By: Tyler Miller

Next up on the road to E3 2017 is Ubisoft, and there’s a fair amount of stuff that I’m looking forward to from the French publisher. They always have a pretty good show that’s fun and exciting, even with the low points that they tend to have as well. I expect this year to be more of the same, and I can’t wait for it to hit. Anyway, let’s jump on in.

What I’m Looking Forward To

Assassin’s Creed: Origins

For the first time since the release of Assassin’s Creed II in 2009, Ubisoft’s flagship series took a year off from releasing a game. After the harsh response to Unity, people weren’t so hot on the series. And although 2015’s Syndicate was more well received, it still didn’t hit the highs that Ubisoft was hoping for. So after two years, the series is coming back and hopefully that year off will show in the new game. Leaks are saying that the game is taking place in Ancient Egypt, there will be a large open world similar to Skyrim, and probably most shocking is the fact that there won’t be any towers that you climb to open the map in the game. I’ve always been a fan of the Assassin’s Creed series, so I’m excited to see what the newest game in the series brings to the table after such a long break from the series.

Far Cry 5

Boy oh boy did Ubisoft piss people off with the reveal of Far Cry 5. Bringing the series to the United States for the first time, and placing it in the midwest with an extremist religious cult as the villains was the perfect way to stir up controversy. At the same time, it was also the perfect way to freshen up the series. Setting it somewhere that’s familiar to us and touching on a topic that is timely and not that often approached in gaming is very intriguing to me. I haven’t played any games in the series, but right now they can count me in because I’m dying to see more.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

South Park: The Fractured But Whole is a game that I’m highly anticipating, and while that’s mostly because of the fact that I love the show, it also looks like a hell of a lot of fun. The game has been delayed once again (and hopefully for the last time) until later this year, so I’ll have to wait a bit longer before I can play it. I’m sure that Ubisoft will showcase it again this year at E3 and only make the wait even harder for me, but I can do it. At least I think I can.

The Division

I feel really bad when it comes to The Division. I got the game for Christmas last year and only played it for a few minutes before hopping into another one of the games I got as a gift. Not because I wasn’t interested in it, but because I simply didn’t have the time to sit and actually play it for a substantial amount of time. Six months later and I still haven’t gone back to it, although I keep telling myself I will. Regardless, I still love the premise of The Division, so I’m excited to see what new expansions will be coming to the game this year, especially since they’ll be free. Come on Ubisoft. Give me a reason to hop into the game sooner rather than later.

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

While it’s unknown whether or not Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle will first appear at Ubisoft’s press conference, or at Nintendo’s E3 Direct, I’m placing it here with Ubisoft because I just have a good feeling that it’ll make its debut there. The game has been rumored for quite some time and was only recently leaked a few weeks ago. There’s still lots to learn about the game, but I’m just excited to see what kinds of wacky insanity comes out of this crossover from left field.

The Classic Ubisoft Surprise

It wouldn’t be a Ubisoft E3 press conference without the classic “One more thing” at the end of each show. This has been a tradition since the initial reveal of Watch Dogs in 2012, bringing us games that we never would’ve expected. The biggest shock was last year’s extreme winter sports game Steep, showing that the end-of-show surprise doesn’t have to be a AAA-hardcore game. We already know that Beyond Good & Evil 2 won’t be showing up this year, so that’s off the table. Perhaps we’ll see the return of Splinter Cell or Prince of Persia? Or something entirely new? Whatever it is, it’s sure to excite everyone.

What I Don’t Want To Happen

For the Press Conference to Suck

 

This is the first year in quite some time where Aisha Tyler isn’t hosting the Ubisoft press conference. Instead, the developers will be hosting the show themselves this time. Some people may have their qualms about how Aisha does as the host, but I’ve always felt that she’s done a great job in the position. She brings the right amount of humor to keep things light, keeps everything moving smoothly, and also shows that she really cares and is passionate about the games that are being shown on stage. I know that the devs always done a great job when they’re on stage at E3, I’m just a tad worried that the show will end up like Konami’s infamous E3 press conference without her, and we all know how much of a train wreck that was.

Ubisoft is primed to have a really good show this year. They have a bunch of heavy hitters to showcase, and there’s definitely going to be a shocking surprise that hits just as hard as everything else too. If they can just manage to not bungle this without Aisha, and keep their lows from dragging the whole show down, then I think we’ll have something special to look forward to Monday afternoon.