E3 has now properly kicked into high gear this weekend, with
various game publishers like Gearbox, Devolver Digital and Ubisoft taking centre
stage on Saturday to reveal what’s coming soon. The latter was the high point
of all of yesterday’s biggest announcements, offering updates on several games
like Watch Dogs: Legion and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, as well as a few cheeky
reveals for previously unannounced titles.
Wondering what Ubisoft had in store for players this year? If
you missed last night’s digital ‘Ubisoft Forward’ presentation and just want
the biggest highlights, you’ve come to the right place. It was world premieres
and exciting reveals galore from the French publisher, so we’ve put together
the following roundup to help you in the loop. Here’s all the big announcements
from Ubisoft…
Rocksmith+ brings subscription guitar learning to
consoles
The ‘gaming with a guitar’ craze may now largely be over for
the most part, but nobody seems to have told Ubisoft. Yesterday it was revealed
via a trailer that the Rocksmith brand will be making a return in the new Rocksmith+,
which differs from the original by letting budding guitar players subscribe to
learn songs as opposed to purchasing them individually.
Rocksmith+ looks to function extremely similarly to the
original concept, only this time you’ll be able to connect any guitar (electric
or acoustic) via a phone app. A closed beta for the game is already happening
on PC, but there’s no word just yet whether console players will soon also be
able to get in on the fun. Notable new features in this entry includes real-time
feedback, acoustic guitar support (obviously) and the ability to control song
speed, which should help you break down riffs and solos better.
Riders Republic gets a September 2nd release
date
After being revealed last year as Ubisoft’s last “one more
thing” announcement, the extremely colourful-looking Riders Republic slipped indefinitely
out of its planned February 25, 2021, release date. Well, fans of all things race-related
needn’t fret too much, as Ubisoft announced yesterday that it will still be
releasing this year: as early as on September 2nd.
Riders Republic, for those unaware, is a multiplayer-focussed
racing where up to 64 players can compete at once using a range of different
vehicles. Bikes, snowboards, skis and wing suits are just some of the modes of
transport the new five-minute ‘deep-dive’ trailer showed off, as well as a new ‘Mass
Start Race” mode.
Play as the franchise’s previous villains in Far Cry 6
DLC
Rumours that Far Cry 3’s Vaas was set to return in some way
had been floating in the ether for quite a while. However, last night’s Ubisoft
Forward still manage to surprise by revealing that not only he would soon be
coming back to the series, but so would Far Cry 5’s Joseph Seed and Far Cry 4’s
Pagan Min. That bad news is that this opportunity is only reserved for Far Cry
6 players that pick up the season pass.
The official press release states: “Delve into these iconic
villain’s twisted minds, uncover their backstories, battle their inner demons,
and reunite with familiar faces”. Ubisoft also confirmed that all three
original voice actors would be returning.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope has been officially revealed
exclusively for Switch
Sadly leaking earlier in the day via Nintendo’s own website,
it was still a pleasure to see 2017’s Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle finally
receive the turn-based tactics sequel it deserved. Officially titled Mario +
Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, the sequel brings in even more characters from the
Mario universe such as Rosalina, who also finds herself with a Rabbid form
equivalent.
Sparks of Hope looks much grander than the scope of the
original game. As a now-pulled product listing from the Nintendo’s site
describes: “Team up with Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Rabbid Peach, Rabbid
Luigi, and their friends on a galactic journey to defeat a malevolent entity
and save your Spark companions. Explore planets throughout the galaxy as you
uncover mysterious secrets and compelling quests!”
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a first-person adventure
set in James Cameron’s universe
It may have only been a CGI trailer, but it was nice to
Ubisoft confirm that the long-rumoured Avatar game is in fact real. Developed to
tie in with James Cameron’s upcoming movie sequels, Ubisoft revealed that Avatar:
Frontiers of Pandora is being developed by Massive (the team behind The Division
games) and will be a first-person, open-world action-adventure game in the
style of a Skyrim or a Fallout.
No precise launch date was given, but Ubisoft did place a
tentative year of 2022 at the end of the trailer. Take that with a pinch of
salt, though, because that’s providing Cameron’s first sequel will also be
ready to release by then. Avatar 2 currently has a planned release date of
December 16th, 2022.
Rainbow Six: Extraction is Ubisoft’s big 2021
first-person shooter releasing in September
Previously known as Rainbow Six: Quarantine before being
renamed for obvious reasons, Ubisoft Froward lent us our first proper look at
this undead-infused spin-off of the popular tactical FPS. The gameplay reveal
video did a nice job at depicting just how differently Rainbow Six: Extraction will
play from Siege, showing a co-operative team doing their best to fend off an
alien parasite.
“We took the strong foundations of Rainbow Six: Siege and
crafted a modern tactical co-op shooter where you’ll be facing an ever-evolving
alien threat,” said creative director Patrik Methé.
“You’ll have plenty of different challenges to overcome but
you’ll also have one goal in mind: making sure that nobody gets left behind. It
will be up to you and your squad to decide when to push forward, or when to
extract.”
