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May 13
As launch time approaches, the game developer teams at Ubisoft have revealed a full 6-minute gameplay video of the upcoming title Watch Dogs. This game works with a hero character that, at the time this game began development, was a futuristic smart city dweller. Fast forward 4.5 years later when the game is about to be released and the entire environment has become so real that technology security experts have been brought in to consult on the final product.
What this demonstration of the game presents is the world promised by early previews, one in which the gamer lives in a sea of information. As citizens of this connected Chicago walk by, the user has the option of hacking their electronic connection to everything. Name, occupation, cash, and all.
Watch as a woman named Chandra Prince walks by the hacker hero of this game and, with a tap of the display of his smartphone, he finds her age, occupation, income, hobbies – and has the option to steal from her bank account digitally. Every citizen of this city has a machine in their pocket or in their hand, and through that machine they’re open to attack.
It’s in this world that Watch Dogs is shown to be not just the silent killer’s playground of games like Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, but one where a villain can – at first – walk around in broad daylight. Of course once the user finds himself on the wrong end of the law, the police make cameras and sound detection tools an all-encompassing web for our hero.
As you’ll remember from SlashGear’s previous investigation into the world of Watch Dogs, this city has Batman-like sound detection capabilities. It’s not safe to speak without a muffler – not if you want to remain anonymous. Fire a gun and you’ll be triangulated – break a window and it’ll be heard by the cops.
Just as it is with any caped crusader-type situation, the player of this game will soon find themselves addicted to making full use of their ability to see and hear all. As “potential criminals” roam the streets with Crime Probability meters attached to them, following them like a Pre-Crime unit will be the gamer’s prerogative.
This video game will be able to be played in an open-world fashion if the user wishes, this the same sort of deal made popular by the Grand Theft Auto series on the original PlayStation. They’ll also be able to follow plotlines that lead them into heavy trouble with both digital crime syndicates and the police, both of which have access to the big brother cover that intertwines the city.
Watch Dogs will be coming to a gaming machine near you on November 19th. It’ll be released to your high-powered gaming PC, WiiU, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and more – those four bases being the first wave only. This game will eventually also have mobile components so the user can continue playing while on-the-go on smartphone and tablet machines, making the game as real as its story – watch yourself! And don’t forget your stealth skill!
Watch Dogs gameplay depicts 21st century ninja is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 10
The development team at Ubisoft have been working on the game Watch Dogs for an unusually long time. This hacker-themed game has been in development for 4.5 years, long enough for the original concept to have gotten so close to real life that its developers have been able to easily consult with a team of real-world security experts at Kaspersky Lab, bringing the game to a place where, at release, it wont be impossible to imagine its action as a real-world situation.
Senior Producer Dominic Guay spoke at a preview of the game this week in San Francisco, letting it be known that the contents could be seen as a warning as much as a normal, every day third-person thriller. Here the player will be working as Pearce, a hacker living in a futuristic Chicago blanketed with a “Smart City” installation that can access essentially any information wirelessly.
What’s more, this new-age Chicago’s smart system doesn’t just work with and control public service systems, it helps police hunt down and capture bad guys. Using systems like the very real SpotShotter, as pointed out by Venture Beat (they also attending this San Francisco preview of the game), the in-game police can track gunshots by triangulating the sounds with city-wide sound recorders.
“The problem is, if you start spying on people in every aspect of their lives, it becomes addictive. hat if you see a woman being mugged in a back alley or a man being extorted? It becomes hard to do nothing.” – Dominic Guay
The game’s hero Pearce will be aiming at and avoiding not only the police, but corrupt 3rd party users and gangs, each of them also taking advantage of the connectedness of the city and its citizens.
Much in the same way Batman is able to hone in on sound signals throughout a city by tapping in to the cellphone signals of its citizens, here too anyone with access will be able to hear all. Batman’s ability to do this appears in the movie The Dark Knight as well as in the video game Batman: Arkham City. In Watch Dogs, this sound system is part of the larger ctOS (City Operating System).
Helping to advance the realism of the game to a point that’s essentially creepy, Kaspersy Lab has been confirmed to be working with the developers of this game in its last phases. Speaking at the game preview this week with Joystiq, Guay made their involvement clear:
“We’re working with Kaspersky Lab, a big security firm. They have really hardcore experts there on hacking. We send them some of our designs and we ask them feedback on it, and it’s interesting to see what gets back. Sometimes they say, ‘Yeah, that’s possible, but change that word,’ or, ‘That’s not the way it works.’” – Dominic Guay
It’s also become clear that this game will not be restricted to your gaming console – it’ll not just be a game you play on Xbox 360, PC, Xbox 720, PlayStation 4, and the rest. Instead you’ll have gameplay expansion available on smartphone systems and on tablets as well. This game will, like the hero of the game, be played on the move, as well.
Expect Watch Dogs to be solidified with detail galore by the time of its final release later this year. At the moment it would appear that Watch Dogs will be set for a November 22nd release date and will be appearing on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC at the start.
Watch Dogs game true-to-life hacking developed with real security pros is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 10
Ubisoft working with Kaspersky Lab to make Watch Dogs’ hacking more true to life
Posted in: Today's Chili
Upcoming third-person action game Watch Dogs is set in a near-future environment modeled on Chicago, a city that’s overseen by computers that can be manipulated. And while the game has some instances of fantastical hacking perpetrated by main character Aiden Pearce, Ubisoft’s creative team is also working with security firm Kaspersky Lab to bring an air of realism to the game’s hacking themes.
“They have really hardcore experts there on hacking. We send them some of our designs and we ask them [for] feedback on it, and it’s interesting to see what gets back,” Ubisoft Montreal senior producer Dominic Guay told our sister site, Joystiq. “Sometimes they say, ‘Yeah, that’s possible, but change that word,’ or, ‘That’s not the way it works.'” Check out the full piece right here.
Along with a new Assassin’s Creed game, Ubisoft is bringing Watch Dogs to next-gen consoles this year (as well as current-gen and PC), leading its next-gen push.
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD
Source: Joystiq
May 03
Ubisoft Defends Yearly Assassin’s Creed Release, Claims Franchise Still Has A Long Way To Go
Posted in: Today's Chili
As gamers probably know by now, Ubisoft appears to be taking a yearly release cycle for their Assassin’s Creed franchise. While this is no doubt great news for fans of the game, we guess there are some who are wondering if by releasing games on a yearly basis could lead to franchise fatigue, and possibly dilute the brand. Speaking to the folks at The Official Xbox Magazine, Ubisoft’s creative director, Jean Guesdon was quoted as saying that the franchise still has a long way to go, and that the developers still have a ton of fresh and different ideas to keep the game interesting.
I think we have proven that this franchise is relevant, and that it has a long way to go. Our job as developers of this new opus is to surprise players and bringing fresh, different ideas, while at the same time ensuring that what makes AC such a standout franchise remains intact.
[…]
With the scale and scope of the world we are building, the completely new setting, the new gameplay mechanics, and our new characters (both our hero and his supporting cast), we are definitely on track to get the job done and avoid fatigue altogether.
While Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag has yet to be released, meaning we’re not sure just how well it plays yet, do you think Ubisoft is getting a bit ahead of themselves? What do you guys think of a yearly Assassin’s Creed release? Yay or nay?
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Firefox Unreal Engine 3 Port Shown Off In All Its Glory, Xbox Infinite Name Allegedly Leaked In Upcoming Sonic Game [Rumor], 
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May 02
Ubisoft has kept the Splinter Cell: Blacklist content flowing ever since they announced the game would be delayed until August 20. We recently saw a gameplay video highlighting the Ghost, Panther and Assault play styles as well as a a video highlighting what makes the Wii U version of the game so special. Today, Ubisoft has released another video which not only confirms Spies vs. Mercs multiplayer will make its triumphant return to the Splinter Cell series, but it also shows the mode in action.
As it seems to be the major theme in Splinter Cell: Blacklist, the use of light and shadow also seems to play an important role in Spies vs. Mercs mode. The video shows us a number of tools both sides will use in order to complete their objective, with the Spies being able to use smoke grenades and a cloaking ability, while the Mercenaries will rely on their motion tracker, flashlight as well as an explodable drone. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: New GTA 5 Trailers Highlighting Michael, Franklin, Trevor Released, Microsoft IllumiRoom Could Equip The Xbox 720 With A Projector, 
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Apr 29
While Ubisoft already made it clear that it would be releasing its next open world action-adventure game for the PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Wii U, and the Xbox 360, it still didn’t confirm whether or not Watch Dogs would be released for the next-gen Xbox (although then again, why would it leave it out?). In the official Watch Dogs world premiere gameplay trailer released today, Ubisoft tips that Watch Dogs will most likely head to the Xbox 720.
Whether or not the game will launch on the Xbox 720 the same day as the other consoles is still up in the air. It all depends if Microsoft plans on launching its next-gen console before Watch Dogs’s November 19th debut. We should be getting the full details of the Xbox 720′s official launch date come May 21st, when Microsoft will be holding its next-gen Xbox event at its campus.
But if the various rumors of the Xbox 720 needing an “always-on” internet connection is true, consumers may choose to purchase Watch Dogs on a different system, perhaps Xbox 720′s direct rival, the PlayStation 4. The Always-on requirement has been said to be the “worse thing in the gaming industry”, yet for some reason companies like EA and Microsoft don’t seem to understand why.
Being unable to play Watch Dogs because your internet decides to act up, or because Comcast decides that 7:00 P.M. on a weekday is a great time to do service maintenance, is a deterrent to gamers. The Always-On requirement seems more of a punishment to gamers rather than a safeguard against piracy. Many developers have also chimed in saying that the Always-on DRM is more hurtful than helpful.
Another deterrent from players purchasing Watch Dogs on the Xbox 720, or even purchasing the Xbox 720 altogether, is a leak discovered that suggests gamers won’t be able to play games directly from their game discs, but instead will have to install their games onto their Xbox, similar to how the PC system works. We’ll see what happens on May 21st. If Microsoft confirms all of these speculations, then gamers may opt to purchase Watch Dogs, and other games, on another gaming platform instead.
Xbox 720 integration tipped by Ubisoft in Watch Dogs push is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apr 26
New Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag Trailer Introduces The Watch Social Feature
Posted in: Today's ChiliAssassin’s Creed fans, are you looking forward to the next iteration of the game? Well if you are, Ubisoft has released a new Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag trailer in which the developers introduce a new social feature called The Watch which has been described as “a place where true assassins shall gather”. The Watch is basically a portal in which news related to Assassin’s Creed will be shown, as well as upcoming events, updates, fan art and more. This is a VIP service and members will be given access to exclusive content such as quizzes and videos and an integrated achievement system for gamers who strive for perfection. At the moment the service is currently available and if you have pre-ordered the game, you can gain immediate access through a code provided by your retailer. In any case if you want to see for yourself if this VIP service is for you, check it out in the video above to get an idea of what to expect.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: XCOM FPS Becomes ‘The Bureau: XCOM Declassified’; Releasing August 20, PlayStation 3, PS Vita Owners Can Now Queue Downloads Via PSN Web Store, 
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Apr 23
Assassin’s Creed fans are probably already looking forward to the next Assassin’s Creed game, but Ubisoft is reminding its fans there’s still additional content to be had with Assassin’s Creed 3. The first episode of the Tyranny of King Washington was released on February 19, with the second episode, The Betrayal, released on March 19. The third and final chapter of Assassin’s Creed 3′s Tyranny of King Washington has officially been released today and marks the end of this new piece of downloadable content.
We won’t ruin the story in the final episode of The Tyranny of George Washington, but just know King George Washington is on the retreat and its up to Ratonhnhaké:ton to prepare for an assault against the mad king and his fortress. This final episode will also introduce the Power of the Bear, which will allow Ratonhnhaké:ton to perform strikes to the ground that will cause surrounding enemies to either be hurled into the air or crushed into the ground.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Saints Row 4 Pre-Order Bonuses Are Filled With American Patriotism, Darksiders 3 Not Planned To Be Released In 2013, 
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