Archive for the ‘ubisoft’ Category
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood: The Da Vinci Disappearance Hits PSN Tuesday
Posted by Alex Monney in assassin's creed brotherhood, dlc, PlayStation Games, PS3, ubisoft on March 7th, 2011
Hello my fellow assassins! This Tuesday, Ubisoft will be releasing its largest DLC offering for Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, the Da Vinci Disappearance. This DLC is bringing more AC: Brotherhood goodness with both single player missions and multiplayer content.
As the title suggests, Ezio’s old friend and confidant is in trouble. Now Ezio has taken upon himself to rescue Leonardo Da Vinci. The Da Vinci Disappearance will include eight missions, which will be accessed through markers on your map of Rome (similar to the Copernicus Conspiracy). Ezio will also travel to two new locations and meet Leonardo’s assistant, Salai (who may not have as high of moral standards as Leonardo).
But we didn’t stop there, as we’ll be making updates to multiplayer, including adding four new playable characters. Check out our new trailer showing off some of the new assassins that will be available:
The Da Vinci Disappearance will also include one new map and two new modes. The new map will bring the battle of assassins to Alhambra, a multi-leveled Spanish city featuring outdoor and indoor areas. Also, we’ll be bringing a classic free-for-all death match mode called Assassinate and team mode called Escort where teams must protect/assassinate a VIP target.
Look for The Da Vinci Disappearance to go live on the PlayStation Store tomorrow. Also, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more Assassin’s Creed updates.
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Available Today, ONLY on PSN!
Posted by Patrick Brod in PlayStation Games, prince of persia: the two thrones, PS3, PSN, ubisoft on December 21st, 2010
The third and final chapter in the Sands of Time trilogy is now available for your downloading pleasure on the PlayStation Network! Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones is back, this time in glorious HD (and 3D for those lucky enough to own a fancy new TV). Play and master two distinct characters, the Prince and the Dark Prince: Wield the powers and weapons of two master warriors with different combat styles, attitudes, and histories.
The expanded Free-Form Fighting system lets you choose the way you kill: Strangle enemies from afar, use a new stealth art to inflict surprise decapitations and much more. As always with Prince of Persia, epic action combat, agility and story-driven puzzles are blended together for a rich gaming experience.
While I’m sure EVERYONE will miss the raging tunes of the one and only Godsmack from Warrior Within, you’ll be pleased to know that the original Prince makes his triumphant return. Yes, the soothing voice of Mr. Yuri Lowenthal is back and smoother than ever.
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, Prince of Persia: The Warrior Within HD and Prince of Persia Sands of Time HD are available for download on the PlayStation Store for $14.99. For more information about the games, head on over to the PoP Facebook page.
The Prince of Persia is Back in HD and 3D, Exclusively on PSN
Posted by Patrick Brod in 3D, PlayStation Games, prince of persia, PS2, PS3, PSN, ubisoft on November 16th, 2010
The Prince of Persia Trilogy will be available for download exclusively on the PlayStation Network, giving you the opportunity to re-live the critically-acclaimed developed by Ubisoft’s Montreal studios. These PS2 classics have been upgraded with HD graphics and are ready for 3D-enabled televisions for the first time ever!
Do you remember fighting the Vizier? Chasing the Dagger of Time? Trying to save Farah? Well, that was 7 years ago… This huge PS2 hit is prettier than ever on your PS3 in 720p, and for the lucky owners of a 3DTV, added 3D effects to immerse you more than ever in this awesome Arabian Nights tale from Jordan Mechner and Ubisoft Montreal. Getting this game on PSN is simpler than reversing time, right? So don’t wait, jump, wall run, solve puzzles and rewind time today on PSN with Prince of Persia The Sands of Time.
Prince of Persia Warrior Within and Prince of Persia The Two Thrones, the 2 other chapters of this epic tale, will be available in December. Each game will be available for download on the PlayStation Store for $14.99. To join the Prince in his quest for total awesomeness – Prince the warrior, not the singer – visit us on Facebook.
Free, PS3-Exclusive DLC Launching with Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
Posted by Jeff Rubenstein in assassin's creed brotherhood, dlc, PlayStation Games, PS3, ubisoft on November 2nd, 2010
Today, our friends at Ubisoft shared with us details of Copernicus Conspiracy, a free, PS3-exclusive download for Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood.
This additional content revolves around Renaissance astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (see what I did there?), who will have extra assignments for Ezio, including courier, assassination and protection missions. The missions are part of a storyline involving a conspiracy against Copernicus and his heliocentric philosophy, which was revolutionary at the time.
The Copernicus Conspiracy content will be available for free download on November 16, 2010, which happens to be the day Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood launches for PlayStation 3.
Click here for our previous coverage of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood.
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood: Reader Questions Answered, New Single-Player Settings
Posted by Jeff Rubenstein in assassin's creed brotherhood, PlayStation Games, PS3, ubisoft on October 19th, 2010
One of the blessings (and curses) of working in this industry is getting to play unfinished games well before their release date. The blessing part is obvious; we didn’t hesitate to knock off work early to go play Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood on PS3 at an Ubisoft preview event. Heck, that *is* work. The curse part sneaks up on you later; after sampling the first 3 hours of the game, I’ve been dying to play some more – something we can’t do until the game hits store shelves on November 16th.
Don’t feel sorry for us – it was our job to quiz the development team from Ubisoft Montreal on what we saw, and Mission Director Gaelic Simard was all too happy to answer our questions and yours.
A bit more on those first few hours of the game (with as little in the realm of spoilers as possible)…
As someone who saw Assassin’s Creed II all the way through to a Platinum Trophy, I was curious as to what would be cut from the single player experience. From what I can tell – there are only additions.
I’ve seen Ezio man a cannon, sink a ship, and even pilot a primitive, da Vinci-designed tank. You can stray further from the narrative if you like, taking on assassinations for hire. Horses can be ridden in the city streets, making for more dramatic chases and getaways. If you were into the development of Monteriggioni, all of Rome now lies at your feet for renovation.
One of the more interesting changes I saw was in the way you perform your main quests. Sure, you can kill a target outright and advance the story. But if you perform a designated secondary action during an assassination, like breaking the mark’s defense with a kick (oh yeah, you can do that now), then you’ll increase your synchronization level. That can lead to some of Ezio’s lost memories resurfacing, in playable form.
We only scratched the surface of the single-player campaign in our play session. A completionist like myself will have plenty to keep themselves busy with, and that’s before even touching the multiplayer. That’s exactly what I was hoping for.
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Weekly News
Posted by Gabriel Graziani in assassin's creed brotherhood, beta, PlayStation Games, PS3, ubisoft on October 13th, 2010
Siena now available for Beta
Hey Assassins Creed Brotherhood beta testers! We just wanted to give you all a reminder that a third map is now available. Siena is a smaller map where the action takes place during the Palio horse races. Most of the activity will take place on the ground here. We’d love to hear what you think of it so be sure to let us know by posting your thoughts on the Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood beta forums!
Also, thanks for all the fantastic feedback you’ve given us so far. It has all been very helpful and we’re keeping an eye on the forums every day.
Another week, another MP character reveal!
Over the past few weeks, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Facebook fans have been able to get early peaks at our multiplayer characters. This week’s reveal is the Thief, a female character who uses a blade from a pair of scissors to deadly effect. If you want to see this new video all you have to do go to the official Assassin’s Creed Facebook page and click the “Like” button. This will grant you access to a special tab on our Facebook page set up to deliver exclusive content to our most dedicated fans!
So be sure to head over to our Facebook page and become a fan!
Nothing is true, everything is permitted.
Gabe
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood for PS3: The Beta is LIVE!
Posted by Gabriel Graziani in assassin's creed brotherhood, beta, PlayStation Games, PS3, ubisoft on October 5th, 2010
Hello again PlayStation Assassins! It’s Gabe Graziani, your Community Developer on Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, back this week to announce that the Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Beta is in full swing! This Beta is exclusive to PlayStation 3 and available to PlayStation Plus members, as well as those who pre-ordered from participating retailers.
If you are playing in the Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Beta, I invite you to submit your feedback on our forums.
The Brotherhood Diaries
Surely you have seen our series of developer diaries called Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Diaries. Well, we are planning on releasing another episode this week that you won’t want to miss. Entitled “The Perfect Nemesis,” this new instalment in the Brotherhood Diaries discusses the increasing hostilities between Ezio and Cesare Borgia. Powerful, ruthless and well-defended, Cesare Borgia wields tremendous might as the ersatz ruler of Rome. Cesare may even have swayed some of Ezio’s former allies to his side!
Fear not, dedicated Assassins, because Ezio has some new tricks up his sleeve as well!
You can check out all of the Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Diaries here.
Multiplayer Character Reveals on Facebook
In case you haven’t seen them yet, be sure to head over to our Assassin’s Creed Facebook page for our fan-exclusive Multiplayer Character Reveals! All you have to do is click that little button called “Like” and you will get access to a special tab on our Facebook page set up to deliver exclusive content to our most dedicated fans!
So be sure to head over to our Facebook page and become a fan!
Developer Blog on Official Assassin’s Creed Website
We’ve been publishing a series of written developer blogs on our Official Assassin’s Creed Websites for a couple of weeks now… so, be sure to stop by and check them out! The initial entries are designed to catch you up on where we are in the story behind Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, but with that out of the way we are going to start digging into more specific game-related information about ACB.
These blogs are published in the News section of the site, so head on over and look at our latest offerings here.
See you in the Beta!
Gabe
PSN ID: UbiGabe
Ubisoft’s Upcoming PSN Games: Beyond Good & Evil HD, Scott Pilgrim DLC, and more
Posted by Jeff Rubenstein in beyond good & evil hd, dlc, from dust, PlayStation Games, PSN, scott pilgrim vs the world, ubisoft on September 30th, 2010
Yesterday, Ubisoft held its first dever “Digital Day,” a showcase for the publisher’s upcoming crop of PSN titles. In addition to the games – From Dust, Outland, Beyond Good & Evil HD and Scott Pilgrim DLC – Ubisoft also revealed future Facebook integration for titles like the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood.
In the Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood example shown, you’ll be able to train and interact with your guild of assassins on Facebook (while at work, for example), and then have that experience translate back into the PS3 version of the game, and vice versa. “You will continue to see brands like Assassin’s Creed across all content types,” Ubisoft VP of Digital Publishing Chris Early told us. “We want the player to experience the brands whenever and however they want.”
We also went hands on with the titles listed above. Here are some quick recaps:
Beyond Good & Evil HD
Perhaps the biggest news of the evening was final confirmation that the PS2 fan favorite and cult classic Beyond Good & Evil will be re-released as a downloadable PSN title. Beyond Good & Evil HD will render at an ultra-crisp 1080p HD resolution with higher-resolution textures and a smoother frame rate, plus online leaderboards. These enhancements will make Beyond Good & Evil HD the definitive version of the game.
Originally released on the PS2 in 2003, Beyond Good & Evil is a story-based adventure game that takes place in the year 2435 on a distant mining planet called Hyllis. You play as Jade, a local photojournalist who seeks to expose a corrupt government agency that has allied itself with a race of dangerous aliens called the DomZ, who have taken to abducting and enslaving the locals. Jade and her band of colorful sidekicks must expose the plot and save Hyllis, while uncovering a tangled web of conspiracies along the way.
Aside from its sumptuous visual design, Beyond Good & Evil HD is noted for its diverse gameplay styles: close-combat battles with Jade’s staff; sneaking past guards in stealth sequences that would make Solid Snake wince; snapping photos of rare life forms to earn cash; hoverboat piloting, puzzle solving, massive boss battles and more. Beyond Good & Evil HD is scheduled to hit PSN sometime in 2011, so stay tuned for more details. -Sid
Scott Pilgrim DLC
Soon you’ll have a reason to jump back into August’s #1 PSN title: Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game. Knives Chau (17 years old) is the highlight of an upcoming DLC pack, as you’ll finally be able to play as the Scott-obsessed high schooler.
Those of you who have played the game know that Knives is the summon-able helper for Scott, Ramona, Kim, and Stills, so I was wondering if she’d summon… herself? Actually, a tap of the L1 button sends either her sword-wielding father or tracksuited mom into the fray to help out.
The $1.99 DLC pack also includes Dodgeball and Battle Royale modes, and 3 new Knives-related Trophies. A free patch will introduce drop in co-op – no need to wait til the end of the level to get some help – as well as various bug fixes and tweaking. To me, an experienced player in this game, the ‘Average Joe’ difficulty level felt a lot less punishing than in the initial release.
Look for both the patch and DLC to become available in early November, to coincide with the Blu-ray release of Scott Pilgrim vs The World. -Jeff
From Dust
This upcoming PSN “God game” gives you nearly limitless control over the terrain and physical structure of an environment – the ultimate sandbox game, if you will. The goal is to protect a long-forgotten island tribe from elemental threats, and in the process, help them remember their past and their identity. No pressure!
Creator Éric ChahiI (much celebrated for his pioneering work on Out of This World and PSone classic Heart of Darkness gave me a private demonstration of the core mechanics in From Dust. I watched as he effortlessly molded the terrain and surfaces of an island environment using an interface that will be familiar to fans of ModNation Racer’s Track Studio tools. Chahil raised and lowered terrain with a quick button press, and the terrain responded realistically, as water pooled into crevices or spilled back into the surf. The visuals are undeniably impressive: water ripples and undulates, lava oozes menacingly, sand crumbles convincingly.
These natural elements serve as a painter’s palette in your efforts to protect the tribe from natural disasters and help them on their quest. If a nearby magma-spewing volcano threatens the tribe, you can suck up a large sphere of water from the ocean to put out the fires. In a river is threatening to drown the tribe, you might build a dam with gobs of earth or sand to redirect the rapids. The final game will feature a variety of environments, including deserts, islands, and more. Chahil is leaving the door open for possible PlayStation Move support post-launch, and it would seem to be a great fit for this ambitious title. Look for it on PSN in 2011. -Sid
Outland
This visually striking PSN title combines elements of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (sword-based action-adventure with platforming) with “Bullet Hell” games such as Gundemonium.
Outland’s story is still tightly under wraps, but I learned some cryptic clues. Despite the fantastical landscape you — surprise! — play as a modern-day character. Plagued by nightmarish visions, you wander the jungle and stumble across ruins of an ancient civilization, in the process learning about your role in a timeless battle between Light and Dark. How, and why, you are chosen is a key riddle in the game that will be revealed as you discover hieroglyphics scattered throughout the ancient city. The storyline elements are completely optional, though, and you can instead focus on running, jumping, and slicing giant spiders with your sword.
But there’s a twist. The gameplay revolves entirely around the theme of Light and Dark, represented by the colors blue and red, respectively. You swap between Light and Dark at will with a quick tap of R1, and you’ll need to do so with military precision in order to survive the ever-changing world around you. When you’re in the Dark form, red is your “friend.” Red platforms creak into life, red projectiles inflict no damage, and blue enemies can be defeated with a few sword swings. So far, so good, but then things start getting nuts: cascading waves of alternating blue-and-red projectiles fill the screen, requiring you to flip between red and blue in fractions of a second. Add in simultaneous platform jumping and combat with multiple enemies of multiple colors and you’ve got a formula that will make even seasoned gamers sweat. Outland will invade PSN sometime in 2011- Si
R.U.S.E. Demo Hits PSN Today, PlayStation Move Details
Posted by Mathieu Girard in Demos, PlayStation Games, playstation move, PS3, PSN, ruse, ubisoft on August 31st, 2010
As a dev team, we’re beyond excited to see the release of R.U.S.E. drawing near — it launches in the U.S. on September 7th, so we’re just about a week away!
R.U.S.E. enables players to use manipulation and trickery against their enemies. In fact, deception is at the very heart of R.U.S.E., and you’ll find that without it you cannot succeed. With R.U.S.E., we aimed to create an RTS that goes beyond the established rules of the genre — we sincerely hope we have succeeded. You will soon be able to judge for yourself, since we are making a demo of R.U.S.E. available on PSN today!
In the demo, players will be able to check out an exclusive mission from the Italy campaign and play as U.S. General Joe Sheridan, leading the U.S. army in a fight against Germany and Italy. The final objective: cut off a German offensive from withdrawing by attacking them from behind. Although the Axis forces are retreating in this mission, players will see that one should be very cautious when attacking a wounded beast… if you need a hint, or don’t mind spoilers, check out the “Divide & Conquer” video above, which outlines one of the numerous strategies you can use to bluff your opponent on the road to victory.
We’re really proud of the game’s compatibility with PlayStation Move. Since the early conception
phase for R.U.S.E., we wanted to create a strategy game plays equally well on PC and consoles, with simple controls and an interface that allows players to focus on the strategy, rather than the UI. Although the game plays like a charm with a standard controller, we couldn’t resist pushing things even further with PlayStation Move support. It is really a matter of matching philosophies: we want our game to play naturally, and PlayStation Move can provide games with this opportunity. So we used all the features of Move — optical, acceleration, and magnetic — to create smooth and natural interactions that allow you to change the view angle and zoom, control units and access the menu.
We hope you will have a great time trying the demo, please visit us at rusegame.com for more information about the game.
Ghost Recon Predator Coming to PSP
Posted by Nate Mordo in ghost recon predator, PlayStation Games, psp, ubisoft on August 16th, 2010
We’d like to introduce you to Ghost Recon Predator. In the game, you’ll lead your elite squad on the hunt for terrorists in the jungles of Sri Lanka. Deep behind enemy lines, your mission is to take out the insurgents before the situation gets out of hand.
You’ll encounter the enemy on his own ground; he knows the terrain better, has more allies, knows where to hide and where to attack. Surprise is on his side – he can be anywhere, he can be anyone. In a crowded street, you’ll first have to make the distinction between friend and foe, and the only way to fulfill your mission is with the help of your technology and training.
For Ghost Recon Predator, our goal was to create a game that would deliver some of the classic Ghost Recon action moments from this fantastic franchise. We really wanted to make the player feel like an elite soldier surrounded by highly-trained teammates and include as many cool features as we could. Some of the features we’re most excited about include character swapping, third-person cover and of course tons of customizable weapons and high tech gadgets, such as the RC drone.
All of this will be necessary to overcome the challenges that the ghosts will face by trying to unveil the truth to prevent a war of massive scale.
Last but not least we are also providing a multiplayer co-op experience with up to three players!