Assassin's Creed: Revelations [Preview]

The Ubisoft developer’s conference which took place on Saturday, September 25^th 2011 at Earl’s Court was, to say the least, an inspiring one. Showcasing the next instalment in the Assassin’s Creed series, subtitled Revelations, Ubi developers Brent Ashe and Raphael Lacoste teased an early gameplay sequence whilst also introducing us to the core themes of the game.

This is Ezio Auditore’s pièce de résistance; a closing chapter on the protagonist we’ve spent the past two instalments dealing with. But Revelations also brings back old flame Altair, star of the series’ inception into videogame lore, in a subtle yet ingenious move by Ubisoft. By involving two alternate characters, two highly contrasting milieus are afforded to the player, with exceptional results. It’s a lot more work for Ubisoft’s art directors, but it’s certainly rewarding.

Ezio’s older now - “he’s wiser and more focused,” said Ashe of the returning assassin. “He’s a lot more like Altair now; he never wanted to be an assassin, but now he is and he’s a lot more focused and driven than we saw in the past two games.” Put simply, Ezio’s grown up. And this is, according to Lacoste, partly down to his extensive travels over the years between previous instalment Brotherhood and November’s Revelations - from clothing items he’s collected to more personal changes.

Yes, apparently Ezio’s been on a bit of a soul-searching journey. “He’s been travelling, but it’s not just been a physical journey, it’s also been on a personal level.” Ashe states, suggesting Ezio’s newfound maturity is down to a more enlightened level of thinking. “He’s been looking inside himself and looking back over his life and how it turned out like that.” So Ezio’s back, but it’s not the Ezio we once knew.

To touch upon the gameplay element for a moment; one striking moment during a battle between Ezio and Templar agents sees a ghostly shadow of Altair appear in the foreground, turning and walking away. This connection between the two ancestors of present-day protagonist Desmond is the central theme of Revelations; the game’s story, as per the title, will offer some narrative closure to players after three chapters of mystery and codes, tying up Ezio and Altair’s respective stories. Here’s hoping a full-blown sequel, with new settings and characters, is lined up for 2012/3.

Of course, it’s not just all ‘this happened because of this, these guys are actually the good guys,’ and whatnot. Ezio’s journey might once have been spiritual, but now it’s firmly back in the physical. The game opens in Masyaf, setting of the first Creed game, now doused in whites and greys and blemished with a wintry sleet. Ezio’s looking for a library left behind by Altair; the latter’s legacy, built underneath a fortress high in the mountain reaches. But he finds the place swarming with Templars, and so begins a ferocious battle which sees Ezio felled and captured.

After a narrow escape, we see the aged Italian fleeing in a carriage, pursued in force by Templar agents. Ashe promises the entire sequence will be playable in the final game, but for now it’s a rather lovely cinematic. The lighting and textures have also improved since last year’s Brotherhood, and it’s quite noticeable. Lacoste’s artistic team have developed a huge new sandbox to play in across the Ottoman Empire, from Masyaf to Constantinople, where Revelations eventually takes our vigilante hero.

Ubisoft have also integrated a range of new gameplay mechanics, from a ‘hook blade’ tool that blends combat and navigation - think zip-wires and aerial attacks - to an enhanced Eagle Vision that allows Ezio to see his target’s path. Also new to the Creed series is the ‘bomb factory’; a pouch Ezio carries that allows him to construct his own bombs from various ‘ingredients’ that can either be bought or found (often on corpses). For each bomb, three different factors are decided - type of shell, gunpowder and effect - to assign the weapon into one of three categories; lethal, tactical or diversionary.

Take the Cherry Bomb - a classic diversionary tactic, it’s effectively a grenade thrown to act as a decoy. Of course, one might argue that Assassin’s Creed is straying ever closer to modern weaponry - from Ezio’s projectile firing wrist mechanism in ACII (i.e. his gun) to the grenades and landmines the bomb pouch offers - but the way it’s dressed in the time period, to such great effect, should still keep players completely immersed in the era.

A second spin-off for the Assassin’s Creed series might not be on the priority list for fans of the series, particularly re-using old characters, but its titular promise of answers to some pressing story questions, combined with a refreshing mix of new gameplay elements and beautiful locations, should give players enough to tide them over until the next full blown sequel. For which, by the way, I’d just like to throw out the suggestion of 19^th Century Victorian England. Maybe with a brand new female assassin. Anyone?

Read More

Driver: San Francisco [Preview]

The Driver series originally surfaced back in the days of the original PlayStation, with the emphasis firmly on the driving side of things. You couldn’t get out of your car, wander round and start shooting people; back then, this wasn’t just another Grand Theft Auto clone (and rightly so, considering the first two games were actually released whilst GTA was still in aerial view mode). Since 1999, however, the series has fluctuated wildly (the less said about Driv3r, the better).

Now we’re twelve years down the line, and less than a month away from Driver’s latest offering, San Francisco. You can’t get out of your car anymore, a feature introduced way back in 2000 with Driver 2. But you can get out of your body.

New gimmick/mechanic/USP ‘shifting’ allows the player to, well, shift between cars. Returning protagonist Tanner has been left in a coma (though developer Reflections assures us it’s “not the Bobby Ewing moment in Dallas - it’s crucial to the story”), and within his coma-induced state of mind, he’s led to believe he can transport his consciousness remotely to other cars with a quick tap of a face button. Or rather, that’s the bit we’ll be doing.

But it really is just as easy as that; a press of 'X' (or the Xbox equivalent) and you’re floating above the streets of San Fran, as everything runs in slow motion below you while you find another car to zip into. Sounds nuts, right?

It's lucky for Reflections, then, that their chimerical mechanic has so many potential applications. Take the race level I played; a father-daughter team need to finish in both first and second to be victorious, winning a trophy or their pride or something. Tanner, good guy that he is, decides to ‘help out’. Over the course of two laps, it’s your job to make sure both cars finish in the desired position by constantly switching between them, bringing both up to speed. It definitely makes for a more intense and interesting experience than your standard racing fare.

And there’s plenty more intriguing gameplay where that came from. It’s not just about winning races or escaping from cops; there’s a strategic element to shifting, which quickly becomes obvious. Where’s the sense in endlessly chasing villains when you can shift into a bus, creating an instant roadblock just a few feet ahead?

If things are starting to sound a bit daft, that’s probably because they are. San Francisco takes itself far less seriously than previous Driver instalments; particularly the last console iteration Parallel Lines, the first (and only) game of the series to be rated 18. It’s evident from the off, not least in the humourous scripting and banter between the two leads (Tanner is joined by his partner, Jones). The changes and indeed the shift mechanic have apparently come about as a desire to "[avoid] trying to duplicate anything that is being done in other open world action driving games."

Of course, with the renewed focus on driving (the game is called Driver, after all), it’s important that the cars play their part. Licensed cars are new to the series, and each one feels like a character in itself - the personality each vehicle has will resonate instantly as you get to grips with it; whether fragile and classy or packing a serious punch, you’ll soon have a few favourites you won’t be able to help yourself from shifting into the second you see them (I claim the Delorean!).

Reflections’ new gimmick might seem like a step backward - removing the ability to leave your car - and slightly silly, but the seamless execution shows promising signs of a series reformed. Driver's trying to be unique again - something that can only be commended - and while it's a risk, it's one that looks to have paid off.

Read More