E3 2012: Day 1 Recap
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E3 day one has come and gone and now it's time to examine the highlights and the low ones. Speaking of highlights, did Microsoft have any?
Biding their time, Ubisoft waited patiently to blow everyone away. When you think of Ubisoft you think of Assassin's Creed and Ghost Recon... maybe Splinter Cell. You don't generally think of new IP's that look absolutely bonkers. Yet that’s exactly what Ubisoft had in store for everyone yesterday. They took the time to show off Far Cry 3 which is shaping up to be a foul mouthed version of the fan-favorite shooter.
Then the publisher took the time to show off Assassin's Creed III, which looks like their most polished title to date and the best of the franchise so far. Ship to ship combat was revealed, gameplay mechanics, and multiplayer aspects were all shown. Seriously, ACIII is a must buy when it's released in October.
Ubisoft then turned their attention to supporting Nintendo's upcoming console, the Wii U, with presentations for Rayman Legends, The Avengers: Battle for Earth, and Zombi U. The company pledged its commitment for the new console, just like they did when the when the handheld was first announced.
A new Splinter Cell title was announced as well. Splinter Cell: Blacklist takes the franchise back to its roots of stealth gameplay while keeping the lead character the absolute badass he has become in more recent titles. Ubisoft Montreal is developing, so you know it's going to be good.
Then came the absolute bombshell Ubisoft laid on E3: a new IP called "Watch Dogs". Taking cues from The Matric, the game depicts a world in which a central computer controls everything, focusing strongly on just how dangerous communication would be in such a world. Watching the gameplay demo for Watch Dogs you would think that Ubisoft is gearing up for the title to be a next-generation launch title, but stated that it is coming to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Ubisoft, by far, won the third-party press conference by showing off their existing IP's with fresh ideas but also announcing a new IP and throwing their support behind the Wii U. EA could learn a thing or two from their French brethren.