Was I meant to kill every boss (excluding the dick with the axe knights) on Mercedes chapter in Odin Sphere in under a minute? The final boss in under 30 seconds? On hard? I'm not boasting...the challenge was why this was so much fun early on.

Securom, GFWL and Steam? I feel so bad for giving them $5 to support this bullshit.

Ubisoft convinced second-screen gaming is the future:

And as we saw at E3, are going pretty heavily on trying it out.

Tldr:

-They have a 50 person dedicated team at Ubisoft Quebec making the tablet companion apps.

-They want both experiences (console and companion app) to feel fun and complete when played alone. This is an especially large concern for the tablet apps since they're often afterthoughts.

-They think the tablet apps will be more accessible to people who aren't as comfortable with a controller or maybe don't even have a console.

-They see this as the future of gaming (even at the CEO level) and thus it will be in most of their projects going forward.

-Currently they're focusing on PS4/XB1 with this, but will consider the Wii U if it makes sense. They said working on AC3's Wii U features was a big help in learning how to do this though.

-They feel that tablets are catching up to consoles pretty quickly so it will help them make companion apps easier as tablets can support next-gen engines.

---

Originally Posted by GamesIndustry.biz

At an earlier interview with Ubisoft chief executive officer Yves Guillemot, GamesIndustry International had a chance to ask him about the company's second-screen experiment.

"I'm convinced it's the future," Guillemot told us. "What I like in second-screen play is its accessibility, which means different types of people can play. Those who don't know how to play with the [controller] or don't like to play with it can use touch. So that's the first good element."

"The second one is it gives you an opportunity to play from outside the home with your friends who are playing from their homes. So I'm in an airport, and I can play with my friends using my iPad if I have a good connection. We think this is going to open lots of new possibilities to the industry, and to the type of gameplay that can occur."

The publisher decided that for its next-generation second-screen effort to work, most of the work needed to be done at a single studio with the right expertise. That studio is Ubisoft Quebec, who's handling the second-screen apps for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Watch Dogs, and The Division. We spoke with Ubisoft managing director Nicolas Rioux about the studio's new drive.

"In the last three years, we had this vision in mind," said Rioux. "The vision of the studio is to be a leader in the creation of mobile, online, and connected universes. For The Division, we were involved from the beginning of the project. This is really our key for success, for our team to be involved with the design team on the console project. If you want to have success with this kind of experience, you must be there early."

"The way we see it, it really gives the players the choice and opportunity to have a great experience when you want, where you want, at the time you want, on the device you want. For us it's a great feature, it's a must-have for the new generation of consoles," added Rioux.

"Some features and gameplay in these apps can provide you with a standalone experience. We believe in the benefits of connecting mobile players with console players in the same universe. It's really where we innovate, with this new generation of mobile applications connected with the console experience. We always mention second-screen, but we need to have in mind that for a lot of people, the games on tablets will be their first screen."

You don't need either the tablet or console part to have a full experience," he added. "For the person playing on the tablet, maybe for him that game is more accessible. Honestly, we give the players new opportunities. It's not a big issue for console players to play the tablet version to have a more complete experience. I'm a console player and a gamer on tablets; for me to have these new possibilities is not a constraint."

"With Assassin's Creed III, we were involved on the Wii U version. The Wii U was kind of the pioneer of the connected tablet interface. This gave us some ideas for the first iteration of tablets connected with console games," said Rioux.

Unfortunately, while the Wii U was the beginning, Ubisoft Quebec's current focus is creating a cohesive experience between the Xbox One/PlayStation 4 and mobile devices. The studio is not committed to bringing some of these new experiences to the Wii U platform.

"It's not confirmed yet, but if it's possible to do it and it makes sense, yes we will provide some kind of experience on the Wii U. Our focus is on the new generation of Microsoft and Sony consoles," explained Rioux.

"I expect maybe in three or four years from now to be able to have mostly the same engine running on tablet and the main console. On The Division, we are using the same assets on the console and the tablets. In the future, it will be easier for us to provide this kind of experience," he said.

It's essential for next generation consoles, it's the future, it's not on Wii U.

Makes sense. E3 was all about second screen experiences not on the second screen console. This fucking industry.

aspro said:

Recycled content:

For those complaining about bias and how EDGE is being irresponsible they are an EDITORIAL magazine.  Everything they do is based on their opinions.  It doesn't mean that their individual reviews are skewed pro-Sony or MS, they review each game on its own basis.  For a consumer goods publication they'd be delinquent in their duty to not report which console they think best benefits their (mostly UK) readership.

I would like to see more editorial outlets give an honest appraisal of the consoles, but given how most gaming outlets are very advertising sensitive, you won't see that happen.

Where did this come from, I didn't see anyone complaining about it here?

If the EDGE mag was written before the MS U-turn I could accept it as an editorial duty for consumer protectionism. If it's after the U-turn then it is pretty shitty bias for a mag. A blog or editorial by one of the writers as to what he/she prefers is fine but a front page dedication as to what you should buy smacks of the shitty tabloid newspapers here whenever there is a general election. And as someone who has read EDGE over the years but no longer does so they are massive Sony fans, always have been and have been historically quite anti Nintendo too because Nintendo doesn't sync up with their techno snob - hauty art angle they go for as a (serious) gaming mag.

I don't think it's right or the responsibility of mags or sites to tell me what platform to buy, to me that is my decision and it comes across as incredibly condescending to my intelligence to try and tell me what I should be spending my bucks on.

I'll withold judgement over the issue of Edge untill I have read it.  Which will be in 3 weeks time.  I generally enjoy their articles, don't care too much about their reviews, and absolutely loath that it takes them 3+ weeks to ship a copy from the UK to Belgium.  Seriously, physical media is slower then just reading up online, I accept that and am willing to live with it if the physica media is of high quality, but adding another 3 weeks for shipping is just insane.

I realize this has little to do with the issue at hand, but I had to get it off my chest  

Microsoft scientists create 'touchable 3D' objects. Highly nuanced force feedback allows users to  'feel' the surfaces of virtual objects

You guys know what this means, don't ya? Touchable 3D boobies! DOA X-treme Beach Vollyball 3! Make it happen MS and Team Ninja!

I bought Baldur's Gate on steam for five dola yesterday. Finally I'll be able to play through the first one and then the second that I bought off GOG a while ago, and that sits properly fixed and ready in my cavernous backlog.

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AHAHAHA who am I kidding? It's DOTA 2 TIME BITCHES!

Aunoma: That was all Mr. Miyamoto (laughs). Those are Miyamoto’s ideas; he came up with the top-down 3-D in Super Mario 3D Land, and he actually gave me a mission: To work on a 3-D Link to the Past.

And that is why Miyamoto is the greatest.

I really really like Game of Thrones. I am on chapter 8, I think I see where the story is heading, I know enough about this series to have a good idea of the level of f'ed up shit we are about to get into. I am loving being right in the middle of John Arryn's death takes me back to the early days when the backstabbing was figurative.

But really the game is just a Bioware clone and not a bad one, not that great either but it gets things right more than wrong. I love the side missions that have you questioning multiple people and solving a murder or a mystery. DA and KOTOR had these, some of my favorite parts of those games and this game does it just as well. But with a twist as you can warg into a dog and sneak and sniff your way to the truth. Hell I love the stealth options warging brings. The combat is good enough to make me be involved with most fights, yeah certain strategies are used over and over but its deep enough for me to have to pay attention. Plus there isnt as much fighting as some games, you aren't beat over the head with tons of grunt enemies over and over.

There is nothing bad about it. I have not seen one glitch. Not one gameplay mechanic that is broken. To be honest when compared to Bioware games this game has less issues. Its just ugly and a clear copy of another games ideas but not executed as well. The GoT licence alone makes it worth trying this game out if you enjoy Bioware games (the ones before ME)

aspro said:

Dragged these out of my collection this morning.  It really is nothing new for them.  The 3DS cover is backed up with an editorial saying the 3DS was the best thing at E3 and has over 12 pages gushing over Nintendo with phrases like, "Nintendo delivers again".  One two page feature on the 3DS reads like an ad, "Nintendo's ability to innovate and to take the company in new and unexpected directions suggest we'll be enjoying Nintendo products for many years to come".  

They did the same thing with Kinect and PS3.  I'm guessing hardware covers sell more issues.

No, I have seen their new console reveal covers for many years:

Heralding the reveal of a new console is notably different from praising and simultaneously trashing someone else on a cover and trying to dictate ownership intention. And as someone who used to regularly read EDGE, one front page every few years for a new console does not negate the issue by issue editorial content slant. They are hauty up their own ass techophiles. You know when you've read an EDGE review and by the end you're thinking - what the hell did I just read? That's their style. They like to use big words that nobody understands or uses in everyday life, because that's their style.