Tag: Assassin’s Creed 3

Hack into Xbox Games With Gold For June!

by The_acz

As we finally start to approach summer, now is the perfect time to sit back, relax, and catch up on your backlog of video games, and what better way to do that then this coming months Games With Gold. In June, Xbox One users will be in or a treat as they’ll be able to experience some nifty titles. These include the popular indie game SpeedRunners, making its console debut as well as the original Watch Dogs. Xbox One users will even get a bonus perk this month in the form of a dlc multiplayer pack for Phantom Dust that will add brand new abilities to use. Xbox 360 users shouldn’t feel left out though as they’ll be also getting some great titles like Assassins Creed 3 and Dragon Age Origins. Check out the trailer below to know when to expect these titles, and tell us in the comments what you’re the most excited for.

Next ‘Assassin’s Creed’ To Feature New Hero, Era

by Derek Kraneveldt

During yesterday’s quarterly earnings call, Ubisoft revealed a few cool tidbits about the future of the Assassin’s Creed series.

 

No major details were revealed, but it was announced that the next title will release during fiscal 2014, and will feature both a new main protagonist and time period.

 

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot also revealed that the next title will be developed by multiple teams, adding  “It is the benefit of multiple teams, working on multiple chapters of the brand, each getting several years to make their versions of an Assassin’s Creed game.”

 

More details are expected to be announced soon, and fiscal 2014 sounds like an awesome time to release the title; can you imagine how beautiful those cities will look on next-gen consoles?

 

Which era would you like to see the game take place in? Are you disappointed that we won’t be seeing Connor again?

assassins-creed-logo

 

Source: Joystiq

‘Assassin’s Creed’ Action Figures Coming From McFarlane Toys!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Assassin’s Creed fans, it’s time to clear some space on your toy shelf… You do have a toy shelf, right?

 

Ubisoft and Mcfarlane Toys announced today an agreement to create action figures based on the Assassins Creed series. The figures will launch later this year, and prototypes of each will be shown off at this year’s International Toy Fair (booth #4921 if you’re going) .

 

Series one will consist of seven figures, including Connor and Haytham Kenway; each will stand ~6-inches tall and feature over 25 points of articulation. Price-wise, you’re looking at $15-16 per unit, which will be well worth it for the typical quality of Mcfarlane figures.

 

A cool bonus for gamers, straight from Macfarlane himself:
 

“We’re always looking to raise the bar with our figures, and Ubisoft has been a great partner to help make that happen. These will be the first McFarlane Toys to include integration with the game itself. Our Assassin’s Creed figures will include codes that unlock unique content in game – things like new weapons, clothing colors, or other customization options. Features like this reward the hardcore fans who buy the figures, and give collectors some added value.”

 
Sign me up! Are you into these? Which characters would you like to see in the next series?
 
AC_McFarlane_Connor_02

Geekscape Games Review: ‘The Art Of Assassin’s Creed III’

by Shane O'Hare

The Assassin’s Creed series has always shown incredible artistic direction; from the dark atmosphere of the crusades to the vibrant and alive renaissance to the dystopian modern age we get to visit as Desmond, the wonderful team over at Ubisoft have yet to disappoint fans. The great guys and gals over at Titan Books  have recently put out an amazing collection of concept art and notes from the design team that crafted Assassin’s Creed III. Lets jump right in and take a look at The Art of Assassin’s Creed III

When I got my hands on the book I was ecstatic. I normally don’t go for art books and I’m simply not very interested in concept art. When I cracked the spine on this hardback however, I was blown away. The outstanding painted collections of concept images are presented in an extremely intelligent and cohesive manner.

The book is laid out over seven chapters that is prefaced with a great foreword by the Creative Director for AC3, Alex Hutchinson, which explains the thought process of the artists. The collected works start from a few sketches in a meeting way back in 2010 and cover the entire two years of development.

Present Day

Now, when I started looking at this collection I hadn’t yet played the game. I’ve only just got my hands on a copy and haven’t even broken the surface of the narrative. It’s really amazing to see where the artists changed their initial concepts and where they kept things the way they were envisioned from the start. Talking over the book with my friend Dylan, who had already cranked through a good portion of the game was an extremely interesting conversation.

The artist Chinh Ngo states that he wanted to to showcase the artificial lights of the modern era, making the sequences as Desmond a stark contrast to the natural lighting from the revolution. Exaggerated and dynamic lights were featured to help bring the cold electric feel across the atmosphere; from the overhead view of an MMA fight, to a dark, damp vehicle sequence. The notes on the Abstergo offices were interesting; the design team wanted to make the angles of the building very sharp and sterile.

Characters

The creative thought process behind these characters is amazing. The evolution of Connor is something any fan of the game has to see; his first design is very Native American inspired, with feathers being very prominent. The change from concept to concept is very interesting to see, his first iteration is very foreign compared to Ezio or Altair. Conceptually looking into the historically relevant people you’ll meet in the game is absolutely breath taking. These large scale paintings of some of the historical figures deserve to placed in a museum, I’m saying they’re actually museum quality.

Forest & Frontier

The one element of AC3 that shines the most is the expansive environment players can explore. The entire game is 1.5 times larger than Rome from Brotherhood, and you can see in this section of the book that the art team really put a lot of their heart and soul into crafting this world. The really fascinating portion is the recreation of famous battles and locations from history. The artist notes in this chapter are very intriguing and are definitely worth a read.

Boston

Way back at SDCC 2012 I attended the Ubsoft AC3 panel (my fellow ‘scapist Jake108 was also there). They demoed a section of the game in Boston, and frankly I was a little underwhelmed. The portion I saw seemed to be step backwards from the Italian renaissance, and the parts I’ve seen in game of the city still haven’t overly impressed me, but DAMN, this section of the book is critical. Seeing these huge set pieces really wowed me. From alleyways to docks, I cannot believe how cool this place looks. Maybe I need to progress further in the game, but where did all these great ideas go!? If you pick up this book, you NEED to see page 83; That HUGE shot of the entire city is absolutely incredible. It deserves to be on canvas in some rich white dude’s study, right over the fireplace.

New York

New York, New York baby. Historically this place was the setting of many pivotal battles for the revolution. The notes here focussing on the emphasis of shadows are very interesting. It’s more of the same you’ll have seen in the Boston section, and it is also the shortest section of the book.

Homestead

A returning mechanic from AC2 is the home territory. In this case players get to interact and upgrade a large tract of land that Connor and his mentor call home. I’ve seen a great deal of the process of upgrading and exploring the homestead while watching my friend play through a bunch of the quests. I find it extremely interesting how the game intertwines different characters into your own town. Doing small sidequests for each new person who comes into the homestead and how the area changes from what they bring is one of the coolest parts of the game. The concept art for the homestead area is very intriguing. The character and housing developmental changes is definitely something to take notice of.

Battle At Sea

Back at that SDCC panel, Ubisoft expanded on the Naval portion of the game. Seeing stills from it made me want this game so much more. I’ve always loved the sea from this period in time; if you see the miniseries Hornblower from A&E you will know why. AC3 really blew this part out of the water, pun intended. The paintings from this chapter are really some amazing pieces. If Titan Books are reading this, you can get me the images from page 135 on canvas for Christmas (please!).

Final Thoughts

Like I said at the beginning, I’ve never been a HUGE art fan. The little books you get in some collectors editions of games really never interested me. This huge collected works from AC3, on the other hand, is something to behold. The notes that accompany the pictures is worth the price of the book alone. The crew over at Titan Books really put together a great collection and I think everyone needs to check it out.

You can get your hands on the version I have right HERE.

BUT! If you are the ultimate Assassin’s Creed fan then you’lll want to get the Limited Edition copy. It features a radical slip case and two signed prints from two of the artists, Chinh Ngo and Gilles Beloeil. It is limited to 1000 copies, so if you want it, you better get it quick!

Kill With Friends In This ‘Assassin’s Creed III’ Multiplayer Trailer

by Shane O'Hare

At SDCC during the AC3 panel they discussed briefly what you can get with the multiplayer. You can create bands of assassins that can play in various game types. Get a nice peak at what to expect with this trailer!

AC3 ships October 30th on Xbox and PS3. November 18th on the WiiU

Assassinate With Friends In Assassin’s Creed III Using ‘Animus’

by Shane O'Hare

With Gamescom just around the corner, Ubisoft is starting to dish out some pre-tradeshow hype. They just released a new trailer for the multiplayer portion of Assassin’s Creed III. Along the lines as “The Corporation” from Aliens, we get a product demo for the Animus from a lovely Abstergo employee. Take a gander below.

I never personally played any of the Assassin’s Creed multiplayer modes. It all seemed WAY to stressful to be hunted by real people. This iteration looks like it will be even more in depth with more game modes. PLUS! You can be a big breasted woman! I’M SOLD!

Delicious Eye Candy in This Assassin’s Creed III Engine Demo

by Shane O'Hare

We at Geekscape are excited for Assassin’s Creed III. No wait, we are EXTREMELY EXCITED for Assassin’s Creed III. I can safely say, lest there is some game ending bug, this will be a runner for Game of the year for most reviewers. Well today the folks over at Ubisoft have given us another little morsel to tide us over until Gamescom. Check out this overview video of the new engine that ACIII is built around. AnvilNext.

We finally get a peak at what Ubisoft has been talking about. The expansive environments that the lead dev at comic con said “Are as big as they are in real life” look amazing. The number of AI was just an arbitrary number until this video. To actually see all of those people on screen at once is such a good feeling.

So what is your favorite part of this video? What are you most looking forward to in Assassin’s Creed III?

SDCC 2012 Video Game Round-Up: Assassin’s Creed III

by jake108

Assassin’s Creed III

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last few months, Assassin’s Creed III is using the American Revolution as backdrop for our newest adventure. Desmond will be making a return, and Ubisoft promises to make Desmond actually fun to play as. While it is a considerable leap from Ezio’s time period, Ubisoft did rule out the possibility of going back in time rather than the trend of going forward, meaning that another AC game could take place in between Ezio’s time period and the American Revolution.

I admit to being skeptical of this next installment of the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Being a fan of the franchise, I feared of a changing gameplay formula due to the drastic change in scenery. Not only that, but I was also skeptical of the game’s story. I was afraid of Conner, our new Assassin we’ll be taking control of, was only helping the Americans just because. I am pleased to report that Conner actually has a reason for helping the colonists. Still, it’s what you’d expect: Top British officials are Templars, and Conner will help the colonists earn their freedom from the Templars themselves.

Below, you’ll find a walkthrough of Boston, MA.

Assassin’s Creed III gameplay is not unlike its predecessors. Any veteran to the franchise should be able to pick up the game and get the hang of it fairly quickly. As someone who doesn’t delve too much into the multiplayer part of the franchise, it’s easy to forget the controls and tricks to avoiding death by assassination. Still, a quick refreshing match should allow to make a decision to keep playing or not.

The gametype I played was a form of conquest/domination while looking for enemy assassins. It’s amazingly fun for those who are good at it and can get quite frustrating for first time users. New game modes, new environments, and new weapons should keep the multiplayer fresh for veterans.

Assassins Creed III is shaping up to be another great addition and is set for an October 30th release.

Murder Brits With This Assassin’s Creed Steel Tomahawk

by Shane O'Hare

You to can relive moments from the great American Revolution with your own Assassins Tomahawk! FEEL THE BLOOD OF YOUR ENEMIES ON YOUR COLD STEEL! The folks over at The Deals Only Webstore have put up, what I believe to be the COOLEST toy since the Halo Plasma Weapons offered from HotTopic. Take a gander at some of the pics below!

The DELICIOUS excerpt from the site makes me want this even more than I did before.

A warrior is defined by his weapon. An extension of his arm, his character is reflected in his instrument of war.

These axes are 17.5″ inches of pure grace. The blades is finely crafted of pure steel, firmly gripping the beautifully decorated wood handle. The lower grip is padded with realistic faux leather, and the upper neck is adorned with additional decorations including a feather charm.

This piece will feel great in your hand, and is weighted well to facilitate strong swings. This tomahawk is a fantastic piece for any collector, and is great for costumes and cosplay.

Be prepared for the revolution.

Features:

  • Finely crafted steel blade
  • Beautiful wooden handle
  • Quality faux leather grip and decorations
  • Great for costumes and collections

Did you read that last bit? “Be prepared for the revolution”. My Alaskan, red meat eating, Ron Paul Loving, .44 Magnum bear killing heart got a tad bit aroused after reading that. For only $40 plus shipping I am SO READY FOR THE REVOLUTION!

Celebrate Independence Day With The New Assassin’s Creed III Trailer ‘Rise’

by Shane O'Hare

Today, July 4th. American Independence Day. And on one of the most historically auspicious days for our country we are reminded of our fight for independence by a French video game developer. Check out the newest trailer for AC3 sent to us by Ubisoft!

Damn. That was REALLY good. Ubisoft definitely took a note from the Halo adverts with this one. The hype for this game just will not stop, and I am SO excited for its release. Hopefully what Ubisoft shows us at San Diego Comic Con will keep this hype train rolling.

And I hope that you laugh at the fact that this is the UK marketing trailer as well.

Assassin’s Creed 3 Stalks Some Prey In A New Frontier Walkthrough Video

by Shane O'Hare

Today the chaps over at Ubisoft released a seven minute walkthrough of one of the missions in Assassin’s Creed 3. This particular one shows off the new combat system, tree navigation and player weapons. Check it out below.