Latest news with #AssassinsCreed
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
22 Games We'd Love To See On The Nintendo Switch 2
The original Switch was a trailblazing device that proved you could take console-quality games on the go, but it was demonstrably less powerful than its PlayStation and Xbox competitors. In the years since the handheld hit the shelves, that gap has only grown with the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Making up some ground, the Switch 2 is more powerful and runs games like Cyberpunk 2077 that wouldn't have been possible on the original system. So now that we know what is possible, we started thinking about some big games that we'd like to see ported to the Switch 2. Here are a few of our ideas. Assassin's Creed Valhalla seems like the obvious choice for an open-world RPG on the Switch 2, but I'm actually going to go with Odyssey. Developed solely for the PS4 and Xbox One, it might be a bit more technically feasible. Plus, despite Valhalla being a more robust (and certainly longer) game overall, Odyssey's ancient Greek isle hopping is the experience I keep pining for. The protagonists are solid, the combat is decent, and the ship-based exploration gives it an air of adventure missing in some of the other recent Assassin's Creed games. A cloud version of the game actually came to the Switch 1, but only in Japan. Now's the time to fix that. — Ethan Gach There have been rumors that Stellar Blade's PS5 exclusivity (Sony published it, but developer Shift Up owns the IP) might make the jump to the Switch 2. Fuel was certainly added to that fire when the studio bought the new Nintendo console for everyone on staff to celebrate the sci-fi action-adventure's recent success on PC. I don't know if the Switch 2 could really handle the current-gen release, but it would be fun to have it there. The Souls-y combat is more forgiving than other games that play footsie with the genre, and there are tons of collectibles and backtracking perfect for handheld mode. — Ethan Gach Soulslikes have completely taken over on PC and console, but they're still pretty rare on Nintendo's systems. While the Switch 2 is getting Elden Ring later this year, and FromSoftware is working on multiplayer PVP exclusive The Dusk Bloods, the original Dark Souls is the studio's only other game on the platform. Bloodborne is out of the question. Sony can't even get a next-gen upgrade of it for PS5, but Lies of P would be the next best thing. Its Pinocchio-inspired diesel punk world, brutal but imaginative boss fights, and gear system allowing you to mix-and-match crafting components and their respective perks all worked together to create a GOTY-worthy package in 2023. With the new Overture DLC just out, it feels like a great time to see an Ultimate Edition come to Switch 2. Pinocchio. — Ethan Gach If there were ever a game that could make great use of the Switch 2's mouse controls, it's Baldur's Gate 3. I like playing Larian's Dungeons & Dragons RPG on my PS5 as much as the next guy, but having experienced it on both my PC and console, it definitely feels built for mouse and keyboard. The Switch 2 feels like a decent middle ground between both experiences, as being able to scroll around the game's complex menus with my Joy-Con 2 while playing it on my TV sounds like the ideal way to play Baldur's Gate 3. I doubt it would run as well as it does on the other platforms, but we give up pretty graphics for function with the Switch 2, and it's the only system that could even come close to replicating how the game was meant to be played. — Kenneth Shepard Bungie's loot shooter might not run great on the Switch 2 (it sometimes feels like it's barely holding it together on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S), but Destiny 2 could really use some fresh blood, and the Switch 2's mouse controls would be a perfect test case for the sci-fi FPS. The timing couldn't be better either. Does Bungie have the resources to port its increasingly ancient tech stack to a completely new platform? Who knows. But with The Final Shape wrapping up the MMO's 10-year storytelling arc, it would be neat to see an ultimate edition that lets Nintendo fans finally dig into the glories and grind of that big, beautiful universe. — Ethan Gach Red Dead Redemption is already on the Switch, so it just makes sense to bring the bigger sequel to Nintendo's more powerful portable console. While I personally don't want to play an epic western like RDR2 on a tiny Switch 2 screen, I get the desire to take a game like that with you on the go. Heck, over on Steam, RDR2 is regularly one of the most-played Steam Deck games. So there's an audience for it. Plus, the Switch 2 could likely run it just as well as a base Xbox One when you plug your new Nintendo console into its dock. The question now is if Rockstar will actually make this port happen. Considering that we still haven't gotten a PS5/XSX update for Red Dead Redemption 2 after all these years, I'm not confident at all that the company's amazing western will arrive on the Switch 2 anytime soon. – Zack Zwiezen It's easy to forget, but Sea of Thieves began life as an Xbox One game. You can still go play it there! There's no question that the Switch 2 should be capable of running it. Thanks to GameChat, the social features should be straightforward to bring over as well. Wouldn't it be extra neat if you could use webcams to see players' faces over their characters, too? The ship sailing pirate sim remains one of the most underrated MMOs out there, and one of the few crew-based multiplayer games available on console. It came to PS5 last year. Hopefully, Nintendo's platform is next. — Ethan Gach Leading the pack is the remastered collection that I was hoping and pleading would end up on the original Switch when it was released in 2021. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition combines three landmark RPGs into one package and would be an excellent addition to the Switch 2 line-up. This wouldn't be unprecedented for BioWare and EA, as they, for some reason, released Mass Effect 3 as a Wii U launch title. Might as well give Nintendo fans the full experience. Now if only they'd throw in Mass Effect: Andromeda for good measure before the fifth game comes out. — Kenneth Shepard Sometimes it feels like Dragon's Dogma 2 came and went last year, but the game is widely beloved by those who played it, and Capcom brought the original fantasy RPG to the Switch, so why not bring the sequel to the Switch 2? You, too, could experience the jaw-drop moment of the game's second title card on your commute. — Kenneth Shepard Fans are probably hoping for a full remaster of the original three Dragon Age games, but while that sounds like a far-off dream at the moment, I wouldn't be surprised if The Veilguard ended up on the Switch 2 in the near future (well, it seemed possible when I first wrote this in January). Even though none of the previous games have been on a Nintendo platform, it's a decent enough entry point, and who among us doesn't want to take a great RPG party with us wherever we go? — Kenneth Shepard Resident Evil 4 has a long history with Nintendo. The original game launched exclusively on the GameCube and director Shinji Mikami said he would 'disembowel' himself if it ever came to another console. Well, it's launched on about a dozen other platforms since then, but the 2023 remake has only been on half as many. Why not add another to the list, Capcom? — Kenneth Shepard The original Switch has Overwatch 2 and it is not a great version of the game. But the Switch 2 could get an upgrade and include the hero shooter of the moment, running in all its twitchy glory. Marvel Rivals has been such a huge success that it's hard to imagine developer NetEase isn't already trying to get the game onto as many platforms as it can. The Switch 2 might not be the optimal way to play a game like Marvel Rivals which thrives on high framerates and reaction times, but more people playing a competitive game is always a good thing. — Kenneth Shepard Metaphor: ReFantazio and Persona 3 Reload are the kind of RPGs that thrive on handheld, and feel like shoo-ins for eventual Switch 2 ports. I adored playing these long, meticulous social sim RPGs on my PS5, but they would have been much better on my Switch. The long stretches of visual novel-style dialogue are the kind of thing you'd rather not squint at across your living room when you could, instead, read them at arm's length in bed. I'd bet money that we will see one or both of these games on the Switch 2 in its first 12 months. — Kenneth Shepard Remember when people datamined Tango Gameworks' rhythm action game Hi-Fi Rush and found what appeared to be an in-game shirt referencing a Switch version that never came to be? Well, Tango Gameworks is alive, well, and outside of Microsoft's clutches, so this incredible gem of a game should show up on the Switch 2. — Kenneth Shepard The original Switch could certainly have run both The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD remasters since they both launched on the Wii U. I'm here to say they should be on the Switch 2 because they're two of the few Wii U exclusives that never made their way to the original Switch. Just rectify the issue, Nintendo. — Kenneth Shepard If you were to look up 'surefire money-making machine' in the dictionary, you'd find Grand Theft Auto V on the Switch 2 right next to it. Grand Theft Auto VI is supposed to be gracing PS5 and Xbox Series X/S later this year, but if you want to make sure the Nintendo kids don't feel too left out, porting Grand Theft Auto V to another platform seems like a decent compromise. It would sell another bazillion copies, even 12 years after its original launch. — Kenneth Shepard It's surprising that Sparking! Zero, the latest fighting game in the Budokai Tenkaichi subseries, never made its way to Switch. The series has pretty consistently landed on Nintendo's platforms in the past, so Sparking! Zero is an odd outlier. The only reason I can think of is Bandai Namco aiming for an early Switch 2 release date. I'm not one to make bets, especially not two in the same article, but I'm betting again that Sparking! Zero makes an appearance at a Nintendo showcase at some point this year. — Kenneth Shepard Incredible games like the Kingdom Hearts series, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Control are all playable on Switch, kinda: if you've got a fast and stable internet connection, you can play them through the cloud, but it doesn't live up to the experience of playing them natively on other platforms. Maybe with the Switch 2's more powerful hardware, we'll see some of those games make their way to the device in ports that feel as good to play as these games should. — Kenneth Shepard Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth both started out as PlayStation exclusives, but now they're on PC, so they're probably fair game for the Switch 2. Depending on the device's specs, I could see both of those games getting relegated to cloud versions, and I swear that's not a pun on their spikey-haired hero. It just seems like that's Square's go-to approach for games that might be a bit too demanding on Nintendo's system. Think of the groans that would echo throughout the theater when Square announced a Final Fantasy VII Remake: Cloud Version at a press conference! Would the company want that reaction to be associated with the game forever? Or maybe the pun would be too good to pass up as an expensive bit? Anyway, sure, yeah, let's put these games on Switch 2. — Kenneth Shepard Speaking of Final Fantasy, the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV would be a great showcase for the apparent mouse controls included in the Switch 2's Joy-Cons. I've tried to play XIV on my PlayStation multiple times and loathe its controller support, so this could be a nice middle ground between the two. And again, more people playing a multiplayer game is always a good thing. — Kenneth Shepard The Diablo games are ideal for handheld play, and Diablo III was great on the original Switch. Diablo II also found its way to the Switch through the Resurrected remaster, so the series has a strong history with the Nintendo console already. Diablo IV feels like another guaranteed Switch 2 port down the line. — Kenneth Shepard Rounding out this list are some of the best Star Wars games on the market. The Jedi games starring Shameless' Cameron Monaghan are good enough to make a certified Star Wars hater pick up a lightsaber. Bring them to the Switch 2, Respawn. They deserve to be played by as many people as possible. — Kenneth ShepardThis is where I'd normally ask what games you'd like to see on the Switch 2, but the powers that be still haven't turned the comments back on, and at this rate, I don't think they're going to. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Verge
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Apple's new Games app lets you challenge your friends
Apple is launching a new app that acts as a central hub for the games and gaming features across its platforms. The new Apple Games app combines Apple Arcade, App Store game recommendations, your App Store game library, and your friends list into a single location. Apple calls it an 'all-in-one destination for games and playing with friends.' The new app will be available on iPhones, iPads, and Macs, starting with versions coming out this fall. In addition to collecting your games, you'll also be able to view leaderboards for supported titles and complete 'challenges' set by developers. Apple sees it as a way to create multiplayer experiences out of single-player titles. On top of the new Apple Games app, Apple is also adding a Game Overlay feature to iPads and Macs, which lets players access Game Center features, friends lists, and gaming settings without leaving a game. The news is the latest gaming-focused push by Apple. The company added Game Mode to Macs with macOS Sonoma in 2023, which optimizes your Mac for better gaming performance. It also brought Game Mode to iOS last year with iOS 18. And Apple offers a Proton-like tool that can help Windows games run on a Mac. The company has made a big deal about the ray-tracing capabilities of chips in newer iPhones. And, of course, it offers the Apple Arcade gaming subscription service. Apple has worked to bring big, AAA games to its platforms, including Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding, Assassin's Creed Mirage, and a bunch of Resident Evil games, including Resident Evil 2, 3, 4, 7, and Village. However, some of these bigger titles reportedly haven't sold very well.
Digital Trends
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Everything announced at Xbox Games Showcase 2025
A lot of us will have our hands full this weekend playing Assassin's Creed Shadows, but Ubisoft's latest open-world adventure may not be to everyone's tastes. Fans of Fallout might have their eye on the upcoming Xbox Series X game Atomfall, which is also coming to Game Pass on release, but that still leaves an entire weekend with nothing to play. Or, it would if there wasn't a nice selection of new titles added to the service ready for you to dive into. This weekend has something for everyone, such as a brand new Roguelike co-op game, a non-violent adventure game staring Greek gods, and a hardcore JRPG. Let's not waste any more time and give you the rundown on the best new Xbox Game Pass games worth playing this weekend. 33 Immortals 33 Immortals - Official Launch Trailer This day one addition is still technically in early access, but we already love what 33 Immortals is doing. This is one of the most creative co-op games yet, with 33 players all working together in a massive raid-like dungeon. 33 players might sound like a lot, but the game is built on your team working in groups to tackle different corners of the map as smaller squads. Each game is randomized to an extent, but the goal is to always complete various challenges and unlock the route to the boss. That boss is no joke, and keeping yourself and as many allies alive until the end is key to taking it down. There's still a lot to be added and polished, but 33 Immortals is shaping up to be another potential co-op darling.
ABC News
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Assassin's Creed and other games are using historians to get their facts right, and a new study shows its fostering an interest in history
Historian Thierry Noël was living and working in Bolivia studying Latin American history when one of the world's biggest game-development companies got in touch. Ubisoft were working on a new game set in the same region he was living in, and they wanted his expertise to make the game more authentic. "I was really intrigued. I had the incredible chance to join them and to lead the team," he says. The game became Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands, a modern military shooter. It also opened up an opportunity for Noël to contribute to the long-running Ubisoft historical series, Assassin's Creed. Noël now leads a team within Ubisoft, researching the historical locations where the games are set. Not only does his work add to a sense of wonder, but it's becoming increasingly important: a new University of Sunshine Coast study showed that players of historical games are often inspired to learn more about history after they play. The study's author, academic Jacqueline Burgess, wasn't surprised about the influence of historical games. "It's well known that people who read historical novels do so partially because of the love of the history; people like to learn about the time period when they're reading a novel," says Dr Burgess. "[History themed] video games and novels actually have a lot in common because the players wanted accuracy, they wanted research, they enjoyed learning about the history in the games, and then they went off and did some of their own learning outside of that play because of the history that the game showed them." Dr Burgess says other research she's conducted found that historical accuracy is important to players. This is a hard line to walk for Noël and his team, who says absolute accuracy isn't the goal. "Our principle is the idea that we try to build authentic worlds — authentic does not mean full accuracy, but aims at what feels true," he says. "An authentic world is based on historical academic knowledge, but it is also based on audience expectations, which is not necessarily what the academic person will say, so we have to find the right balance between the two. "With all the elements that make a game, it also obviously has to be fun, it has to be playable." When work on a new Assassin's Creed game is developed, Noël's team presents multiple different settings — each of which could become the historical location for the game. Japan, the setting of the most recent game, Assassin's Creed Shadows, had been offered as a setting for more than a decade before it was finally locked in. "Usually we have a series of options, of settings, and we start processing them, working on them, I'm trying to see what could be good, where do we have material and sources, historical sources to work on it. Does the audience expect it?" Adam Isgreen and Emma Bridle are developers on Age of Empires, another series where players command historical civilisations as they gather resources, build bases and battle foes. Their team also uses historical research and consultation to make sure cultures are accurately represented, especially taking on feedback from players who are members of those cultures. "Whilst the team that works on Age of Empires is passionate about history — that's why we do what we do — we don't purport to be sources of authority on everything," says Bridle. "For instance, when we did the Sultan's Ascend campaign in Age of Empires IV, we sought out professors of Islamic history because we are telling the story of the Crusades but from the perspective of the Muslim peoples, as it's often told from the [European] perspective." Gameplay does win over strict authenticity on occasion, says Isgreen. "I'm reminded of things like our Mameluke units from Age of Empires II, [who] are infamously not the way that they're supposed to be: they are riders on camels throwing scimitars. "OK, that's not real, but it's really cool and it's super unique." Bridle says the team monitors feedback from players and explains their decisions, or even adjusts the games to better represent real cultures. The team did receive some negative feedback about the way India was portrayed in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, so they reworked it. When releasing new playable cultures who lived around modern day Mexico, the team released blogs in both English and Spanish explaining their research process. "So, in those situations, what we find is really helpful is we tend to go to the team, absorb all of the process of how we came to the decisions we came to, and then put out a long-form piece that explains our thinking and the why that we've done it this way, " Bridle explains. "We realise that in the absence of all the details, people don't really understand the thoughtful process that we've taken and that we haven't made flippant decisions." For Isgreen, working on the Age of Empires games has been a reminder of how recent so many historical events really are. "You know, we have evolved technologically and philosophically, but I'm always amazed at the things that are so familiar to our life experiences today," he says.
The Guardian
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Former bosses at video games firm Ubisoft on trial in France accused of sexual harassment
The first big trial to result from the #MeToo movement in the video games industry began in France on Monday, with three former executives from the French video game company Ubisoft accused of sexual harassment and bullying, one of whom is also accused of attempted sexual assault. Ubisoft, the French family business that rose to become one of the biggest video games creators in the world, is behind several blockbusters including Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and the children's favourite Just Dance. A court in Bobigny in Seine-Saint-Denis will hear that between 2012 and 2020 the company's offices in Montreuil, east of Paris, were run with a toxic culture of bullying and sexism that one member of staff likened to a 'boys' club above the law'. Women alleged to police – also against individuals unidentified in the case – that sexual comments were made regularly about their bodies and clothes, that they were called 'ugly' or 'slut', told to wear shorter skirts or lose weight, and obscene sexual hand gestures were made by senior male staff in the office. One woman who wore a coat with a red lining was allegedly told by an executive: 'That's an invitation to rape.' Another woman was told: 'That's a nice dress, it's giving me an erection.' If they expressed disapproval, women were told they 'were not fun' and were not having enough sex. Allegations included pornography films being played in the open-plan office and penises drawn on post-it notes and placed on workers' screens. One woman was allegedly approached from behind by an executive who put earphones in her ears, saying: 'This is the playlist I listen to when having sex.' Men also allegedly approached female staff and, unsolicited, massaged their shoulders to 'relax' them. One executive would approach seated staff and allegedly fart near their face, witnesses told police. A female employee told police how she was allegedly tied to her office chair with rolls of tape then put in the lift and a random button was pressed. She said she arrived at another floor, 'where I knew no one', bound to the chair unable to move. The same woman allegedly had her face drawn on with marker pen and was forced to attend a meeting like that, prevented from washing it off. One woman wearing a skirt was allegedly forced to do a handstand in the office. A young Muslim member of staff who did not eat pork allegedly found her screensaver changed to an image of a bacon sandwich. Sandwiches were allegedly placed on her desk or thrown at her during Ramadan. After the 2015 jihadist attacks on the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, she was ostracised and asked if she supported Islamic State. Junior male staff were also allegedly targeted, with a regular game of chase in which if a man was caught, his penis was touched through his trousers. The three executives deny all the charges. Serge Hascoët, 59, Ubisoft's chief creative officer and second-in-command, who resigned after the allegations, is accused of sexual harassment and bullying. He is also accused of making sexual and sexist comments. He allegedly told staff that a senior employee was irritating because she did not have enough sex and that he should have sex with her in a meeting room in front of everyone 'to show how to calm her'. He is alleged to have handed a young female member of staff a tissue in which he had blown his nose, saying 'you can resell it, it's worth gold at Ubisoft'. He denies all charges. Hascoët's lawyer, Jean-Guillaume Le Mintier, said: 'Serge Hascoët categorically denies having harassed a single colleague. He denies any knowledge of reprehensible acts committed by collaborators at Ubisoft and did not receive any reports of this.' Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion Tommy François, 52, the former vice-president of editorial and creative services, is accused of sexual harassment, bullying and attempted sexual assault. He was dismissed for misconduct. At a 2015 office Christmas party with a Back to the Future theme, François allegedly told a member of staff he liked her 1950s dress. He then allegedly stepped towards her to kiss her on the mouth as his colleagues restrained her by the arms and back. The woman said she shouted and broke free, and felt 'traumatised'. François denies all charges. The former game director Guillaume Patrux, 41, also dismissed for misconduct, is accused of sexual harassment and bullying. He is alleged to have punched walls, mimed hitting staff, cracked a whip near colleagues' faces and played with a cigarette lighter near workers, setting alight a man's beard. Patrux is also alleged to have thrown office equipment across the open-plan office space, kicked footballs across the office, thrown a metal key at a member of staff and drawn swastikas on a woman's notebook as he sat near her in a meeting. He denies all charges. Ubisoft did not respond to a request for comment. In 2020, when allegations were made public, the firm's chief executive, Yves Guillemot, told staff inappropriate behaviour would not be tolerated and disciplinary measures would be taken for any form of harassment.
