The motorcycle racing game Trials Rising is adding some big free DLC very soon. As part of the Ubisoft Forward event, the developer announced that "the Gigatrack" is coming to the game on July 16. The Gigatrack is the longest track in the Trials franchise, and it's meant to test your endurance.The Gigatrack spans five different environments, and you can get a glimpse at it in the video below. It looks really extreme. Check out the trailer:Ubisoft Forward is going on right now, and it's expected to bring news about the publisher's biggest games, including Watch Dogs Legion, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 6, and more.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Ubisoft devoted a portion of today's Ubisoft Forward presentation to talking about its new sci-fi battle royal shooter, Hyper Scape. While the company did not yet confirm a release date, it did announce that it is opening up its ongoing Hyper Scape beta today, July 12.The Hyper Scape beta is now open to all players on PC. You can download and jump into the beta right now for free from Ubisoft's Uplay store. In addition to announcing the open beta, Ubisoft released a new trailer for Hyper Scape that shares more details on the game's world; you can check that out below.Coinciding with the launch of the open beta, Ubisoft has introduced a new weapon to the game: the Harpy, an SMG that the publisher says "excels in close-to-mid-quarters combat." A new hack, the Shockwave, is also now available in the game. This one launches an AOE blast that can knock other players away.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The latest trailer for Ubisoft's Tom Clancy mobile game, Elite Squad, was released during the Ubisoft Forward event on Sunday. The video provides a fresh look at the military-themed role-playing game that features famous heroes and villains from the Tom Clancy universe.This newest trailer also reveals that people who pre-register for Elite Squad on iOS and Android will get Montagne's Tier 2 weapon. Ubisoft also confirmed a release date for Elite Squad: August 27. Check out the new trailer below.Elite Squad features characters from Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, The Division, and Splinter Cell. The gameplay is comprised of 5v5 "real-time" battles on maps from the Clancy universe.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

I genuinely tried to stealth my way through most encounters in the first hour of my three-hour preview demo of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. I'd crouch among the sparse bushes and use a mixture of well-placed arrow shots and instant-kill hidden blade assassinations to carefully chip away at an outpost's defenses. But it wasn't exactly easy and it felt like I wasn't adequately responding to the situation at hand.Perhaps additional abilities, additional enemy types, and new environments in other parts of the game will allow Eivor to pull off more types of silent kills and make stealth a more enjoyable option, but the placement of enemies in most of the encounters I experienced in the demo seemed to encourage fighting out in the open over skulking in the shadows. So for the latter two hours of my time with the demo I decided to do just that.Frankly, it made for a far more satisfying experience. By the end of the demo, I was having a much better time than I was at the start. Choosing to confront foes head-on reminded me of my time with Edward Kenway, the protagonist of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. As a pirate who only becomes an Assassin in the final few campaign missions of the game, it makes sense that Edward solves many of his problems as a pirate that's making the most of the tools of an Assassin, as opposed to an actual trained Assassin--and this is reflected in the combat and mission structure. Some are enjoyable and others (like the mandatory stealth and tailing missions) are less so. Black Flag is at its best when you play it as a scrappy pirate who sails around in search of treasure and ships to pillage, only turning to the tools and strategies of the Assassins as another method in Edward's vast arsenal. In those moments when Black Flag affords you the agency to pull from both Edward's combat and stealth abilities, it's a better game--Black Flag is perhaps the only released entry in the Assassin's Creed franchise where I regularly transition between both combat and stealth as the two playstyles flow together in a satisfying way.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

At its core, Watch Dogs: Legion is trying to tell a story about a people's uprising. It's not about one hero saving the day or a protagonist who has all the answers to single-handedly enact change in the world. In London, the hacker collective DedSec is composed of anyone. Nearly every NPC on the street can be recruited to join the cause as a playable character and put their own strengths, weaknesses, and perks to use. And based on my four-hour hands-on demo with the game, I see the "play-as-anyone" system as a thematic fit, and also a fascinating take on a class-based system. It offers a variety of playstyles, and it's pretty damn impressive how well it works.For a more detailed breakdown of the game's narrative and political backdrop, be sure to read my Watch Dogs: Legion story-specific preview.After a brief prologue, I was jumped to about 10-ish hours into the game. I had a handful of characters to choose from, but focused on using my construction worker since he was equipped with a big-ass wrench for stronger melee attacks and a rideable flying drone to summon on-demand. And luckily for me, this eventually led to a strong illustration of just how character variety can affect your experience.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

After a string of bombings across London, the enigmatic entity named Zero-Day claims responsibility by contacting the first of many operatives you control, before sending in drones to kill that character. Series-long hacker group DedSec is framed for the attacks and London quickly descends into a police state where a private military corporation (PMC), called Albion, takes over law enforcement while organized crime flourishes like never before.In a presentation, game director Clint Hocking made the point very clear that Watch Dogs: Legion is political. Instead of skirting the topic, Hocking stated this version of London is "inspired by the current times we are living in." He continued, "Social inequalities are growing, partisan politics are stoking the flames of division, nationalism is on the rise, unemployment is up," describing the high-tech dystopian setting. He goes on to point out that Albion are perpetrators of police brutality and abuse, and that DedSec has grown from its hacker roots to a full resistance movement that fights for the common people.These are bold words, and from a follow-up conversation with Hocking, I get the impression that he and the team are well aware of the context they're working within. But it's one thing to hear them speak on it and another to see how the game itself handles this. I had the chance to play Watch Dogs: Legion in a four-hour hands-on session, and I'll say this: Although I'm hopeful it can deliver a strong message, that doesn't come without its concerns.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

It's been 12 years since Clint Hocking last had his name on a game that shipped: Far Cry 2 in 2008. He's bounced around several studios--LucasArts, Amazon, Valve--but has come back around to Ubisoft to take the lead on the upcoming Watch Dogs: Legion, which is set to launch on October 29 this year. In addition to a four-hour hands-on demo with the game, I had a chance to speak briefly with Hocking about how the development team have approached building its unmistakably political world.Watch Dogs: Legion pulls a lot of inspiration from the struggles we've seen in the real world; in the game, you'll see protests signs and banners, messages of grassroots resistance to fight police brutality, and London quickly turning into a tech dystopia run by an authoritarian regime. Hocking has made the political connection very clear in how he's spoken about the game. During our preview presentation before Ubisoft Forward, he stated that "social inequalities are growing, partisan politics are stoking the flames of division, nationalism is on the rise, unemployment is up" to describe the backdrop to the narrative. And he provided more insight in our conversation below.If you want impressions of the demo experience, be sure to check out my preview on how Watch Dogs: Legion's play-as-anyone feature opens up wild gameplay possibilities. You can also read about Watch Dogs: Legion's story and get a deeper dive into the political context it's working with. The following interview took place over Discord and has been edited for readability and clarity.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

After a flurry of leaks in the days leading up to Ubisoft Forward livestream, Far Cry 6 has now been officially revealed. In development for four years at Ubisoft Toronto, Far Cry 6 will bring the series to a new locale in the Caribbean named Yara, taking many influences from the island country of Cuba. The developers of the next game in the open-world franchise recently unveiled two new trailers. One was an HBO-style opening credits sequence introducing the cast, and the other set the stage for the game's primary antagonist--Presidente Anton Castillo, played by Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul actor Giancarlo Esposito.Set in the present day, Far Cry 6 occurs in a time of great political turmoil within Yara. As a country "frozen in time" due to economic sanctions and isolationism, the population begins to rise up against Castillo's oppressive regime that's run on his ambition to rebuild the country to its former glory. You'll play as Dani Rojas, a native Yaran who is caught up in the uprising to overthrow Castillo and free Yara from the Presidente's control. Teaming up with a guerilla faction, the protagonist will explore urban and rural areas of the island, facing off against Castillo's army and engaging in the familiar open-world antics you'd expect in a Far Cry game.Before the reveal at Ubisoft Forward, GameSpot got an early look at the game and spoke with narrative director Navid Khavari about its creation, as well as what to expect with the next installment of the game. One important thing to note is that while Far Cry 5 and its spin-off game New Dawn brought the series into the post-apocalypse, the next game will have a story set in a more traditional setting that's not the post-apocalypse.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Prior to the announcement of the release date for Assassin's Creed Valhalla at Ubisoft Forward, I sat down with the game's narrative director Darby McDevitt and assistant level design director Laurence Letalien to talk about the upcoming entry in the history-based franchise.We talked about numerous aspects of Valhalla--such as side quests being almost nonexistent, in-game romances changing, and combat transforming to focus on moment-to-moment decisions--but what struck me the most was that you can switch between female and male Eivor whenever you want throughout their story, and that this feature actually ties into one of the major mysteries in the upcoming Assassin's Creed game. The way that Valhalla weaves together the different parts of Eivor's story and will drop additional nuggets of lore about the Hidden Ones' evolution into the Assassin Brotherhood sounds pretty cool too.The Mystery Of Eivor's IdentityUnlike Kassandra and Alexios in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, you're not picking between two different characters in Valhalla. Regardless of whether you play as a man or woman, you're always playing as Eivor. However, just like Kassandra and Alexios, Eivor isn't a blank slate protagonist. Before you even pick up the controller and start making dialogue choices, Eivor already has an established personality, set of morals, and aspirations. All of this will shape the type of choices you'll be able to make.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Ubisoft Forward, the company's E3-style announcement event on Sunday, was actually just the first press conference that the publisher plans to hold this year.Ubisoft confirmed during the show that it will hold a second Ubisoft Forward event later this year. The publisher is promising "tons of game news and updates" during the new show. An exact date for the second Ubisoft Forward event has not been announced, but keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.Ubisoft Forward 1 brought more news about Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs Legion, and HyperScape, while the company also announced Far Cry 6 during the event.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Far Cry 6 is the next game in Ubisoft's open-world shooter franchise. While Far Cry 5 brought the series to North America for the first time, and with its follow-up New Dawn taking a surprising turn towards the post-apocalypse, Far Cry 6 brings the series back to its roots in a tropical locale. This return to the series' roots also brings back a kind of protagonist who has more of a personal stake in the story, and FC6's lead character will be more present and visible throughout the campaign.Revealed during Ubisoft Forward, the protagonist of Far Cry 6 is Dani Rojas, is a native of the island of Yara--a country "frozen in time" due to economic sanctions. With the rise of a guerrilla revolution in the country, Rojas gets swept up in the push for change against Presidente Anton Castillo's regime. Unlike other Far Cry protagonists who are outsiders making their way through a foreign land, Rojas has deep ties to the island, making their investment in its future more personal.Taking cues from Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Valhalla, players can choose from either a male or female version of Dani, and both will be fully voiced throughout the campaign. Furthermore, Dani Rojas will also appear in cutscenes interacting with other characters throughout the game, moving away from the first-person dialogue sequences and making the protagonist more visible.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

As part of the Ubisoft Forward event on Sunday, the developer confirmed a long list of new details about Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but one piece of information stands out.The developer confirmed in a post-show livestream that Eivor, the main character of Valhalla, can recruit a cat to join you on your journey. You'll get the cat by helping a Norse child in town, and then the cat--whose name is Nali--will join your longship and become a "cat raider," as the developer put it.This cat will curl up inside your boat, and it will also eat rats to keep your shipmates healthy and safe, it seems. "As you're riding around the rivers of England, you will see a cat basically walking around your longship, keeping your Viking raiders company," Ubisoft said.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

In the reveal trailer for Far Cry 6, the main antagonist, Yara president Anton Castillo, explains the chaotic nature of power in governing society to his teenage son Diego. His son is poised to take over when the time comes, but for now, Anton wants his son to understand his point of view. Using a hand grenade as a metaphor, the elder Castillo states that, "Our country is like this grenade, except it has two basic parts: the people, and you--and you must clutch them nice and tight. Or we all go boom."Far Cry 6 is a game about politics and how radically different views inevitably lead to conflict. Set during an uprising in the country of Yara, which takes stylistic and historical inspiration from the island of Cuba, you'll join the rebel force made up of citizens to overthrow Anton Castillo and his regime. His ultimate goal is to bring the country out of its period of stagnation and into a supposed new age of prosperity, even if it means oppressing and enslaving the country's citizens to do it. Since Far Cry 3, the franchise has enjoyed putting its villains front and center, giving them plenty of time to explain their philosophies in elaborate detail. They're larger than life figures whose presence is evident throughout the jungles, caves, and forests in the open-world settings--and Far Cry 6 is no different.The new game coming from Ubisoft Toronto leans more heavily into the dynamic of revolution, and how Yara's citizens rise up to free themselves instead of waiting for an outside savior to do it for them. Far Cry 6's story is about combating fascism, and you are playing as a member of the anti-fascist movement. Speaking with Far Cry 6 narrative director Navid Khavari, he explained the backbone of Far Cry 6's plot, and how the game's central character, Dani Rojas, fits in.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

As part of Ubisoft Forward, the developer shared a long list of new details about Assassin's Creed Valhalla regarding the combat, how you can recruit cats, and that you'll be able to switch between male and female Eivor at any point in the game.Another detail confirmed during the presentation was that Valhalla will have a fishing mechanic--and it's tied into another new system for the game. In Valhalla, your health does not automatically regenerate over time, so you will need to find ways to replenish it. One way is to catch and consume fish.Nice!Given that Valhalla is set in 873 CE, the game does not feature actual fishing rods. So you will simply cast a line with your hand and try to catch a fish that way. Once you have a fish on the line, you'll need to mash the A button to bring it in. You must control the direction of the fish and also the tension of your line to be able to successfully land the fish.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

While we won't get a new Far Cry game this year, we won't have to wait too long into next year to get our hands on Far Cry 6. Ubisoft has announced that Far Cry 6 will release on February 18, 2021 on PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia (that's a lot of platforms, we know). In typical Ubisoft fashion, numerous editions will be available to purchase, and pre-order listings are already starting to pop up. If you already know you're down to jump into another zany open-world first-person shooter, you can snag some cool bonuses with your pre-order, too.Far Cry 6 is set in the present day in the fictional country of Yara, a tropical paradise that has been "frozen in time," largely due to the country's tyrannical leader Anton Castillo (played by Breaking Bad actor Giancarlo Esposito). As the hero of the story, you'll step into the shoes of Dani Rojas, who helps form a guerilla faction to oust Castillo from power.While next-gen consoles will already be out by the time Far Cry 6 releases, it's worth noting that you'll be able to buy one copy of Far Cry 6 to play on PS4/PS5 and Xbox One/Series X. So if you aren't planning on upgrading to a next-gen console right away, you'll still be able to enjoy Far Cry 6 on PS5 and Xbox Series X whenever you do decide to upgrade.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com