The Walking Dead's Tony Moore + Rob Zombie Release Trailer for Assassin's Creed Unity

The Walking Dead’s Tony Moore and Rob Zombie Raise the Ghosts of the French Revolution in Assassin’s Creed® Unity

Rob Zombie's French Revolution: Watch + Share New Trailer for Assassin's Creed Unity




SAN DIEGO – July 25, 2014 – Today at Comic-Con International: San Diego, Ubisoft® debuted a new animated short about the French Revolution and inspired by the upcoming video game Assassin’s Creed Unity created by the unlikely duo of famed musician and master of horror Rob Zombie and artist Tony Moore, co-creator of The Walking Dead.
 
Assassin’s Creed Unity Presents: Rob Zombie’s French Revolution, re-imagined by Zombie and illustrated by Moore, provides a re-telling of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, one of the bloodiest periods in human history and the backdrop for the Assassin’s Creed Unity video game. Assassin’s Creed Unity, will be released worldwide on October 28 on Xbox One video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Sony PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows® PC.
 
 “The best source of horror is our own history,” said Rob Zombie. “Blending the Reign of Terror and video game about Assassins helped inspire my own look on the French Revolution.”
 
“I leapt at the chance to do an Assassin’s Creed project,” said Tony Moore. “The French Revolution was a visceral, graphic and violent time and it was great working with Rob to bring this to life.”
 
Set in a once-magnificent Paris, Assassin’s Creed Unity plunges into the terror of the 1789 French Revolution and features the most dense and immersive Assassin’s Creed city ever created. Through the streets of Paris, the starving inhabitants are set to take up arms for freedom and equality. In this time of chaos and brutality, a young man named Arno, wounded by the loss of those he loved, sets on a deadly path of redemption. Arno’s pursuit throws him into the middle of a ruthless struggle for the fate of a nation, and transforms him into a true Master Assassin.
 
Assassin’s Creed Unity reinvents the franchise, starting with the core gameplay pillars that have defined the series from the beginning: navigation, stealth and combat. Players will carve their way through a stunning, full-scale open-world Paris, thanks to the power of the new Anvil engine, rebuilt from the ground up for new generation consoles. In addition to the sprawling single-player campaign, players can join with up to three friends and take part in story-driven online co-op missions.
 
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch Dogs. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2013–14 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,007 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.
© 2014 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries.
“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Local Gallery GAAM (Games Art and Music) Announces Their First Charity Show for December 14, 2012

Jacksonville, FL—Local startup gallery GAAM has officially announced the first Games Art And Music Charity Show to take place December 14, 2012, at The Museum at 4160 Boulevard Center Dr, Jacksonville, FL.

Local artists, Edmund Dansart, Logan Zawacki, Derrick Nevado, and Ryan Paul Thompson have collaborated over the past year to create a local event that appreciates and celebrates the video game culture, and bring attention to the SouthEast.

This is a one night only event that has the support of many in the video game industry, including award winning game industry and hollywood composer Penka Kouneva, EA Games, Game designer and author Chris Solarski, and Square Enix (well known for Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider, and Dragon Quest).

The event will feature several art exhibitions, include a charity art auction where 100% of the proceeds will go to Child’s Play, a juried art show for other artists to showcase their work, a real world Super Mario Experiential Exhibit, famous cosplayer Candy Keane, DJ Nes, martial arts demonstrations by Nevado Karate Arts, and more.

About GAAM
GAAM stands for Games Arts And Music, and was formed in 2012 and is an art curation and creation company. They specialize in representing the gaming culture in it’s various forms and creating unique gaming events and experiences.

About Child’s Play
Child’s Play was founded in 2003 by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins of the online comic strip Penny Arcade, which concerns itself with video games and gamer culture. In response to the media’s negative portrayal of gamers, the pair called for the gaming community to donate to Seattle Children’s Hospital during the holiday season.

The response was overwhelming—within weeks, they had a garage packed full of toys, games, and gifts to brighten the holiday of many sick kids. That year, they raised over $250,000; a number that has grown each year; up to nearly $10 million as of 2010. The gaming community comes together to raise millions of dollars, put together hundreds of community fundraisers, and change the lives of countless children.

Contact
To learn more about this event and GAAM please visit their website at http://www.gamesartandmusic.com or contact Ryan Paul Thompson at ryan@gamesartandmusic.com.

For more information regarding Child’s Play, please visit the website.

Announcing Final Speakers for 6th Annual LA Games Conference, April 24th, 2012 Theme: Social Game Entrepreneurship Featured Speakers Include SGN CEO and MySpace Founder Chris DeWolfe, Trion Worlds CEO Lars Buttler, Double Down Interactive President Glenn Walcott

Digital Media Wire today announced that LA Games Conference (http://www.lagamesconference.com/) to be held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on April 24, 2012, will feature many of the most successful social game entrepreneurs shaping the gaming industry today, as it intersects with other forms of media and entertainment:

Glenn Walcott, President, Double Down Interactive 
Glenn joined Double Down Interactive in November 2010 as President. He was previously the CFO of Big Fish Games and helped lead the growth of that company from $8 million in revenue to more than $100 million and from 40 to 400 employees. He was also instrumental in helping Big Fish Games raise $83 million in one of the largest rounds of private financing of any gaming company ever. Glenn will be featured in a case study session about IGT's $500 Million acquisition of Double Down with Davis Wright Tremaine LLP's Stuart Campbell and John Salter, Partner of The Raine Group, an investment bank specializing in media and entertainment ventures.

Lars Buttler, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Trion Worlds
Game Industry Entrepreneur Lars Buttler is Founder and CEO of Trion Worlds, the publisher and developer of games and original entertainment for the connected world. The company recently completed an $85 million round of strategic growth equity financing, adding to $100 million already raised. Trion's first online game, RIFTâ„¢, launched worldwide on March 1, 2011, to critical and consumer acclaim and revenues have already surpassed $100 million with players activating over 1 million accounts. Trion's mission is to revolutionize global entertainment by combining the best elements of online, gaming, and traditional media. Prior to founding Trion, Buttler was Vice President for Global Online at Electronic Arts, the world's largest independent developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. Buttler led EA's strategy for online games and services and ran EA's Online Studio

Chris DeWolfe, Chief Executive Officer, SGN
Internet entrepreneur Chris DeWolfe is best known as co-founder and former CEO of MySpace, the social network that redefined the concept of socializing around shared interests. Under DeWolfe's leadership, MySpace grew exponentially: Launched in 2003, MySpace attracted an average of 300,000 new members each day, and when he left the company in 2009 it had more than 125 million monthly active users from 29 countries around the globe. In 2010, DeWolfe staked his claim in the rapidly growing social games market. With backing from Austin Ventures, DeWolfe purchased Mindjolt, a San Francisco-based social games platform. With more than 20 million active users, Mindjolt is among the fastest growing companies in the social gaming space, already profitable through a combination of advertising and virtual goods' sales. In 2011, Mindjolt acquired SGN, a leading developer of social mobile games and Hallpass Media, a portfolio of popular free-to-play online game sites and in 2012 the entire company rebranded itself as SGN. Chris will be interviewed on stage by Paul Bricault, a Venture Partner at Greycroft Partners in the firm's West Coast Office.

These companies and executives join over 300 decision-makers, creatives, analysts, press and leading professional gamers. Speakers include:

Jesse Redniss, SVP, USA Network, Digital (NBC Universal) 
Jack Buser, Senior Director, Playstation Digital Platforms 
Matt Hulett, President, GameHouse (RealNetworks) 
Mark Spenner, EVP of Games, Rumble
Baudouin Corman, Vice President of Publishing, Americas, Gameloft
Mark Friedler, Partner, Worlds and Games Consulting 
Paul Bricault, Venture Partner, Greycroft Partners
Nanea Reeves, COO, Machinima
Joel Resnik, Vice President of Video Games, Redbox
Jon Estanislao, Director of Digital Distribution, Activision Publishing 
Chris Donahue, Director, Global Publisher/Developer Relations, Onlive.
Ted Cohen, Managing Partner, TAG Strategic
Ned Sherman, CEO & Publisher, Digital Media Wire
Allen DeBevoise, Chairman & CEO, Machinima.com 
Lisa Marino, CEO, RockYou
Maria Casey, Senior Manager of Business Development, Arkadium
Simon Whitcombe, VP Games, CBS Interactive
Bjorn Book-Larsson, CEO, K2/Gamersfirst 
Peter Levin, CEO, Nerdist
Chris Early, VP, Digital Publishing, Ubisoft Entertainment 
Davin Miyoshi, VP Social Games, GSN
Andrew Pedersen, Vice President & General Manager, Social Games, Tagged
Gordon Bellamy, Executive Director, IGDA
Michael Maher, Director, Business Development at American Express, Enterprise Growth, Sometrics / American Expresss 
Jim Greer, Founder, Kongregate
Lisa Hanson, Managing Partner and Founder, Niko Partners 
Dale Strang, CEO, Viximo
Nick Bhardwaj, VP of Monetization and User Acquisition, NaturalMotion
Mara Winokur, SVP Digital Media and Business Development, Starz Digital Media 
Karl Mehta, Founder, PlaySpan
Marc Rochman, Founder and CEO, Openbucks
Laura Naviaux, SVP of Global Sales & Marketing, Sony Online Entertainment 
Christian Petersen, VP Community, CloudMade
Joakim Baage, Event Director, LA Games Conference
Chris Skaggs, CTO, Soma Games
Juan Reyes, CTO, BluFocus
Kyu Lee, President, Gamevil
Peter Shiao, Founder, CEO, Orb Media Group
Michael Cai, VP, Video Games, Interpret
Jay Moore, Founder & CEO, Popzy
John Welch, President, Making Fun 
Chris Petrovic, General Manager, GameStop Digital Ventures 
Anthony Jacobson, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Atari
Mike Vorhaus, President, Magid Advisors
Bill Wheaton, SVP & General Manager of the Media Division, Akamai
Martin Rae, President, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
Robert Nashak, EVP, Digital Entertainment, BBC Worldwide Americas
Chris Marlowe, Editor, Digital Media Wire
Jordan Metzner, Head of Product and Partnerships, Xsolla USA Inc. 
Steve Klebe, Head of Business Development for Consumer Payments, Google
Mike Goslin, General Manager, Rebel Entertainment
Chris Davis, VP of Brand Sales, TrialPay, Inc.
Mary Ku, Director of Product Management, Digital Goods, PayPal
Jo Webber, Chairman and CEO, Founder, Virtual Piggy, Inc
Margaret Wallace, CEO, Playmatics
Chris Petrovic, General Manager, GameStop Digital Ventures 
William Quigley, Managing Director, Clearstone Venture Partners 
Maha Ibrahim, General Partner, Canaan Partners
Alex Suh, Managing Director, California Technology Ventures
Eric Goldberg, Managing Director, Crossover Technologies
Marshall Jensen, Managing Partner, DMW Hexagon
Dave Taylor, Independent Game Producer
Shirin Salemnia, Founder and CEO, PlayWerks
Flint Dille, Writer
Jessica Abroms, Lead Experience Designer, Social Gaming Network
Phyllis Guo, Chief Strategist, The9
Greg Short, President & CEO, EEDAR
Aaron Kornblum, Sr. Director of Security Policy, Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft
Guy Finley, Director of Anti-Piracy Affairs, CDSA
Marcus Gners. Director, Business Development, Stardoll
Umair Khan, Chairman and CEO, SecretBuilders
Manny Anekal, COO, Kiip
Stuart Drexler, Board Advisor, Tykoon
Michael Trigg, Founder & CEO, Spitball Entertainment, Inc.
Kristafer Vale, CEO & Lead Designer, Winterkewl Games, Character TD,DreamWorks Animation
Jessica Abroms, Lead Experience Designer, Social Gaming Network
Jamison Selby, Vice President of Sales, Socialtype / Chair, IGDA Los Angeles

Panel topics Include:
- The State of Games Industry
- From Console to Cloud: Exploring Today's Multiple Distribution Possibilities
- KA-CHING! How To Effectively Market and Publicize Games to Increase Sales
- Power of Community: Integrating Social Design in Game Development
- Social Game Distribution: Facebook Is Not The Only Game In Town
- Free, Pay-To-Play or Subscription: What Payment Solutions Fits Your Game The Best?
- Games on the Go: Latest Trends in Games and Apps For Mobile Devices
- DEBATE CLUB:  You Pick The Topic!
- Entertainment on Consoles: Reinventing the Media Hub of the Living Room
- Delivering the Virtual Goods: How Is the Micropayments Business Evolving for Games
- VC and Investor Roundtable: Where is the Smart Money Flowing and Why?
- Los Angeles Game Developer Leadership Round Table
- FUTURE GAMING TRENDS - Analyst Presentations, Predictions and Demos
- Dealing with Piracy and Security Threats
- Kids Play: The latest in Merging Online and Offline Games

Event sponsors and media partners include CEA, IGDA, CDSA, Playspan, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, boxPAY, Xsolla, CloudMade, EEDAR, PayPal, Virtual Piggy, Openbucks, Tagged, K2/Gamersfirst, Jakprints, SAG-AFTRA, EMF, Digital LA, WITI, WIGI, E3, GamesMatch, ProductionHUB, GIT LA, Mary-Margaret Network, BoogarLists, Parks Associates, Fusicology, TAG Strategic, UCLA Anderson, Terpin Communications, SocialRadius and PRWeb.

For complete agenda, registration and event details please visit:
http://lagamesconference.com/

Other prominent Digital Media Wire events include NY Games Conference, Future of Television Forum, Digital Music Forum East & West, Games Summit at Int'l CES, and Digital Media Conference. 

Capcom Co., Ltd. (Capcom) is pleased to announce that sales of the Japanese version of "Resident Evil 6" for the "PlayStation®3", Xbox® 360 and PC*1 will begin on November 22, 2012.

"Resident Evil" is a series of survival horror games in which players attempt to escape from zombies by using a variety of weapons and other items. Cumulative sales of this series total 47 million units^*2 since the first title debuted in 1996, making it Capcom's flagship game series. "Resident Evil 5", the most recent title in the series, went on sale in March 2009 and ranks first among "Resident Evil" titles with global shipments of 5.8 million units^*3. These figures demonstrate that even today, 15 years after the debut of the first "Resident Evil" game, this series remains very popular worldwide.

Capcom aims to position "Resident Evil 6" as the company's leading title in order to continue building on past success in the global video game market. To accomplish this goal, the creation of this game is proceeding in the world's most advanced game development environment. The objective is to create the world's best content yet in the horror entertainment sector.

To commemorate the 15th anniversary of the "Resident Evil" series, Capcom will hold the "Resident Evil Premium Party" on January 20, 2012. Events at this party will include a "Resident Evil 6" announcement, a presentation marking the completion of "Resident Evil Revelations", the opportunity to enjoy this game, and other activities. Overall, there will be numerous events to set the stage for the upcoming launch of the newest member of the "Resident Evil" series.

Developing titles across multi- platforms is a core strategy for Capcom resulting in a strengthening of the "Resident Evil" franchise, as well as other popular brands. Capcom will continue to meet players' expectations through the commitment of its highly skilled development teams, and by taking advantage of the most suitable hardware platforms to deliver the best gaming experiences possible.

"Batman: Arkham City - The Album" To Be Released October 4, 2011

BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY - THE ALBUM FEATURING ALL-NEW TRACKS FROM PANIC! AT THE DISCO, COHEED AND CAMBRIA, BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB AND MORE TO BE RELEASED BY WATERTOWER MUSIC OCTOBER 4, 2011 12 ORIGINAL AND DISTINCTIVE TRACKS DRAW ON THE INFLUENCES OF BATMAN AND THE FORTHCOMING BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY VIDEOGAME SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION OF THE GAME TO INCLUDE ALBUM DOWNLOAD

Burbank, Calif. - Sep. 6, 2011 - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, WaterTower Music and DC Entertainment today announced Batman: Arkham City - The Album, which will be released in conjunction with the highly anticipated forthcoming videogame Batman: Arkham City. Featuring 12 new original tracks by Panic! At The Disco, Coheed and Cambria, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and more (full track list below), Batman: Arkham City - The Album will be released on October 4th, two weeks prior to the game's North American release on October 18th. The Batman: Arkham City Collector's Edition of the game will include a download code for the album along with additional bonus content. The artists featured on Batman: Arkham City - The Album approached their contributions to the album with their own unique interpretations of the stories surrounding Batman. The result is an eclectic mix of dynamic, atmospheric songs for an album that will appeal to fans of both the artists and Batman: Arkham City. Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez said, "I write in a very conceptual format with the stories that surround Coheed and Cambria, but Batman has a much larger, defined history and rules that go along with it. My goal was to find universal themes from Batman's existing history to help give the lyrics legs and dimension so that the song could live within that world." Check out the track listing below: 1. Panic! At The Disco - Mercenary 2. Coheed and Cambria - Deranged 3. The Duke Spirit - Creature 4. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Shadow On The Run 5. Blaqk Audio  - Afterdark 6. The Raveonettes - Oh, Stranger 7. (Crosses) - The Years 8. The Damned Things - Trophy Widow 9. Daughtry - Drown In You 10. The Boxer Rebellion - Losing You 11. Serj Tankian - Total Paranoia *Bonus Collector's Edition track 12. A Place to Bury Strangers - In The Shadow The highly anticipated videogame will step out of the shadows and onto store shelves for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Games for Windows PC and the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. Published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developed by Rocksteady Studios, Batman: Arkham City builds upon the intense, atmospheric foundation ofBatman: Arkham Asylum, sending players soaring into Arkham City, the new maximum security "home" for all of Gotham City's thugs, gangsters and insane criminal master-minds. The sequel introduces a brand-new story that draws together a new all-star cast of classic characters and murderous villains from the Batman universe, as well as a vast range of new and enhanced gameplay features to deliver the ultimate experience as the Dark Knight. Fans can visit www.batmanarkhamcity.com to sign up to receive updates regarding the game and join the discussion on the recently launched community site at:  http://community.batmanarkhamcity.comto participate in forums, read upcoming developer diaries and stay abreast of all the latest Batman: Arkham City news.    Batman: Arkham City Official Trailer For more information, visit www.batmanarkhamcity.com

Mass Effect 2

An Intergalactic Home Away From Home

The brilliance involved with the first Mass Effect led me to be skeptical that Bioware could pull out another piece of galactic gold with its sequel Mass Effect 2, but to my surprise they’ve really pulled out the stops. On my first play through, which took roughly 25 hours, led me to find a captivating storyline, a revamped battle system, and a strong cast of quirky characters making for an exquisite star-hopping experience. Virtually every part of the first ME1 was improved in this literally star-studded sequel.

My first experiences of the story seemed a little jarring because I came in wanting another story like ME1, but after discovering a the game has a much darker mood to it, I took the adjustment well. The story starts with Shepherd aboard the Normandy, when they are shot down by a massive and mysterious ship. Now, this is a pretty big deal for a few reasons: for one, the Normandy is supposedly the fastest ship in the galaxy and it couldn’t get away; two, the Normandy had its stealth systems on and should have been undetectable; and three, Shepherd dies! Now before you pull out your tissue box and wallow in despair, you’ll be glad to find out that through two years of extensive research and large sums of credits he’s brought back to life.

All of this happens within the first ten minutes, and throughout the rest of the game you’ll find a similar arc of events constantly hitting you with interesting twists, leaving you wanting more and more. Zombie Shepherd (although not really a zombie, it’s still the same Shepherd we’ve all come to love) is a testimony to Mass Effect 2 having a much darker mood than its predecessor. The language is much more obscene and the game is much more violent. Like ME1, you dive into those moral and philosophical decisions through choosing dialogue, and never before in my 20 years of gaming experience have I found such customization of plot and alteration of characters and relationships. For each character, there is a subplot that plays a huge role in your party’s success or failure towards the end of the game. Not once did I ever feel that each of these subplots was Bioware trying to put in filler; each story is rich and in-depth, leaving you attached to all of the characters in the game. Even upgrades to your ship affect the ending. As I played it through my first time, I skipped some of these upgrades, so be warned. Get the whole experience as you play through it the first time.

Mass Effect 2 marks a new era in shooter/role-playing with its use of celebrities in its voice acting, including Battlestar Galactica’s Tricia Helfer and Michael Hogan, The Matrix’s Carrie-Anne Moss, Seth Green, and Martin Sheen. The money shelled out for these big names pays off; the voice acting throughout the game is utterly superb, creating a foundation for some great characters that add a grandiose amount of depth to the story. Shepherd returns as strong as ever, although there are a few instances where his actions seem a little, well, corny and out of character when compared to ME1. Importing your character from the first game will make Shepherd look a little different too, and it skewed one of my characters a great deal, so it’s a good thing they put in the option to give any of your imports a face-lift.

The game play features so many vast improvements over its forbear, providing an experience that is smooth, quick, and clutter-free. First, the fixes: No more elevator wait times, which is great because staring at your character standing in an elevator for about a minute got really old, really quick. Paired with faster load times, the game seems a lot more fluid. And remember that little land rover, the MAKO? The one that you’d land on planets that all looked exactly the same? Well that’s all gone. Good riddance; although what it has been replaced with isn’t a whole lot better. Now, if there’s an anomaly on a planet you can land directly on it by launching a probe, which is nice because it saves on those boring MAKO drives. But, in order to upgrade equipment you must scan the surface of the planets for raw materials, which involves taking a little crosshair and slowly dragging it around the surface of the planet, launching probes to collect materials. It gets mundane pretty quick, but the chance of an anomaly keeps it somewhat exciting. Mass Effect 2 also uses a new inventory system; no longer will you have a cluttered inventory containing about 20 of the same weapon. You’ll find about three different versions of each gun throughout the game, and you can upgrade them. This is great for two reasons: You don’t have to spend a half an hour converting all of your extra guns and equipment into omni-gel, and because all your characters use the same upgraded guns, leaving you a lot of room to diversify your experience and use different characters on each mission, creating a new experience every time you play it.

Every battle in the game is tense and challenging, and the game’s AI will consistently keep you on your toes. Your enemies are smart and adaptive, and you need to position your teammates, lay down suppressing fire, and flank in order to get the upper hand. The class system in the game is much more balanced; each class brings new depth into the battle system and each of your teammates has their own unique powers, leaving a lot of room to create a number of your own personal strategies. Also new to the game are combined biotic powers. You can use lift to float enemies into the air, and then use throw to send them flying into walls or, my personal favorite, things that explode. Different combined powers have some very interesting effects. You have an interesting array of enemies throughout the game, and you’ll find each level in the game refreshing because your enemies keep the game play fresh.

Mass Effect 2 has done a great deal in the progression of the shooter/role-playing genre, and I’m sure it will serve as an archetype for many games in the future. It provides not only an action-packed interstellar experience, but it will leave you thinking you’ve made a home in a galaxy far, far away. A must have for any gamer.

MOVEMENT Likes: All ME1 bugs were fixed, great voice acting, strong characters, engaging and evolving battles, captivating story and darker mood.

MOVEMENT Dislikes: Monotonous planet scanning, Ending could be considered a spoiler of Mass Effect 3, awkward character import.

MOVEMENT REPORT CARD: A

- Frederick J. Pecor / MOVEMENT South

Upcoming MMOs - A SVE Supplement.

Trying to import all of the HTML from my blog post detailing two very exciting upcoming MMOs over on suddenviolentendings would be a bitch and a half, so! Go check it out, then come back HERE and check out some sweet music news.

Love,
Dave / movementNORTH

Assassin's Creed II

Ubisoft

Assassin's Creed II is something I have been anxious to get my hands on since I first beat its predecessor, the much lauded, but still somewhat maligned, Assassin's Creed. It seemed that for every two or three good points reviewers and your average gamer had, there was a disappointment of some sort to go along with it. I'll be honest, while I definitely understood where these people were coming from and recognized the same flaws they did, -- disjointed story, repetitive missions, less than challenging combat -- I was too deeply in love with the damn thing to care about a single one of them. My only real complaint was that you were required to replay a memory (mission) once you had beaten the game in order to jump into a city and start free-running, which is where the game absolutely fucking shines. I purchased it right when it came out and, a few chunks of time when I wasn't playing anything at all aside, never stopped playing it until I traded it in towards the purchase price of its sequel.

I'm hoping that by now you have come to understand that I really dug this game, so when I say that ACII improved upon the first in every way possible you know I am not merely blowing smoke, but expressing my great pleasure and amazement at the feat Ubisoft Montreal accomplished. All of those people who liked the first one but had a problem with this thing and that? The developers listened and took great pains to make the story of Ezio Auditore di Firenze and Desmond Miles an even better experience, and it paid off like you wouldn't believe. No longer are you bound to unlocking memories via the same three mini-missions over and over again in order to gain access to an assassination memory. Which is not said to say there aren't sub-quest style missions, many of which branch of into several smaller missions, ranging from pretty run of the mill races (except you're bloody free-running, so it's awesome), assassination contracts from Lorenzo di Medici, and you can always get the guards off your back by tearing down some wanted posters or bribing the town crier. And that's not even half of what you can do outside of the main story, which is, itself, a big step up this time around. And the ending, don't even get me started on how excited it has me for the next installment.

By now there are hundreds of reviews up online detailing the story, the triumphs and the downfalls, and all the specifics of the game if you're really curious, so I won't waste your time by going into great detail on any of those things. Instead, I will tell you that if you take the time to sit down with this game, having played the first or not, you will be in for a treat and a half. Even if your game selection begins with shooters and ends with sports, there is something in here for you, and if you give it a real chance you will find yourself addicted to running around -- and atop -- Renaissance Italy, untangling the plot of the Knights Templar.

An incredibly enthusiastic A+

Dave Conkey / MovementNorth