GamesRadar - Assassin's Creed

Assassin's Creed II Special Edition Unboxing (News)

Nov 14, 2009

Gamervision: As you might know by now, Gamervision takes Collector's Editions very, very seriously. You can be sure that at least one person in the office will be picking up one or another, and then chatting about it the following day. What can we say, we love plastic stuff! It's also cool to see developers try and one-up each other, each trying to give gamers more bang for their buck. As of now, the winner is likely BioShock, which came with a fantastic Big Daddy figure for a measly $10, or Modern Warfare 2 with it's night vision goggles, since, you know, they technically have a use outside of sitting on a shelf.

That crown might be shifting, however, since we've been sent some images of the new Assassin's Creed II Special Edition that make it look like the new lord of all things materialistic. Yes, yes, we already knew what was in the box, but the images below give a great sense of scale, and show exactly how awesome the $80 box is.

Assassin's Creed Renaissance announced (News)

Nov 6, 2009

ConnectedConsoles: Penguin Books and Ubisoft announced today a groundbreaking partnership that will bring together the worlds of gaming and publishing in a unique collaboration.

The new book, Assassin's Creed Renaissance, is based on Ubisoft Entertainment's blockbuster interactive entertainment game Assassin's Creed II®, and will be published in association with Ubisoft.

Ubisoft hint at more Assassins Creed in 2010 (News)

Nov 5, 2009

ConnectedConsoles: 2007 was the year that Ubisoft released their new IP Assassins Creed, which was highly enjoyable for some, not so much for others. It's almost exactly two years to get Assassins Creed II made (which will be released on November 20). Though Creed fans may not have to wait too long to see something else based on the game.

Steam Top 10 Weekly Sales Chart, October 18-24 (News)

Oct 26, 2009

Valve has released their weekly top ten sellers list on Steam for the week ending on October 24. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 makes its debut on the weight of just two eligible days of pre-orders.

Ubi "interested" in Assassins Creed Multiplayer (News)

Oct 22, 2009

ConnectedConsoles: Ubisoft are "interested" in bringing a multiplayer campaign into the Assassins Creed series at some point.

Assassin's Creed $5 on Steam (News)

Oct 20, 2009

Steam is offering up some mid-week madness, this time taking 75% off Assassin's Creed for the better part of the week.

Real-Life Assassin's Creed Weapons Seem Like A Good Idea (News)

Oct 15, 2009

Kotaku:Ubisoft has given prop makers Atlanta Cutlery and Museum Replicas rights to make weapons, clothing and accessories based on the Assassin's Creed license, quickly solving all of your Halloween costume woes.

The Top 7... trendy game-design crutches (Feature)

Aug 24, 2009

We've all seen dozens of lists over the years that recount all the things old-school game designers loved to include in their games for bizarre and unknown reasons, like exploding barrels and wolves that carry gold and chainmail for you to loot upon their death. Yes, these things were weird, and yes, they were ubiquitous in 8-,16-, and even 32-bit games. ...

If video games were... candy bars? (Feature)

Aug 18, 2009

Sometimes, games are so good we say they're 'good enough to eat'. That's usually not strictly true, of course - DVDs, Blu-Ray discs and the human mouth do not mix. But what if games were turned into candy bars? Now there's an idea.

If our Photoshop attempts are anything to go by, there's a huge market of untapped potential just waiting for some entrepreneur to take a lucrative bite. Just try not to dribble on the keyboard, ...

Assassin's Creed 2 Multiplayer And DLC (News)

Jun 10, 2009

IncGamers reports Assassin's Creed 2 will have DLC, but more interestingly, fans might see multiplayer modes...

Ubisoft Already Planning Assassin's 3 (News)

Jun 9, 2009

Speaking to IncGamers, associate producer Vincent Pontbraind said the Assassin's Creed team were already talking about the next Assassin's Creed.

Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell titles discounted on Steam (News)

May 30, 2009

Steam has discounted a trio of Ubisoft titles taking 50% off Assassin's Creed, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, and Splinter Cell Double Agent through June 5th.

Assassin's Creed 2 Trailer TV Debut This Weekend (News)

May 8, 2009

With a teaser campaign having already begun, the game's first "full trailer" is set to premiere this weekend, during Five's broadcast of The Da Vinci Code. The teaser trailer will reportedly air first, before a brand new trailer will aggressively push awareness of one of the hottest tips for 2009 videogame releases.

Daily Ubisoft Sales At Steam This Week (News)

Mar 23, 2009

Generally Valve waits until the weekend to spring crazy Steam deals on you but not this time. Each day this week, a different Ubisoft game will be on sale. The first game to receive a discount is Assassin's Creed.

The Top 7… games you either love or hate (Feature)

Mar 16, 2009

Like petty school children bickering in a playground fight, gamers are obsessed with choosing sides. Never content to rate a game as simply “above average” or “slightly disappointing,” we allow internet hearsay, magazine previews, fanboy feuds and console preferences to push our views to ridiculous extremes. We can’t just like something… we have to deem it BEST EVER. We can’t just dislike something… we have to declare it EPIC FAIL. ...

News Roundup: New Capcom Game, Sony Cuts Back, and Killzone 2 is Out in the Wild (News)

Jan 22, 2009

Today's roundup starts off terribly sad, but the final story helped us get through it.

Assassin's Creed for a New Era? (News)

Nov 26, 2008

During the taping of Bonus Round, Pachter let slip that Ubisoft would be changing the time-frame of the unannounced-but-inevitable Assassin's Creed sequel from 1191 to "several hundred years in the future" or more specifically, "sometime in the 1700s." While the time change was presented by Pachter as fact, he went on to speculate that the French Revolution could be a potential setting

Assassins' Altair promotes PEGI (News)

Aug 29, 2008

An Assassins Creed-themed PEGI video hit Danish television this week, of a man dressed as Altair telling parents about violence and the appropriateness of certain games for their children.

We'll Have To Wait For More Assassin's Creed (News)

Jun 20, 2008

In a new article lauding what it calls Ubisoft's "ascent" as it contends for third place (behind Electronic Arts and Activision) in the industry, Forbes heard from Ubi's North American president, Laurent Detoc, on its strategy for spacing the Prince of Persia games.

As the article points out, Ubi's first franchise re-up happened in 2003, followed by two more titles back-to-back. And then three years of radio silence. Why?

The publisher's doing well enough now financially, the article explains, that it doesn't have to rush out franchise follow-ups and can afford to cool its heels a bit in between to spur demand. Detoc also told Forbes that they can afford to whet your appetite for the next Assassin's Creed by making you wait:

"When we bring it back, there will be more anticipation for it," Detoc says.

Assassin's Creed: No plans for DX10.1 (News)

May 30, 2008

Ubisoft said in an interview with PCGH that there are no plans at the moment to re-integrate the infamous DX10.1 support.

You might remember the whole discussion: Assassin's Creed was the first game that shipped with DX10.1 support (Radeon only, as Geforce cards currently stick to DX 10.0). And Ubisoft patched this support away so that Radeon cards got slower under Vista SP1.

Assassin's Creed 1.02 PC Patch Released (News)

May 13, 2008

Ubisoft have released the latest patch for Assassin's Creed on PC.

Ubisoft Caught in a Little Assassin's Creed Scandal (News)

May 9, 2008

TG Daily investigates Â¿ Amidst talk that the PC's days as a major gaming platform could be counted blockbuster titles such as Assassin's Creed are welcome signs that show just the opposite. Sadly, it is very likely that this game will be remembered for a controversy that dances around a strange decision to remove support for DirectX 10.1 and handed transferred an initial performance advantage for ATI's Radeon cards over to Nvidia. Did Nvidia have its hands in this one?

Patch planned for PC version of Assassin's Creed (News)

Apr 22, 2008

Ubisoft announced at its official website that there are plans to release a patch for the PC version of Assassin's Creed. The patch will address a number of issues that have been reported by fans.

VideoGamer.com Rumour mill - Beyond Good & Evil 2 in development, Siren 3 announced, Prizerfighter to come on PS3 and more (News)

Apr 16, 2008

Videogamer writes: "Welcome to the Rumour mill, VideoGamer.com's run-down of the big rumours currently doing the rounds in the video game industry. Every week we'll hunt down the juiciest stories and give our opinion on how legit they are. So, whether you want the ridiculous or the plausible, read on.

Beyond Good & Evil 2 in development

The Rumour: Final Fantasy designer Yoshitaka Amano has joined Ubisoft and will be working on Beyond Good & Evil 2.

Verdict: It's a title fans have been crying out for and we'd certainly love to see a sequel, but Ubisoft hasn't so much as hinted that a sequel to its 2003 action adventure title is coming. Despite almost unanimous critical praise the game wasn't a commercial success and with so many blockbuster franchises in the Ubisoft locker it would be a risk to choose this over a new game in a franchise with a stronger fan base.

Plausibility rating: 2/5"

Assassin's Creed and Vegas 2 on Steam (News)

Apr 10, 2008

Avid Gamer writes;

"Several titbits for you steam users out there. The first is that you can now grab Assassin's Creed on the PC off Steam. The PC version comes with four PC exclusive missions; Rooftop Race, Archer Stealth Assassination Challenge. If you're a US / Canadian reader then you can now pre-purchase Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 for $49.95."

Assassin's Creed, I can't quit you (News)

Apr 10, 2008

Knowing Assassin's Creed would be coming out on the PC, I made a conscious effort to avoid the console versions for the past several months so that I could have an unspoiled experience on my platform of choice. I'm finally having that experience, and it was worth it, but one thing has been bothering me: it's impossible to stop playing. And not in the "Just five more minutes" way that Sins of a Solar Empire is impossible ...

Assassin's Creed - Can't quit the game (Video)

Apr 10, 2008

Ubisoft Montreal's formerly secret project seems to mix elements of Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia.

Assassin's Creed Digitally Arrives A Little Late (News)

Apr 10, 2008

Kotaku reports that the arrival of Ubisoft's catalog on Steam continues to clunk along, as gamers hoping to be "one of the first to play the PC adaptation of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed" find themselves without a playable version. The PC port is currently on sale at traditional retail locations but the digital unlocking won't happen until 5 PM PDT, it seems. It's an unusual exception in the Steam world, where those awake at 12:01 PDT the day off can burn the midnight oil with their pre-loaded purchases.

The same holds true for Direct2Drive and Ubisoft's own digital store, should you shun Valve's service.

Assassin's Creed (Review)

Apr 8, 2008

There are times when Assassin’s Creed feels like the future of videogames. It plays with heavy ideas and spectacular technology. It flits between questions on the nature of reality, and slapstick ragdoll animations of medieval goons plummeting to their death. Yet there are also times when it feels like a huffing anachronism: a failure where the writing overrides play, and the rigorous structure overrides the player’s instinct to ...

Assassin's Creed DS and PC version out this Friday in SA (News)

Apr 7, 2008

Megarom has announced that Assassin's Creed DS will be released this Friday across South Africa.

Assassin's Creed Altaïr's Chronicles is a Nintendo DS exclusive. It is a prequel to the console version of Assassin's Creed. Discover more about Altaïr as you travel through a 3D world, battling through four cities of the Crusade's Middle East.

South African gamers can also look forward to the PC version of Assassin's Creed, which will also be released this Friday. The PC version includes four PC-exclusive investigation missions, including the Rooftop Race Challenge and the Archer Stealth Assassination Challenge.

Assassin's Creed is set in 1191 AD when the Third Crusade was tearing the Holy Land apart, the Assassins were both shrouded in secrecy and feared for their ruthlessness. Players assume the role of Altair, a master assassin as the Assassins attempt to suppress the conflict on both sides and stop hostilities.

Assassin's Creed - Merchant stand destruction (Video)

Mar 27, 2008

Ubisoft Montreal's formerly secret project seems to mix elements of Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia.

Assassin's Creed - Rooftop race challenge (Video)

Mar 27, 2008

Ubisoft Montreal's formerly secret project seems to mix elements of Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia.

Assassin's Creed (Screenshots)

Mar 27, 2008

59 levels to play before you die: A - D (Feature)

Mar 21, 2008

As you rebuild civilization and restore your people's faith in this sim/action hybrid, you'll find yourself honestly caring about your subjects' helpless lives. Nowhere is their plight more touching than Kasandora, where you help a starving desert tribe grow into a bustling village, only to see an old man die in the dunes. His last wish is for rain, which you grant. ...

Assassin's Creed delayed in EU (News)

Mar 13, 2008

PC gamers and handheld players will have to wait two weeks longer than originally anticipated for the PC port of Assassin's Creed and the DS spin-off, Altair's Chronicles.

Both originally dated for February, Ubisoft previously delayed them until March 28, only to now move them further back to April 11.

Assassin's Creed PC min spec altered by Ubisoft (News)

Mar 11, 2008

VG247 is reporting that the minimum spec of the PC version of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed has been altered. The disc space required has been dropped by a third and a recommended Gb of RAM has been removed, the site reports.

Assassin's Creed's new investigation types detailed (News)

Mar 4, 2008

The biggest flaw Assassin's Creed had was that even though the game world was magnificently realized, there wasn't much to do in it except the same things over and over again. And after being forced to it nine times, this mechanic had outstayed its welcome for far too long.

Feedback improves Assassin's Creed PC (News)

Mar 4, 2008

Four new investigation types are slated for Assassin's Creed on PC, which is due out at the end of the month.The console original was criticised for a lack of variety once you progress into the game. Ubisoft is trying to iron out the complaints with four new investigation types.And they are; Archer assassination, rooftop race challenge, merchant stand destruction challenge and escort challenge.In the words of Technical Lead Charles Beauchemin: ...

Assassin's Creed PC slips into April, new "average specs" released (News)

Mar 4, 2008

VG247's reporting that the PC version of Assassin's Creed has now slipped from March to April, and that a new set of "average specs" have been released by Ubisoft.

"Any dual-core machine running at 2.2GHz and over with a decent graphic card (such as a ATi HD2600 or a NVidia 8600) will give great performances," said Beauchemin. "Our minimum requirement is a Pentium D 2.4GHz or a AMD X2 Athlon 3800+, equipped with a Shader Model 3.0 card (ATi X1300 and better, NVidia 6600 and better)."

Assassin's Creed min requirements updated (News)

Feb 23, 2008

Some of you may remember the earlier news about the rather steep minimum requirements of the forthcoming PC version of Ubisoft's hit Assassin's Creed. Those specs were quickly pulled from the web, but Ubisoft have done the right thing and put them back up, with changes.

The differences are minor but they do bring the specs back down, closer to Earth!

Assasin's Creed PC Will Launch in March (News)

Feb 14, 2008

From pc.gamezone.com:

"Today Ubisoft announced that Assassin's Creed for PC will be available at retailers nationwide in March.

Assassin's Creed for PC follows in the wake of the critically acclaimed and worldwide console hit Assassin's Creed, and will feature four brand-new exclusive types of investigations, providing even more ways for players to explore the various locations of the Third Crusade. Players will assume the role of the main character, Altair, and will work to stop hostilities by suppressing both sides of the conflict and experience the art of a master assassin. With more than 2.5 million units of the console versions sold to date in North America alone since its mid-November 2007 launch, Assassin's Creed for PC is set to expand upon this success. "

Exclusive content for Assassin's Creed on PC (News)

Feb 6, 2008

The PC version of Assassin's Creed features four missions not appearing in the PS3 and Xbox 360 editions.

As such, the PC edition of the game is going under the name Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut. Ubisoft has confirmed it'll release in March.

Ubisoft delays Assassins Creed and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (News)

Jan 29, 2008

Ubisoft has revealed via its release schedule that Assassin's Creed will be available in retail stores on March 28th 2008 for both the PC and DS, giving them both a month's delay.

Ubisoft Q3 Sales Spike 44% with 'Exceptional Showing' from Assassin's Creed (News)

Jan 23, 2008

French publisher Ubisoft has announced its third quarter fiscal results for the all-important holiday period ended December 31, 2007. Sales climbed more than 44 percent to 450 million euros ($625.81 million), significantly better than the guidance Ubisoft had provided for 410 million euros (which itself had already been raised back on Dec. 13). For the first nine months of the fiscal year Ubisoft's sales were up an impressive 47.2 percent to 711 million euros ($988.78 million).

The publisher's solid performance and continued growth were largely driven by the success of Assassin's Creed, which sold five million copies, and its expanded casual business Â¿ most notably its new Imagine line, which sold 2.5 million units. In Europe, Assassin's Creed was the best-selling game in 2007 for the PS3 and the second best-selling game on Xbox 360. In the U.S. it was the second best-selling game in 2007 for the PS3and the third best-selling on 360. Ubisoft also reported "excellent sales" for its other casual games series such as the Petz line and the My Coach franchise.

Assassin's Creed minimum PC specs = yowch! (News)

Jan 22, 2008

You're going to need a kick-ass PC boosted by a flux capacitor to get a decent frame rate in Assassin's Creed for PC if spec requirements published on the 'net are accurate. "In order to play this game properly, your PC MUST meet or exceed these minimum requirements," a post on Ubisoft Solution Centre, before dropping the almighty bombshell: (Make sure you're sitting down…) Supported OS: Windows XP / Vista (only) Processor: Dual core processor 2.6 GHz Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon ...

Assassin's Creed PC to Have Insane Minimum Specs (News)

Jan 22, 2008

These specifications are neck-and-neck with Crysis' minimums, even a bit beefier in some respects. If the performance of Crytek's FPS on sub-standard hardware is anything to go by, Assassin's Creed on PC will chug on a system with the aforementioned capabilities.

2007 Game of the Year Critics 10-8 Revealed (News)

Jan 22, 2008

Game Critics Awards: "The judges of the Game Critics Awards are honored to announce the first annual Game of the Year awards. Considering games across all platforms, released commercially in North America between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007, the judges have voted to decide on the best of the best for the year.

To arrive at the top ten games of 2007, the judges applied a points system. Each judge nominated 10 games and awarded a score between 5 and 30 points to their chosen games, with a total point allotment of exactly 100. The cumulative total for each nominated game was then calculated to generate the ten highest scoring games. More details are available in the rules section".

Rumor: Assassin's Creed PC System Requirements (News)

Jan 16, 2008

Exophase.com writes "A reliable anonymous source has sent along details on the system requirements for the PC release of Assassin's Creed. The specs look rather demanding and it's clear that you'll need a Crysis-capable PC to run Assassin's Creed in its full glory on PC.

Minimum System Requirements:
* Windows XP or Vista
* 2 GB RAM
* Dual core processor (Intel Pentium D or better)
* 256MB Direct3D 10 compatible video card, or Direct3D 9 card compatible with Shader Model 3.0 or higher
* DirectX compatible driver
* DVD-ROM dual-layer drive
* 16 GB free hard disk space
* DirectX libraries (included)
* Vista compatible sound card
* Keyboard, Mouse
* Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller (optional)

Recommended System Requirements:
* Intel Pentium Core 2 Duo, or better processor
* 3 GB System RAM
* ATI HD2900 series, Nvidia GeForce 8800 series, or better video card
* 5.1 sound card
* Microsoft Xbox 360 controller

*Supported Video Cards at Time of Release

DirectX10 compatible cards, recommended ATI HD2900 series, Nvidia GeForce 8800 series

Direct3D 9 card compatible with Shader Model 3.0 or higher

The PC version of Assassin's Creed is scheduled for a March 25 release in the states."

Accessories' Creed (News)

Jan 3, 2008

DS Fanboy:

"Does anyone else find it suspicious that Assassin's Creed is due out on the DS in one month and we still haven't heard even the most basic of information? We haven't seen one screen -- we don't even know what kind of game it is. We could interpret this seeming blackout in one of two ways: first, and most likely, that the game isn't actually going to come out next month; and second, that Ubisoft knows they have dead weight on their hands and hopes to slip it quietly out to stores, where people will buy it for the front cover."

ActionTrip's 2007 Game of the Year (News)

Dec 25, 2007

ActionTrip's 2007 Game of the Year voting poll registered 10673 participants. 1809 registered users voted for Call of Duty 4, 1279 for Halo 3, 1192 for Assassin's Creed, 837 for "None of the Above", 716 for BioShock, 710 for Crysis, 627 for The Orange Box, and so on. The rest of the results can be viewed in ActionTrip's voting poll section.

Â¿ People's Choice: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Â¿ Runners-up: Halo 3, Assassin's Creed, Crysis, Half-Life 2: The Orange Box

Â¿ Game of the Year (ActionTrip Staff): Portal
Â¿ Runners-up: Mass Effect, Halo 3, BioShock, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, The Witcher

Â¿ Best Action Game: Halo 3
Â¿ Runners-up: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Half-Life 2: The Orange Box, God of War II, BioShock, Crysis

Â¿ Best Strategy Game: World in Conflict
Â¿ Runners-up: Supreme Commander, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars

Â¿ Best RPG: Mass Effect
Â¿ Runners-up: The Witcher, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer

Â¿ Best Sports Game: FIFA 08
Â¿ Runners-up: SSX Blur, NHL 08, Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008

Â¿ Best MMOG: World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
Â¿ Runners-up: Tabula Rasa, The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar

Â¿ Best Rhythm/Music Game: Rock Band
Â¿ Runners-up: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

Â¿ Babe of the Year: Joanna Krupa

The Bitbag Editor's Choice Award Winners (News)

Dec 25, 2007

The Bitbag editor picks the winners for:

Â¿ Best 3D Action Game
Â¿ Best Racing Game
Â¿ Best RPG
Â¿ Best Fighter
Â¿ Best FPS
Â¿ Best Strategy Game
Â¿ Best Sports Game
Â¿ Best War Game
Â¿ Best Mecha Game
Â¿ Achievement In Excellence
Â¿ Best Handheld Game
Â¿ Best Graphics
Â¿ Best Sound
Â¿ Best Online Multiplayer
Â¿ Developer Of The Year
Â¿ Game Of The Year

Los Angeles Times: Best and Worst of the Year (News)

Dec 23, 2007

What makes a good video game? Strong visuals are important. Good controls are essential. A well-crafted concept helps too. These days, most games can boast at least two-thirds of that criteria.

So, then what makes a game great? Feeling. Emotion. Surprise. Interaction. Even addiction. It's a magical feeling when a game offers all these elements.

Here are the titles L.A. Times deemed the best experiences of 2007. Admittedly, they didn't play everything (because that would probably be impossible), but of the titles that did cross their paths, these are the ones that resonated most. Their favorites in order:

Best of the Year:
Â¿ BioShock
Â¿ Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Â¿ Assassin's Creed
Â¿ Super Mario Galaxy
Â¿ The Orange Box

Honorable Mention:
Â¿ Halo 3
Â¿ Rock Band
Â¿ Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
Â¿ Cooking Mama: Cook Off
Â¿ Lost Planet

Worst of the Year:
Â¿ Lair

Dishonorable Mention:
Â¿ Fusion Frenzy 2
Â¿ 300: March to Glory
Â¿ Tenchu Z

[ By Pete Metzger, December 21, 2007 ]

X-Play Best of 2007: Game of the Year and Category Winners (News)

Dec 18, 2007

The decision is in and the staff of G4 X-Play has named its Game of the Year!

Quotes on the November NPD numbers (News)

Dec 14, 2007

Here are some observations issued by NPD analyst Anita Frazier, on total industry sales and the performances of Call of Duty 4, Assassin's Creed, Guitar Hero III, Rock Band, the 360 HD-DVD add-on, and Wii accessories.

Mario defeats Assassins and Mass Effect in AU Sales (News)

Dec 6, 2007

Everybody's favourite Italian plumber Mario has blasted his way to number one in the overall Australian game chart, according to data trackers GfK Australia.

Top 10 Full-Priced Games
1. Super Mario Galaxy, Wii
2. Need for Speed ProStreet, PlayStation 2
3. WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008, PlayStation 2
4. The Simpsons Game, PlayStation 2
5. Assassin's Creed, Xbox 360
6. Need for Speed ProStreet, Xbox 360
7. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Wii
8. More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima: How Old Is Your Brain?, Nintendo DS
9. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock bundle, PlayStation 2
10. Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree bundle

What holiday hits is Bethesda playing? Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed & More (News)

Dec 5, 2007

From Official Bethesda Blog:
"Week after week, folks at the office were picking up the latest "AAA" titles to play, and as a result, I'm guessing most everyone now has a pile of games to play. Luckily, most of the big releases are now out, so we can put away our wallets and focus on the games we've got.

Here's what you'll see our team playing over the weekend."

Leaked: NIMF's Annual Video Game Report Card (News)

Dec 4, 2007

Kotaku's Brian Crecente has a leaked copy of the National Institute on Media and the Family's annual Media Wise Video Game Report Card, set to be officially released tomorrow. This year's report card is broken into five parts:

Â¿ The MediaWise Video Game Report Card
Â¿ The Buying Guide
Â¿ The ESRB Rating System and Ratings Education Efforts
Â¿ The Retailer Ratings Education and Enforcement Surveys
Â¿ Annual MediaWise-Harris Interactive Poll of Kids and Parents

Kotaku gives a quick summary for each part.

Penny Arcade vs. IGN on Assassin's Creed review (News)

Nov 28, 2007

Penny Arcade's Gabe writes: "I guess some guy at IGN is mad at me and he lays into me on their podcast. [...] Basically some IGN guy is super pissed because I said I didn't agree with the bad reviews of Assassin's Creed. I'm actually of the opinion that if we're pissing off IGN we must be doing something right.

Honestly my main concern was to make sure people didn't avoid the game based on some of the poor reviews."

"The IGN thing is just sort of silly. He says I should leave reviewers alone because I 'just do things and write things as a freaking comic artist.' I'm not sure how to respond to that. I think he's trying to insult me but everything he said there is true.

The sad thing is I wasn't even talking about their review. I was talking about the 7.0 from 1UP. No one actually pays any attention to IGN or their 7-10 review scale."

PlayStation Blog: Thanksgiving Wishes from Slant Six (News)

Nov 26, 2007

David Seymour, Design Director of Slant Six Games writes:

"Happy Thanksgiving from Slant Six! While we celebrated our Canadian turkey day earlier in October, we hope that you all have a great holiday. I have actually taken the week off to spend time with family and to play some games. I finally have some time to dig into my fearsome PS3 backlog, including Uncharted, Assassin's Creed and Motorstorm Devil's Weekend".

LOVEFiLM expects Creed to top its game rentals, sales (News)

Nov 23, 2007

LOVEFiLM, Europe's number one online DVD rental service, expects Assassin's Creed to top sales and rentals this holiday season.

"Assassins Creed will definitely be up there; our audience have already heavily pre-ordered this and the sure scale of the experience is very cinematic, so will prove popular amongst film fans," Chris Bird, head of marketing services for LOVEFiLM, told GamesIndustry.biz.

"Kane and Lynch will also do well, as will Call of Duty 4. FIFA 08 and PES will also be 'must buy' for anyone getting a new console over Christmas."

Ubisoft: New IP is a serious business (News)

Nov 23, 2007

Ubisoft UK boss Rob Cooper has been celebrating the sales success of Assassin's Creed Â¿ and stated that it proves new IP can still shift serious numbers at retail.

"I think the success worldwide of Assassin's Creed absolutely proves that new IP can live and prosper within the sequel and licensed based competition," he told MCV. "The industry is crying out for new and compelling content and we're delighted that AC has lived up to its expectations."

"The launch of Assassin's has been a huge global success. There are a number of factors for this in the UK. One is that the game has gripped a nation of gaming consumers. With licensed or sequel based titles, it's easier to know what to expect, but with Assassin's Creed there has been a ground swell of excitement since we first showed it at E3 06."

Assassin's Sells Over 1 Million (News)

Nov 20, 2007

Any doubts about Assassin's Creed can now be put to rest, as the game's sell-through sales have already topped the record level of 1 million units.

Pachter: Assassin's Creed, Haze To Lead $1.2b Ubisoft FY08 (News)

Nov 19, 2007

Ahead of Ubisoft's fiscal 2008 first half results expected November 20th, Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter has predicted the company will announce full year sales estimates of €825 million ($1.21 billion), as Assassin's Creed, Haze and its casual lineup lead a strong holiday lineup.

Ubisoft threatens to sue comedy forum over Jade Raymond, Assassin's Creed (News)

Nov 16, 2007

Ubisoft's legal counsel has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the webmaster of SomethingAwful.com via email and express mail. Here is an abstract:

"Ubisoft has recently learned that the extremely offensive pornographic image (the "Image") accessible at [WaffleImages.com] is being used on your website located at http://www.somethingawful.com [and/or] http://forums.somethingawful.com..."

"...the Image's blatant, vile, and unauthorized misappropriation of Ms. Raymond's name and likeness, and your conduct in using the Image on your Site, have caused immeasurable harm to Ms. Raymond's reputation and career, and constitute an egregious infringement of Ms. Raymond's personal rights and privacy rights..."

"Ubisoft hereby demands that you immediately: (1) permanently remove the Image from your Site, databases and servers and prevent any further uploading or display thereof; (2) permanently cease and desist all unauthorized use and hosting of images using the ASSASSIN'S CREED mark and Ms. Raymond's name and/or likeness; (3) provide us with the name and contact information of the person who originally created and/or posted the Image; and (4) complete, execute, and return to me the enclosed Declaration by November 16, 2007 to confirm that you are complying with Ubisoft's demand."

Ubisoft have prepared a declaration for the webmaster of SomethingAwful.com to sign. The full cease-and-desist letter and attached declaration are available at the source.

Disaster Ubisoft with a Vengeance: Give Assassin's Creed Amazing Reviews or Die Hard (News)

Nov 16, 2007

From an email Surfer Girl received

Here's how Ubisoft deals with criticism:

A certain British gaming website had praised Assassin's Creed since it was announced. They'd run previews, interviews, did a lot to hype the game. When they played the final built, they finally realized it wasn't that great, so it got a 7/10. But instead of acknowledging AC's mistakes, Ubisoft got furious, pulled all ads from the site and cancelled all placed orders (mid five figures) indefinitely. A planned live interview with Jade Raymond isn't going to happen either. According to Ubisoft everything would have been fine though, if the site had just put an 8 instead of a 7 under the same text.

Analyst: DS Redesign Done, Uncharted & Haze At Risk (News)

Nov 14, 2007

Pacific Crest Securities' Evan Wilson says new version of Nintendo's portable complete; holiday release torrent creating retail woes.

Wilson notes that not all games will be affected by insufficient retail space. "Clearly, the end-of-year squeeze creates limited space at retail, which limits the size of initial orders of games with less publicity and reorders of games with lower quality." He anticipates games with high preorder rates such as Guitar Hero III, Call of Duty 4, Assassins' Creed, Mass Effect, WWE, and Rock Band to be less affected by insufficient retail space. "Titles that could be at risk of getting squeezed," he continues, "include Haze, Kane & Lynch, and Uncharted."

Disaster: Days of Ubisoft's Many Problems II (News)

Nov 12, 2007

Mysterious industry "insider" Surfer Girl reveals more "trainwrecks" and/or "nightmares" hidden behind the closed door of Ubisoft:

Â¿ How the editorials at Ubisoft have power of life or death over any project in the company.

Â¿ How Martin Tremblay, former CEO of Ubisoft Montreal, was "asked to resign" because a certain then senior producer named Yannis Mallat could not stand him. (Mallat has connection to the the Guillemot family that owns Ubisoft; After Tremblay's departure, Mallat was promptly promoted to CEO.)

Â¿ How Mallat influenced the editorials to kill an unannounced "AAA" HUDless FPS.

Â¿ The early troubled development of Assassin's Creed, and its secret sci-fi twist.

Â¿ Tom Clancy's connection (or lack of) to Ubisoft Montreal and Splinter Cell Conviction.

Preview of Next Week's Releases (November 12, 2007) (News)

Nov 10, 2007

Super Mario Galaxy, Assasin's Creed and Crysis lead the pack of new releases for the week of November 12, 2007!

Game Of The Year: BioShock, Halo 3, Mass Effect & Orange Box nominated in Spike's VGA (News)

Nov 9, 2007

Yes, The Game Of The Year (GOTY) discussion is already beginning! Spike is hosting its 5th annual Video Game Awards this December in Las Vegas, and this morning the nominees were released on Spike.com. What's in contention for Game of the Year? Orange Box, Halo 3, BioShock, and Mass Effect.

Assassin's Creed & Heavenly Sword composers to present MIDEM keynote (News)

Nov 9, 2007

The music industry's marketplace event MIDEM is bolstering its focus on the games industry with a joint keynote from composes Jesper Kyd and Nitin Sawhney.

Kyd has worked on a number of games titles to produce accompanying orchestral scores, including upcoming game Assassin's Creed. Sawhney, meanwhile, worked on recent PS3 game Heavenly Sword, but is also a famed artist in his own right.

Ubisoft: We'll Have "Nintendo-Like" Quality (News)

Nov 7, 2007

Assassin's Creed will score over 90; multi-platform development is fine-tuned; and Ubisoft will achieve "Nintendo-like" quality on Wii next year. More from a recent investment meet-up...

Assassin's Creed 'twist' revealed in tutorial (News)

Nov 1, 2007

Nov 01, 2007 We're pretty sure Jade Raymond got very bored of trotting out the same 'no comment' answer to the question that cropped up in pretty much every interview we attended with the Assassin's Creed producer. "Tell us about the twist," it would begin. "Is the game actually set in the future?" It all stemmed from one of the game's earliest trailers (shown at X05) that hinted at a present day or even futuristic element to the plot, at odds with the Medieval setting. Raymond was always ...

Disregard Assassin's Creed Review, says Empire (News)

Oct 30, 2007

CVG reports that the following message was posted on the Empire website earlier today:

"Assassin's Creed

Please note that the early review of Assassin's Creed that appeared here was published in error. The review contained misleading information about the game's control system which should be disregarded. Please wait for the final, full review, which will be published online on November 16th."

Assassin's Creed On Wii? No Dice. (News)

Oct 30, 2007

You might want Assassin's Creed on Wii. You probably want a lot of things. And like a lot of those things, it's just not going to happen. Jade Raymond:

"[A Wii version] would be possible, but it would need changes to the gameplay, like the DS version. But that just wouldn't be the same experience. Unfortunately, the Wii just doesn't have the same performance as the PS3 and 360."

Ubisoft Blows London's Fuse this Friday (News)

Oct 29, 2007

Fuse 07, as the name suggests, combines Ubi's top tier games line-up with cutting-edge music, competitions and other assorted events. On the games side of things, crowds will be entertained throughout the night with highlights including an Assassin's Creed demo, a sneaky look at Tom Clancy's EndWar, plus the chance to play Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent.

Gears Wins Big at Golden Joysticks (News)

Oct 26, 2007

Tens of thousands of gamers voted for the true people's awards, held Friday in London, which highlighted the elite titles from the past year across a diverse range of categories.

Undoubtedly the big winner at this year's awards was Microsoft and Epic's stellar third-person shooter Gears of War, which took four top honors. Gears triumphed in the Ultimate Game of the Year, Xbox Game of the Year, The Nuts All-Nighter and the Editor's Choice categories. It also placed third in the 1Xtra Soundtrack of the Year and The GameTribe Online Game of the Year categories.

Codemasters received the UK Developer of the Year award for 2007 sponsored by Next-Gen.biz, while Game took the prizes for Retailer of the Year. Nintendo took the Publisher of the Year award ahead of Microsoft Game Studios and Codemasters, while the Wii was labeled Innovation of the Year.

Assassin's Creed gone gold (News)

Oct 25, 2007

Today Ubisoft announced its highly anticipated Assassin's Creed video game has gone "gold" and is set to launch in North America on November 13, 2007. The game is arriving on the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 at the manufacturer suggested retail price of $59.99 with the Limited Edition priced at $69.99 Â¿ rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB. In addition, those who pre-order Assassin's Creed at GameStop will receive an exclusive Assassin's Creed art book bonus when they pick up their game.

"We've been working very hard for nearly four years to make Assassin's Creed a reality and now there is a confirmed date when players will get to experience the results of our efforts," shared Jade Raymond, producer of Assassin's Creed. "This is a huge event for the team. Our biggest reward will be everyone having a lot of good solid fun."

Assassin's Creed PC should be available early 2008.

Jade Raymond visits London this weekend (News)

Oct 23, 2007

As part of London Games Festival, Jade Raymond, Producer for Assassins Creed by Ubisoft, is set to make a special appearance at HMV's flagship store on Oxford Street, London this Saturday 27th October. New levels from the latest version of the game will be presented at this one off event in anticipation for the release of the game next month.

Ubisoft taunts with forthcoming Assassin's Creed surprise (News)

Oct 22, 2007

"Document sans nom," the title reads in French. A single bloody feather falls onto a vacant white backdrop. The calligraphy reads "Nothing is true. Everything is permitted." Flashes of molecular diagrams fill the page momentarily. November 14, 2007. Be prepared..."

Assassin's Creed site hints at Nov. 14 release (News)

Oct 22, 2007

A new Assassin's Creed teaser site has been posted by Ubisoft Montreal, hinting at a Holiday release date.

Assassin's Creed DVD issues fixed? (News)

Oct 22, 2007

Apparently the guy who came forward on the current issues facing assassin's creed for the xbox 360 and the ps3 has at least withdrawn his statement for the 360 now claiming "There's no problem anymore".? This was apparently after receiving a phone call from Jade Raymond.

New Assassin's Creed videos (News)

Oct 16, 2007

Oct 16, 2007 Montferrat - in the Piedmont region of Italy - produces some of the world's finest wine, and contains the 16th century Sacro Monte di Crea, a UNESCO World Heritage site. But forget all that nonsense: in Ubisoft's upcoming Assassin's Creed, Montferrat is just an ugly dude with half a bowl cut and a goofy accent who gets got real good by antihero Altier. In this new two-part video, follow Altier as he identifies his mark, leaps from roof to roof like a really angry Aladdin, sticks ...

Experience the power of the Assassin (News)

Oct 15, 2007

Ubisoft have released their new website for Assassin's Creed. Using your keyboard you can unlock sections and goodies.

Hit on the link and check it out.

Assassin's Creed is the next-gen game developed by Ubisoft Montreal that will redefine the action genre. While other games claim to be next-gen with impressive graphics and physics, Assassin's Creed merges technology, game design, theme, and emotions into a world where you instigate chaos and become a vulnerable, yet powerful, agent of change.

The setting is 1191 AD. The Third Crusade is tearing the Holy Land apart. You, Altair, intend to stop the hostilities by suppressing both sides of the conflict.

You are an Assassin, a warrior shrouded in secrecy and feared for your ruthlessness. Your actions can throw your immediate environment into chaos, and your existence will shape events during this pivotal moment in history.

Assassin's Creed - hands-on (Preview)

Oct 12, 2007

Oct 12, 2007 We're fresh from our most extensive hands-on time with Assassin's Creed yet, and were fortunate enough to play a nearly complete version that is mere days away from gold status. Unceremoniously dumped into the middle of the action with no training, our exploits ranged across two of the game's three cities and the wilderness area that connects them as we pursued two of Altier's primary targets. You can check out a ton of new screens here. As with all things new and innovative, ...

Assassin's Creed struggling to fit on 360 DVD and PS3 memory causing problems (News)

Oct 12, 2007

The developer behind Assassin's Creed has revealed 2 problems. 1) Playstation 3 memory is causing problems and 2) Xbox 360 version is struggling to fit on a 360 DVD.

The game's creative director, Patrice Desilets, told Pro-G in an interview that one of the biggest challenges the team is currently facing is fitting everything into a 360 DVD disc compared with Sony's Blu-ray format. Conversely, he revealed that the team was "really struggling right now on PS3" because of memory problems specific to Sony's console.

Raymond says "no" to Assassin's Creed demo (News)

Oct 8, 2007

Oct 8, 2007 The latest video interview with Assassin's Creed producer Jade Raymond has brought some devastating news for anyone hoping to get their hands on a demo of the medieval sneak-'em-up. With the game about one month away from release, there'll be no playable demo beaming its way through the pipes of PSN or Marketplace. Raymond explained that as Assassin's Creed is a sandbox game, it's too difficult to pick a portion to give away and let players experience it. She also points out ...

1191 A.D.: Brotherhood of Assassins (News)

Oct 5, 2007

Choose your city...

And choose it wisely. The city that you choose is where you will remain throughout your 1191 A.D. journey. It is where you will pledge your allegiance to the Brotherhood of Assassins. A society filled with many secrets and rewards. Within this brotherhood, you can complete missions and plot against fellow assassins to gather special treasures (wich will score you the chance to gain rich rewards such as exclusive Assassin's Creed gear, Xbox 360 consoles, Alienware gaming laptops, and even a journey of your choice around the world). While ultimately unlocking the secrets embedded deep within 1191 A.D.

Assassin's Creed: 40+ hours of game playing time (News)

Oct 5, 2007

Jade Raymond said that Ubisoft has been pushing play tests for the past few months and the average length has been around 18 hours by just doing the core missions and over 40 hours if you decide to do some exploring.

Assassin's Creed - PC fans face delay (News)

Sep 25, 2007

Sept 25, 2007 We should have expected it really - from observing GRAW - but the PC version of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed has been confirmed as releasing last. Puffing and wheezing at the rear, Altair's PC action-adventure has been pushed back to early 2008, while PS3 and Xbox 360 cousins get to go na na na-na na as Assassin's Creed releases on consoles this ...

Assassin's Creed: Where's Altair? (News)

Sep 25, 2007

Sept 25, 2007 Here's a neat little Assassin's Creed trailer, giving an insight into the near-invisible skills of the game's lead killer, Alatair. Showing a group of shadowy crusaders debating around a table, the climax is a surprisingly subtle one. Ubisoft has been touting Assassin's Creed about recently, and we were fortunate enough to get our own hands bloody in some combat action. While we can't dish all the info yet, when we're given the go ahead we'll fill your eyes with first-hand ...

Assassin's Creed For PC Pushed Back To 2008 (News)

Sep 22, 2007

Firing Squad reports that according to a news release by Ubisoft, Assassins's Creed for PC was pushed back until early 2008.

TGS 2007: Assassin's Creed Progress Report (News)

Sep 20, 2007

Forget what you think you know about Assassin's Creed.

Sure, that's an extremely strong statement to make, particularly if you've been following the game as closely as IGN have. The upcoming action title, which features an assassin named Altair during the Third Crusade, has been a heavily anticipated action title ever since it made its first debut two years ago. Even the latest demo that IGN was shown at this year's E3 generated greater buzz, as players tracked down and killed a slave trader. But as IGN have found when we checked out the latest build of the title, Assassin's Creed is much more than killing influential people, climbing buildings and making stealthy escapes into crowds. In fact, Assassin's Creed is designed to be much more of a sandbox-like experience, giving you the freedom to explore and complete missions whenever and however you want. We went to Montreal to check out the latest build, which was going to be shown on the floor at TGS, and found out just how malleable our explorations as an assassin would be.

Assassin's Creed rating changed (News)

Sep 13, 2007

Assassin's Creed which received a T for Teen rating for blood, violence, and strong language less than two weeks ago has seemingly had it's rating changed to a M for Mature rating for blood, violence and strong language.

Assassin's Creed rated T for Teen (News)

Aug 30, 2007

ESRB has rated Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed T for Teen because of blood, violence and strong language.

Assassin's Creed available in the UK on September 7? (News)

Aug 25, 2007

IGN's up-to-date release dates for the Xbox 360 reveal that Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft's new title for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, is to be released in the UK-region on September 7th.

It should be noted that no word has come from Ubisoft confirming this just yet, and the release date should not be considered set in stone.

Assassin's Creed goes old school (News)

Aug 22, 2007

Aug 22, 2007 Aside from a cowl and a knife, the other key attribute for a Hashshashin is the ability to remain hidden in plain sight. Much has been made of our boy Altair's ability to hop skip and jump across the rooftops to shy away from prying eyes. A similar amount of hype has been pumped into Creed's concept of social stealth, where the townsfolk will recognise and react to you based on your reputation. In this latest batch of screenshots we get some more evidence he can get involved with ...

Assassin's Creed: Special Edition Packing Revealed (News)

Aug 13, 2007

Today, the first images of the collectors edition announced a few months back have been revealed. Assassin's Creed is the next-gen game developed by Ubisoft Montreal that will redefine the action genre.

Assassins Creed will be present @ LGC (News)

Aug 7, 2007

Through an American gamesite it was announced Assassins Creed wouldn't be at the Leipzig Games Convention.

Today Ubisoft Netherlands said it is not correctly reported, Assassins Creed fortunately will be present at the event!

Assassin's Creed Most Popular IGN E3 Title (News)

Jul 19, 2007

During E3 last week, Assassin's Creed was the most popular game of the show among the readers of IGN. Ubisoft's upcoming stealth/action game beat out the mighty Halo 3 (second place) and Activision's impressive Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (third) in reader popularity. Of the three platforms Assassin's will call home, the Xbox 360 version is by far the most popular, followed by the PlayStation 3 and PC iterations, respectively.

It should be noted that Assassin's Creed was the most popular cross-platform title, while Halo 3 was the most popular exclusive.

E3 07: Part 1 (News)

Jul 17, 2007

E3 is the biggest event in the gaming community, it has all the ingredients to make for a great event: mega-games, exciting announcements, upcoming titles, console rivalry, and much more. Not surprisingly, E3 was a big this time as well; what made the extra special is the fact that Sony had a point to prove to the world.

E3 has brief description on each of it's announcements. Since it was a big event and thee were a lot of announcements E3 will be covering it in two parts. First part includes details on MGS4, Killzone 2, Halo 3, GT HD, Home and many more.