A recent Neogaf post and subsequent video published by the gaming world’s mash-up of Carson Daly and 50 Cent (aka: The HipHopGamer), gave reason to believe that there would be a Splinter Cell: Conviction demo included with purchases of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II for the Xbox 360, however hot on the heels of an anonymous tipster, /gamer recently posted a few voucher images they believe debunk the demo rumor.

The wording on the voucher itself, shown in the images below, instructs those who purchased the 360 sequel to visit a specific URL (www.splintercell.com/ac2) and enter their unique key code to receive a “free instant download”.

While the URL does link Assassin’s Creed 2 with Splinter Cell: Conviction in some capacity, I’d have to agree that this doesn’t sound like a procedure one would go through to obtain console demo access. We’ll know soon enough.

Ubisoft Montreal released half a dozen or so new Assassin’s Creed 2 screen shots. The sequel takes place in Venice and puts you behind the hood of a new assassin named Ezio. If stealth killing with retractable wrist blades gets you off, you can get your hands on AC2 in stores on November 17th in the US and November 19th in Europe.

Assassin’s Creed 2 Image Gallery – Click Here To View

Like the original, Assassin’s Creed 2 will not have a demo. This report comes direct from a Ubisoft representative on the floor of the Eurogamer Expo, and while gamers may not be too happy with it, at least one analyst predicts that Ubisoft’s sequel will still outsell the overachieving original.

The original Assassin’s Creed was predicted to sell roughly 3 million copies, however to date, the title has sold over 8 million — nearly matching the publisher’s predicted sales in it’s first month alone. Janco analyst, Mike Hickey, states:

“[Assassin's Creed 2] is part of a strong stable of owned and internally developed franchises …”

In addition to Hickey’s comment, his company, Janco Partners, shared current estimates that put the preorder numbers for Assassin’s Creed 2 at 10-20% over those of it predecessor.

Assassin’s Creed 2 will be available in stores on Tuesday, November 17th in the US.

It was announced a while back that Splinter Cell: Conviction was being pushed back into 2010. Hell, it was announced last year that the game was being delayed until this year. But we’ve finally got a solid release date in February 23rd, 2010, so mark your calendars. Mark it with pencil, though, in case the game gets pushed back.

With a lot of heavy hitters – ok, with Modern Warfare 2 coming this November, a lot of big titles were pushed back to 2010 to avoid the competition. According to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, those titles could get pushed back even further.

Yves had this to say to MCV:

“We now have a situation where there are a lot of good games due for release in the first half of next year, but I think some publishers will move again. The first quarter of 2010 is looking pretty crazy. So I expect some movement from the other players – some of those delayed games will be moved again.”

It’s solid logic – a slew of high profile games got pushed back to a less busy release window, just to make Q1 2010 a really busy release window. The funny thing about Guillemot saying this is that a good number of Ubisoft titles have been pushed back from this holiday season to early next year.

PSX Extreme

The first Assassin’s Creed had a good amount of flaws, but it also did some awesome things, so if the sequel can keep the awesome and get rid of the bad (or turn it into awesome!) I’ll be a happy camper.

That’s just a figure of speech, though. I hate camping.

In answer to an Q&A question on the Ubisoft forums, a Splinter Cell Conviction developer has noted that the game will not be released on the PlayStation 3. “Splinter Cell conviction is a true Microsoft exclusive title and there are no plans to have Splinter Cell Conviction on other platforms,” he writes. “There are several reasons behind this choice. First of all, Splinter Cell games are historically linked with Microsoft platforms… The second reason behind this choice is purely linked to production. Having a single target platform means that we can optimize the game even further, because we only have one type of – console – hardware to support.”

There you have it, folks. That game that you saw and loved at E3 will be unavailable to you if you do not have an Xbox 360. Therefore, you will be unable to buy the game and give Ubisoft your money.

Courtesy of our friends over at Destructoid, we’ve got some brand new leaked footage of Assassin’s Creed 2, featuring the Altair we all know and… tolerate. Of course, the video’s only eleven seconds, but if you don’t care so much, I’m sure this will tide you over until the game actually releases. God only knows when that’ll happen, but I’m sure we’ll learn more at E3.

Ubisoft’s lovable little leporines will soon be hitting the Wii again, but this time not in mini-game form. Rabbids Go Home is the 4th in the Rabbids franchise, but this time, the goal of the game is to collect as much stuff as you can, and get the rabbids back home… to the moon.

The teaser trailer doesn’t show any footage of the game itself, but the way ThatVideogameBlog describes it, it sounds Katamari-esque in nature. Ubisoft will be showing more of the game next month, as it’s part of their line-up for E3, but for now all we’ve got is the trailer and a couple of screenshots which you can see after the jump.

123►

The sequel to the 2003 sleeper hit Beyond Good & Evil was announced late last year, with a trailer to accompany it. It wasn’t much, though- we saw some pre-rendered footage of Jade & Pey’j lost in the desert, and that was about it. But some new footage from the game appeared online today, and I must say, it looks astounding.

Sure, Ubisoft hasn’t confirmed that this is Beyond Good & Evil 2 footage, but the shoe fits. The character running in the video has the same clothes and general facial structure as Jade, and according to some industrious viewers, the video was made using the Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed engine.

The video is obviously pre-rendered, but if this is indeed BG&E2 footage, then it’s going to be a fantastic game when it comes out… in the future. Even if it’s not footage from the game, it’s footage from something, and that’s something I need to play.

Destructoid reports that Ubisoft have dripfed the press a few details about Red Steel 2, sequel to the Wii launch title, Red Steel. As you might have guessed from the image, the game will be set in a “desert city,” and will fully support WiiMotion Plus. Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing US at Ubisoft, said that “Red Steel 2 is [a] milestone for the company as it is the first Ubisoft title with full Wii MotionPlus integration.”

Since Red Steel was held back due to the imprecise nature of the Wii’s controls, it seems like Red Steel 2 might be able to salvage the good aspects and create a better game this time. Still, there’s a chance that the controls will be too sensitive, surely? It’s not going to be fun having to get the speed and position of every sword swipe perfect, but hopefully Ubisoft Paris can pull it off. More details about the game are coming soon.

A new trademark for Driver: The Recruit has been registered by Ubisoft recently. Last year in June, a short video of an Ubisoft Reflections tour by BBC revealed that a new Driver game was in development. Driver: The Recruit could possibly be the new title.

E3 seems like the proper time for its reveal.

Source [USPTO]

To add to the new info on Assassin’s Creed 2, here is a picture of the main character discovered on the official Ubisoft forums before it was taken down. The main character is Ezio Auditore de Firenze, a nobleman of Florence from 1476, who is also an ancestor of Altair and Desmond. With all the info coming out for this game, I’ve got high hopes for Assassin’s Creed 2 as I was a big fan of the first game. Can’t wait!

Source: Joystiq

ScrewAttck’s Hard News has gotten its hands on the newest issue of Game Informer, and has spilled all of the beans for everyone. The huge list of stuff is after the jump. Highlights include that there are loads of new weapons, Da Vinci is in the game, and there are sixteen unique mission types. It’s an impressive list, and as long as the game can take the good bits from the original along with these improved ones, it’s shaping up nicely at this point.

- You’ll have a ton of new weapons to choose from including an axe, a hammer, a mace, a spear, 2 different sword types, a spear axe, and 2 smaller blades
- You CAN swim
- Da Vincis workshop is in the game
- Locations include Saint Marks Basilica, The Grand Canal, The Little Canal, and the Rialto bridge.
- The game opens in 1476, Altair is from 1191
- So you do indeed play as a new ancestor of Altair / Desmond
-You will see the countryside of Tuscany
- The “Auditore” family is mentioned
- The main characters name is Ezio Auditore de Firenze
- He is a nobleman of Florence
- Big characters are in the game including Machiavelli, Caterina Sofrza, and Lorenzo de Medici
- YOU DO INDEED GLIDE on Da Vincis flying machine.
- Game will feature a new notoriety system that governs how enemy soldiers and people will treat you.
- You can disarm enemies and use their own weapons against them this time.
- Each weapon has a special move.
- 16 unique mission types.
- No more ease dropping or pick pocketing missions.
- If you get beat up to much you will need to see a street side doctor to regain full strength.
- Hidden objects (like flags in the first one) are there to uncover but this time if you track them down you will get in-game bonuses that make it worth your time.
- Items include, flags, statues, and gold coins and more that isnt mentioned.
- New enemy types with unique attitudes and weaknesses are present in the game. Archers are mentioned, as well as elite enemies, dagger wielders, “Brutish” armored troops with heavy armor and 2 handed swords and axes, and an intelligent halberd enemy will probe hiding places with their weapons if they think you’re near by.
- While hiding in a hay bail you can assassinate people this time, but it may expose your position.
- You can still climb towers and ride horses
- The Lorendo de Medici assassination attempt is in the game.
- There is now a night and day sequence in the game.
- 240 people are working on this title.

Via Destructoid

The Editor-in-Chief of Game Informer, Andy McNamara, has hinted on his Twitter page that the next issue of the magazine will have new information on Assassin’s Creed in some form. Until then, head here to look at a Da Vinci- styled video which has no useful information on the sequel other than, well, it’s likely to have some Da Vinci theme in there somewhere; probably that the game will be set in Italy at around that time period.

Let’s hope that they manage to take the good bits from the first game and build a game around that, instead of the frustrating and poorly designed bits. I think what I’m trying to say is “make a good game this time, please”.

Via Destructoid

Ubisoft announced today that they are developing a video game based on the upcoming Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation CG film, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Ubisoft has partnered with Sony Pictures Animation previously for the video games based off of Surf’s Up and Open Season.

“We’re pleased to continue our successful partnership with Sony Pictures Consumer Products,” said Christian Salomon, vice president of worldwide licensing at Ubisoft. “Our teams are looking forward to creating a game that will offer parents and children an entertaining experience that they can share together while reliving their favorite moments from the film.”

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is scheduled to release later this year alongside the theatrical realease of the film, which opens September 18. The game will be available on consoles and handhelds, and will most likely be full of easy achievements/trophies so that people will actually play it.

Open world first-person shooters would strike fear into even the most robust developer, and to a certain extent the task has trumped Ubisoft, holding their game back from being the classic it might have been. Although it has its draw backs, Far Cry 2’s freedom results in a unique, engaging experience that other first-person shooters have never even had the guts to attempt.

Far Cry 2 isn’t a sequel, nor even a continuation of Far Cry’s life span. It’s more accurately described as a reincarnation christened with a name that only acts as Ubisoft’s marketing tool. Set in the plains of an Africa that echoes the gun laundering setting of Andrew Niccol’s film Lord of War, you’ll recognise little from the “prequel.” But you needn’t worry: the game might not have been made by the masterful Crytek, but Ubisoft has been just as bold.

After selecting one of eight indistinguishable characters, you’ll enter Far Cry 2’s Africa in a car convoy that gives you the same realistic impression that Grand Theft Auto 4’s open world gave you in a taxi ride.

Before long your character has passed out from contracting malaria, to be woken by the gruff voice of the game’s antagonist – The Jackal. Rolling speeches off his tongue, he lets you live, but it’s not in your orders to afford him the same blessing. Africa’s arms saturation can only end by cutting off the fuel supply: for the flames to die, The Jackal must die.

Due to the open nature of the game, where you’re able to choose from a number of side or main missions, the story takes considerable time to warm and until that point, the overenthusiastic voice acting and shallow script might be lost on you. Then again, the narrative isn’t really the game’s main attraction –- you’re in an open world where you can do whatever and go wherever you want.

Despite a lack of predatory animals, Far Cry 2’s world really does feel alive and not in a way that leaves you as the spectator. The world is populated by militant posts, vehicles, arms dealers, zebras, and buffaloes. All can be interacted with in any manner you might expect.

There’s graciousness in driving metres outside of an enemy post, sneaking through bushes and taking inhabitants out one by one with a sniper rifle. Or why not perform under the cover of darkness by taking a nap in a safe house and then setting fire to their camp with a flare gun?

There are a few joyful things mentioned in that previous sentence. First, choosing the time of day by napping in a safe house results in a real-time shot of your surroundings experiencing time passing. This displays the true glory of Far Cry 2’s lighting engine. It’s spectacular how Africa is lit in the game, where dynamic shadows change their reach as the day moves on.

Then there’s the fire, which can be started in the scrub with a flamethrower, petrol bomb, or the aforementioned flare gun. The fire will develop in the direction the wind blows, overcoming dry grass, reaching and climbing scorched trees, alighting wooden buildings, and setting off ammunition stores in a blaze of popping fireworks. All the while enemies will try to avoid the flames, coming unstuck when their getaway vehicle’s fuel tank catches fire and explodes. There really is an experimental realism found here that’s uncommon for shooters.

This realism is complemented by most actions being performed in-game, such as a GPS map held by the character, allowing you to check where you’re going en-route. Before being treated for malaria, you’ll be struck by blurred vision as you stagger in the midday sun — out come the tablets. Picked up an enemy gun? It’s unreliable and will jam in battle, leaving you to fiddle around and thus liable to injury — this calls for an injection of adrenalin.

Although it’s odd that the gun was fine when the enemy used it, this does allow Ubisoft to employ a satisfying method of upgrading weapons bought from arms dealers, increasing their power and reliability with the more diamonds (earnt from discovery or completing missions) spent on them.

The realism does falter elsewhere. Though enemies are generally more proactive than other first person shooters, showing cunning by flanking your position, they are often dim-witted. Despite not knowing you’re a threat at the beginning of the game, the A.I. obsessively shoots at you without prompt. Perhaps a Western face is enough to be guilty. Often driving after you and blocking your escape, the drivers have an odd obsession for jumping out and standing by their vehicle oblivious to the grenade you just lobbed under it. More suffering than all of this is the fact that cleared enemy posts experience a complete repopulation upon return.

Plus, Far Cry 2’s story might have depth, but you’ll never be engrossed by its narrative. The open world has resulted in a fragmented delivery and even if you continuously complete main missions, you’ll still struggle to understand their narrative relevance, leaving you to pick up the pieces by reading the ‘lite’ journal. What you’re left with is a scattering of similar missions that have indiscernible connections.

Still, there’s no escaping that Far Cry 2 presents an incredibly engaging and beautiful world like no other. And as soon as you think you’ve seen it all, you’re presented with a whole new map. It’s not only a wonder that Ubisoft got all of this on one DVD, but also that almost every area is visually distinct. Moreover, the narrative does begin to pick up towards the midpoint and there are many memorable missions to be completed in a multitude of methods.

Far Cry 2 makes new ground in the FPS world by introducing a convincing open world that performs well technically and creatively on consoles. It’s held back by the monotony of repetitive task syndrome and A.I. that’s both obsessed with killing and apt at dying. Ultimately though, the game supports freedoms uncommon in the genre, which is enough to make Far Cry 2 a very solid purchase.

After playing Assassin’s Creed last year and playing Prince of Persia: Sands of Time a few years back, I was pretty stoked about playing the latest installment of the Prince of Persia series. Sadly, I was stoked only until I actually played the game because it wasn’t as good as I thought it would be.

The newest Prince of Persia is a totally different game than the Prince of Persia: Sand of Time, Warrior Within, and The Two Thrones trilogy.  Hell, even the Prince is different — he’s a total douche in this game and quite annoying when he talks (voiced by the actor from Uncharted, actually). The story starts off with the Prince searching for his donkey when he suddenly bumps into a girl, Elika, running away from some guards. He eventually pursues Elika and saves her from the guards and her father, the King, who has destroyed the Tree of Life and released the evil god, Ahriman.

Once the Prince finds out that Elika is a Princess and on a mission to stop her father and Ahriman from corrupting the lands with evil, the Prince decides to help her. Elika explains that she and the Prince must reach and heal the multiple fertile grounds in the area in order to give the tree of life power once again, imprisoning Ahriman. Obviously, the story goes on but any more about it and I’d be spoiling it for you.

The gameplay is quite similar to the past Prince games, with tons of wall-running and acrobatic moves, but this time there aren’t distinct levels, but an actual free-roaming, open world. In this new Prince of Persia, players aren’t just flying through the level wall-running and jumping to the next part, but must actually take their time to find their way from one point to another, which worked well with the open world. This is actually one of the best things about the game, but was also one of the game’s miscues.

I think the open world was a great idea, but it seemed to me like the developers over at Ubisoft Montreal wanted to make the game much longer than it had to be because they had an open world. This led to many repetitive missions, going from healing one fertile land to another, and continuing this same process. To me this became really boring, but at least the combat somewhat made up for it.

The combat system in the game definitely made up for some of the repetition in the open world. Unlike the hordes of enemies and button-mashing combat from the previous Prince games, the combat in this new Prince of Persia is set to 1-on-1 at all times and has a slower pace, using guard breaks and a combo system to add strategic elements. The combat also boasts some pretty nice attacks with aerial attacks and drawn out combos, leading to some great cinematic presentations with stunning finishing moves.

Although the combat may be better in this game, the acrobatic and aerial movements are no match to that of last-gen’s Prince. Most of the time the movements actually feel like they are on autopilot, seeming more like a scripted animation. The previous Prince of Persia games had smooth and quick gameplay elements, focusing on players skillfully executing aerial movements to continue on, whereas this new Prince really slowed the pace down and made the player think with different sorts of puzzles and contraptions to work with to proceed.

Oh, and did I mention you can’t die in this game? Yep, your new girlfriend Elika has all these strange powers and with them she keeps you from dying, whether it be falling to your death, being swallowed up by the evil corruption, or just being stabbed by a baddie. This part kind of reminds me of Sands of Time when you used the Dagger of Time to stop and go back in time and keep yourself from dying. Not being able to die isn’t necessarily a bad thing because essentially it’s just a restart point, and if you die, you’d restart anyway.

Graphically, the game is gorgeous, and I love the new direction of the art style Ubisoft Montreal went with. The Prince, Elika, and all other characters in the game are extremely detailed and the open world is just stunning. The graphics are definitely one of the game’s finer points.

Prince of Persia has been overly hyped and highly praised, but I really don’t see why. The game is repetitive, pretty easy, way too long and, well, kind of boring. But with all the bad there’s still some good in this game, just not enough. I’d say it’s a rental rather than a buy — have fun with it for a few hours, then return it… unless you like it more than I did.

[I'm sure by now you've realized the error I made, pointed out by GoNintendo, in which I reviewed the online portion of a game that doesn't actually have an online portion. I'd like to apologize for this error, but at the same time, I am just as confused as you all are as to how it occurred. Though many people have jumped to conclusions that the entire review is fraudulent, I'd like to assure you all that that's not the case, and that I did indeed review this game after playing it in it's entirety. The picture used in the review from one of the in-game emails was even taken by me. I'd like to think that you'd all realize that I wouldn't take the effort to write a review for a game I hadn't even bothered to play. As a commenter even pointed out, I wouldn't bother to lie about that part of the game if I admitted to not trying the game's largest selling point.

I don't know how this error occurred, since I distinctly remember playing an online version of the game, and haven't played any other versions of Shaun White Snowboarding, but as there's no explanation for what I can only describe as sheer stupidity on my part, I'd like to apologize to all of you that read the review, and used its lack of a good online component as a factor in your decision as to whether or not you should play the game. The mistake was on my part, and you shouldn't fault or discredit the great staff at Ripten for what was a grievous error on my part. The review has been edited to reflect the error, and once again, I'm sorry. - Demi]

Announced at the super lackluster E3 ‘08, Ubisoft’s Shaun White Snowboarding was held to a relatively high standard, being one of the few games Nintendo wanted to focus on at their press conference. If I remember correctly, the last snowboarding game that was received well was probably SSX 3 (give us SSX4, dammit!) so Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip has a lot to prove before it flies off of shelves.

With the current drought of good Wii games on the market and the large demand for a spiritual successor to the SSX series, could Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip be the game to finally bring Nintendo out of its slump? Could it be just as good as Nintendo hyped it up to be half a year ago?

No.

Now before I dive head first into the review, I’d like to point out that I didn’t actually review the game’s main selling point — the Balance Board support. Seeing as I don’t have a balance board (and I probably never will), I can’t review this to the full extent, but I’ll be damned if I won’t try.

To put it simply, Shaun White’s Snowboarding isn’t the worst game ever, but it’s not a very good one either. The game starts with a very small tutorial where you learn the basics — jumping, turning, basic tricks, speed boosts, and braking. For the most part, the controls are very, very simple. Flick the remote up to jump, tilt the remote left/right to turn, press A for speed boosts and tricks, press B for braking and more tricks.

When you first start, these instructions are more than enough to keep you going for the first few levels. As a matter of fact, I played a full level and cleared it without looking at the screen. I wish it were a testament to my skill, but no — the game is just that insanely simple.

One thing I really like about the game is the cutscene art style, which you can see in the header image. It’s sort of a blocky, hand-drawn, cel-shaded style, and I really like it. It goes well with the humor they try to use in the cutscenes, and rather than the cutscenes just being characters talking, the cutscene tries to add a story to the game and make the player feel like they’re actually watching a movie at times.

The game also employs the use of a ‘Respect meter’ to give you a short time period for you to jump higher and perform more tricks. It’s very easy to gain points on your Respect meter, as all you have to do is to perform tricks. About 5 tricks will fill your meter, and to activate your Respect boost, all you need to do is press on the D-pad. Sound familiar? Well, that’s because it’s the same system that’s been used in every SSX game since SSX Tricky. Unfortunately, this is where the SSX parity ends.

The soundtrack, though not configured into the score because of it’s banal nature, is very good. Full of great alternative and indie musicians, from MGMT to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club to Living Colour, it’s great music for snowboarding, and it fits the game well.

Like with most sports/extreme sports games, different characters bring different things to the table. In the game, you can select a cameraman and a rider. The cameraman doesn’t do anything, but depending on who you choose, you can receive a boost in one of your rider skills — Speed, Jump, Trick, Grip, Landing, Mass, and Balance.

At the beginning of the game, you start out with only two characters, Gordon and Jasmine, and as you progress in the game, you get more people to join your entourage. Though it’s not an innovative system, it helps a bit when you’re trying to pull off more complicated tricks.

Though it plays no actual role in the game itself, you can save mementos from each ride, which is nothing more than a photo you get when you complete a level. You also get an email occasionally, but this is just as trivial. Most of the time, the emails are intended to be funny, depicting the various spam emails you most likely receive on a daily basis. Only one email really stuck out as funny to me, though. Do you the deny success when it demands your face?

I wish I had more good things to say about the game, but the soundtrack, simplicity of controls, and cameraman/rider system are about it.

Remember how I pointed out the exceptional ease with with you can control your rider? This system becomes a problem very quickly when you try to navigate certain time trial levels, and try to perform tricks as well. Without Wii MotionPlus™ support, the game is hindered by its inability to gauge jumps with 1:1 control, and there’s often a delay between the time you flick your remote and the time your rider actually jumps up.

Performing tricks is also a problem when the Wii doesn’t correctly measure what trick you’re trying to pull. It became so much of a problem that I eventually just gave up and decide to flick the remote around erratically. It helped much more than actually trying.

The game’s menu is so convoluted and cluttered that I started to get annoyed by turning on the game. In any other game, it would be enough to select the game type, select the level, maybe select the sublevel, select a character, and go… but not here. To get to your level, you first have to load the profile, select your game type, choose the riding controls, choose a mountain, choose a peak,  choose an objective, accept the objective, select a rider, select a cameraman, and then you’re ready to go. Don’t forget that you should probably choose your options beforehand, but I’ll cover that in a second.

It doesn’t seem like Ubisoft put any thought at all into how grinding would work, because simply getting near a rail or any curvature of any kind and jumping, even when a yard away, will get you onto the rail to grind. And keeping your balance is simple, too, to a fault even. All you need to do is keep the remote straight.

Most of the time when I tried to jump off of the rail, I ended up right back on it, since you can’t jump too far away. Grinding also gives you more points than tricks, as a single trick can give you about 20-40 points, at most. Without a multiplier, you’re dead in the water, and trying to meet the ridiculous trick point demands the game gives you becomes increasingly difficult.

Speaking of which, the game makes large jumps in objectives, far too quickly. In the transition between the first and second mountains of the game, the game ends Mountain 1 with an objective requiring you to get 2000 points, which isn’t too bad. As soon as you jump into the second mountain, the objective becomes getting 5500 points in a limited amount of time. This jump in objective difficulties doesn’t get any better as the game goes on, and what was once simple at the beginning of the game turns into an excruciatingly difficult experience.

I mentioned previously that you might want to choose your options beforehand, and this is because Ubisoft didn’t think to add a pause menu to the game. That’s not to say that you can even pause the game, though. Oh no, Ubisoft completely neglected the fact that someone might want to pause the game at any time. As a matter of fact, the only reason you could ever take a break in the middle of a slope is because of the Wii’s Home button, which you’ll probably be using a lot more than normal if you ever pick up the game.

The UI in the game isn’t too bad… until you start moving. From the beginning, the game screen has nothing more than a score, countdown (occasionally), dare/respect objective, and respect meter on the screen. This becomes more and more cluttered with everything you do. For no reason whatsoever, the screen will practically fill with a Wii remote, trying to tell you how to turn, as if you didn’t learn it at the beginning of the game. Other times, when performing tricks, the multiplier icon appears, as well as the balance meter. I wish I were joking, but the trick icon takes up just as much space on the screen as your rider does.

Local multiplayer isn’t bad, however, as starting a multiplayer game is just as easy as starting a single player game. You can select between co-op mode, where you and up to three others play the campaign, allowing you to earn medals with others; versus mode, where you and three others can go head-to-head; and hot seat mode, where you face off against your opponent’s ghost times.

The Bottom Line: Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip isn’t absolutely horrible but I don’t think I could say it’s good either. When I first started, I had an enjoyable time with the game, but as soon as I got off the first mountain, it became a chore to even finish the game. There are a few good things about the game, but the large amount of bad things with the game outweigh them, and its problems become very evident.

I don’t think I could suggest someone to buy this game, but if you’re a really big fan of snowboarding games, you might want to at least rent it.  For all I know, the balance board support is better than the Wiimote support.

If you are a fan of things that are awesome, this is a pretty good time to be a gamer. Gears 2, Left 4 Dead, and now Prince of Persia. Stock pile food and drink, bar the door shut, and dim the lights … Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia deserves your full attention. Hit the jump for the full release announcement.

PRINCE OF PERSIA® SHIPS TO STORE SHELVES

All-New Epic Adventure Hits Stores, Is Poised to Reign This Holiday Season

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – December 2, 2008 – Today Ubisoft announced that Prince of Persia for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system has shipped to store shelves. Additionally, the complementary adventure exclusively for the Nintendo DS(TM) system, Prince of Persia®: The Fallen King, also shipped to retailers. Prince of Persia has an ESRB of “T” for Teen and will be available at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $59.99 for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 systems. The Windows-based PC version of the game ships to stores on December 9th and will retail for $49.99. Prince of Persia: The Fallen King has an ESRB of “E” for Everyone and will retail for $29.99.

“Prince of Persia is one of the most innovative and critically acclaimed franchises in video game history,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Ubisoft. “This new chapter will continue to set the standard for the action-adventure genre and is a definite must-own title this holiday season.”

About Prince of Persia
Set in a land rooted in ancient Persian mythology, the warrior Prince finds himself caught in an epic battle between the primal forces of light and darkness that pits the God of Light, Ormazd, against his brother, Ahriman, the destructive God of Darkness. After witnessing the destruction of the legendary Tree of Life – an act which unleashes Ahriman’s corrupted darkness onto the land – the Prince and his deadly companion, Elika, embark on a journey to heal the world from the evil Corruption and defeat Ahriman once and for all.

Led by the all-star team that previously created the Prince of Persia® Sands of Time trilogy, Prince of Persia has been in development at Ubisoft’s Montreal studio for over three years. The video game opens an entirely new chapter in the Prince of Persia universe in addition to introducing a fresh illustrative art style, evolved combat system, open world structure and dynamic AI – most notably in the form of the Prince’s powerful ally Elika.

About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has teams in 28 countries and distributes games in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2007–08 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of 928 million euros. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

Rumours of an Assassin’s Creed sequel have been spreading about since Assassin’s Creed came out, but Ubisoft have finally confirmed that they are “working hard on” the sequel. After the recent talk about the game being set in the 1700s, this may not be a surprise to many. However, the kicker in this story is that Ubisoft are quoted as saying Assassin’s Creed 2 will only arrive once there is “more anticipation for it.” Maybe if Ubisoft had spent more time making more than 3 mission types for the first game ten this one would have more hype, right? Right?

Via Gamezine.

Canadian actor Michael Rudder, best known in the gaming world by the various voices he provided to games like Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell, was shot three times yesterday during the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India.

Michael Rudder was on a spiritual retreat with some yoga buddies when the attacks happened. He was apparently eating dinner when he was struck three times by terrorist gunfire — once in the stomach and once to an arm and a leg.

Rudder was taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery. He is currently listed in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery.

Michael Rudder is very well respected in his homeland of Canada, best-known for his many stage roles, and is considered a veteran in the acting community. He had previously starred in The Adventures of Pluto Nash with Eddie Murphy and Sleepy Hollow with Johnny Depp.

Gamers might recognize his voice from games like Assassin’s Creed, Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six 3, Far Cry Instincts, and most notably Prince of Persia: Warrior Within where he voiced the Dark Prince. Ubisoft wished him a speedy recovery yesterday after hearing the news, and we’d like to join them in hoping he comes home soon.

Source: CTV

It’s a well-known fact among the gaming community that consoles and RTS games don’t mix very well. The effectiveness of the tried and true keyboard/mouse control scheme that PCs utilize has to yet to be successfully matched by a console controller. While games like the upcoming Halo Wars are trying to remedy the problem by designing for a console from the ground up, EndWar takes a different route. A more vocal route, one might say.

See what I did there?

Tom Clancy’s EndWar takes place in the future, where things have gone to shit, as one might guess from the title of the game. The US and Europe co-develop SLAMS, the Space-Land-Air-Missile Shield, putting an end to nuclear war. Russia wasn’t invited to the party, which comes back to bite everyone in the ass when the world’s oil supply begins to run out and Russia controls what little is left. This divides the world even more, forcing most Western European States to combine into the European Federation.

As if hell hadn’t already broken lose, America furthers the international tension by dominating space. The Freedom Star Military Space Station is capable of putting marines on the ground anywhere in the world within 90 minutes, which makes everyone a little uneasy, understandably. When terrorists attack the launch of the final space station module, inevitable war finally breaks out.

The story in EndWar is good for moving the action forward and little else. Being an American, my heart swells with pride at the thought of us building a Death Star, but the plot is weak and is simply there to set up the action.

If you decide to play the single player campaign, you’ll begin with the Prelude to War tutorial. The tutorial does what it’s supposed to do, but I felt that it does it rather slowly. Four or five missions into the game and I felt like I hadn’t employed any strategy whatsoever, as I was always outfitted with more than enough resources to completely decimate the enemy. I understand that the purpose of the tutorial is primarily to teach, but what better way to learn than through challenge? Enough with the hand holding; I want to scream “Unit 2 attack hostile 4!” like my virtual life depends on it.

My main concern going into EndWar was how well the voice commands would work. I can’t help but think of those terribly automated operators that companies employ to answer their phones. You know the ones I’m talking about. The ones where, if you’re lucky, they’ll just ask you to repeat yourself rather than misunderstanding you and connecting you to someone that you don’t want to talk to at all.

As I feared, the voice commands are a mixed bag. While my dirt-cheap Bluetooth headset probably doesn’t help matters, it can’t be blamed for all of the problems I encountered with the computer not understanding me or hearing something different. You can tell a unit to abort an order if the wrong command gets issued, and while it’s pretty fantastic to scream “ABOOOORRT,” it became a problem after a while.

It’s been said that you can play EndWar entirely with voice commands, and while that may be true in theory, you’ll end up using a combination of both your voice and controller.

That isn’t to say the voice commands are a failed endeavor. When they do work, which is the majority of the time, they’re fantastic. However, when you’re in the heat of the battle and they stop working, it becomes a serious issue. Still, Ubisoft has found a very creative way to get around the console RTS control issues and they should be commended for that.

Another issue I had was with the camera system. Your view is limited to the unit you currently have selected. If you want to switch cameras, select another unit. You can rotate the camera 360 degrees and zoom in on whatever you’re looking at, but if you try to move you’re on a pretty short leash.

EndWar is set in the future – 2020 to be exact. We’re reminded of this constantly with all the talk of the European Federation and Military Space Stations; not to mention the futuristic-looking gunships. But despite all of this, your view of the battlefield is seriously limited. Having to select a unit and stay within its sight line is incredibly annoying and switching units in mid-battle and having to regain your bearings is anything but intuitive.

I know that Tom Clancy is a stickler for accuracy, and I love the man because of that, but couldn’t Ubisoft come up with some reason to give us full visual access to the area? The Americans have their Space Station – couldn’t they use some crazy satellite technology to get a real-time view of the battlefield?

Now that I’ve aired my major grievances, I can get down to the actual combat. Aside from being somewhat limited (this seems to be a recurring theme here), it’s really fun. When I say it’s limited, I’m talking about the fact that it only has six core units, with clearly laid out strengths and weaknesses. If the enemy is attacking with tanks, send some gunships to stop them. If you see a group of engineers, riflemen or artillery will make short work of them.

Despite the game’s limited offerings, there’s still plenty of room for strategy. You’ll gain Command Points by securing uplinks and simply surviving in battle and you must choose the best way to spend them. You’ll also have to decide where to deploy your various units to maximize their effectiveness. While the game could definitely benefit from being a larger experience overall, that’s what a sequel is for.

The online multiplayer, called Theatre of War, is easily the game’s best feature. Before you can do anything, you must choose which of the three factions – USA, EU, Russia – that you will align yourself with, as well as pick your battalion, each having their own specializations. After that, you’ll be thrown into an online persistent battle for worldwide domination. From here, you can see what territories your faction controls and you can choose from a wide variety of missions; each victory will bring you closer to world domination.

Theatre of War is a stroke of genius. EndWar could’ve easily had run-of-the-mill online multiplayer and it would’ve been a blast to play. Instead, they give you a persistent world and a goal, one which you share with thousands of people. As a gamer, I like something I can really get involved in, and this is exactly that.

I don’t feel comfortable saying that EndWar should be purchased. It’s absolutely a rental, as it’s unique and it’s quite good. At its core, it’s a lot of fun, which is the most important thing. Ultimately, however, a lack of battlefield control, brought on by a restricting camera system and voice commands that sometimes don’t work, prevent it from achieving greatness. I can only imagine hardcore RTS fans picking this one up.

Okay, so my overzealous pursuit for clever headlines may cause more damage than usual this time. Sue me. Although Ubisoft did actually publish No More Heroes, they’ve recently announced that they’ll be dropping the game Heroes based on the TV series.

Jaime Cottini, Ubisoft’s PR director said, “The rights to the ‘Heroes’ video game have reverted back to NBC Universal. Ubisoft will no longer produce a video game based on the TV series.”

Pretty standard statement, but official, if nothing else.

Currently in its third season, Heroes has seen a sharp decline in love from both fans and critics alike since its first season where it was a critically acclaimed breakout hit. Then again, this may prove to be a blessing rather than a curse, seeing as how unbelievably atrocious Lost: Via Domus was. I’d really love those 8 hours of my life back, assholes.

Source: MTV Multiplayer

When Rayman: Raving Rabbids was first released on a Wii a few years back, gamers still loved silly mini-games that required plenty of waggle. Now gamers are feeling a little bitter towards these types of games, but going back now I still have fun trying to find the out-of-tune Rabbid in the choir and giving him a good smack upside the head.

With Rayman’s Raving Rabbids TV Party releasing November 14th, Ubisoft has officially announced the added bonus of some sweet Rabbids toys!

As you can see, the package includes five Rabbids: a smiling one, a screaming one (my favorite), a Sam Fischer version, and an Altair version. The last Rabbid is left with a blank face so you can draw anything you want on it. No word on the pricing, but it seems as if these bunny boxes will be at most major game retailers alongside the game’s release.

I think I want to get these, just so I can throw the “screaming” one at people while mimicking the Rabbid scream. Some might call this cheating; I call it a “winning strategy.”

Source: WiiWii.tv

Let’s get one thing straight before proceeding: I hated the original Far Cry. It was a long, soul-sucking siege in a Hawaiian shirt that would have made Mother Theresa shank a kitten. So when I heard about Far Cry 2 being developed, my first thought was “Bloody hell, didn’t they play the last one? They should know better.” Then I saw the first screens and instantly knew it would be different.

Far Cry 2 is a sandbox title that throws you into the heart of Africa with the echoes of its former and current strife lending a subtle air of credibility to its storyline. As a merc, you are tasked with taking the head of a local arms dealer/terrorist/warlord by the name of The Jackal. No, not the real Carlos the Jackal, but I got over it. I suppose terrorists don’t really insist on image rights or intellectual property infringement.

As you set off to whack The Jackal, you need to build up the requisite war-chest to buy even better weapons, ammunition, and equipment. Itemization in this game is key, and just like anyone in the military can tell you, a gun is just a tool, and you need the right tool for the job in this game.

Weapons in Far Cry 2 are wide and varied. Indeed, you can get lost in the selection of more than 30 weapons. Stealth weapons, however, are basically limited to your machete, silenced Marakov PB 9mm, and a silenced MP5 SD submachine gun. This is fine late at night but problematic when the lead starts to fly during the day. Thankfully, your arsenal allows for some tactical foresight. I preferred a shotgun over the submachine guns for clearing hootches and CQB, just for the stopping power. Sniping is where weapon selection really shines, though. I spent hours shooting, relocating, shooting, relocating, shooting, and relocating, just picking off tangos from range.

While much has been said about the flamethrower, I can’t say I was a huge fan. In Far Cry 2, fire can run away from you. More than once I would try and set up with the flamethrower outside a village with the intent of creating a wall of flame between me and my sniper perch, only to find the fire on top of my position in moments. I realize fire spreads, but the rate in which the fire physics spread seemed a bit much.

For my part, I don’t understand why the gaming world is still so against the idea of including bags of dirty tricks. Mines are practically non-existent except for the magnetic mine which you remotely detonate. In fact, everything except the Molotov cocktail is remotely detonated, which is sketchy in combat. Claymores, anti-tank mines, and bouncing-betties would have made for a more realistic approach to laying traps or sabotage. But the fact that you have to take the time to detonate your explosives was just a little tedious.

Enemy AI is sketchy, and by far my biggest gripe in the game. The original Far Cry commandos could see you through a hill and dense swath of jungle to hit you with their magic rifles — so good at their job you thought they could have been on the Grassy Knoll. In Far Cry 2, however, the AI is disappointingly easy to outmaneuver and set up on, which lets down any tactical enthusiast. There were times when I was sniping that I would dispatch a tango in an enemy squad and his mates would just stand there as if a contentious fountain of blood was the most normal thing in the world.

What the mobs lack in intelligence they certainly make up for in stamina, as these fuckers can take a hit. Ironically, they can even take a hit bare-chested with my rifle and still summon enough strength to fight back. I can’t imagine that designer Clint Hocking intended to allow shirtless men to be able to take a 7.62 burst from an AK-47 to their chest, fall down, get up, dust themselves off, and then dance the tarantella. That’s just bad design.

Raids on villages and towns can be fun. I found the amount of pure bedlam I could dish out on a hideout of vicious militia was extremely satisfying. Revving up my jeep to top speed, I would bail out at the last minute, sending it careening into the village square full of explosives which I would then detonate. As you wade through your enemies, you pick up rifles of varying worth and durability which is vitally important in this game.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many rifles would jam or malfunction on me right after I picked them up off of a still-twitching enemy. The fact that his gun worked perfectly well when he was filling me full of lead seconds earlier made me sneer with disdain. I just pick up a rifle and suddenly I’m jinxing it? Once again, this strikes me as another example or poor design. Having spent a portion of my life behind the sights of an AR-15, I know that weapon malfunctions occur for a variety of reasons — it doesn’t happen just because you touch it.

Weapon upgrades are available, with options to take your favorite rifle and, after acquiring a manual, learn how to un-jam your weapon with alacrity. This is critical, especially in a game that is just one big firefight. Doing side-quests for weapon dealers is just as important as the main story, if not more.

Vehicles are essential in this game. Other reviewers have talked about just driving in to a militia compound with a mounted .50 cal on your jeep and just blazing away. Big mistake.

Losing my wheels when they were shot out beneath me, I basically had to hoof it from the fight. Walking in this game is an exercise in futility. From then on I would park my jeep off the road. My advice to you is to protect your motorized means of transportation at all costs because the world is absolutely huge, and you aren’t going to want to trek it on foot. There are buses that will take you to remote areas in a matter of seconds, but they are few and far between. Trust me when I say this: if you lose your jeep, be prepared for a long, long hump out in the bush.

The world itself is rendered in strikingly beautiful detail. I wish to God they would have spent as much time with the enemy AI as they did with the landscape, which is phenomenal. Watching the sunlight filter through jungle canopy for the first time brought a smile to my face. Ubisoft Montreal made the most of the Dunia engine, creating a living, breathing world that will have anyone who plays this game stopping to smell the roses between gun battles.

To say that Far Cry 2 is more of a spiritual successor to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. than the mutant monkey that was the original Far Cry is accurate. Factions, weapons load-outs, gear, and a gigantic map full of people that want to give you a terminal case of lead poisoning lends itself to the Russian shooter. Alliances with “buddies” was convenient at times but ultimately became annoying as the AI governing their behavior told them to look at something shiny for five minutes rather than fight.

Far Cry 2 is fun. It could be called a shinier version of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., but the enemy AI problems are too rampant to really make the game glow the way it deserves to. For a game that tries so hard to let the gamer experience realism and immersion in every other aspect of the game, having the AI be little more than semi-bright lemmings rushing to their destruction is a sin. Far Cry 2 is a good game, but the AI causes too many problems to recommend it without pause.

Having spoken with a few other writers, it would seem that these issues are much more prevalent on the PC version than the console version, which is odd. I would recommend picking it up on console instead of PC unless you are a total graphics whore, in which case the PC version will suffice.

Look for our console review of Far Cry 2 soon.

After all this hullabaloo about how the PlayStation 3 is the only “true” HD console, here comes the release of FarCry 2 to slap Sony’s PR in the balls. In addition to people complaining about the messed-up widescreen and mandatory 3.5GB install, the PS3 version falls short of its Xbox 360 counterpart by only supporting 720p while the 360 version supports full 1080p.

I noticed this myself by looking at the back of the case for the game, a photo of which I’ve conveniently provided for you:

Obviously, it’s just the developer’s fault for being lazy and stupid and not because the PS3 isn’t living up to what it was promised to be — the only true HD console. After all, we know for a fact that developers love putting out gimped versions of the games they’ve worked so hard to create, simply to prove a point or because Microsoft paid them to.

I’m sure the PS3 version, despite these differences, plays just as well as the 360 version and will no doubt be an enjoyable experience for those of you without options. If you had a choice, however, go with the 360 or PC edition just to be safe. Word.

UPDATE: Some articles about FarCry 2’s resolution have been brought to my attention, but upon reviewing them, I do not believe they present new information that directly contradicts my statements. The articles mentioning the native resolution of the game, on PS3 and 360, as being 720p are only talking about the native resolution, and I made no mention of native resolutions. It is irrelevant.

Yes, both consoles run the game at 720p native resolution. The 360 can upscale it to 1080p, but the PS3 does not do so naturally, and the box implys that it does not do it at all. While it may be possible to “trick” your PS3 into outputting in 1080p, the game itself does not readily support it. Many PS3 games that I have seen clearly show that they support 1080p, either natively or upscaled, on the back of the box — FarCry 2 is not one of them.

I find it odd that if the PS3 could support 1080p on all games that it is not mentioned on the game’s case. Requiring customers to resort to some backdoor trick to achieve what is supposed to be built in to the console and that other games (on both 360 and PS3) more clearly support — it’s ridiculous.

I explicitly said that the game likely plays just as well. Sony has clearly done its job convincing their fanbase that the PS3 is obviously superior, which leaves me wondering they wouldn’t help advertise that on the games themselves.

UPDATE 2: It is also worth noting that in a recent IGN Insider head-to-head comparison of the game, the reviewer had the following to say regarding the differences:

“The only real differences are the PS3’s occasional framerate hitches and the dropping of some sound effects during hectic gunfights. These issues don’t really hurt the experience in any major way, but will be a minor irritation for some. If you’re at all interested in shooters, Far Cry 2 is an experience you will enjoy on any console. If you have the luxury of choice, the 360 version runs just a little bit more smoothly.”

OVERALL:
1st = PC
2nd = 360
3rd = PS3

Translation: gimped?

Ubisoft has released two new video interviews highlighting the combat and acrobatic aspects of their upcoming Prince of Persia next-gen title. I have taken the time to watch each and put together a some detailed notes and opinions for your reading pleasure.

Hit the jump, double jump, co-op jump, and prepare to “jump jump” your ass straight out of your seat. Anyone who saw previous footage of the game and said” it looks good but I just don’t understand how the controls are going to work” is going to have their questions answered — right now.

Prince of Persia Combat Interview

Combat Highlights

Ubisoft’s goal with the latest Prince of Persia was to reinvent the way people fight in an action game. This brought on the development of a new 1-on-1 fighting system, which they describe and being similar to that of Soul Calibur.

The relationship of combat to acrobatics has changed, as the two are more clearly defined and separated this time around. Exploration type acrobatics will navigate your to battle, but once engaged in a fight, you will be locked in until either you or the enemy has been killed. This is a significant change over previous Prince of Persia games which allowed gamers to escape and essentially reset a fight.

In addition, you will not be able to use moves like the Grip Fall and your co-op jumping ability while in combat, but that certainly doesn’t mean the fights will lose their acrobatic feel. As you have likely seen in the previously released footage of the game, you will still be able to interact with your environment during a boss fight (as will the enemy), however your interactions will not mirror those available in exploration mode.

One example shows the Prince pushing a boss off a ledge causing him to plummet to his death. The interesting thing here, is that you can supposedly do this regardless of your enemies current health state. In other words, you could potentially maneuver a boss at full health towards a ledge and push him off for a quick win. No word as to how many encounters will feature environments that make this possible, but it’s definitively a nice treat.

In terms of attacks, the team describes melee and magic as the two major forms at your disposal. The sword being the main weapon for the Prince, capable of faster attack speeds, and greater damage when compared to Elika’s magical counterpart. The drawback to the sword is that it requires you to be within melee range, and can be countered as well as deflected by the enemy. Of course, you will be able to perform all those nasty damage dodging abilities too if you keep your eyes open and your reflexes sharp.

As stated above, Eleka’s attacks are based on magic, and while they can be utilized from a greater distance (which will likely prove to be key in certain battles), they take longer to perform and don’t do as much damage as the Prince’s sword.

What about the combat acrobatic maneuvers we promised? And to think I thought you would never ask. The action button, which is also used to perform acrobatic moves when out of combat, serves the same purpose in battle. It allows for a movement the developers describe as “quick steps”, which can be activated while in strafe mode. With this button, you will also be able to jump up onto your enemy as long as you are within melee attack range.

The last ability mentioned in the video utilizes the “Lift/Gauntlet” button, granting you the ability to launch your enemy into the air for a few quick juggle type combo hits. I’m not sure that I am completely in love with this one, as it would seem to take the edge off a more daunting enemy such as The Warrior. There is a chance that some bosses are immune to certain attacks, although they have yet to mention anything like that.

Prince of Persia Acrobatics Interview

Acrobatic Interview Highlights

The developers talk about the game’s “ingredients” in this segment, specifically referring to interactive objects in the game. Each object that you can utilize to make your way through world has been coined an ingredient. Hmmmm, maybe someone was baking a cake during one of their brainstorming sessions.

Regardless, “ingredients” are a key element in this installment of Prince of Persia, and it is worth noting that all of them, be it pole or ledges, will require the same gameplay mechanic in order to interact with them.

I’m all for this idea. It’s very possible that the goal was to simplify things, helping to make repetitive actions such as swinging and grabbing a ledge become second nature to the user. Gears of War did this well with their one button approach to most of the things you could do in their blockbuster game. Kudos Ubi, here’s to hoping it works as well as I’m envisioning it will.

With new gear, comes new moves, and even more responsibility. The Prince (as you may have seen) is sporting a new gauntlet on his hand, and that little puppy opened up the game like a — well, like something being opened up.

Grip Fall, the Prince’s new wall scraping ability, allows him to slowly lower himself from one point to another. Think nails on a chalkboard — a really really big chalkboard. The addition of this new ability, forced the developers to rethink how they looked at the level design, as this one move alone opened things up for a much more vertical type of environment.

Remember how I said jump, like three times in the intro? Yea, well here’s why. The game is going to feature ass-loads of jumping. More jumping than some Man Show Juggies on a trampoline. You chew on the video for a bit while I hit the head.

[writer away from keyboard - requests you watch the clip below]

[writer returns to keyboard and begins typing]

So yea, you’re going to have plenty of opportunities to jump your heart out. According to the developers, the “jump centric” controls are the backbone of their “jump anywhere philosophy”, allowing for single jumps, double jumps, and the occasionally sexy co-op jump.

So what is the next-gen version of Prince of Persia all about? Speed and rhythmic movement. Previous iterations of the game had acrobatics that were slower and more puzzle like, but those days are long behind us now. The new Prince is in town, and he’s got places to go.

Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia hits stores on December 2nd, 2008, and is available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Gaming is serious business, and Ubisoft is dishing out 10 million dollars to make sure that you are well aware of their holiday line up, which includes Far Cry 2, Shaun White Snowboarding, and the new Prince of Persia.

The advertising extravaganza kicks off tonight, at 10pm, during the season premiere of South Park on Comedy Central, as commercials for Far Cry 2 and Prince of Persia mix it up with Cartman and the boys. Snowboarder Shaun White gets his day in the South Park sun when episode two hits next week.

Fans of the popular show Family Guy and the Tom Brady-less NFL will get their fair share of Ubisoft big budget advertising love as well. Let’s hope the commercials are entertaining, because it seems we will be seeing a lot of them.

Source: news.softpedia.com

TGS 08 brings us a new Prince of Persia trailer featuring artist “Sia” performing her song “Breathe Me”. The Prince and Elika acrobatically make their way through the world and close with a battle against The Warrior .

At the risk of my sounding like a broken record, I simply have to say that no matter how many times I see footage of this game I inhale a little each time.

Have at it after the epic Prince like leap.