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Press Release

“UBISOFT® REVEALS FIGHTERS UNCAGED™ EXCLUSIVELY FOR KINECT™ FOR MICROSOFT XBOX 360®

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – August 17, 2010 – Today, Ubisoft announced Fighters Uncaged, a new fighting game that will be available worldwide in November 2010 exclusively for Kinect™ on Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Developed by AMA Studios, Fighters Uncaged will deliver players the excitement of real fighting competitions, in addition to teaching players mixed martial arts techniques.

“Fighters Uncaged is the first motion fighting game for Microsoft Kinect™, dedicated to a core audience,” said Adam Novickas, U.S. director of marketing at Ubisoft. “Fighters Uncaged requires players to get out of their seat to engage in a controller-free full-body combat game and experience the authentic fighting style of Thai boxing.”

Leveraging the Microsoft Kinect™ technology, Fighters Uncaged delivers players an immersive total-body combat experience. Players will be able to create 70 different strikes inspired by martial arts and compete in 21 different fighting environments such as rooftops, dark alleys, gritty city docks and abandoned church. Included are diverse opponents with unique fighting styles, devastating combos with voice-activated super strikes, opportunities to upgrade your character by unlocking new skills and a jump-in multiplayer feature to take your enemies down with your friends.

For more information on Fighters Uncaged, please visit: www.fightersuncaged.com”

Publisher’s Fact Sheet:

Full Body Combat
-Using the power of the Kinect, for the first time, gamers are able to realistically fight using their bodies.
-Unleash 70 devastating moves inspired by free-fight combat techniques.
-Fight using your fists, knees, legs, elbows and even your head to take out opponents. Body tracking allows for accurate dodging and blocking of incoming strikes delivering players directly into the game.

Brutal Fighting System
-Unleash a chain of attacks with Fighters Uncaged’s multi-layered combo system based on deadly martial art techniques.
-Deliver devastating super strikes triggered by both movement and voice-activated commands.
-Execute merciless finishing moves to completely destroy opponents.

Deep Skill Based Fighting System
-Use skill to learn your opponents fighting style and cruelly exploit their weaknesses.
-Adapt your fighting style by moving closer to your opponent for stronger attacks, and alter your position to defend yourself as your every action is tracked.
-Drive your enemies to the brink of defeat by stunning, exhausting and blinding them before releasing ruthless vengeance.

Enter into the Cutthroat World of Illegal Fighting Tournaments
-Battle ruthless opponents each trained in a different deadly fighting style.
-Fight through 21 diverse and gritty locations that react dynamically to the action.

We’re exhausted here in Los Angeles, running only on a few hours of sleep. I’ve already put out the updates for the Microsoft and Electronic Arts press conferences, so now it’s time for Ubisoft. Twitter has been down for most of the night so we weren’t able to tweet with updates for a long time. Hopefully things will be sorted out in the morning. Right, on we go.

Ubisoft has announced Q Entertainment’s Child of Eden, which should be a hit for Rez lovers. Battle Tag was an odd title that seems to pit teams of four against each other in what seems to mark the Xbox 360’s first attempt at laser tag. Innergy borrows from the Wii’s Vitality Sensor in an effort to soothe gamers enough for them to overlook another lifting of Nintendo technology. Seriously? Likewise, MotionSports includes even more sports games for Kinect. Raving Rabbids Travel in Time is a new rabbids title that encourages players to help cavemen start fires, assist Egyptians in de-nosing the Sphinx, and complete many other significant or insignificant events throughout history. Rayman also returns, in Rayman: Origins, while a vague Michael Jackson game will instill false hopes in gamers that they can dance like the King of Pop once did.

Here’s a little blurb on the Kinect. Kinect-only games are rumored to be packed in purple boxes, which should set them apart from the usual green. The purple boxes should prevent customers from unwittingly buying Kinect games that they might not be able to play at home, in the case that they don’t own Microsoft’s new baby.

Stay tuned for coverage of the crazy Activision concert!

· ESPN

o ESPN has entered an exclusive partnership with Microsoft’s Xbox

§ In the first year, will offer 3500+ live and on-demand events, most in HD

§ Kinect support

· Commands like “Xbox, replay” will rewind video to just before the snap of the football

· Saying “Xbox, join USC” during the demonstrated USC game displayed a momentum bar that shifted an Avatar’s support towards USC

§ From here, Xbox owners can check espn.com for scores and highlights, all without leaving the service

§ Free for Xbox LIVE Gold members

· Natal

o Renamed Kinect

o Waving your arms will recognize the user; waving your arms again will bring up a hub that features many popular programs, such as Avatar Editor, Zune, Netflix, and Last.fm

o Video Kinect

§ Headset-free audio and video conferencing

§ Allows you to see and chat with Xbox LIVE and Windows Messenger users

o Launch games

§ Joy Ride

· Tricks can be acted out

o Spinning in a circle caused the driving Avatar to pull a 360 degree spin

§ Kinectimals

· Roll around, play hide and seek, and otherwise enjoy the companionship of 40 animals through 30 games

§ Kinect Sports

§ Kinect Adventures

· Demo showed testers riding a roller coaster-like track, avoiding obstacles by jumping or ducking, while trying to gather coins as they passed by

· Kinect recognized a second player and automatically split the screen for easy drop-in two-person play

· A floating camera indicated moments when Kinect would snap a photo (and supposedly video) that could be uploaded to Facebook

§ MTV/Harmonix

· Dance Central

o Players Bankhead Bounce, Freeze, Shoulder Step, and otherwise cut a rug to songs from artists like Lady Gaga, No Doubt, and the Beastie Boys, with plenty more songs to be made available for download

o 600+ dance moves and 90+ routines, many pulled from the choreography of music videos

§ Ubisoft

· Your Shape – Fitness Evolved

o Kinect recognized articles of clothing; as the demonstrator took of her sweater, so did her on-screen representation

o Body measurements taken during a quick scan

o Calories to be burnt and time spent are displayed during workouts, as are cues like “out of rhythm” that get you to step up your game

o Workouts include combat training, taichi, and more

o To be released in North America on November 4^th, with a projected assortment of more than 15 launch titles

· New Xbox 360

o Smaller power supply

§ 135 watt

§ Different connector

o 250GB removable hard drive

§ Doesn’t support existing HDD

o Front Memory Unit slots were removed

o Back cutout reserved for wireless adapters has been removed

§ Can still use wireless adapter, but it won’t snap into the back of the console

o Optical audio out added to the back of the 360

o Added port for the Kinect sensor

§ Hybrid data/power port

o Added two more USB ports on the back

o No removable faceplates

o Wireless controller bind button has been combined with the IR receiver

o Added internal wireless N WiFi (2.4 GHz)

o $299 price point

o Ships today; should be available later this week

· Xbox LIVE is coming to Windows Mobile 7

E3 2010 is almost here, which means anxiety levels are high over at 360 Rant Rave. Do we have everything we need? What are we wearing? Can we get to each appointment on time? Should we stop in and check out Leonard Nimoy? These and many more questions run through our heads, but perhaps chief amongst all these queries, is how we will pay for it all.

Don’t you fret, for we’ll figure it all out somehow. We’ve got a gameplan set up on the new forum (which should go live once the diligent Jolly gets the style and chat in place), so we’ll not be spending our first E3 looking like chocobos with no heads. The funding, however…well, we won’t turn down donations

Here’s a list of who is bringing what to the video game potluck going down in just a few days:

Read more

EA Sports has introduced the EA Sports Online Pass, a registration code that unlocks online play for EA’s sports games. Once the one-time code has been entered, online multiplayer, online dynasty modes, and additional content will be made available, such as an advanced driver for the upcoming Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11. PGA Tour 11 will serve as the precedent, and all subsequent EA Sports games will follow suit. Like the VIP code from Bad Company 2, new copies of games will come with the Online Pass, while buying old copies will force consumers to drop another $10 on the title-specific Online Pass (which incidentally will be sold at GameStop).

Ubisoft, in turn, is contemplating its own “Project $10”, as Alain Martinez (CFO at Ubisoft) declared that “Most of the games that we release next year will have from the start downloadable content available. And we are looking very carefully at what is being done by EA regarding what we call the ‘ten dollar solution’ and we would probably follow that line at some time in the future.”

Hopping on the bandwagon, THQ’s Project $5 does not come with a twelve-inch sub sandwich, but it does require owners of used copies of UFC Undisputed 2010 to dish out a fiver in order to unlock online access. The official statement notes that “The main enhancement of UFC Undisputed 2010’s premium online content is the new “Fight Camp Mode” in which players can assemble ranks of up to 40 people and train together. This is a significant value-add to the game as players can continually improve their skills by training with their friends and bringing teams of MMA specialists together. The multiplayer content for UFC Undisputed 2010 will be available via a one-time code included with the game at purchase. Codes for accessing the content will be available for second-time buyers for an additional $5.”

“The destiny of man lays in our grasp. We will lead their hearts and minds to absolute peace. Those who deny us fight for the wrong side of history and will not survive. Behold now the promise of victory in the visions of the animus. Join us! The future awaits. The Templars await.”

These are the words of Dr. Warren Vidic as he introduces Ubisoft’s teaser site for Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. If you’re not so eager to explore in order to ascertain details on the upcoming addition to the Assassin’s Creed series, I’ve compiled some snippets of content from Brotherhood:

• Over 15 hours of single-player campaign play
• Recruit, train, and deploy your own Assassins
• Rally citizens, unlock factions and missions, and fund the rebirth of a city
• Secret weapons such as parachutes and hidden guns
• Various classes with unique weapons and finishing moves, detailed maps, and many modes mean for a colorful multiplayer experience

If you pre-order Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood through GameStop you’ll have access to the exclusive multiplayer character, the Harlequin. While it’s going to be very difficult for this character to be anywhere near as cool as The Joker’s Harley Quinn, at least you’ll be able to revive the “Why so serious?” line as you hunt down your enemies in the multiplayer mode.

In a video posted yesterday, details on Ubisoft’s UPlay have begun to take shape.

Ubisoft’s brand-specific feature is currently in beta testing, but it appears to get a leg up on the award systems of both Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Instead of offering a vague description of what must be done in order to, for example, unlock an article of clothing for one’s Avatar, a player is instead able to set after more detailed objectives in order to accumulate points that can be exchanged for awards on the UPlay site.

The player must first sign up before he or she can access the UPlay site via Ubisoft games played on the console. After a brief registration process, the online UPlay channel can be accessed through Ubisoft’s games with a mere button press. The aforementioned video notes that Ubisoft will utilize UPlay for all of their titles, but it is unspecified whether previous titles will get any special treatment.

Though the true revelations are brief and appear at the end of the video, it is shown that Assassin’s Creed 2 will be compatible with UPlay. As the clip reveals, objectives such as “Welcome to Animus 2.0″ and “Old Friends Return” can be met, granting points that can be exchanged for the theme, additional throwing knives, Altair’s outfit, and an exclusive map. R.U.S.E. and Splinter Cell: Conviction appear to also get the special UPlay treatment, the latter game presenting the opportunity to unlock “Merchant Market” and “Weapon Upgrade” awards.

Tonight on G4TV at 6:30PM ET/PT, X-Play will be showing an Assassin’s Creed 2 special.  Fetures include:

*X-Play will do inside the next chapter of the blockbuster series, revealing brand new gameplay

*X-Play will reveal the secrets of the game’s mysterious story and introduce you to Ezio, the new lead character

*X-Play will go hands-on with the game for some acrobatic free-running and show how to control the player’s assassin

*X-Play will present the game’s combat system

*Morgan Web will take fans along on her travels to Florence and Venice to show how the game is shockingly similar to the real locations

So for an in-depth look at this title, due out November 17th, tune into G4TV tonight.

Game on!

Ubisoft has just released a new trailer for their upcoming title, Splinter Cell: Conviction.

Click HERE to view the trailer. 

Game on!

Ubisoft has just released a new gameplay trailer for the upcoming title, Assassin’s Creed II.  So get ready to travel back to 1486, and strap your stealth blades on. 

Click HERE to view the trailer.  Enjoy.

Game on!