Precise Animation Technology Adds Lifelike Intensity To Supporting Characters In Highly Anticipated Sequel to Assassin's Creed 2

Image Metrics, the leading provider of facial animation technology and services for the entertainment industry, has provided facial animation for many cut scenes in the highly anticipated action adventure video game Assassin's Creed II. Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, Assassin's Creed II is Ubisoft's sequel to the 2007 debut title that became the fastest-selling new IP in video game history. Set in an all new era, the Renaissance, Assassin's Creed II features a new hero, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a young Italian noble out to protect his dynasty from the power hungry, bloodthirsty Knights Templar. The project marks Image Metrics' first title with Ubisoft.

Players of Assassin’s Creed II on PlayStation® 3 and Xbox 360® will be able to use the in-game interface to connect directly to the Uplay beta.

Ubisoft announce that players of Assassin’s Creed II on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 will be able to use the in-game interface to connect directly to the Uplay beta.

New details of Assassin's Creed Lineage short movies

Ubisoft announce the first of the three episodes from the new Assassin’s Creed: Lineage short movies will debut on YouTube. Beginning on October 27, 2009, YouTube will have the first episode of the short movies on its homepage in eight countries throughout the world for a period of 24 hours.

Assassin's Creed most viewed on YouTube

Ubisoft announce the first of the three episodes from the new Assassin’s Creed: Lineage short movies that made its debut on YouTube on October 27, 2009, was the most watched video on its website with over 1.7 million views worldwide in a period of 24 hours. On the day of its release, the first episode of Assassin’s Creed: Lineage was also the most commented video and it also received with excellent feedbacks from viewers.

Assassin's Creed II Original Soundtrack available November 16th

Award-winning composer Jesper Kyd has created an epic soundtrack for Assassin's Creed II, the sequel to the fastest-selling new IP in video game history. Following his atmospheric score for the original Assassin's Creed, Kyd takes the music in an adventurous new direction and crafts an immensely diverse, melodic and progressive musical pallete featuring acoustic and symphonic orchestrations with emotional depth and diversity.

Assassin's Creed - Lineage (Part 1) HD video trailer

When the Duke of Milan is brutally murdered, the Assassin Giovanni Auditore is dispatched to investigate. The answers he uncovers implicate Italy's most powerful families reaching all the way back to the Vatican itself. As Giovanni draws closer to the truth, he becomes hunted himself. He must expose the conspirators before he joins their ever growing list of victims.

Ubisoft announce the first of the three episodes from the new Assassin’s Creed: Lineage short movies

Ubisoft announce the first of the three episodes from the new Assassin's Creed: Lineage short movies will debut on YouTube. Beginning on October 27, 2009, YouTube will have the first episode of the short movies on its homepage in eight countries throughout the world for a period of 24 hours.

First of the three episodes from the new Assassin’s Creed: Lineage short movies will debut on YouTube

Ubisoft announce the first of the three episodes from the new Assassin’s Creed: Lineage short movies will debut on YouTube. Beginning on October 27, 2009, YouTube will have the first episode of the short movies on its homepage in eight countries throughout the world for a period of 24 hours.

Assassin's Creed 2 new features even more gameplay

Ubisoft promised so much with Assassin's Creed 2, so what did they manage to deliver?

Here are some details of Assassin's Creed 2

The game has 130 missions
Fourty hours plus of gamesplay
Secret locations behind breakable doors (you'll spend a lot of time crashing doors!)
A thousand page game storyline script...

Assassin's Creed II Discovery video game for Nintendo DS

Today Ubisoft announce that Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery for the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DS systems will launch on November 20 for the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of £29.99.

The game is rated “16+” by the Pan European Game Information (PEGI).

Danny Wallace to play the voice of Shaun Hastings in Assassin's Creed 2 video game

Ubisoft announced that well-known British humorist and author Danny Wallace will be cast as one of the key roles in Assassin’s Creed II. The voice and likeness of Wallace will be cast for the character of Shaun Hastings. A pivotal character in the game, Shaun will serve as a historian, guide and source of information for the player as he proceeds through the game.

Danny Wallace is most recognised as the author of critically acclaimed books including Join Me and Yes Man. The latter was turned into a Hollywood movie starring Jim Carey in 2008, whilst more recently this year his latest book Friends Like These has been released in paperback. In recent years, Danny has also been involved in a variety of different ‘projects’ from searching the globe for robots and creating his own country in central London, to more sedate celebrity activity such as appearing on the Jonathan Ross show and writing a regular column for award-winning lifestyle magazine ShortList.

“When the UK suggested Danny to us, we were completely open to the idea. Danny has been fantastic to work with, and his manner and particular style of humor has worked out perfect for the role of Shaun” said script writer Corey May. Speaking on his own involvement in the game, Wallace said “Going right back to my days of working on Sega Power, I’ve always been a keen gamer, and being involved - and actually being in a game like Assassin’s Creed II is amazing! I have to say, I’m rather excited”


ABOUT ASSASSIN’S CREED II:

Assassin’s Creed II is the product of over two years of intensive development by the original creative team behind the Assassin’s Creed brand. In a vast open world environment, the game invites players to incarnate Ezio, a privileged young noble in Renaissance Italy who’s been betrayed by the rival ruling families of Italy.

Ezio’s subsequent quest for vengeance plunges players into a captivating and epic story that offers more variety in missions, surprising and engaging new game play elements, diverse weapons and a profound character progression that will appeal to fans of the original Assassin’s Creed as well as entice players new to the brand.

Assassin’s Creed II is scheduled to launch on November 20, 2009 for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PC.

Assassin’s Creed II - Video Games and Hollywood Converge at Comic Con

Ubisoft detailed a panel around Assassin’s Creed II to be held on July 23, 2009 from 1:45–2:45 p.m. in Room 6A at Comic-Con in San Diego. The panel entitled “Assassin’s Creed II: Video Games and Hollywood Converge” will touch on the evolution of entertainment creation and distribution while highlighting the bridge between video games and film. Panel hosts will be Yannis Mallat, chief executive officer at Ubisoft Montreal and Pierre Raymond, founder and chief executive officer of Hybride Technologies, the visual effects studio behind 300 and Sin City, along with special guest Corey May, Assassin’s Creed II video game scriptwriter.

Recently, during the E3 Expo in Los Angeles, Ubisoft announced production at Hybride Technologies on a series of short films based on the upcoming Assassin’s Creed II video game. The Comic-Con panel will include a discussion of the production of these short films, a viewing of a teaser video showing new shots from the filming and development of the short film series, as well as the first public demonstration of the Assassin’s Creed II video game.

“Ubisoft has detailed our vision for convergence over the past two years. Now, at Comic-con, we are exclusively revealing one of the first building blocks to this strategy: Assassin’s Creed II: Lineage,” said Yannis Mallat. “We’ll be discussing the links between the game and the short film series with some of the key players of the project. We are thrilled to be able to share the results of our efforts with the Comic-com audience.”


ABOUT ASSASSIN’S CREED II:

Assassin’s Creed II is the product of over two years of intensive development by the original creative team behind the Assassin’s Creed brand. In a vast open world environment, the game invites players to incarnate Ezio, a privileged young noble in Renaissance Italy who’s been betrayed by the rival ruling families of Italy.

Ezio’s subsequent quest for vengeance plunges players into a captivating and epic story that offers more variety in missions, surprising and engaging new game play elements, diverse weapons and a profound character progression that will appeal to fans of the original Assassin’s Creed as well as entice players new to the brand. Assassin’s Creed II is scheduled to launch on November 17, 2009 for the PLAYSTATION® 3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PC.

The short film series, entitled Assassin’s Creed II: Lineage will be released for Holiday 2009. Three short movies will focus on the story of Ezio’s father, Giovanni Auditore da Firenze, will preclude the Assassin’s Creed II storyline and will offer fans insight into the Assassin’s Creed II storyline and characters.

Amazing Assassin's Creed 2 images and HD video...

Ubisoft's E3 press kit only included one screen for the mighty Assassin's Creed 2. But CVG asked around and finally got hold of a few more. And we think you'll agree that it's looking a bit tasty.

See all the images and video here on CVG ...

Assassin's Creed 2 video game info

Assassin’s Creed 2 is the follow-up to the title that became the fastest-selling new IP in video game history. The highly anticipated title features a new hero, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a young Italian noble, and a new era, the Renaissance.

Assassin’s Creed 2 retains the core gameplay experience that made the first opus a resounding success and features new experiences that will surprise and challenge players.


Assassin’s Creed 2 is an epic story of family, vengeance and conspiracy set in the pristine, yet brutal, backdrop of a Renaissance Italy. Ezio befriends Leonardo da Vinci, takes on Florence’s most powerful families and ventures throughout the canals of Venice where he learns to become a master assassin.

Key Features

EZIO, A NEW ASSASSIN FOR A NEW ERA
Ezio Auditore da Firenze is a young Italian noble who will learn the ways of the assassins after his family was betrayed and he looks to seek vengeance. He is a lady’s man, a free soul with panache yet has a very human side to his personality. Through him, you become a master assassin.

RENAISSANCE ITALY
Italy in the 15th century was less a country and more a collection of city-states where families with political and economic strength began to take leadership roles in cities like Florence and Venice. This journey through some of the most beautiful cities in the world takes place in a time in history where culture and art were born alongside some of the most auspicious stories of corruption, greed and murder.

A NEW-FOUND FREEDOM
You will be able to perform missions when you want and how you want in this open-ended world that brings back free-running and adds elements such as swimming and even flying to the adventure. The variety in gameplay adds another layer for you to truly play through the game any way you choose.

DYNAMIC CROWD
Discover a living, breathing world where every character is an opportunity for the player. Blending in with the crowd is easier, working with in-game characters provide ample rewards but can also lead to surprising consequences.

BECOME A MASTER ASSASSIN
Perfect your skills to become a master assassin where you brandish new weapons, learn to disarm enemies then use their weapons against them and assassinate enemies using both hidden blades.

Product Specifications
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Ship Date: Holiday 2009
Category: Action/Adventure
Rating: Mature (US) / PEGI 16+ / USK (TBC)
Web site: www.assassinscreed.com

Use 'gamezplay' in your games searches for the latest info - it works

Assassin's Creed video game for the iPhone

Jerusalem, 1191 AD. The Third Crusade against the Saracens is tearing the Holy Land apart.
You are a Altair, a Master Assassin sent by The Order of Assassins on a quest to steal “The Chalice” from the Templars in order to end the Crusades. The fate of the Holy Land depends on you.

Plunge into this direct prequel to the critically acclaimed Assassin's Creed™. This game offers rich gameplay and a well-balanced mix of stealth, chaotic action and riddle-solving exploration set in the midst of fully 3D-rendered historical environments set in the Crusade's Middle East.

Features include:

- Variety of acrobatic moves for a very rewarding gaming experience

- 6 different weapons including the sword, dagger, crossbow, smoke bomb, exploding bomb and grappling hook

- Skill-based mini-games to test your patience & dexterity: Pick pockets, interrogate informants and much more

- An unparalleled sense of drama on the iPhone and iPod touch, intensified by 3D cinematic cut scenes and voice acting

- Upgrade your character and weapons with collected orbs

- Highly polished 3D graphics provide full immersion in a realistic Medieval Middle East environment.

Assassin’s Creed is now available for download on the Appstore for £5.99 and is compatible with the iPhone and the iPod Touch.

Assassin's Creed 2 video game out in 2009

 Ubisoft is developing Assassin’s Creed II on all current-generation platforms for a scheduled Holiday 2009 release.

The initial installment of Assassin’s Creed was released in November 2007 to popular and critical success, selling 8 million copies worldwide and garnering awards such as Best Action Game 2007 from 1UP and Outstanding Achievement in Animation from the AIAS.

Assassin’s Creed II is the product of over two years of intensive development by the original creative team behind the Assassin’s Creed brand. In a vast open world environment, the game invites players to incarnate Ezio, a privileged young noble in Renaissance Italy who’s been betrayed by the rival ruling families of Italy. Ezio’s subsequent quest for vengeance plunges players into a captivating and epic story that offers more variety in missions, surprising and engaging new gameplay elements, diverse weapons and a profound character progression that will appeal to fans of the original Assassin’s Creed as well as entice players new to the brand.

“Our creative team is working hard to top the experience of Assassin’s Creed,” said Patrice Desilets, creative director at Ubisoft. “We’ve made improvements to every aspect of the game. We’ve plunged ourselves into the stunning history of the Italian Renaissance so that we can offer fans a unique, varied and innovative Assassin’s Creed experience.”

Additional details on Assassin’s Creed II are revealed in the May issue of Game Informer.

GameInformer Exclusive - Assassin's Creed 2 - A new hero for our time video game

Game Informer magazine have a world exclusive lok at the new Assassin's Creed video game.

Here's some of the information they report...

- You'll have a ton of new weapons to choose from including an axe, a hammer, a mace, a spear, 2 different sword types, a spear axe, and 2 smaller blades
- You CAN swim
- Da Vincis workshop is in the game
- Locations include Saint Marks Basilica, The Grand Canal, The Little Canal, and the Rialto bridge.
- The game opens in 1476, Altair is from 1191
- So you do indeed play as a new ancestor of Altair / Desmond
-You will see the countryside of Tuscany
- The "Auditore" family is mentioned
- The main characters name is Ezio Auditore de Firenze
- He is a nobleman of Florence
- Big characters are in the game including Machiavelli, Caterina Sofrza, and Lorenzo de Medici
- YOU DO INDEED GLIDE on Da Vincis flying machine.
- Game will feature a new notoriety system that governs how enemy soldiers and people will treat you.
- You can disarm enemies and use their own weapons against them this time.
- Each weapon has a special move.
- 16 unique mission types.
- No more ease dropping or pick pocketing missions.
- If you get beat up to much you will need to see a street side doctor to regain full strength.
- Hidden objects (like flags in the first one) are there to uncover but this time if you track them down you will get in-game bonuses that make it worth your time.
- Items include, flags, statues, and gold coins and more that isnt mentioned.
- New enemy types with unique attitudes and weaknesses are present in the game. Archers are mentioned, as well as elite enemies, dagger wielders, "Brutish" armored troops with heavy armor and 2 handed swords and axes, and an intelligent halberd enemy will probe hiding places with their weapons if they think you're near by.
- While hiding in a hay bail you can assassinate people this time, but it may expose your position.
- You can still climb towers and ride horses
- The Lorendo de Medici assassination attempt is in the game.
- There is now a night and day sequence in the game.
- 240 people are working on this title.

Information from Screw Attack here...

I am alive video game delayed plus new Assassin's Creed and Red Steel titles

Ubisoft has delayed I Am Alive and announced new Assassin's Creed and Red Steel titles.

In an investment meeting, CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed that the earthquake survival title will not be available until at least April 2009, saying it "needs more work".

He revealed a range of titles to be released by the end of the next financial year ending March 2010, including sequels to Red Steel, Assassin's Creed, Ghost Recon, Anno and Splinter Cell Conviction, reports Eurogamer.

Also announced were games for Avatar, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Arthur And The Invisibles.

The publisher previously dated I Am Alive for March and set release dates for Tom Clancy's HAWX and Bound In Blood.

Top Five bargain console video games for Christmas 2008

There are great bargains in older games.

Even though they are old they still fall in the must-have category.

Top 5 choices:


1. Call of Duty 4

Although a year old it still stands miles above the rest and the recently released Call of Duty World at War stands on par if not worse if going back to World War II wasn’t your thing. The single player sets you during the modern day and uses a cinematic feel which is fantastically engrossing and to get those hard earned veteran achievements you’ll be playing it many times over. Although the single player is great it’s the multiplayer which takes Call of Duty into its own and truly excels. With the best leveling up system I’ve seen on a console shooter to date, the ranking up from private to corporal is enjoyable. The ability to customize your characters perks and special powers extends beyond the normal weapon selection. Honestly this game is still tremendously popular both offline and online, some people are actually coming back from COD: World at War, and if you’re into some proper first person shooting action then this is the game to get this Christmas.



2. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Gosh, this one may be controversial depending on how much you cherish your childhood memories but you can’t doubt the success of the Lego games series. This year has seen the release of Lego Indiana Jones and Lego Batman but they all lead back to the Lego Star Wars series. I recommend getting the Complete Saga version as that gives you all 6 episodes on one disc. Even as a die hard Star Wars fan, I enjoyed this game. Don’t get me wrong; realism isn’t top of the list but it doesn’t disappoint in the enjoyment factor and keeps strictly to the storyline. Seeing those special moments recreated in Lego will make you laugh. Out of all the games on this list I think Lego Star Wars will take the longest for you to complete 100%; because of the way it’s been made you’ll have to play the game several times over to get the special treats. By earning studs you’ll be able to unlock characters so you can see once and for all what it would have been like if Mace Windu had magically been able to fight Emperor Palpatine to the death at the end of Return of the Jedi. These hypothetical situations are fun to play out but this game will appeal to not only fans of the Star Wars phenomenon but also anyone looking for something different this Christmas.



3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

If you haven’t been part of the Guitar Hero craze you’ve been lying under a rock far too long. Last years release was the kick start to the music gaming revolution and has truly expanded with new Guitar Hero and Rock Band games going on sale this year. But that doesn’t pull away from the fact that this was a good game. To be honest the game hasn’t changed radically from Guitar Hero II. The only changes come in music tracks and instrument options. The basic premise is to feel like a rock star and play along with tracks by hitting the notes at the right time. It sounds easy but it gets hard quickly. Looking back, the songs aren’t going to be quite as up to date as you’d like but the famous tracks will be there to rock on too. With some money spent in the Xbox Live Marketplace you can update your tunes to something more modern. Remember you’ll need the guitar with this game to play properly as it’s not worth just using the controller. If you’re not at all interested in music I would steer clear of this.



4. Rainbow Six Vegas 2

This sequel wasn’t as much a new game, just as an expansion to the first. There was no major changes just slight graphical appearances which, in my opinion, appeared a bit better in HD than the prequel. But that’s not a bad thing; the original was such a good hit, putting you in the role of an elite anti-terrorist squad. Rainbow Six Vegas 2 builds on the success of duck-and-cover shooting as well as the team commands which seem quite easy to order and the missions are overall fun to complete. Set in and around the outskirts of Las Vegas, the environments aren’t repeated often but can seem bland. The multiplayer part of the game shares a similar leveling system as COD 4; they have a more cautious approach than the running and gunning of COD. This game requires patience during the single player campaign as well as multiplayer; but if you’re after that it can provide you with a thorough experience.


5. Assassins Creed

This makes my list on wow factor alone. Given the single player is quite short, Assassins Creed amazes people on it’s scale. There is a huge virtual map of four cities set during the time of the Crusades and never has history been so much fun as you play an assassin fighting against the Christian Crusaders, the Muslims and any evil force. Although over a year old the graphics hold up giving truly amazing views from the top of buildings; for once you just stop and stare in a video game as you try and point out things on the horizon. However that is just small compared to what makes this game a must play - the movement system is immense albeit easy. It doesn’t take long to get used to and you’ll be jumping across buildings and free running around ancient Jerusalem before you can say “Kill that infidel!” The implementation is very streamlined and makes simple running on the ground quite boring. Overall an entertaining game in an otherwise unexploited era but won’t be on your played list for long.

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Assassin's Creed on PC and Nintendo DS

Having polarised opinion pretty much straight down the middle when it was released on Xbox 360 and PS3 last year, Assassin's Creed arrives on PC in a 'Director's Cut' guise. Featuring the incredible graphics, sprawling cities, and free-running gameplay that previously proved so popular, the PC version adds in further side-missions for extra variety. Winner!