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Ubisoft unvelied a solid lineup of videogame properties at its E3 press conference Monday, including new properties, revivals of old favorites and even one resurrection.
Ubisoft started by demoing some of the new features in Rocksmith 2014 Edition. Rocksmith is a music instruction game that allows you to plug in real instruments. Jerry Cantrell (of Alice In Chains fame) demoed the game’s new “session mode,” which sets up virtual bandmates for you that will react to your playstyle like actual musicians.
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Longstanding franchise Rayman got new life in two ways, first with a new Rayman Legends game coming this fall as well as with a new Raving Rabbids game, a tie-in with upcoming 2013 animated children’s show The Rabbids Invasion. The company claimed that in 2014, with the debut of Rabbids Invasion the Interactive TV Show, kids would be able to play along interactively as they watch, and showed a video of kids pelting one of the onscreen characters with eggs.
One of the most popular and anticipated games discussed was South Park: The Stick of Truth, a game that ran into trouble earlier this year, when original publisher THQ filed for bankruptcy and its titles were auctioned off. Development was delayed on the game, meaning it did not come out in March as originally planned. Ubisoft has rescued the game, which is hotly anticipated by the gaming public and will be written and voiced by the writing and voice talent from the show, including Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
Staying with a lighter feel, Ubisoft also annouced The Mighty Quest For Epic Loot, a fantasy role-playing game in which players build castles, then must protect them against other players trying to steal their stuff.
Ubisoft also announced The Crew, a new open-ended driving game that features a persistent world that contains maps of the United States. The company said next-gen consoles would allow players to drive through the entire thing continuously, without load times, an impressive feat.
Moving into more serious territory, Ubisoft demoed its lineup of mature titles, including a new Splinter Cell game (Splinter Cell Blacklist) and Assassin’s Creed 4, which takes place during the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean. Of particular note was the compellingly dark Watch Dogs, announced last year, which deals with issues of surveillance and privacy in the digital age.
The company also showed off a new IP for the first time, The Division, a near-future shooter with elements from massively multiplayer and open world role-playing games, based around the idea of a global pandemic that causes society to crumble.
“We want to take advantage of the next generation of consoles to create a new genre of game,” said the game’s creative director.
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