STACK #153 Jul 2017

GAMES FEATURE

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UBISOFT

No, we’re not talking about beautiful people here, but the media area itself. At least this year they had fans, but given the tight space and the heat emanating from the consoles, Ubisoft take out the prize of having the hottest booth at the show. Following my session with Far Cry had I swam across the Yarra. Next year we’re doing the booth in boardshorts. HOT Booth 5 , I couldn’t have been any wetter

Assassin's Creed: Origins

and triggers on the controller. There’s also a new extensive skill tree that will allow unparalleled customisation for the protagonist, Bayek. Arena is great fun. Playing as a gladiator you battle oncoming waves of enemies, all possessing different fighting abilities, before facing off with a boss. According to our guide, this mode will be unlocked as the game progresses. Far Cry 5 was the game I enjoyed most during our stay at Ubisoft’s booth. Essentially it was the same level showcased at the media briefing, but this one culminated with a chance to fly a plane on a bombing raid and then partake in a dogfight. Opting to play with Grace the sniper as support, it proved a little too easy; she picked off most of the opposition before I got a chance to get right in amongst the action. Our guide from Ubisoft Montreal explained that the support character balancing is still being worked on. A restart with Boomer, the dog, proved more challenging. Despite not releasing until early 2018, it already feels like a tight game – the gun mechanics and kill

times to get on the other titles prevented me from getting in to see it. I thoroughly enjoy naval combat and played Black Flag until my thumbs bled and my throat was sore from singing shanties, so I was gutted to miss out on this one. It’s early days, so I’m hoping – praying, actually – that Ubisoft Singapore will end up including a single player. Elsewhere, The Crew 2 was playable but again, scheduling times and other priorities meant that we missed it. There was also hands-on with the perennially delayed South Park: The Fractured But Whole, too, with the demo taking place at Peppermint Hippo strip club and showcasing the combat system, an improvement over the basic grid formula in Stick of Truth . Will the game actually release in October? We're told it's a certainty... Providing we can avoid a Just Dance demo, stopping off with Ubisoft has always been one of the most anticipated sessions to attend at E3, and this year didn’t disappoint. With an ebullient press conference showcasing an enviable slate, Ubisoft will be very happy coming out of E3.

Skull and Bones

title in the publisher’s largest franchise, Asssassin’s Creed: Origins. On a personal level, I had earmarked both of these titles as ‘must plays’ en route to LA. According to the dev leading us through the Origins playthrough, the game has been finished since earlier this year. The additional time leading up to launch on October 27 will be dedicated to ensuring there are none of the technical issues that have affected some of the publisher’s more ambitious recent titles. Two modes were available for play – a short campaign experience and a new mode called Arena. I’ve been a fan of the franchise since I first marveled at the horse

Far Cry 5 proved to be one of the best games I played at the show

Revolution; the visual splendor in the campaign mode, as you can imagine, is exceptional. While the basic formula remains, Ubisoft Montreal, the studio responsible for the brilliant AC: Black Flag , has tweaked the gameplay. A side mission introduced us to the new combat mechanics that have now been mapped to the bumper

animations are excellent. I seriously can’t wait to play the finished product – it proved to be one of the best games I played at the show. Pirate game Skull and Bones , a surprise announcement at the conference, was playable at the booth, but waiting

animations in the original AC. Although I have played every entry since, I lost interest in AC: Syndicate after about four hours and never went back. Ancient Egypt, a setting regularly requested by fans, feels far more suitable for an Assassin’s Creed adventure than England's Industrial

The Crew 2

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JULY 2017

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