Ubisoft Forward – E3 2021
The Ubisoft Forward event this year was a little bit down from previous years in terms of crowd expectations I feel. Still no Splinter Cell or Prince and very little in the way of mind-blowing reveals, especially because Mario + Rabbids was leaked early. But still, there were some tasty treats on offer and a few surprises that should keep a few of us pretty happy.
Rainbow Six: Extraction
This looked better than I thought it would, in fact, I think it looked great. I had zero interest in the game before this reveal but now I am getting a real Xcom shooter vibe and the fact it is co-op is super exciting. I love the concept of the proper, serious tactical shooter in a sci/fi setting. We don’t have to wait too long, September 16 is the release date on PS4/5 Xbox One/Series and PC. Oh, it is also fully crossplay… yes even with Sony systems.
Rocksmith+
This was a big surprise. As a guitar numpty who likes playing around with his Axe this is perfect. The original Rocksmith was a very very good tool for improving guitar technique in a fun way, but it wasn’t too good for complete newbies with no idea. Rocksmith+ however seems to have fixed that with a host of tutorial videos, new difficulty settings and a range of other assists to help those just starting out. Rest assured I will be checking it out when it arrives sometime later in the year.
Riders Republic
I love a good extreme sports game and Riders Republic looks like it is exactly that. Taking the solid foundation laid by Steep and adding a bunch of new ways to throw yourself down insane mountains, Riders Republic was perhaps my game of the show for Ubi. I know it won’t be to everyone’s taste, but as long as the controls are tight there will be a crowd buying this for sure.
Just Dance 2022
Look…. it is more Just Dance… do you need more info?
Far Cry 6
We got a very, very intense and creepy clip with Giancarlo Esposito hamming it up in a big way as the super evil dictator reclaiming his son who is trying to escape his clutches. He is going to steal every second of this game and I think Ubi might have finally found the bad guy to surpass Vaas.
Speaking of Vaas, the DLC for Far Cry 6 will have three episodes where players will get to control Vaas, Pagan Min and Joseph Seed. Not much of an explanation why, but it will be interesting to see how it pans out. Also, it seems we are getting a re-release of Blood Dragon, which isn’t a bad thing.
Mario + Rabbids: Spark of Hope
Sadly this leaked before the show, ruining a nice pop in the process. But still, I am happy to get a sequel to what is, in my mind, one of the best games available on the Switch. They are promising new powerups, new assist characters and new accessibility modes so everyone can join in the fun. Can’t wait for its launch sometime next year.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
The one last thing for Ubisoft was a look at the strongly rumoured Avatar title, Frontiers of Pandora. It was only cinematic and I am not exactly sure what the gameplay will involve, but boy did it look stunning.
DLC Plans
Ubisoft also announced a whole bunch of DLC plans for existing titles. You can check them out below.
