Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Phantasy Star Online 2 - Free to Play!

Ever since we heard about Phantasy Star Online 2 one question has crossed the minds of almost every fan. "How much will the game cost to play?" Well it turns out... NOTHING! Yep that's right! While the past few Phantasy Star Online/Universe games required a paid subscription (other than Portable 2 which only required an activation key which was included with all new copies), however SEGA is now ready to break that mold with their newest game PSO2.

Although PSO2 will include some type of item mall or extra paid service, it will not be required so anyone can play it at anytime. How about the Vita version? Will it have a paid for service? Well we still can't say for sure, if it connects directly to the PC version like they plan on doing, then there's a pretty good chance it will. Sure they might give you some bonus for having both versions, but I wouldn't expect anything too great. Still don't quote me on any of this, and just stick to the facts. The game is free to play, and will offer some type of extra service.
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Monday, March 26, 2012

Kid Icarus: Uprising - Review



The Rebirth of Kid Icarus

Over 20 years ago Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters was released on the original Game Boy, many fans were excited to finally play another Kid Icarus game, but little did they know, this would be the last Kid Icarus game for quite awhile.



Many years later the Nintendo fighting game Super Smash Bros Brawl was finally released in 2008. Just like the past two games, Smash Bros Brawl featured well known Nintendo characters from many different game series, but one character alone ended up sparking a lot of interest. Who was this character? Well, none other than Pit of course! Pit hadn't been seen in a for quite a few years, but after Pit won second place in the Super Smash Bros Melee "NES Character Poll," Nintendo decided to go ahead and include him in their newest fighting game. Although old school fans already knew who Pit was, Smash Bros stiill introduced Pit to a completely new set of fans as well. Kid Icarus was no longer an old NES game from over four generations ago, but it was now a game even young gamers knew about, and many became interested in the series.
In the end, after seeing the fan's reaction to Pit, Nintendo decided to finally move forward and make the third game in the series.

Welcome back Pit!

Kid Icarus Uprising is the third game in the Kid Icarus series, and was released on the Nintendo 3DS. Although the original Kid Icarus games were more along the lines of a 2D side scrolling Adventure Game, very much like Metroid, Kid Icarus Uprising goes in a completely different direction. Although the game does feature some game play elements introduced in the original games, just like Mario, Zelda, and Samus' jump from 2D to 3D, Kid Icarus Uprising features its own unique style of game play, and makes its self stand out from the originals by going down the path of being a rail shooter/action adventure game/third person shooter.

Pit's New Adventure

Kid Icarus Uprising is a fast moving game, and it throws players right in as soon as they hit start. "Sorry to keep you waiting!" And with that, Pit jumps through a door and is flying through the sky. Very much like the Star Fox games, the story in Uprising is almost completely told during actual game play. As soon as Pit enters the first level the Goddess Palutena tells Pit that the Underworld Army, that's being lead by Medusa, is attacking, and it's now up to Pit to protect everyone.

Unlike most Nintendo games, Kid Icarus Uprising has full voice acting, and the game makes use of it. Every single level is packed full of dialog, and it really helps the story come together. In the beginning of the game Pit and Palutena will mostly talk about what's going on around them; Palutena will give Pit hints, which serves as a type of tutorial, Pit will comment back, or the two will simply talk about their overall goal, but as time goes on more characters are brought into the mix and the story evolves.

Although some may enjoy the story and the way it's told, some may actually be turned off by it and they may just turn of the dialog completely. The characters do in fact talk non stop, many jokes are told, and the 4th wall is broken quite a few times as well; some players might find this to be a bit annoying, but others may find themselves laughing all the time. Either way most people will find that the game has a pretty good story, and it's filled with twists and turns. When Pit jumps through that door at the start of each chapter, you just never know what's going to happen.


Take Flight once again!

The game play in Kid Icarus changes quite a bit throughout the adventure; however the core game play will mostly stay the same. Back when Uprising's engine was being created, it was originally being created for a brand new Star Fox game, however as time went on Nintendo decided to create something new. Although the game is now a Kid Icarus game, it's pretty clear what Nintendo originally intended for it to be. At the start of each level you'll find yourself flying high in the skies on a set path that's being controlled by Palutena.
As you soar through the sky enemies will fly around and shoot at you as you do the very same back. Just like in old arcade games, or in Nintendo's Sin and Punishment, the player to dodge everything that comes at them, as they try to kill as many enemies as possible to shoot for the highest score. Many of the areas Pit flies through are creative, they look amazing, and they'll please most old school rail shooter fans. Although these levels do start out very easy, Kid Icarus Uprising has 99 difficulty settings ranging from 0.0 to 9.0. Since the game's "normal mode" is set to "2.0," there's plenty of room to increase the difficulty if you feel thing's are a bit too easy. Since the "Power of Flight" only lasts for 5 minutes at a time, Palutena will send Pit to the ground after awhile, and the second part of the level will begin.


Once on the ground players are free to move Pit around in a completely 3D world. Near the start of the game each ground level is normally a pretty straight forward path, but as the game goes on levels begin to become a bit more complex with different paths to explore. Sometimes there will be doors that require a set difficulty to pass through, other times there will be areas you need power ups to access, and sometimes you'll be required to search for a key. Since the game's weapon system runs on a loot drop based system, there's always a reward for exploring each level, but it's completely up to the player if they want to or not.
Other than exploring large maps, ground combat features most of what you would expect from this type of game. Pit can shoot from long range, preform charge shots, and shoot special dash shots, but he can also get in close to to unleash a combo of melee attacks. By mixing up long range, and melee it's once again up to players to decide just how to take down each enemy. Sometimes you'll come across an enemy with armor which will require you to hit a weak spot on the back, other times enemies will be strong against melee attacks which will require you to shoot them, and sometimes you'll even have to use power ups or items. Although the basic combat is simple, it can also be very deep.

Throughout the levels Pit will also be able to use power up items, such as bombs, he can get into vehicles, and he can also use special jump pads and grind rails to get around. Most of the time these items are only useful in the room they appear in, but sometimes you'll come across the rare levels that actually require you to bring them with you if you want to move on; levels with race tracks for the "bike" for example.
Each level normally ends with a boss fight, which is normally the enemy that you have been talking to throughout the entire level. Although each boss is normally a flat out fight to the death using a mix of long range and melee attacks, sometimes the game does change it up by throwing in what one might call a "gimmick" as well. Sometimes you'll be required to use jump pads to dodge attacks, other times you'll be using grind rails to get in closer, but either way boss battles are fun and creative; sadly they only last around 30-40 seconds when playing on easier settings... That can be a problem if you want to hear all of the dialog...


The Controls

Kid Icarus Uprising is one of the few 3DS games out with what you might call controversial controls. The game is controlled completely by using the slider, the touch pad, and the L button by default, but the controls can be changed in the options. While in the air the slider is used to move around, the touch screen is used to aim, and the L button is used to shoot, but on the ground things get a little bit complicated.

While on the ground the slider is still used to move around, but it's not as simple as it was in the air. By simply pushing the slider in any direction Pit will dash or dodge, however since Pit can get tired easily dashing around is not always the best option and can sometimes get you into a lot of trouble. Pit can walk slowly which will not use up any of his energy, but due to the circle pad being so touchy, it can be a bit tricky to simply start out walking instead of running. Even so, if Pit starts out running, you can simply let back on the slider to slow down and switch over to a normal walk.

Just like in the air the touch screen is used for aiming and the L button is used for shooting, but the touch screen also controls the camera angle as well. By swiping the screen the camera will slowly turn, and this can really be a pain/make it hard to see; however the good news is that you CAN change the speed of the camera, and it's something I STRONGLY RECOMMEND doing. Many people have a problem with the camera angle, but by setting the rotation speed to max the game's camera angle will rotate along with your aim which makes the controls a lot easier in the end.

Camera and aim control can also be set to the four buttons (XYBA) just like in Metroid Prime Hunters, but this is a lot slower and can make the game a lot harder than it needs to be. Still if you're the type of player who would rather avoid the touch screen at all costs, you may want to check out these options.
Sadly as of right now there is no right slider controls, but the Circle Pad Pro can be used for lefties, and due to the fact that Kid Icarus Uprising is set up to allow patches, it's always possible that we'll see it in the future. Either way the game allows you to finely tune the controls so almost everyone should be able to find the controls that work best for them.


Pit the Weapon Master!

As I stated before, Kid Icarus Uprising uses an item loot system which is a very important part of the game play. Before setting out and playing the next level, players are able to select which weapon they want to bring with them. At first glance it seems like a pretty simple system, but with 9 different classes of weapons, and many different types of weapons for each class, it actually has a lot of depth. For example a First Blade is well balanced between long range and close range, but a Samurai Blade has stronger melee attacks with a shorter shooting range, Brawler's Claws has a rapid punching "range" attack, while Stealth Claws shoots a long stream of invisible shots. Every single weapon has its own advantages and disadvantage, and each class plays completely different; once again it's up to players to decide which weapons to use, and it's also up to them to learn how to use them.

Besides having different types of weapons, each weapon has many versions as well. Each weapon has a star rating for it's ranged and melee attacks to show you how strong it is in them stats. If one weapon has 4 stars in melee and two stars in ranged, while another version of the very same weapon has three stars in melee and no stars in ranged, the former would be the stronger weapon. Weapons also have 6 ability slots as well, which are normally chosen at random, but by fusing two weapons together to make a new one, you can somewhat chose which abilities to pass on.



For example: if you have a First Blade with three stars in it's ranged stat, and it has the abilities of "Health +2," "Shot Range +1," and "Dash cont. fire +4," and you fuse that with a First Blade with four stars in ranged and the "Overall defense +1," "Shot range +1," "Melee dash attack +3," and "Item attack +2" abilities, you'll create Wolf Claws with a 4.5 stars in ranged attack, and it'll have the abilities of "Shot range +1," "Overall defense +1," and "Item attack +2." In other words by fusing items with the abilities you want, you can create a weapon that has a few of the very same abilities. It may sound a little bit confusing, but there is an in game chart that shows you what you'll create, and just how you created it. Of coarse if you want to take the easy way out, you could just buy weapons from the shop using hearts you get from killing enemies, but they ARE completely random.


Pit's new Powers

Kid Icarus Uprising also features a "power" system which allows you to customize Pit to your liking. As you play through the game you'll find different powers which you can equip. Each power comes in different shapes and sizes, and in order to equip them you must drop them in your 6x6 ability box. If you have ever played a game such as Megaman Battle Network, or Valkyria Chronicles, you'll be very familiar with this type of set up.

Powers come in all shapes and sizes, some buff you for a short amount of time and make you stronger, some create shields, others allow you to poison or stun your enemies, some heal you, and there are even ones that allow you to jump or glide! There are MANY different types of abilities, and all of them have their very own uses.

Player vs Player

With all the different weapon classes and weapons, and with the whole skill set up, Kid Icarus Uprising is the perfect type of game to feature an online mode, and Nintendo took advantage of that. Kid Icarus Uprising features two online game play modes, Light vs Dark, and Free for All. In free for all players simply are thrown into a battle field where they try to rack up as many kills as possible within the time limit. It's a fast and easy game mode to play, but it just isn't as deep as the other mode, Light vs Dark.

In Light vs Dark you're put on a team of three on either the Light or Dark side, and you're given the goal of taking down the other teams angel. As team members are defeated their team's health bar will slowly decrease, how much health that is lost depends on how strong the weapon of the defeated player was, until it finally hits 0. Once this happens the last player to get killed will be transformed into the team's angel and given a completely random weapon. This is when the real battle starts.

Each team MUST protect their angel while the other team tries to take it down. Teams must be able to work together to both protect their own angel as they attack the other teams angel as well. If an angel is defeated, the other team wins and the game ends.

Both online modes are fun to play, and you can even play against bots, however the online mode is still a bit flawed. Unlike past Nintendo games such as Metroid Prime Hunters, Kid Icarus uprising does NOT feature any type of ranking system, you cannot play with both friends and strangers, and there is no way to talk with your team. Although the ranking system isn't that big of a deal, it's a bit sad that you and your friends can only play together/with bots, and not being able to at least send some type of message can really hurt the game as well. If you're the angel and you're being attacked, good luck calling to your team for help...



The Unlockables and Extras of Uprising
Just as you might expect from a game that was created by the same developer who brought us Smash Bros, Uprising features many unlockable features and extras to play around with.

Just like in Kirby's Air Ride and in Smash Bros Brawl, Uprising features an achievement system called "Treasure Hunt." As you play through the game and complete different achievements, boxes in treasure hunt will be opened, you'll earn rewards, and the boxes around the box will be become lighter to show you what else you can unlock. For example, if you play "Far Away" online mode you'll unlock the "Effect Recovery Lv. 1" power, and the boxes around it will turn light which will allow you to see what you have to do to open them. In this case the boxes around it which we can now see are "Clear chapter 1 within 7 minutes," "collect over 10,000 hearts," and "clear chapter 7 in crisis mode." In other words, if a box is still dark, you cannot see how you open it, and if it's light you can.

There are 360 achievements to unlock in game, and as each box is removed a piece of a large picture can be seen in the background. You can also use features to auto unlock a single box, but sometimes it's just better to save them.

Idol Toss is another extra feature that's included in the game which is Uprising's version of the coin mini game in Smash Bros. As you play the game you'll unlock eggs which you'll be able to launch into the air and turn into Idols. Idols serve as Uprising's version of trophies and they allow you to view a 3D model as well as read information about whatever the idol is of. Idol Toss isn't as "fun" as the coin launcher in Brawl, but it's still fun collecting idols either way.

Under the "Vault" option in the main menu you can check to see just about everything you have unlocked. Here you can view your Idols that you've collected, listen to music in the Music Gallery, check your achievements, access the Idol Toss (which can also be accessed in Story Mode), check your records (which record every bit of detail about the game), and you can offer Hearts to the Goddess. Offerings "do nothing" but with each offering the Goddess gets closer. What offerings truly do is a secret, and something that might be worth your time.

So, is it worth it?

Kid Icarus Uprising is a great rail shooter and action adventure 3rd person shooter. The story is nice, the game play is solid, the game is very nice looking, there's a lot of extras, a crazy deep weapon and crafting system, it has 90 difficulty settings, and a fun online mode; however the game still may not be for everyone. Dialog can be annoying, controls may be hard to get used to, and the online mode is missing some features that have became "standards" for online PvP.

Kid Icarus Uprising is NOT the Kid Icarus we used to know, but it is still a great game. If you're the type of person who likes rail shooters/3rd person shooters/action adventure games, and loves having 100s of weapons to play around with, then this is the game for you.
I give it a rare rating of 9.5/10

FLY PIT!


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Thursday, March 22, 2012

LittleBigPlanet Karting

After LittleBigPlanet Karting was announced a few months ago, many people started to question why they would even make such a game. There's already Mod Nation Racers, why should the team break away from that and make a LittleBigPlanet racing game? Well lets take a look at this trailer and see.
If you've played either game you should know the amount of customization in each. LittleBigPlanet 1/2 allows you to edit every single detail about the level including power ups, enemies, and well, just everything; however Mod Nation Racers focused more on basic track design. Well with LittleBigPlanet Karting both worlds cross in a more customizable world.

Judging by the trailer LittleBigPlanet Karting will allow players to create different gameplay types, full 3D, top view, side scrolling, etc, and it will also allow players to use their full creativity when making these levels. Want to create a space ship that crash lands on the track? Go for it! Want to create a ramp that launches you over lava that fire shoots out of? Nothing's stopping you!

Although I admit that LittleBigPlanet Karting seemed a bit strange to me at first, this trailer takes away my worries. This game won't just be a Mod Nation Racer clone, it'll be whatever you want it to be. The game is free for you to create!
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Friday, March 16, 2012

Command & Conquer - Free to play Browser game!

Here's some good news for you RTS fans out there! The game Command and Conquer Tiberium Alliances has gone free to play, and is up and running as a browser game (yep, no download needed)! Just go to the following URL and log into your EA account. It's as simple as that!

alliances.commandandconquer.com/intro/in...
Command and Conquer Tiberium Alliances is a Massively Multiplayer Real Time Strategy game which has a major focus on online play. Players build their base, train their units, and send them off to war against the other player (or players). The game runs completely in real time and requires players to be able to manage their entire army while protecting their base, and while attacking enemies as well. The game requires a lot of skill and strategy.

As of right now the game can only be played in browsers, EA plans on bringing the game over to mobile devices as well and it WILL support cross platform play.

Anyway I myself am not a huge fan off the C&C games, I'm more for Starcraft, but I'd still recommend checking this one out. Especially since it's free (and runs in browsers)!
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Monday, March 12, 2012

Phantasy Star Online 2 - Vita!

Phantasy Star Online was the Dreamcast game that changed the world of online gaming. It was the first game to really bring the MMORPG experience to a console, and it has been a fan favorite ever since. Over the past few years SEGA has released quite a few versions of their online Phantasy Star games, but up until now there has never been a true sequel to the game that fans came to know and love. Sure there was Phantasy Star Universe which featured quite a few major improvements to the gameplay, Phantasy Star Zero for the DS which was basically a mini version of the classic PSO, and there's also been Phantasy Star Portable 2 and 2 Infinity which basically mixed the gameplay. Each of these games were unique in their own way an they all featured the same basic gameplay, but none of them really replaced the classic PSO in many fans eyes.
Well here we are years later and SEGA has finally announced a sequel titled Phantasy Star Online 2. The game features the same old gameplay fans from all of the Phantasy Star MMORPGs have come to know and love, but with many improvements as well. Although the game returns to its Phantasy Star Onlinestyle, newer features introduced in Phantasy Star Universe make their return, along with new gameplay mechanics. In short, Phantasy Star Online 2 is the game that builds a bridge between the two styles of games in hopes of bringing both fans together.

Now all of that is old news, but SEGA has finally announced a console version! However it may not be the console you expect. While Phantasy Star Online was on the PC, Dreamcast, and Gamecube, and Phantasy Star Online was on the PC, PS3, PS2, and Xbox 360, Phantasy Star Online 2 will be on the PC and Playstation Vita. Yep that's right, the Vita!

Now it may seem a bit strange that this game is still not coming to the 360 or PS3, but there's actually a pretty good reason for that. The Playstation Vita version is actually NOT a stand alone game, but simply the PC version in Vita form. Basically it's the same game, with the same servers, and same "save file." In short this allows players to always be conneceted to the PSO2 world no mater where they go (something many MMORPG players dream of)! Simply log out from your PC and log into your Vita and continue playing while you're on the go. It's as simple as that!

Although this feature is sure to please PC players and Phantasy Star Portable 2/2i players, home console games are sadly still being left in the dark. Maybe there will be a release down the road, but from the looks of things SEGA might be better off just waiting for the PS4 and Xbox "720" before they go down that road.
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Heavy Rain - Kara Tech Demo

It's been a few years since Heavy Rain's release but that doesn't mean Quantic Dream is done; in fact their work is far from over! A few days ago Quantic Dream showed off their newest tech demo called Kara. Kara is what you might call a short film that runs completely in real time on the PS3. Yes thats right, no CGI or anything, it is COMPLETELY real time.

In this "short film" viewers get to see the creation of a female cyborg. Robotic arms slowly piece together this robot while an off camera voice begins to ask it questions. The first thing viewers will notice is how life like this entire scene is. Kara's heart can be seen beating before her chest is attached, when the voice asks her to move her eyes she fluidly moves them from side to side, and every bit of detail can be seen in her face even when she talks. In short it looks like a real actor on stage in a living world.

After finishing some basic tests the off screen voice tells the cyborg her new name, "Kara." Kara then states her name with a completely different tone of voice, it is at this point that it's clear she is becoming more human. Once again Kara is instructed to follow through a few more basic tests, but this time she's asked to move her body. As Kara lifts her arm skin begins to grow all around her and this cyborg begins to take on a more human shape. This is when the off screen voice asks her to speak in German, then French, and finally sing in Japanese. This is where the detail really begins to stand out. In most motion captured games/cutscenes either the face is captured or the body is captured, never both at the same time; however it is very clear things were done a bit differently this time.

As Kara talks and sings you can actually see it in her body. As she hits higher notes her body shifts forward as the air flows out through her mouth creating the perfect tone; it's just like watching a singer on stage. Finally after taking a few steps and moving around, Kara's skin completely covers her body, underware is placed, and she takes a full human like shape. She is now "ready for work."

After hearing these words Kara begins to become worried and her human side comes out. "What's going to happen to me now!?" This line alone puts her fear across to the viewers, and you start to feel sorry for her. Well it turns out she's going to be sent to a store and sold, and once again Kara is concerned. She understands that she's nothing more than a product and that she is going to be sold to someone as a type of slave; she is not a human like she was begining to believe. "I thought.... I was alive." As Kara says these words you can see her lip quiver, and true fear begins to set in. This is when Kara learns that she is defected, and the off screen voice orders her to be ripped appart and rebuilt.

Kara fights and begs for her life as the robotic arms begins to take her appart piece by piece. "I'm fine!" "Everything is alright!" "Please I'm begging you! Please!" "I'VE ONLY JUST BEEN BORN! YOU CANT KILL ME YET! PLEASE JUST STOP! STOP!" By this time Kara is almost completely taken appart, only her head remains when she finally yells out "I'M SCARED!" "I wan't to live... I'm begging you..." The robot arms then stop, and her body is slowly rebuilt.

Kara is then told to "join the others" and she slowly walks over to a pod just as she lips the words "Thank You." Kara then steps into the pod, the glass comes down, and she's shipped off with a few other fellow cyborgs. Soon after the off screen voice simply says "My God..." And the short film ends.
Now Quantic Dream has stated that Kara is NOT their newest game, but a tech demo that shows off some of their new features. Their new "full body scan" motion capture, as well as their new graphics engine. Either way you look at it, this short film was pretty impressive.

If you want to see Kara for yourself please head over to youtube and search "Kara - Heavy Rain" and you'll quickly be able to find it. Normally I'd be posting something like this here, but the video features some brief nudity which prevents me from posting it. Either way it's a tech demo I feel is worth checking out.

Update:

 
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Sunday, March 11, 2012

Quick Break down of Assassin's Creed 3's new features!

Almost a week ago we finally got our first look at Assassin's Creed 3, but there are still many questions unanswered. Well hopefully this small feature list I came up with will help fill you in on what's going on!

Lifetime Adventure -

After seeing screen shots of a younger Connor (real name Ratohnhake:ton which is pronounced Ra-doon-ha-gay-do) and after seeing the "old Connor" special preorder case from Gamestop, many fans have been wondering if we would once again get to live a character's full life. Well it turns out you can! Although Ubisoft hasn't released too much information over the subject, theyhave stated that you will get to play through the main character's childhood, and judging from the special case, it's also safe to assume that we'll get to play as Connor near the end of his life as well. Now will we be playing a 60 + year old like we saw in Revelations? Well that's hard to say. Guess we'll just have to wait for the game to come out so we can see for our selves!

Connor the Hunter -

As a native american Connor has been trained as a hunter, and he knows how to fight. While in past AC games the main characters simply would run up and start a fight. Well Connor isn't quite as "stiff" as you might call it. Connor has over 1000 brand new moves made specially for him, meaning we shouldn't expect to see any of the same old animations from the past 3 games, and he's almost always moving. Basically Connor, with his dual wielding weapons, is able to gain ground while sneaking around, only to come up close and personal before the enemies know what hit him. It's a little bit hard to explain Connor's fighting style, but Ubisoft stated that players should always be on the move, always rushing to sneak up on enemies, and they should be able to swiftly get around almost any attack and land their own killing blows with little to no problems.

In short, Connor is fast, he's a hunter, and he's very deadly.

Freedom Fighter -

Compared to the last two main characters, Connor is quite a bit different. Altair grew up in the order and fought because he was an Assassin, and Ezio set out on a quest to get revenge for his family. Each character had a different driving force that pushed them through their adventures, but Ubisoft has stated that Connor will not be quite the same.

Instead of being an assassin because he was born an assassin, or setting out on an adventure for revenge, Connor is more along the lines of a freedom fighter. He WANTS to help people, and he'll do anything he can to right the wrong. This is the kind of guy who would risk his life for anyone, and he'll fight to protect the ones he cares about.

Living World -

With the new and improved engine Ubisoft has been able to create a completely new "living world" for us to play in. NPCs will go about their daily life, with much greater detail, 1000s of soldiers can be seen on screen fighting eachother, and npcs will actually interact with eachother. It's no longer a world where NPCs simply walk around "pretending" to be doing something; it's a world where they actually are doing something.

Hunting, Economy, and Seasons  -

Completely brand new to AC3 is the Hunting, Economy, and Seasons system. As time goes on seasons will change and this will have a great impact on the world around you. For example, during the winter rivers/ponds will become frozen over allowing you to walk across, soldiers will have a harder time getting around, and you'll be able to blend in and sneak up on your targets much easier. This system also becomes a key factor when it comes to the brand new hunting system. See a deer off in the distance? Well sneak through the snow and get that bow ready before it spots you! The cleaner the kill, the higher the quality of that animal becomes.

Although not much information has been given about the economy system, Ubisoft has announced that you will be able to sell fur/other resources you get from hunting, and there will also be a "town building" system as well. Other than that no details have been released, but it's safe to asume that it'll be an upgraded system from Brotherhood/Revelations. Either way you'll want to hunt and sell the highset quality skills, and you'll have to really manage your money if you ever want to invest and earn more.

The Setting -

Ubisoft wants to make this clear. The setting IS in fact the American Revolution but this game is a story about Assassin vs Templar. Players will NOT be playing a video game version of The Patriot, and they shouuldn't expect to be taking sides. In AC3 Ubisoft wants to explore the realistic side to the war, and explore the human side of the key historical figures. These men were NOT super heroes, they were normal people who were caught up in the war.

The game will show many historical events however, so we can expect to see many different changes in the world around us. Ubisoft asked its fans to picture any of the largest battles in the revolution. Now imagion Connor running through that battle field, dodging cannon balls as they come crashing down, and soldiers falling all around him. Connor isn't there because he's fighting in the battle, he's on his own mission and that just happened to cross paths with the war.

In other words, this setting lets us live the life of someone who was there during the revolution. We get to see its effects, and historical events all through the eyes of our native american, soon to be, hero.

Desmond -

Not much has been said about Desmond, but Ubisoft confirms that AC3's story will be very important and that Desmond will play a major role in 3. This game ends his story, so it's only right that he goes out with a bang.

Finally we'll learn what's so important about that cave in NY! (For anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about, go replay Brotherhood or Revelations and search that "useless number" on google. It's a coordinate if you couldn't tell. (Also another small note that might be worth bringing up. NY is one of the main locations that Connor will be visiting. Just thought I'd let you guys know!)
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