Ubisoft E3 08 Press Conference(07/15/2008) 
2:38
Michael McWhertor: 
Hey! I'm the host!
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:38 Michael McWhertor
2:38
Michael McWhertor: 
Michael Pachter just sat down next to me, so expect live analysis as well.
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:38 Michael McWhertor
2:40
Michael McWhertor: 
We're still waiting for Ubisoft to get underway, but surely it will be any minute now.
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:40 Michael McWhertor
2:43
Michael McWhertor: 
here we go, Laurent Detoc, president of Ubisoft North America takes the stage
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:43 Michael McWhertor
2:43
Michael McWhertor: 
"Thees eez our best time ever!" says Laurent
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:43 Michael McWhertor
2:44
Michael McWhertor: 
I'll keep the French accents to a minimum
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:44 Michael McWhertor
2:44
Michael McWhertor: 
Laurent kicks it off with a little Rayman Raving Rabbids for Wii
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:44 Michael McWhertor
2:44
Michael McWhertor: 
he's sitting on the stage, J Allard style
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:44 Michael McWhertor
2:44
Michael McWhertor: 
with more butt control, though
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:44 Michael McWhertor
2:45
Michael McWhertor: 
some impressive yak riding tricks on ddisplay
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:45 Michael McWhertor
2:46
Michael McWhertor: 
Michael Pachter thinks "It's really really cute"
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:46 Michael McWhertor
2:46
Michael McWhertor: 
Laurent rolls a RRR TV Party trailer
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:46 Michael McWhertor
2:48
Michael McWhertor: 
lots of screaming Rabbids, lots of family fun
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:48 Michael McWhertor
2:49
Michael McWhertor: 
Laurent says Ubisoft is serious about fun and serious about entertainment experiences
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:49 Michael McWhertor
2:49
Michael McWhertor: 
he introduces Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway from Gearbox
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:49 Michael McWhertor
2:50
Michael McWhertor: 
the BIAHH trailer is all about the horrors of war... "How much more can one man take?"
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:50 Michael McWhertor
2:51
Michael McWhertor: 
oh man, he just threw some poor enemy soldier out a window... this is a brilliantly cut trailer
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:51 Michael McWhertor
2:51
Michael McWhertor: 
it makes Laurent shiver... "every time!"
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:51 Michael McWhertor
2:52
Michael McWhertor: 
Laurent moves on to the publisher's other violence ridden action series, Tom Clancy
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:52 Michael McWhertor
2:52
Michael McWhertor: 
ten years in with 55 million Clancy branded games sold worldwide
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:52 Michael McWhertor
2:53
Michael McWhertor: 
Tom Clancy's EndWar has spawned a monologue about leadership and innovation
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:53 Michael McWhertor
2:54
Michael McWhertor: 
he's briefly touching on Ubisoft's recent studio acquisitions and the Tom Clancy brand
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:54 Michael McWhertor
2:54
Michael McWhertor: 
If you try EndWar "you really understand what its like to talk to your TV"
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:54 Michael McWhertor
2:55
Michael McWhertor: 
I'm officially a fan of Laurent.... and not just for his ability to control a Wii Balance Board with his ass
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:55 Michael McWhertor
2:55
Michael McWhertor: 
the EndWar trailer, basically a quick commercial style overview of how one plays the game, ends
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:55 Michael McWhertor
2:56
Michael McWhertor: 
that game is coming to Xbox 360 and PS3 by the end of the year
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:56 Michael McWhertor
2:56
Michael McWhertor: 
FarCry 2, Laurent says, is a first person shooter 2.0
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:56 Michael McWhertor
2:57
Michael McWhertor: 
some Massive Attack plays over an African landscape
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:57 Michael McWhertor
2:57
Michael McWhertor: 
this is all pre-rendered stuff..... just makes me want smoke, fire and water effects like this in-game
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:57 Michael McWhertor
2:58
Michael McWhertor: 
FarCry 2 is gorgeous though... lots of dust, smoke and explosions
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:58 Michael McWhertor
2:58
Michael McWhertor: 
beautiful environments....
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:58 Michael McWhertor
2:58
Michael McWhertor: 
I'll tell you, the industry is starting to "get" how awesome, mood-setting trailers are made
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:58 Michael McWhertor
2:59
Michael McWhertor: 
Clint Hocking, creative director, and Jonathan Morin, level designer, on Far Cry 2 take the stage to talk about their game
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:59 Michael McWhertor
2:59
Michael McWhertor: 
"We're trying to find a way to reinvent the shooter"
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:59 Michael McWhertor
2:59
Michael McWhertor: 
he's talking about taking an intense action shooter and bringing that experience into an open world
Tuesday July 15, 2008 2:59 Michael McWhertor
3:00
Michael McWhertor: 
Far Cry 2 live demo starts, with Jon playing, supposedly unscripted
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:00 Michael McWhertor
3:00
Michael McWhertor: 
Far Cry, of course, does great vegetation, but the lighting in the sequel is pretty solid
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:00 Michael McWhertor
3:01
Michael McWhertor: 
the player goes into a safehouse, sets an alarm clock of sorts for 1 AM, then attempts to leave the camp under the cover of night
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:01 Michael McWhertor
3:01
Michael McWhertor: 
silencers, dart rifle and sneaking make the escape stealthier than going out guns ablazing
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:01 Michael McWhertor
3:02
Michael McWhertor: 
Jon pulls up a 5 by 5 kilometer map to find his objective, carrying it with a compass to find his waypoint
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:02 Michael McWhertor
3:04
Michael McWhertor: 
He's taking out snipers as I type one handed
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:04 Michael McWhertor
3:04
Michael McWhertor: 
INTENSE LIVEBLOGGING
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:04 Michael McWhertor
3:05
Michael McWhertor: 
launches simultaneously on PS3, 360 and PC this fall
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:05 Michael McWhertor
3:05
Michael McWhertor: 
Tony Key, SVP of sales and marketing takes over... "In a different direction" he says
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:05 Michael McWhertor
3:05
Michael McWhertor: 
Unfortunately for me, that's the "tween" girl market :(
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:05 Michael McWhertor
3:06
Michael McWhertor: 
he whips up a sales chart for the best selling Nintendo DS titles... two of those brands, Imagine and Petz, are among the top sellers
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:06 Michael McWhertor
3:07
Michael McWhertor: 
Brace yourself for Petz newz!
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:07 Michael McWhertor
3:07
Michael McWhertor: 
"Hi, I'm Wiggles"
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:07 Michael McWhertor
3:08
Michael McWhertor: 
Wiggles the dog and Daisy the cat try to sell us on new Petz titles.... including some lovable looking monkeys
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:08 Michael McWhertor
3:08
Michael McWhertor: 
the room thins out a bit
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:08 Michael McWhertor
3:08
Michael McWhertor: 
You can "cross breed" and create your own custom Petz families
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:08 Michael McWhertor
3:08
Michael McWhertor: 
Dogz, Catz, Horsez and Monkeyz
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:08 Michael McWhertor
3:09
Michael McWhertor: 
The audience giggles, but Tony laughs back with sales figures
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:09 Michael McWhertor
3:09
Michael McWhertor: 
Dogz is coming to the Wii... with Dogz Sportz
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:09 Michael McWhertor
3:09
Michael McWhertor: 
Also coming... plush Petz dolls with, wait for it....
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:09 Michael McWhertor
3:09
Michael McWhertor: 
keycodes that let you unlock breeds and characters from Petz games
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:09 Michael McWhertor
3:10
Michael McWhertor: 
Looks like Crecente got the concept right, just not the game....
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:10 Michael McWhertor
3:10
Michael McWhertor: 
On to the Imagine series :(
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:10 Michael McWhertor
3:11
Michael McWhertor: 
Imagine Rockstar, Imagine Movie Star and Imagine Fashion Designer New York
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:11 Michael McWhertor
3:12
Michael McWhertor: 
Jesus Christ.... Imagine is coming to Wii in the form of Imagine Party Babies and Imagine Oh God Why Am I Here Instead of Capcom???
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:12 Michael McWhertor
3:12
Michael McWhertor: 
there's another "Games for Girls" brand coming.... this one targeted at girls sports
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:12 Michael McWhertor
3:13
Michael McWhertor: 
ahh.... this is the Ener-G line that Ubisoft recently trademarked
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:13 Michael McWhertor
3:14
Michael McWhertor: 
Cheerleading, gymnastics, soccer, basketball, synchronized swimming.... expect a flood of this kind of stuff coming to a Wii and DS near you
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:14 Michael McWhertor
3:14
Michael McWhertor: 
specifically a pink Nintendo DS
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:14 Michael McWhertor
3:14
Michael McWhertor: 
Ener-G Dance Squad, Ener-G Adventure Riders, Ener-G Gym Rockets... just for the little ladies
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:14 Michael McWhertor
3:15
Michael McWhertor: 
we're moving on to something with a bit more testosterone --- Shaun White Snowboarding
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:15 Michael McWhertor
3:16
Michael McWhertor: 
Louis Lamarche takes the stage (not Shaun White) to talk about the new game
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:16 Michael McWhertor
3:17
Michael McWhertor: 
The producer is talking about the game's customization options, from jackets to boards to dozens of other tweaks, things that make your character stand out
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:17 Michael McWhertor
3:17
Michael McWhertor: 
One cool feature is that, as you're waiting for the slopes to load, you can warm up with tricks in a half-pipe
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:17 Michael McWhertor
3:18
Michael McWhertor: 
I believe we're looking at the Xbox 360 version, with multiplayer downhill racing on display
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:18 Michael McWhertor
3:19
Michael McWhertor: 
There's a lot of talk about open mountain gameplay, hanging out with (and throwing snowballs at) your friends
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:19 Michael McWhertor
3:19
Michael McWhertor: 
There's a high quality, authentic feeling to the whole thing.... nice crunchy sound effects, sharp lighting, solid snow textures
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:19 Michael McWhertor
3:20
Michael McWhertor: 
You can design your own challenge on the open world mountains, setting up race rules and all that jazz
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:20 Michael McWhertor
3:21
Michael McWhertor: 
Shaun White Snowboarding is said to have "seemless" racing, with freestyle, "party mode" gameplay intact while you wait for your friends to accept your challenge
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:21 Michael McWhertor
3:21
Michael McWhertor: 
the real Shaun White makes an appearance on stage, fresh from the Nintendo E3 Media Briefing
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:21 Michael McWhertor
3:21
Michael McWhertor: 
he probably flew in with frequent flyer miles accrued on his American Express
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:21 Michael McWhertor
3:22
Michael McWhertor: 
"You guys are terrible" jokes Shaun
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:22 Michael McWhertor
3:22
Michael McWhertor: 
oh, Shaun!
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:22 Michael McWhertor
3:22
Michael McWhertor: 
Key words: seemless, authentic, open world, redefining
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:22 Michael McWhertor
3:23
Michael McWhertor: 
We'll just see about that, mister!
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:23 Michael McWhertor
3:23
Michael McWhertor: 
now it's Tony's turn to joke....
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:23 Michael McWhertor
3:23
Michael McWhertor: 
the new Prince of Persia is coming up
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:23 Michael McWhertor
3:24
Michael McWhertor: 
Bullet points: built on the Assassin's Creed engine, new Prince, new graphical style
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:24 Michael McWhertor
3:25
Michael McWhertor: 
We get a close up look at the new Prince and the lady he's partnered with
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:25 Michael McWhertor
3:25
Michael McWhertor: 
Lots of gameplay content here... new combat system, in which you partner with the female lead to take out bosses... very ICO-esque
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:25 Michael McWhertor
3:25
Michael McWhertor: 
And that's never a bad thing
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:25 Michael McWhertor
3:26
Michael McWhertor: 
Still just known as Prince of Persia.... again, another very very strong trailer with a fantastic music selection
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:26 Michael McWhertor
3:26
Michael McWhertor: 
If it's not already up on LIVE or GameTrailers, make sure you don't miss it.... looks spectacular
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:26 Michael McWhertor
3:26
Michael McWhertor: 
Pulled me from the brink of Imagine Insanity
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:26 Michael McWhertor
3:27
Michael McWhertor: 
Ben Mattes, producer, takes the stage.... he says his only direction on reinventing Prince of Persia was that it stick to the soul of the original PoP
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:27 Michael McWhertor
3:28
Michael McWhertor: 
A live gameplay demo starts with the Prince and Elke jumping around
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:28 Michael McWhertor
3:28
Michael McWhertor: 
Elke never gets in the way, Elke never dies, he says... she's there to support you, to make you feel "cool"
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:28 Michael McWhertor
3:29
Michael McWhertor: 
She's like the inverse of Yorda from ICO, helping the Prince jump higher, saving him from death and generally looking..... cool
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:29 Michael McWhertor
3:29
Michael McWhertor: 
Multiple paths are open to you...
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:29 Michael McWhertor
3:29
Michael McWhertor: 
the Prince is interrupted in his jumps across chasms by a Hunter
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:29 Michael McWhertor
3:30
Michael McWhertor: 
A smoothly flowing duel is going on right now, with a panned out camera and Zelda-style "Z-targeting"
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:30 Michael McWhertor
3:30
Michael McWhertor: 
As the Prince and Elke take on the boss, he starts to leak a black wispy substance
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:30 Michael McWhertor
3:30
Michael McWhertor: 
but he runs away to fight again
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:30 Michael McWhertor
3:31
Michael McWhertor: 
The Prince is capable of massive hundred foot leaps
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:31 Michael McWhertor
3:32
Michael McWhertor: 
Wall runs, jumps and climbing looks very quick, flowing and simple
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:32 Michael McWhertor
3:32
Michael McWhertor: 
The Prince really really moves
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:32 Michael McWhertor
3:32
Michael McWhertor: 
It's more acrobatic looking and dynamic than previous PoP games
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:32 Michael McWhertor
3:33
Michael McWhertor: 
Elke can perform a "Save Me".... giving the player a taste of frustration from dying, but doesn't inflict a huge penalty on the player
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:33 Michael McWhertor
3:33
Michael McWhertor: 
"We don't need to ariticially reinforce the sense of failure for the player"
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:33 Michael McWhertor
3:33
Michael McWhertor: 
The Prince and Elke, both nicely cel shaded, by the way, run into the blue skinned Hunter again
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:33 Michael McWhertor
3:34
Michael McWhertor: 
That obviously leads to nother swordfight.... then a cut scene
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:34 Michael McWhertor
3:34
Michael McWhertor: 
Hmmm.... the Prince seems a little sassier than I had expected
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:34 Michael McWhertor
3:35
Michael McWhertor: 
After the two talk it out, Elke touches the "healing circle"... a waypoint that looks like it purifies the area of those black cloudy enemies
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:35 Michael McWhertor
3:35
Michael McWhertor: 
"We feel what we have is a very unique game"
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:35 Michael McWhertor
3:36
Michael McWhertor: 
it's coming out on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC this holiday season
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:36 Michael McWhertor
3:36
Michael McWhertor: 
One more announcement...
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:36 Michael McWhertor
3:37
Michael McWhertor: 
Ubisoft is announcing a completely new brand that is "sure to shake up the industry"
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:37 Michael McWhertor
3:37
Michael McWhertor: 
Looks like the trailer for I Am Alive
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:37 Michael McWhertor
3:38
Michael McWhertor: 
Men in tattered clothing argue over a single bottle of water.... the main character, Adam, goes out into the world... a destroyed cityscape
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:38 Michael McWhertor
3:38
Michael McWhertor: 
cut to "Days Earlier..."
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:38 Michael McWhertor
3:38
Michael McWhertor: 
We see Adam walking around ina   totally non-destroyed city
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:38 Michael McWhertor
3:38
Michael McWhertor: 
A huge cloud of dust emerging from underground... some 9/11 style imagery there for extra shock value
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:38 Michael McWhertor
3:39
Michael McWhertor: 
Yep, I Am Alive....
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:39 Michael McWhertor
3:39
Michael McWhertor: 
That's it.... shows over folks....
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:39 Michael McWhertor
3:39
Michael McWhertor: 
Thanks for reading along and commenting and helping me make it through the Imagine portion of the press conference
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:39 Michael McWhertor
3:39
Michael McWhertor: 
Back later!
Tuesday July 15, 2008 3:39 Michael McWhertor
3:39



 
 
 
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