Seems kind of cheap, doesn’t it? That’s because all it will get you is four new characters for the multiplayer (the Privateer, the Corsair, the Brigand, and the Gladiator) who all have “unique taunts, weapons, and stylized assassination moves.” The press release also mentions a 2nd piece of DLC, but it doesn’t go into detail about what it is. Whatever the case may be, both DLC packs are available for pre-order.

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So it seems that we can pretty much expect an Assassin’s Creed movie in the near future, and hopefully Sony won’t mess it up like they almost did with Uncharted. What are you hoping to see from the film adaptation?

Source: Fusible

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

You’ll be able to play as 9 different characters (The Sentinel, The Vanguard, The Guardian, The Vizier, The Thespian, The Deacon, The Bombardier, The Trickster and The Champion) across 3 different maps (Knight’s Hospital, Antioch, Constantinople) with 4 different modes (Wanted, Manhunt, Deathmatch, and Artifact Assault).

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations will be out for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on November 15th.

It seems like every new console generation ushers in a couple of years of new content that the system just rides throughout its lifespan. There are a few exceptions, but if you compare the amount of original content that is released with a new system versus what is released after the third year, the scale is tipped quite heavily to one side. While there are a couple of reasons for this cycle of original content, it isn’t beneficial to gamers and can have a negative impact on the industry.

To illustrate my point clearly, think of the games that have come out or are coming this year. Portal 2, Uncharted 3, Assassin’s Creed Revelations, Resistance 3, inFAMOUS 2; all games with a number or subtitle after them. As for original content, L.A. Noire is the game that stands out the most, and in all honesty, that game was supposed to be out years ago. All of the titles I listed also were new IPs this console generation. So, why do we only see these new games at the beginning of a system’s life? The answer is actually fairly simple.

Aaron sticks to a pretty strict three-launch-title purchasing plan. That way, if one game is a stinker, he’s got a couple of other options to fall back to. Many people seem to follow a similar purchasing pattern when a new system comes out. So, think about this scenario: If God of War, Jak and Daxter, and a new Final Fantasy had launched with the PlayStation 3, all of those would have been safe bets for launch title purchases. We like to play it safe. So, by launching with titles that aren’t an established franchise, gamers are forced to try out these new IPs. I mean, you just spent $500 on this game-playing device; you want to play some games on it, right? Even if you don’t see many games that entice you right away, developers know that they still have a window of one to two years where gamers are willing to take a chance on a new franchise.

So, that takes us to the question of why we don’t continue to see new IPs developed later in the system’s life. Just like gamers like to play it safe, so do the people spending the money to make the game. If they have a title that sold two million copies of the first game, why would they not make a sequel to it? They’re almost guaranteed to have an equally impressive sales figure for the next game. That’s the unfortunate truth of all media and entertainment. Aside from Titanic, all movies that have a huge box office showing are going to get a sequel.

While these choices have sound business logic behind them, returning to the well several times over can have a negative impact on our industry. Four to five years into a system cycle, all of the systems have become machines specialized in playing a few games. It becomes less of an Xbox 360 and more of a Halo playing device. Or not so much a PS3 anymore, but rather a system made for God of War and the yearly Call of Duty game. But what about gamers that don’t like these titles? Are they completely ignored? I feel as though I’m a perfect example of this. Of the original IPs launched this generation, there were only a couple that I truly liked. I didn’t care for Assassin’s Creed, BioShock, or inFAMOUS. So, while other gamers get excited for this year’s “big releases,” I’m left wanting something new. And I know I’m not the only one.

Another part of the problem is inherent to the medium itself, and that is the ever-evolving technology. This is a problem that we have discussed in the past, and I feel that it is relevant to this conversation. The game that Ubisoft put out with the first Assassin’s Creed is vastly different than the one they released last Fall. Developers get more second chances in the video game world. If they didn’t perfect it the first time, there’s always the sequel. Or perhaps it’s that the developers simply weren’t skilled enough with the system’s architecture the first time around to create the game they wanted. Again, there’s always the sequel.

While there is no fix for this trend, other than publishers and developers creating original IPs throughout the entirety of a console generation, there is a counter argument to the old way of thinking. While it is true that the newest Madden and Call of Duty games will be among the top sellers of this year, it cannot be ignored that L.A. Noire and the original God of War were games that were released late in the generation and still were able to generate a large amount of sales. New games can still work later in the cycle. A key part of making them work is releasing them in the dead spaces of the year, such as early summer. Along the same lines of putting a new game out during the launch window, putting a game out in the dead time of the year gives gamers something to fill the void while also experiencing something new. I understand that this becomes increasingly difficult because you can’t start to split up developers’ teams to work on a new unproven IP. Again, it comes back to money. But, with the examples I listed earlier, there is a good chance to recoup that cost.

A problem that we have talked about on the show before is how the industry quickly became too big for itself. There’s too much money to be made and lost, and that makes the idea of risk less appealing. However, if publishers and developers are willing to take a risk, I believe that gamers are too. However, if companies continue to see us as sheep that they can herd into every new sequel, they may quickly see the herd, and the industry, begin to thin out.

Nintendo has already declared that they are getting a lot of 3d party support for the Wii U, and Ubisoft seems to be diving in head first. Nintendo had their second developer roundtable yesterday at E3, during which the CEO and founder of Ubisoft, Yves Guillemot, said that they already have five games being developed for the Wii U. The games that were mentioned were Ghost Recon: Online, a Raving Rabbids game, Assassin’s Creed, and Killer Freaks From Outer Space. However, we still don’t know what the fifth game is.

Killer Freaks From Outer Space not only has an awesome name that sounds like it came from some cheesy B sci-fi film, but it also will be released in 2012 at the same time as the Wii U. All that we know about the game is that it will be a first-person shooter set in London, and you will point the WiiPad at the television screen to aim and shoot the extraterrestrial monsters. You can check out the trailer above.

via: Joystiq

I have good news and bad news. The good news is that there will be a Signature Edition of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. The bad news is, you have to pre-order the game at Gamestop. The good news is, it’s a free upgrade. So what does your pre-order edition of Revelations include? How about an exclusive multiplayer character, an exclusive single player mission, a weapon capacity upgrade, an animated short film, and the game’s soundtrack. Not a bad deal for pre-ordering. The only question left now is, what’s left to put in the collector’s edition?

After we all got an idea of just how the Wii U and its innovative controller work, we were treated to a video interview of several third party developers. There were many kind words, praising the innovation and potential the Wii U controller is bringing to gaming. There are several third party titles already confirmed for the Wii U including:

• Darksiders II (THQ)
• DiRT (Codemasters)
• Aliens: Colonial Marines (Sega)
• Ghost Recon Online (Ubisoft)
• Metro: Last Light (THQ)
• Tekken (Namco Bandai)
• Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge (Tecmo)
• Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft)
• Batman: Arkham City (Rocksteady)

Several influential people from various third party developers shared their thoughts and have us thinking about what titles we’ll be hearing about in the near future. Of note, Ken Levine of Irrational Games didn’t confirm any titles, but seemed very enthusiastic about the Wii U’s potential, making our minds race about potential controller integration into BioShock (X-ray and wall penetrating plasmids anyone?). EA’s John Riccitiello concluded that portion of the presentation, talking about the exciting uses the controller could have for EA Games and EA Sports titles, so we can assume that Madden, FIFA, and Tiger Woods games are all in development.

It’s good to see so many developers outside of the big N getting on board with this system. This is the most third party support Nintendo has received in recent memory. Now is the time to let your imagination run wild. What third party titles seem to be tailor made for the Wii U’s control system?

Remember when Ubisoft created a film studio not too long ago? Well, they have not wasted any time to jump in and start developing their biggest properties. No brainers Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell will be getting the moving pictures treatment, along with the Ghost Recon franchise. In addition to these three properties, the Rabbids are getting an animated series of their own, which will be made up of 78 seven minute episodes. It seems like the development stages are really moving on these properties and we could probably expect to see some Ubisoft movies in about two years.

Source Variety