Many titles have already jumped ship: they escaped the 2009 holiday crunch that would force them to face off with certain blockbusters like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 . But not every publisher is frightened; one is even confident.
Of course, it helps to have a bad-ass game in the hopper. Assassin's Creed II is slated to arrive just around the time Infinity Ward and Activision's aforementioned mega-title drops, but Ubisoft's creative director Patrice Desilets says he ain't worried. As he told VG247 last week at GamesCom, the inherent difference in gameplay is what will allow both titles to be successful. Furthermore, he reminded everyone that the original Assassin's Creed went head-to-head with the first Modern Warfare in 2007…and still managed to sell 9 million units. Betcha didn't know that. Desilets went on to say:
"People, when they want their first-person shooter fix, they buy Modern Warfare. If you want you a swords, running on rooftops, big open city fix, this is it. And there are people that want to play that, and they don’t want to play the game with guns."
Well, it's certainly true that fans of one game may not find the other game appealing; one is runnin' and gunnin' while the other is in an entirely different setting and requires patience and stealth. Also, bear in mind that ACII will be a significant upgrade over the original; everything we've seen and heard thus far, from all the relevant details to gameplay footage straight from E3 and most recently from GamesCom, has us convinced. We want this game. Perhaps even more than Modern Warfare 2 …
Hmm, 2 games I'm not buying. Hopefully, they cripple each other sales! w00t!
Yea i'm not buying neither too. But if i were to choose, it would be Assassin's Creed. There are just too many shooters out there. Too many Call of Duty that they have to stop counting the numbers.
AC lost me with their first installment, unfortunately. I felt the game was far to cookie-cutter. I hate games that give you every power you can attain in the game for the first 10 minutes, then you lose it all.
The constant repitition, the sheer lack of innovation with side-quests, and regular storyline quests. The story was decent…but the execution was just piss-poor.
Didn't you love how Altair didn't just lose his equipment? He lost his abilities as well. I thought that was pretty laughable, but I still loved the game. And you should at least give AC2 a try because all the evidence says that they are fixing all of your complaints with this installment. I just hope we don't lose our abilities and such again, although it won't matter much to me if we do. I'll just chuckle again.
@godsman
you used a double-negative in your first sentence… shame on you…
I don't never use no double negatives in not any of my sentences.
YOUR LOSS. two games i'm buying on the day.
@ Furbiesmustdie: I don't really consider it a loss. Simply more money to invest elsewhere. Such as Gran Turismo 5, et al. I hope you enjoy them however.
The more I play Modern Warfare 1 and World at War the less hyped I am about Modern Warfare 2. Each of these games are just carbon copies of one another with minor edits made after the copying was complete. If I pick up Modern Warfare 2 it will be used. Im sick to death of FPS this gen. Killzone 2 is the only one that's still enjoyable at this point.
As for AC2? I'll try and keep an open mind. I hated the 1st one. It was poorly made and got sooooooo boring really fast and the texture pop-in was unbarable. AC2 does look more promising. It's seems they are working with Sony more closely for this release. I read something that said they are building this on te PS3 then porting to the 360. Anyone hear about that too or am I mistaken?
Yea I was about to buy W@W this month, but after picking up Killzone 2, my head is already aching of fps. I'll wait for MW2.
And who said Killzone 2 online isn't fun? Just got the Online General Rank trophy,HA!
Congrats! I'm a long way from General.
Thanks MadKatBebop. You should just dedicate about 2 days of intense online play and you're sure to get it. Started sunday and got it today,tuesday.
Killzone 2 story mode was good, just couldn't get into online mode. Trying to sell it now.
I wasn't enjoying the online multiplayer much at 1st but now I love it. I had to push my self to play it. I don't think I'll be playing another FPS for while. Like Bioshock 2 awhile.
i sed it wasnt fun…although that might be cos im terrible at it
@yak4life85,
The multiplayer of Killzone 2 is just awesome. Different classes, primary and secondary abilities, variant maps with different sizes and atmospheres, chaos and tactics, etc…
Trust me, you should give it another try. One of the best online FPS I've ever played.
Well, 'Assassin's Creed II' is possibly my most anticipated title of the year, so I'm glad it's not backing down.
Not that I ever believed it would, because of the sales figure you mentioned. And the fact that there are a lot more gamers now than when the first released, along with the fact that most of the people who played the first seem to be eager to give the series a second chance seems to show that this game's destiny is to sell big.
I'd love to see the look on Kotick's face if Assassin's Creed 2 sells more than his 'entertainment property of the year.'
I'm all over Assassin's Creed 2, way more excited for that game than MW2. I'm sure MW2 will be fun, but I like games that build believable and consistant "worlds" to play in and just fool around with. Plus after drilling an entire army of Helghast, I'm a wee bit burned out on the FPS for now. Need a break.
I've already preordered AC2 Master edition. I don't play COD I don't do fps. Actually I only play certain shooters.
COD is one of my favorite fps, since MW 1 they've all kinda been the same, but I'm so hyped for MW2 I'm buying that on day 1! but as for AC2 I wouldn't buy I hated the first 1! just to damn boring.
Same here, AC didn't do it for me, so was PoP!
@ WWW i agree that those games are very repative but ACII has had changed that sort out the boringness.
I bet Sony will have better AC2 sales and the 360 will have more MW2 sales.
they both came out at same time in 2007, and they both sold well, so it should sell well, the game which will take sales away from AC2 will be uncharted 2, therefore i think AC2 will sell better on the xbox 360 this yr as i recon most ppl who will be lookin to get 2 games for christmas will be (if you have an xbox) MW2 and AC2 while those who have a ps3 will want MW2 and uncharted 2…. might be wrong lol
Yes! Uncharted 2 should fix your AC2 desires.
LOL, it's getting to be like big blockbuster movies where the studios have to stagger their releases to avoid each other.
I hope this isn't a trend that continues, Hollywood releases so very few good, big, blockbuster titles anyway. We don't needs gaming to go down that road, it leads to mediocrity.
Hopefully the audiences within a genre are large enough to serve a game well, so that shooter fans can buy the shooter, action adventure fans can buy Uncharted 2, platforming fans can buy Ratchet and of course driving fans can buy GT5… I wonder whether there are enough game dollars and hands holding them to go around?
I don't think so Highlander. I think it will lead to a significant reduction in Big Game droughts like right after Christmas and the summer, that have been the trend in this industry for years.
Look at all these games scheduled to come out early next year (mostly because of push backs):
Darksiders, MAG, Bayonetta, Dante’s Inferno, God of War 3, Heavy Rain, Max Payne 3, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Mass Effect 2, Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty, Diablo 3, Dead Rising 2, Mafia 2, White Knight Chronicles, Lost Planet 2, Alan Wake, and Bioshock 2.
Does that seem like mediocrity?
Last edited by King James on 8/25/2009 3:48:29 PM
I'm always surprised that there's such an emphasis on the launch dates of games. I (almost) never buy games at launch, so I don't see why someone would care if two games become available on the same date. It's not like they stop being available a week or two later (like movies in theaters).
With the exception of rare, quirky games like Valkyria Chronicles or Persona, games are always available…and they drop in price over time.
Do the majority of gamers really buy all their games in the first week and then play them immediately? I have a huge backlog of games (including PSP, PS2, and even PS1 games), so I never feel the need to get the newest thing A.S.A.P.
…except Rock Band 2, of course; for that, I waited outside the store.
@Fane: I usually buy my games as close to release as possible. I want to be playing it when the internet is still hot with it. Almost all the games I have were preordered.
Highlander – Release date matters mostly for games with a good single player mode – you better play it ASAP, else you run the risk of some reviewer or commenter spoiling the story for you. I couldn't imagine playing Bioshock if the story twist had been spoiled for me. Also, I get most o my games from Gamefly and I have a 2 game plan, so if more than 2 games that I want release on the same day, it gets tough. 🙂
The only game I've ever had "spoiled" for me is FFVII and that was years after its release. Oh, and some vague comments about Indigo Prophecy and Uncharted.
People are surprisingly good about avoiding spoilers.
BTW I wasn't being critical, just curious why people run out to get games on day one.
Last edited by Fane1024 on 8/26/2009 7:21:29 PM
I'll will take my swords over guns anyday . Can't wait to climb the architectural marvels of Venice .
I will have to agree I prefer beating people with Batarangs, Fists, Swords, Guitars, Giant Axes and Superpowers. Can you guess what I'm playing this year.
Mostly I don't play FPS's anyway.
They're two completely different genres, the only real difference is people aren't letting the hype get the best of them in regards to AC2.
…in regards to MW2.
There, I fixed it for you. 😉
wasn't there a gun in the preview of ac2….
Last edited by kevinater321 on 8/25/2009 12:07:56 PM
Yes, but it wasn't an M16… 🙂
With all respect to all the upcoming releases, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves comes first, then anything else.
Last edited by Paolo Kutaragi on 8/25/2009 12:24:32 PM
Word
I don't think AC2 has any reason to be intimidated by the new COD. They're very different genre's. I, for one, will definitely be getting AC2. Still haven't jumped on the COD bandwagon yet, just doesn't appeal to me.
I know that's not the case with everyone, but I don't see either franchise suffering here.
I'll buy Assassin's Creed II for sure. Modern Warfare 2? probably buying used one.
i am sick of call of duty… actually, i am just sick of first person shooters… they're a dime a dozen in this current market of games, which has ruined the appeal of a shooter… now all i look for in a shooter is 3rd person cameras because those games offer up more variety in gameplay… FPS all offer the EXACT SAME CONTROLS…
assassin's creed II is in a category all it's own… it easily more anticipated than ohh god, another FPS war game!!
I could care less about Assassin's Creed II. The first game was completely overhyped. I'll never stop regretting wasting $80 on the Collector's Edition. I still can't believe that Ubisoft made another AC before giving us Beyond Good & Evil 2… now THAT's a sequel I want.
So, if you could care less, then you must care at least a little.
Oh, and BG&E (great game) didn't sell anywhere near 9 million units and BG&E2 won't sell anywhere near 9 million units, so you shouldn't be surprised.
Also, shame on you for spending $80 on any game. Are you also buying the Super Limited Collector's Premium Director's Cut Editon of Modern Warfare 2? Now with night vision goggles that don't detach from stand!
lol, joking, but I wouldn't put it past them, like the batarang from the Batman SE. I'm a Batman fan, and will eventually pick up Arkham Asylum, but I think anyone who buys the special editions of anything that doesn't actually add to the GAME are flippin morons. You're just buying CRAP that will end up in a land fill.
My opinion of course, but come on… People spending over $100 for a stupid spartan helmet for Halo 3 that you can't even wear? WTF?!
I've played MW1 and was not that impressed…KZ2 was a much more intense game for a FPS. I pre-ordered MW2 when I first heard about it but have since then canceled and pre-ordered Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. As for anything Activision…they will not be getting any more of my money.
Halo impressed me in 2002.
COD Modern Warfare impressed me in 2007.
Killzone 2 impressed me in 2009
Sadly, Halo and COD haven't pushed forwards in the industry like Killzone 2 did. And quite frankly, its sad to see such great developers waste their time on FPS's when the market is clearly over-saturated. Bring on Assassin's Creed 2 and Uncharted 2!!!!
I shall be getting AC2 by the end of the year, i just hope its not as repetitive as the 1st game. as for MW2, i have enough FPS's. I'm waiting for Tekken 6 more than anything , i this year i hope its not dissapointing.
woohoo, a fellow Tekken fan! I'm looking forward to that big time.