Ubi Soft?s lineup this year was a force to be reckoned with. Their slew of titles on the show floor were enough to make any gamer weak at the knees. Great sequels accompanied long awaited titles, which stood by some newcomers to the group as well.
Tom Clancy games were out in numbers, literally, as they were all sequels to great games. To start things off there was Splinter Cell 2 playing in its spectacular multiplayer form. 4 on 4 games pitted stealthy spies against juggernaut-like security guards. Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow was also there with its own bag of multiplayer goodies. More than a sequel, this is a whole new game with a new storyline and more maps. The top Clancy sequels, however, were Ghost Recon 2 and Splinter Cell 3. Splinter Cell 3 looked great with its new graphics and rag doll physics. The gameplay also looks to be shaping up with an in-depth storyline, open-ended missions, and cooperative stealth modes. But by far the most advanced sequel on Ubi?s floor was Ghost Recon 2. This title is going to offer far superior graphics to the prequel, a brand new story, and plenty more special forces soldiers to work with.
Also in the same vein as the Clancy titles were the war themed games. Silent Hunter 3 will now allow players to hop into a U-Boat and take it to the Allies in the North Sea. This game, like its predecessors, will offer a realistic immersive environment as well as an accessible interface that will allow both veterans and novices alike to pilot a submarine. Also in this category falls Pacific Fighters, the WWII flight sim that takes you into the thick of Pacific air battles.
The two most notable war games on the floor were definitely Far Cry and Brothers in Arms. Far Cry is almost upon us with its beautiful graphics and in-depth AI. Brothers in Arms, however, is still deep in development, but from the looks of it the game will be well worth the wait. This WWII combat game is going to take squad based combat to a whole new level with its intricate control system.
Though definitely not the black sheep of the industry, the rest of the lineup seemed almost out of place next to all those hardcore combat games. Ubi Soft has picked up the Dukes of Hazard license and will be delivering a driving action game soon. Also in the action racing genre is Notorious: Die to Drive, though this game is set in slightly more recent times. In Notorious, players will compete in ?gangsta-combat? style car battles. Think of Twisted Metal meets NWA.
Rocky Legends, a boxing game like Fight Night, was also being shown at Ubi?s booth. Legends takes players back in time to Rocky?s heyday and lets them battle every friend and foe from the movies. Taking more of an action angle than fighting, Prince of Persia 2 made its appearance with a more mature attitude and more mature themes than its Game of the Year predecessor. The awesome fighting system is still intact, along with your unique ability to control time.
Rounding out the lineup was Myst IV Revelation. Fans of the older graphics schemes may feel awkward exploring the world of Myst in bright 3D, but the feeling should be welcome to most other gamers. The mind bending puzzles are back, this time accompanied by an all new storyline that is sure to captivate adventure gamers.
To sum it all up, Ubi Soft looked great and so did its games. These titles are sure to please when they are released, which should be around the end of the year, so you?ll have to make sure to put these titles on your wish list for the holidays.