3RM @ NYCC 2012: Rayman Legends

While we did get to play Ubisoft's Rayman Legends at New York Comic Con, we only did so for a brief moment, so instead of detailed impressions, here is a short clip of the game at the showfloor.

Rayman Legends is releasing sometime 2013 exclusively for Wii U.

3RM @ NYCC 2012: Assassin's Creed III: Liberation

Tony:

In Sony’s booth at New York Comic Con 2012, I had a short hands-on with the PlayStation Vita’s exclusive Assassin's Creed title, Assassin's Creed III: Liberation. Even though I only had a short time with it, I noticed some good signs and some bad signs of how the game will play in its final form.

The demo started with this game’s assassin, Aveline de Grandpré, and a guide canoeing through a dense swamp.  What should have been a simple task of rowing behind the guide was made complicated and frustrating with the use of the rear touch pad. In order to speed up the canoe, I had to swipe my finger along the rear track pad while moving with the joystick. While I could use a button to move the canoe forward, it did not move very fast. Having to swipe my finger continuously eventually wore on me, especially since it took too long with little conflict. As soon as both characters hit land and was given a briefing of the next mission, a massive alligator appeared in front of me without any warning. Within seconds, the large reptile attacked me, and I encountered a quick-time-event to dodge its jaws. After messing up once, I finally killed the beast. And then I stole its eggs. That’s right: in Assassin's Creed III: Liberation you get to assassinate a large alligator and steal its eggs.

Once I was done pillaging the eggs, red markers appeared all over the play area. Each of these markers represented a different thug for me to assassinate. Holding the right trigger, I raced toward the encampment, leaping from moss-covered tree branch to tree branch. Leaping around was effortless and seamless in a way that would make the series proud. After some tree acrobatics, I eventually snuck behind one thug high up in the encampment. Despite sneaking behind him, I was not given a prompt to kill him, so I ended up trying to push him off the ledge. This failed to work, and he slowly turned to face me. The thug did not seem all too threatening as he moved around, giving me ample time to strike him down. Hopefully not all of the game’s AI acts like this. Finally, I moved myself through the trees over to the masts of a broken ship. Seeing another thug on-board I decided to move into position to dive him, only for Aveline to dive into the water instead, where I stopped playing.

The graphics looked great as would be expected on the PS Vita. The characters closely resembled console counterparts, and the environment looked murky and full of plant life. While the game’s animation looked smooth and natural, the game suffered from an inconsistent poor frame rate, choking up with any detailed character movements. This is a shame since the game has great graphics that would have benefited with smoother animations. While I did not encounter a group of thugs together, I am worried that the frame rate issue would have made any large encounter drag the gameplay down.

The game looks like a proper Assassin's Creed title and is filled with the advanced climbing system that fits its newest entries. However, the use of the rear track pad felt out of place, and the frame rate issue may hurt one’s experience with the game overall. Liberation has a high bar to reach if it intends to stand next to other Assassin's Creed titles, especially with III coming out so close to it, but we will have to see if it can.

E3 2012: The Impressions Part 2

At the end of E3 (which, by the way, was fairly lacking of megatons), the two of us sat down and decided to provide our thoughts around all six of the show's main conferences.  On this post, we cover the last three: Ubisoft, Sony, and Nintendo's conferences.  What did we think about these events?

Ubisoft

A solid lineup of games coming soon and into the future

Sony

A review of the current good lineup focusing more on Wonderbook than PSVita

Nintendo

A look into the Wii U's launch window, 3DS in 2012, and no megatons

Now that we have covered our impressions, we will have one final video summarizing our views of E3 as well as a post here for our completed BINGO cards.

NYCC 2011: The Miscellaneous Montage

Our adventure into this year's New York Comic Con was not exactly as peachy as we would have liked, but when is a convention not stressful? We were only able to attend the Thursday and Friday events for both economical and physical reasons, but we got a handful of videos and impressions to make for you all.

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Just under a month after New York Comic Con 2011 finished, we are winding down with a few more videos to finish off the event and look out into 2011's holiday season (which has already started, thank you, Modern Warfare 3).

This video is dedicated to the remainder of game footage we took over the course of the day-and-change we were at the convention. We talk about our impressions or thoughts on the games while we show clips of our scraps. We felt the footage shown here was not up to par with fitting into individual videos and put them together right here!

The games covered are as follows:
Resident Evil: Revelations
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Rayman Origins (with some Just Dance 3)
Fusion: Genesis (out now on XBLA!)
Prototype 2

Stay tuned for our postmortem, in which we discuss final impressions and the games we did not even cover this year!

Third Rate Game Play: Rayman 3D

Game: Rayman 3D System: Nintendo 3DS Developer: Ubisoft Casablanca (Rabbids DS, Prince of Persia DS) Publisher: Ubisoft Player: Alex Experience: Completed Game

Ubisoft is synonymous with a number of franchises today, including Assassin’s Creed and the Ghost Recon series. However, back in the late 1990s, these franchises were either nonexistent or were still growing in scope. What truly defined Ubisoft back then was one of the most highly-regarded platforming adventures of its time: Rayman 2: The Great Escape. Unfortunately, it would also become one of the most ported game in Ubisoft’s history.

Rayman was the creation of Game Designer Michel Ancel, who had previously worked on The Intruder, Pick ‘n Pile, and Brain Blaster in programming and art. Rayman, his directorial debut, was originally in development for Super Nintendo, but the project shifted to the Atari Jaguar after the SNES CD-ROM addition was cancelled. The original sidescrolling adventure would be released on Playstation, Sega Saturn, and PC as Rayman Gold, Rayman Forever, and Rayman Collector (a French-only special edition). Later, Rayman was released on Game Boy Advance (as Rayman Advance), PSN, and most recently for DSiWare.

The sequel, Rayman 2: The Great Escape, is much more well known and lauded than its predecessor, and it, too, has been ported consistently over time with little upgrades to each rendition. Rayman 2 originally released on PC and Nintendo 64, and shortly thereafter saw releases on Dreamcast, PlayStation, PlayStation 2 (as Rayman 2: Revolution), Nintendo DS (as Rayman DS), and finally on iOS and PSN. The Nintendo 3DS rendition would be the game’s ninth release in just over a decade.

Before Rayman 3D was released, Rayman had continued with Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc, which saw releases on GameCube, PlayStation 2 Xbox, PC, and Mac, but Ancel left part-way to focus on Beyond Good & Evil. Following the sales failure of BG&E, Ancel returned to Rayman to create Rayman 4, which involved a race of underground rabbits hellbent on taking over the world. This Wii adventure game turned into a mini-game collection known as Rayman: Raving Rabbids. Since then, the Rabbids series has replaced Rayman in importance to Ubisoft, along with Assassin’s Creed and the Tom Clancy line of games.

The developer of Rayman 3D is Ubisoft Casablanca, whose game portfolio has been, for the most part, handheld-related. The company developed Nintendo DS versions of Rayman: Raving Rabbids, Rabbids TV Party, and both Nintendo DS Prince of Persia games, Prince of Persia: The Fallen King and Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. Rayman 3D is the developer’s first Nintendo 3DS title.



"Rayman, one of Ubisoft's most iconic and beloved characters, is back to engage audiences in the thrilling 3D world of Rayman 3D. An adaptation of the classic Dreamcast game Rayman 2, Rayman 3D is a single player Action-Adventure game that blends classic Rayman gameplay with the groundbreaking features of the Nintendo 3DS/ Features include: adjustable 3D effects via the 3DS' 3D slider, improved graphics and analog controls, a variety of possible character movements, unlockables and more."

"Rayman 3D isn't a simple port - we have improved the experience by adjusting the difficulty curve and the camera angles in the game. We also improved the game system and controls to make the game more accessible for all players. We polished the characters and the level's visuals thanks to the capabilities of the console. Finally, we used stereoscopy to create more immersion so that the player really has the feeling that he or she is diving into Rayman's universe.”

-Abderrazzak Elkaouni, Producer, Ubisoft Casablanca

As stated above, Rayman 3D is the 3DS version of the classic game Rayman 2: The Great Escape. In Rayman 3D, the Glade of Dreams has been taken over by Admiral Razorbeard, and in a move to complete their takeover, the evil robot army kidnaps Rayman and removes his powers. Thankfully, his friend Globox comes to save him, and once he breaks free, Rayman learns that in order to defeat Razorbeard, he will need to obtain the four magical masks of the land to awaken Polokus and regain his full powers.

Rayman 3D is a third-person platform adventure title through mostly-linear levels during which Rayman fights against Robo Pirates and solves platforming puzzles. Throughout the adventure, Rayman collects Yellow Lums, which provide great knowledge of the world to him and allows him to advance through particular world gates within the game. Rayman can turn his head into a helicopter to cross gaps and get carried through wind currents, and he can also use his energy shots to swing on Ring Lums and sail through the air. Over time, Rayman also rides on giant fruits across lava flows and on the backs of legged bombs. This is no ordinary adventure, to be sure!

The only major addition to the game is the enhanced 3D visuals. The game is a port of the Dreamcast game, for the most part, without many actual game additions of note.



Rayman 3D released with the launch of the Nintendo 3DS, but despite the close proximity to this article, Ubisoft Casablanca already released a second title for the device since then. The game, Rabbids Travel in Time 3D, is a side-scrolling platformer for the 3DS which launched April 2011. It can be assumed that any Rayman-related game in development for Nintendo 3DS at the moment is being developed by Ubisoft Casablanca, but current games in development are unknown.

As for the Rayman series in general, creator Michel Ancel is currently working on the next big adventure for Rayman using the new Ubi-Arts engine. Entitled Rayman Origins, this adventure was originally a downloadable, episodic adventure for XBLA and PSN, but now the artistic sidescrolling multi-player game is coming to all consoles and handhelds later this year are a full-retail game. Ancel is also producing a much-anticipated Beyond Good & Evil 2, which is expected to debut on the next generation of consoles.

Ubisoft as of now has continued to release content on all consoles and handhelds. It has plenty of games in development across several franchises. To list them all here would be frivolous, as so many genres and development companies are under the Ubisoft name. The publisher’s biggest games coming out since Rayman 3D include the 3DS game Cubic Ninja and the Kinect Rez-successor Child of Eden. Games coming soon from Ubisoft include Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and Driver: San Francisco.



Debuting Third Rate Game Play’s 3DS videos, Alex decides to show off a number of levels spanning the game’s adventure. The game’s introduction levels start off the video, but then a completed gamesave is used to explore later levels.

Levels demonstrated include The Cave of Bad Dreams, The Sanctuary of Water and Ice, and The Prison Ship. A quick look is given toward the game’s Bonus Levels amid the exploration of these already-completed levels.

How does the game look, sans 3D? Find out by watching the video!



Having not completed Rayman 2 before, finishing the game was a great experience for me. However, I could tell that this version of the game is not the best version. The game is full of graphical glitches, and the framerate is completely uneven, which is a shame as it looks really good at particular instances. The music is of higher-quality, but at the same time, sound effects seem to be low and occasionally have no volume, despite no attempt to mute them. Overall, Rayman 2 is a great game, but Rayman 3D is probably too expensive for a somewhat-buggy port from a game now over a decade old.

As for the recording, it was hard to set up the camera so that I could hold the system and not shift it around a lot. The camera only showed the top screen, as the bottom screen was completely stone-faced the whole time. At times, Tony made sure I readjusted the system to fit the camera’s view as well as possible. However, any problems with angles would be corrected in post-production. I would love a means to keep the system stuck in place, but for right now, the current setup is sound.

Overall, it was a good introduction using our handheld recording method, even if it does not show our faces and takes a lot of setup time to get right. As for the game, it is a standard mediocre port of an otherwise great game.

3RM Says: MMff! Good thing this Rayman guy doesn't have limbs, or else
they'd all be broken! Medic!

I Am Alive: Maybe Not Downloadable

According to Jeux Video, the statement regarding I Am Alive's fate as a downloadable title is not currently confirmed.

Last week, many sites (including 3RM) were reporting that I Am Alive was coming out this year as a downloadable title. This was accompanied by other reports that the game had been through a bit of developmental problems over the last few years.

At least one of those facts has been proven false, or at least unconfirmed. Apparently Jeux Video was joking when it stated that it had been demoted to downloadable status. So, while the development issues might be true, the means by which it will release are still unknown.

SOURCE: Desctructoid

I Am Alive, but Only Available Digitally

Reports this week have revealed that Ubisoft's big project I Am Alive has been undergoing massive development shifts and will finally be seeing a release this year as a downloadable game.

I Am Alive was announced at E3 2008, with a teaser trailer depicting the main character running away from fellow survivors, presumably coworkers, after a catastrophic event destroys the city. The video shows him tossing the men a water bottle, only to have them chase it and crash through a glass floor to their demise. A clip of the city before the destruction ends the trailer, with the game title appearing at the very end. It was given quite a deal of hype then, and it silently vanished from the mind's eye.

The game's development has reportedly not been too good. The original game was being developed by Darkworks, the developer behind Cold Fear, but the game has since shifted to another developer, Ubisoft Shanghai. Prior to that, the game had been officially delayed for further development time, hinting that the game had been in uneven shape even before the developer change.

Jeux Video is apparently reporting, via Ubsioft executive and producer Jade Raymond, that I Am Alive will be seeing a release this year, but not on consoles. Instead, the game will be releasing on XBLA and PSN sometime this year. There has been no media for the game since E3 2008, so hopefully new media will arrive before the game goes three years with nothing to show.

SOURCE: Gamasutra

Outland Going Out There for PSN and XBLA

Developer Housemarque has announced that it is working with Ubisoft on Outland, a platform adventure title which is headed to PSN and XBLA next year.

Outland is a side-scrolling adventure but with a twist straight of out shooter Ikaruga. Players control a young traveler as he ventures deep into a dangerous jungle, filled with ruins and hulking beings and other dangerous monsters. These creatures shoot at the player with different types of bullets, each with a different polarity.

This is where the "Ikaruga-twist" comes into play. The player-character can change polarities, absorbing shots of the same color while being susceptible to the opposite. Unfortunately, the same can be said for the enemies; those with the same color as you will not be harmed until you change polarities. The game becomes a challenge in deciding which polarity to be at what times and how to defeat each foe, all while taking the usual adventure game aspects into consideration.

Outland is expected for release next year for PSN and XBLA. The game will be unveiled fully during PAX this weekend.

Housemarque is a Finnish development company founded in 1995, focused currently on downloadable titles through PSN and XBLA. Its most memorable titles are the Super Stardust HD franchise available on PSN. The company is also developing Dead Nation for PSN, expected to be released this year.

SOURCE: IGN

Ghost Recon Teams up on Wii, PSP

Ubisoft has announced that it is bringing the new, exclusive Ghost Recon games to both PSP and Wii later this year, in light of of the less-positive news of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier being delayed into 2011.

The PSP title, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Predator, has players lead a squadron of elite forces into Sri Lanka in order to defeat a terrorist foe. The game takes place in a more natural setting, unlike the majority of the Ghost Recon titles in the past. The setting plays a role in how to play, especially considering that the enemies look just like the innocent. Teams will have to be extra careful to spot friend from foe.

Players can swap between squadmates, allowing for a true feeling of control among the whole group. Furthermore, players can customize weaponry and gadgetry to their liking, including the development of an RC Drone for spying where no man could go.

Further touted is the game's multiplayer modes, which now allow up to 3 players work together in missions at the same time.


The Wii title, simply titled Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, seems to be giving a more casual approach to the series, something that is happening to many titles that venture onto the console. Separated from their team, two soldiers have to work their way through Moscow in order to survive, and they will have to use all they have learned to persevere.

Rather than take place as a traditional shooter, the Wii title takes the game into an on-rails, co-operative experience. Two players take up the same screen, and while behind cover, players aim and emerge from cover in order to shoot down enemy soldiers, artillery, and more. In the midst of the shootout, the duo can move forward to other areas of cover, and once all enemies have been defeated in the area, the two can go onward with the mission.

Ghost Recon will have twelve missions and allow for drop-in, drop-out multiplayer; the game controls the second soldier if only one player is available.

Ghost Recon: Predator and Ghost Recon will be released this November as exclusives to their select systems.

TRAILER (Ghost Recon: Predator)


TRAILER (Ghost Recon on Wii)

SOURCE 1
SOURCE 2

Tony Hawk Shredding toward Shaun White

At this year's E3, Ubisoft announced that Shaun White's newest title would not be on the slopes but on the streets. It seems that while Shaun White is going for Tony Hawk's territory, the opposite is also true.

Activision has formally revealed details for the upcoming Tony Hawk title, Tony Hawk: Shred.

Tony Hawk: Shred brings the series back onto the streets for the expected big-time Tony Hawk skateboarding fans know, but this time, it introduces fans to the cold rush of snowboarding. The game's purpose is to use the peripheral used in Tony Hawk: Ride to play both snowboarding and skateboarding; through this, the game's producers hope to make videogamers more active and enjoy being truly part of the action. The game also appears to be pushing for a more accessible, stylized look for players of all ages.

The title is being developed by Robomodo and Buzz Monkey, the teams behind Ride, which received mostly negative reviews as a result of the game's lackluster control mechanisms and attempts to "casualize" the experience too much.

With Shaun White on the skateboard and Tony Hawk on the snowboard, this is certainly going to be a Bizarro holiday season. Like Shaun White Skateboarding, Tony Hawk: Shred will be releasing this holiday on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Wii.

OFFICIAL SITE (TRAILER INSIDE)

Just Dance, Just for Kids?

Just Dance has come about to be one of the newest "casual" game sensations, in which players dance in front of their televisions, mirroring what the dancers on screen perform in beat to select songs from the old to the new.

Well, the multi-million unit-seller series is getting another title on the list, this one focused on songs aimed toward a very young demographic.

Just Dance Kids appears to be the exact same game as the original title, except instead of Katy Perry's "Hot and Cold," this title has such songs as "Pop Goes the Weasel," and "Surfing USA." Other notable groups include Yo Gabba Gabba and The Wiggles, some of the more popular bands/television shows for young children today.

The title will be releasing this November, and according to the source, it will be demonstrated this weekend at the BlogHer conference in New York (so...did they already demonstrate it? I have no clue).

Other Just Dance titles coming this year include Just Dance 2 and a Michael Jackson title for all consoles in the same vein.

SOURCE