First Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag details
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 0 comments
Ubisoft has officially lifted its embargo for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, and first details have started to arrive. We’ve compiled a bunch of information below. The details batch covers new gameplay elements, improvements, and a few story bits.
– Takes place in the earlier half of the 18th century
– Set off the east coast of Northern America where piracy thrives
– Stars Edward Kenway, father of Haytham and grandfather of Connor
– AC4 is part of the “Kenway saga” of Assassin’s Creed games
– Where Haytham and Connor were present at the dawn of a new democracy, Edward will be tested by the failure of the old one
– Edward is a more charming, clever, and reckless character than Connor
– When Black Flag starts, Edward is already a pirate
– Black Flag director Ashraf Ismail stressed that his global team was focusing on placing Edward into a more historically accurate take on this era – no parrots, no Krakens, no theme park shine
– Looking to be grittier, more true to the dark, rough reality of the era
– Ismail references Kurt Sutter’s twisted, gritty, grounded television show “Sons of Anarchy” a few times when describing his vision for a cast of characters that encompasses Charles Vane, Calico Jack, Blackbeard and more
– Montreal-based team
– Singapore, Sofia, Annecy, Kiev, Quebec City, Bucharest and Montpellier assisting on the project
– “first true naval overworld”
– Black Flag aims to blend between its land and aquatic experiences seamlessly
– Edward can dive off of his ship, swim to the shore of one of 50 or so locations in the Carribbean, and explore
– No loading or segmented feel for the above
– Variety in these locales
– Locations range from plantations and jungles to Mayan ruins and exotic coconut islands
– Three major cities: Havana (described as analogous to ACII’s Venice in terms of vertical emphasis), Nassau (the home of the so-called Republic of Pirates) and Kingston (a very dangerous, British-run city)
– Land-based portions are around 60% of Black Flag’s main missions
– Some Far Cry 3 developers are on board
– All of the game’s activities, from hunting and harpooning (water-based hunting) to exploring underwater environments, will feed into a larger sense of progression and evolution of play
– Edward can upgrade his equipment in a variety of ways
– Can upgrade the Jackdaw ship and its crew as well
– More complex and deeper ocean-based warfare compared to ACIII
– New weapon types, enemies, and challenges
– Edward uses a spyglass to view ships and islands from a distance, which communicates valuable information on a destination or foe prior to any sort of engagement
– Can exploit weather patterns, luring the opposition into less than ideal conditions such as dynamic storms, to their advantage
– Can board an enemy’s ship
– Your goal with any ship-to-ship fight is to eliminate the other captain
– How you choose to do this is up to the player
– Ship has a swivel gun
– Up to four pistols can be used depending on your upgrades
– Ubisoft wants to remove some of the barriers that previous games created, leaning more on open-ended directives
– Less about hand-holding and more about providing basic objectives with flexible conditions for satisfying said objectives
– Team is refining game systems for things like detection and stealth, so players better understand how the game “reads” their actions
– Ismail noted that his team has, from the start, been focused on building mechanics within the pirate theme that the story then supports – not the other way around
– Notoriety system has been tossed out since navigating the wide ocean and traveling from location to location makes this sort of “worldwide alert” illogical
– You are a person hired by Templar-controlled Abstergo Entertainment to research a pivotal moment in Desmond’s ancestry
– You’re told to look into Edward Kenway – and away you go
– Ubisoft is attempting to find the delicate balance between the game’s Caribbean setting – where the bulk of the game takes place – and its modern counterpart, where a significant amount of lore is held
– The team hopes that it can incentivize hardcore Assassin’s Creed fans to step outside the world of pirates and explore the Abstergo facility, by providing a variety of unnamed activities and information as a means of reward
Rumor: Wii U to get conference and mobile video chat
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Podcast Stories, Rumors, Wii U | 0 comments
Vidyo, the company powering the Wii U’s chat application, appears to be working on new functionality for the console. An official PDF document from Vidyo suggests that “multi-party conferencing” and communication between a Wii U and a mobile device could be on the way. There’s also a mysterious mention of something labeled as “video-powered game experiences”.
Take a look at the relevant extract from the PDF below:
Focus on social networking around gaming
Now: video chat in Miiverse
Next: video-powered game experiences
Chat today, conferencing soon
Now: point-to-point
Next: multi-party conferencing
Extending to mobile devices soon
Now: between Wii U consoles
Next: between Wii U and mobile devices
Along with the hinted additions mentioned above, Nintendo has previously teased plans to improve Wii U Chat in other ways. For instance, in an Iwata Asks discussion, Satoru Iwata suggested that it may eventually be possible to chat with other system users without having to turn off a game.
Pre-order The Wonderful 101
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments
If you haven’t done so already, you can reserve The Wonderful 101 from a pair of notable retailers. Amazon has a pre-order page here
, and GameStop’s product page is located here.
Nintendo has been keeping quiet when it comes to The Wonderful 101’s release date. The company has only confirmed that the Wii U game will be available in the first half of 2013.
Resident Evil: Revelations 3DS/HD comparison
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Videos, Wii U | 0 comments
Thanks to Robert for the tip.
Japan getting different Resident Evil: Revelations boxart
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 0 comments
Much like Injustice: Gods Among us, Japan will be receiving a different Resident Evil: Revelations boxart than in North America and Europe.
Here’s what the Japanese cover looks like:
And here’s the European box:
I assume that the North American art will be kept the same as the European imagery, but you never know…
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag – Edward Kenway character introduction trailer
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U | 0 comments
Media Create software sales (2/18 – 2/24) – Top 50
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, News, Wii, Wii U | 0 comments
01./00. [PS3] Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance #
02./01. [3DS] Dragon Quest VII: Fighters of Eden
03./02. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf #
04./00. [3DS] Magi: The Labyrinth of Beginning
05./00. [PSP] Toaru Majutsu no Kagaku no Ensemble #
06./04. [WII] Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: Super Deluxe Edition #
07./03. [3DS] New Super Mario Bros. 2 #
08./05. [3DS] Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Best Price!)
09./06. [3DS] Fantasy Life
10./07. [3DS] Taiko no Tatsujin: Chibi Dragon to Fushigi na Orb
11./08. [3DS] Paper Mario: Sticker Star
12./10. [3DS] Mario Kart 7
13./00. [WIU] Tank! Tank! Tank!
14./09. [3DS] Tousouchuu: Shijou Saikyou no Hunter-Tachi Kara Nigekire!
15./13. [3DS] Inazuma Eleven Go 2: Chrono Stone – Neppuu / Raimei
16./11. [WIU] New Super Mario Bros. U
17./15. [PS3] Call of Duty: Black Ops II – Dubbed Edition
18./00. [PSP] Grisaia no Kajitsu: La Fruit de la Grisaia
19./18. [NDS] Pokèmon Black 2 / White 2
20./00. [PSP] Desert Kingdom Portable #
First Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag images
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Screenshots, Wii U | 0 comments
Update: Added in larger images.
The Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag leaks just don’t stop, do they? In the gallery above you’ll find the game’s first (small) images, which seem to be a mix of screenshots/art.
Vblank on keeping Retro City Rampage for Wii rather than Wii U
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii Shop Channel, Wii U | 0 comments
We hate to say it, but Retro City Rampage is pretty much being sent to die on WiiWare. Perhaps that’s why Vblank Entertainment’s Brian Provinciano – creator of the project – called it a “$20,000 gift to the fans”.
At this point, the interest in WiiWare has deteriorated significantly. It probably would have made more sense to bring the game to the Wii U eShop – but things aren’t that easy.
In order to make a Wii U eShop port possible, Vblank “would need to be completely ported from scratch”, according to Provinciano. It would also require “a new round of paperwork, platform requirements, e-manuals, game ratings, store metadata and assets, submission and certification.” Another port would require a great deal of work, and at present, the amount of versions Provinciano has worked on “left me very drained and physically sore after the long hours at the computer”.
“The problem is that the Wii U is a completely different system. You can’t just plop Wii code onto it, add some Wii U features and call it a day. It would need to be completely ported from scratch. On top of that, it means a new round of paperwork, platform requirements, e-manuals, game ratings, store metadata and assets, submission and certification. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t simply be a week’s work or such. Much of this was already done for the WiiWare version when the Wii U came along, so switching platforms still would’ve meant almost double the work. I’ve already ported the game to more systems than any one man developer has in history, and it’s left me very drained and physically sore after the long hours at the computer – over three years without a vacation or a day off. My mousing shoulder and neck is seized up right now from all of the time at the computer. So, no plans for more ports, I need to let my body rest without putting in the long hours for a while. Fortunately, WiiWare games can still be purchased and played on the Wii U.”
The Amazing Spider-Man: Ultimate Edition screenshots
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Screenshots, Wii U | 0 comments
Thanks to Ram for the tip.
