After the riprorious success of the other mid-90′s Need for Speed reboot Hot Pursuit and the subsequent disappointing sludge that was The Run, a shakeup of the entire franchise was in order.
As creators of the only decent Need for Speed game in years, earlier this year Criterion took over all development of future Need for Speed titles. Prior to this, Criterion racers were either Burnout or forgettable Dreamcast outings. How do you make a Need for Speed game that redefines itself without veering too far into Burnout territory? You meet it half-way. Most Wanted feels like a seismic shift, more like the HMS NFS has finally gained a weathered old sea dog to give it some sense of direction; Paradise City.
The way cars are earned and driven has been completely overhauled, no longer do you simply started with a Vauxhall Corsa and trudge your way towards a Lamborghini Aventador, all cars bar the ’10 Most Wanted’ are available as soon as they are discovered and jacked, meaning if you can find it, you can drive it. This represents a fundamentally more open and inviting game structure which doesn’t punish newcomers or casual players.
Hopefully this framework still lends itself towards a sense of progression, rather than individual cars being the aspirational goals of a gamer, tweaks and tuneups of existing cars, as well as the 10 unlockables. Each car has a set of specific races and events which unlock mods for that specific car, allowing both upgrades but also tweaks to particular driving styles or events.
Billboards now represent something more than a mere smashable collectable, the racer who attains the furthest jump on each will have their face and Fairhaven license emblazoned on it for all to admire; doing away with the mugshots of Burnout Paradise in an attempt to reduce the amount of flip-off cocks for a 3+ rated game.
Checkpoints also now appear along the most ‘logical’ path towards the finish, straying off this path doesn’t necessarily punish the racer, checkpoint will adjust to suit your trajectory and serves as a much needed point of reference mid-race, addressing the key criticism of Paradise, the need to constantly map-check. Now when events end, you continue fluidly into the world rather than being captive in DJ Atomika’s hideous forced stasis until the event finishes.
Further tweaks have been made to the Paradise formula, top speeds on given roads are measured by speed cameras, a more logical means of measuring competitive speeds. Times and vehicle types can also be explored by pulling up to cameras, so more detail is available to those who seek it, whilst still keeping the interface lean and uncluttered. Easydrive also returns allowing quick mod selection, including the inevitable Kinect support which according to Criterion producer Matt Webster, is “faster than d-pad”.
Multiplayer is again different to previous NFS games, taking the fluidity of Burnout model in the creation of Speedlists, a collection of 5 events/races, some of which individual and some collaborative, seamlessly played back-to-back around Fairhaven, with the winner being declared Most Wanted of the given Speedlist.
The overarching means of progression are Speed Points (SP) which both drive position on Most Wanted list between friends and levelling up. SP carries over between consoles, iPhone, Android, Vita, so once you’re bored of the game on the console and fancy some fresh air, you can play a slightly lower-grade version on-the-go.
The Most Wanted staple, the police, are an “ever-present character” in Fairhaven, occasionally rearing their heads during races and often turn up just after. As your heat level rises, police become more resourceful in utilising spike strips and, if Most Wanted follows the GTA model, employing the full force of the US Army. The rozzers will follow you throughout the huge open world or Fairhaven until evaded, which can be attained through cooldown spots, straight-line speed, line of sight and the fan favourite, sheer brute force.
The main question Most Wanted raises is that what does the future hold for Burnout? Especially with such a solid game borrowing from both sides to create a thoroughly enjoyable and robust experience. Webster may have categorically denied that Most Wanted is the end of Burnout, it’s been 4 years since the last Burnout game -Crash! simply doesn’t count- and I can’t see a future other than through some sort of hideous alternating years model which inevitably harms both series in the long term.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted is the logical convergence of two franchises into one by the same developer, taking the fun and bombast of Burnout with the tension and tightness in controls of Need for Speed, having more than enough potential to be the very Need for Speed title to date.
As creators of the only decent Need for Speed game in years, earlier this year Criterion took over all development of future Need for Speed titles. Prior to this, Criterion racers were either Burnout or forgettable Dreamcast outings. How do you make a Need for Speed game that redefines itself without veering too far into Burnout territory? You meet it half-way. Most Wanted feels like a seismic shift, more like the HMS NFS has finally gained a weathered old sea dog to give it some sense of direction; Paradise City.
The way cars are earned and driven has been completely overhauled, no longer do you simply started with a Vauxhall Corsa and trudge your way towards a Lamborghini Aventador, all cars bar the ’10 Most Wanted’ are available as soon as they are discovered and jacked, meaning if you can find it, you can drive it. This represents a fundamentally more open and inviting game structure which doesn’t punish newcomers or casual players.
Hopefully this framework still lends itself towards a sense of progression, rather than individual cars being the aspirational goals of a gamer, tweaks and tuneups of existing cars, as well as the 10 unlockables. Each car has a set of specific races and events which unlock mods for that specific car, allowing both upgrades but also tweaks to particular driving styles or events.
Billboards now represent something more than a mere smashable collectable, the racer who attains the furthest jump on each will have their face and Fairhaven license emblazoned on it for all to admire; doing away with the mugshots of Burnout Paradise in an attempt to reduce the amount of flip-off cocks for a 3+ rated game.
Checkpoints also now appear along the most ‘logical’ path towards the finish, straying off this path doesn’t necessarily punish the racer, checkpoint will adjust to suit your trajectory and serves as a much needed point of reference mid-race, addressing the key criticism of Paradise, the need to constantly map-check. Now when events end, you continue fluidly into the world rather than being captive in DJ Atomika’s hideous forced stasis until the event finishes.
Further tweaks have been made to the Paradise formula, top speeds on given roads are measured by speed cameras, a more logical means of measuring competitive speeds. Times and vehicle types can also be explored by pulling up to cameras, so more detail is available to those who seek it, whilst still keeping the interface lean and uncluttered. Easydrive also returns allowing quick mod selection, including the inevitable Kinect support which according to Criterion producer Matt Webster, is “faster than d-pad”.
Multiplayer is again different to previous NFS games, taking the fluidity of Burnout model in the creation of Speedlists, a collection of 5 events/races, some of which individual and some collaborative, seamlessly played back-to-back around Fairhaven, with the winner being declared Most Wanted of the given Speedlist.
The overarching means of progression are Speed Points (SP) which both drive position on Most Wanted list between friends and levelling up. SP carries over between consoles, iPhone, Android, Vita, so once you’re bored of the game on the console and fancy some fresh air, you can play a slightly lower-grade version on-the-go.
The Most Wanted staple, the police, are an “ever-present character” in Fairhaven, occasionally rearing their heads during races and often turn up just after. As your heat level rises, police become more resourceful in utilising spike strips and, if Most Wanted follows the GTA model, employing the full force of the US Army. The rozzers will follow you throughout the huge open world or Fairhaven until evaded, which can be attained through cooldown spots, straight-line speed, line of sight and the fan favourite, sheer brute force.
The main question Most Wanted raises is that what does the future hold for Burnout? Especially with such a solid game borrowing from both sides to create a thoroughly enjoyable and robust experience. Webster may have categorically denied that Most Wanted is the end of Burnout, it’s been 4 years since the last Burnout game -Crash! simply doesn’t count- and I can’t see a future other than through some sort of hideous alternating years model which inevitably harms both series in the long term.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted is the logical convergence of two franchises into one by the same developer, taking the fun and bombast of Burnout with the tension and tightness in controls of Need for Speed, having more than enough potential to be the very Need for Speed title to date.
Creative director of Assassin’s Creed 3 Alex Hutchinson has mentioned that the team underestimated the popularity of Assassin’s Creed 3′s naval battles.
It was first shown at the Sony conference at E3, and many people were impressed by it. They could have spawned a whole new game from that, but Ubisoft Montreal decided against it because it was too risky at that time.
“When we looked into it we realised too that no one had done third-person action-adventure sailing, you know in this period. So we’re like, great, it’s brand new; it’s probably too risky to do as it’s own game,” he told AusGamers.
“Although now I think it’s been successful enough that we probably underestimated it. But it felt like an appropriate and exciting risk to take. When we looked at the history of this period of America we realised that sailing ships were so important. It’s how you arrived there if you were foreign, it’s how all imported goods arrived there.
“The French fleet at Yorktown basically blockaded the port; stopped the import. Stopped the British resupplying their soldiers, which leads directly to the surrender of the British in the American Revolution. So it was part of the history of the time and the history of the Revolution. And once we got that we thought, well it’s really something we should do.”
It’s not going to be a gimmick like those tower defense games in Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, however, because Ubisoft wants to raise the bar with this game, and from what I’ve seen so far they’re on track to do so.
Tell us what you think in the comments section below.
The "Assassin's Creed" franchise is now in its fifth installment — and is looking better than ever. (Ubisoft)
I recently got a chance for some hands-on time with easily one of the most anticipated games of the holiday season: Ubisoft's "Assassin's Creed 3." Instead of being on foot and climbing on rooftops in Boston, I was established in Caribbean on controlling a boat.
Sailing the sea is effortless, exciting and gut-wrenching at the same time. My playtime had me on a patrol passing a sunny beach allowing me to grasp the controls, which are similar to how you move while on foot. Afterward, the action quickly kicked up when my main objective was spotted. I was quickly in pursuit of two ships, a different task unlike land missions when the recurring goal was to assassinate guards or political adversaries.
Your main arsenals when controlling a ship are the classic favorites. Cannonballs are located on the side of the ship, forcing you to line up horizontally to cause major damage. If you want to leave the boat stranded, you can load your cannon with chain shots, two balls connected by a chain, which will impede its progress. The thunderous destruction will be an exciting seclusion for many, but the real trick is aiming your shots. Water effects play a huge part in distributing your aim as waves constantly moving up and down, forcing you to time your shots.
As mentioned before, you have the opportunity to strand a ship in the open seas giving you the opportunity to finish the fight.
If any of this sounds familiar, the demo showcased at Playstation E3 presentation is what I got the chance to try. As impressive as it looked on the big screen, it was equally as impressive while playing it. Even though my segment was small, it took me roughly 25 minutes to chase, shoot and demolish everyone in the open sea. These detours from the main storyline are what was missing from previous installments and has me excited to see what the total package offers.
Have any tips or suggestion? pls leave it below in the comments section!
Your main arsenals when controlling a ship are the classic favorites. Cannonballs are located on the side of the ship, forcing you to line up horizontally to cause major damage. If you want to leave the boat stranded, you can load your cannon with chain shots, two balls connected by a chain, which will impede its progress. The thunderous destruction will be an exciting seclusion for many, but the real trick is aiming your shots. Water effects play a huge part in distributing your aim as waves constantly moving up and down, forcing you to time your shots.
As mentioned before, you have the opportunity to strand a ship in the open seas giving you the opportunity to finish the fight.
If any of this sounds familiar, the demo showcased at Playstation E3 presentation is what I got the chance to try. As impressive as it looked on the big screen, it was equally as impressive while playing it. Even though my segment was small, it took me roughly 25 minutes to chase, shoot and demolish everyone in the open sea. These detours from the main storyline are what was missing from previous installments and has me excited to see what the total package offers.
Have any tips or suggestion? pls leave it below in the comments section!
It's been a big week for GTA V fans, as Rockstar has released more information about the game than ever before. This week held 10 new screenshots for the upcoming open world game, and today, the developer has released four new shots that encompass the "Business" going down in Los Santos.
That business obviously entails shooting at helicopters, naturally. As well as running away from people shooting at you while in helicopters, flying crop dusters, and hijacking cars from vehicle transports. Alongside the lesiure activity shots that were released a short time ago, I think its safe to say you'll have your hands full of things to do in the next Grand Theft Auto.
Still no word on a release date from Rockstar, but stay tuned perhaps they'll surprise us shortly.
Just 6minutes from now rockstar put the shots out in there newswire. And they tweet as follows:
"Hope you enjoyed this week’s 10 screenshot special from #GTAV. We will be back with some more to see in a few weeks or so."
GTA V Business Screenshots
Comment and let us know what do you think about this game!
Ubisoft's Far Cry 2 is at its best when your best laid plans go catastrophically wrong – when craftily assassinating a single target goes haywire and becomes a blood-soaked, bullet-ridden assault on an entire army. While I was only able to experience a tiny slice of the Far Cry 3 single-player campaign, I can happily report, at the very least, that things can definitely still go wrong.
As Jason Brody, I saunter through a small, somewhat ramshackle island town. The Ubisoft guide walks me through the basics, pointing out that my map isn't working properly because a nearby radio tower is blocking the signal. Seeing as how maps are kind of important for getting around, the radio tower seems like a logical first destination.
After briefly attempting to drive a jeep up a narrow, hillside path, common sense prevails and I hoof it to the tower. Ascending the huge, entirely unsafe-looking structure – bent rails, missing steps and all – I finally reach the top and rip an electronic scrambler from the tower's wiring. This reveals a section of Far Cry 3's overall map, not unlike the way towers work in Assassin's Creed. After briefly taking in the beautiful tropical scenery around me, I peruse my map to see what catches my eye.
As in Far Cry 2, I'm literally surrounded by potential objectives. The most tantalizing is an enemy outpost. As my guide explains, these camps are controlled by enemy factions. By taking out all the hostiles within, I can capture it, thereby turning it into the new home of a friendly faction. Doing so would grant me a new fast travel location and a base where I can resupply and purchase new weapons. Sounds easy enough.
I notice a hang glider near the outpost on my map, which sounds like the perfect way to approach a camp full of thugs that will kill me on sight. I zoom down to the ground on a convenient zip line and make my way to the hang glider, which is guarded. Who guards a hang glider? Anyway, I manage to eliminate the first guard with a well-placed arrow to the skull. The kill is quiet, but still noticed by the remaining soldier. A hastily loosed arrow misses him by a mile, as do four of the six shots in my pistol. Note to would-be assassins: Aim is not rock-solid in Far Cry 3. It's unstable and it waivers – human, in other words.
Hang glider acquired, I sail through the sky toward the outpost. Noticing a rocky cliff to the right, I veer to the side and ditch my glider mid-air, landing expertly. I only lost half of my health and, surely, only snapped a tendon or two. The overhead view of the camp was worth it, though, as I pull out my camera and survey the entire operation. Each enemy I spy through the lens is permanently marked, giving me a tactical edge in the coming confrontation.
Perched on my rock, I easily take out the overwatch with the bow and arrow. I take a moment to think "this is all going really well!" as I draw a bead on the next soldier ... only to shoot wide and send an arrow flighting directly through his line of sight (remember that human aim I mentioned?). My brilliant plan crumbles as he sets off the alarm. The entire camp turns to face me and, somewhere, jeeps full of reinforcements are closing in.
The rest of it is just a hazy succession of sirens, SMG fire, wasted medical supplies and an errant grenade I tossed at my own feet. One pile of bodies and two smoking jeeps later, I manage to dispatch every foe and the base is mine.
After replenishing my supplies – and buying a silencer for my SMG, for all the good it will do me – I check out the bulletin board in my newly acquired base of operations. It seems a bandit has taken over a local farm and someone wants me to take revenge. The only catch is that I have to honor the local tradition in doing so, which means I have to kill him with a knife.
Sounds easy enough.
Assassin's Creed 3 will not have a multiplayer beta according to Ubisoft. The developer, who held a beta for previous AC games, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed: Revelations stated that, while getting community feedback through beta testing is helpful, the process takes time that they'd rather spend adding elements to the game.
"We’d need to polish a version, submit it to the platform holders and support it when it’s out," said Ubisoft Annecy multiplayer game director Damien Kieken. "And all the time put into the beta doesn’t go into the final game."
And there you have it. Assassin's Creed 3 is coming to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on October 30. While you won't get to play it until then, you can check out its gorgeous new graphics in the latest Assassin's Creed 3 anvil next trailer.
At Comic-Con 2012, Alex Hutchinson, Creative Director, lead an equally informative and entertaining panel about Assassin's Creed 3. The panel revealed a lot of interesting facts about the development of the game. Here are the five most intriguing things we learned during the Assassin's Creed 3 Comic-Con 2012 panel!
The Weapons Are Going To Be Totally Bad Ass
Setting the game in American naturally changes some aspects of gameplay, and one of those is the weapons available to Conner, the game's Native American lead character. "A native American lead seemed like the perfect fit," Hutchinson explained. Neither British or American, Connor allowed the team to use a main character who was removed fray, but who also had new arsenal of weapons at his disposal.
Conner is a dual weapons specialist, who wields a tomahawk along with other close combat weapons, and mid-range options like a bow and arrow. There will also be guns, so don't worry. One of the tools that caught my eye during the demo was the Rope Dart. It's sort of like a grappling hook with noose on the end of it. Shooting the rope dart over, say, a tree limb, allows you to hang targets silently. It looks incredibly wicked.
With a Native American lead character, it seems natural to wonder whether or not players will be able to use scalping as a kill. Hutchinson addressed it head on: "We had it in for a very short while. There are some horrible histories of colonial towns offering bounties. When we dug into it deeper, we found it really terrifying. We didn't want the picture on YouTube of 100 dead soldiers all scalped."
So that looks like a big "no."
This Game Is Going To Be Huge
While the Assassin's Creed franchise is known for open world goodness, complete with plenty of nooks and crannies to explore, the American landscape provides an opportunity to broaden the scope of the game.
Three main areas -- New York, Boston, The Frontier -- have been announced, and even those alone offer a vast array of different environments to explore, so much so, that the game had to go through a heavy edit. "It's a lot like a film director. Initially establishing the vision, then steering it through the middle of production, and then editing the game." Hutchinson added "It's a huge explorable space. We really wanted to focus on variety."
Another element used to keep things fresh is the newly coded weather system. "I'm a big fan of weather systems in games," Hutchinson quipped; however, it wasn't all because he's a fan, there was also an element of the weather helping to keep the game historically accurate. "Most of the battles and key events happen in winter." Hutchinson and the team were afraid they'd receive a lot of letters that started with "Are you aware. . ." and go on to slam them for not including snow.
You'll Learn American history. . .The Ubisoft Way
A fictional story woven into the fabric of history, Assassin's Creed takes being accurate seriously. "We look for pivotal moments in history. For us, all of those events are backdrops," Hutchinson remarked. "All of our opinions are in the assassins vs. Templar story."
With historians on staff, the team used a "30 second Wikipedia rule" for anything they put in the game: If you can prove it incorrect in less than 30 seconds, it isn't in the game. The team does have an interesting perspective on American history: "As an Australian working in Canada for a French company. . ." Hutchinson trailed off and started to laugh. It's probably a good thing they hired those historians.
The Assassin's Creed Team Is Working Hard To Keep The Series Fresh
"One rule we had when we started the project was: no retreads," Hutchinson said. "We hope we've hit the same emotions, but in a different fashion"
There are obvious differences in Assassin's Creed, but the development team is not only relying on those to make the game stand out from the rest of the series. While you'll still be able to dive off of buildings, you'll now be able to dive into moving carts and, of course, assassinate from them.
They've also added a ton of side quests, unarmed assassinations and knock out moves, which are all apart of what Hutchinson describes as "layering the experience." Plus, in terms of the knock out moves he added, "You don't have to kill everyone you see." That got a big cheer form the audience.
Climbing Trees Is Just As Exciting As Scaling Buildings
"Out of the city, into the wilderness. It was interesting. One of the first questions we were asked was where are the cities?" Hutchinson said while explaining the move from an urban environment to the wild American frontier.
The trees of all things, posed an especially difficult challenge for the engineering team. Trees are dynamic, meaning, they don't just stand still like buildings. Hutchinson added, "It was just enough for them [the engineering team] to get out and try something new."
However, the wilderness makes sense. When you think of climbing, you don't necessarily think of buildings; chances are, you think of trees. So, while some players may lament the loss of a dense architectural space, it has been replaced by a robust natural landscape. As Hutchinson put it, "You get a sense of the epic wonder of nature."
Do you have any suggestion or and FAQ or advice just put it out in the comment section below!
As promised on Monday, Rockstar has released even more screens for our enjoyment! This time we're getting a peek at some of the leisure activities we can expect to see.
Dirt bike racing is back, and looks better then ever!
Tennis anyone? The house looks nice too...maybe we own it? maybe based on grand slam tennis?
BASE Jumping is always fun, and the countryside looks very expansive!
Also of note is that on the Official GTA V site there are still three blank spaces in the screens section. Could there be three more screens waiting for us come Friday? Guess we'll just have to wait and see!
Discuss all this, and other GTA V information, on facebook page! or our comments section!
Dirt bike racing is back, and looks better then ever!
Tennis anyone? The house looks nice too...maybe we own it? maybe based on grand slam tennis?
BASE Jumping is always fun, and the countryside looks very expansive!
Also of note is that on the Official GTA V site there are still three blank spaces in the screens section. Could there be three more screens waiting for us come Friday? Guess we'll just have to wait and see!
Discuss all this, and other GTA V information, on facebook page! or our comments section!
Rockstar Games has just released three new GTA V screenshots on the Newswire, under the title "Transport".
The post also promises more to come this week. While we're waiting, come and discuss these screenshots in comments or our facebook page
Military jet - updated from trailer - flying over Vinewood. Is that Ned Luke's character flying???
Cheetah tearing up the streets.
Riding a bicycle along the beach past Pleasure Pier.
The post also promises more to come this week. While we're waiting, come and discuss these screenshots in comments or our facebook page
Military jet - updated from trailer - flying over Vinewood. Is that Ned Luke's character flying???
Cheetah tearing up the streets.
Riding a bicycle along the beach past Pleasure Pier.
As the saying goes, if some is good then more is better, but that has not exactly been the case for some fans of the Assassin's Creed franchise.
There is a rather large, vocal group of Assassin's supporters who adore the franchise, but believe the series should take a year or so away from releasing new versions of the game because they don't want the game to get stale?
Are they right?
Should Assassin's Creed take a year off from publishing?
Assassin's Creed initially debuted back in 2007 and became an immediate smash-hit with its unique take on history and incorporating it with historic cities, during historic timeframes, and blending all of that with a stealth, open-world title that dazzled anyone who played it.
Then it was not until 2009 that the franchise received the second installment, Assassin's Creed II, and this game, even today, is still held in high regard as the best Assassin's Creed of all-time. This time, even though gamers did not know, the game was the beginning of what was to be a trilogy for Ezio, the game's main protagonist.
2010 saw the follow-up to AC II in the form of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. The title continued Ezio's journey and war against the templars and showcased the game in one of the biggest open world experiences ever. Brotherhood was also a monumental title because of the innovative multiplayer mode it introduced for the first time.
Brotherhood was followed by the final performance of Ezio in the Assassin's Creed series called, Assassin's Creed: Revelations. This game brought some closure to the Ezio and Altair stories that had taken place over the past four games.
Where would the series go from there?
The answer came toward the end of this past winter, when Ubisoft revealed a near reboot of the franchise called, Assassin's Creed III.
What Assassin's Creed II was to the first Assassin's Creed, is what Assassin's Creed III is suppose to be to Assassin's Creed II, Brotherhood and Revelations.
With this being the fourth consecutive year Ubisoft will have released a new installment in the Assassin's Creed franchise, gotten some people have still been wondering if it is time to rest the series for some time to refresh the franchise.
Assassin's Creed III Creative Director Alex Hutchinson seems to not think the series needs any time off as he vocalized that sentiment in a recent interview.
Another way to look at this topic is the see what the consumers tell us about their demand for Assassin's Creed.
According to vgchartz.com, among the three major game platforms, Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC, each Assassin's Creed installment has sold 10.23 million units, 10.05 million, 8.69 million and 7.51 million, respectively.
Yes there is an obvious drop off in units sold over the years, but the last two sales totals were due to some of the repetitiveness and stale feeling gamers had with Brotherhood, and especially Revelations.
The real indicator here will be how Assassin's Creed III performs because of how Ubisoft has given off the feeling of the game being a near reboot of the franchise.
But does the franchise need some resting time to regain its luster?
Even though Revelations was a bit excessive, Ubisoft has basically created a new game, from the game mechanics, to the engine it runs on, to the setting and protagonist players will be dashing through the forest with.
Assassin's Creed III looks to bring so many new elements to the series that have never been seen before.
If Ubisoft and all of the folks who work on bringing these worlds to life can continue to produce original stories, worlds and gameplay that are not repetitive, then why ask them to stop?
Should they stop because fans are afraid the game may become stale?
Since the series is still thriving, like it is now, why then would you want to stop it? Just for the sake of taking a year off?
Let's say Assassin's Creed III does not deliver and is a nuclear bomb of disappointment, which is highly unlikely, then yes, all who doubt the yearly releases of the game would be correct and the series should definitely take a breather.
But the series is nowhere near that, and since it is not, Ubisoft should continue to release thrilling games each year that people from all over the world can continue to adore and love.
Publish on Ubisoft, publish on.
!["Assassin's Creed III" creative director Alex Hutchinson said many Japanese game stories are "literally gibberish."](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/14/47/14474011ae0bbf5e687baf0bb73936b2.jpg ""Assassin's Creed III" creative director Alex Hutchinson said many Japanese game stories are "literally gibberish."")
"Assassin's Creed III" creative director Alex Hutchinson levied some strong criticism toward the gaming press Friday, saying there's a "subtle racism" in the industry when it comes to Japanese games.
"I think there's a subtle racism in the business, especially on the journalists' side, where Japanese developers are forgiven for doing what they do," Hutchinson said. "I think it's condescending to do this."
Hutchinson elaborated, saying game journalists often give Japanese developers a pass on what he feels are bad stories.
"Just think about how many Japanese games are released where their stories are literally gibberish. Literally gibberish. There's no way you could write it with a straight face, and the journalists say 'oh it is brilliant.'
"Then 'Gears of War' comes out and apparently it's the worst written narrative in a game ever. I'll take 'Gears of War' over 'Bayonetta' any time," Hutchinson said.
Now, I'm all for critcizing what I've always felt is a press corps that coddles and soothes the industry it covers. And it's hard to call Hutchinson ignorant of game journalism when he worked as a journalist himself before moving into development (which sort of reinforces my first point, but that's another article. Greg Kasavin, I'm looking at you, too).
But Hutchinson is way off, especially when it comes to his views on game stories. Japanese games haven't exactly been polling well in the West lately; that's been a running storyline in the past couple of years, in case you haven't noticed. I suppose I feel I have to point it out because Hutchinson apparently hasn't himself.
Japanese and Western tastes have become increasingly polarized since Microsoft first challenged the Japanese-dominated industry with the Xbox. The West has favored an endless parade of first-person shooters and violent, crass action titles. Meanwhile, Japan's tastes have skewed into the realm of games featuring cute anime girls and endless collection quests.
Japanese developers have also struggled to compete against the Western big-budget action titles, and their efforts to appeal to Western tastes have come across as transparently laughable. Square Enix's failure "The Last Remnant" comes to mind, but even successful games like Capcom's "Dragon's Dogma" also come to mind.
Critics have noticed these changes, and the reviews reflect it: Japan is struggling. Mega Man is dead. Final Fantasy is in ruins. Even Nintendo, one of the few who still enjoy top billing in America, wasn't spared when the latest "Zelda" title received less than golden reviews.
Hutchinson's comments are also odd, because he had just finished praising Nintendo earlier in the interview: "[I]f you can keep a series interesting and fresh then I don't see why it shouldn't go on. Nintendo has been great at reinvigorating their franchises, as have other Japanese companies, so we feel we can too."
Instead, Hutchinson seems more interested in taking the opportunity to express his displeasure with Japanese storytelling than anything. Unfortunately, his idea of a good story in a game is "Gears of War," whose developers were so worried that players thought its protagonists were gay that they felt the need to constantly remind them that one of the heroes had a "[bleep]ing wife" in its sequel. I haven't played "Bayonetta," but it's hard to take anyone like that seriously.
It's ironic, because Crossley doesn't challenge Hutchinson on Western development practices or stories. Crossley's assumption that Nintendo gets a pass seems to be meant to please his interviewee, since he doesn't elaborate on what he means. I can only assume he's criticizing Nintendo for releasing a ton of "Mario Party" games, because Nintendo is certainly not EA, and Zelda isn't Madden, nor are the Mario Brothers The Sims.
In fact, Crossley doesn't really ask any questions at all. When Hutchinson calls Japanese stories "literally gibberish" (again ironic, because "literally gibberish" means literally nothing), Crossley doesn't ask about how companies are increasingly placing backstory and character development in books and comics rather than the games themselves - let alone ask for some specific examples.
That's not "subtle racism." It's just bad journalism.
The end of October sees the latest Assassin’s Creed launch, a game that has an actual number suffixed to the end of it. Assassin’s Creed 2 launched back in 2009, brining with it some much-needed improvements, before continuing the tale with annual releases in the for of AC: Brotherhood and AC: Revelations. And that’s a development cycle that will continue with the latest game as well, according to creative director Alex Hutchinson.
Speakking to CVG at Gamescom, Hutchinson said that the annual-release cycle in the Assassin’s Creed line would continue with the third game, and that it was all a part of the Triple-A process of game design. “Since when is something less amazing if you get a new one every year?” Hutchinson said.
If Breaking Bad was shown twice a week I’d watch it twice a week. If Radiohead put out an album every six months I’d gladly buy one every six months.Hutchinson said that Assassin’s Creed is no longer seen as just a trilogy by Ubisoft, that has its “ups and downs.”. We were reading reviews about Assassin’s Creed Revelations and a few people were asking whether this was the end of the franchise, and we were thinking ‘er slow down’,” Hutchinson said. “I mean, I’m no huge fan of Metacritic but the game got an eighty on there. That’s not too bad really.”
If people want these massive triple-A blockbusters, people will have to accept that we have to make our money back somehow. It’s rare that you’ll make your money back on the first one.
Assassin’s Creed 3 is a huge undertaking – we went back to basics on a number of things, including tech. Any revenue that a publisher can get to make riskier projects is cool with me.
People say it’s the dark side of capitalism but it’s more like communism; we have big projects whose success pay for the little projects.
The way we see Assassin’s Creed 3 now is as a franchise, like Mario or Resident Evil, that will have its ups and downs. It wasn’t the original plan to be an ongoing series, no, but it became the plan. The curse of success, for want of better phrase.Personally, I adored the first annual release, Brotherhood, which I felt really added something to the growing franchise of this unique game universe. Revelations felt more tired though, and certain gameplay inclusions (Den Defense!) didn’t exactly help the game rise above that challenge.
But if you can keep a series interesting and fresh then I don’t see why it shouldn’t go on. Nintendo has been great at reinvigorating their franchises, as have other Japanese companies, so we feel we can too.
Still, if AC3 can spin something that leans more towards Brotherhood in 2013, I’d be game for it. After all, Ubisoft needs something with which to buy time to craft the inevitable fourth game, which according to gaming rules, will be a prequel, after the trilogy has wrapped.
Which is why I’m imagining that we’ll be playing as a caveman with an extendable club fighting Templar Cro-Magnons riding Apatosauruses. Mark my words gentlemen, because when 2015 rolls around, you’ll see that game unveiled at E3 in Mexico.
Let us know your thoughts, comment below!
Assassin's Creed 3 is set to launch on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 30, 2012, with the PC launch coming on November 20, 2012. As anticipation builds for it's release, fans are anxiously awaiting what Ubisoft has planned for the next installment to the Assassin's Creed series.
Recently, Ubisoft conducted an interview with Alex Hutchison, Assassin's Creed 3 Creative Director, about the developments behind the upcoming Assassin's Creed 3. Through this interview, a few interesting details about the overall length of the single player story, information on PC controllers, and if players will be able to swim in Assassin's Creed 3.
When asked about the overall length of Assassin's Creed 3, Hutchison stated that the game would last for more than 30 hours. It is inferred that this game length would be that of an average play through for the normal player. With this in place, Ubisoft will be supplying fans with an abundance of gameplay with the release of Assassin's Creed 3. In addition to the lengthy stream of single player gameplay, players will also have the multiplayer portion of the game to pour plenty of hours into.
Another thing that was mentioned in this interview, was if players will finally have the ability to swim in an Assassin's Creed 3(though we were 100% sure).
With each of the previous installments of Assassin's Creed titles, players were given the ability to swim, but things will be changing with the introduction of Assassin's Creed 3. Hutchison's confirmed that Connor will have the ability to swim with the release of Assassin's Creed 3. And just not swim but some special short which we don't know. In addition to this, the PC version of Assassin's Creed 3 was brought up in relation to the controllers that will be supported with the game. As previous speculation has brought forth, fans began to think that Ubisoft would not be supporting the keyboard with the release of the PC version. Hutchison has debunked these rumors, stating that everything will be supported in the PC version.
In reference to the conclusion that Assassin's Creed 3 will incorporate to the series, Hutchison was asked if Assassin's Creed 3 would mark the end of the Assassin's Creed story. In response to this question, Hutchison stated the following:
Recently, Ubisoft conducted an interview with Alex Hutchison, Assassin's Creed 3 Creative Director, about the developments behind the upcoming Assassin's Creed 3. Through this interview, a few interesting details about the overall length of the single player story, information on PC controllers, and if players will be able to swim in Assassin's Creed 3.
When asked about the overall length of Assassin's Creed 3, Hutchison stated that the game would last for more than 30 hours. It is inferred that this game length would be that of an average play through for the normal player. With this in place, Ubisoft will be supplying fans with an abundance of gameplay with the release of Assassin's Creed 3. In addition to the lengthy stream of single player gameplay, players will also have the multiplayer portion of the game to pour plenty of hours into.
Another thing that was mentioned in this interview, was if players will finally have the ability to swim in an Assassin's Creed 3(though we were 100% sure).
With each of the previous installments of Assassin's Creed titles, players were given the ability to swim, but things will be changing with the introduction of Assassin's Creed 3. Hutchison's confirmed that Connor will have the ability to swim with the release of Assassin's Creed 3. And just not swim but some special short which we don't know. In addition to this, the PC version of Assassin's Creed 3 was brought up in relation to the controllers that will be supported with the game. As previous speculation has brought forth, fans began to think that Ubisoft would not be supporting the keyboard with the release of the PC version. Hutchison has debunked these rumors, stating that everything will be supported in the PC version.
In reference to the conclusion that Assassin's Creed 3 will incorporate to the series, Hutchison was asked if Assassin's Creed 3 would mark the end of the Assassin's Creed story. In response to this question, Hutchison stated the following:
We want to work more on concluding the storylines to make room for new stories... it also has the advantage of giving closure on some long running plotlines.
Ubisoft has mentioned that Assassin’s Creed is a long term franchise like Mario and Resident Evil.
People usually bash Ubisoft for releasing Assassin’s Creed games yearly but they have said that it’s going to be a long term franchise and they’re doing their best to not drag down the franchise’s quality.
“Since when is something less amazing if you get a new one every year? If Breaking Bad was shown twice a week I’d watch it twice a week. If Radiohead put out an album every six months I’d gladly buy one every six months,” creative director Alex Hutchinson told CVG at Gamescom.
“If people want these massive triple-A blockbusters, people will have to accept that we have to make our money back somehow. It’s rare that you’ll make your money back on the first one. Assassin’s Creed 3 is a huge undertaking – we went back to basics on a number of things, including tech. Any revenue that a publisher can get to make riskier projects is cool with me.”
He also said that sometimes games don’t score so well, but that’s normal.
“We were reading reviews about Assassin’s Creed Revelations and a few people were asking whether this was the end of the franchise, and we were thinking ‘er slow down’. I mean, I’m no huge fan of Metacritic but the game got an eighty on there. That’s not too bad really,” he revealed.
“The way we see Assassin’s Creed 3 now is as a franchise, like Mario or Resident Evil, that will have its ups and downs. It wasn’t the original plan to be an ongoing series, no, but it became the plan. The curse of success, for want of better phrase.”
Tell us what you think in the comments section below...........
Alex Hutchinson, the creative director of Assassin’s Creed 3, thinks he knows why Nintendo can get away with releasing new versions of old franchises. It might not be the answer you expect.
After Hutchinson compared AC to other well known franchises, Mario and Resident Evil, website CVG asked the creative director why Nintendo can release a new version of its franchises every year and nobody says anything. Here’s what Hutchinson said:You want my real answer? I think there’s a subtle racism in the business, especially on the journalists’ side, where Japanese developers are forgiven for doing what they do. I think it’s condescending to do this.After CVG asked him if he was being serious, the developer continued:
Yeah. Just think about how many Japanese games are released where their stories are literally gibberish. Literally gibberish. There’s no way you could write it with a straight face and the journalists say, “Oh it is brilliant”.For the past several years haven’t people been bashing Japanese games? And if they are not doing that, they’ve been saying that the Japanese game industry’s dominance is finished and that Western games — games like Assassin’s Creed and Mass Effect — are better, no? Also, wasn’t it a Dead Space developer who called Gears of War “literally the worst writing in games”? What am I missing?
Then Gears of War comes out and apparently it’s the worst written narrative in a game ever. I’ll take Gears of War over Bayonetta any time.
It’s patronising to say, “Oh those Japanese stories, they don’t really mean what they’re doing”.
After receiving a vocal negative regarding the trailer that featured Agent 47 systematically murdering an assassin squad posing as nuns decked out in latex and PVC, developer IO Interactive has decided to make some changes to Hitman Absolution.
"We learned from the trailer that we really needed to give these characters some context and some backstory," Hitman Absolution director Tore Blystad told Eurogamer during Gamescom. "We're working within the game – within that level – to build these characters up before you meet them. That way you know what you're getting and you aren't put off by them."
Known as "The Saints" within the game, Blystad says the female team of killers fits within a franchise that has often been "colourful and cartoony." The description is apt, considering Agent 47's previous experience dressing up as a clown and visiting bondage bars. Blystad also promised that the all-out-war approach taken by Agent 47 in the trailer is only one way – and it's not the smartest – to complete the level it's based on.
Blystad said that IO Interactive didn't see the backlash to the trailer coming. "We've been trying to find out, y'know, how could we not see this happening? If we knew it would get such a negative reaction we would have done it in a different way," he pondered.
What seems to be changing is just the details about the fake-nun characters. Blystad doesn't seem to be claiming that levels will be altered. Since the controversial trailer, IO Interactive released a new video detailing some of the backstory surrounding the characters. But will knowing Assassin Nun #4's likes and dislikes really alter people's reaction to their use in the game?
Here's the clip from Gamescom detailing Hitman: Absolution's recently revealed asynchronous multiplayer mode, "Contracts." Playable at the German mega show, Contracts allows players to make their own scenario of Agent 47 marks and challenge their friends to do better.
For example, in the oft-seen library scene where Agent 47 is trying to get away from a group of cops, it is now possible to make an original kill scenario. Players take out a target, choosing a specific weapon. Then they can do that to two other characters, then escape the scenario – and upload that to the contracts server.
Developer IO Interactive says there will be weekly contracts. Earned money can be used to start scenarios with weapons and disguises. For example, if you know a specific costume helps you blend in a certain level, you'll be able to start the level wearing it to reduce time. The mode will be playable at Gamescom.
Who's that dashing sea captain with the ragged hair? Ah, of course – it's the half-Native / half-British protagonist of Assassin's Creed 3, Connor. And wouldn't you know it, he's got his trusty tomahawk aboard that colonial era ship. Take a peek at the leaked footage above before Ubi pulls it!
2K Czech gangster sequel reportedly originally intended to be next-gen launch title, but that has become "unlikely" due to need for additional staff.
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Mafia III is currently in development at 2K Czech for the PlayStation 4 and next Xbox, according to a Eurogamer Czech report (translated by the author and posted to Eurogamer's English outlet).
There's likely to be lots of punching in Mafia III.
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| There's likely to be lots of punching in Mafia III |
A 2K representative told GameSpot, "It is 2K's policy not to comment on rumours and speculation."
There are currently 13 open positions at 2K Czech, which include calls for artists, programmers, and various designers. According to the job listings, people chosen for these positions will work on the developer's "next AAA title."
2K Czech's most recent release was tennis simulator Top Spin 4, which launched in March 2011.
A report from earlier this year suggested that 2K Czech was assisting Rockstar North with development on Grand Theft Auto V. A Rockstar representative denied this claim, plainly stating that the two studios are not collaborating on anything.
The analyst consensus is that the next Xbox (recently confirmed by Microsoft) and the PS4 will be on store shelves for holiday 2013. As for their capabilities, GameStop CEO Paul Raines said last month that these consoles will provide "unbelievable new capabilities for rendering, speeds, et cetera."
Detailed Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 single player, multiplayer, weapons, and zombie info has leaked from an anonymous Associate Producer at Activision. Keep in mind that lists like this leak all the time and usually a lot of the content found within them are either totally made up, or don't make it in to the game. Basically what I'm saying is take the following information with a grain of salt as none of it has been confirmed by Activision. If it does turn out to be legitimate though, we now have a ton of details on one of the most highly anticipated first-person shooters coming this year.
This your spoiler alert.
According to the posting on Dual Shockers, Black Ops 2's story will revolve around Frank Woods as an old man reliving his missions with Alex Mason, and Raul Menendez, a terrorist who's trying to start a war with the world's drone army. The two stories will be interconnected through flashbacks and some of your actions will effect the story.
Throughout your single-player adventure you'll be traveling to places like Afghanistan, Angola, Panama, Haiti, Pakistan, Al Jinan, Singapore, Nicaragua, Los Angeles, and Yemen. Single player will also have perks this time around. An example of a single player perk is brute force, which will allow your character to access certain areas of the game that would otherwise be inaccessible.
While the single player campaign seems interesting, it's the multiplayer changes that are actually pretty incredible. According to the source, Black Ops 2 will include a live streaming feature built right in to the game, and it will have dedicated servers for ranked matches. Live streaming is already a way that millions of people consume entertainment on a daily basis on avenues like YouTube and Twitch.tv. With Black Ops 2 live streaming feature, you'll automatically be able to stream your game on the Internet for your friends and family to watch.
Additionally, there was some info leaked on a new type of zombie mode. In the mode, which doesn't have a name yet, players can get infected and turned in to a zombie, play as a zombie, and infect other players. While as a zombie you'll swipe and claw other players, trying to infect them. It sounds kind of similar to Agent Hunt mode in Resident Evil 6.
As for weapons, there aren't any grenade launchers this time around. Here are some of the primary weapons that will be in the game though, according to the leak:
- Assault Shield
- SCAR assault rifle
- Vector K10 SMG
- Ballistic Knife
- AS-50 sniper rifle
- MP7
- Storm PSR – Shown in the E3demo.
- Crossbow with explosive tip
- SMAW
- Five-Seven
- Barreta burst pistol
- RPG
- Stinger Missile
- Cargo / Dockside – Play through a Singapore shipping yard.
- Aftermath – Play through the ruins of Los Angeles.
- Hijacked – Play through a close quarter map that takes place on a Yacht.
- Slums – Play though slums in panama.
- Drone – Play through a complex with docked aerial drones.
- Power plant – Play through a Pakistan power plant.
- Nightclub – Play in a nightclub from the Al Jinan single player campaign.
- Overflow – Takes place in Pakistan on in a business district.
- Carrier – Takes place on an aircraft carrier U.S.S. Barack Obama from single player.
- Turbine – Takes place in Yemen in a valley with crashed windmills.
- Yemen – Takes place in suburban Yemen with close quarter buildings.
Black Ops 2 comes out for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PC on November 13, 2012.
Source: Dual Shockers
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We are very delighted to bring info on gamming consoles!!
The Xbox 720: We all know it's coming, but it hasn't been announced. It has, though, been "kind of" confirmed by a Microsoft general manager.
In an interview with The Verge, Brian Hall General Manager of Windows Live, said that the new Xbox will be released "in time" for a spate of new Microsoft products, including Windows 8 and the Windows phone. You'll find the entire, relevant quote beneath the "Read More" tag.
Let us know what you all feel by commenting!
In an interview with The Verge, Brian Hall General Manager of Windows Live, said that the new Xbox will be released "in time" for a spate of new Microsoft products, including Windows 8 and the Windows phone. You'll find the entire, relevant quote beneath the "Read More" tag.
“We’ve had Hotmail and operated Hotmail for about sixteen years, we obviously have Exchange, and Outlook, that people use at work. We just decided it was time to do something new and bring the best from each of those and put them together and release it right in time for the new wave of products that we could have coming out with Windows 8 with the new version of Office with the New Windows phone and the new Xbox.”
We don't really have any other information, but right now, this is the closest thing to a confirmation of the next Xbox that has come from Microsoft.Let us know what you all feel by commenting!
As anyone who has spent any amount of time with the Assassin’s Creed series knows, brutal and “Oh sh*t!”-inducing combat is one of its most joyous cornerstones. And if you’ve been keeping up with any of our Assassin’s Creed 3 coverage, like our video feature on the evolution of the franchise's combat system, then you know full well that this tradition not only continues with Ubisoft Montreal’s latest installment but has been taken to remarkable new levels. At this year's E3 and Comic-Con, Ubisoft showed off hefty new portions of gameplay and gave us a look at some of hero Connor’s impressive skill set in the area of messin’ fools up.
Now, as in previous games, because the animations are so quick and slick (i.e. so expertly crafted), it can be easy to miss all the nuances that go into to bringing these insane moves to life. So to help give you a better sense of what Connor is capable of on the battlefield--and what he’s actually doing from an animation perspective--we decided to put together this little takedown breakdown of some of these new moves that should educate as well as inspire a healthy amount of “Dear lord!” shouting.
1. The human shield maneuver should prove to be a valuable one, especially when facing down a squad of musket-packing Red Coats. With so many guns on the battlefield this time around, I would expect this to be a very popular move throughout the campaign, and not just because it's so badass.
2. I love this low-high-low attack. Knock out the knee with the hatchet to get him off balance, slice him across the face with your dagger, and then bury your hatchet into his chest, just under the rib cage with a swift backhanded upward thrust. The way this guy ragdolls after the final blow is just fantastic.
3. One of Connor's coolest and most useful abilities is the behind the back block. It's also the perfect way to start the above combo of knife to the back into neck snap, and it shows off how much more combat variety there will be now that you're able to dual wield weapons.
4. Another behind the back save here, only this time Connor bounds into the air and buckles the dude's leg at the knee, putting him in prime position for a hatchet-based throat slit. This move also shows off Connor's dexterity and physicality as he moves from countering to jumping to grabbing in one smooth motion.
5. This counter is just good old fashioned "block/chop a dude down with three brutal strikes to the jugular." My favorite execution type in the other AC games is the multi-knife stab to the chest, so as you can probably guess, this takedown had me giggling heartily.
6. To maintain the balance of power in any given fight, it's always important to have at least one heavy enemy that requires some extra thought to defeat. In this case, it's a kilt-wearing, feathery-hatted foe capable of blocking Connor's frontal hatchet attack with a simple hand grab. He adds injury to insult by head butting Connor as well, but this brief/ultimately futile tide turner does nothing but inspire Connor to make a smarter first strike in which he pulls the enemy off balance with his hatchet. He finishes the job by separating the dude from his throat.
7. Assassin's Creed 3's new momentum-based takedowns allow Connor to dispose of multiple enemies in a row while on the move and without breaking his stride. These moves promise to deliver some of the most spectacular death flourishes in the game, as evidenced by the above attack. It appears that at certain points there will be grabable objects in the world that Connor will be able to put to good/deadly use. In this case, it's a musket snatched from a gun rack. What's great about this move is that Connor is able to skewer the first dude but hold on to the musket and use it again to take out the final target. It's unclear if you'll be able to use every weapon this same way, or if it's situation specific. Either way, expect to be sharing stories of pulling off these moves around the proverbial water cooler once the game is in the wild.
- VIDEO:
8. Similar to the firing squad move seen earlier, this "Face, pitchfork; pitchfork, face" kill highlights a couple new features, all within about three seconds. Similar to previous games, Connor can use his environment to blend in--in AC3, any two non-enemy characters can be sidled up to and used to provide cover--and as we see here, he can now strike from cover and use his environment to take out enemies. This takedown also shows off AC3's new cinematic camera, which has obviously received quite a bit of work as well, as the camera swoops in and around Connor and makes these sorts of takedowns even more stylish and personal. And the way the soldier doubles over after the punch lands, and the shock on his soon-to-be-skewered face really drive home the ferocity and quickness of Connor's attack.
9. Connor's roll ability lets him cover even more ground than Altair and Ezio and before him. He still has jump attacks, and the one-hit-kill counter system automatically draws Connor to enemies without the player having to physically move him, but being able to roll (and/or having it trigger automatically when one-hit-killing an enemy that is especially far away) will allow for much roomier fights. Best part of this move has to be the way Connor springs up from the ground and braces himself with his front leg before delivering the killing blow.
As you can see, Connor is quite the skilled killer, and we have only seen a fraction of what he is capable of when it comes to putting down those pesky British invaders. We'll be seeing more Assassin's Creed 3 goodness at Comic-Con 2012 in a couple weeks, so be sure to stay tuned. In the meantime, I'm going to practice my knife and fork takedown skills on this here burrito.
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