Assassin's Creed multiplayer, Ghost Recon and more from Ubisoft at E3

E3 2010: Could the best multiplayer game of the show be Assassin's Creed Brotherhood? Well, you know what...

Ubisoft a wide and varied presence at E3 this year. From strange new skating games to hard-bitten future warfare, Ubisoft's got a very strong lineup ahead of it.

Following Ubi's big press conference, hosted by Joel McHale (worst teleprompter reader EVER), on the Monday before the show, we were eagre to get to grips with games like Ghost Recon to see for ourselves if it was going to live up to impressive demo shown at the event. So...

Ghost Recon Future Soldier
The annoying thing about Ghost Recon - well, one of two annoying things - was that the press demo at the show was the same as that shown at the press conference. We again saw a team of stealthed Ghosts capture a high value target, before tangling with a ground drone and a couple of helicopters. However, we saw it up close at least, and it's still looking impressive.

We did learn some neat stuff. The optical camouflage stealth mechanic, which seems way overpowered (but awesome-cool), will be affected by a battery timer countdown. It's something you'll have to use very sparingly, we were told, and that seems a good balance to the power of the tech. Also, enemy fighters equipped with thermal goggles can also spot you.

Particularly impressive is the shot-timing ability, which lets you see in real time the current targets and trajectories of the rest of your squad. In the demo, this was used to good effect to confirm three similtaneous kill-shots so that you can take down the main target. It's super sexy future tech, but like all the gear and technologies in the game, based on tricks being worked on right now.

The other annoyance about the E3 demo was that no one was really willing to talk about the PC version. "We're only covering console at this stage," was a constant refrain. That said, we're cautiously optimistic about this one. The Ghost in the Shell-like level of SF hardware, and the Ghost Recon pedigree, promises something really interesting.

Driver: San Francisco
This is one of our big surprises of the show. The latest game in the Driver franchise is touted as a return to the seventies car chase movies of its roots, and it certainly looks the part. The handling, the setting of San Francisco, and the muscle car aesthetic all add up to a very atmospheric game.

However, at first blush, we really thought the whole "You're in a coma, and it gives you super powers" mechanic was a bit pants. Which it kind of is, really, until you give multiplayer a try - where it actually becomes a unique competitive mechanic and an awful lot of fun!

So, Ubi showed us the driver hopping ability in single player, but in multiplayer, the sensation of jumping car to car to overtake, get a faster vehicle, or even set up horrendous collisions to slow down your opponents is super awesome. It really shouldn't be, 'cause let's face it - it shouldn't be. But playing it, it opens up so many possibilities for mayhem. It's balanced, too, by the objectives of many of the game modes. In the one we played, you had to spend as much time in the wake of a chase-car, so spending time out of your car messing shit up, while fun and satisfying when you mess up someone else, won't necessarily win you the game

We can tell you that from personal experience. The game is still taking a big risk on what seems to be little more than a gimmick, but that gimmick may just be enough.

Shaun White's Skateboarding
It's a skateboarding game. You know how often Atomic looks at skateboarding games? Yeah. But if you're into that kind of thing, and on acid, you may well really dig this.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
We saw a single player demo which really showed up the story, and a lot of the new elements of gameplay, like the ability to call on your brotherhood of pointy, killy dudes to wipe out the opposition while simply standing around looking cool. That's all well and good (and trust me, it looks awesome), but what you're really going to want to do is play what may well be the most innovative multiplayer this year.

Maybe this decade.

Here's how the game we played worked: at the start of the game, you get a mark - someone to kill. But someone else has gotten you as a mark. It's like the classic games of Killer that, if you're a real high-grade nerd, you played in highschool.

(or maybe still play)

Anyway, map icons tell you when your target is close, but here's the catch. If you run, they may get alerted, and then a chase is on. They may also be able to blend into the crowd, so even if you're right on top of them, it may not be obvious. The tactical problems this presents are mindboggling. Literally.

More amazingly, this is a game that not only rewards you for taking your time - or even standing still - but that makes it infinitely satisfying and rewarding. The tension of wanting to make the kill, but not wanting to rush the kill, is palpable; the process of making that kill... nearly orgasmic in it's sense of released tension.

And then you get another mark. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is a game that we're expecting to do good things, and that we can't wait to play more of.