E3 2017 Highlights For Day 3 (Part 1) – Ubisoft

Day 3 of E3 was a big one with both Ubisoft and Sony presenting. In light of this, our daily Highlights will be broken up into 2 posts so that I can give proper coverage to both companies. So let’s kick it off with Ubisoft, a company that always knows how to have fun. From grand entrances by legendary Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto to a stellar performance for Just Dance 2018, Ubisoft always puts on a show!

Better yet, they didn’t waste any time on showing things that were already unveiled. We’re all excited about Assassins Creed: Origins, but this company is much more than the Assassins Creed brand. And this Press Conference showed it all!

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

Another staple of the Ubisoft brand is their Rabbids series. You know, that series with the killer bunnies? Well Rabbids is coming to the Switch and Ubisoft is partnering up with a Nintendo staple – perhaps THE Nintendo Staple – Mario. Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle looks to have a mix of the classic Mario platform exploration and turn based battles. I’ve never really been one for the Rabbids series, but this actually looks like a lot of fun. It looks like both Ubisoft and Nintendo had a lot of fun making all these crossover elements – even throwing in a Donkey Kong Rabbid! Lord knows the Switch needs some more games in its library and it looks like it might get a really enjoyable one August 29^th!

Skull & Bones – A Pirate Multiplayer & More?

As I mentioned a bit in my Assassins Creed: Origins write up, AC: Black Flag was one of the highlights of the Assassins Creed series. From beautiful scenery to stellar naval battles, it was a game that gave us something we never knew we wanted. Well it looks like Ubisoft wants to give us more as they just announced a new title called Skull & Bones.

Now this doesn’t appear to take place in the AC Universe, but I’m sure we’ll get a fun nod or two like we did with Watchdogs. Either way, this game looks to once again put us behind the wheel of our very own Pirate ship. This time the game takes place in the Indian Ocea and will feature not only a story mode but also multiplayer and PvP battles. There’s a lot about this game to go over, so I’ll probably give this a full write up in the coming days. For now, it’s due out Fall 2018 and I’ll leave you with the reveal trailer, which promises some amazing battles and perhaps some Legendary “Beasties” to battle.

Starlink: Battle For Atlas

Another new addition to the Ubisoft lineup seems to be an answer to the Skylanders and LEGO Dimensions series called Starlink: Battle For Atlas. It looks like your typical space exploration, battle game but the twist comes with the ability to actually change your ship on the fly. Though rather than entering your Game Menu, you actually swap your ship’s parts via a linkable toy on your controller. Now I’ve never been one for these types of games because I have enough items to keep track of – I still can’t find my old GameBoy Link Cables! Though I know this game idea is pretty popular with certain audiences, so here’s wishing them the best. Additionally, this game is set for release on all consoles Fall 2018.

Beyond Good & Evil 2

One of the most anticipated – or unanticipated – reveals of Ubisoft’s E3 Press Conference was the Beyond Good & Evil 2. Now for those who don’t know, Beyond Good & Evil was a game for the PS2/ Xbox era in 2003. It was a really fun game, got great reviews and was confirmed for a sequel in 2008. Fast-forward to today and we finally get word on that sequel… or rather, prequel. Beyond Good & Evil 2 will actually be a prequel to the original game. Very little is known at the moment and for all we know it could be another 10 years before we learn anything else; but even if you know nothing about this game or series, you have to admit this trailer is pretty fun!

 

Other Notables – Far Cry 5, Just Dance & South Park titles

Of course with any Ubisoft E3 showing, you’re going to have a few series staples. Far Cry 5 is one such title and E3 just showed off some Gameplay. Now unlike usual Far cry games that take you to beautiful islands or to the dawn of man, Far Cry 5 will have you battling against a militia cult in Montana. Though again, we already knew all that from the reveal a few weeks back. What we did get to see more of was the “fang for hire” system, which allows you to recruit a bear or mountain lion to be your companion; but why choose those when you could have man’s best friend! We got to meet Boomer, a doggy friend for hire who can not only attack your enemies for you but also retrieve their gun for you…. Such a good boy!

In addition to this, we also got some new trailers for South Park: The Fractured But Whole (due out October 2017) as well as a new game called South Park Phone Destroyer (due out this year). Though the final big item of note was of course their announcement of Just Dance 2018, which is due out in October. Let’s face it; it’s not a Ubisoft press conference without a stellar dance performance. In fact, in terms of spectacle and Press Conference entertainment, I’d say Ubisoft won won E3 – or at least beat Sony. Though I’ll explore that more in my next article. So be sure to stay tuned as we continue to recap the biggest announcements of E3. Up next, Sony itself!