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Shaun White Snowboarding World Stage trailer is all big air, winding grinds

by David Hinkle { Nov 10th 2009 at 2:45PM }

Almost every post on Joystiq about Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage has been met with cries for a new SSX game, but this launch trailer for Ubisoft's upcoming game actually does a good job of mimicking the EA series' over-the-top X-TREME thrills. Sure, there's manufactured virtual pals to laugh at and stereotypical caricatures of foreigners from countries you never bothered to learn about in there, but the warm, nougety center of snowboarding goodness seems warm and inviting enough.

Also, what's with that logo? Why is Shaun White's hair the dot on the "i?" If we were him, we'd try to steer as far away from being associated with that other red-headed dude as possible. We'd also be too rich to blog for you people.

Assassin's Creed 2's final dev diary takes us into Ezio's villa

by Ben Gilbert { Nov 10th 2009 at 1:00AM }

Like so many fancy Italian citizens in the Renaissance, Assassin's Creed 2's Ezio Auditore di Firenze has a sweet villa in the country to run off to whenever he's feeling overburdened by his ... ahem ... work. In this latest (and final) developer diary for next week's big game, we are introduced to the quaint villa where Ezio holds a vacation house. A perfect place to store weapons, explore family relics, and think about the world – a place where he can improve the economy to his own benefit and make life easier for himself.

We picture the villa as a fully realized (and mid-1400s-styled) version of GTAIV's many save houses, but, ya know, with assassin stuff instead of gangster stuff. But then again, being an assassin is pretty gangster. Uh oh, this is way too confusing – we'll have to get back to you after Assassin's Creed 2 comes out next week.

Gallery: Assassin's Creed 2

Assassin's Creed: Renaissance sneaks onto book shelves Nov. 26

by David Hinkle { Nov 9th 2009 at 6:01PM }

Tied into next week's Assassin's Creed II, Ubisoft is looking to expand Ezio Auditore da Firenze's 15th-Century Italian playground through a new book titled Assassin's Creed: Renaissance. Written by Oliver Bowden and set to be published by Penguin books on November 26, the novel will follow the formative years of Ezio and -- along with the Lineage short films -- build upon the game's universe, the Guardian reports.

If you're looking for a sneak peek before the book clambers, dives and stabs its way to retail, the Guardian has put up a fairly long bit of prose from the upcoming tie-in. It deals with Ezio's mother and some paintings she commissioned from a rather famous painter. There's possible spoilers involved, so click over at your own risk.

Source - Book announcement
Source - A lengthy excerpt from the book

Sam Fisher uses Krav Maga martial art, according to Splinter Cell Conviction dev diary

by Andrew Yoon { Nov 5th 2009 at 1:58PM }

"We had to find a martial art that fits the characters and the situations he would find himself in," animation director Gilles Monteil tells us in this new dev diary for Splinter Cell Conviction. "We needed something very quick, efficient and brutal -- something without any rules. That's why we chose Krav Maga."

"Krav Maga is not a big flashy martial art," game designer Steve Masters adds, which may explain its relative obscurity. Turning to Wikipedia, we discover it has its origins in street fighting and literally means "close combat" in Hebrew, and that the Israeli Defense Force and Special Forces use the martial art to this day. Apparently, stabbing someone in the hand is kosher in a form that has "no rules."

Assassin's Creed 2's Ezio is a really popular guy

by Ben Gilbert { Nov 5th 2009 at 2:31AM }

We can just see Ezio now, dashing from one social circle to the next like a débutante on her coming out party. And how could we picture anything else after watching the latest developer diary for Assassin's Creed 2, where the game's main character is depicted as a card-carrying socialite.

So what if one of those groups happens to be full of vicious mercenaries? They'll help him learn how to fight! And sure, another group might be made up of "courtesans" (see: ladies of the night), but they'll teach him all about sneaking! And another group is full of ... well ... you get the gist, right? The game's handful of factions will assist Ezio as he murders his way through Renaissance Europe.

One final thing: even if you don't care about each group, make sure you stick around for the surprise treat nestled after the end splash screen. You'll thank us.

Gallery: Assassin's Creed 2

Ubisoft talks dancing, fitness and party games on Natal, PS3 Motion Controller

by Christopher Grant { Nov 4th 2009 at 5:40PM }

On the conference call covering Ubisoft's Q2 earnings, management had a chance to discuss its strategies for the company, including support for both Microsoft and Sony's motion control accessories. "We will also be ready with some very nice innovations when Natal and Motion Controller are launched on the Xbox 360 and PS3 next year," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said, reminding us that a 2010 release for Project Natal is all but confirmed at this point. He later explained that Ubisoft will "also have some games that will come on the new machines that are going to come in the future" and "are working to be ready for the new accessories or new machines that will come soon." Whether Guillemot is talking about the aforementioned motion control accessories or new consoles altogether (or both!) wasn't clear.

Continued →

Ubisoft reports first-half sales drop, deems Q4 most important quarter in company history

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Nov 4th 2009 at 3:45PM }

Ubisoft has reported financial results for the first half of its fiscal year, ending September 30, 2009. Coming in at €166 million ($246 million), this year's sales represent a drop of 52% when compared to the first two fiscal quarters of the previous year. Second-quarter sales totaled €83 million ($123 million) -- a drop of 53.1%, though one that Ubisoft states falls within previously issued guidance.

Standout titles released during the period include the Western-themed first-person shooter, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (which has shipped 'close to 900,000 units'), reptilian brawler Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash Up and, "in certain countries," the Pelé-powered Academy of Champions.

Ubisoft points to its fiscal third quarter -- that's October to December on your official Secretive Hunks of Third Echelon Calendar -- as "the most important quarter in Ubisoft's history." Sales are expected to reach €540 million ($801 million) during the period, thanks to Assassin's Creed 2, Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, James Cameron's Avatar: The Game, Rabbids Go Home and Shaun White Snowboarding World Stage. Ubisoft's also counting on several new casual and self-improvement games for the Wii and DS, which we imagine will help the financialz quite a bit.

Q&A: Jordan Mechner and Jerry Bruckheimer on 'Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'

by Kevin Kelly { Nov 4th 2009 at 12:45PM }

Download the HD trailer

The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time movie won't be in theaters until May 2010, but the marketing winds are already picking up with the release of the first full-length trailer (above) -- and it looks ... kinda good. What's more, the original game's creator, Jordan Mechner, has filed an application for the trademark, "Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands," suggesting that a new game could be in the works. More recent remarks, like those found in this Q&A, seem to indicate that an announcement from Ubisoft is coming shortly.

We attended a group Q&A session with Mechner and movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer last week during the unveiling of the trailer and heard about the legacy of the franchise, casting of Jake Gyllenhaal, plans for a movie sequel, Easter eggs hidden on-screen, and hints of a new game. Leap across the break for the full discussion.

Gallery: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Film)

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CBS bringing Diagnosis Murder, some other stuff to gaming platforms

by Justin McElroy { Nov 4th 2009 at 5:00AM }

CBS announced today that it's bringing a wide array of its TV programming to the video game world, mainly via the PC, Wii and DS. As you can see after the break, the company revealed equally insipid-sounding game versions of Survivor, Hollywood Squares, The Amazing Race, and Criminal Minds, but we don't see how we're supposed to care about any of it when it was also revealed that a Diagnosis Murder game is in the works.

We're assuming it's a Visceral-developed "dark" take on the DM mythos, with a Gothic Dr. Mark Sloan walking a demonic version of Los Angeles, solving murder mysteries with a caduceus-shaped staff dipped in angel blood. We assume this because we laid out the design doc pretty clearly in our letters, and we can't fathom why CBS would want to disappoint us.

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Splinter Cell: Conviction collector's edition seeks revenge on your wallet

by Randy Nelson { Nov 3rd 2009 at 2:50PM }

click to revenge-size

In Splinter Cell: Conviction, superspy Sam Fisher is seeking revenge for his daughter's murder. In the Splinter Cell: Conviction collector's edition, you'll find a varying degree of bonus items -- some cool, some silly -- that Ubisoft is seeking $79.99 for.

Due to arrive on the same day as the standard edition (February 23, 2010) the set will include a comic book prequel to the events in the game; an art book with illustrations from all the previous Splinter Cell titles; a DLC weapon and player skin; a credit-card-sized USB drive filled with art and a making-of featurette; and two stickers: one of the Third Echelon logo and another that looks like those fake bullet holes people slap on their cars to make it appear that they live in a warzone.

Ubisoft's sell-sheet for the CE thankfully displays the game disc and manual, lest you worry they're not included. They go inside the DVD steelcase, which we'd say might be good for deflecting bullets, but appears to already have been used for just that purpose.

Gallery: Splinter Cell Conviction CE

Left 4 Dead 2 demo, new Games on Demand available now

by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 3rd 2009 at 12:20PM }

The demo of the zombie survival training game (also known as Left 4 Dead 2) is available now to Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Although the retail game completes the scenario snippet on offer, the demo certainly feels like "more of the same," albeit with the addition of some new melee and bullet-required weapons.

Also on the shooter front: Battlefield 2: Modern Combat can now be acquired through Games on Demand for $20. Far Cry 2 is also available outside of North America. As always, we feel it prudent to mention that the titles are likely to be found cheaper at a local brick-and-mortar shop (at the risk of running into shopper zombies!).

Shortcuts:

Add Left 4 Dead 2 demo to your download queue [via Xbox.com]
Purchase and add Battlefield 2: Modern Combat to your download queue [via Xbox.com]

Assassin's Creed 2 pre-orders up 10 to 20% over original

by Randy Nelson { Nov 3rd 2009 at 2:00AM }

Judging by one analyst's estimation, Assassin's Creed 2 is set to escape from store shelves faster than its protagonist can outrun his pursuers. According to Mike Hickey of Janco Partners, pre-orders for the game are running 10 to 20 percent more than those of the original Assassin's Creed, which, as the firm pointed out to Gamasutra, greatly exceeded its initial sales forecast of 3 million units. (It sold 8 million.)

In other words, it looks like Ubisoft's going to make a killing off an assassin.

Choose your Rabbids Go Home bonus: Assassin's Creed Rabbid ... or Geek Squad Rabbid

by JC Fletcher { Nov 2nd 2009 at 12:15PM }

Rabbids Go Home is now out, having officially been released yesterday. However, the bonuses typically associated with pre-orders are still up for grabs, in the form of two sets of retailer-exclusive Rabbids. If you order the game from GameStop (who, confusingly, is still accepting pre-orders), you'll receive exclusive Rabbid costumes based on Splinter Cell and Assassin's Creed.

If you buy it from Best Buy (in-store), you'll receive exclusive Rabbid costumes based on ... Best Buy. The exclusive Best Buy Employee and Geek Squad Rabbids will be yours! It's a tough choice, we know: the guy from Assassin's Creed or the guy who sold you Assassin's Creed. However, we doubt the codes are one-time use, so you should be able to find all the costume codes online soon enough.

Ubisoft not planning to release Assassin's Creed 2 demo

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 1st 2009 at 7:30PM }

Much like that other highly anticipated Q4 blockbuster, it seems Assassin's Creed 2 won't receive a pre-launch playable preview. According to Connected Consoles, a Ubisoft representative recently confirmed at the Eurogamer Expo that the company has no plans for a demo. We've contacted Ubisoft to try and corroborate this report, and to see if the company has a good reason for not putting out a sneak preview of the title. You know, a reason better than "you guys already know what stabbing people is like."

[Via Kotaku]

Gallery: Assassin's Creed 2

Big news, Phil! Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood gets multiplayer patch

by Justin McElroy { Oct 27th 2009 at 4:00PM }

We have great news for Phillip Arnasus of Sterling, Virginia. Ubisoft's Twitter feed says that a patch, arriving tomorrow on Xbox 360 and PS3, will focus on bringing balance to the different classes in Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood's multiplayer mode. As the one person who frequently plays the Bound in Blood multiplayer, Arnasus says he's "really looking forward to it" and hopes the fixes will help the mode to "finally catch on," which even his closest friends agree is a long shot.

We give publishers so much heat for the important things they don't do, that we feel obligated to note when they go the extra mile for nobody. No offense, Phil, it's just a figure of speech.