'Assassin's Creed II: Discovery' to be Re-Released February 1st
posted January 20th, 2010 3:16 PM EST by Eli Hodapp in Action, Adventure, Games, Upcoming Games, iPhone games, iPod touch games
Following the unexpected release and somewhat confusing removal of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed II: Discovery, we managed to get producer Ben Mattes on the phone to discuss the game, but more importantly, the future of Ubisoft's involvement in the App Store.
We were able to clarify what most people have been wondering about, and found out that an updated version of the game will be re-released on February 1st for $9.99, a price that Mattes described as "more than a good value". If you were lucky enough to purchase the game when it was available for a few hours, it appears the updated version shares the same iTunes app ID, and you should be able to download the update following the re-release without issue.
Prior to Assassin's Creed II, Ubisoft utilized their partnership with sister company Gameloft, allowing them to take Ubisoft properties and run with them on the App Store. H.A.W.X. was the most recent product of this partnership, and Discovery represents Ubisoft's first foray in to serious iPhone development.
They've taken the Nintendo DS version of Assassin's Creed II: Discovery and revamped it in nearly every way imaginable from higher resolution graphics, higher bitrate audio, additional game modes, and other goodies such a story designed to supplement the "full" version of the game on home consoles while creating an experience strong enough to stand on its own if you've never played Assassin's Creed II on the XBOX 360 or PS3.
Going forward, Ubisoft plans to treat the iPhone and iPod touch as a serious gaming platform, with games that draw from their extensive library of popular gaming franchises with the same gameplay quality that you would expect from a big-name game studio. Ben Mattes was reluctant to go in to any more detail, but did say to expect some "super-cool content" coming in the following weeks and months, with some of it announced sooner than later.
Mattes foresees multiple iPhone development teams working at Ubisoft for many different games that will spread the gamut of gaming experiences and price points– With everything from cheap and simple casual titles to "premium" games like Discovery.
He assured me that Ubisoft is committed to coming to the App Store in a "big way", but admitted that they have a lot to learn, and quite a bit of information to digest before determining how to best utilize the massive pool of game development resources that Ubisoft has on hand. Ben explained that they're interesting in exploring as many opportunities as possible with the iPhone and iPod touch, which should excite any App Store gamer.
The game is a lot of fun, but the side scrolling only bothers me a bit. I was hoping for a better version of part 1, BUT, the game is worth every penny.
Ubisoft has tons of great properties to choose from, but, personally, I would love to see a version of Beyond Good and Evil on the iDevice — even if it's an adaptation like AC2.
Just out of curiosity – how much was the game before it was pulled?
i think it was $10 then too, more than too much.
$12.99
edit: $11.99
Why was it released early in the first place?
@squarezero: A port of Beyond Good and Evil would be nice
Or Prince of Persia.
I'm almost certain that Ubisoft will be coming out with a Prince of Persia in the near future, most likely to coincide with the release of the film. I love PoP, but I didn't particularly care much for the PSP ports, and a side-scrolling version would be very much like AC2. BGaE is a lesser known game, but it had tons gameplay variety, memorable characters, and really distinctive design. IMO, any aspect of it (or several for that matter) could be turned into a really great iDevice game.
Kudos! Keep bringing the superb quality games to this platform.
i would love to see splinter cell on the iphone like it was on the ngage but in better way – much more improved and 2.5D
Bring on the Tom Clancy games!
I hoped you're right Hodapp, that we get to download again. I'm fine with mine as it is and got a refund without losing the game (very generous of Apple). But if I had to pay for it again (got my full refund) then that's fine. It was well worth it. They should have kept it $11.99, a lot of people would have bought it. It's still cool that I got it free though, probably won't last any longer until the update.
Ubisoft is committed huh? CLASSIC RAYMAN TITLES FROM PS1 ERA PLZ
LISTEN to this man Ubisoft!
Ur absolutely right how could i forgot. Those classic rayman games were phenomenal
Tom Clancy's Endwar with voice control? o_O
This is one of the best games avaible on te iPhone. Currently it's in my top 3 along with nova(3) and chinatown wars (obviously number 1). I like the side scrolling the controls of the first assassins creed were just awfull. The sidescrolling allows you to peform more complicated acrobatics and more skilled combat. The game is also very large and you learn new skills or enemy's all the time. Great game and a must have!
"Going forward, Ubisoft plans to treat the iPhone and iPod touch as a serious gaming platform…”
That would explain why they ported the low-quality, side-scrolling DS version of the game, not the much richer PSP version of the game.
The PSP version of the game is bad, really really bad, not at all "much richer".
It's only better for graphics, only that.
Yeah, dunno where you got the idea that the DS game was "low quality" while the PSP one is "much richer" – if you look at their review scores, the DS version averaged a 70.67%, while the PSP game got 64.33%. And note that they didn't just port the game, they added new features and levels.
Unfortunately i cannot take Ubisoft seriously as a game developer after playing the appalling Avatar game.
That is a title that by all means should have been great but feels like the developers just got bored while they were making it and rushed it out the door.
Synical?
Perhaps… but with game companies i have learned that the more something is hyped by the PR machine generally means the worse the game is going to actually be when it is released.
That said…. glad they are committed to the iphone… but until they are committed to the iphone in a chinatown wars kind of way then not really that interested.
Is it just me or does this look repetitive and boring? Run, jump, slash, repeat.
Described in single words, every game is boring.
Yes, and Doodle Jump is just jump, Pac-man is just eat, run, repeat and GTA is just quest, kill, repeat.
The best games typically have well-executed premises that are simple (hence easy to pick up, learn and enjoy).
I will not buy this.
I don't like the side scrolling !!!!!!
you should leave gameloft take care of this !!!!
I don't like stealth and I don't like platforming. Put them together, and you end up with a crap sandwich. This is a matter of personal perference though. I would certainly like to applaud Ubisoft's effort though. The majority of Ubisoft's IPs, ported to the iphone, I would purchase, gladly, for 9.99; just not this one.
gee… i already finished the game.
should i get gta or should i get this
personally I would go with gta because it just has more in it while ac2 can be quickly finished but it's your prefence in which type of game you like
Heroes of Might and Magic!