It's always possible to innovate within a comfortable and well-established template. Nintendo is traditionally the master of this art, secreting gems of novelty within game designs that are often a decade or two old, perfected through years of iteration. Just because a game conforms in many respects to the conventions of its genre, that doesn't mean it can't do anything new, and it certainly doesn't mean that it can't be wonderful.
So yes, in Xenoblade Chronicles, you play an orphaned young hero who, for reasons unexplained, is the only one capable of saving the world from a mysterious evil. (He doesn't have amnesia, though, thankfully.) Yes, there is an ultimate weapon with untold power. Yes, you wander a giant world in a party of three, following a story punctuated by enough cutsc ... Read more »

Going to PAX East next month? Want to see Assassin's Creed III in action? You're in luck!

Ubisoft today announced it's bringing a number of its upcoming titles to Boston in April. This list includes Assassin's Creed III, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Future Soldier, and Far Cry 3.

Assassin's Creed III won't be playable, but Ubisoft is giving a live gameplay demonstration at the publisher's booths at 824 and 836 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center April 6-8.

Ubisoft is also offering fans the opportunity to get real tattoos designed from Far Cry 3.

Assassin's Creed III won't do much in the way of innovative keyboard and mouse controls. Ubisoft is actually recommending a controller.

Speaking to GameSpy in a recent interview, Ubisoft Montreal creative director Alex Hutchinson said, "We're definitely supporting PC, we love PC, but I think it'll be PC with a controller. I don't see us investing hugely in a mouse and keyboard setup.

"I think if you want to play on PC and you want to play Assassin's Creed, you have a controller."

Assassin's Creed III for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC hits on October 30.

Ubisoft casually dropped the news about Nintendo's next console into today's Assassin's Creed III press release.

The wording in the official communication from Ubisoft is slightly odd. AC III is listed as "set to release" on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, but "in development for" Wii U. Seeing a difference there might be reading too much into a minor choice of language in a press release, but there's a small chance it could mean something.

What are the chances you'll pick up the game for Wii U instead of one of your current platforms?

Be sure to hit up our Assassin's Creed III hub for a constant stream of exclusive content over the coming weeks.

Irrational Games has released the latest in its series of Heavy Hitters videos, introducing us all to the Siren enemy type. As the team explains in the clip, she's a throwback to when the term "spiritual" meant something a bit different than what it does now.

This former singer has the unnerving ability to raise the dead with her songs. As creative director Ken Levine explains, this creates a bit of a challenge for both Booker and the player: Do you focus your attention on the Siren, because putting her down also instantly kills her minions (again), or do you worry about the guys who are actually attacking you? All we know for certain at this point is that her "song" isn't anything you're going to enjoy.

If you haven't been keeping up with this video ... Read more »

After switching studios and surviving development hellfires that have been burning since 2008, I Am Alive has lived up to its name. The game’s scale has been reduced from a retail release to a downloadable title, but that hasn’t held it back from becoming one of the most memorable survival games I’ve ever played. Days have passed since I completed it, but I’m still ruminating over every bullet spent, life saved, and decision made.

The story of I Am Alive follows an apocalyptic event that has left humanity in shambles. The unnamed protagonist is trying to return home, driven by the desire to reunite with his family. He chronicles his arduous quest in a camcorder, which players watch periodically to view the story from a different angle. Predictably, the ... Read more »

If you thought that Battlefield 3's Suppression Resist Specialization wasn't effective, I have great news for you: It's getting a major tweak in tomorrow's patch. PlayStation 3 and PC players already received this update, and come tomorrow morning, the 360 crowd will be able to experience all of the tweaks and balancing that DICE has been working on since the game launched last year. Almost every weapon and attachment is receiving a minor change. Spawn locations for Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch are improving. Even the black screen fade for spawns has been addressed.

This patch also brings the Rent a Server option that allows players to publish their own Battlefield 3 server complete with customized settings. The server charge starts at 120 Micros ... Read more »