On Sunday, 26th February, the US awards season finally comes to a close, with the 84th Annual Academy Awards, better known to you and me as the Oscars.

The Oscars - or, as we call them in my house, 'The Movie Industry VGAs' - are a grand time in Hollywood, honouring the best and brightest in film from the previous year, along with many others hardly considered to be the 'best' or 'brightest' of anything (seriously, they nominated Rio).

With all of the excitement surrounding this year's Oscars, there is a golden opportunity to check out how the gaming industry measures up to its Hollywood counterpart. Therefore, let's take a look at the nine films nominated for the award for Best Picture, and see if we can match them with any corresponding video games.

The Artist = Limbo

The Artist, which has ten nominations and is heavily favoured to win on Sunday, was one of the most-acclaimed films of the year, taking away seven awards from the Baftas and thus it's only right to pair it with a similarly-praised game. Limbo, a side-scrolling platformer released for Xbox Live Arcade, PSN, Steam and the Mac App Store, for instance. Limbo not only shares The Artist's critical praise - it was named amongst last year's top games by several publications - but also its black-and-white aesthetic, as well as a minimal sound design. Limbo was one of last year's best games, making it a great companion for The Artist. Just make sure you watch out for spiders.

The Descendants = Bastion

Not many games feature a Hawaiian setting, and the ones that do don't quite fit; Test Drive Unlimited involves far more driving than is found in The Descendants, whilst Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow concentrates too heavily on private-eye ninja action (also, George Clooney is emphatically not a duck). Hence Bastion, a game that easily matches the prettiness of Phedon Papamichael's Hawaiian cinematography with Jen Zee's gorgeous art direction and sprite-work. Also, a hefty chunk of The Descendants' dialogue is delivered as voice-over, just like Bastion, though Bastion's writing is far less ham-fisted than anything Alexandre Payne came up with for his middlebrow domestic drama.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close = Haze

The events of September 11th are a touchy subject in the realm of games development, making the search for a parallel to Stephen Daldry's combined Asperger's-September 11th-sploitation flick rather tricky. Fortunately, we have Haze, a sci-fi shooter developed by Free Radical in 2008, and the only game that I can think of whose political message is even more heavy-handed than Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Extremely Loud is a 'Profound Story About The World We Live In' about how September 11th 'Was A Terrible And Tragic Event'. Haze is a 'Profound Parable About The World We Live In' about how 'The Invasion Of Iraq Was Bad'. Also, both Haze and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close are pretty lousy.

The Help = Beyond Good and Evil

The Help concerns two African American maids (the titular "help") and their struggles against racism in the post-Civil Rights South; if that doesn’t sound exceptionally difficult to adapt into a video game, I don’t know what does. Fortunately, the film features Skeeter, an investigative journalist who hopes to expose the racism inherent in the town’s social structure, and here’s where we find our in-road. Jade, Beyond Good and Evil’s protagonist, is also an investigative journalist, and her desire to discover the truth helps drive much of the game’s plot. Additionally, The Help is a showcase for strong female characters, and Jade is one of the strongest female characters in all of gaming, making her a fitting through-line between the game and the movie.

Hugo = Super Mario 3D Land

The current leader in Academy Award nominations, boasting eleven, Martin Scorsese's newest film bears a startling similarity to Shigeru Miyamoto's latest slice of Mario goodness. Both are billed as family entertainment, but their appeal stretches to film and gaming fans of all ages. Also, both help push the use of honest-to-goodness quality 3D, and both feature several throwbacks to the early days of their respective medium (Hugo recalls silent films, while Super Mario 3D Land reaches for Super Mario Bros. 3). Am I suggesting that Hugo would be even better if it included a Tanooki suit? Probably, but I won't hold it against it.

Midnight in Paris = Assassin's Creed II

Woody Allen's best movie in years and years seems like a breath of fresh air in filmmaking, especially since its central plot hook is so unique. Or is it? Let's compare the two. In Midnight in Paris, a big doofus (Owen Wilson) gets transported back in time (in an old Peugeot) into a famous European city (Paris) and interacts with famous people (Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, etc). In Assassin's Creed II, a big doofus (Desmond) gets transported back in time (in the Animus) to a famous European city (Florence, Venice, etc.) and interacts with famous people (Leonardo da Vinci, Machiavelli, etc.). Of course, it is important to mention that Midnight in Paris features far less murder and sexual content than Assassin's Creed II. To its detriment, in my honest opinion.

Moneyball = MLB 11: The Show

Games rarely feature the electrifying, riveting dialogue featured so prominently in Moneyball, making that a poor point of comparison, and even though Jonah Hill (who I will remind our readers is now an Oscar nominee) was featured prominently in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's marketing, he wasn't in the actual game itself. Let us then turn to the low-hanging fruit, by the virtue that it is one of the best baseball games available: MLB 11: The Show. It may not have Brad Pitt's sexy allure, but it does include a wealth of game modes and all 30 MLB teams, including the sub-fifty-feet-of-crap Oakland A's, for your film-reenacting pleasure.

The Tree of Life = Myst

Terrance Malik's new treatise on creation, spiritualism and life itself has been a darling amongst cinephiles since its release in May, and finds several parallels with developer Cyan's Myst, the best-selling PC game of the 1990s, which is now available on iOS. Both The Tree of Life and Myst are sterling examples of craftsmanship in their respective genre, showing artistic discipline and control, and often furthering their creative aims using a less-is-more mentality. Both also emanate a spiritual vibe, and are best enjoyed as an experience, absorbing their subtleties and how they each paint the corners of their respective mediums. Best of all, both The Tree of Life and Myst are nigh-impenetrable and mind-bogglingly dull to the common man. They're the perfect match.

War Horse = Darksiders

In Darksiders, you play as the harbinger of chaos, War, and during the course of the game, you acquire a Horse. Quod erat demonstrandum.

Labels: Andrew Testerman, Assassin's Creed II, Awards, Bastion, Beyond Good and Evil, Darksiders, Feature, Haze, Limbo, MLB 11: The Show, Myst, Oscars, Super Mario 3D Land

Grand Theft Auto and Assassin's Creed. A Chaucible Crossantwich.

I recently caught up to the rest of the gaming world, finally finishing Assassin's Creed II last night. As if to celebrate my triumph, I received my new issue of Game Informer on the same day, with an enormous spread on Assassin's Creed: Revelations on the cover. Dear readers, I love the Assassin's Creed series so much that I am totally prepared to plow my way through Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood as quickly as I can, so I can play Revelations right when it comes out.

I am not the only one. Assassin's Creed has consistently been one of this generation's best-selling series - so much so that Ubisoft decided to give it a yearly release cycle. Canny gamers will remember that this is not the first time the gaming public has gone head-over-heels for an open world franchise, and a brief look at last generation reveals several similarities between the three Grand Theft Auto games released for the PlayStation 2 and the Assassin's Creed franchise. Read on to find out why Assassin's Creed and Grand Theft Auto share more of a pedigree than is initially apparent.

1: It Came From Out of Nowhere and was Ridiculously Successful

Hard as it may be to believe, not too many people were looking forward to Grand Theft Auto III when it was first shown at E3 in 2001. The two top-down entries in the series (plus whatever expansions there might have been) had a modest following, but few predicted what a runaway hit GTA III would become. Similarly, the original Assassin's Creed, while undoubtedly hyped, was not expected to blow up the charts in any significant way. Instead, it would go on to sell 8 million units, and currently reigns as the highest-selling original IP of this console generation.

2: New Releases are Basically City Packs, and we Like it that Way

Like the GTA games before it, the Assassin's Creed franchise is built on an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" platform. Though gameplay elements are tweaked and changed slightly from game to game, players of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood are still doing largely what they have already done in previous entries in the series. This is hardly a bad thing: mechanically, the GTA and Assassin's Creed games play exceptionally well, and simply being able to continue raising hell as Tommy Versetti or Ezio in different cities offers a compelling, satisfying experience.

3: It Pushes the Envelope for Mature Writing in Games

It may seem a bit toothless now, but GTA III's story was trail-blazing at the time, with its depiction of criminal activities and the slimeballs involved in them breaking myriad gaming taboos. Assassin's Creed is similarly placed to help advance maturity in game stories, but the narrative isn't "mature" simply because it involves blood and tits (although it does have those). From the outset, the Assassin's Creed series has hung its hat on some seriously heady questions, specifically about organized religion and the existence of God; not the most likely theme for a multi-million-selling franchise. It's a good sign that players can be sold on deep, non-patronizing ideas if the game is fun enough (BioShock, anyone?).

4: It Does Things with its Open World that Gamers Haven't Seen Before

Grand Theft Auto III wasn't the first game to have an open-world structure, but it was the first to truly nail it, and anyone who played it at the time can tell you why: GTA III marked the first time an open game environment had ever felt "real". Traffic lights changed, weather patterns came and went, and legions of pedestrians went about their day, regardless if you were doing anything around them. Assassin's Creed took a different approach: it made its (historically accurate) world dense, rather than expansive. Players could find courier missions, assassination contracts, races, viewpoints, collectables, and much more in the same expanse that many open world games would reserve for one sidequest. Games like Crackdown and Saints Row couldn't exist without GTA, and games like Infamous and The Saboteur couldn't exist without Assassin's Creed.

5: Hookers

Oh yeah.

Labels: 2011, Andrew Testerman, Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, Assassin's Creed II, Grand Theft Auto III, GTA

Gaming. It is a past-time which is not only time-consuming, but can also be ridiculously frustrating, hugely expensive, addictive and full of gory shooty bloodiness. With such high price tags and demands on our time, it's a wonder that we even play games, let alone write about them.

Thing is, games are more than merely short-term entertainment. They, like any other form of media, tell stories, create worlds and allow us to experience danger and action safe in the comfort of our squashy living room chairs. And, as such, we'll always manage to find that extra fifty pounds in order to pre-order that latest announced title, before playing it in a freezing cold house because you could no longer afford to keep it heated.

Without further ado, the following list gives some insight into my favourite games of the last year, that I'd be prepared to sleep rough, go without food or wrestle a mole rat for. Read, and jouirez-vous.

5: Just Cause 2

You can call me old-fashioned, but there's something about grapple hooks that just never gets tiring. Add in a mahoosive game world - which takes three weeks and a Ray Mears-esque survival instinct to cross - some guns, free-roaming gameplay and a cheesily over-acted storyline, and you have Just Cause 2: a sandbox shooter with just enough 'liberate-poverty-stricken-country-from-unjust-corrupted-government' storyline to give at least some context to the mindless violence.

It is, in some ways, like a Carry On: a complete shambles, but one which just keeps you coming back, addicted like you're on some sort of audio-visual ketamine. It's cheesy, yes - incredibly so - but what it does, it does very well.

Just Cause 2's shooting feels solid (even though enemies seem to be able to take bullets to the chest as if they're sponges made from feathers and fairy-dust), abilities such as the grappling and skydiving are nice and the sandbox design gives a real sense of scale that far surpasses anything else I've really played: you really feel like a single person, stuck on a massive archipelago of foreign islands against a country's entire military.

It might not be awe-inspiring, and it certainly isn't revolutionary, but it's a blast nonetheless.

4: LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4

The meaning of the 'Lego' brandname - 'play well' - has never been more applicable to a game than when it comes to LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, the plastic-brick version of the murderous baby who ruthlessly slayed the poor, innocent, saintly Lord Voldemort, before arrogantly swanning about, scar atop head like some grotesque power symbol, repeatedly attacking members of the friendly hobbyist group known as the 'Death Eaters' for some sick sense of fun, and generally being an arrogrant little...

As I said in my review of the game, Traveller's Tales have done a commendable job of porting the Harry Potter brand - a famously tricky one to get right in videogames - into a game that is not only fun to play, but is fantastically comic, charming and family-friendly.

Yes, it has some problems, but they're few and very far between. It plays excellently, as do all the other LEGO-brand games, with some truly wonderful little details and additions; the humour is clean, clever and genuinely laugh-out-loud; the Potter canon is excellently implemented and the LEGO aesthetic gives everything that happy-go-lucky, innocent glow that you saw the world through when you were little.

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is my 'Games of 2010' recommendation for fans of the boy wizard, fans of small, Danish plastic bricks or fans of games.

3: Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit

Generally, I wouldn't count myself a fan of racing games. First of all, they bore me out of my head; and secondly, there's something about the thought of having my various limbs ripped off me in an 142mph crash of crumpling metal, plastic and glass that doesn't appeal to me all that much.

There have only been two games which overcame the aforementioned issues preventing my enjoyment of racers. The first, needless to say, would be Burnout Paradise, the sandbox racer that conspired in every way to endlessly punish you with metally, crashy death for the slightest mistake. Criterion did everything right with Paradise, and created one of the only racing games that I have consistently returned to since purchasing it.

And then Criterion took all that knowledge, and one-upped Paradise, thus creating the second racing game I enjoyed: Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit.

The classic 'cops vs robbers' chase situations are done perfectly, and the game has such a realistic sense of speed and danger that excitement is outweighed only by the adrenaline pumping around your veins. The Autolog system is fantastically developed and works really well, looking at online gaming from a whole new angle. It's a polished package that left a lasting impression with me, and is certainly one of the best handling, best-looking racers of the last year.

2: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

I could talk about - and have talked about - the Assassin's Creed series until I am blue in the face. When the third game in the series, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, graced our screens, I was ready to cry from the rooftops about it, like the Renaissance heralds you'll find scattered around the game's locales.

I didn't, of course - mainly because getting onto my roof is such a damn hassle - but instead decided to get down to reviewing the game. And I certainly found alot to say on it, with a gargantuan review which came close to doing accurate justice to what is, undoubtedly, a truly excellent game.

Whether I could ever do proper justice to a game like Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, though, is beyond my ability to predict. As usual, the combat is to the utmost level of quality, the parkour aspects are as good as it ever was, and the additions to the series - particularly the multiplayer, but just as much the little things - make it a stellar title and one which nicely opens up the door for further series expansion.

1: Fallout: New Vegas

Where the genius lies in the Obsidian-developed Fallout titles is difficult to pinpoint. Personally, I consider Fallout - and, narrowing that down, Fallout: New Vegas - to be the perfect storm: a combination of devastating elements which, when they come together, create something electrifying, exhilirating. Fallout: New Vegas is a force to be reckoned with.

I think that part of what makes New Vegas so inexhaustively excellent is that, at its core, it is the most subjective game I've ever played.

Allow me to explain. Every person I know who has played either New Vegas or its little, less-refined brother, Fallout 3, cite a different reason for why they fell in love with the series. Some say that the combat is what attracts them so much. Others cite the post-apocalyptic, dystopian society in which the game is set as the key factor in what sets Fallout apart. Either way, it's a game that seems to impact people differently, and it allows people with very different play styles to access the game and still enjoy it.

For me, the thing that I always find enthralling is the depth and deft weaving of Fallout's storyline and canon, combined with the unique moral choices which shape the course of the storyline differently for each person. Different choices in different situations can have drastically varying consequences, which creates some unique emotional and moral dilemmas which just aren't available in any other title. The storyline is generously smattered with sly hints to earlier Fallout titles, as well as the general canon of the game (which, if you didn't know, is huge: see The Vault, the Fallout wiki to see just how much the series packs in).

The game also has a good level of replayability, due to the diverse multitude of locations, characters and loot to find on your stumblings through the wastes of the Vegas area. Starting a new game from the beginning and, instead of following your original path from your first playthrough (usually to the first objective), can lead to a very different experience of the game, with the discovery of new places, people and quests. Fallout: New Vegas is jam-packed full of variety and the unique choices through the game serve excellently to ensure that every gamer has a very different experience of the same game, whilst still delivering the goods.

New Vegas isn't without its problems, but they're the same ones that plagued Fallout 3, and no-one seemed to care then. The game will often stutter, there are issues with 'popping' due to the short draw distance for detail objects, game crashes aren't unheard of, and companions can often be a hindrance rather than a help. However, when playing New Vegas, the bugs are often outweighed by the mere awe-factor that at least I felt during play.

Still, what is the opinion of an unknown, lowly, independent games journo like me worth? Well, perhaps these quotes from well-known critics will be able to quell your fears about the game, and show you just why Fallout: New Vegas deserves my top-spot in my 'Games of 2010'.

"The fact that the many issues with glitches and bugs weren’t ironed out of this release would be unforgivable if the core game wasn’t so tirelessly compulsive and complex. [...] If you don’t mind working around them then this could be a game of the year contender."
- Peter Chapman, TheSixthAxis.com

"Fallout New Vegas is a fantastic game that in its vast, interesting, flavour-filled world has something for everyone. I could say that I’ve not loved the last thirty hours, and don’t expect to spend another thirty more, but ‘It’s a sin, to tell, a lie’."
- Reece Warrender, Console Monster

"While New Vegas is unmistakably built upon the fundamental gameplay and structure laid out in Fallout 3, it’s a formula that any student of that game will be happy to see repeated, and Obsidian’s numerous embellishments result in what is, in many respects, a deeper and more compelling experience."
- gamesTM

"Fallout: New Vegas is the game that many wanted Fallout 3 to be. It's harder, more ruthless, better written and more morally ambiguous. It's a game we’ve been wanting to play for more than a decade, a real modern re-imagining of the Fallout series, complete with that deliciously black humour. [...] If Obsidian were to make another Fallout game, we certainly wouldn't say no."
- Keza MacDonald, IGN UK

"Fallout: New Vegas is an expansive and complicated RPG that encourages you to see and do as much as you can. This is an explorer's game, always lavishing new and interesting quests on you and giving you a lot of flexibility in how you approach many of them. It builds upon Fallout 3's mechanics in interesting and esoteric ways, making it a comfortable evolution to one of 2008's best games. [...] Fallout: New Vegas is periodically awesome and consistently compelling.
- Kevin VanOrd, GameSpot

Fallout: New Vegas is a game which, despite the common bugs, never fails to impress. For the ridiculously cheap amount you can get it for now, its an investment that will tide over twenty or more hours of gaming time with its incredibly deep storyline and variety.

Cheapest Fallout: New Vegas prices:

£13.99, Amazon.co.uk

£26.99, Play.com (UK)

£16.99, Play.com (UK)

Labels: 2011, Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed II, Fallout, Fallout: New Vegas, Games of 2010, Just Cause 2, Lego Harry Potter, Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Linford Butler, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit

Why does the Assassin’s Creed series keep pulling me back? It is a question that I pick my brains attempting to answer. By rights, I should be disillusioned with the series by now, as after the second game in a series subsequent sequels don't usually interest me, instead passing me by. With Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, the third title in Ubisoft's series, however, I’m still drawn back as though by an invisible hand. There’s something unexplainably enamouring about everything that Assassin’s Creed is.

Therefore, it was with both that question and a sort of reckless confidence that I tore the cellophane packaging from my copy of Ezio’s latest adventure. Brotherhood, a direct sequel to 2009’s Assassin’s Creed II, picks up the plot on the nail biting cliffhanger provided by the previous title. As the prequel's protagonist, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, you spend your time largely in Rome, where the Borgia - under the order of the Pope and his son, Cesare - oppress the city's people through their military presence.

The gameplay mechanic is essentially identical to Assassin's Creed II, and whilst those who have played the previous game will find this wonderfully familiar (it allows immediate access into this new iteration), players may find themselves questioning the £40-50 price tag for what, at first glance, seems like a large-scale expansion pack to its prequel. Whilst not enough is changed from Assassin's Creed II to win any innovation awards, after a few hours with the game players will realise that both the technical and interactive aspects of the title are polished and refined compared to the previous title, and those issues which were present in ACII have been (for the most part) solved. The similarity of the controls and mechanic to ACII means that combat can pose very little challenge to veterans of the series. Brotherhood is undoubtedly more than an expansion pack - it's everything ACII was and more, bundled into what definitely qualifies as a sequel.


Along with the return of Ezio as main protagonist, the entire cast of Assassin's Creed II make their second appearance in Brotherhood. Caterina Sforza, La Volpe, Machiavelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Mario Auditore (and the Auditore family, except Ezio's younger brother) and the 'enemy' family of the Borgia all return from the previous installment. Fans of Brotherhood's prequel will feel immediately at home with this familiar cast, meaning that Brotherhood forgoes the character development sequences at the opening of the story which Assassin's Creed and ACII both used, instead jumping straight into the action. Although excellent for series veterans, newcomers to the series may struggle to understand the characters, as the explanation afforded in previous games is ommited.

Ezio isn't the only leading man here either, as his modern-day counterpart, Subject #17 - or, as we know him, Desmond Miles - is more prominently featured than he was in the previous installments. Whilst periods out of the Animus (the machine used to tap into ancestral memories contained within human DNA) are still rare, they serve more of a purpose in this latest game and actually involve some level of compelling gameplay. Far from being limited to walking about a single room, Desmond gets to explore outdoor, indoor and even underground locations, including some explored by his ancestor, Ezio, in the main campaign. He also exhibits many of the athletic and combat-based abilities of Ezio - gained through the 'bleeding effect' - which allow him to scale structures and buildings much as Ezio can. The balance of the game is much less biased towards the historical aspect (instead there's more of an equality of distribution between the historical and modern-day sequences), and the more prominent sections in the modern world allow players to relate more to Desmond as a character whilst increasing realism, engrossing players further. The juxtapositioning of the modern-day technology and characters in the ancient Roman ruins creates a truly fantastic atmosphere, and gives a feeling of adventure distinctly similar to the ruin-exploration sequences in series such as Uncharted or Lara Croft.

The ability to enter and leave the Animus at will through the (newly redesigned and very slick) pause menu, however, is largely superfluous and serves very little purpose. Leaving the Animus will provide the player with very few options other than to get right back in; other than where forced to by the storyline, players should avoid leaving the Animus and stay within Renaissance Italy. Whilst the story-based modern sequences are effective, returning to the modern day through the pause menu without reason yields very little reward.


The campaign is immersive and exciting for the most part, and the addition of specific achievements in missions to gain 100% synchronisation adds replay incentive. Missions are fun but there are still ocassionally issues with repetition, and some missions can be too easy whilst some can be incredibly difficult (particularly missions in which you must not be detected). It can be much more tactically demanding than ACII at times too which, whilst not necessarily bad, may drive some away. Outside missions, the aim is to liberate areas of the city from Borgia influence by assassinating a Templar overseer before destroying that area's 'Borgia Tower'. This process varies in difficulty depending on the military prowess and capacity of the troops and their overseer, and the overseer's tactics vary too: some will stay and fight whilst some will flee, and the player must vary their approach to each overseer in order to compensate. Combat is slightly improved on that in ACII; it is as streamlined as ever, but with a larger, much more satisfyingly brutal range of moves which makes swordplay much less repetitive and much more exciting, and the addition of the 'kill streak' feature is very welcome. Weaponry can once again be purchased through the game's economy system (which is also improved on and is effective as ever) and the range of weaponry is great too, with the welcome addition of a better, faster-firing pistol and a crossbow. The new weaponry doesn't fit in with the canon of the game, though; in ACII, pistols, rifles and crossbows were almost non-existent, whilst in Brotherhood (a direct sequel, remember) they're about as common as the horses (more on that later).

Rome, centre of power for the Borgia and the Templar Order, has a major role in Brotherhood, being the major locale for the game's action. Whilst previous locations are playable, such as Monteriggioni and Florence, they're only featured very briefly. The single setting limits the game's variety somewhat, but it is a flaw which is made up for by the sheer size of the city - it is three times the size of the largest city in Assassin's Creed II, meaning that travel between objectives or landmarks on foot is largely replaced with a horseback commute. The city is also more vibrant and varied, with different areas having entirely opposite personalities and appearances. Some areas are ruined, some are run down and others - particularly those around Borgia strongholds - are more lah-di-dah. Whilst there's enough uniqueness to each area to make you feel that the map designers haven't just copied and pasted a small area a thousand times, the many unique cities of Assassin's Creed II were better at avoiding the overwhelming feeling of déja vu that pne can get when riding around Rome.

Rome looks wonderful, principally due to the marked graphical improvement on even last year's title. The characters no longer look like poor plastic recreations of human beings, but instead are far more believable and three-dimensional. Facial animation and rendering is far improved: the first facial closeups are enough to wow players who experienced ACII's dismal faces. Cities are much improved and the colour range seems to be wider, helping to make the game seem much more vibrant. Simply put, Brotherhood is nicer to look at than its younger sibling. Howbeit, in spite of the graphical improvements in some areas the draw distance for scenery is surprisingly short, and gamers should expect to experience a fair deal of 'popping' scenery whilst exploring Rome. Other technical areas are slightly lacking, too: I experienced sound issues during playing, lip-synch is quite obviously out at various points and loading times, where they occur, are lengthy.


The 'brotherhood' of the title refers to Ezio's campaign in the game to collect together a band of Assassin recruits to counter the army built by Rodrigo and Cesare Borgia. It's an interesting plot point and the Assassin recruits can come in useful in battles (due to the ability to call them in as extra reinforcements). However, the process of recruiting new Assassins is far too simple; kill a few relatively unskilled guards and the new recruit is yours. It poses very little challenge at all. Furthermore, the ability to send recruits off on missions across Europe through pigeon coops is an interesting concept but it isn't fantastically realised: there isn't any real incentive to send recruits on missions as it isn't tied into the main plot. Really, the brotherhood could be far better implemented to both be a part of the campaign's plot, and give some incentive to use the recruits via the pigeon coops rather than just as human killing machines in a fight.

Horseback riding hasn't just been further implemented in terms of commute, either. They're much more common, and horses can now be taken inside the city walls, which is both a much welcome improvement on Assassin's Creed II and a necessity considering the outright enormity of the game world. You'll often find yourself calling your horse to get to your next objective, as going on foot would take far too long. Horses are also classified now; citizens might ride common horses, Assassins ride white ones whilst guards and other Borgia members ride dark armoured horses. Whilst this is a nice addition in terms of the game's depth, and helps the game to be even more immersive, the different horse types are only for aesthetic and have no impact on the outcome of a horse chase or mounted battle. Horseback combat has also been greatly improved; targeting on a horse is now possible, meaning the player can use the pistol or crossbow for long-range kills, whilst horseback swordplay is much more enjoyable and much less hit-and-miss than it previously was in Assassin's Creed II. Additionally, guards will also mount horses to aid on-foot infantry troops, making fights more varied and unpredictable.

Online multiplayer brings a new component to the series which was previously missing from the Assassin's Creed series but has been long demanded by long-time fans. The concept of the online multiplayer is impressively creative: stealthily hunt down your target whilst avoiding being assassinated yourself. The amount of points gained from each kill varies according to how stealthy you've been. You also have to escape your own pursuers: if you spot the person assigned to kill you, you'll be told to flee and either hide from, or outrun, your pursuer. It's cleverly implemented and the stealth and parkour aspects of the main game are well carried over from the campaign mode. Due to the high level of stealth it takes real tactic to play well, and it's not uncommon to see the players with the highest points in a game playing very, very tactically, instead of running in, all blades... blading.


The amount of game modes, however, are very few, with only four available to play. Not only that, but at the beginning of your online campaign, only two game modes will be available to you, with the others becoming unlocked as you progress through the online campaign. That said, the ability to choose your character at the beginning of a game is a really nice touch, and the online maps are nicely done and feature some locations which aren't playable in the main game (Siena being a personal favourite). The same few levels seem to crop up alot, with some only being played very rarely, though (at least in my experience). Players aren't allocated to games in terms of skill either, which can cause matches to be extremely one-sided, particularly if a level eight player tries to take on a level fifty Assassin.

The multiplayer function is interesting and works better than some online systems. The servers are stable and, though it often takes a while to find players, you barely ever experience the 'host disconnection' problems which other onlines offer up in large quantities (ahem, Call of Duty). The online is enjoyable and is a departure from the unoriginal internet-based play of late, giving something which is likely to be an experience entirely dissimilar to those players are used to. The only issue is that the online function just doesn't give that same feeling of military badass which the main game offers - you have only one weapon and the online is very much killing one target after another, with nothing to split it up or offer any sort of context for your actions. Whilst I know that online modes rarely have a plot - and I'm not asking for Asassin's Creed Brotherhood's online to have a storyline - somehow the blend of narrative and combat which is so polished in the main game is Assassin's Creed's hallmark; without it, you have a fun renaissance combat experience, but it loses that feeling of being everything Assassin's Creed is.

On a side note, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood's soundtrack - composed by the excellent Jesper Kyd - is as wonderfully immersive and vibrant as his previous work on Assassin's Creed II, and really helps give the player a sense of atmosphere and immersion.


So, as I asked at the beginning: why does the Assassin's Creed series keep pulling me back? With Brotherhood, at least, I put it down to the fact that I just wanted more Ezio. The story just wasn't finished, and Brotherhood offered me a plot which is posed just on the line between a good, compelling mystery and hours of ridiculousness - it's the perfect balance between being immersive and fun. Brotherhood is exactly what a sequel should be: it improves on its predecessor whilst retaining the familiarity of the previous title. Whilst previous Assassin's Creed players will feel right at home with this iteration, and should be struck by the combat improvements and additions to the game, there's no doubting that for those new to the series there should be very little difficulty in enjoying this as a stand-alone experience.

I would say, though, that perhaps the Ezio experience is coming to a close now, and when Assassin's Creed returns I'll be looking for a new character, a new setting and a new timeframe blended with the same trademark Assassin's Creed feel. Whilst I'm all for a feeling of familiarity, for me another Ezio storyline would begin to make the series feel bland. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood has been a fantastic way to spend my time over the last couple of weeks, but if Ezio returns again I think that - as with other sequels - I'll allow it to pass me by. Bring back Assassin's Creed with a new innovation and compelling storyline, however, and I'll be right back like a dog with a stick.

8/10 [?]

Labels: 360, Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, Assassin's Creed II, Brotherhood, Linford Butler, PC, PlayStation3, PS3, Review, Ubisoft, Xbox 360

In RePlay, Joey Núñez gives GGTL readers a taste of gaming from his own perspective. With the start of his 'The Gaming Experience' series, he proves exactly why a jump into the world of Assassin's Creed is something every gamer should undertake.

What's that? The memories of my ancestors are stored in my DNA?

Excuse me? You have a machine that will access my DNA and take me to some virtual reality world which will let me live through my ancestors memories?

Sorry, my ancestors are bad-ass assassins, you say? Well strap me in and call me Altaïr, I say hell yes.

Yeah, I'll admit it: when I break down the basic plot points of the Assassin's Creed games like that - well, the story sounds like complete rubbish. However, I can guarantee that it definitely isn't; not for the most part anyway. The weird pseudo-historical sci-fi tale that Ubisoft has crafted in some strange way just works. What isn’t sci-fi nowadays anyway?. You, as the gamer, just buy it. And you know why you buy it? Because these games are cooler than Sonic the Hedgehog circa 1992. Trust me, that is pretty darn cool.

Now, I know that there are some non-believers out there who just refuse to buy into all this 'assassins' hype. Well, considering the fact that Assassins Creed: Brotherhood was just officially announced, and a deluge of information on that game is just bound to slap you in the face come E3, I figured it was my responsibility to let you know exactly what makes Assassin's Creed work.

If you’re willing to enter this world and believe what the story has to tell you, the Creed games will provide you with a finely-crafted gaming experience, which I consider to be a true work of art. No joke. Ubisoft’s ability to create (and pardon me as I use this cliché) a living, breathing gaming world is truly stunning. Not only are you allowed to venture into some of the most recognisable sites and cities of recent human history - spanning from the Holy Land during the crusades, to Renaissance Italy - exploring every single alleyway and climbing up every rooftop, but these cities will react to you in believable ways. You are in these cities. You are an Assassin. You are in for quite a ride.

"Alright Joey, it’s a free-roam sandbox game. It’s been done before. Heard of Grand Theft Auto? Get over it."

Yes, the hater voice in my head does have a point. When Assassin's Creed came along, other sandbox games had already come and gone, but none of these games in my opinion were able to create a world as deep and as involving as the Assassin's Creed games. Most sandbox games gave you a free pass to explore the nooks and crannies of a nice enough city, sure, but each Assassin's Creed game featured upwards of three cities, and not just some made up pastiche of New York City. I’m talking Jerusalem, Venice, Florence, Acre, and Damascus. Exotic, visceral real-world locations which would be interesting enough to explore in a present day setting, and become that much more interesting when set in the 11th and 15th centuries. Not to mention the care Ubisoft has taken in recreating real world sites with an astounding level of architectural detail and fidelity, and though you can buy yourself a plane ticket and visit the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, I can assure you that Assassin's Creed will hurt your wallet a lot less. I’m also pretty sure you wouldn't be able to climb up the side walls of the Dome and gaze down at the city sprawling out in every direction in real life. Assassin's Creed will let you do that, and more.

Probably my favorite aspect of these games is the way you move. Granted a parkour, Prince of Persia inspired set of moves, Altaïr and Ezio (protagonists of Assassins Creed and AC2, respectively) flow through the cities gracefully. They are a part of these cities, and you can feel it. There’s a real exhilaration to be felt when your realise you’ve been free-running from rooftop to rooftop for over five minutes, in what would appear to be a perfectly choreographed set of moves, with the bustling streets of Venice flying by beneath you. I can't count the times I poured hours and hours into the Assassin's Creed titles just running around cities, taking in the sites, feeling free as a bird. And freedom is the key word here: invisible walls are down to a minimum, and for the most part, if you can see a location, you can get to it.

These are real cities, with beggars on the streets, pickpockets lurking in the corners and crowds who move and flow through the city; all of which react to your presence in mostly realistic ways. I know the HD generation of gamers have become somewhat jaded in recent years, and this level of freedom and attention to detail is almost expected, if not demanded; but as a gamer who was around when Tomb Raider was the pièce de résistance of 3D gaming, I can appreciate the technical feat which Ubisoft have accomplished.

However, none of the above would even matter if there weren’t solid gameplay mechanics backing up the pretty package, and luckily the Assassin's Creed experience doesn’t let down here either. Both games work around a mission based structure, in which you dive into your ancestor’s memories, are assigned a few assassination targets and are let loose on the poor digital bastards who have been marked for your blade. In the first game, you would have to waddle through a few fact finding missions before actually being allowed to go after your target, mostly in the form of eavesdropping and pickpocket missions. In theory this was a smart game mechanic, as I would suppose a real 11th century assassin would also get the four-one-one on his target before running in all-guns-blazing. Well, more like swords blazing: if there were guns back then, information on the target wouldn’t be so important, huh?

This system worked well enough, but was plagued by a sense of repetition brought on by a lack of variety in the mission objectives. This by no means broke the game, as in the context of the game-world the missions worked to make you feel that you were living the life of an assassin, but the problem was that life started to become somewhat boring as the hours of gameplay piled on.

Ubisoft was quick to address these complaints in their follow-up to the original game. Anyone who has played both Assassin's Creed games will be sure to tell you that the second game far surpasses the original, mostly due to the innovations made in terms of mission variety and gameplay options. Examples? Don’t mind if I do. The simple inclusion of optional assassination missions make you feel that much more like an assassin; having a real full blown Italian villa as your base of operations, where the choices you make affect the look and economic growth of the place is a definite win; the availability of shops, thieves guilds and helpful “ladies of the night” who will distract your prey are pretty awesome; and, because two is always better than one, dual hidden assassin's blades to help you kill two targets for the price of one.

All of the above, combined with a story which is much more personal and centered on the growth of your protagonist as a person as he accepts his destiny, makes Assassin's Creed 2 the stronger of the two games, capping off a franchise which is bound to stick around for the next few years. And you won’t hear any complaints from me as those sequels keep on coming. I’ll jump into those assassins robes as many times as they’ll have me.

So, why aren’t you playing it yet? That is the best question I’ve heard today. Rent, buy or borrow, it doesn't matter: somehow, get your hands on one these games and live your own Assassin's Creed Experience. You won’t regret it. Or perhaps you will, but this is the internet folks, and it’s not like I can be held accountable for my recommendation.

Joey

Labels: Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed II, Columns, Joey Núñez, RePlay, The Gaming Experience, Ubisoft

The fact that I spend a good part of my time writing articles on videogames should tell you one thing about me. I love gaming. The fact that you have chosen to take time out of your busy day and read over our gaming raves and rants here at Gamer's Guide to Life tells me that you are just as infatuated with all things gaming as I am.

And why wouldn’t you be? There is a whole lot to love about gaming: there's the thrill of unwrapping a new game for the first time; the sheer awe that overwhelms you when a game presents you with a world unlike anything you have ever seen, and then lets you run around in it; and there is the adrenaline rush that goes along with competing against both friends and strangers in an all out brawl to see who’s best. Gaming is awesome; I know it, and you know it. But it wasn’t until the other night, while I was mashing the buttons of my PSP, trying to get Cloud to fly through the air and show Sephiroth who’s the boss (two cheers for FF references), that it hit me. The real reason why gaming trumps any other hobby you can throw at me. It was the most obvious reason really: the experience, the opportunity that games give you each day to simply step out of your life for a couple of hours.

There are games that are just so well built that they become about more than reaching the next save point, getting the next trophy or achieving a stronger level. You know the games I’m talking about don’t you? Those rare gems that suck you in to the point where you breathe, eat and sleep the game, you dream about the game world, bring it up in conversations with your non-gamer friends and even try and get your grandma to sit down and watch you play this awesome game for a couple of hours.

That wasn’t just me, right?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to brainwash you all into joining some kind of videogame cult: a social life is important boys and girls, and please keep yours alive and well. However, there’s nothing wrong with exchanging the craziness of our daily lives for the craziness of a videogame for a little while, particularly when that craziness is defined by excellent game play mechanics, stunning graphics and commendable production values.

Naturally, as a gamer devoted to finding new gaming “experiences”, I gravitate towards these well crafted, world-creating games. You’ll never find me renting a Hannah Montana game for the easy trophies: nothing against you dedicated trophy hunters, but it’s just not my cup of tea. Nope, I prefer to hunt down the elusive, life-changing gaming experience. Have my hunts been successful? Occasionally they have: I’ve fought through an endless onslaught of violent mythological creatures in Ancient Greece; explored the sprawling cities of Renaissance Italy, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, in search of a new target; and I’ve lived through countless fantasies and saved the world more times than I count.

Yes, my hunts have been successful, and I plan on sharing these successes with you guys. I’ll take a look at some downright awesome games and break down just what made them so groundbreaking, in one way or another.

For the next couple of weeks I invite you readers to join me in Replay, in an analysis of some truly mind blowing games. Not to be confused with a numerically valued review, in this little corner of the site what you will find is some personal insight into these games which will hopefully let you know If they’re right for you or not.

Check out Replay next week for my take on the “Assassins Creed Experience”, and find out just why killing people in ancient times can be so gosh darn fun. In the meantime, speak out in the comments section and let me know what epic games were total “experiences” for you, and just what made those experiences so important. Go on, inquiring minds want to know.

Joey

Labels: Assassin's Creed II, Columns, Joey Núñez, RePlay

DLC Information


Basic information
The Battle for Forlì
DLC for Assassin's Creed II
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Released: January 2010

Platforms
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360

When the delectable Ezio Auditore da Firenze first graced our LCD screens in Ubisoft's 2009 release, Assassin's Creed II, no-one quite knew what to expect. Though the first game was recieved with general praise, there were a few major problems, which Ubi's failure to spot led to the original's eventual demise. Glaring problems with repetitiveness, gameplay glitches and claims that the story was unoriginal in the original Assassin's Creed lay doubt over the success of the sequel. However, the critics and gaming public alike needn't have worried, as with Assassin's Creed II, Ubisoft took on board all of the previous feedback and pulled out of the metaphorical hat a true masterpiece; a game which was to shape the series and leave it standing proud with critical acclaim, first week sales of over 1.6 million units worldwide, and a more-than-healthy Metacritic score of 91.

With the sequel, Ubisoft took a cautious step backwards to survey the situation. What they saw was an original to the series with potential, but which could be so much more than what it actually was. And so, taking the strong basis of the first game, Ubi began building upon it; adding a currency system, an RPG-style weapon shopping and healing system, improving combat and allowing more weapons and freedom, Assassin's Creed II became what the original failed to be. However, one small problem still stood, and it was one which fans of the series found irritating: there were still some major gaps in the storyline, where years passed in the plot without the player knowing what happened. But Ubisoft still had a trick up their sleeve, and it came in the form of a digital download.

The Battle for Forlì is the first downloadable extension to Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed II. Each of the two confirmed DLC take the form of the corrupted memory sequences found in the retail version of AC2, which Rebecca (assassin friend of Lucy and technology prodigy) has repaired with a little computer wizardry. Set in the year 1488, just after Ezio has recovered the illustrious Apple of Eden, four people linked to Renaissance Italy's Assassin's Order - Machiavelli, Mario Auditore, Ezio and Leonardo da Vinci - decide what the best measures are to take in order to protect the Apple, an object for which many are prepared to kill. Deciding that it should be sent to Romagna to be protected by the beautiful but strong Catarina Sforza. However, upon reaching Romagna, Ezio finds the city under attack by the Checco brothers, who capture Catarina's children and, eventually, steal the apple. As you'd expect, a fight ensues, and forms the main flesh of the DLC.

In terms of gameplay, the DLC does little to build upon what Assassin's Creed II already has, but not in a bad way - with the gameplay structure so central to the success of the original retail version of the game, making any changes in the DLC would be like writing a book and then swapping round all the chapters. The combat system is, as ever, fluid and faultless, and the massive battles which ensue throughout Romagna prove to be beautiful set-pieces with a decent balance between fighting and objective-focused gameplay - though there is an abundance of enemy guards to go toe-to-toe with, you'll find yourself only slaying maybe a few of the guards in the troops which attack you, as the feeling of urgency and excitement which the story gives will make you want to move quickly to your objective, rather than getting caught up in the action.

The plotline in Forlì is strong and immersive, if a little fast paced, and plays well on Ezio's (and your) rugged heartstrings by going some way towards inputting a little emotion into what, on release, was a game about punching passers-by, pointlessly climbing ageing buildings, and needlessly running a sword through a guard who maybe looked at you in slightly the wrong way.
Particularly touching is Catarina's prose upon losing her children, which reeks of the sort of sorrow and worry which any mother must feel at the thought of her children being in danger. The characterisations of the DLC's cast are done nicely, and the voice acting is strong too. The only improvement which could have been made is lengthening the Forlì sequence, as though the DLC does not cost a huge amount, the entirety of the sequence is over relatively quickly, and lack of a clear denoument leaves players in some uncertainty as to whether the add-on missions the DLC adds to the game are over, or whether there's still more to do. I can admit myself that I went on a trek through the Italian countryside searching for further objectives to complete, only to find (after consulting Wikipedia) that the DLC finished at the end of my last mission. Both the short length and omission of a clear ending scene or set-piece can leave you desiring more.

In terms of what Forlì does to add anything new to Assassin's Creed II, there isn't alot. Though the DLC does have a plotline which ties nicely into the story you experienced on your first playthrough of the retail version of AC2, it isn't essential to your understanding of Ezio's story as a whole; in fact, the plotline in Forlì is largely independent of the main story, with the majority of the critical events of the DLC leaving no significant mark on the rest of Assassin's Creed II's storyline. In terms of replayability, there's very little to satisfy too, with most of the quests being 'visit once, not again' territory. The only thing which has maybe any effect on AC2's aggregate is the appearance of a mysterious individual at the end of the sequence, who has one finger missing and takes the apple before making a quick disappearance, but even the significance of this is omitted from the sequence, with Ubisoft releasing the secret to this semi-cliffhanger in Bonfire of the Vanities (the next DLC release).

It is undoubtable that the Battle for Forlì is one of the better DLC releases which we've seen for triple-A titles so far. What it does, it does very well indeed, and the sense of urgency and danger which you get from the events of the extension is both thrilling and refreshing. However, it is far from without its (admittedly minor) faults, and die-hard Assassin's Creed fans may find themselves feeling a little short-changed at the short length of the add-on and the almost faliure to provide any significant storyline to the events omitted from the original release in sequences twelve and thirteen. That said, it's the perfect compliment to an already-excellent game should you wish to revisit Renaissance Italy with that most prolific of the Auditore family, but want something a little more fresh than just completing side-missions. At £3.19 or 320 MS points on the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace respectively, unless you had a real animosity towards the release candidate of Assassin's Creed II, it's a bargain. And who can resist a return to Italy to continue the experience to Ezio's charming yet dangerous ways? Precisely.

9/10

Linford

Labels: Assassin's Creed II, DLC, Linford Butler, Review, Ubisoft

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Alright, so we were just a tad slow at posting this. But, nevertheless, we’re posting it now just in case you haven’t seen it. In from the Tokyo Game Show (which is going on now, incidentally), this new, action-packed trailer for Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II, is sure to get the juices flowing in fans of the series and new players alike.

For the first time in an Assassin’s Creed II trailer, we’ll see precisely which event prompted Ezio’s decision to become an Assassin. Also, we see Ezio without the Assassin’s outfit in this trailer, and one would be forgiven for complimenting him on being a rather handsome young fellow. However, the one thing that is most exciting (for me at least) is the combat – what we see in this trailer just shows how many leaps and bounds this sequel has taken in terms of upping the quality of combat in the first. New combos, fantastic moves, and what looks like one hell of a lot more gore are looking to make Assassin’s Creed II even better than its prequel.

We’ll be going hands-on with Assassin’s Creed II almost a month before release as part of our Eurogamer Expo coverage, over on http://eurogamer.gamersguidetolife.com/ – be sure not to miss it.

Linford

Labels: Assassin's Creed II, Lineup, TGS09, Ubisoft, Video

Filmed at the Develop-award winning Side Studios, the nice people from the Assassin's Creed entourage (otherwise known as Ubisoft) interview author and TV-presenter, Mr. Danny Wallace, concerning his upcoming role in the second game to feature an assassin, some blades and a whole lot of violence.

Here's the first part for you all to enjoy. Be sure to tell us exactly what you think to Mr. Wallace and his part in Assassin's Creed II in our rather cosy comments section.

Linford

Labels: Assassin's Creed II, Interview, Linford Butler, Ubisoft

I have to say, it's nice being press. Not only do you get to work with a great bunch of people doing something you love, but you also get some (ahem) perks of the job too. No, not that sort, behave. I'm talking about when a games company - let's say Ubisoft, for example - sends you a video to do with a very anticipated upcoming game - like, Assassin's Creed II, maybe.

So, when I woke up this morning to find my email inbox full of lovely gaming loot, I was excited to find the second dev diary from the people at Ubisoft Montreal. This one is all about how Ezio (our main character this time round) will interact with people, and we also get a glimpse at who. Exciting stuff, methinks.

The video quality isn't excellent on the stream, but you should be fine with it. However, if you want to watch the dev diary in all it's full-pixel goodness, you can click here and download it.

Linford

Labels: Assassin's Creed II, Dev Diary, Linford Butler, Ubisoft, Video

While the San Diego International Comic-Con may be at a close, the coverage most certainly isn't. I've managed to get my grubby little mitts on an Assassin's Creed II video, which includes highlights from the Assassin's Creed II panel at Comic-Con, some hands-on gameplay and an exclusive interview about how the AC short films tie in with the game.

Linford

Keep an eye on GGTL for all your Assassin's Creed II coverage.

Labels: Assassin's Creed II, Comic-Con, Linford Butler, Ubisoft, Video

As promised, the Assassin's Creed II Community Dev Q&A (wow, that's a mouthful), with CEO Yannis Mallat (YM) and Executive Producer, Jade Raymond (JR).

Linford

What is Ubisoft’s strategy on the convergence of film and video games?

(YM) Our Convergence strategy has one main and clear objective: to expand our video game brands and to develop them on additional platforms to provide a global experience to an extended audience. Convergence doesn’t only mean film and video games. It is open to all platforms and mediums that could support our franchises.

Over the past few years we have built our strategy step-by-step by developing an internal structure that would allow us to reach our objectives. First, back in 2007, we created Ubisoft Digital Arts, our internal digital content development team. A year later, to accelerate our strategy, we acquired Hybride Technologies, one of the industry’s most renowned VFX creators that worked on Sin City and 300. Between these two major steps, we also signed up the AVATAR deal which is another element of our convergence strategy since we are working on both the games but also directly on some of the movie scenes.

Most recently, we have also created our Comic Book publishing house to support the creation of some Assassin’s Creed 2 comic books and we also have other initiatives under way. We are convinced that the deepness of our brands can be transposed on other mediums and this is exactly what our approach is on Convergence.

Will Hybride be involved with the AC2 video game?
(JR) Hybride and Ubisoft Digital Arts are involved in the sense that their work on the short films has influenced the game. Although they are not working directly on the game’s assets per se, many of the film’s experts have collaborated with the team to bring a new level of quality to the game. The film’s weapon designer for example worked with the game’s art director on our weapon design. Once we saw working versions of the hidden blade and other weapons we were able to adjust each animation to make sure it reflected the actual weight and function. That’s the beauty of mixing two different universes such as cinema and video games. By sharing expertise, both spheres grow and improve one another.

Another good example of this collaboration is the common casting of our main characters. The same actor was cast in both the film and game so that we can work with actors to help evolve the characters. We’re going a step further than just photographic likeness. We’ve recorded the actor’s voice and mo-capped them for the game’s narrative sequences. This process really helps give more life and credibility to our in-game characters.

How will the films tie to Assassin’s Creed and/or Assassin’s Creed II directly?
(JR)The short films explore the events that happen just before the Assassin’s Creed II game starts. They revolve around Ezio’s father, Giovanni Auditore da Firenze and give insight on the game’s backstory and universe. We wanted you to understand where Ezio’s hate and quest for revenge come from. We want the player to really hate the bad guys even before they start to play.

Will the films be live-action?
(YM)Yes, the short films are a mix of live action and CGI. The technique Ubisoft is using is very innovative;the game environment is used at different stages of a film production. Using the game engine, the director was able to find his set location and extract them to create a layout. It allowed better definition of the production needs. Furthermore, the game engine was used for the creation of the virtual sets. As live actors were filmed on green screen they were then integrated inside the virtual set extracted from the game environments. The game sets are then enhanced for better integration with live actors. To a certain extent, it’s similar to the technique used in 300 and Sin City on which Hybride collaborated. For Assassin’s Creed: Lineage, Hybride has developed specific in-house techniques that allow them to directly project in-game environments on the set of the shooting, allowing the director and the actors on the green-screen set to have a real understanding of the spatial environment in which the action takes place.

Will CGI and special effects be used on all the films?
(YM) Yes, as all the shots were filmed on green-screen the virtual sets will be inserted on all of images thus allowing the actors to live in the environment. This will be true of all the films in the short films series.

How will Ubisoft Digital Arts work with Hybride on these films?
(YM) The Ubisoft Digital Arts team is actually deeply involved in the production of the shorts. Their experience is very strong in 3D while Hybride’s experience is really focused on compositing. So both teams are complementing each other.
Over 45 people of the U.D.A. team are actively involved in the movies’ post production work these days.

Is Jade Raymond or any of the Ubisoft development team involved with the AC2 short films?
(YM) Yes, the creative team behind the Assassin’s Creed video games was closely involved in the conception and development of the short films series and of course Jade Raymond was overseeing the whole project as executive producer on the Assassin’s Creed brand.

Will you be using any renowned directors to create the films?
(YM) Yves Simoneau is directing the short films. He’s an awarded director and scriptwriter whose work includes “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”, “Nuremberg”, “Marie-Antoinette”, “Napoleon”, “Les Fous de Bassan” among others.

Yannis Mallat claimed that the films would have unprecedented production value at the E3 press conference. How much money is being spent to create these films?
(YM) Just like our game productions, we are not revealing the specifics of the budget details. But the idea behind the production value is not just about how big the production budget is. Overall, the idea is to say that we are giving ourselves the means for our ambitions.

With the production of AC and now ACII (along our other AAA projects), we have invested significantly to produce some high-end games that have amazed millions of gamers around the world. We are bent on making these short movies visually as stunning as our games by using state of the art Hollywood production tools, processes and technology.

What does being a “full 360” Development Company mean to Ubisoft?
(YM) A full 360 degree development company means that we are positioning ourselves not only as a game developer and publisher but as a Company that is producing entertainment content on multiple platforms and mediums.

When will the short films be released?
(JR)They will be released close to the launch of the Assassin’s Creed II game. Right now we cannot confirm any details on how they will be broadcast.

Are there plans in the future to evolve from short films to full feature animated movies?
(YM)_When we announce our convergence strategy, we clearly stated that at one point we would be interested in at least keeping the control of our IPs when the time would come to bring them to the big screen.
Over the past 23 years Ubisoft has become one of the most successful game developer-publishers worldwide. However, we realize we can’t become movie creators overnight. There is a learning process that we have to go through to become full feature film producer-creators. We still have a lot to learn from this industry and this is what we are doing right now.

Were the team members from Hybride who are working on these short movies also involved in the production of 300 or Sin City?
(YM)Yes. Hybride has a lengthy 17-year experience in producing VFX for feature films. Some of the people working on ACII Lineage have participated in the production of not only 300 and Sin City but also on Journey to the Center of the Earth, Spy Kids…

What can Ubisoft learn from Hollywood and what can Hollywood learn from Ubisoft?
(YM)Ubisoft believes that there is a lot for us to learn by working with the movie industry. On one side there is the convergence of the content but on the other side, there is also the convergence of the tools and technologies.

We are finding out that there are a lot of similarities in the way we work and the way the VFZ and movie artists do work. We are often working with the same tools, but in different ways. We are convinced that we have to learn from them as much as they have to learn from us.

The movie industry is now over a century old, the game industry, around 30-years old. If there’s one area where we have some steps to make, it’s in the way we are telling our stories. The Spielbergs, Camerons and Jacksons, have a lot to teach us in that field, because our industry isn’t at the point it should be when it comes to telling a good story that transmits emotions.

In 10 years from now. What do you think Ubisoft will be like? A multimedia company working in all fields of entertainment?
(YM) In 10 years from now, Ubisoft will be an entertainment content provider.

Some game worlds have already expanded to movies (Square with FF for example). Will Ubisoft´s approach be any different?
(YM) Our approach is different because we are not focusing specifically on films or feature films. Without saying an approach is better than the other one, we believe in a step-by-step strategy. Strategically, we are putting the pieces of the puzzle together, learning our way through and sticking to our mission of delivering the best interactive content possible.

Will the Hybride artistic/movie experience also influence Ubisoft´s upcoming games?
(YM) It’s the objective and it’s already in full effect. But it is not limited to Hybride. The idea is to make sure that our whole Convergence strategy has a direct impact on how we also develop and produce our games.

We have to approach the creation of our universes with a much wider and open mind. From now on, the content we are producing for our games will also have a life outside of its original expression medium, but will have an impact on all the content that will be generated on the other platforms as well.

Labels: Assassin's Creed II, Linford Butler, Ubisoft

If you've had a question which you've been wanting to ask about the upcoming and very highly anticipated Ubisoft Montreal production, Assassin's Creed II, then now might just be your chance to find out the answer, as Ubisoft big-wigs Yannis Mallat and Jade Raymond have done a very detailed Q&A session, in which they reveal some never-before-heard gossip concerning the franchise.

With the main bulk of the session revolving around the Assassin's Creed short films, revealed at Comic Con San Diego, the Q&A session answers some of the most pressing questions about lineage and where and how the short films fit in and influence the next game in the series.

With the sequel to the highly acclaimed Assassin's Creed slated for release on all next-gen consoles this November, and a PSP version of the game in the works, it seems like Ubisoft are firing on all fronts to make Assassin's Creed II one of the must-have games this Christmas.

Keep an eye on Gamer's Guide to Life for the full Q&A session, which will be published here a little later today.

Linford

Labels: Assassin's Creed II, Linford Butler, Ubisoft