Warp Zoned Presents
Author: Zackery Cote
Ubisoft Toronto developing new Assassin’s Creed game
Fortune Magazine recently published a list of the ten most powerful women in gaming. Many members of the list are high executives for well-known companies such as Naughty Dog and 343 Industries, and Ubisoft’s Jade Raymond is no exception. Raymond is the Managing Director of Ubisoft Toronto, but before that, she helped co-create the original Assassin’s Creed.
Assassin’s Creed didn’t exist before 2007 and in six short years, it has become one of the best-selling franchises in all of gaming. It has also spawned a number of successful sequels. But the most interesting takeaway from Raymond’s writeup is that, according to Fortune, she is “now working on a new Assassin’s Creed game (not Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag)” as well as Watch Dogs and three other unannounced titles. Of course, with Ubisoft’s commitment to spreading the development of every Assassin’s Creed title across multiple studios, it’s likely that Toronto is just one of a half dozen credits that will appear on the next Assassin’s Creed box.
While it may come as no surprise to gamers that Ubisoft has plans for another Assassin’s Creed title, it does raise the question of what’s next for the franchise. What time period will the new title take place in? Which member of Altaïr’s lineage will the story follow? How, if at all, will it relate to the events happening in the present? And most importantly, will the game be known as Assassin’s Creed V?
All these questions and more will surely be answered soon.
Posted in News
Tagged Assassin's Creed: Unity
Nintendo officially announces Zelda: A Link Between Worlds 3DS XL bundle for US
The Legend of Zelda is one of the most iconic franchises in all of the video game world. The name alone is usually enough to sell at least a million units. In fact, the only Legend of Zelda title not to hit the one million mark was The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures. Not bad for a series that contains almost two dozen titles.
With such strong success in the franchise’s past, Nintendo is hoping to capitalize on the public’s demand for more games starring Link, Zelda, and Ganon with their latest announcement. For those of you who don’t own a 3DS, or for those who do and want something a bit more special, Nintendo will be releasing a special The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds system bundle on November 22. The bundle will include a 3DS XL adorned with a picture of the legendary Triforce on the exterior and complimented by a gold-and-black color scheme that fits the Legend of Zelda mythos perfectly. The spectacular system will come packaged with a download code for the new game, so players can show their Zelda pride by playing the newest Zelda game on the newest Zelda-themed system. Nintendo has priced the system bundle at $219.99.
Eiji Aonuma, the producer in charge of the Legend of Zelda franchise, wanted to share his excitement for the system bundle in a special video message, which you can find after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Angry Birds Star Wars warps to PS4, Xbox One next month
If you had told me in 2009, when the first Angry Birds game was released for iOS, that this little mobile game about slingshotting birds would be a gigantic cultural phenomenon, I would not have believed you. If you had gone a step further and told me that it would one day be on the same pop culture plane as Star Wars, I likely would’ve outright laughed at you. Yet despite its simplistic nature, Angry Birds has taken much of the world by storm and spawned a respectable franchise, including merchandise like Halloween costumes, t-shirts, and even golf balls. Yes, Angry Birds golf balls.
Yesterday, Angry Birds made another significant jump… Rovio and Activision released Angry Birds Star Wars on the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Wii U, Vita, and 3DS. The pair of publishers also announced that the game will be hitting the PS4 and Xbox One next month. Complete with all of the lovable features from the current-gen editions, Angry Birds Star Wars on next-gen systems will also include a few additions. PS4 players will gain touchpad controls while Xbox One owners will experience “improved Kinect functionality.” The game will also support each system’s video capture features.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Angry Birds Star Wars
Trine 2: Complete Story announced for PS4
With the war for next-gen supremacy raging on all fronts, it’s more important than ever to know which games will be launching on which platforms. A little while back, rumors began circulating that Trine 2 was in development for the PlayStation 4. Earlier today, the developers behind the game, Frozenbyte, confirmed on the PlayStation Blog that the rumors were true, and that the full and complete version of Trine 2, known as Trine 2: Complete Story would indeed be releasing on Sony’s next-gen console.
For those of you that don’t know, Trine 2 is a side-scrolling puzzle and platforming game that has been released for various platforms over the past two years, including the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network (PS3) in 2011, and for the Wii U in 2012. Players can choose to play as the Thief, the Wizard, or the Knight as they quest through the dungeons of Trine’s fairytale world, including 20 levels full of puzzles and platforming fun. Frozenbyte has been working on a port of the game for the PlayStation 4 for quite some time and they expect to deliver the most visually stunning version of Trine 2 with Trine 2: Complete Story sometime before the end of the year.
Mass Effect 4 WON’T feature Shepard at all
Mass Effect, BioWare’s sci-fi juggernaut, has been the developer’s flagship franchise for the last few years. The first installment was released in 2007 and five years (and two additional games) later, the series reached a climactic ending that brought the entire story to a very final conclusion. SPOILERS FOLLOW.
The protagonist for the entire series, the character through whom players experienced every moment of every event in every game was forced to sacrifice his or herself to end the threat of the Reaper Invasion. In almost every ending, Commander Shepard dies. This left many wondering about the future of the franchise. The Mass Effect name seemed too powerful for BioWare to simply let go of the intellectual property, but if there were another Mass Effect game, when would it take place? Would it be a prequel? Or would players simply assume the role of another character? Certainly there were plenty of viable companions who could see their own titles, particularly Garrus Vakarian or Liara T’Soni. Complex recently posted an interview with Mac Walter, the man behind most of the content in the Mass Effect universe, and what the writer had to say was not what many gamers wanted to hear.
When asked explicitly about the direction of the next Mass Effect installment, the currently untitled Mass Effect 4, Walter revealed that the plan was “to tell a story that doesn’t relate necessarily to any of the Shepard events at all, whatsoever.” He went on to add that regardless of what happened, the most important thing to the team was to make sure that it still felt like a Mass Effect game, instead of a spin-off. And for anyone thinking that perhaps a story could still be told from Garrus’s perspective, a story that doesn’t relate to any of the Shepard events, Walter concluded that the next game would be “without the Shepard character or the Shepard-specific companions.”
So it seems that the next Mass Effect will start from scratch, though Walter did discuss his current project, a 13-issue comic called Mass Effect: Foundation. He mentioned that he couldn’t imagine not using “the comics as a companion” with the fourth Mass Effect installment. Fans who wish to familiarize themselves with the next step in the Mass Effect universe may want to pick up the comics to find out what’s in store.
Posted in News
Tagged Mass Effect: Andromeda
Will Zelda: A Link Between Worlds’ Item Shop Really “Transform” the Franchise?
According to the most recent Nintendo Direct presentation, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds will, in the words of Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, “transform the way you play Zelda.” After years of following a consistent, popular formula, Nintendo has finally seen the need for progression. The next Zelda game will “buck the mold” of traditional Zelda gameplay with one revolutionary change: items will now be rented from and bought at a shop, rather than found in a dungeon. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, Opinions, Top Story
Tagged The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director’s Cut will be released on October 22
The Square Enix name has taken an undeniable hit in credibility over the last few years. A significant amount of the company’s titles are simply re-releases of much older games (Final Fantasy VII for PC, Final Fantasy III for PSP, etc.). In amongst all of these titles was a game developed by Square’s Eidos Montreal studio, Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The game received widespread critical acclaim and spawned a number of extended universe installments in other media (such as books, comics, action figures, and a mobile game called Deus Ex: The Fall). CBS Films has even acquired the rights to create a film adaptation of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Of course, true to form, an improved version of the game is being re-released later this month: Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Director’s Cut.
Originally announced as a Wii U exclusive title, it was revealed ahead of the game’s originally release date (May 2013) that the Director’s Cut would go multiplatform for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 as well. The Director’s Cut will feature updated visuals, overhauled boss fights, refined game balance and combat, and over eight hours of developer commentary. Additionally, the bonus content, “Tong’s Rescue” mission and the entire “Missing Link” chapter, has been integrated seamlessly into the narrative flow of the Director’s Cut. The game will also offer a great deal of exclusive second screen features for the Wii U GamePad, Microsoft’s SmartGlass, and the PlayStation Vita.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Director’s Cut will hit shelves on October 22nd, and it’s quite clear that Square Enix hopes the game can recreate its original success.
Metro: Last Light Developer Pack now available
Upon its release, Deep Silver offered a Season Pass that would give players a discount Metro: Last Light‘s four DLC packs. Those who have been following the game have already seen the Factions Pack and the Tower Pack, but as of yesterday, Deep Silver has announced the official release of the third DLC pack, the Developer Pack. Unlike the previous two packs, which focused mainly on Last Light’s extended universe, the Developer Pack takes a more in-depth approach to the game itself by including various different options to play around with the game’s assets.
The Developer pack includes a shooting range, which allows players to experiment with every gun and attachment combination in the game. The Shooting Range comes with unique marksman challenges for every weapon which players can complete to prove their prowess. In addition to the Shooting Range, the Developer Pack features an AI Arena, which allows players to create squads of human soldiers and mutants and have them battle against one another. Players must customize their squads perfectly to complete the several challenges in the AI Arena. The pack also boasts the “Metro Museum,” which allows players to get up close and personal looks at each and every character and model in Metro: Last Light. Finally, the Developer Pack will feature an original solo mission called “The Spider’s Nest” that will chill the bones of arachnophobes everywhere. With nothing but their wits, a lighter, a torch, and the newly added Flamethrower, players must do their best to escape from spider-infested catacombs. The Developer Pack is available now on Steam, Xbox Live, and the Playstation Network for $3.99 / £3.19 / €3.99.
The final DLC pack for Metro: Last Light, the Chronicles Pack, will be available later in the month and will feature three original single-player missions.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Metro: Last Light