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  • Assassin’s Creed III Wii U ‘exactly the same’ as Xbox 360, PS3, PC

    Gamers who decide to hold out for the Wii U version of Assassin’s Creed III won’t need to worry about the game skipping features or content from its console and PC cousins. Creative director Alex Hutchinson recently told Games Industry International that the Wii U version is no different than the Xbox 360, PlayStation, or PC iterations.

    “It is exactly the same game that’s on the other platforms,” Hutchinson said. “And I know that sounds ridiculous, but it’s been a long time since I’ve shipped a game on more than three platforms where you could say it’s all the same. It’s not like some radically diminished version, so that’s exciting.”

    Though the main game and experience in Assassin’s Creed III on Wii U may be on par with the other versions, only PS3 gamers will be able to play the four-chapter Benedict Arnold missions. Those missions were announced yesterday, and see game hero Connor attempt to foil Arnold’s plot to betray the West Point camp. It is not clear if these missions will be made available later for other platforms.

    Assassin’s Creed III debuts on Xbox 360 and PS3 on October 30, with a PC release slated for November 2. The game is a launch title for the Wii U in North America, shipping alongside the system in that region on November 18.

  • Assassin’s Creed movie ‘fast-tracked’

    The upcoming Assassin’s Creed movie is coming sooner rather than later. Ubisoft today announced that its Ubisoft Motion Pictures outfit has “fast-tracked” the film, and partnered with production company New Regency to get the job done. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

    Ubisoft’s deal with New Regency allows the game maker to maintain control of “key elements” of the film’s creative direction. Writing of the screenplay for the untitled film is beginning immediately, Ubisoft said, but did not specify who has been tapped for the job.

    “Ubisoft chose to partner with New Regency because they are a talent and filmmaker-driven company, with the same independent and creative mindset that we have at Ubisoft Motion Pictures,” said Ubisoft Motion Pictures chief executive officer Jean-Julien Baronnet .

    New Regency is a division of Regency Enterprises. Past projects produced by the company include Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Marly & Me. The company is producing Darren Aronofsky’s upcoming biblical epic Noah, as well as Twelve Years a Slave.

    The Assassin’s Creed movie will star Michael Fassbender, who played major roles in Inglourious Basterds, Prometheus, and Shame. No additional cast members, director, or producers have been announced for the movie.

    The Ubisoft Motion Pictures outfit was founded in January 2011 with the purpose of bringing the company’s games to film, television, and the Web. On top of the Assassin’s Creed movie, Ubisoft is at work on a Rabbids TV series for Nickelodeon, and full-length movies based on the Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon game franchises.

    The latest game in the Assassin’s Creed franchise is Assassin’s Creed III, which is set during the Revolutionary War and is due out on October 30 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Releases for the PC and Wii U will follow in November. For more on Assassin’s Creed III, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage.

  • Ubisoft not fearful of launching Far Cry 3 near Call of Duty

    October 22, 2012 8:18AM PDT

    Brand manager claims the Far Cry series has “always been a little bit off the map,” and this will draw users to it.

    Ubisoft is not fazed by the fact that Far Cry 3 launches just three weeks after Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Speaking to MCV, Ubisoft brand manager Henri Guay claimed that the Far Cry series has always been “different,” and this novelty will draw gamers to it.

    “Far Cry has always been a little bit off the map in terms of the offer that it gives,” Guay said. “People are going to continue to play Call of Duty and people are going to look for experiences that give them something a little bit different. We feel we’re in a comfortable spot.”

    Far Cry 3 was originally intended to launch in early September, but was pushed back to November 29 in Europe and December 4 in the United States to give the team more time to polish the experience. Not only will Far Cry 3 launch near Black Ops II, but also Halo 4, which arrives November 6.

  • Borderlands Legends for iOS spotted

    The Borderlands franchise appears to be branching out from consoles and PC and coming to mobile platforms. A Gearbox forum user spotted an advertisement (below right) for Borderlands Legends in the Borderlands 2 digital strategy guide, indicating the game will release for iPad and iPhone sometime this month.

    According to the advertisement, Borderlands Legends was specially designed for mobile and tablet devices. Players can control Mordecai, Lilith, Brick, and Roland in gameplay that has players taking on waves of enemies. Much like the console game, Borderlands Legends will allow users to earn experience points and level their characters, according to the ad.

    A total of 36 unique powers and abilities, as well as “thousands” of weapons, and a “strategic cover system” will be up for grabs in Borderlands Legends, the ad goes on to say. Gearbox Software has not announced the game, and a representative from the company was not immediately available for comment.

  • Black Ops II guns can Prestige

    Next month’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II will offer up 55 levels and 10 Prestige levels for players to earn, but that is not all. Treyarch design director David Vonderhaar revealed over Twitter that the game will offer weapon Prestiges.

    “Did you know that you can Prestige any gun two times?” he wrote.

    Weapon levelling was introduced in last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, but no Call of Duty game to date has allowed players to Prestige their weapons. It is not clear what benefit players will have to doing so in the new shooter.

    In Black Ops II, players can enter Prestige mode once they reach the game’s 55 level cap. However, unlike past games, doing so no longer resets progress. Players will keep their unlocked weapons and items in exchange for Prestige tokens that can be spent on additional Create-A-Class slots, among other things.

    Black Ops II is due out November 13 for Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3. A Wii U version will launch with the system in North America November 18.

  • Anarchy Reigns January 8

    Anarchy Reigns has finally been dated for a Western release. Publisher Sega announced today that the brawler is due in North America on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for $30 on January 8, 2013. A release will follow in Europe for “29.99 on January 11.

    Anarchy Reigns was developed by Platinum Games and released in Japan as Max Anarchy in July, 2012. GameSpot’s review praised its gore-filled combat, but lamented its often-repetitive single-player missions and somewhat confusing story.

    The game’s Western release has been a long time coming. Anarchy Reigns was originally announced as a fall 2011 title, before being pushed to January 2012, and then again to July 3, and once more to later in the month. Its most recent delay came in June, when the game was pushed–unbeknownst to its developer–to 2013.

    Anarchy Reigns is a third-person brawler set in a postapocalyptic war zone filled with tsunamis, black holes, and other hazards. The game features online multiplayer using existing characters from the studio’s previous title MadWorld, as well as original characters.

  • Big in Japan October 7-14: Bravely Default, Resident Evil 6

    The latest role-playing game from Square Enix was Japan’s flavor of the week for the October 7 to October 14 period, followed by Resident Evil 6, a few others from Namco Bandai.

    According to the latest Media Create numbers, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy was at first place on the software charts with 141,529 units sold. The 3DS RPG is a new IP from Square Enix and features turn-based combat, a brave and default stance switch system, and multiple job classes to mix and match. The collector’s edition of the game features a poster, a soundtrack album, an art book, and an exclusive cover.

    Past top spot holder Resident Evil 6 went down a notch from the past week. The PS3 version of the game sold 92,921 units while the Xbox 360 version was at 34th place with no sales number stated. For more information on Resident Evil 6, check out GameSpot’s review and video feature.

    Namco Bandai’s new RPGs made their debuts for the week. Project X Zone for the 3DS was at third place with 85,539 units sold while Tokitowa was at fifth place with 32,215 units sold. The former is a strategy RPG where characters from Sega, Capcom, and Namco Bandai team up and fight in a newly created universe, while the latter is a fully 2D-animated RPG that combines turn-based and action elements.

    The 3DS did well sales-wise due to Bravely Default and Project X Zone being released for the platform. The XL version topped the list at 52,079 units while the regular version sold 27,221 units. The PS3 moved 26,312 units while the PSP was at 15,585 units. The PS Vita was still at 6,134 units, a low number compared to its older cousin.

    Top Japan Game Sales of October 7-14

    Software
    Rank / Title / Publisher / Platform / Sales Unit
    1. Bravely Default: Flying Fairy / Square Enix / 3DS / 141,529
    2. Resident Evil 6 / Capcom / PS3 / 92,921
    3. Project X Zone / Namco Bandai / 3DS / 85,539
    4. Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 / Konami / PS3 / 50,144
    5. Tokitowa / Namco Bandai / PS3 / 32,215
    6. New Super Mario Bros. 2 / Nintendo / 3DS / 29,651
    7. Wagamama Fashion: Girls Mode / Nintendo / 3DS / 22,195
    8. Tousouchuu: Shijou Saikyou no Hunter-Tachi Kara Nigekire! / Namco Bandai / 3DS / 18,458
    9. Rock Smith / Ubisoft / PS3 / 13,964
    10. Diabolik Lovers / Idea Factory / PSP / 13,173

    Hardware
    3DS XL – 52,079
    3DS – 27,221
    PS3 – 26,312
    PSP – 15,585
    PS Vita – 6,134
    Wii – 4,476
    Xbox 360 – 2,400
    PS2 – 911
    DSi -282
    DSi XL – 255

  • Rockstar asks for GTA V Crews feedback

    Rockstar Games is looking to fans for feedback regarding Grand Theft Auto V’s multiplayer mode. An update on the developer’s official blog today calls for input from fans regarding Crews in the much-anticipated upcoming action game.

    Rockstar is not looking for anything very specific, saying feedback could involve competitive in-game features, new ways to manage and recruit players, ideas for how to enhance the Social Club Crew pages, and what they did or did not like about how Max Payne 3 handled Crews. In short, if gamers have any suggestions at all regarding Crews, they are encouraged to drop Rockstar a line.

    Gamers eager to send Rockstar feedback can email the company at GTAVCrewFeedback@rockstargames.com. Players can leave comments in the post itself, but developers are more likely to review messages sent to the email address.

    GTA V was announced in October 2011, but the game remains largely a mystery. Some analysts expect it to be on store shelves by March 2013, while others disagree.

    New screenshots for the game arrived in August, but Rockstar has kept quiet on the game since. For more on GTA V check out GameSpot’s previous coverage.

  • $150 BioShock Infinite ‘Songbird’ edition revealed

    Irrational Games today announced a $150 Ultimate Songbird Edition for BioShock Infinite. The bundle’s premier item is a 9.5-inch statue (below right) of the game’s Songbird creature, which has been designed by System Shock, BioShock, Thief, and Freedom Force concept artist Robb Waters.

    The developer also took the lid off the $80 Premium Edition for BioShock Infinite, which includes a 3-inch keychain, a propaganda lithograph, a 25 millimeter Handyman miniature, and an art book. Additionally, it features various digital items, including in-game gear and the title’s digital soundtrack.

    Everything included in the Premium Edition is also bundled with the Ultimate Songbird Edition. At press time, the bundles were not available for preorder in the United States, although a website promising to take preorders has gone live. Irrational said both packs will be available for reservation in Europe and Australia beginning October 22. For more on each bundle, check out the landing page at Irrational’s website.

    BioShock Infinite was originally expected to ship on October 16, but was delayed to February 26, 2013 earlier this year. Several top developers have quit the studio, and its multiplayer modes were recently axed.

    BioShock Infinite is set in Columbia, a flying city in an early alternate 20th century where utopian ideals have given way to chaos in a sea of weaponry, plasmid-like powers, and political upheaval. Into this mess steps the game’s protagonist, Booker DeWitt, a former member of the feared Pinkerton National Detective Agency, which was America’s largest security company in the late 19th century.

    According to GameSpot’s latest preview, DeWitt will enter a world where steampunk robots have replaced horses and people, and where crazed citizens foment revolution with strange powers–and lots of guns.

  • Viking: Battle For Asgard now available for PC

    October 18, 2012 6:58AM PDT

    Sega brings action-adventure game to Steam four years after console versions shipped; Hardlight Studios handled the port, available now for $15.

    Viking: Battle For Asgard is now available on PC for $15 through Valve’s digital store Steam–four years after the console versions shipped in 2008–Sega announced today.

    The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Viking: Battle For Asgard were developed by The Creative Assembly, but the PC iteration was handled by the Sega-owned Hardlight Studios.

    The PC version includes a number of updates from its console cousins, including Russian and Polish language support and improved lighting and shadowing features.

    In Viking: Battle For Asgard, players control Skarin, a Viking hero with a variety of brute force combat and mythic skills at his disposal. The game is set in the world of Asgard, which has been beset by the nefarious goddess Hel. It is up to Skarin to rally the Viking legions against her to save the world from collapsing.

    For more on Viking: Battle For Asgard, check out GameSpot’s review.