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The Kabukimono are a group of ronin causing trouble in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. One extended sidequest requires you to track them all down across Settsu and take them out.

You can find the initial quest at the Nishinomiya Shrine, west of Amagasaki. You’ll find one of the priests standing at the entrance, trying to calm down a child. He explains that the Kabukimono are a group of ronin who are causing trouble across the region, and he would like something to be done about them.

He gives you clues to the locations of most of them, and they can be dealt with in any order. However, this is the order I recommend, going from easiest to hardest.

How to Find and Defeat the Ghost General Kabukimono in Assassin’s Creed Shadows 3f2e56

The easiest of the Kabukimono in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The Ghost General can be found at the port in Sakai, traveling along the piers and interacting with merchants. Simply head to the port and you can overhear locals talking about his habit of stealing food.

Fortunately, his open public presence and limited bodyguards make him easy to take out. To make things easier, he also loves standing near the water, usually while his bodyguard walks elsewhere. Wait for him to held along a pier and swim out. If you can’t get him from the water, climb out behind him and take him out. You will need to fight him to remove the last part of his health bar, but once he’s gone, escape into the ocean.

How to Find and Defeat the Grave Dancer 4r6z4p

Another relatively easy member of the Kabukimono. The Grave Dancer hangs out at the Sumiyoshi Shrine southeast of Osaka. It’s another public location and, like the Ghost General, only has one bodyguard. He also likes to walk near tall buildings, perfect for pouncing on him from above.

Of course, that is the strategy. Climb onto one of the shrine’s buildings, move above him and perform an assassination. You won’t kill him outright but this does remove a lot of his health. With a big chunk of his health bar removed and only one assistant, this is a relatively easy fight.

How to Find and Defeat Ember 266g

The clues for Ember are slightly misleading, as they state he is southwest of Osaka Castle. This just means he’s in Osaka, inside a block on the west side, near the southern bridge to Kojo Ruins. This block is a guarded area, so you’ll be attacked on sight when you enter.

However, there is an extremely simple solution to this. There are two straw awnings you can climb onto – one to the east and one to the south. Ember and his guards are also standing next to a pile of explosive urns. Simply throw a kunai at this pile to cause significant damage. You may need to hop in to finish him off, but the explosion will do most of the work for you.

How to Find and Defeat Big Sueki 4i3u35

Big Sueki is the first of the Kabukimono who might prove a challenge. He can be found in a private garden in Muko Post Town, north of Amagasaki. There’s a small building with an alley into a garden next to it. Big Sueki and his cohorts are hanging out in this garden, but with so many of them, you shouldn’t really enter through the alley.

Instead, head to the building next door and head into the area behind it. There’s a gap in the fence that takes you behind the foliage in the garden and provides a helpful patch of grass to hide in. Sneak around and perform a sneak attack on Sueki. You won’t take him out immediately, so you’ll be forced into a fight with the whole crew. However, a smoke bomb should help cause a distraction. Focus on Sueki, then flee as soon as he’s dealt with.

How to Find and Defeat Chief Cuckoo 3t6q1h

Chief Cuckoo is the hardest member of the Kabukimono to assassinate in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. This is because he’s located in the Katano Oil Trading area southwest of Katano Castle (or south of Katano’s Ornament Vendor). This is a heavily guarded area, and his patrols are usually through areas with a high density of guards.

If you’ve got Yasuke, it may be easier to charge in with him and make use of his higher defence, but if you want to be stealthy with Naoe, there are some options available to you. Upgrading your kunai skills to do more damage will help in softening him up from a distance, and smoke bombs can help cause a distraction. If there’s too much pressure, it may be worth fleeing temporarily and coming back to finish him off when they’ve lost sight of you.

How to Find and Defeat the Final Three Kabukimono in Assassin’s Creed Shadows 4o1s50

The final three slots on the Kabukimono quest can now be opened up with all the other targets defeated. You’ll need to head back to the Nishinomiya Shrine and leave a message to draw out the remaining trio. You get the option to hunt them individually or gather them in one place. I would recommend the latter option, mainly because it’s the quickest and easiest.

However, you will need to wait a little while, as the trio are level 23, and located in Harima, which is likely to be difficult to get through at the level the initial targets become available. When you’re an appropriate level, head into Harima west from Amagasaki. If you follow the coastal road towards the Kakogawa Estuary then head north before crossing to the Estuary island. This road leads to the Takagi Otsuka Fort. The Kabukimono camp is southeast of this fort.

To take out your targets, you’ll need to get into the camp. The east side has a rock formation that you can climb that allows you to jump the fence onto the roof of a building. Drop down between this building and the fence and sneak around behind the opposite building, placing it between you the targets. From here, you can peek around the corner to see them, but this also gives the perfect angle to throw a kunai at an explosive urn near your targets. This is the ideal way to weaken them and make the fight easier.

In the chaos, you have the ability to throw a couple more tools as they start moving towards you, and a smoke bomb will confuse them and allow you to do more damage quietly. Despite the numbers, this surprisingly isn’t as difficult as it first seems. Once they’re all down, return to the priest who gave you the quest to receive your rewards.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is out now for PS5, PC and Xbox Series X/S.

The post How to Find and Defeat the Kabukimono in Assassin’s Creed Shadows appeared first on Siliconera.

Early on in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you can encounter Kuji-Kiri spots where Naoe can perform meditation and complete flashback quests. Each of these quests is a special stealth mission designed to teach you the skills of the shinobi, although some might prove a little tricky.

Where to Find Kuji-Kiri Mediation Spots in Assassin’s Creed Shadows 4o4x4k

While Naoe’s quest requires you to complete four Kuji-Kiri meditations to view all the flashbacks, the specific spots you visit don’t matter. Regardless of which spots you visit, the flashbacks will always play in the same order at the first four.

When you first gain access to the map in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, your first task is to find Tomiko in her homestead, but you can tackle a few of the meditation quests before you get to her. There's a fourth nearby too. These are not the only locations to find meditation spots, but they’re the easiest to access immediately.

The first Kuji-Kiri spot is just north of your starting point in Makinoodera Temple. Head straight down the path from the temple and you will reach a junction. Take the left and you’ll reach a torii gate marking some stairs. Head up these stairs to the Eboshigata Shrine and the first Kuji-Kiri spot is straight ahead of you on the cliff edge.

The second spot is the Rolling Glen, which you will likely on your way Tomiko’s. The path west of the first Kuji-Kiri spot will take you to another road that heads north past the Tennoji Temple. Once past the temple, you’ll reach a junction. Head right and eventually the Kuji-Kiri spot will be on the left.

The third spot is incredibly easy to find. Once you’ve reached Tomiko’s Homestead, head all the way to the east to find the spot next to a waterfall.

The fourth can be found in Kawachi Heights to the southeast of the hideout. Head back out of the hideout and return south (turn left from the hideout) and continue until you reach a bridge. Take the path left of it. When the path forks, go left and take another left at the immediate crossroads. Follow this road until you cross a bridge and see a lantern at a fork in the road. Head right through a torii gate and continue up the hill to find this spot.

How to Complete the First Kuji-Kiri Meditation Quest m1f1n

Initially you have to follow Mitsu to retrieve a katana. After the cutscene, you’ll need to climb the hills while avoiding enemies along the way. Once you a bridge, immediately duck into the bushes on the left and follow them up the hill to avoid the enemies that start walking down towards you. At the end you’ll find a dead body and a cutscene will begin.

After the scene, continue along the path. As soon as you a stream, go prone into the grass on the left and follow this until you reach a rock blocking your path. This is probably the toughest part of this flashback because there are a lot of guards in the area. But if you keep moving and stay vigilant for the immediate soldiers, you should be fine.

Wait until the visible guards turn away from you and crawl across to the grass on the right. Keep moving through the grass, following the paths up the hill and dodging any guards who might walk in your direction. Eventually you’ll reach a bridge. Check back on the guards to make sure no one is looking at you, then dash across the bridge. From here, you’re safe to continue along the path. You’ll encounter more cutscenes and an easy fight.

How to Complete the Second Kuji-Kiri Meditation Quest 5b3v63

While the first quest was easy, the remaining Kuji-Kiri meditation quests in Assassin’s Creed Shadows will test your stealth abilities a little more.

After the cutscene, go and speak to Mitsu and you’ll get a marker for the shrine. Follow it until you see people running away, mentioning that bandits have taken over the shrine. You’ll need to stay out of their way to retrieve Mitsu’s scroll. There are two main areas you need to worry about, the entrance area and the main shrines.

In the starting area, there is a bandit patrolling. Stick to the left and move between bushes when he’s looking away until you reach the river. Don’t worry about the other two, they’re too distracted.

At the river, you’re free to continue upwards without being seen. However, as you approach the top area with the three shrines, you ideally want to be on the right. The scroll you want is in the furthest right shrine, and the best way to grab it is to hug the far wall, and slip around the corner to quickly grab it.

To leave, retrace your steps, and now you have quicker route across the river as there is a set of stairs going up to the main area. Repeat the process of crossing through the bushes and then return home.

How to Complete the Third Kuji-Kiri Meditation Quest k546

This quest sees you infiltrating an outpost in the snowy mountains under the instruction of Momochi Sandayu. Speak to him at the top of the stairs before returning down the hill and climbing the ladder on the left.

The first sequence introduces you to swinging with the grappling hook. You’ll need to swing from the first rock to the next, before using two swing points in quick succession. This is a good opportunity to practice grappling a second point in mid-air, as there are no consequences to missing the jump. After landing in the haystack on the other side, slip through a gap in the bushes, cross the bridge and head left up the hill. Eventually you’ll be able to climb a ladder onto a rock with a fallen log. Use this log to reach a grapple point and swing into the outpost.

The route through here is mostly linear, but it is easy to trip up and end up on the ground or in a place you shouldn’t be. From the watchtower, hop to the next wall, quietly slip past the guards in this section (they don’t turn around) and jump through the hole in the wall. Now hook up to the roof of the building.

From here, do not leave the rooftops. Instead, swing from here to the opposite roof, jump to the tree and then swing to the right-hand building in the next area. Here you can eavesdrop on some enemy soldiers from the roof. After they’re done, swing to the large watchtower and climb up. Again, do not land in the lower areas. Stay on the higher levels.

After examining the body, you can jump from the watchtower, slide through the forest and follow a path back to Sandayu, completing the flashback.

How to Complete the Final Kuji-Kiri Meditation Quest in Assassin's Creed Shadows 1a1tb

There’s a lot of plot to start this final Kuji-Kiri meditation quest in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The choices aren’t consequential, although Naoe does seem cooler if she speaks up for Iga. You’ll then have to fight another Iga member in a duel. Focus on parrying and dodging over going on the offense.

Eventually, you’ll be placed at the bottom of a fort with Naoe’s father. Head up the scaffolding and follow the hill upwards. You can find a tree at the top that allows access to the fort. After another scene with your dad, the stealth mission begins.

Use your grappling hook to climb up the large tower, jump to the next and hop down to the next ledge. This next part requires you to be quick as well as stealthy, as you’ll need to distract a guard to slip by unseen. Ignore the gap in the fence (this only leads to you walking into a guard) and instead go to the locked gate at the end. Whistle to the guard and immediately climb the gate. Hop to the next ledge, duck into the shadows and quickly (but quietly!) move to the other side and climb another gate. If you’re too slow, the guard will come back and see you, so be careful. The two guards on the second ledge are too distracted to notice you if you don’t approach them.

After eavesdropping, the general advice for the next part is stick to the rooftops. Turn right, cross the ledge to the roof, jump to the next one on the left. Jump the wall, climb the gate, then follow the rooftops around to the far building in the next courtyard. Drop down on the far side and slip into the window to complete the quest.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is now available for PS5, PC and Xbox Series X/S.

The post How to Complete the Kuji-Kiri Meditation Quests in Assassin’s Creed Shadows appeared first on Siliconera.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows marks the long-awaited return of the mainline series. The country of Japan is absolutely stunning to explore, with one of the best gameplay systems and storyline to date. In fact, I think Assassin’s Creed Shadows would hands down be the best in the series if it weren’t for the heavily problematic exploration.

If you are like me and have always wanted an Assassin’s Creed game set in Japan, this title mostly lives up to those expectations. With around nine regions to explore and a vast story spanning roughly 40 hours without including any of side content, it is jam-packed with a gorgeous, fully realized version of 16th century Japan at the height of its Sengoku Period. It's a strong foundation.

The world depicted in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen in a game. The visual effects, like the wind blowing through flower fields or the numerous vistas we synchronize with, provide some of the most detailed and stunning visuals I’ve experienced. I feel the graphics appear to be much more detailed than all past entries of the series I've played, and Ubisoft used a strikingly varied color palette.

It helps that the seasons in Assassin’s Creed Shadows play into its visual style. The four seasons change everything, from the look of locations to certain content available. Over the course of my time with the experience, I constantly found myself seeing something new. Or, well, sometimes I would if it weren’t for how problematic the exploration is.

It is a shame how bad actually experiencing and exploring the world is in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, especially since it is the installment I want to spend the most time savoring. For one, the map layout is awful. Foliage is everywhere, leading to an unbelievable amount of tall trees and bushes getting in your way. If you go off the beaten path, good luck seeing anything anywhere. The plant life makes it nearly impossible, and I couldn’t find a way to turn it down, either.

Worse still, climbing is not good in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. I long for the “climb everywhere” type of entries! This is, sadly, not one of them. It gets even more troublesome. If you go up an incline that is too steep, you’ll immediately slip down it. The unfortunate part is, this being Japan, there are hills and such uneven land everywhere.

If you even try to shorten your journey to a destination in Assassin’s Creed Shadows and go off of the road, then good luck. You will probably experience a lot of frustration as a result. (That is, if you can even see anything.) I my worst moment involved journeying to a viewpoint to synchronize 1,200 meters away from me. I tried to go in a straight line to shorten the distance as much as possible. I made it there! But for literally 800 meters of the journey, I couldn’t see anything because of the environmental execution.

To make matters worse, roads aren’t super common in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In fact, you can only see a handful of major highways on the map if you haven’t already been somewhere yet! These major paths don’t usually go by viewpoints or any other significant landmarks. So, it is up to you to rely on guides or run through the impossible-to-see-through foliage to get somewhere. Thankfully, navigating through towns, castles, and cities is far less of an issue, but getting to those spots can be a major headache.

This frustrating exploration is a stark contrast to the otherwise excellent experience found in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. For instance, the gameplay finally feels like it strikes the right balance between action-RPG and assassination simulator. Yasuke and Naoe help to provide everyone something to enjoy, regardless of preferred style. You can play most of the game as the person you prefer. If you like slower, almost Souls-like parries and dodges, Yasuke is the way to go. But if you prefer the more traditional assassin and tools skillset like me, Naoe offers that. This allows for a balanced blend of the Eivor and Kassandras of the series alongside its actual assassin roots. Though I will say Naoe isn’t still perfect, as her dual assassination doesn’t all the time and requires a specific weapon type, but she's still a strong option.

While I generally don’t prefer the more action side of the Assassin's Creen series' recent games, Yasuke feels like the best protagonist thus far. His playstyle as a samurai slows everything down and turns it into a more weighty and ability-focused experience. It is to the point where, while you can grind and reach a high enough level to complete a quest, I found it possible to do quests above my level if I mastered blocking and dodging. This reward for player skill is a welcome change of pace.

What is also nice is the level of content in this experience. While I liked Assassin's Creed Valhalla a lot, I found its supplemental missions horrible and bland. Thankfully, Assassin’s Creed Shadows makes up for that with worthy side content that I felt encouraged to complete. Every piece of content feeds into another area. For instance, you might meet an NPC in the main story and rescue them. They then show up as an ally with their own side story, complete with assassination targets and the like. Or you might find some random animals in the wild, then draw a beautiful 2D painting of them. You can then display that painting or even the pet animal at your customizable Hideout. There are temples that grant XP or Mastery Points to upgrade skills. Every piece of side content has its place and complements the main story well.

And the best part is, that’s all before the actual story in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. This is by far the most engaging plot in the series yet. This is certainly a welcome change of pace after the forgettable Assassin's Creed Mirage plot. Naoe and Yasuke are by far the most heartwarming and memorable protagonists. Ubisoft gives you a lot of reasons to root for the duo on their journey. I will it that, at times, it feels more like Naoe’s game, but Yasuke does get his moments as well.

The other side characters help to fill out the plot, too, especially when it comes to the Assassin’s Creed Shadows villains. This is by far the most unforgettable set of bad guys found in an installment. Instead of just being masked or unknown targets, Ubisoft uses the game’s story to make the player hate them, too. Or even empathize with some of them, in a couple of cases. This makes the story and hunt for the enemies more personal and engaging in the process.

This is all why it is such a shame that Assassin’s Creed Shadows falls apart in the exploration department. Getting to an goal is such a chore, despite the incredible visuals. But once you get to the primary objective in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you will find the best combat, story, characters, and setting in an Assassin’s Creed game yet. If it was more enjoyable to roam around the world, which is, sadly, how a large portion of your time playing, this would easily be the best overall entry in the series to date.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows releases for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on March 20, 2025.

The post Review: Messy Exploration Holds Back Assassin’s Creed Shadows appeared first on Siliconera.

As part of a strategic update, Ubisoft announced that it will delay Assassin’s Creed Shadows until March 20, 2025. This is part of its “renewed” efforts to focus on “gameplay quality and engaging Day-1 experiences.”

According to Ubisoft, this delay will give the development team an extra month to work on Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Aside from improving the quality of the gameplay, it will also “allow the team to better incorporate the player gathered over the past three months and help create the best conditions for launch by continuing to engage closely with the increasingly positive Assassin’s Creed community.” Other parts of the strategic update focused on Ubisoft’s behind-the-scenes business decisions.

The game was originally going to come out on November 15, 2024. However, in September 2024, Ubisoft announced that it would delay the game until February 14, 2025. This means that the March 20, 2025 release date is the newest one after two previous delays.

In the years since the first Assassin’s Creed game came out in 2007, no other game in the series has seen as much pushback as Shadows did. Since Ubisoft revealed the game in May 2024, a lot of arguments have erupted online over the inclusion of Yasuke, a black samurai, since the game takes place in Japan. Ubisoft even issued a statement acknowledging concerns over Yasuke’s depiction, but noting that the game series as a whole “has taken creative license and incorporated fantasy elements to craft engaging and immersive experiences.”

Assassin’s Creed Shadows will come out on March 20, 2025 for the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC.

The post Assassin’s Creed Shadows Delayed to March 2025 appeared first on Siliconera.

Amazon Prime Day is back yet again for its October 2024 sale day. As always, fans only have 48 hours from October 8-9, 2024 to take advantage of some of the best deals. For my fellow gamers out there, these are the best October 2024 Amazon Prime Day video game sales worth taking a look at.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 (53% off) 6i1cd

This is by far the best deal I have found in general for Amazon Prime Day 2024 in of PS5 games. You get the Master Collection, which includes remasters of the first three Metal Gear Solid games, plus a slew of extras like older titles and digital books. The best part is it is on sale for $19.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage (54% off) 6y614h

Assassin's Creed Mirage has a much smaller scale and higher focus on assassination, which makes it more like the first few games. So if you were a fan of the Ezio Trilogy, this might be up your alley. And if you’ve been wanting to take a look at this one ahead of Assassin's Creed Shadows, it is on sale during Prime Day with a 54% discount.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (61% off) 5a431w

Where this game based on the Avatar movies lacks in content, it makes up for in some of the most immersive and beautiful first-person open-world gameplay. It might be worth a look for some players at only $26.99, despite being less than a year old at the time of Amazon Prime Day 2024.

Banishers: Ghosts of Eden (33% off) 5u5b2k

If you like intense, high-quality storytelling with solid enough action, this is a game worth checking out. It may not be the cheapest game on this list but it has a worthy enough 33% discount. This is solid given that the game just came out this same year.

More Best October 2024 Amazon Prime Day Video Game Sales x5u3c

If you are looking for more of the best Amazon Prime Day October 2024 video game sales and deals, here are some additional ones worth a look:

• Madden NFL 25: 39% off
• EA Sports College Football 25: 39% off
• Bluey: The Videogame - 38% off
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown - 60% off
• Cat Quest III: 33% off

Amazon Prime Day 2024 is only happening from October 8 to October 9, 2024. If you want to take advantage of these deals, you'll need to act fast.

The post Best October 2024 Amazon Prime Day Video Game Sales appeared first on Siliconera.

Players eagerly awaiting the release of Assassin's Creed Shadows will need to wait a little longer. Ubisoft announced today, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), that the game will not hit its original release date. Assassin's Creed Shadows has been delayed, now releasing on February 14, 2024.

The official Ubisoft announcement gave some details on the delay. Ubisoft stated that it was primarily to ensure polish on core gameplay mechanics and that the launch experience was up to standard.

You can take a look at the announcement in full detail here:

This was accompanied by an announcement that Ubisoft has updated its financial targets for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, citing Star Wars Outlaws' softer than expected launch and the developments with Assassin's Creed Shadows as to why they were making this change. They also announced in a press release that starting with Assassin's Creed Shadows, they will not only be releasing every future game same day on Steam, but will also move away from season es. Concerning this shift, Ubisoft will also be granting the first expansion to players that have pre-ordered Assassin's Creed Shadows for free.

Assassin's Creed Shadows will launch on Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 5, and PC on February 14, 2025.

The post Assassin’s Creed Shadows Delayed, Will Launch on Steam appeared first on Siliconera.

Over the years, Star Wars video games have become their own institution separate from and adjacent to the source material. The massive multimedia franchise offers a wide range of playstyles ranging from RPGs, a variety of first and third person shooters, Lego platforming games, and even an ongoing MMORPG. However, the franchise was missing a proper open-world experience. Or at least it was before the arrival of Star Wars Outlaws, a full-fledged scoundrel adventure game spanning a galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars Outlaws is the first open-world game available featuring the Star Wars extended universe. This third person shooter adventure puts players in the role of Kay Vess, a fledgling scoundrel accompanied by her alien mascot Nix. After two failed attempts at her big break in the criminal underworld of Canto Bight, she gets thrust into a galaxy-wide underbelly world of intrigues, backstabbing, political alliances, where the powerful and influential have a lot to lose and everyone else has a lot to gain. With a reputation following Kay, a new and flashy spaceship in tow, and a death mark from the head of the biggest crime syndicate himself on her back, the scoundrel must now find a way to survive in a ruthless galaxy and make a credit or two in the process.

After a brisk and exciting prologue setting the events of the game in march, Kay Vess lands in the planet of Toshara, where she needs to get her act together and start acting as a true criminal and trickster. The first few main quests in the game introduce the players to the structure of the game and its main draw— the aforementioned open-world. While the first planet offers a vast expanse, the always accessible speeder allows for these big open areas to feel easy to cover. The focus is always on exploring and finding points of interest in the map, whether it be interconnected and detailed city hubs, settlements, caves, or Imperial bases to sneak into and get a hold of rare parts and materials.

What I found most interesting about Star Wars Outlaws is that it felt like games I’ve already played, but never before for a Star Wars title. Different parts of other titles combine to make something exciting. The main gameplay loop lies in semi-linear missions, third person action, and free-form exploration. On top of it all you have a healthy dose of stealth-action, some light roleplaying elements and decision making, and even some space travel elements added to the mix. Star Wars Outlaws doesn’t reinvent the open-world, but it adds layers of genres you’re familiar with to make for a fun theme-park ride that keeps itself fresh for long enough to captivate, but not to much that it bores or distracts from what makes the game enjoyable.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the game is how reactive the world felt to my choices. Throughout both main story missions and other various contracts and side quests, Kay has the chance to ally herself or favor the four major crime syndicates that appear in the game, these being Crimson Dawn, the Pyke Syndicate, the Hutt Cartel, and the Ashiga Clan. During my time in Toshara I spent plenty of time favoring Crimson Dawn over rivals, which led to my reputation following me when I traveled to other planets.

The narrative of the game is mostly linear, meaning that the game only allows for some decisions to truly alter the world of Star Wars Outlaws. Despite that, the Reputation system of the game stands out for its interesting gameplay repercussions. If your stand with any of the crime syndicates is good, you’ll have it easier to get inside their home turfs both inside cities and in the open world areas. Meanwhile, a bad reputation means getting worse deals from their merchants, or even being persecuted and blacklisted if you mess with them too much. I like how this meld with both side content and main story quests, as you will often need to have a different approach to complete objectives depending on who you favor and who you betray for plenty of occasions.

This is different when it comes to the Galactic Empire, as they have no interest in making friends. Instead, the Empire and its iconic Stormtroopers act as the Wanted system in this game. If you cause too much trouble to them, the Empire will put a bounty on you that you can only clear by staying off their nose for long enough. Unless you max out your bounty, in which case they will deploy a full manhunt for Kay. I met this instance twice, in which I had to go to a Death Trooper camp and delete my record from their files to clear my name. While this sounds daunting, the manhunts are a good spectacle and show of might for the Empire, deploying an inordinate amount of war machinery against a single person. Fortunately for Kay and for the player, clearing your name is not too difficult or intrusive, and it made for very cool highlights of my galactic hijinks.

The events of Star Wars Outlaws are set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, allowing the Rebel Alliance and Force-sensitive characters to take a step back in the narrative and allow the criminal syndicates to take center stage. Star Wars hasn’t been historically great at allowing non-Force sensitive characters to take the spotlight, which is why I loved being able to soak in the more mundane and down to earth world of Outlaws, with its common folks trying to make a quick credit and its more unsavory fellas waiting to double cross you at the drop of a hat.

Some colorful and interesting characters complete the roster of the game, with the Clone Wars-era ND-5 battle droid being a standout with his sexy long coat. While he’s a great crew member, I wish he had gotten a bit more gameplay participation than just being your handler and your guy on comms, as he’s always a great presence to have. Likewise, Sliro and his Zerek Besh crime syndicate are an interesting addition and offer great tension throughouth the course of the game. Aside from them, the adorable Nix is your mainstay partner. Nix is great fun and acts as both great comic relief as well as a great gameplay element. Nix can fetch items for Kay or distract them during stealth, as well as attack enemies to blind them in the fray of combat. Using him to open vents or complete platforming puzzles always felt fun and quick.

Other gameplay elements that changed the experience somewhat noticeable were the varied costumes, tokens, and collectibles. Almost everything you collect has a gameplay purpose, and with exploring feeling fast and engaging every aspect of Star Wars Outlaws felt rewarding. It helps that both the various planets available in the game and their corresponding surrounding space areas are absolutely stunning and filled with unique looking vistas. Some maps like Akiva or Tatooine can feel vast and their scope too big, but the speeder and some smart fast travel points make them very easily accessible. Meanwhile, planets like Kijimi focus on a maze-like single city and hiding things at every corner.

With an oversaturated market for open-world games, Star Wars Outlaws keeps things varied, fast-paced, and constantly rewarding. Developers at Massive Entertainment focused on variety and quality over quantity, and didn’t skimp on visual spectacle. There is always something for Kay Vess and her Trailblazer crew to do, whether it be treasure to find, some gang territory to sneak into and rob, an Imperial space base to assault, or even some card games to play. For a true space scoundrel there is no limit in the galaxy.

Star Wars Outlaws will release for the Playstation 5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC via Ubisoft Connect on August 30, 2024.

The post Review: Star Wars Outlaws Keeps Things Fresh and Familiar appeared first on Siliconera.

Ubisoft issued a statement regarding Assassin’s Creed Shadows worldwide that touched on concerns about the game and depiction of Yasuke. In it, it brought up its efforts to work with consultants, brought up the depiction of the samurai, and noted the game “will keep evolving until launch.”

The statement first went over how Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a historical fiction story based on Feudal Japan, but also a piece of creative fiction. The team noted that it worked “external consultants, historians, researchers, and internal teams at Ubisoft Japan.” The note also asked those people not be harassed.

It’s a part of that statement that the team acknowledged concerns. It noted that this is an in-development project and the final game might not resemble early footage exactly. The company also apologized. The exact quote stated, “Despite these sustained efforts, we acknowledge that some elements in our promotional materials have caused concern within the Japanese community. For this, we sincerely apologize.” This marks the second apology, as Ubisoft also apologized for Sekigahara reenactment group flag art infringement earlier in July 2024.

Finally, Ubisoft addressed the depiction of Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The company reiterated this is a piece of historical fiction, and noted that the game series as a whole “has taken creative license and incorporated fantasy elements to craft engaging and immersive experiences. The representation of Yasuke in our game is an illustration of this.” It also reiterated that the samurai Yasuke and shinobi Naoe carry equal importance in the game.

Here is the full statement and apology from Ubisoft regarding Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Yasuke.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows will come out on November 15, 2024 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.

The post Assassin’s Creed Shadows Team Issued Statement About Yasuke appeared first on Siliconera.

Ubisoft Japan issued an apology regarding the unauthorized use of a flag in concept art for the Assassin's Creed Shadows game. The company used the flag of a real world Sekigahara reenactment group in concept art for the latest title in the Assassin’s Creed series.

The flag in question belongs to the Sekigahara Teppo-tai (or Sekigahara gun group) infantryman reenactment group. The apology post originally appeared on July 8, 2024 on the Ubisoft Japan X (formerly Twitter) official . In it, the company confirmed that the flag was used in two instances of concept art. Additionally, with the exception of the flag being featured in the physical art book of the collector's edition of Assassin's Creed Shadows, Ubisoft revealed that it won’t be used moving forward.

Ubisoft also said that it directly ed the reenactment group and apologized to its . The own Sekigahara Teppo-tai confirmed via X (Twitter) that they had been approached by the company with an apology on July 3, 2024, and it reiterated that the already printed data showing the flag would be difficult to eliminate.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows was originally revealed on May 16, 2024, and a new trailer featuring the protagonists, Naoe the shinobi and the samurai Yasuke, appeared on June 10, 2024.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows will come out on November 15, 2024 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.

The post Ubisoft Apologies for Assassin’s Creed Shadows Flag Art Infringement appeared first on Siliconera.

During the Xbox Games Showcase on June 9, 2024, Ubisoft revealed a new gameplay trailer for Assassin's Creed Shadows.  The trailer showcases the dual protagonists, Naoe, a shinobi assassin, and Yasuke, a samurai. Set in the late Sengoku period, the game allows players to explore a detailed open world of feudal Japan, featuring environments like castle towns, ports, shrines, and landscapes with dynamic weather and changing seasons.

View the Xbox Games Showcase Assassin's Creed Shadows gameplay trailer below

Players can choose between the two characters, each with their own progression, skills, and gear, allowing for different gameplay styles. Gathering intelligence and recruiting allies with specialized skills will be a part of the main gameplay loop for the game.

Pre-ordering any edition grants someone the bonus quest "Thrown to the Dogs," which will be available at launch for players. The Gold and Ultimate Editions include additional digital content and early access, while the Collector’s Edition offers exclusive physical items and an Ultimate Edition copy of the game.

Assassin's Creed Shadows will come to Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, Ubisoft+, Amazon Luna, Macs with Apple Silicon via the Mac App Store, and Windows PC through the Ubisoft Store and the Epic Games Store on November 15, 2024.

The post New Assassin’s Creed Shadows Gameplay Trailer Revealed appeared first on Siliconera.

A new trailer for Star Wars Outlaws appeared at the 2024 Summer Game Fest, showcasing speeder chases, bike combat, and space battles. The game is still set to relase on August 30, 2024, with more gamplay promised at the Ubisoft Forward event on June 10, 2024.

The trailer shows us some brief snippets of gameplay and in-engine cutscenes as Kay and Nix get up to classic scoundrel shenanigans. We see a job offered to them in a seedy cantina, Nix being used to stealthily steal an item, and some light gambling before shifting. From there, it shifts to exploration gameplay and some combat. Assassin droid ND-5 also appears briefly in his handsomely disheveled overcoat, on board what appears to be an Imperial vessel.

You can watch the Star Wars Outlaws Summer Game Fest trailer via Youtube below:

Originally announced back in June, 2023, the release date for Star Wars Outlaws was later accidentally leaked via a Youtube placeholder. Meanwhile, other games announced at the 2024 Summer Game Fest include a remake of the 2002 Playstation 2 Horror game The Thing, set for a 2024 release.

Star Wars Outlaws is set to release on August 30, 2024, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. More gameplay is expected at the Ubisoft Forward on Monday June 10, 2024.

The post Star Wars Outlaws New Trailer Appears at Summer Game Fest appeared first on Siliconera.

Ubisoft released a clarification that stated that the Assassin's Creed Shadows won't require a constant connection and be always online in order to play. Fears arose that the game might be require after it was seen that the game would require a connection to install on places like the PlayStation Store.

The statement was released on social media after the community voiced concerns that the game would require a constant internet connection, even while playing singleplayer. Thankfully, the concerns appear to be unfounded, but the game will still require a connection to install even if players buy the physical copy. Additionally, PC players will be required to sign in to their Ubisoft and install the Ubisoft Connect app in order to play, even if bought on another service like Steam.

You can read the full notice in the tweet below:

Assassin's Creed Shadows was announced yesterday with a full cinematic trailer showcasing the characters and Japanese setting. The game will feature two protagonists, the shinobi Naoe and the historical figure Yasuke, the first African samura.

Assassin's Creed Shadows will require an online connection to install, but it will not be a mandatory always online game while playing in single player. The game itself will launch for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on November 15, 2024.

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As promised, Ubisoft revealed the next Assassin’s Creed game, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be set in Japan. The release date is November 15, 2024, and standard, Gold, and Ultimate editions will appear.

There are two protagonists in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, with each character in the game based on a different type of warrior from Japan. Yasuke is Nobunaga Oda’s samurai, while Naoe is a shinobi ninja who is an Assassin. Both are living in the same period of time in Feudal Japan, and each takes a different approach to missions. So while Naoe would rely on stealth, Yasuke goes in using force. 

Here is the premiere trailer for the new Assassin’s Creed game, which features looks at both Naoe and Yasuke in Japan.

As for the various editions, many of the bonuses involve additional DLC or early access. The quest “Thrown to the Dogs” is a pre-order bonus for all versions. For $69.99, you get the base game. The $109.99 Gold Edition includes the ability to play on November 12, 2024 and the Season with two expansions and additional content. The $129.99 Ultimate Edition has everything in the Gold Edition and adds a Sekiryu Character Pack with equipment, a Sekiryu Beast, and Dragon tooth, a Sekiryu Hideout Pack with shinobi league hideout cosmetics, a Photo Mode Red Dragon filter, and five skill points.

The Assassin’s Creed Shadows release date is November 15, 2024, and it will appear on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. 

The post Assassin’s Creed Shadows Takes the Game to Japan in November appeared first on Siliconera.

Gematsu discovered that the Ubisoft Japan YouTube placeholder for the new Star Wars Outlaws trailer included the release date. According to that early information, the game will debut on August 30, 2024, however the video is now set to private until its debut later on April 9, 2024. [Thanks, Gematsu!]

This comes right as the official story trailer is about to debut worldwide. On April 8, 2024, Ubisoft noted people will get to see it at 9am PT/12pm ET/6pm CET on April 9, 2024. The English language ’s placeholder is also live for that. Its description doesn’t include any hints about the release date for the game.

You can catch that below once it is live:

We already knew Star Wars Outlaws would debut in 2024. It will take place after Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. It features two outlaws named Kay and Nix who are out to get funds by any means necessary. It is described as a third-person, open-world game. It comes from Massive Entertainment, who previously worked on both The Division games and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. 

We’ll officially know the Star Wars Outlaws release date when the story trailer launches at 9am PT/12pm ET/6pm CET on April 9, 2024. The game will be available on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. 

The post Star Wars Outlaws Release Date Leaked appeared first on Siliconera.

James Cameron's Avatar hit theaters in 2009 and absolutely demolished box office records. It spawned a sequel (with more on the way), as well as books and a theme park attraction. Now, the franchise is diving into gaming for the first time in 14 years with Ubisoft's Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a first-person, open world game that takes place on a portion of Pandora not yet seen in the films. Massive Entertainment, a Ubisoft studio, developed it. Ubisoft did the Avatar movie tie-in back in 2009, so the company is working from experience. Not to mention the publisher is no stranger to the open world genre, with several Far Cry titles under their belt. And, to address the possible elephant in the room, there is Far Cry DNA all over Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.

However, this isn't a bad thing in and of itself. , Far Cry 3 was once called "Skyrim with guns" and yet it revitalized the franchise. Similarly, even the original Avatar movie faced comparisons to Dances with Wolves, then made literally billions of dollars. Not everything has to reinvent the wheel; it's all about execution.

So, is Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora more or less Far Cry with an Avatar paint job? Sort of. But, does it execute it well? Also sort of.

In Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, you take control of an unnamed, customizable character, however not in the way the human characters in the film use an Avatar. In this game, you're actually playing as a Na'vi, a choice I really liked. You customize basically everything about your character, from body type and voice down to stripe patterns your character has. You can even adjust the bioluminescence of their skin.

However, this is pretty much where choice ends. The character has a personality and interacts with the world in ways you don't really get to influence. While you are a Na'vi, you are one that was more or less raised in captivity. This means you are learning about Pandora, but still have an emotional connection to the planet.

The plot of the game takes place sometime after the first movie, and only barely references the events of it. The main conflict of the game is between the resistance, the Na'vi tribes of Pandora, and the militant RDA. This is a pretty black and white conflict, especially from the lens of a Na'vi protagonist. I actually found this refreshing. Sometimes it's nice to have a clear good vs. evil story.

The protagonist, one of the last of their clan, must discover their identity as a Na'vi and place on Pandora. This translates into gameplay by your character being the liaison between the mostly human resistance and the native tribes. I think they nailed this aspect. A Na'vi protagonist gives a very different perspective than what the films offer. Therefore, it allows a deeper dive into Na'vi culture than if your character was an Avatar driver.

In fact, the world building in this game is probably its greatest strength. The first step into Pandora is one of those jaw dropping moments games don't happen as often for me anymore. It reminded me of leaving the vault for the first time in Fallout 3. I found myself stopping and just enjoying the view multiple times throughout the game.

A lot of care clearly went into Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Massive Entertainment did the work to breathe life into the world of Pandora. The tribes act differently, depending on what you're wearing or if you're in favor with them. Additionally, the world simply feels alive. Flora and fauna you can't even interact with are living, breathing, and wandering the world. If you're a huge fan of Avatar, this game may blow your mind in the way Hogwarts Legacy did for Potterheads, in regards to the details.

The world, from a gameplay perspective, offers the usual open world fare. There are animals to hunt, resources to collect, and markers on the map to discover new items and quests. Since you're playing as a a 9-to-10 foot tall Na'vi, you actually can navigate the world via large jumps. This adds an element of traversal not usually seen in these types of games. While this could get rather clunky at times, for the most part it was fun and made me wonder about some of the ridiculous breaks speedrunners are going to do to this game.

The real kicker when it comes to traversal though is a relatively unique mechanic not often in open world games: free flight. Not too far into the game, you gain this option and, while it doesn't completely open up the map for story reasons, it certainly makes traversal much more fun. It's also deeply connected to lore in ways I'll keep vague. I hope if there's anything future games borrow from Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, it's the natural and nuanced way it handles flight.

There are two navigation modes in the game: guided and exploration. Guided will give you markers on the map, as well as on your com. Meanwhile, exploration mode just gives you hints and landmarks so you can find the objective yourself. I chose the former for most of the game, but I can see the value in using exploration mode in a game like this. When you're not exploring all Pandora has to offer, you're going to be dealing with quests for the resistance and native Na'vi tribes. I feel there is some attempt here to be diverse, but despite the very different setting of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, it falls into the same routine as other open world games.

This, to me, is the game's biggest flaw. There is a section in the story where there are two nearly back-to-back quests where you have to use Na'vi senses to follow a trail to a missing person, fight once you get there, then follow more trails to a cutscene. You're going to be fetching resources, you're going to be finding missing citizens, and you're going to be clearing out enemy outposts. Then you're going to do it all again in a new area. Now, in most Far Cry games this isn't a problem, but in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora it really started to feel like an issue. One reason is because the game world is so full and vibrant that doing monotonous things in it feels especially out of place.

However, the woefully unbalanced combat, during the early and mid-game especially, is the real issue. Standard RDA grunts pose almost no threat to you at all and can be downed with a single arrow, while the armored ones need a whole quiver. Though these armored ones do have weak spots and more options to deal with them later, they are still way more annoying than difficult to deal with. These are also pretty much the only enemy types you'll see for a huge majority of the game, so it gets old fighting dozens of them every time you move to something else. It made me start to put off quests, because I knew I was about to be annoyed by a combat encounter.

Take the outposts for example, like the refineries set up around Pandora. A ridiculous number of enemies usually guard these and the game makes it clear stealth is the way to deal with them. However, this game really doesn't give you great covert options. For a large portion of the game, stealth consists of "crouch and don't be seen." Sure, you can sneak, but unless you do the run completely perfectly, you're toast. I found these outposts to be, frankly, one of the least fun things I've done in a game in a very long time. The game has no business doing so much right and failing so miserably there. Especially when Far Cry has fun and engaging outposts in every release, even if they are occasionally monotonous too. Though I will say, harkening back to the fun of flying, that midair combat was executed quite well. I found myself enjoying taking to battle in the skies way more than on land.

However, to help with combat there is a skill tree full of upgrades and new abilities, though I found the buffs to be the most useful. The abilities, especially combat ones, tended to be so situational that they usually weren't worth attempting to pull off. The skill system actually sort of plays into the series' lore, with the character learning these abilities from the their spiritual ancestors. This is yet another way the game ties lore and worldbuilding into the gameplay.

There is also a cooking and crafting mechanic to use all those resources you've been gathering. I loved how some of it was handled, especially as you rarely see it in games. You can create the same item using multiple types of a resource, and the item actually changes its appearance depending on what you use. For example, if you use a specific plant as the ingredient in your bow, the bow will take on the appearance of that plant. This is such a small detail that really made me happy every time it came up, and it actually made me want to go and find more resources to see how different I could make my gear look.

All in all, I feel like there is a lot to love about Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. There truly is an amazing world to get lost in and forget about the rest of the game. However, it seems like that may be what the developers did. The team went full tilt on aesthetics and worldbuilding, and nailed it. However, the monotony of the combat and many quests takes away from the overall experience. So no, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora isn't a soulless Far Cry clone. There is love and care put into recreating James Cameron's world. However, once the awe of wandering Pandora eventually wears off, you're left with a game that doesn't have as much going on as it should in a world this vast and alive.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is available on the PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X.

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