This year has been special when it comes to companies making announcements on their latest products. Traditionally you’ll have large in person events at convention centers around the country where companies can show off their products to consumers. Thanks to COVID-19, we’ve had to make some changes as a society and most companies have taken this opportunity to make their own events available via recordings or live streams. Ubisoft is one such company.
Recently, Ubisoft had their pre-recorded event called Ubisoft Forward which showcased games from their big IPs. I’ll be selecting three of the biggest games in this article starting with the one closest to release.
Watch Dogs: Legion
The third installment of a series that I have not gotten into because of time and an ever-growing catalogue of games. The titles have indeed caught my attention due to the tech heavy gameplay and its rebellious nature. Watch Dogs: Legion looks to add a few more fancy and hackable gadgets that are crucial to complete your missions while potentially cause chaos along the way, up to you.
There have been some mixed reviews out there already, however the game is still in early access and will hopefully improve by the time it is officially released. Though this game promised a lot when it debuted at E3 2019 (oh the memories). One of the biggest features of the game is the ability to recruit any random stranger into your organization where you’ll be able to control them whenever you see fit. One of the infamous characters shown is the deadly old lady!
Each character is supposed to have certain unique attributes and therefore requires some thoughtfulness when it comes to your missions. As a member of the resistance, your overall goal is to break the authoritative rule that has come about from the massive implementation of surveillance and crowd control technology. A consequence of this government suppression has been the rise of a large criminal organization who have taken over the underground markets making life in this virtual world extremely oppressive.
After watching some early access gameplays, it does look like a game I can get into. With its puzzle like challenges and an abundance of technology it seems that no two missions should be completed the same way. Although brute force is always an option. Watch Dogs: Legion will be available on October 29th, 2020.
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
The next installment of the AC series brings us to the age of the Vikings and will allow players to become immersed in the culture as well as provide some historical, but largely fictional, context. Similar to AC: Odyssey, you will have the opportunity to play as either a female or male Viking with a twist in that you’ll be able to switch genders within the same gameplay.
One thing that I saw during the gameplay trailers was the ability to grow your own community, referred to as a settlement, which seems like a unique mechanic not seen in previous installments. The closest thing that comes to mind is the AC: Brotherhood feature where you can recruit people into the creed. This feature would make me want to do more missions as it has a positive effect on the village building process and in turn helps strengthen your character and overall attack forces for raids and assaults.
This brings me to the next gameplay aspect of raids and all out assaults. The former is an aspect used to destroy influence within a particular region which also helps with gathering supplies for the settlement and for yourself. This reminds me of Odyssey when you would attack military camps and supply stocks to lower the power of the regional ruler. I suspect once the power of the ruler is low enough, you can then lead your viking forces on a castle assault. From the gameplay videos it looks like a massive battle with a boss that needs to be defeated to be victorious.
In this sense it does seem familiar to the previous game but with fresh fighting mechanics and different lore I feel it will definitely be enough to be an excellent game in its own right. The game is scheduled to release November 17th 2020.
Far Cry 6
At Ubisoft’s livestream they also revealed a cinematic teaser trailer for Far Cry 6 and the trailer alone blew me away. But before I go any further I want to just say that I have only played a single FC game and it was Far Cry: Primal which I absolutely loved. I thought it was a cool concept but could not really see myself playing any other games from the series. Now that I have that weight off my shoulders Far Cry 6 could change my mind.
The main reason I have gravitated towards this game is simply because of the acting from Giancarlo Esposito giving me similar vibes to his character from Breaking Bad. His demeanor is very chilling especially in the way he interacts with his son which you have to feel bad for. It will be interesting to see how these characters evolve throughout the game. I feel like since there is a child involved, the actions you take could affect the future of the country.
Apart from the trailer, screenshots were also released giving some more details about the overall game. There’s a shot of the main protagonist and the types of weapons that will be available to use. All these images suggest that the setting will be in both urban and rural environments. They also tell us that the environment will be run down and that the weapons available will be outdated because the country has failed to modernize with the times.
When looking into the game a bit more, the developers did model this world after Cuba which has been ruled by a communist government for over half a century. Cuba has never modernized thanks to the dictatorship that has been in place and will probably take many generations to do so. I am looking forward to seeing more of the gameplay in the near future. Far Cry 6 is expected to release February 18th, 2021