Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve seen quite a few Assassin’s Creed releases since the first one hit shelves back in 2007, and even though we’ve met a lot of different characters along the way, one thing has remained the same: modern-day assassin Desmond Miles is constantly featured throughout the series. That may not be the case for much longer, however, as Assassin’s Creed 3 creative lead Alex Hutchinson tells Polygon that the Desmond story line has to wrap up sooner or later, presumably with the series continuing after Desmond’s tale has come to an end. According to Hutchinson, the Assassin’s Creed series risks losing “resonance” with fans if Desmond’s over-arcing story line continues on for too much longer.

“I think Desmond needs to end,” Hutchinson said. “At some point. You know what I mean? Things that go on too long lack resonance. We’re asking people to remember seven years’ worth of story. Which is like saying you were in junior high and now you’re finishing college. And you need to remember what you were doing in junior high.”

Hutchinson compared Desmond’s part in the Assassin’s Creed universe to Rod Sterling’s role introducing each episode of The Twilight Zone, saying despite the fact that each episode had its own unique story, Sterling was there at the beginning of each one. Therefore, Desmond and Sterling both kind of serve as the one constant in an otherwise always-changing universe.

If you’ve seen any screenshots or trailers for Assassin’s Creed 3, then you know it’s a pretty radical departure from the rest of the series. Hutchinson says that it’s “90% a new game” and, were it not for the continuation of Desmond’s story, Ubisoft “could have called it anything else, and people would have said okay.” Assassin’s Creed 3 won’t be the only title in the series to step into uncharted territory, as the PS Vita‘s upcoming Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation doesn’t even feature Desmond at all. It looks like Desmond’s last hurrah may be coming up sooner rather than later folks, so get in some quality time with the character while you still can.

Ubisoft: Desmond’s Assassin’s Creed days are numbered is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Depending on who you ask, Battlefield 3 is the game to beat when it comes to military shooters. There’s just one tiny problem: while Activision and Treyarch have really stepped it up with their Modern Warfare 3 DLC offerings, EA and DICE have been falling behind with Battlefield 3‘s. Sure, we’ve got Back to Karkand and Close Quarters, but those didn’t really add anything that plays to the grand scale we know Battlefield is capable of. Enter Armored Kill, which takes the battle from cramped indoor locations and moves it to sprawling outdoor arenas that are perfect for some vehicular combat.

Battlefield 3‘s multiplayer is impressive on its own, but with Armored Kill, it’s all about the vehicles. Battlefield 3: Armored Kill tosses a selection of new vehicles into the mix, including two new tanks, an ATV, and the massive AC130 gunship. Also included on the list of additions are 4 new maps, one of which is being called the biggest Battlefield map ever. If that doesn’t get you excited as a Battlefield veteran, then we’re not sure what will. Some of these new vehicles and maps are showcased in Armored Kill‘s new gameplay trailer, which you can check out below.

Battlefield 3: Armored Kill is scheduled to hit PS3, Xbox 360, and PC sometime in September. If you shelled out $50 to become a Battlefield Premium member, you’ll not only be getting the DLC for free, but you’ll also be gaining access to it two weeks before everyone else. Like Back to Karkand and Close Quarters before it, Armored Kill will cost $15 for everyone who isn’t a Premium member. EA and DICE haven’t shared specific dates for Armored Kill yet, so keep it tuned to SlashGear for that information once it’s made available.

Battlefield 3: Armored Kill gets new gameplay trailer is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Yesterday, Electronic Arts announced an “exclusive” Battlefield 4 beta for those who pre-order Medal of Honor: Warfighter Limited Edition. Shortly after the announcement, Battlefield 3 community manager Ian Tornay took to Reddit to answer any questions fans may have about the upcoming sequel, and as it turns out, a lot of fans had a problem with the use of the word “exclusive” in EA’s announcement. Tornay has clarified the announcement a bit, saying that purchasing Medal of Honor: Warfighter will not be the only way to gain access to the Battlefield 4 beta.

“There will be other ways to get into the beta aside from MoH Warfighter,” Tornay said. “At this time, however, it is the only way to guarantee entry.”

He also commented on fan concerns that Battlefield 4 was coming too soon after the release of Battlefield 3, saying that he “truly” believes DICE is in an excellent position to offer the next game in the extremely popular franchise. “I truly believe that we’re in one of the best positions to be creating our next title,” he said. “Frostbite 2 has matured, we’ve been gathering fan feedback like crazy, Battlefield 3 continues to expand with features which we can learn from, and we’ve got more data about how people play than ever.”

Finally, there’s no need to worry about support for Battlefield 3 disappearing while DICE begins to ramp up work on Battlefield 4, as Tornay says that the studio is committed to supporting Battlefield 3 in the same way it supported Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Since the Battlefield 4 beta isn’t taking place until Fall 2013 – and keeping in mind very real possibility of the game itself not making it to shelves until 2014 – it sounds like Battlefield 3 will be supported well into next year (and perhaps even beyond).

Battlefield 4 beta not exclusive to MoH: Warfighter after all is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve got some bad news coming out of BioWare Austin today, with Gamasutra confirming that Star Wars: The Old Republic executive producer Rich Vogel has resigned from the company. That’s not all though, as additional reports are claiming that the studio suffered more layoffs earlier today. It’s unclear at the moment how many people lost their jobs in this latest round of cutbacks for the Star Wars: The Old Republic team.

It’s likely that these layoffs are a part of Electronic Arts‘ restructuring plan, which was announced back in May. At the time, no one wanted to talk about how many people would be laid off as part of the plan, with BioWare and EA simply telling us that the layoffs would be necessary for the game to continue to grow. Vogel had apparently already left the company by the time today’s layoffs took place.

Vogel served as one of The Old Republic‘s main men throughout the game’s development and after its release in December, and had worked at BioWare Austin for seven years. The circumstances surrounding Vogel’s departure were not revealed to Gamasutra.

Star Wars: The Old Republic launched in December 2011 with an incredible amount of hype behind it. Gamers quickly flocked to the game, but that success was short-lived, with a number of those same players leaving the game behind not long after launch. BioWare and EA have rolled out a number of initiatives to entice old and potential players alike, including the decision to make the game free-to-play for the first 15 levels. Last month, BioWare said that it was considering taking the entire game free-to-play, but such a switch has yet to actually occur. With the announcement of these latest layoffs, however, the change to free-to-play may not be that far off.

SWTOR executive producer resigns, layoffs at BioWare Austin reported is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s been quite a long time since players have had a good Ultima game they can really sink their teeth into, but that may all soon be changing thanks to the efforts of BioWare Mythic. The team is taking Ultima IV and updating it for the current generation, turning it into a free-to-play title for PC and iOS. Dubbed Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar, this game sounds like it could be everything you could want out of an Ultima remake… so long as you can get past the “free-to-play” aspect first.

One of the biggest changes BioWare Mythic is delivering in this update is the inclusion of a multiplayer mode. Since Ultima IV was a purely single player RPG, the news of a multiplayer mode may turn some longtime fans of the series off, but BioWare reassures that you can play alone if you like. The graphics – which have aged just a little, considering that Ultima IV was released way back in 1985 – will also be getting a revamp, with the team adding new 3D models and hand-painted backgrounds. The top-down perspective from the classic Ultima games stays, however, which will undoubtedly make a lot of fans happy.

Truth be told, BioWare Mythic may just be the perfect developer for an Ultima IV remake. The Ultima series has never really fallen in line with other RPGs, preferring instead to carve out its own unique character progression system that focuses on leveling up different virtues. BioWare is a developer known for thinking outside the box when it comes to RPGs from time to time, and with word that the studio’s conversation system will be implemented in Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar, this is a match that has us pretty intrigued.

BioWare and EA say that Ultima Forever will attempt to strike that ever-elusive balance between time and money. Players will be able to go through the game at their own pace, or they’ll have the option of paying money to skip ahead and reach the end faster. That makes it sounds like you won’t have to pay any money to get the full Ultima IV experience, so let’s hope that turns out to be true when the game is released later this year.

[via GameTrailers]

Ultima IV getting resurrected as a free-to-play game is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.