Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Many details have come to light about this game in recent weeks, and Ubisoft finally confirmed it right at the beginning of its E3 press conference. Welcoming Nintendo Director and legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto to the stage, Ubisoft announced the crossover title, which will launch exclusively for Nintendo Switch.
Having been brought into the Mushroom Kingdom, the Rabbids have upset the balance of nature, causing instabilities in reality. The result is bad rabbids holding down areas of the map, which will switch from exploration mode to battle mode. Once engaged, the game is a turn-based tactical titles, similar to XCOM 2. It will roll out August 29th of this year.
Assassin’s Creed: Origins
Ubisoft took a few moments to show off a cinematic trailer for the upcoming addition to the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Origins. It expanded on the heavy influence of nature, as well as the expansion into more recon-based, tactical gameplay. A longer, 30-minute session following the press conference showed off a solid amount of open-world gameplay, including details for new gear and ability systems.
The Crew 2
In the hotly-anticipated sequel to Ubisoft’s open-world MMO racing game, The Crew 2 takes things to a new level, with faster cars and bigger set pieces, but that’s only the beginning. The Crew 2 will expand to include planes and boats, so you can take to the sky or the seas to prove you’re the fastest around. Outside the city, off-road races are now part of the game, with dirtbikes and buggies of all sort to weave through the woods and deserts of a realistically-styled American countryside.
Of course, it isn’t all fun and games. The police are watching your crew break laws and speed through red lights around the city, and they’ll be hot on your tail if you aren’t careful. It looks like The Crew 2 takes influence from the less competition-oriented Steep, which has proven popular in the space. No word on a release date, but Ubisoft did mention a beta coming soon.
South Park: Fractured but Whole
While the fun of the South Park games is discovering the story as you go along, Ubisot did take a few minutes to show off a new trailer for South Park: The Fractured But Whole. The brief cinematic showed a combination of cut scenes and gameplay, and we learn the game opens with the player being asked to act as a mole for Coon and Friends as he infiltrates the competing superhero group. The game will be available on October 17.
Transference
What comes next is a bit of a surprise. Creative Director of Spectrevision Elijah Wood pitched an oddly-presented virtual reality experience. Supposedly, these creators have stumbled upon a device that lets users experience the complete brain data of another human, experiencing their consciousness as if it was yours.
Other than that, details are very scarce, but this surprise announcement from Ubisoft did not go unnoticed. With a Spring 2018 release, we should see more details on the project soon.
Skull and Bones
In another surprise announcement for a brand new game, Ubisoft Singapore announced Skull and Bones, a pirate game with an epic feel and a shared world. The developer found inspiration for it after building the piracy and ocean systems into Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, a favorite of the series.
A brief gameplay demo put that influence front and center. Each player captains a ship with a full crew and varying weapon caches and movement capabilities. Players will need to be mindful of the wind as well as the enemy ships, and any other pirates who may come looking for trouble. No release date here, but Ubisoft made sure to mention a beta would be on its way.
Just Dance 2018
It wouldn’t be an Ubisoft conference without everyone’s favorite dancing game. No real announcements were made for Just Dance 2018, save for an October 2018 release date.
South Park Phone Destroyer
“Put on some cowboy shit and meet us outside. And bring your phone!” Eric Cartman screams at the player, as Ubisoft opens with a trailer for a new mobile game, South Park Phone Destroyer. It isn’t really clear from the trailer how the game works, but like a lot of turn-based mobile titles, it includes cards and energy, and appears to be some sort of face-off between teams. It will hit phones, presumably both iOS and Android, within the year.
Starlink: Battle for Atlas
A space-fighting title with an epic sci-fi feel, Starlink: Battle for Atlas combines fun collectible toys with a deep, massive world. Build a custom starship, run from raiders, and defend the innocent from attacks out on the open stars. The trailer briefly showed an attachment for Switch Joy-Cons and PS4 controllers that allowed users to mount their ships on top.
Ubisoft says to expect the game in Fall of 2018, and it will come to Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Steep
Ubisoft’s mountain-faring spectacular Steep has gained quite a cult following in the months since its release. The game was built around relaxing, exploring, and hitting awesome lines with your friends. But now the competitive side of mountain sports is about to hit the slopes with a raft of new Olympic-style events in the Road to the Olympics expansion on December 8th.
Far Cry 5
Another title making a lot of noise since its official announcement, Far Cry 5’s new trailer opens with a congregation gathered in front of the antagonist of the game, joining in a lively, terrifying rendition of Amazing Grace.
We’re also keyed into a bit more of the game’s overall story. The cult has taken over the county, removing people from their homes and killing or reeducating them. Lines of communication are cut, the roads are shut down, and you’re stuck deep in their territory. With the help of a number of hired guns (and a dog), it’s up to players to save the people of Hope County, and make it out alive.
Beyond Good and Evil 2
In the high-flying new trailer for the sequel to 2003’s Beyond Good and Evil, we see a world filled with corruption, amazing technology, and a dramatic chase through the streets on flying cars. It’s a prequel to the original title, corporations create hybridized slaves, some of whom have turned to the side of freedom, fighting back against these efforts.
Through the Space Monkey Program today to help become a part of shaping the world of Beyond Good and Evil 2. There’s a lot of passion and nostalgia behind the game, and it shows from the crowd response and emotional reaction by the developers to the announcement.
