Ubisoft goes hard at E3
Ubisoft has a great thing going: the power couple of the eminently loveable comedian Aisha Tyler and Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. Every year, we look forward to their self-aware, irreverant press conference stylings, and E3 2015 was more of the delightfully quotable same. Oh, but that's right - you're here to see some games. Ubisoft delivered: over the course of the show, it demoed off PvP in The Division, revealed a new medieval action game called For Honor, announced a new South Park adventure, and unveiled the future of the Ghost Recon franchise. Oh, and Assassin's Creed Syndicate is still looking brill too.
South Park to get an all new game
Wow, we weren't expecting this. Ubisoft opens with incredibly meta trailer for an all-new South Park adventure. Instead of playing as fantasy-RPG LARPers, Cartman and friends don superhero costumes in South Park: The Fractured But Whole. Trey Parker and Matt Stone are working with Ubisoft San Francisco (and not original devs Obsidian), and it's all abo- hey, I just got the title. Dammit.
For Honor is filled with stabby death
Ubisoft Montreal is developing a new IP called For Honor, and a CGI trailer showed that it's filled with vikings, and knights, and samurai - oh my! They also showed multiplayer game footage, as two teams of four players met in feudal combat. Waves of nameless fodder flood the streets, but then when players face each other, combat becomes much more methodical, as players trade glancing blows, and one critical strike can be killer. It's looking like Dynasty Warriors meets Bushido Blade, and we can get behind that.
Ubisoft reminds you that The Crew is a thing that exists, and there's a new expansion coming
The Crew is getting a new expansion called Wild Run, it's coming November 17th, and it'll bring a graphical overhaul to the open-world racer.
The Division introduces the Dark Zone, where you can work with or against other players
As you might already know, The Division is an action-RPG set in the near future on American soil, and the Dark Zone is where players can compete against each other and steal each others' loot. As you wander the Dark Zone, you'll have to be wary, as other players you come across can either help you, or kill you and take your gear. It'll be worth exploring the Dark Zone, because this PvP area will have special loot you can only earn by taking a leap into this warzone. Head in, grab the gear, work with, avoid, or double-cross other players, and extract. The Division is coming March 8th, 2016 on Xbox One, PS4, and PC, and players will get a chance to check out a beta sometime next year.
Ubisoft's flagship strategy franchise visits the future in Anno 2205
A CGI trailer shows a rover exploring the moon, and reveals an sprawling city. A spaceship takes off, launches past Earth, and reveals the title: Anno 2205. Build a city on Earth, head off into space, and expand on the moon. A beta will come later this year.
Ubisoft reminds you that Just Dance is also a thing, and yeah, there's another one this year
Just Dance is the party game that just won't die, and Ubisoft reassured everyone that the series will return again in 2016. You won't need a camera hooked up to your console this time around, though - if you've got a smartphone, you'll be able to play. Just Dance 2016 is coming to pretty much every platform ever, but a special subscription-based streaming service called Just Dance Unlimited will hit PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U.
Angela Bassett to play director of Rainbow Six team
More CGI trailers! This one's for Rainbow Six: Siege. We nudged up real close to the uncanny valley, then jumped in without a chute. Angela Bassett will play as Six, Rainbow Six's director of operations. It took them five minutes to say this.
Terrohunt is back in Rainbow Six: Siege and a beta is coming in September
Uh, Ubisoft, I think you forgot a letter there. Anyway, the awkwardly-titled mode from Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 is back in Siege. It's an online co-op mode that pits you and your team against AI terrorists, and you have to hunt them down (oh, now I get it). Here's the rub - they have the same siege gear you do, and they're incredibly smart. It looks like you won't be able to take a lot of punishment before you die, so you'll have to make sure your team is working like a well-oiled machine to clear these challenges. And a beta is coming September 24th, so you can give it a shot.
Trackmania is finally coming to consoles
Trackmania's been around for years, allowing players to build their own ridiculously impossible courses and share them with other players, but it's been stuck on PCs until now. Trackmania Turbo is coming to consoles, with 200 pre-built tracks, as well as random course generator for your racing pleasure. Also, there's a VR demo on the E3 show floor? Interesting.
Assassin's Creed: Syndicate shows a CGI trailer, tells us nothing we don't know already
Seriously, no gameplay footage? What's that about? Assassin's Creed: Syndicate is out this year! Hopefully Ubisoft shows something at Sony's E3 2015 press conference.
Ubisoft unveils Ghost Recon: Wildlands
A secretive team within Ubisoft Paris set out to bring back a beloved franchise - and before you get your hopes up, no, it's not Beyond Good & Evil 2. It's Ghost Recon Wildlands, and a (another) CGI trailer gave some details of the sort of gameplay you can expect. As an undercover operative, it's your job to bring down an evil drug lord (are there nice ones?), and you'll need to explore an open-world and work with other online players to do so.
