: $11.99)

The fan-favorite, 2D retro styled side scrolling beat em’ up is back and better than ever! This new release includes the original Scott Pilgrim vs. The World game, plus the Knives Chau Add-On Pack and the Online Multiplayer + Wallace Pack; all at a new release 20$ discount for PS Plus Members. For fans that already have the game, you’ll be able to get the Online Multiplayer + Wallace Pack at a discount; detailed below. Scott Pilgrim DLC: Wallace Wells Add-On Pack

20% Discount for PS Plus members (PSN Price: $4.99; PS Plus Price: $3.99)

The long awaited online multiplayer experience, packed with a new playable character, Wallace Wells, Scott’s hilarious roommate, is finally here! With this Add-On, you’ll be able to invite up to 3 players in a private match or host a public match for online co-op gameplay. You can also jump in a game via the quick join option. The best part? All players gain XP and level up while playing. Get on it this week with a limited time 20% discount for PS Plus members. Ubisoft Sale

Various Discounts for PS Plus members

In addition to the Scott Pilgrim Ultimate Edition new release discount, our friends at Ubisoft went to town on discounting an incredible lineup of games. The Ubisoft sale applies a 30% discount for all of PSN, but PS Plus members will get a 50% discount on these titles. You can also read up about the sale from the PS Blog post earlier this morning. Game Title Normal Price Sale Price Plus Price Shaun White Snowboarding (PS3) $19.99 $13.99 $9.79 Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway (PS3) $29.99 $20.99 $14.69 Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (PS3) $19.99 $13.99 $9.79 CSI: Fatal Conspiracy (PS3) $19.99 $13.99 $9.79 Michael Jackson The Experience (PS3) $19.99 $13.99 $9.79 The Adventures of TinTin: The Game (PS3) $39.99 $27.99 $19.60 Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands (PS3) $19.99 $13.99 $9.79 Prince of Persia Trilogy (PS3) $39.99 $27.99 $19.59 Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Classic Trilogy HD (PS3) $39.99 $27.99 $19.59 Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (PS3) $19.99 $13.99 $9.79 Tom Clancy’s EndWar (PS3) $19.99 $13.99 $9.79 Just Dance 3 (PS3) $39.99 $27.99 $19.59 Rayman Origins (PS3) $19.99 $13.99 $9.79 Babel Rising (PS3) $9.99 $6.99 $4.89 CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars (PS3) $4.99 $3.49 $2.44 Mad Riders (PS3) $9.99 $6.99 $4.89 Prince of Persia Classic (PS3) $9.99 $6.99 $4.89 Shoot Many Robots (PS3) $9.99 $6.99 $4.89 Voodoo Dice (PS3) $4.99 $3.49 $2.44 I Am Alive (PS3) $14.99 $10.49 $7.34 Outland (PS3) $9.99 $6.99 $4.89 The Expendables 2 Videogame (PS3) $14.99 $10.49 $7.34 Rayman Origins (Vita) $26.99 $18.89 $13.22 Asphalt: Injection (Vita) $26.99 $18.89 $13.22 Dungeon Hunter Alliance (Vita) $26.99 $18.89 $13.22 Lumines Electronic Symphony (Vita) $26.99 $18.89 $13.22 Michael Jackson The Experience (Vita) $35.99 $25.19 $17.63 Brothers in Arms D-Day (PSP) $9.99 $6.99 $4.89 Michael Jackson The Experience (PSP) $19.99 $13.99 $9.79 Petz Dogz Family (PSP) $29.99 $20.99 $14.69 Petz Hamsterz Bunch (PSP) $29.99 $20.99 $14.69 Prince of Persia Rival Swords (PSP) $9.99 $6.99 $4.89 Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands (PSP) $19.99 $13.99 $9.79 Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines (PSP) $19.99 $13.99 $9.79 Driver ’76 (PSP) $19.99 $13.99 $9.79 Tom Clancy’s EndWar (PSP) $9.99 $6.99 $4.89 Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (PSP) $19.99 $13.99 $9.79 Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Essentials (PSP) $9.99 $6.99 $4.89 Call of Juarez Bound in Blood Old West Pack (Add-on) $9.99 $6.99 $4.89 The Expendables 2 Videogame: All Characters Full Upgrade (Add-on) $2.99 $2.09 $1.46 Shoot Many Robots 600,000 nuts (Add-on) $4.99 $3.49 $2.44 Shoot Many Robots 1,500,000 nuts (Add-on) $9.99 $6.99 $4.89 What’s your favorite content from this week’s update?

Keep leaving us your thoughts on the new format, and of course, chime in with your thoughts on Joe Danger 2: The Movie, and the other discounts available to you as a PS Plus member. If you’d like to get more involved with the PS Plus community, head over to the PS Plus section in the PlayStation Community Forums and chat more about PS Plus, or anything else that tickles your fancy. See you in the comments!

Heavy Hitters (pre-order any of these games at Ubisoft’s booth for a free t-shirt)

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (PS3, PS4, 360, Wii U, PC) – A fully-enclosed theater will treat attendees with an exclusive look at the new game, set during the Golden Age of pirates, and introduce new hero Edward Kenway, a pirate trained by assassins. Similar to last year’s inflatable tomahawk, session attendees this year will receive an inflatable cutlass sword, and can take pictures with the game’s new hero in a photo booth.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist (PS3, 360, PC) – A new demo of the upcoming title will be on display.

Watch Dogs (PS3, PS4, 360, Wii U, PC) – Never-before-seen footage of Watch Dogs will be unveiled in a closed theater presentation. All session attendees will receive a PAX East-exclusive Watch Dogs lanyard.

PC Games (playable at booth)

ShootMania Storm

Might & Magic Heroes VI: Shades of Darkness

Might & Magic: Duel of Champions Online (also on iOS)

Digital Games (playable at booth)

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (PSN, XBLA)

Spartacus Legends (PSN, XBLA)

Link

Ubisoft has released a teaser trailer and some new screenshots for Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, a new downloadable entry in the Techland-developed Wild West series. We wrote about it last year when it was announced for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and the PC.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger will focus on Silas Greaves, a bounty hunter who bumps shoulders with the infamous Pat Garret, Jesse James, and Butch Cassidy.

Adorable auto-runner Rayman Jungle Run is now available on the Windows Store, downloadable on Windows 8 and RT devices. The Windows version includes the original 40 levels plus the 10 levels thrown in for free late last year. It's priced $2.99.

Ubisoft's classy downloadable evolution of Rayman Origins was a big hit last year, not just with us, but with the App Store itself, which gave it the coveted Game of the Year nod.

One of my first experiences inside Castle Shotgun ended with a heartfelt lament. The Call of Juarez sounded bitterly in my ears. I haven’t played Gunslinger yet and while it doesn’t quite look like a return to form, it does seem potentially entertaining, with its arcade, score-based take on rooting, tooting and indeed shooting. A new video makes the mistake of advertising another upcoming video as it finishes, but it captures a little of the flashback-focused storytelling at the heart of the new game.

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Those who think they've gotten everything out of Far Cry 3 are in for a treat today. As promised, a new update has been released, adding some special options to the game. Players who have beaten the game can start a new game in Master difficulty, which populates the world with tougher enemies and animals. Or, if you've reached the end and just want something to do, you can now reset liberated outposts and recapture again. Furthermore, most HUD options can now be toggled on or off.

Multiplayer sees a few improvements too, most notably the ability for players to beta test their created maps via a special playlist before releasing them publicly. Additionally, you can now search for maps by author, idle players will no longer be kicked out of private or custom matches, and map voting time has been increased.

The update is available now on the Xbox, PS3 and PC versions of Far Cry 3.

Far Cry 3 lead writer Jeffrey Yohalem hinted to Joystiq the game is getting some form of upcoming continuation, although whether that's via downloadable content or a new series entry altogether - or maybe something else entirely - isn't clear.

With Ubisoft's recent disclosure that fans won't have to wait four more years for another Far Cry in mind, if we were Ubisoft, we wouldn't want to leave Far Cry 3 and its characters and world behind just yet. We asked Yohalem if that was something he had in mind too.

"Yes," Yohalem told us, "I'm working on something now that will be surprising, I think, when it's announced. But it definitely is a 'strike while the iron's hot' thing, and we'll see."

Ubisoft's recent earning call revealed just how hot that iron is, with 4.5 million copies of Far Cry 3 shipped worldwide. Yohalem previously worked as lead writer on Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, so maybe Ubisoft has a Brotherhood-like continuation in mind for Far Cry 3. For now, as Yohalem said, we'll have to wait and see.

#assassinscreed Reader Ryan sent in the video below, which features a notorious bug in Ubisoft's latest blockbuster Assassin's Creed game. The glitch makes it look like Connor likes tomahawk a little too much. More »

The Assassin's Creed team at Ubisoft never imagined placing a woman in the lead role during the era of the Kenways, which spans Assassin's Creed 3 and Black Flag, director Ashraf Ismail told IGN.

"Really early on, we decided to tell the story of the Kenways," Ismail said. "So we already had in place the idea to tell Edward, Haytham and Connor. This was actually years ago, we had this." He continued, "We actually never thought, 'Could this be a woman?'"

Historically, there weren't many famous female pirates, Ismail said, and he didn't want players to fixate on that detail. Still, there's a lot of history between pirates and now, and Assassin's Creed may explore a leading lady in another, main game. The lead character of Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation for Vita was a woman, and that story fed into directly the prime Assassin's Creed 3 narrative. Ubisoft may continue this trend with future games.

"I would say it wouldn't be surprising to see a female assassin coming up in a mainline Assassin's Creed," Ismail said. "But for us, for AC4, it was always Edward."

If choosing the gender of protagonists was a business decision, it would fall to Ubisoft's brand team, and Ismail said he didn't know what they were cooking up for the "next few games."

"But the concept of a female assassin, I can tell you it's not a no-no; it's not something we're trying to avoid at all."

Epic Games art director Chris Perna, recently sounded off about selling a female protagonist, saying "it's tough to justify something like that," at least from a business standpoint.

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]

A closed beta for Trials Evolution: Gold Edition, the PC port of the XBLA hit set to drop in March 21, has started today. Ubisoft has announced that anyone who pre-orders the digital version of Trials Evolution: Gold Edition will get instant access to the beta, which runs until March 14.

The beta itself covers all game content - it's less of a beta and more of an early unlock for a specific amount of time, really. Trials Evolution: Gold Edition features all of the content from the console release, plus all tracks from Trials HD, recreated with Trials Evolution's updated graphics and physics engine.

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 pops up the image above with the launch date and reveal of the game coming to next-gen consoles.

#assassinscreed The worst-kept secret in gaming is no longer "secret," as Ubisoft has revealed the cover art for the next Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. The game stars a new pirate assassin and turns its focus to the Caribbean, mixing open-ended ship-based exploration and combat with land-based adventures on a number of Caribbean islands. More »

The ship that sprung a leak has now sailed into harbour, its Jolly Roger flying high. Well, to be honest, it’s sort of sitting just outside the harbour waving from the decks. Ubi have sent a press release announcing that they will be fully announcing Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag on Monday. For now, we have confirmation of the game’s title and a picture of the box-art, which shows a chap standing on the deck of a pirate ship wearing the familiar hooded garb of the assassin, with a cutlass in one hand and a stonking great gun in the other. I’ve heard good things about the naval combat in The Third and this is a far more interesting proposition to me than Assassin’s Creed III: Revolutionary Revelations would have been. More on Monday.

Ubisoft's ManiaPlanet services - a system for content creation and sharing developed by Nadeo for the first Trackmania game - have finally come to Steam. Ongoing open betas for Trackmania 2: Stadium and ShootMania Storm can be accessed through Steam starting today - pre-ordering either will net Steam users an extra ten percent off the asking price.

Shootmania Storm is Ubisoft's eSports entry, an arena-style multiplayer shooter slated to officially launch on April 10. The beta has garnered more than 20,000 player-created maps and over 15 player-created game modes. Trackmania 2: Stadium re-introduces the stadium environment seen in Trackmania Nations to Nadeo's sequel and is slated to launch in "early 2013."

The Assassin's Creed series is next up for some savin' in Xbox Live's week-long Ultimate Game Sale. Leaping into the half-price haystack for today only are the first four Creeds on Xbox 360, with Revelations at $14.99, and the others - AC1, AC2, and Brotherhood - $9.99.

A plethora of Games on Demand content is staying discounted until March 4, with some serious bargains up for acquirement. El Shaddai, for example, which JC gave four and a half stars to back in 2011, can be yours for just $2.99, a measly amount for a game that's "heavenly in both inspiration and execution."

#assassinscreed The odds should've been against Assassin's Creed III: Liberation. It starred a woman—specifically the half-black, half-French heroine Aveline du Grandpre. And it was an exclusive on the PlayStation Vita, a system that many people see as a sadly under-supported platform. More »

#rumor Is the next Assassin's Creed all about pirates? A tipster just sent over marketing materials for something called Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. More »

#impressions Assassin's Creed III was, for me, an agaonising paradox. It's both one of the best games of last year and also one of the most frustrating, one where a strong foundation of combat and exploration was undone by poor pacing and mission design. More »

Ubisoft is flying the Paladin remote-controlled plane, included in the Splinter Cell: Blacklist bundle, over an airy soccer field. Care to try it in your house next?

Ubisoft is working to smooth out years of open hostility against legitimate customers of its PC products. Speaking with MCV, Uplay Director Stephanie Perotti announced more third-party partners for the publisher's digital distribution network, adding, "It shows our commitment to PC, and we want to improve our relationship with the PC community."

Ubisoft's messaging on this better relationship hangs on larger retail offerings through Uplay and the removal of always-on DRM from its games.

Not mentioned are the notorious delays of the publisher's major games between console and PC launches. Although Far Cry 3 didn't experience the standard PC release lag - since it launched so late a delay would have missed the holiday window - Assassin's Creed 3 arrived a month later on PC. We've yet to see what 2013 brings in terms of major Ubisoft games and how launch timing will shape up.

Shades of Darkness is a standalone expansion for Heroes of Might & Magic: Heroes VI, originally due at the end of this month but recently delayed until May 3, by which point you’ll have completely forgotten about all of the delicious lore contained in the development diary below. It’s extraordinary stuff and quite possibly the most dramatic video of its type in existence. If the repeated use of an angry minotaur’s axe-blows as a sort of punctuation doesn’t get your blood pumping then the earnest enunciation of the finer points of Dark Elf history surely will: “The Mother of Trees, Brythigga, sacred to the elves and home of the royal dwelling was treacherously burned to the ground.”

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