It was a safe bet to assume that this year's Ubisoft E3 press conference would be dominated by
Watch Dogs and
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, yet there were numerous surprises during the show including
Splinter Cell: Blacklist,
Rayman Legends,
The Mighty Quest For Epic Loot, and newly-revealed
The Crew and
Tom Clancy's The Division. Other games showcased at the event included
Rocksmith 2014,
South Park: The Stick of Truth,
Rabbids Invasion,
Trials Fusion and
Frontiers, and
Just Dance 2014.
What Watch Dogs?
While Watch Dogs and Assassin's Creed received their screen time, neither were beyond anything spectacular for the caliber of E3. The Watch Dogs segment was simply a pre-rendered cinematic without any gameplay presentation, which was rather disappointing considering the fact it's been touted as the show stealer for last year's E3. The Assassin's Creed segment faired a bit better with both cinematic and gameplay trailers to showcase the pirate life-inspired gameplay.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist returns with a vengeance
Splinter Cell: Blacklist was revealed at last year’s E3 through a lackluster trailer without any of the intensity of the previous game in the series. Fortunately, Ubisoft took notice and delivered a Hollywood-worthy trailer with an intriguing narrative and relentless action. Armed with a mobile-command aircraft and team of highly-trained operatives, Sam Fisher will travel to an array of locations to prevent attacks on United States assets which are known as “The Blacklist.” In addition, the fan favorite spies versus mercs mode returns for players to battle one another online. Splinter Cell: Blacklist will be available on August 20 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and Windows PC.
Quirky fun continues with Rayman Legends
Following with the success of last year’s Rayman Origins, Ubisoft is continuing the series with Rayman Legends. The sequel looks to contain all of the original’s unique and quirky elements from the hand-drawn art style to the addictive platforming gameplay. The four-player cooperative play returns in addition to a new online challenge mode. Rayman Legends will be available on September 3 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and Wii U.
Defend your dungeon in The Mighty Quest For Epic Loot
The Mighty Quest For Epic Loot was introduced by possibly one of the funniest trailers thus far with excess bleeping of swear words and wacky characters. Described as a free-to-play game with a unique twist in which players build their own castle designs to prevent other players from stealing their precious and epic loot. In development by Ubisoft Montreal, the closed beta begins today for The Mighty Quest For Epic Loot for Windows PC and is available through the
official website.
Open world racing with your friends in The Crew
The most notable surprises from Ubisoft included two brand new reveals with The Crew and Tom Clancy’s The Division. The Crew from developers Ivory Towers and Ubisoft Reflections takes use of next generation console technology by delivering an online and persistent open world racing game in which players have the massive expanse of North America to drive from coast to coast. Ubisoft had four players on stage to showcase the drop-in and drop-out capability for playing with friends, in which they can form crews to take on missions in addition to racing other crews. The Crew will be available in early 2014 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows PC.
Survival after an apocalypse in Tom Clancy's The Division
Ubisoft kept a major surprise for the audience till the very end with the reveal of another open world game in the form of Tom Clancy’s The Division, which is set after the downfall of America from a widespread and deadly, infectious disease. In development by Ubisoft Massive, The Division combines elements from the third-person shooter and role-playing genres set to the backdrop of a country in ruins. Both the most visually stunning and unique game to be showcased by Ubisoft this year at E3, the gameplay has a similar vibe to DayZ with the violent conflict between lone and groups of survivors. No release date was provided, but the game has been confirmed for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Ubisoft marking its claim in the new console generation
Once the media briefing concluded and reactions settled, it’s without a doubt that Ubisoft is tackling the next generation of consoles with full force. Watch Dogs, The Crew, and Tom Clancy’s The Division will each be important judges of what the technology is capable of with the new console generation. Current owners of consoles are also in for quite a few treats with the upcoming releases of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and Rayman Legends.
