E3 2014: Ubisoft Keynote Conference

Ubisoft had a meaty offering at their E3 press conference this year, with a wide range of different genres on display. From Assassin’s Creed: Unity to Just Dance 2015, there was a varied selection for gamers of all types to get excited about. Following in this years tradition of showing the best first, Ubisoft decided to get started by showing off none other than Far Cry 4.

Far Cry 4

The demo begins with a rusted passenger bus driving high up through the Himalayas mountains. After giving us a beautiful sight of the cloud-breaking peaks and the lush flora far below, the camera turns us around to the inside of the run down passenger transport. Handing the player character a - presumably forged - passport, the ragged passenger then explains that the protagonist will be needing it for the military checkpoint they’re stopping at.

As the checkpoint soldiers approach the bus, a helicopter from afar starts approaching, causing the soldiers to start showing signs of aggression and anxiety. As gunfire breaks out between the checkpoint guards and an unknown assailant, the player character is caught in the crossfire and taken hostage along with the other passengers on the bus.

As the aforementioned helicopter lands, an ominous figure disembarks the aircraft and berates a checkpoint guard for being too trigger happy and proceeds to violently stab the guy to death. Clearly a sociopath, the guy apologises to the captors in a flamboyant manner and proceeds to embrace the protagonist with a hug.

With the demo ending there, Dan Hay, producer of Far Cry 4 comes on stage to explain that the above footage was merely the first five minutes of the game. With such an action-packed opening, it should come as no surprise that Far Cry 4 is already shaping up to look like a great upcoming title.

Far Cry 4 will be releasing on November 18th for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Just Dance 2015

The Just Dance series may not be to everyone’s taste, but there’s no denying that Ubisoft’s presentation of their upcoming Just Dance 2015 has some great new ideas. Unsurprisingly, the game will feature new tracks from artists such as Pharrell Williams and Ellie Goulding but it’s the other new game in the series that makes this an exciting announcement for people that love to game and dance.

Just Dance Now

Jason Altman, the game’s executive producer takes to the stage to reveal Just Dance Now and its unique new feature - multi-device synchronisation. While the fine details are yet to be made clear, it appears that by accessing a special website, owners will be able to download a free companion app that will sync to potentially thousands of players at once.

Mr. Altman proclaims that a stadium of tens of thousands of people will all be able to partake in the same dance and be scored individually for their dancing efforts. More news on how this will work is sure to come.

The Crew

Julian Gerighty shares some potentially excellent information for Ubisoft’s massively multiplayer online racing game. Not only will The Crew’s world be a seamless experience - being able to render the USA’s streets coast to coast without any loading screens - but it will also feature different types of race, from off road races to high performance cars on smooth tarmac tracks.

Ubisoft are also keen to encourage the concept of emergent gameplay. One such example given was a tale of how multiple players sought out different hills in the game to see who could get to the top first - giving ‘birth’ to the hill climbing challenge. This is just one such example though, and above all else, Ubisoft are touting The Crew as an unparalleled social driving experience encouraging exploration, customisation and co-op gameplay.

The Crew will be released on November 11th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Assassin’s Creed: Unity

It wouldn’t be an Ubisoft presentation if an Assassin’s Creed game wasn’t present. Fortunately, 2014 is no different, and Ubisoft shows off perhaps its most anticipated game this year after Watch_Dogs; Assassin’s Creed: Unity.

We’re taken straight into a cinematic trailer, and as has been made evident since trailers leaked a few weeks back, Unity takes place during the French Revolution. This particular segment takes place in 1789 and begins with an eagle soaring across the grotty city streets of Paris. After the location has been established, the camera cuts to ground level, showing herds of protesters revolting against the French aristocracy.

As the French crowds make their way to a military castle, we’re made privy to the presence of four Assassins watching the conflict from above. As the violence escalates, the Assassin’s drop down into the fray and start aiding the disgruntled civilians.

One of the Assassins throws a smoke bomb into the fray and proceeds to cut down every French soldier still standing bar one. The Assassins leave the final French military man alone to face the hordes of bloodthirsty French citizens.  

Dominic Butler then takes to the stage after the cinematic ends to show off some tantalising gameplay. New protagonist Arno makes his way through the visually beautiful streets of Paris as he brushes past the city’s residents, presumably seeking something or someone. It seems Arno is after a specific French soldier, but while tracking his target, he makes his way inside a grotty shack and seamlessly picks up a side mission to solve a mysterious murder and promptly goes on his way to pursue his central mission. Activating eagle ‘pulse’, Arno locates his target and starts sprinting through the streets, dispatching some guards on his way. It appears the seamless combat system of Assassin’s Creed III returns and from what we saw, it looks largely unchanged from its predecessor.

Dispatching the guards, Arno stealthily makes his way into a building and bypasses several guards on his way to the second floor. After interrogating the owner, he makes his way out onto the rooftops and does what AC games do best - starts free-running across the city’s buildings. Coming to a stop on a 19th century church, Arno watches as his target starts addressing the cities population while standing beside a guillotine. Arno descends the building with some sublime new parkour animations and proceeds to assassinate the public speaker, ending the demo.

The visual tour de force ends with the announcement that Assassin’s Creed: Unity will be releasing on October 28th on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Shape Up

Creative Director of Shape Up, Charles Huteau takes to the stage to explain the game’s features. With the slogan of “Stay fit, stay fun”, we’re immediately shown that this is an interactive fitness title. Utilising basic core routines like push ups and intense sprints, Shape Up will follow your movements without the need of any peripherals or controllers - it will utilise Xbox One’s Kinect and it appears to be exclusive to the console.

From what we were shown, workouts will take the form of minigames, with one such example being a Guitar Hero-esque game where the player must stay in sync with the colours on screen by tapping them with their feet. To encourage competitive play, players can workout side by side and compete by racking up combo based scores to see who’s the fittest.

Valiant Hearts - The Great War

To mark the 100th anniversary of World War I, Valiant Hearts will follow four characters and their canine companion along with their experiences on the western front during the war. Taking place between 1914 and 1918, the Adventure title driven heavily by story will utilise a cool and unique art style using 2.5D perspectives.

The short presentation of the hand drawn art style comes to an end with a statement of the release date: 25th June. No word yet on which platforms the game will be available on, but don’t be surprised to see it land on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC

Rainbow 6: Siege

Ubisoft’s CEO comes on stage to present the final game of the conference: Rainbow Six: Siege. It’s been 10 years since a Rainbow Six game was released, and it seems that Ubisoft want to ensure the series’ newest iteration provides something new for gamers.

Rappelling down from from a helicopter into a residential house, a team of five S.W.A.T infiltrates a home to rescue a hostage being held by another team of five criminals. It’s interesting to note that the demo’s action entirely takes place in the house, but this makes it no less entertaining. As the rescuers infiltrate, all hell breaks loose after the team locates the hostage with some high tech gadgetry. As the fire-fight escalates, it seems the demo is keen to show off that almost every part of the house is destructible, including walls ceilings and furniture.

The hostage changes hands multiple times throughout the demo, and as five becomes one, it’s made apparent that once a team member is gone, they can’t come back. A bleedout period enables players to revive their teammates, but if they don’t manage to, it’s lights outThe hostage takers move down to the basement as the rescuers breach from above by setting a charge in the room above. Getting the drop on the other team, the conflict whittles the players down one by one until there’s only one rescuer left. The tension reaches a high as the lone survivor makes his way upstairs with the hostage and manages to reduce the opposing teams members to just one. As the hostage herself takes a bullet, the screen cuts to black before we discover the outcome.

Ubisoft are keen to emphasise that Siege is still in its early stages of development, but regardless, the series’ continuation looks very promising and we’ll hopefully be seeing more throughout E3.