On this week’s episode of EpicBatleCry, the hosts talked quite a bit about game delays. As you know this is a favorite topic of mine and, therefore, you might be expecting me to write about it this week. Well, I will not. Although – I will say that I still can’t figure out why an industry that makes more money than the music industry and is creeping up on film still cannot seem to manage what the other two forms of entertainment mastered long ago: schedules. I mean, didn’t we all learn about schedules and managing expectations and fulfilling commitments in some intro class in high school? I mean seriously, gaming industry, get your sh*# together when it comes to…wait a minute, wait a minute. I said that I am not going to write about this topic this week, didn’t I?. Sorry. I got a little caught up there. What I dowant to discuss this week is a topic DK brought up on the show in the context of Mass Effect 2, but is an even more interesting question when extrapolated out to the industry in general. That question is: are games being dumbed down and/or diluted in order to appeal to the masses and , if so, are they losing quality and merit because of it? Read the rest of this entry…
Sound the horns and lay waste the city, its time for another edition of EpicBattleCry! In this week’s skirmish, we mull over the news that Zelda: Skyward Sword is on track for an early 2011 release, check out the trailer for James Bond 007: Blood Stone, discuss the 360 exclusive window for Lara Croft and The Guardian of Light, and the PS3-exclusive DLC for Mafia II.
First up in the main course this week, we go Under The Axe with Zombie Studios’ Jared Gerritzen, lead designer on Blacklight: Tango Down. We talk platform exclusives, milking gamers, and changing expectations for downloadable games. Be sure to check out the full interview with Jared only on EpicBattleAxe.com!
With the slew of Limited Editions, DLC goodies, and promotions that were announced this week, we take a moment to consider whether or not these premium priced goodies make sense and whether game publishers and marketers get gamers.
The Battle Cry of the Week goes to King of Fighters XIII, The teaser-announcment-trailer for Mega Man Universe, Breach, and Assassin’s Creed 2. Read the rest of this entry…
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood will be released on November 16, 2010 – this according to the latest, totally bad-ass E3 trailer for the game where Ubisoft decided to reveal the release date.
We’re hoping to learn more about the story, characters, and multiplayer component at E3, but for now, the knowledge that you’ll be carving up Roman dudes right around the time you carve up your Thanksgiving turkey will have to do…
Knives at the ready and make for the shore, its time for another edition of EpicBattleCry! In this week’s skirmish we take a look at the first (and free) DLC for MAG, Skate 3’s May release date, the St. Lucia DLC for Dante’s Inferno, the Need for Speed World beta, and the Splinter Cell: Conviction demo that snuck out recently.
On the main course this week, we examine the recent debacle with Ubisoft and their DRM scheme which cut off thousands of players from single-player titles like Assassin’s Creed 2 on PC. We ask the tough questions; who is DRM hurting more pirates or players? How much money did Ubisoft spend to prevent paying customers from playing their games? Can we somehow blame Bobby Kotick?
The Battle Cry of the Week goes to the rumor of an Xbox 360 Slim, Arcade Aid, the latest viral ad for Tron: Legacy, Lead and Gold, and trailers that give away the whole game before it even hits the streets.
Saddle up and ride for world’s ending, its time for another edition of EpicBattleCry! This week, we check out the ‘better late than never’ Darksiders demo, run down the latest details on Super Street Fighter IV as well as the news that SFIV is headed to the iPhone, discuss the new Assassin’s Creed 2 DLC and the circulating info on Assassin’s Creed 3, and ponder the North American delay for the first episode of the Heavy Rain Chronicles DLC.
First up, we talk the Heavy Rain demo. With the game being release this week we discuss our impressions of the demo and what the future may hold for this unique title. Next, after many a request from you the loyal Axehead vanguard, we take a stab at some of the business models being discussed by Jason Rubin on his recent Bonus Round appearance.
The Battle Cry of the Week goes to Metal Gear Solid: Arcade, free copies of Red Faction: Guerrilla, Transformers G1 Awakening on iPhone, and VOD vs Blu-ray.
While it’s kinda “Captain Obvious”, Kotaku has a post up this morning about the next installment of Assassin’s Creed which delivers a a few small quotes from Ubisoft creative director Patrice Desilets and series lead writer Corey May gathered during this week’s DICE Summit out in Vegas. Basically, the duo kept reassuring Kotaku that the next installment of Assassin’s Creed would offer a full single player campaign that “won’t be boring” while also offering the franchise’s first foray into multiplayer, of which Desilets said the mode will have “narritive justification.” It seems that there’s some concern on behalf of fans that the turnaround between AC2 and AC3 might be too soon, but Desilets also added that the lengthy AC2 development included a full year dedicated to getting the game’s tech fully in place, but now that it is, AC3 can be worked on much more swiftly.
Assassin’s Creed III, expected to be released in March 2011, is being developed up at Ubisoft Montreal. We’ll keep you posted on any new details as they emerge.
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Fans of music in gaming and game audio in general will appreciate the fact that The Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), the non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of game audio, recently announced the finalists for the 8th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards that are designed to honor outstanding creative, technical and artistic audio achievement in the world of interactive entertainment.
Voted and judged upon by the game audio industry and members of G.A.N.G., the finalists represent an array of the best audio in games from 2009. The standouts for nominations this year include Assassin’s Creed II and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves which received 9 nominations each. Final voting has begun and the final winners are chosen by the entire membership of the G.A.N.G. organization. Over 2,000 people representing over 30 countries have signed up as members of G.A.N.G. since its inception in 2002. The winners will be announced at the 8th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony being held on Friday, March 12th, 2010 in San Francisco, CA during the Game Developers Conference.
“The level of quality for game audio continues to get higher and higher each year,” said Tommy Tallarico, G.A.N.G. Founder, CEO and Chairman. “It’s so important to make sure that the talented game audio individuals from around the world get the recognition they deserve.” G.A.N.G. President Paul Lipson added, “This was one of our biggest submission years yet and over 70 game audio professionals on our global advisory boards helped in deciding the final nominees. With the level of talent these days, being voted as a final nominee is a remarkable accomplishment.”
Finalists for the 8th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards are listed below by category in alphabetical order after the jump. Read the rest of this entry…
Ubisoft has announced that the second bit of DLC for Assassin’s Creed 2, Bonfire of the Vanities, will be released tomorrow, February 18, 2010, via PSN and XBL. Players will gain access to a new district of Florence in the DLC as well as Ezio’s new “spring jump” move as they work with Machiavelli to free the city from the grip of the mad monk Savonarola by targeting influential citizens under his control.
You’ll be able to pick up the DLC by itself for $4/320 MS Points or bundled with three Templar Secret Locations described below for $6.50/520 MS Points.
Palazzo Medici – Located in Florence, the player gets to explore the house of the Medici family. It is located in the San Marco district of Florence.
Santa Maria dei Frari – Located in Venice, in the San Polo district, the player gets to explore this renowned church built in the XIIIth century.
Arsenal Shipyard – Venice was known for its Arsenal, a shipyard that was settled in the eastern part of the city. The last Templars’ Lair is located there, and lets the player explore the Drydocks.
There are a couple of new screens from the DLC here and you can check out the trailer here.
Love it or hate it, the Assassin’s Creed franchise has garnered quite the following over the past several years and inspired more than a few creative works. Well, TheDuoGroup has stepped up to deliver one heck of a fan film, titled “Initiation”, that follows Altair (from the original AC) as he performs the final steps of an apprentice entering the Brotherhood.
Here’s a description:
“Initiation” takes place before Altair has received the coveted title of “Hashshashin.” Like all young men, Altair aspired to leave his mark on the world. After years of grueling training, fear and anticipation course through his veins. Anticipation, because he understands that this is the last right of passage towards brotherhood. Fear, because he knows that though hundreds of apprentices have reached this point, few come back alive.
Sounds cool, but it looks even cooler…Keep in mind that it’s not an official Ubisoft video, so the story is certainly not official, but check out the vid above for yourself if you’re a fan of the franchise and just enjoy it for what it’s worth.
Remember a little while back when we first became aware of some DLC headed to Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II in January and February? Well, today brings about a few additional details that deliver insight into what fans can expect.
Here’s what we know:
“The Battle of Forli” will release for $3.99 in late January and features Machiavelli and Caterina Sforza fighting alongside Ezio to defend against the Orsi brothers. The content features six new missions (or memories).
“Bonfire of the Vanities” will release in late February for $4.99 (is it a dollar better?), features ten new missions, a new “spring-jump” move, and opens up the are of Florence that is inaccessible in the main game.
Both pieces of DLC are said to be around one full gig, so clear some space on your HD if you’re interested in picking these up.
While there’s widespread reports of the DLC, nobody felt like sourcing the info, but it’s being traced back to 1UP, so hopefully we’ll get official confirmation on the details along with any additional information real soon.
