CrunchGear » ubisoft http://www.crunchgear.com Gadgets, gear and computer hardware. Sat, 05 Dec 2009 01:30:15 +0000 en hourly 1 Where were the games? Ubisofts sales down 52 percent for first half of FY2009-2010 http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/11/04/where-were-the-games-ubisofts-sales-down-52-percent-for-first-half-of-fy2009-2010/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/11/04/where-were-the-games-ubisofts-sales-down-52-percent-for-first-half-of-fy2009-2010/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:00:20 +0000 Nicholas Deleon http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=122394 Looks like Ubisoft hasn't had a great couple of months, either. The France-based publisher reported today a 52 percent decline in sales for the six months that ended on September 30 compared to the same period last year. (Fiscal years tend to begin in March.) A 52 percent drop translates to €166 million, or around $246 million.]]> ac2

Looks like Ubisoft hasn’t had a great couple of months, either. The France-based publisher reported today a 52 percent decline in sales for the six months that ended on September 30 compared to the same period last year. (Fiscal years tend to begin in March.) A 52 percent drop translates to €166 million, or around $246 million.

Why the sharp decline? It’s not too hard to figure out, really: what big game has Ubisoft published from March to September. Exactly. The company’s entire year will live and die by how well Assassin’s Creed II does. If it’s a hit, then everything’s A-OK. If it’s a stinker, then Ubisoft’s stockholders will be reasonably upset.

Ubisoft blames soft sales for its games on the Nintendo DS, and soft sales for its older titles. Games it wants you to look out for: the new Splinter Cell (that game is still around? I tapped out after the first one~!), Red Steel 2 and R.U.S.E.

Yeah, they’ve bet the house on Assassin’s Creed II, all right.

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/11/04/where-were-the-games-ubisofts-sales-down-52-percent-for-first-half-of-fy2009-2010/feed/ 9 IntuiLab lets you blow things up with your hands. http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/10/08/intuilab-let-you-blow-things-up-with-your-hands/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/10/08/intuilab-let-you-blow-things-up-with-your-hands/#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:33:18 +0000 Jimin Brelsford http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=117076 New games are always a cause for excitement. Ubisoft's R.U.S.E. is a highly anticipated RTS set to release early 2010. But even cooler is the fact that you can play it on one of IntuiLab's large multi-touch tables, and kill things just by touching them.]]>

New games are always a cause for excitement. Ubisoft’s R.U.S.E. is a highly anticipated RTS set to release early 2010. But even cooler is the fact that you can play it on one of IntuiLab’s large multi-touch tables, and kill things just by touching them.

The announcement that R.U.S.E. would use IntuiLab’s IntuiFace Platform came at E3 2009, but this video is the first evidence of it actually happening. This marks the first step in a new way of experiencing video games. From the video, it seems that it’s not as responsive as a tried-and-true keyboard and mouse, so don’t expect these setups at any pro gaming tournaments anytime soon. But this setup is just to cool to look away. Next-step, holograms.

via Nowhereelse

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/10/08/intuilab-let-you-blow-things-up-with-your-hands/feed/ 0 Tokyo Game Show: First impressions and a look at Sony’s and Ubisoft’s booth http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/09/24/tokyo-game-show-first-impressions-and-a-look-at-sonys-and-ubisofts-booth/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/09/24/tokyo-game-show-first-impressions-and-a-look-at-sonys-and-ubisofts-booth/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:59:41 +0000 Serkan Toto http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=114163 I just came back from this year's Tokyo Game Show and must say I am pretty disappointed with the show this year. There were hardly any highlights, Sony didn't show their motion controller anywhere after the announcement during their keynote (picture of the device below/more info later) and staff members often didn't let me shoot any pictures or videos (which I did anyway if there was the chance). Here are some pictures from two booths of the show. The picture on the left shows the final event of the first day (Sunday is the final day). More material from the Tokyo Game Show follows today and tomorrow.]]> tokyo_game_show_2

I just came back from this year’s Tokyo Game Show and must say I am pretty disappointed with the show this year.  There were hardly any highlights, Sony didn’t show their motion controller anywhere after the announcement during their keynote (picture of the device after the jump/more info later) and staff members often didn’t let me shoot any pictures or videos (which I did anyway if there was the chance).

Here are some pictures from two booths of the show. The picture above shows the final event of the first day (Sunday is the final day). More material from the Tokyo Game Show follows today and tomorrow.

Sony’s booth
The Sony booth was huge but appeared to be smaller than last year:

sony

This is the Sony Motion Controller for PS3 (which will support existing games like Resident Evil 5 or Little Big Planet, too, and goes on sale in spring 2010):
sony_motion_controller

Sony showed an AMG to promote Gran Turismo 5, which looked fantastic and will be available in Japan March 31, 2010:
gran_turismo

sony_3

These PSP models go on sale in Japan on October 1 for $180:
sony_2

Ubisoft’s booth
splinter_cell

Assassin’s Creed for the PSP was cool:
assasins_creed_psp

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/09/24/tokyo-game-show-first-impressions-and-a-look-at-sonys-and-ubisofts-booth/feed/ 5 Assassin’s Creed II: The Master Assassin’s Edition http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/08/05/assassin%e2%80%99s-creed-ii-the-master-assassin%e2%80%99s-edition/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/08/05/assassin%e2%80%99s-creed-ii-the-master-assassin%e2%80%99s-edition/#comments Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:00:01 +0000 Peter Ha http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=105069 142857-142579-21276112

It won’t ship until November 11, but you can drool over the Master Assassin’s Edition until then. The Gamestop exclusive for Ubisoft’s upcoming sequel to AssCreed includes the following for $80:

  • 8.5-inch Collectible Ezio Statue
  • Artbook: The Art of Assassins Creed
  • Premium Collectible Metal Case
  • Two Exclusive, in-game maps:
    • Palazzo Medici
    • Santa Maria Dei Frari
  • Additional content DVD:
    • Behind the scenes of Assassin’s Creed
    • Assassin’s Creed II Soundtrack

GameStop via Destructoid

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/08/05/assassin%e2%80%99s-creed-ii-the-master-assassin%e2%80%99s-edition/feed/ 9 Splinter Cell: Conviction and Red Steel 2 both delayed until early next year http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/07/27/splinter-cell-conviction-and-red-steel-2-both-delayed-until-early-next-year/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/07/27/splinter-cell-conviction-and-red-steel-2-both-delayed-until-early-next-year/#comments Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:20:38 +0000 Doug Aamoth http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=103301 Awww, that's a shame. Red Steel 2, the impressive-looking Wii MotionPlus showcase piece from Ubisoft has been delayed until next year. Oh, and Splinter Cell: Conviction will be delayed as well.]]> red steel 2

Awww, that’s a shame. Red Steel 2, the impressive-looking Wii MotionPlus showcase piece from Ubisoft has been delayed until next year. Oh, and Splinter Cell: Conviction will be delayed as well.

Furthermore, Ghost Recon and I Am Alive, which were both scheduled for release early next year, will be pushed out even further to sometime after April 1st.

According to notes from Ubisoft’s quarterly earnings report:

“Splinter Cell Conviction and Red Steel 2, whose releases were previously planned for the third fiscal quarter, will now be released in the fourth fiscal quarter.

Ghost Recon and I am Alive, which were previously scheduled for release in the fourth fiscal quarter, will now strengthen the line-up for fiscal 2010-11.

That “fourth fiscal quarter” means between January 1st and March 31st of 2010, in Ubisoft’s case. So if you’ve been extra well-behaved in the hopes that Santa would bring you the new Splinter Cell and Red Steel games for Christmas, you can safely go back to being a hellion until further notice.

[via Joystiq]

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/07/27/splinter-cell-conviction-and-red-steel-2-both-delayed-until-early-next-year/feed/ 2 Where’s Waldo? Ubisoft knows http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/07/16/wheres-waldo-ubisoft-knows/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/07/16/wheres-waldo-ubisoft-knows/#comments Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:00:55 +0000 Peter Ha http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=101324 Launching in September for the Wii, DS, PC and Mac is a childhood favorite of mine, Waldo. Yes, the striped sweater wearing dope is making his triumphant return to the world in the form of a videogame. The question is: where the hell has he been for the last 21 years? I'd like to buy him a beer. ]]> waldoLaunching in September for the Wii, DS, PC and Mac is a childhood favorite of mine, Waldo. Yes, the striped sweater wearing dope is making his triumphant return to the world in the form of a videogame. The question is: where the hell has he been for the last 21 years? I’d like to buy him a beer.

Where’s Waldo? The Fantastic Journey is being developed by Ludia and features 12 “magical worlds” and a multiplayer mode. I have no idea how it works, but this is how Ubisoft describes it.

In the multiplayer mode, gameplay is enhanced through a variety of power-up features where players unleash different special effects to gain an advantage over opponents or enhance their own search capabilities.

Umm. OK. Said power-ups include:

• Wacky Paint: Splatter colorful paint onto your opponent’s screen to obscure the view.
• Thunder Clap: Cast thunder onto your opponent and make the screen shake.
• Frosty: Freeze the search window by encasing it in ice.
• Sparkly: Keep your eyes on the twinkle and glitter effects to detect items.
• And many more!

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/07/16/wheres-waldo-ubisoft-knows/feed/ 3 Sony PSP Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines bundle coming in November http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/07/16/sony-psp-assassin%e2%80%99s-creed-bloodlines-bundle-coming-in-november/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/07/16/sony-psp-assassin%e2%80%99s-creed-bloodlines-bundle-coming-in-november/#comments Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:00:01 +0000 Peter Ha http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=101233

Same ole song and dance from Sony today. The AssCreed: Bloodlines PSP bundle will drop in November with a white PSP-3000, the Bloodlines game, an unannounced UMD movie and a 2GB memory card for $200.

Enough with the freaking PSP bundles, Sony!

Update: You’ll want to read the Q&A in the PS Blog post, but I’ve gone ahead and done it for you. Bloodlines connects AC to AC2, so Ubisoft highly suggests you pick this up for the PSP. Free roaming will be a huge part of Bloodlines as it was in the first Assassin’s Creed title.

As players unlock health and Hidden blade upgrades in Assassin’s Creed 2 PS3, the same upgrades will be unlocked in Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines (PSP). It also works the other way round: on the PS3 you will be able to access any Templar Coins and special weapons you’ve collected on the PSP.

PS Blog

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/07/16/sony-psp-assassin%e2%80%99s-creed-bloodlines-bundle-coming-in-november/feed/ 1 CrunchDeals: Prince of Persia for $19.97 http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/06/08/crunchdeals-prince-of-persia-for-1997/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/06/08/crunchdeals-prince-of-persia-for-1997/#comments Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:20:58 +0000 Peter Ha http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=93823 Bless your heart, Jeff Bezos. Your little Seattle-based company has made loving all things gadgety somewhat affordable. If you haven’t played Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia on your Xbox 360 then this is your chance to pick it up for 50 percent off. It’s priced at $19.97 and that’s a damn good deal if you ask me. ]]> 51cni7vt02l_aa280_Bless your heart, Jeff Bezos. Your little Seattle-based company has made loving all things gadgety somewhat affordable. If you haven’t played Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia on your Xbox 360 then this is your chance to pick it up for 50 percent off. It’s priced at $19.97 and that’s a damn good deal if you ask me.

Amazon

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/06/08/crunchdeals-prince-of-persia-for-1997/feed/ 0 LIVE: Ubisoft E3 2009 press conference http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/06/01/live-ubisoft-e3-2009-press-conference/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/06/01/live-ubisoft-e3-2009-press-conference/#comments Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:50:01 +0000 Devin Coldewey http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=92692 imgp8059

We’re live at Ubisoft’s conference at E3 in Los Angeles…

We expect to see a lot of AssCreed 2, Red Steel 2, Tom Clancy and possibly DLC for Far Cry 2 from Ubi tonight. Stay tuned.

  • 7:49 PM: Doug Aamoth Event starts at 5PM Pacific, 8PM Eastern. Stay tuned, we’ll be underway shortly.
  • 7:56 PM: devindotcom Yo ho ho and a bottle of fun!
  • 7:57 PM: devindotcom People are still sitting down. This huge, beautiful theater is packed to the rafters.
  • 7:58 PM: devindotcom Ubi was the belle of the ball last year, so let’s hope they kick ass this year too. We know we’re gonna see some Assassin’s Creed 2… oh the announcer is piping up now
  • 8:01 PM: devindotcom Okay!
  • 8:02 PM: devindotcom It’s on, fools. We’ve just gotten a little taste of what’s to come.
  • 8:02 PM: devindotcom “Good evening fellow nerds!”
  • 8:03 PM: devindotcom This guy’s doing a “I’m a gamer .. but I have kids” schtick
  • 8:03 PM: devindotcom The coolest thing in the room right now is this sweet crane cam.
  • 8:03 PM: ThePeterHa Joel McHale is the Ubi MC for tonight
  • 8:04 PM: devindotcom “Everyone at Ubisoft is a star. That’s why I don’t get to work there.”
  • 8:04 PM: devindotcom One of the most recognizable athletes of all time coming up, apparently.
  • 8:05 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 8:05 PM: devindotcom Also a movie star coming on… but they’re being coy.
  • 8:05 PM: devindotcom Lots of strangling coming up. And animals. Hopefully not both at the same time.
  • 8:06 PM: devindotcom President and CEO, Yves Guillemot on stage
  • 8:07 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 8:07 PM: devindotcom Lots of talk about interconnection. Corporate strategy or new game tech?
  • 8:08 PM: devindotcom From Convergence to confluence. Very exciting stuff here.
  • 8:08 PM: devindotcom Uplay: brand new online destination
  • 8:08 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 8:09 PM: devindotcom Allow consumers to create and share screenshots, videos, walkthroughs, hints for friends, etc.
  • 8:09 PM: devindotcom Screenshot’s username was “EwokLover”
  • 8:10 PM: devindotcom Why not join forces with moviemakers? -instead of just adapting
  • 8:10 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 8:10 PM: devindotcom Avatar: the Game for instance
  • 8:10 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 8:11 PM: devindotcom Working with Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg….
  • 8:11 PM: devindotcom working on Tintin!
  • 8:11 PM: devindotcom Tintiiiiiiin
  • 8:11 PM: devindotcom Tintin + Assassin’s Creed would be the greatest game of all time
  • 8:12 PM: devindotcom They’re very proud of their use of accessories and non-standard controllers – EndWar, Shaun White snowboarding etc.
  • 8:13 PM: devindotcom Next step: making the interface disappear. What does this mean?!
  • 8:13 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 8:14 PM: devindotcom President of Montreal Studio talking about ‘confluence.’ He’s really excited about something they’ve been working on.
  • 8:15 PM: devindotcom “Ubisoft Digital Arts,” crossing over into Hollywood. 300, Sin City etc.
  • 8:16 PM: devindotcom They’ve been working closely with James Cameron on Avatar. More details tomorrow.
  • 8:16 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 8:16 PM: devindotcom They’ve worked on 100 effects shots for Avatar.
  • 8:17 PM: ThePeterHa Ubisoft knows how to run a press conference
  • 8:18 PM: devindotcom Using Ubisoft’s in-game effects and tools …. Assassin’s Creed movie using real game assets and in-engine stuff?!
  • 8:18 PM: devindotcom An Assassin’s Creed movie would be…. mmm, withholding judgment.
  • 8:19 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 8:19 PM: devindotcom Guess who….
  • 8:19 PM: devindotcom James Cameron!
  • 8:19 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 8:20 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 8:20 PM: devindotcom James wrote the treatment for Avatar 14 years ago. The folks in charge said they couldn’t be done.
  • 8:21 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 8:21 PM: devindotcom Pioneering lots of different technology like special mocap stuff
  • 8:22 PM: devindotcom 22nd century… on the “not a planet” Pandora… lush rainforest environments with incredible life-forms (beautiful and terrifying)
  • 8:22 PM: devindotcom This guy is secretly (maybe not so secretly) a huge nerd
  • 8:23 PM: devindotcom Human-alien hybrids called Avatars, hence the title
  • 8:23 PM: devindotcom “Just to be clear, it’s not a Matrix type story”
  • 8:24 PM: devindotcom Remote control human beings… wounded humans living vicariously through Avatars… man this is getting complicated as all hell
  • 8:24 PM: devindotcom Sounds like the plot of a Space RPG. Smokin’ hot 10-foot blue aliens
  • 8:24 PM: devindotcom “this battle at the end of the movie is the mother of all battles”
  • 8:25 PM: ThePeterHa Did Cameron just make up his own elvish/klingon language?
  • 8:25 PM: devindotcom Alien giants, flying “kraaa” vs. helicopters and guns, who would have guessed he was working with a video game developer on this thing?
  • 8:25 PM: devindotcom Cameras took 9 years to develop
  • 8:25 PM: devindotcom how is that possible, film has only been in production for 4 years
  • 8:25 PM: devindotcom maybe it’s on Pandora time.
  • 8:26 PM: devindotcom “We wanted to choose our video game partner verrrry carefully.” Decided on Ubisoft, and why not?
  • 8:26 PM: ThePeterHa I change my mind about Google being Skynet. Ubisoft is Skynet.
  • 8:26 PM: devindotcom Good point Peter. They’re going to hook up with iRobot and take over
  • 8:27 PM: ThePeterHa *touches nose
  • 8:27 PM: devindotcom *touches Peter’s nose
  • 8:27 PM: devindotcom SHOW SOMETHING ALREADY
  • 8:27 PM: ThePeterHa SHOW SOME VIDEO OR SOMETHING
  • 8:27 PM: ThePeterHa SWEET JEEBUS
  • 8:27 PM: ThePeterHa The game is not a slave to the movie
  • 8:27 PM: devindotcom I am a slave to the movie
  • 8:28 PM: ThePeterHa JC is totally nerding out over this thing.
  • 8:28 PM: devindotcom Peter did you see the crane cam almost dink that camera guy? That’s trust
  • 8:29 PM: devindotcom If we got a couple drinks in this guy he’d show us the whole thing
  • 8:29 PM: devindotcom I think he can’t wait to get his baby out there. Hope it’s good or he’ll disappear forever.
  • 8:29 PM: ThePeterHa OK, now I’m over it. SHOW SOMETHING!!!
  • 8:31 PM: devindotcom I just checked under my seat for 3D glasses…. wishful thinking unfortunately.
  • 8:31 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 8:32 PM: devindotcom No spoilers in the game! It won’t be like King Kong then.
  • 8:33 PM: devindotcom Cameron says it’s “the coolest game out there.” Thanks dad
  • 8:33 PM: devindotcom Viper wolves?!
  • 8:33 PM: ThePeterHa We’ll see the demo when E3 opens up the doors tomorrow at Ubi’s booth
  • 8:33 PM: devindotcom And he’s outa here!
  • 8:34 PM: devindotcom “there are so many French people backstage… it’s a little scary” Same thing out here.
  • 8:35 PM: devindotcom He’s saying Red Steel 2 is way more exact. Mmm, we saw some of that with that tennis game in EA’s thing. Not quite, but decent.
  • 8:35 PM: devindotcom Red Steel 2 trailer…. this one’s new.
  • 8:36 PM: devindotcom I like the look of this game waaay better than the last one. It’s like Afro Samurai crossed with … I don’t know, Red STeel.
  • 8:37 PM: devindotcom And there’s still no blood. I think that’s kind of ridiculous, especially with the otherwise stylized graphics.
  • 8:37 PM: devindotcom Janson Vangenberghe and Roman Campos Oriola, Creative Director and Lead Game Designer respectively for Red Steel 2
  • 8:37 PM: devindotcom They’re gonna demo it. Sweet.
  • 8:38 PM: devindotcom This guy looks craaaazyyyy
  • 8:38 PM: devindotcom Trigun, that’s what it reminds me of. Trigun with swords.
  • 8:38 PM: devindotcom Okay, live demo running now. We’ll have video up ASAP after the event.
  • 8:39 PM: devindotcom Opening sequence is tight. You’re being dragged behind a motorcyle
  • 8:41 PM: devindotcom Sword position is mapped 1:1 to the position of the controller
  • 8:41 PM: devindotcom The harder you actually slash, the more damage you do. Thank you, no more flicking
  • 8:42 PM: devindotcom Guys blink and disappear like River City Ransom after you stab them to death
  • 8:43 PM: devindotcom There’s simplified controls for noobs, more ‘customizable’ controls for experts
  • 8:43 PM: devindotcom Bullet time stuff, looks fun.
  • 8:43 PM: devindotcom Not to be macabre, but really it looks kind of weird without blood.
  • 8:44 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 8:45 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 8:45 PM: devindotcom Fatality!
  • 8:45 PM: devindotcom Red Steel 2 available at launch of Wii Motion Plus.
  • 8:46 PM: devindotcom Sports stuff now. Get to the Creed!
  • 8:46 PM: ThePeterHa That’s *bundled* with Wii Motion Plus, Devin.
  • 8:46 PM: ThePeterHa I interviewed Shaun White!
  • 8:46 PM: devindotcom Oops, I misspelled bundled as “available”
  • 8:47 PM: devindotcom New Shaun White game. We’ve got a skit intro here.
  • 8:48 PM: devindotcom Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage
  • 8:48 PM: ThePeterHa Available this coming holiday season
  • 8:48 PM: ThePeterHa Ubi soccer game coming
  • 8:49 PM: ThePeterHa Pele on the Wii, I think.
  • 8:49 PM: ThePeterHa Pele is here!
  • 8:49 PM: devindotcom Pele, he’s here
  • 8:50 PM: devindotcom Everybody’s cheering and stuff but this guy is probably used to even more fanfare
  • 8:50 PM: devindotcom Pele 3d model looking preeeeetty weird
  • 8:51 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 8:51 PM: devindotcom Pele: “I don’t speak english.” MC: “Well you’re doing a pretty good job right now”
  • 8:52 PM: devindotcom Pele: “I’m very happy to be here… I’m very happy to be working with Ubisoft” Well that’s good
  • 8:52 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 8:52 PM: ThePeterHa Why isn’t Nicholas here translating for us?
  • 8:52 PM: devindotcom You mean Carlos?
  • 8:52 PM: ThePeterHa Yes
  • 8:54 PM: devindotcom Seems like a nice guy.
  • 8:54 PM: devindotcom Academy of Champiooons
  • 8:56 PM: devindotcom Soccer philosophy. Too much to transcribe. Sneak preview of the game playing…………now
  • 8:56 PM: devindotcom what, this looks insane
  • 8:56 PM: devindotcom it’s like those GBA sports games crossed with… harry potter, crossed with the corpse bride
  • 8:57 PM: devindotcom cinematic trailer though. no gameplay
  • 8:57 PM: devindotcom Academy of Champions Football, only for Wii
  • 8:59 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 8:59 PM: ThePeterHa Coming in 2009
  • 8:59 PM: ThePeterHa
  • 9:00 PM: devindotcom We’re covering this way better than the other guys by the way.
  • 9:00 PM: devindotcom Producer and Creative Director of Splinter Cell, Alex Parizeau and Max Beland
  • 9:00 PM: devindotcom Talking about Splinter Cell: Conviction
  • 9:01 PM: devindotcom Trailer showing now. Spoiler warning since I haven’t played Double Agent
  • 9:03 PM: devindotcom Looks good. I always wanted to tear around as Sam Fisher instead of creeping.
  • 9:04 PM: devindotcom All the Ubi guys have the same general fashion sense
  • 9:04 PM: devindotcom untucked, dark sport coat, non formal shoes… is that the dress code in France?
  • 9:05 PM: devindotcom They’re going to play it now. Demo time, we’ll get that up for you shortly. MC: “I’m gonna go backstage and freak out.”
  • 9:06 PM: devindotcom Interrogation mini-game. very sadistic. Urinal smashing. Breaking of stall doors…. story elements being told to you are “projected” on the surroundings.
  • 9:07 PM: devindotcom Real gameplay starts now. Looks great. Good lighting. Very cinematic.
  • 9:07 PM: devindotcom That was brutal. You move a lot faster.
  • 9:08 PM: devindotcom Nice climbing. Not as good as Altair though. Ooh, shooting through window while hanging onto it. You’ll see the video soon.
  • 9:10 PM: devindotcom Has a sort of “augmented reality” look to it. Less immersive but possibly better for gameplay.
  • 9:11 PM: devindotcom He just did something to a guy’s face, twice.
  • 9:11 PM: devindotcom Very thrilling! Nice bookcases in this mansion too.
  • 9:12 PM: devindotcom Oops. captured. It’s over! Looks great.
  • 9:12 PM: ThePeterHa We’ll have over six minutes of gameplay footage coming soon
  • 9:13 PM: ThePeterHa Available this Fall for the Xbox 360 and PC
  • 9:14 PM: devindotcom Trailer for a … I’m not sure. I’ll get back to you.
  • 9:15 PM: devindotcom Steely-eyed men mug at each other! Tanks roll under your fingers! I think this is a “concept”
  • 9:16 PM: devindotcom What, it’s real? “Ruse”
  • 9:16 PM: devindotcom Looks like Battleship on a Surface.
  • 9:17 PM: devindotcom Battery is suffering. Come on Assassin’s Creed!
  • 9:17 PM: devindotcom Ah. Ubisoft is leading the way in casual games. We’ll just take a brief break here.
  • 9:25 PM: devindotcom That was… tweeny.
  • 9:25 PM: devindotcom They’re still going.
  • 9:30 PM: devindotcom Camera-based fitness game… I’ll believe it when I see it though. Looks sort of idealized.
  • 9:30 PM: devindotcom The lady in the movie didn’t need a lot of work though.
  • 9:31 PM: devindotcom
  • 9:31 PM: devindotcom More raving rabbids.
  • 9:31 PM: devindotcom Rabbids Go Home. We’ve got dancing rabbids here.
  • 9:32 PM: devindotcom We’ll have video of that later… in the meantime, BRB.
  • 9:37 PM: devindotcom Not sure what’s going on, we’re abusing these little rabbids living inside the Wiimote. It’s actually pretty funny.
  • 9:38 PM: devindotcom Hmm, you’re rolling around collecting things, and the moon is involved. Not like Katamari Damacy at all…
  • 9:39 PM: devindotcom Battery warning. We’ll have video, don’t worry.
  • 9:49 PM: devindotcom Nice long press conference. Battery almost gone. TMNT smash brothers-type game, some project from the creator of Rez and Lumines.
  • 9:50 PM: devindotcom Okay. Assassin’s Creed 2 being talked about. Come on little battery!
  • 9:50 PM: devindotcom November 17.
  • 9:50 PM: devindotcom HERE WOe
  • 9:50 PM: devindotcom go
  • 9:51 PM: devindotcom Takes place in Venice during the Renaissance…!?
  • 9:51 PM: devindotcom Festival… ladies…
  • 9:51 PM: devindotcom it’s a cinematic trailer, no gameplay yet
  • 9:52 PM: devindotcom Masque Ball. Just saw an assassinish boot.
  • 9:52 PM: devindotcom Oh he’s so dead
  • 9:53 PM: devindotcom Lots of Altair-looking guy running around in Italy…. looks stylish.
  • 9:54 PM: devindotcom He’s got a gun!
  • 9:54 PM: devindotcom Assassin’s got a gun. No less lethal than the throwing knives i suppose.
  • 9:54 PM: devindotcom it’s over!
  • 9:55 PM: devindotcom The whole thing is on video. We’ll get it uploaded toot sweet.
  • 9:55 PM: devindotcom Thanks for reading, everyone. We’re off to find food and an outlet.
]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/06/01/live-ubisoft-e3-2009-press-conference/feed/ 5 Ubisoft officially announces Assassin’s Creed 2, dated for holiday 2009 http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/04/16/ubisoft-officially-announces-assassins-creed-2-dated-for-holiday-2009/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/04/16/ubisoft-officially-announces-assassins-creed-2-dated-for-holiday-2009/#comments Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:00:54 +0000 Peter Ha http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=84809 Well, the teaser site launched a week ago and we’ve known about the sequel for a long time, but today, Ubisoft “officially” announced Assassin’s Creed 2. And it’s coming to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC for the holiday 2009 season. Hit the jump for the complete breakdown from this month's Game Informer and the second teaser trailer. Big thanks to Mark D. for the GI article.]]> ac2_r_001_ezio

Well, the teaser site launched a week ago and we’ve known about the sequel for a long time, but today, Ubisoft “officially” announced Assassin’s Creed 2. And it’s coming to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC for the holiday 2009 season.

Big thanks to Mark D. for the GI article.

In a vast open world environment, the game invites players to incarnate Ezio, a privileged young noble in Renaissance Italy who’s been betrayed by the rival ruling families of Italy. Ezio’s subsequent quest for vengeance plunges players into a captivating and epic story that offers more variety in missions, surprising and engaging new gameplay elements, diverse weapons and a profound character progression that will appeal to fans of the original Assassin’s Creed as well as entice players new to the brand.

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/04/16/ubisoft-officially-announces-assassins-creed-2-dated-for-holiday-2009/feed/ 3 Assassin’s Creed 2 teaser goes live, head scratching ensues http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/04/06/assassins-creed-2-teaser-goes-live-head-scratching-ensues/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/04/06/assassins-creed-2-teaser-goes-live-head-scratching-ensues/#comments Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:40:26 +0000 Peter Ha http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=82739 It’s unclear what will happen in Ubisoft’s sequel to AssCreed, but there’s a teaser trailer that launched today and I’m perplexed by it. What does da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man have to do with all this? Is it Subject Sixteen? We’ll find out soon.]]>

It’s unclear what will happen in Ubisoft’s sequel to AssCreed, but there’s a teaser trailer that launched today and I’m perplexed by it. What does da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man have to do with all this? Is it Subject Sixteen? We’ll find out soon.

Assassin’s Creed

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/04/06/assassins-creed-2-teaser-goes-live-head-scratching-ensues/feed/ 5 CrunchDeals: Steam’s “Week of Ubisoft” http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/03/23/crunchdeals-steams-week-of-ubisoft/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/03/23/crunchdeals-steams-week-of-ubisoft/#comments Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:30:53 +0000 Dave Freeman http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=80227 headerHeads up bargain hunters, Steam is running a special, “Ubisoftweek” which is featuring one game a day, 50% off, for the week. Today’s deal is Assassin’s Creed for $9.99 (I’ll admit, I bought it). No word on what the other games will be, other then they will be Ubisoft titles. Personally I don’t see that as a bad thing.

Steam

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/03/23/crunchdeals-steams-week-of-ubisoft/feed/ 1 Now you can play that new Prince of Persia on your Mac (plus unrelated censorship anecdote) http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/02/19/now-you-can-play-that-new-prince-of-persia-on-your-mac-plus-unrelated-censorship-anecdote/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/02/19/now-you-can-play-that-new-prince-of-persia-on-your-mac-plus-unrelated-censorship-anecdote/#comments Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:15:31 +0000 Nicholas Deleon http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=73527 Is it still called “PC gaming” when it's done on a Mac? I'd ask Ubisoft, which just announced that Prince of Persia and that Shaun White snowboarding game will be available on the Mac in March, but it seems my Internet connection is being censored by The Man right now. Censorship makes the Internet Jesus cry.]]> zppop

Is it still called “PC gaming” when it’s done on a Mac? I’d ask Ubisoft, which just announced that Prince of Persia and that Shaun White snowboarding game will be available on the Mac in March, but it seems my Internet connection is being censored by The Man right now. Censorship makes the Internet Jesus cry.

Right, so the games will be available to download from Ubisoft’s designated downloading Web site. I hear that Shaun White game was a bit of a disappointment, and Zero Punctuation didn’t like Prince of Persia, either, so…

More importantly, does anyone know why that YouTube censorship thing is happening to me? I’m currently in Portugal, so maybe the country’s or the hotel’s ISP is run by the Taliban? Me is confuzed!

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/02/19/now-you-can-play-that-new-prince-of-persia-on-your-mac-plus-unrelated-censorship-anecdote/feed/ 4 Ubisoft details 2009 fiscal year game line-up http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/01/22/ubisoft-details-2009-fiscal-year-game-line-up/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/01/22/ubisoft-details-2009-fiscal-year-game-line-up/#comments Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:00:31 +0000 Peter Ha http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=67339 I won't bore you with financial details because we've been doing enough of that in the last couple days so I'll get straight to the point. Ubisoft will be launching seven franchise titles this year (or there fiscal year which runs from April of '09 to March '10), three new brands and four movie license-based games across all platforms. Unfortunately, I Am Alive won't be making it out this 'year' because it needs further development time. It will launch in the '09 fiscal year, though. The fourth quarter for 08-09 will see the launch for Tom Clancy's Hawx for Xbox 360, PC and PS3 with EndWar coming to the PC as well. A whole gaggle of games for Nintendo will also launch this quarter but nothing worth mentioning unless you're into Grey's Anatomy. ]]> asscreed12

I won’t bore you with financial details because we’ve been doing enough of that in the last couple days so I’ll get straight to the point. Ubisoft will be launching seven franchise titles this year (or there fiscal year which runs from April of ‘09 to March ‘10), three new brands and four movie license-based games across all platforms. Unfortunately, I Am Alive won’t be making it out this ‘year’ because it needs further development time. It will launch in the ‘09 fiscal year, though. The fourth quarter for 08-09 will see the launch for Tom Clancy’s Hawx for Xbox 360, PC and PS3 with EndWar coming to the PC as well. A whole gaggle of games for Nintendo will also launch this quarter but nothing worth mentioning unless you’re into Grey’s Anatomy.

Enough of the boring stuff. Back to the seven franchise titles that I mentioned earlier. Assassin’s Creed 2, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon and Anno will launch by March 2010. A new TMNT game will being come as one of the four new movie licensed games as well. And Red Steel 2 is also in the works, said Ubisoft president Yves Guillemot. I just hope 2009 is as good as 2008 was for the video game industry.

Ubisoft

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/01/22/ubisoft-details-2009-fiscal-year-game-line-up/feed/ 2 Contest: Win a copy of Target Limited Edition Shaun White Snowboarding for the Xbox 360 http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/11/20/contest-win-a-copy-of-target-limited-edition-shaun-white-snowboarding-for-the-xbox-360/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/11/20/contest-win-a-copy-of-target-limited-edition-shaun-white-snowboarding-for-the-xbox-360/#comments Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:45:57 +0000 Peter Ha http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=54498

Sorry about the delay on this contest, folks, but it’s been busy around the CG office with John gallivanting around Europe spreading his seed all over Marie Antoinette’s watch and all. So, without further ado let’s start this contest. If you haven’t watched our video interview with Shaun White then you’re basically out of the running. Just kidding, but you have to watch the video or you’ll have no way of answering the questions. We’ll give you guys until Thursday at 9PM EDT to win a copy Target Limited Edition Shaun White Snowboarding for Xbox 360. There are two copies up for grabs.

Now, there are two ways of winning, so stay with me.

1. What kind of headphones does Shaun use when he’s riding? Send in these answers to contest at crunchgear dot com. If you leave them in comments then they will not count.

2. Tell us why you love us in comments. We want answers with some feeling, people!

Good luck.

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/11/20/contest-win-a-copy-of-target-limited-edition-shaun-white-snowboarding-for-the-xbox-360/feed/ 22 What should we ask Shaun White tomorrow? http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/11/13/what-should-we-ask-shaun-white-tomorrow/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/11/13/what-should-we-ask-shaun-white-tomorrow/#comments Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:30:07 +0000 Peter Ha http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=53656

That’s right, readers, we’re interviewing Shaun White tomorrow to talk about his upcoming video game from Ubisoft: Shaun White Snowboarding (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii). We want to know what you want to know, so drop your questions into comments and we’ll be sure to try and get them answered tomorrow.

Oh, and we’re having a contest to run in conjunction with the interview to give away two copies of Target Limited Edition: Shaun White Snowboarding, so be sure to check in tomorrow afternoon around 6PM EDT or a little earlier.

The special Target limited edition of the game will have exclusive extended content and features that consumers won’t be able to find anywhere else, including the addition of a fifth mountain – the Target Mountain – and the ability to ride on Shaun’s board.

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/11/13/what-should-we-ask-shaun-white-tomorrow/feed/ 16 Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy EndWar out today http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/11/06/ubisofts-tom-clancy-endwar-out-today/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/11/06/ubisofts-tom-clancy-endwar-out-today/#comments Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:40:44 +0000 Peter Ha http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=52425

It’s been eight years since Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy franchise has launched a new title and today the World War III RTS EndWar is available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The neat thing about this game is that you can play by just barking out orders into your headset. It’s kind of the ultimate lazy gamer’s game.

Hit the jump to watch the FragDolls in case you’ve never seen this title in action.

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/11/06/ubisofts-tom-clancy-endwar-out-today/feed/ 4 To appeal to hard-of-hearing, Ubisoft will add subtitles to its games http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/09/10/to-appeal-to-hard-of-hearing-ubisoft-will-add-subtitles-to-its-games/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/09/10/to-appeal-to-hard-of-hearing-ubisoft-will-add-subtitles-to-its-games/#comments Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:35:07 +0000 Nicholas Deleon http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=40986 ubihard

Well then, kudos to Ubisoft. The French publisher will now add subtitles to all of its internally developed in order to make them more accessible to the hearing impaired. Games like Far Cry 2 and Prince of Persia will be the first to benefit from Ubisoft’s newfound magnanimity.

And that’s all she wrote.

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/09/10/to-appeal-to-hard-of-hearing-ubisoft-will-add-subtitles-to-its-games/feed/ 0 Video: Want to know what the new Prince of Persia looks like? http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/08/21/video-want-to-know-what-the-new-prince-of-persia-looks-like/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/08/21/video-want-to-know-what-the-new-prince-of-persia-looks-like/#comments Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:44:31 +0000 Peter Ha http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=36071
GC08: Prince of Persia Walkthrough
by dpadmagazine

Of course you do! I also saw this game the other week and it’s pretty cool how you and the hottie tag-team to battle enemies. Oh, and you never die because said hottie can save you. Get excited, folks, this isn’t your daddy’s Mechner PoP.

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/08/21/video-want-to-know-what-the-new-prince-of-persia-looks-like/feed/ 1 Video: Latest Far Cry 2 trailer, map editor detailed http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/08/19/video-latest-far-cry-2-trailer-map-editor-detailed/ http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/08/19/video-latest-far-cry-2-trailer-map-editor-detailed/#comments Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:00:11 +0000 Peter Ha http://www.crunchgear.com/?p=35475

Here’s the latest Far Cry 2 trailer to hit the Web from Ubisoft. I demoed this game last week and I can say it’s worth all the hype. The Map Creator alone makes this game worth it. Okay, maybe not just that, but it’s a nice bonus. It allows you to create any type of terrain (jungles, deserts, etc.) you want and jump into it immediately to see if it was worth the 15 minutes you spent on it. If it isn’t then you simply jump back out and starting smoothing things over or doing whatever else it is that you’d like. It’s extremely comprehensive and allows for minute details for those with OCD. It launches late October, so enjoy this while you wait.

Video courtesy of Eurogamer

]]> http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/08/19/video-latest-far-cry-2-trailer-map-editor-detailed/feed/ 0