And at last, the heavens open up and the Lord has seen fit to bestow upon us a definitive release date for [amazon_link id=”B006IOAHPK” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]South Park: The Stick of Truth[/amazon_link]. Parker and Stone be praised.
The long awaited game was caught up in all of the THQ drama of late last year and finally found a home at Ubisoft. The game is now scheduled to release on November 19th. Check out the trailer in which Stan Marsh bestows upon you the long, lost art of destructive farts.
Ubisoft has released a 13 minute video showcasing many different aspects of the new gameplay in [amazon_link id=”B00BMFIXOW” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Assassin’s Creed IV[/amazon_link] including a whole lot of boat play aboard the Jackdaw.
The open-world Caribbean looks very impressive and the real-time weather effects (especially the waterspouts) makes traversing the oceans a hazardous place.
What do you think about the latest look at Assassin’s Creed IV? If you have been turned off to the series does this look to give newfound hope for the franchise?
Seems like only yesterday we were talking about the [amazon_link id=”B00BMFIXT2″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Assassin’s Creed 4[/amazon_link] Limited Edition and it’s list of goodies.
Well today we get our first look at the [amazon_link id=”B00BGHUS58″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Watch Dogs[/amazon_link] Limited Edition and while the game may be different, it looks mighty similar to Assassin’s Creed 4’s. Here is the rundown and how it matches the pirate booty from AC4.
-A big,black box (check)
-9″ statue of Aiden Pearce (it’s a new franchise so no 18″ statue…yet)
-Aiden Pearce vigilante mask (or a tiny pirate flag)
-80-page artbook (yep)
-Steelbook game case (of course)
-Game soundtrack
-The actual game (cause you kind of need that)
The set will cost $129.99 and release on November 19th.
By now, you already know if you are a big enough fan of the Assassin’s Creed franchise to buy any kind of special edition of Assassin’s Creed IV, you were just waiting on the announcement to see what all kinds of goodies you will be getting come this fall.
So without further adieu, here is the Assassin’s Creed IV Limited Edition. Let’s see what all you will be getting.
-A big, black box (giggity)
-18″ statue of Edward Kenway looking all pirate-y
-24″x48″ pirate flag
-80-page art book
-Steelbook game case
-Game soundtrack
-The game (duh)
The Limited Edition will set you back $129.99. [amazon_link id=”B00BMFIXT2″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Assassin’s Creed IV[/amazon_link] releases on October 29th.
How was that for an E3? After a lackluster event last year, things sure did take a massive upswing this year with Sony and Microsoft bringing out the big guns for their new consoles. And it wasn’t just new shiny black boxes that stole the show. Developers brought their full support with a host of shiny new next-gen offerings. So let’s take a look at who the big winners and losers were from E3 2013.
WINNERS
*Sony
To say Sony won E3 is an understatement. They knew what they had to do to get people talking about the Playstation 4 and they did it. Show off the console. Check. Bring a quality lineup of games including a number of wonderful looking indie titles. Check. Punch Microsoft directly in the mouth when it comes to used games and online restrictions. Check. Absolutely floor everyone, me included, with an insane price point ($399). Check. Mission accomplished Sony. You have my pre-order.
*CD Projeckt Red
The Witcher 3 had already been revealed a few months back, but when you actually see the game in motion and realize that this is just the first generation of next-gen games, it truly excites to know what is coming. Plus, you know Geralt will probably totally bang one of those mermaids.
*EA
Talk about a surprise. I knew EA would be bringing their EA Sports lineup and a new Need For Speed to the table, but then they announced two of my most anticipated dream games ever I knew this was a different EA. A new Mirror’s Edge is coming to next-gen and even though it will not be a true sequel, but a reboot of sorts that gives Faith’s back story, I could not be more excited. Wait…now I am more excited because EA also hit us with the news that DICE is hard at work on a new Star Wars: Battlefront. Nicely done EA.
*Bungie
Bungie showed off the first gameplay for Destiny and showed just how ambitious this project is and how they how trying to blur the lines between single and multiplayer gaming.
*Crytek
Say what you will about quick-time events in games, I easily overlooked the abundance of them when I watched the Ryse: Son of Rome demo. That game caught my attention in the best way. Maybe it is the sheen of next-gen or just the fact that I would like a game to fulfill my bloodlust now that Spartacus is done, but either way, me likee.
*Ubisoft
Yes they have another Assassin’s Creed this year. And yes it looks beautiful. Here is hoping that the pirate setting can freshen things up. Ubisoft is on the win list because of Watch Dogs…for the second E3 in a row. The new demo gets me excited for a new IP from Ubisoft. Kind of like when the first Assassin’s Creed was released. Enjoy it now, because we will be complaining about Watch Dogs V in 2018.
LOSERS
*Microsoft
This is not an indictment on the quality of the games Microsoft showed off at E3. They did a great job with the titles that were shown and there are some that I would genuinely consider purchasing an Xbox One for. This is for Microsoft’s complete lack of tact in the way they have handled the blow back from the perceived “problems” of the Xbox One. From Don Mattrick’s completely asinine statement about buying an Xbox 360 if you have no internet to the incomplete list of countries that can “enjoy” Xbox Live on Xbox One come launch, it was one stumble after another on the PR end. It was a weird week for Microsoft. So weird in fact, that I am not sure if it was a solid showing for a new system or a complete clusterfu** that gave control back to Sony.
*Nintendo
Photo courtesy wiiudaily.com
This was the second E3 Nintendo needed a home run and it is the second time in a row they fell short. Last year they failed to sell people on needing a Wii U and this year they did the same thing. You would think that with what was delivered people would be clamoring for their own Gamepad and system. Mario Kart 8, Super Mario 3D World, a new Donkey Kong game from Retro and yet it felt…flat. I liked the new gravity defying antics of Mario Kart and after that it gets disappointing. While Super Mario 3D World is a 3D Mario game (which was promised), I think we were all expecting something more along the lines of Super Mario Galaxy and not a sequel to a 3DS game. Retro doing Donkey Kong is great and all, but the way it was being teased you would think they were bringing back Metroid or working on a new StarTropics game. And there was no Zelda which is cool if they did not have anything ready…but they did! Nintendo has said that they were going to show off the new HD Zelda and decided not to. They do realize their system is tanking and they HAVE TO give gamers a reason to be excited, right?
Well, at least there is Smash Bros.
*Ouya
Yeah, the Kickstarter darling was at E3, though not in a traditional way. It is quite the funny story of tit for tat that makes both the Ouya and ESA look a bit childish. Just give this a read and see that the most fun stuff may have been happening outside the complex.
Ever since its debut at last year’s E3, Watch Dogs has continued to astound and the new gameplay demo shown at the Sony press conference is no different. In it, our protagonist, Aiden Pearce has to help a friend in need as the cops are on the lookout for both of them. Personally, my favorite part of the demo is when Aiden notices a guy calling 911 and he walks up and busts his phone on the ground. If I am able to do that to anyone in the game I can already tell that way too much time will be spent being an utter dickhead. No phone will be safe!
Watch Dogs releases on November 19th for PS3, 360 and Wii U. No release date has been given for next-gen consoles.
E3 hasn’t even officially started yet and already we have an E3 trailer. Ubisoft’s newest look at [amazon_link id=”B00BGHUS58″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Watch Dogs[/amazon_link] has main man Aiden Pearce taking on a human trafficking ring with only his cell phone, baton, guns and a boat load of kick ass.
Just imagine that in this part of the game you are Liam Neeson in Taken and play his phone clip over and over again.
Watch Dogs releases this November for 360, PS3, Wii U, PC, Xbox One and PS4.
It looks like the Assassin’s Creed movie is going to be a really real thing. 20th Century Fox has set a May 22, 2015 release date for the film which has X-Men: First Class star and all-around badass Michael Fassbender starring in and producing with a script from Michael Lesslie.
Let’s hope that Ubisoft can make an Assassin’s Creed game that I will want to finish all the way through before then.
I am going ahead and giving warning that everytime someone dies in this movie I am going to yell in the theater “Fassassinated!!”.
If you haven’t had the chance to play Blood Dragon yet, or if you have but missed the live-action launch trailer, I am going to ask that you take the time to view the trailer posted below. Just trust me on this. Thanks.
It’s brutal honesty time: If that trailer stirred nothing within you, this game is not your thing. I say that now because the review below might make you think otherwise, so don’t come crying to me if you decide to pick it up and are then disappointed. I warned you.
For those of you who did “feel those feels” so to speak, Blood Dragon may be the best $15 you spend this year. It is everything that trailer would lead you to expect on the surface, and surprisingly more underneath.
The game stars Rex “Power” Colt, a Mark IV cyber-soldier who has been sent with his partner Spider to investigate a mysterious island base. Of course, things go horribly wrong, and Rex is forced to work with the beautiful (but mysterious) Dr. Darling to try and stop Sloan, his former CO and mentor who has gone off the reservation.
The story is told via animated scenes straight out of something like Contra or Double Dragon; the characters are just static drawings that slide back and forth or change position suddenly whenever they are supposed to be “moving.” Did I mention these scenes are intentionally scaled to only take up about 1/6 of your screen, and use 16-bit color?
Gameplay, on the other hand, is rendered using the full Far Cry 3 engine, albeit a tweaked version of it that makes everything look like a mix between Tron, LV-426, and the Terminator future. The lasting effect is a mixed bag of drab environments that lack the stunning immersion of FC3, versus objects that pop nicely against this backdrop so that every enemy, animal, vehicle and item really stands out for the player. The game world is admittedly rather dark, and my first play session left me with a headache as my eyes adjusted.
One of the surprises the game had for me was just how much time I would spending with it, because after the initial mission and a brief tutorial on base-capturing, the island opens up to you just like in FC3. There aren’t any radio towers, but there are a dozen bases for you to capture, two types of side-quests, animals to hunt, and three types of collectibles to search for. I was genuinely pleased that this wasn’t a straight action game, and roaming the land is every bit as much fun as it was in FC3.
The base capturing works a little differently, mainly due to the presence of the titular blood dragons: Creatures of unknown origin, these dinosaur-sized, neon glowing mini-Godzillas roam the island at will. They will make a bee-line for you if you don’t move quietly around them, but their roaming can be controlled by luring them around with cyber-hearts taken from your enemies. They are immensely hostile, and can attack with tooth, claw, and lasers from their eyes.
Each enemy base has shields around it that keep dragons out, but you can lure them close enough to use their lasers, and keep enemies distracted long enough to sneak in and turn off the shields. Once that happens, it’s just a matter of watching the dragons kick ass until the base is clear, at which point you need to either kill them or lure them back outside of the shields to take the base. I usually opted to lure them out, mainly because I saw them as allies, but also because they’re hard as shit to kill until you get a few of the late-game weapons.
For the side missions, Path of the Predator makes a return; go here, get a certain kind of weapon, kill specific enemy / enemies with that weapon. The other type is a hostage rescue, where you have to kill all of the enemies in a certain area without being detected, otherwise they off the hostage. The collectibles are appropriately themed: there are VHS tapes with spoof descriptions of 80s classics; TV sets that are tuned to a strange, static-filled signal; and research notes about the crazy things Sloan’s lead scientist is trying.
One of the complaints with FC3 was that there were simply too many random tasks that didn’t really contribute anything to the experience. Blood Dragon corrects this issue by having all of your weapon attachment unlocks tied to the side missions and collectibles. Think running around finding TV sets is boring? Find enough of them and you unlock a double-barrel, and then a quad-barrel attachment for your shotgun. The system isn’t perfect; for instance, all four upgradable weapons have three capacity upgrades, which is a bit much. I would suggest taking the time to find everything before completing the game; otherwise some of the cool attachments you get will never see any real use.
Adventuring around the island will also earn you cyber-points, known in other games as “experience.” Blood Dragon retains a lot of them same perks and skills as FC3; instead of branching skill trees, each level-up simply unlocks a new ability, bumps your max health, etc. So though Rex doesn’t feel quite as hand-crafted a killer as Jason Brody, the end result is that you slowly become more and more bad-ass without having to fret with menus.
When you finally do get around to the story missions, you will be treated to five of the most action-packed, sharply-written action movie parodies imaginable. I thought deeply about how much to talk about the one-liners, references and twists that pop up as you progress, and decided that it’s all just too good to spoil. I will say that the second-to-last mission is the hardest part of the game, but it opens up and ability that makes the last mission pure joy. You know how action movie heroes get their ass kicked in the second act, but then after a montage spend the entire third act killing 10x the number of enemies that previously whooped them? It’s that, and then some, and about halfway through that last mission… Well, no spoilers, but I was literally laughing while wiping away tears of joy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH4UwdS5sPE
There are not a whole lot of reasons to stick around after the credits roll, other than to grab a few missed collectibles, or maybe tackled the task of killing 25 dragons, but I was still supremely satisfied. It seems that more and more companies are using downloadable titles as a way to let dev teams do cool, off-the-wall ideas, and Blood Dragon is the epitome of the trend so far. If you have $15 and a free weekend, then you have what it takes to do it “Mark IV style, mother(@#^er!”
I played Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon on the Xbox 360. It is also available for download on PC and Playstation 3.
Ubisoft announced that their new IP [amazon_link id=”B00BGHUS58″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Watch Dogs[/amazon_link] would release on November 19th for the PS3, 360, Wii U and PC. The game will also be a PS4 launch title as well as be available on the next Xbox (whatever it may be named).
A new trailer was released to go along with the announcement titled “Out of Control” which you can watch below.
Question of the day: If you are getting a new PS4 or Xbox at launch will Watch Dogs be one of your next-gen purchases or will you stay with current-gen for the title?
