Latest DLC track revealed for Just Dance 2015

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Today Ubisoft has announced the latest batch of DLC tracks for Just Dance 2015, the newest installment of the leading dance game franchise. The new songs are available now to download on all current and next-gen gaming systems, and include:

  • “We Can’t Stop” by Miley Cyrus
  • “Funhouse” by P!nk
  • “Want U Back” by Cher Lloyd ft. Astro
  • “C’mon” by Ke$ha
  • “Kiss you” by One DirectionJust Dance 2015 features more than 40 of the hottest tracks and throwback tunes, including “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, “I Love It” by Icona Pop ft. Charli XCX, “Walk This Way” by Run DMC & Aerosmith, and “Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj.

Review: Mad Catz F.R.E.Q.9 Wireless Surround Headset

Mad Catz have a new premium headset – the F.R.E.Q.9, and we managed to get our hands on the first set in the UK!

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Features

  • Bluetooth Stereo Audio Enhanced by Apt-X Low Latency Audio Codec
  • 50 mm Neodymium drivers
  • 10 metre wireless range
  • AM3D Virtual Surround Sound over Bluetooth
  • Active Noise Cancelling
  • Internal Chat Mic
  • Powered by rechargeable Lithium Ion battery for 20 hours+ battery life
  • On Headset controls including Volume +/-, Skip Next/Back, Play/Pause, Call Answer, AM3D, EQ
  • Compatible with PC, Mac, iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, Xbox 360, Wii U, PlayStation 4
  • Travel case
  • 3.5 mm audio jack
  • Rechargeable Li-Ion battery with up to 24 hours use from a single charge

What’s in the Box?

  • F.R.E.Q.9 Headset
  • Bluetooth Adapter Box
  • Premium Carry Case
  • 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable
  • Optical audio cable
  • USB cable to USB cable
  • Micro USB charge cable
  • Xbox 360
  • Xbox 360 digital audio adapter
  • 3.5mm to dual phone audio cable
  • Quick Start Guide

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A Closer Look

The F.R.E.Q.9 Headset

The F.R.E.Q.9 really does look the part in black, grey and silver, with red cushions.

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The Bluetooth Adaptor Box

The Bluetooth adaptor box is small and can fit in the palm of your hand. You might be mistaken for thinking it looks like the Mad Catz M.O.J.O. and you would be right. The rear of the box has a number of connections, including a USB port, a power button and optical in for connection to various consoles.

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The Carry Case

The carry case is very sturdy, and securely holds the F.R.E.Q.9 for transportation – you should have no problems about damage when the headset is in it. And it even looks good!

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Using the F.R.E.Q.9 Headset

Charging the F.R.E.Q.9 Headset

Before using the F.R.E.Q.9 you need to charge it. That’s a really simple process of connecting the USB charging cable to the headset and waiting.

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Connected the F.R.E.Q.9 Headset to a PlayStation 4

The F.R.E.Q.9 connects to every games console out there at the moment and the box contains every cable you will need to connect (with the exception of the Xbox One which requires you to already have the Xbox One headset adaptor). So depending on what you want to connect up to, take a look at the guide and made a note of the number, which corresponds to one of the packets in the box. So in the case of wanting to connect the F.R.E.Q.9 to my PlayStation 4, the guide told me I needed cable 9.

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I then took that cable, connected one end to the F.R.E.Q.9 and the other to my PS4 controller.

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I also had to connect the wireless adaptor box to the PlayStation 4 console and ensure that the F.R.E.Q.9 headset was connected via Bluetooth to the adaptor box and make an audio settings output change on the console, and that was it!

The Mic

Rather than having a removable boom mic that can often get in the way, or even get lost, the mic on the F.R.E.Q.9 is built into the right headset cup.

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The Controls

There are a number of controls on the headset, including next and previous tracks, microphone mute and a button that controls binaural monitoring and surround sound, but more on that later.

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There is also a volume wheel (which can be easily accessed and used in the middle of a hectic match) and a switch that activates and deactivates the active noise cancelling function.

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Final Thoughts

The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was how good the F.R.E.Q.9 looked, and that included the case! The headset itself is very sturdy, and feels very comfortable to wear, even with extended periods of wearing! It’s very solid, but also flexible where it needs to be. The actual headset ear-pieces can be swivelled easily and they stay in place.

I was really happy with the battery life on the F.R.E.Q.9 – I managed to get around 24 hours of use, give or take a little, which meant that if I wanted to take the headset on a flight and use it I could do so and not have to worry about the battery running out. Charging was easy and just involved plugging in the USB cable and waiting!

When I first saw that there was no external mic I was both happy and concerned at the same time. I was happy that I wouldn’t have to keep removing it when I didn’t want to have a mic on and concerned that it wasn’t going to be good enough given the small size and location. I was very happy that my concerns were unwarranted and the sound quality was excellent, in fact far better than I had experienced on other headsets even with an external mic. And that annoying side effect of having everyone hearing you breath is also gone – so great job Mad Catz!

So we mentioned binaural monitoring and surround sound – surround sounds is provided using AM3D which delivers audio enhancements and 3D audio and can be enabled to provide a really immersive effect when playing games and watching films. Certainly when playing Destiny on the PS4 I could hear the sound effects better than I had done before on my normal television!

The binaural monitoring feature is a feature that enables a listen-through capability which delivers ambient sound to both ears. State-of-the-art silicon MEMS microphones positioned on the exterior of the F.R.E.Q.9 continuously monitor the ambient sound field. You can decide whether or not you want to enable it – it basically means you can hear sounds around you better and makes having conversations with people easier and makes it more comfortable to speak when your ears are covered.

One thing I like to do when travelling is to try and ignore the world around me – usually I do this with a pair of noise cancelling headphones, so I was very happy to see that the F.R.E.Q.9 had noise cancelling built in. It’s digitally controlled Active Noise Cancelling (or D-ANC) from Soundchip that reduces the unwanted background noise. It works on any Bluetooth or 3.5mm audio connection and it works really well. Just flick the switch and notice the difference straight away.

I tried the F.R.E.Q.9 on a multitude of devices and consoles – basically the only one I needed an extra component for was the Xbox One and Mad Catz make a point of telling you that you need it so that it’s not a surprise! I had no problems at all setting it up on the difference devices and the fact that Mad Catz took the time to not only produce detailed descriptions in the manual for the connections but also numbered the little bags of cables to make life easier was a very smart move.

Overall I was incredibly impressed with the F.R.E.Q.9 – there are a lot of headsets on the market, and this one is in a class of its own. I highly recommend trying a pair now, yes, they are not cheap, but you certainly get what you pay for, and in this case, its an extremely high quality headset that does it all.

The F.R.E.Q.9 Wireless Surround Headset retails for £299 and is the best gaming headset we have ever used!

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Visit the Mad Catz website to learn more.

Review: Pure Pool

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All too often pool games have a habit of not quite striking a balance between you being able to win every game in a single turn or your opponent winning every game in a single turn. Well pure pool has a simple but effective way of making sure you don’t have to be a professional pool player to play but still not let you win without challenge.

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So you get showing were the cue ball will go and then where that will leave the ball you hit. When this happens there’s not a huge chance of you missing unless you make a mistake, which is unlikely. But were pure pool kept me interested was when you hit a sharp angle or take a shot from long range. When this happens the markers begin to fade and make it difficult to see exactly what you’re going to hit. There’s just enough for you to take a decent shot but you’re not able to take perfect shots across the table every shot. Not only does this add a challenge and skill to Pure Pool but Its also so rewarding when you get a good shot and the game isn’t there to jump in and take the credit with its training wheel UI.

There’s not a whole load of excitement that can be injected into a pool game as far as graphics are concerned. But the tables, balls and cues are well detailed. The backgrounds look nice but spend their time our of focus which is either not to be distracting or because they’re low fidelity. Considering the amount of time you’ll spend looking at them they do their job just right. It looks pretty and saves power for the important things. Everything is smooth and the UI is as minimalist as possible. It doesn’t intrude and it always feels like it was made to help rather than hinder you.

The main menu is as minimalist as possible too. There’s very little for you to do before you get in and play. There’s a few different game modes to play around with but Pure Pool has one priority and that’s to get you into the game and playing pool. It’s a simple process but it’s one that a lot of games miss (*cough* EA Sports menus *cough*). I just want to play pool and Pure Pool just gets it done.

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Pure Pool is great fun and it does what it says on the tin without any fuss or flash. It looks nice, the UI is exactly what you need and there’s plenty of difficulty should you want it. Or you can always go online. And because long shots aren’t just as easy as short ones there’s actually a point to things like were the cue ball ends up after a shot. It’s great fun and a welcome change of pace from the racing and killing.

 

GAME UK goes Black Friday Mad with Xbox One bundles

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Today it was announced that GAME UK will be doing an epic black Friday deal for all, only at the midnight opening that you will get a Xbox One with Assassins Creed V Black Flag and Assassins Creed Unity.

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But it will also include Forza 5 game of the year version of the game and Lego Marvel Superheroes and also £5 of Xbox live credit for you to use all for £299.99

 

Monopoly comes to the PlayStation and Xbox

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Hasbro, Inc and Ubisoft has announced that the MONOPOLY Plus, My MONOPOLY and MONOPOLY Deal console games, all based on the famous MONOPOLY board game, are coming to Xbox Live for the Xbox One and Xbox 360, and on PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3.

The party continues with the MONOPOLY Family Fun Pack, a retail-exclusive bundle featuring all MONOPOLY games.

The MONOPOLY Plus console game brings the classic board game to new heights with a colourful 3D-animated board that comes alive and evolves as players interact with it. Available as an extension to MONOPOLY Plus, My MONOPOLY downloadable content pack pushes the customisation options even further by allowing players to create their own personalised game boards and property spaces. Last but not least, MONOPOLY Deal card game is a new take on the fast-dealing property trading action of MONOPOLY. The MONOPOLY Plus, My MONOPOLY and MONOPOLY Deal console games introduce a fresh, new take on the world-famous family gaming brand, and are the first collaborations between Hasbro and Ubisoft for the Hasbro Game Channel.

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MONOPOLY Family Fun Pack can be purchased at retailers on 28th November on Xbox One and PS4.

The MONOPOLY Plus console game will be available on today 2(6th November) to download through the Hasbro Game Channel on Xbox One and PS4 for £11.99, on 10th December on Xbox 360 and on 17th December on PS3 for £7.99.

My MONOPOLY console game will be available on 26th November to download through the Hasbro Game Channel on Xbox One and PS4 for £7.99, on 10th December on Xbox 360 and on 17th December on PS3 for £7.99

MONOPOLY Deal will be available on 26th November on Xbox One, 3rd December on PS4 for £7.99, and on 17th December on Xbox 360 and PS3 for £3.99.

Exo Zombies coming to Advanced Warfare early next year

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Today Sledgehammer games has shown off the Exo Zombies survival co-op experience is coming to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare DLC in 2015.

The first chapter of Exo Zombies is included with the Havoc DLC pack or as part of the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Season Pass.

With the Season Pass gives you access to four DLC packs, each delivering a collection of new, thrilling multiplayer content, bonus weapons and more.

Assassin’s Creed Unity Season Pass discontinued and more

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Today Ubisoft has discontinued the season pass for Assassins Creed Unity, as an apology If you purchased Assassin’s Creed Unity Gold Edition, which includes the season pass, you’re be entitled to a free game as well. Ubisoft is still in the process of setting up a system to process this offer, and will offer an update soon.

  • The Crew
  • Far Cry 4
  • Watch Dogs
  • Assassin’s Creed Black Flag
  • Rayman Legends
  • Just Dance 2015

Once the Dead Kings DLC is available, you’ll be able to find it through an in-game link. No release date is announced for it yet, but Ubisoft says it’s “coming soon.”

assassins creed unity

The launch of Assassin’s Creed Unity was a highly-anticipated moment for me and for our development teams around the world who dedicated a tremendous amount of energy, passion and skill to the game’s creation. For us, it was the culmination of years of work on new technologies, the development of multiple innovations — including an all-new game engine — and an evolution of the Assassin’s Creed franchise’s core pillars. More importantly, we know that it was a highly-anticipated moment for many of you as well, as you looked forward to taking part in the first truly next generation Assassin’s Creed game.

Unfortunately, at launch, the overall quality of the game was diminished by bugs and unexpected technical issues. I want to sincerely apologize on behalf of Ubisoft and the entire Assassin’s Creed team. These problems took away from your enjoyment of the game, and kept many of you from experiencing the game at its fullest potential.

We’ve been working hard to fix the problems players are reporting, and the patches we have released so far have resolved many of them. Today, we’re releasing our third patch, which fixes a variety of specific issues related to the game’s stability and performance, matchmaking and connectivity, gameplay and menus. You can find the release notes on that patch here: Patch 3 Notes

To show our appreciation for your continued support, we’re making the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Unity Dead Kings DLC free for everyone. For Season Pass holders, we will also offer the choice of one additional game from a selection of Ubisoft titles for free. More details on the offer for Season Pass holders can be found here: AC Unity FAQ

In addition to the latest patch and this offer, we are committed to delivering further fixes for other issues you’ve raised. In the meantime, please keep your feedback coming – it has been both humbling and incredibly helpful as we continue working hard to improve the overall quality of the game. We are hopeful that with these forthcoming updates, everyone will be able to truly enjoy their Assassin’s Creed Unity experience.

We will continue striving to make Assassin’s Creed one of the most ambitious and innovative franchises on the market, and we thank you for your continued loyalty and support.

Sincerely,

Yannis Mallat

CEO, Ubisoft Montreal & Toronto

What do you think of the apology from Ubisoft about the problems with Assassins Creed Unity since launch.

Xbox Games with Gold December line up for December

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First up for December games with Gold for the Xbox One is Worms Battlegrounds, which you can get free on the 1st December.

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Then for the Xbox 360 on the 1st December, you get The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief will be free for Xbox Live Gold members through 15th December.

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Then on 16th December, Xbox Live Gold Members can download SSX 

PlayStation Plus games for December 2014

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First up this month on PS4, join some of the greatest superheroes from the DC Comics line-up in acclaimed beat ‘em up Injustice: Gods Among Us – Ultimate Edition in a world where the lines between hero and villain, and ruler and protector, are blurred.

Next, Secret Ponchos, a highly anticipated shooter set in a dramatic Wild West setting. In a town crawling with bandits, murderers and bounty hunters you are an outlaw with a bounty on your head and everyone is gunning for you. Developer Switchblade Monkeys deliver a variety of game modes including domination, deathmatch and free-for-all.

3rd December: Injustice: Gods Among Us – Ultimate Edition (PS4)

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3rd December: Secret Ponchos (PS4)

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3rd December: Hitman Trilogy HD (PS3)
3rd December: Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut (PS3)

PS Vita comes fast-paced strategic tower defence game Final Horizon. Build and upgrade your defences to fight off the Swarm invaders, research weapon upgrades to level up with deadly effect. Build up enough kills to unleash one of the five powerful killstreak attacks and fight the enemy across three solar systems, 15 planets and over 50 levels.
3rd December: Final Horizon (PS Vita)

The Cross Buy arcade shoot ‘em up >Titan Attacks! Battle swarms of alien fighters, bombers and giant boss motherships, across five unique worlds and 100 levels of frantic action!
3rd December: Titan Attacks (PS4/PS3/PS Vita)

Review: Assassin’s Creed: Rogue

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In general people aren’t keen on games released on a yearly basis. It often ensures a franchise becomes stale and repetitive. Throwing creativity and solid design out the window in favour of just getting more games on shelves and ultimately more incoming cash. At least that’s how it comes across to fans sometimes. Well Ubisoft have gone one step further and rather than releasing a multi-format title have released 2 Assassin’s Creed titles for this iteration of the historical epic.

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There should, however, be some advantages to a non multi-format release and I often even resent them as often it feels they hold back generations. In theory those playing PS4 and Xbox One versions can rest assured that those versions will work optimally on next gen hardware because they’re only available on those native platforms. Oh wait a sec. The atrocious frame rates that you find on at least the PS4 version of Unity don’t end there?

Rogue basically doesn’t work at points. Frame rate drops are not rare and you will notice. It seems spectacular to me that Ubisoft not only makes two games that don’t require multi-format porting and the issues that brings but also managed to ensure that both have appalling frame rates. You might let Rogue off if it were a port, which I’m glad it isn’t, but it’s not. It looks ok but there’s nothing in Rogue that will excite anyone – especially those who’ve played previous titles, and Black Flag in particular.

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Rogue is almost a follow up to Black Flag and shares many similarities with the pirating adventures of Edward Kenway. This time you take to the seas as Shay Patrick Cormac. He’s no Kenway but there is a decent depth to his character and the story that surrounds him is easily good enough to carry the game. Although it is shorter than most AC outings which is disappointing. Shay provides a nice alternate perspective into AC and attempts to show us the Assassins vs Templar story from a different point of view. It works up to a point but essentially the game plays the same and Shay’s story ultimately adds little depth to Assassin’s Creed on the whole. And while there’s some out of Animus stuff to do it’s still an area that I fell is greatly lacking in the franchise. I appreciate that I’m in a minority on that one but I enjoyed the sequences from the present. I thought AC2 and even AC3 had great present day sequences personally but Ubisoft have moved in another direction. I suppose a decent meta-story doesn’t fit well with yearly releases.

Other than the main story the usual assassin’s distractions present themselves. And just like with Unity there’s so much to do it’s almost overwhelming. There are a few new features but most are the core distractions we’re all accustomed to. Shay’s allegiances offer up a few changes too but not enough to really change the game. Many of the tasks offer nothing more than hour after hour of mindlessly playing what is basically the same objective. It’s all too easy to just ignore them and not bother. Rewards are limited so most things will be just for the completionists. Even then there are so many collectables it just becomes a chore.

Naval combat makes a reasonably welcome return. But once again it’s something we’ve seen before. I still enjoyed being a captain but it leaves Rogue feeling even more like a sequel than it already did. In itself that’s not necessarily a problem but a game updated yearly relies on fresh mechanics and gameplay to keep it alive. Rogue doesn’t feel like a proper effort but feels more like a cash in than ever – at least as far as the mechanics go. And given the half sized plot and reused elements there is a certain feeling of DLC to the game.

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As usual with AC there’s plenty to do in Rogue. But the more relevant question is likely to be do you want to do it? Sure there are an unbelievable amount of collectables and distractions but it boils down to the same old AC game. The naval elements don’t quite feel tired yet and I still enjoyed commanding a ship but it felt too close to Black Flag. And as a further insult Black Flag was playable on PS4/Xbox One and not last gen hardware so if I want to take control of a ship, given the choice I’ll take Black Flag on PS4/Xbox One.

All the time niggling at the back of my mind was that I was playing a last gen game while Unity sat looking at me from across the room. Without any significant changes and improvements Rogue doesn’t even attempt to move forwards. In fact it specifically looks backwards. But if you want more AC for your PS3/360 the that’s what Rogue will give you. Just don’t expect any surprises or hints of progress or innovation.

Assassins Creed Unity patch 3 info starts rolling out today

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If you are waiting on Assassins Unity latest patch then here is all the release notes on the Patch 3 update which includes over three hundred fixes designed to improve your Assassin’s Creed Unity experience.

You should notice some improvements to framerate as a result of Patch 3, Ubisoft still have a future patch planned to further address framerate concerns.

With the rollout itself will be staggered across platforms and will come to PlayStation 4 today (Wednesday 26th November) and continue on to PC and Xbox One later in the week (though not necessarily releasing on a daily basis).

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Here is whole list of updates for Patch 3

Stability & Performance

  • Fixed numerous random crashes for both on Campaign and Co-op
    • (90+ various low reproduced crashes)
  • Fixed specific framerate drops
    • Improved general Framerate on PS4 by lowering the priority of the online services thread
    • Fixed FPS drops while Arno climbs on the RHP building of Palais de Justice
    • Fixed FPS drops when in climbing and pressing the Left Stick towards somewhere that is not climbable in certain areas
    • Fixed FPS drops in Sainte Chapelle

Gameplay (navigation, fight, stealth)

  • Fixed navigation issues where the player gets stuck. Specific fixed instances of this are listed below:
    • [Invalides] Arno will get stuck and fall under the map when he uses free run down button on the stone handrail type
    • [Mission: Occupied Paris] Arno can fall through a certain zeppelin and remain stuck after performing a jumping action from the top of the zeppelin.
    • [Palais De Justice] Arno can remain stuck when climbing part of the roof on Palais De Justice during free roam
    • [Saint-Louis] Arno remains stuck while trying to pass over a table
    • [Cité]Arno can remain stuck while trying to collect nomad point from Notre-Dame
    • [Porte-Saint-Denis]Arno remains stuck after falling between 2 props
    • [Temple] Arno can remain stuck inside a building corner at the Temple by using controlled descent
    • [Mission :POLITICAL PERSECUTION] Arno remains stuck near a wall located on the rooftop
    • [Mission: OCCUPIED PARIS] Arno remains stuck in a certain pile of wooden crates after performing a climbing action
    • [Cité] Arno can remain stuck after performing a slide on a building near Notre Dame
    • [Cité]Arno gets stuck on the chair while trying to climb the building
    • [Les Invalides] Arno remains stuck in the wall while using controlled descend after performing the Invalides RHP

 

  • Fixed haystack issues where the player can stay stuck in it. Specific fixed instances of this are listed below:
    • [Saint-Louis] Arno is stuck in the haystack near the bridge near the Assassin HQ.
    • [Mission: HEADS WILL ROLL] Arno remains stuck if they hide in the haystack that is located in the area with “Kill the Templars 0/3” objective.
    • [Les Invalides] Arno gets stuck and is unable to exit the indicated haystack cart
    • [Cité] Arno remains stuck in a haystack near the Notre Dame

 

  • Fixed Cover issues
    • Fixed an issue where Arno could not peek while in cover and standing.
    • Fixed an issue where the incorrect Cover Assassination animation is played when pressing RT+X (Or Square) when an NPC is close enough to perform a Low Profile Assassination.
    • Fixed an issue with right facing cover quick drop animation.

 

  • Fixed various camera issues
    • Camera will occasionally focus on nothing when performing a High Profile Cover Assassination
  • Fixed animation issues
    • High Profile stop animation plays when walking then stopping in an indoor area.
    • High Profile start animation repeats when starting to move while in Stealth Navigation in a specific type of building.
    • Arno will not enter incapacitated stance if dying while in customization menu
    • Arno performs a Wall Eject in the wrong direction at the bottom of ladders.
    • Arno doesn’t enter V-Shape properly from Defenestrate onto the V-Shape’s side.
    • Arno will remain in a running animation for several second after jumping from a collision to another
    • Climbing up angled edges is very slow.
    • Arno performs CornerTurns instead of climbing regularly when going to the left on rounded structures.
    • Beam Low Profile Step is too fast over greater distances in between beams.
    • Arno goes past the edge of cover when Peeking up then moving backwards at a certain distance away from the edge of the cover.
    • Arno can play the upper body animation of not having any grenades while climbing up

 

  • Fixed some Booster issues
    • Activating a booster during a mission and restarting the memory will stop the booster and give it back to the player
    • Inconsistency between the number of boosts selected and the number displayed in the buy widget after redeeming a boost uplay reward.
    • Arno will teleport when descending from Fences and Walls
    • The Stealth Boost counter does not work properly.
    • Climb to Hang corner transition isn’t always smooth.

AI & Crowd

  • Fixed various animation issues
    • [Café theatre] Intendant slides quickly from between two stations
    • NPC was observed walking in the air and, at another point, running in place
  • Fixed various detection issues
    • NPCs can remain stuck in their bomb attack aim behavior which causes all other NPCs to stop attacking
    • If the LOS is lost during a major scold with guard post NPC they will go to the LKP instead of staying in position.
    • [Mission: The Chemical Revolution] Two aggressors inside the house are invulnerable on any of Arno’s actions
    • Guards can be stuck in a detection loop and never attack the player
  • Fixed various crowd stations issues
    • [Ventre de Paris][Hotel de Ville] Crowd NPC can be found spawning inside a prop.
    • [Quartier Latin][Luxembourg] After the user shoots towards some NPC that are sitting on some boxes, one of them can get into the wall
    • [Louvres][Tuileries] Some NPCs on the bridge between Tuilreies and Saint-Thomas-d’Aquin are not scared if Arno draws his sword
    • [Louvre][Feydeau] Missing chair from the NPC Station near a building
    • [Ventre de Paris][Porte-Saint-Denis] The npc’s standing on chairs at the indicated house interior are fleeing into the props when Arno scares them
    • Character model issue in a crowdlife station.
    • When remaining idle in the game for multiple hours, player will see crowd floating in the Air.
    • Horse carts fall through world when moving 115m+ away from them
    • [Louvre – Tuileries][Crowdlife] Some people from the crowd are spawned in the ground
    • Low Rez crowd can be seen when walking in the Street

Matchmaking, Connectivity & Replication

  • Fixed various matchmaking issues
    • The title enters an unresponsive state for both client and host if the client fast travels far away while the coop mission is being
    • Client remains stuck on loading screen if the Host Signs Out from PSN as soon as the client is on the loading screen towards the session
    • Wrong session attached to game party after having received a ghost
    • [Mission: LES ENRAGÉS] The map does not start when a 4P group starts the mission a second time
    • The user is unable to access the COOP or Heist missions from Progress Tracker while in Versailles
    • [Mission: DANTON’S SACRIFICE] After a toy of 4 players, using progress tracker to launch mission leaves all players with Waiting For.
    • Storm failure error 0xB9145EA0 received after accepting invite to a coop mission
    • [Voice Chat] A member of a toy party that is muted by a player can still be heard by that player if a coop mission is started afterwards
    • Client can be not pulled into host’s world after accepting party and game invite
    • Players can be stuck on “waiting for the other players” message after starting a heist following certain steps
    • The user will be unable to start the first toy session if he remains in Progress Tracker until the other players joins his world
    • One of the clients can receive Server error message on the search screen for LB050
    • Sometimes, other friends gamertags appear for the ones invited in toy sessions
    • The client of a TOY session can remain stuck after entering the mission if he Fast Travels while the host starts any mission
    • [Mission : POLITICAL PERSECUTION] After the Host interacted with the last sewer gate, the objective didn’t update until the Host exited the session
    • Clients of a TOY party have the option to Restart Memory right before a private session starts, creating stuck situations
    • The user will remain stuck on loading screen after accepting an invite just before the RIFT tutorial is completed.
    • All 4 players can remain on an infinite “Waiting for other players..” loading screen after the host started THE FOOD CHAIN mission through the Play Co-op Now search
    • User cannot start another rift mission if he accepts a coop invite during a rift transition out cinematic without pressing any button on the AMD.
    • Title crashes when the Client accepts an invite and the Host Fast Travels to Versailles while the client is on the loading screen
    • Clients of a TOY party can remain stuck on loading screen when trying to start a private mission of 2 Players after previously completing a 4 Players mission with a full TOY party.
    • All players can get stuck on a black screen after starting the transition from freeroam to a mission.
    • Accepting an invite towards an empty session can leave the user without in-game sound.
    • [Mission: SMUGGLER’S PARADISE] When starting the Heist in Solo Private from the mission giver, the screen can remain black
    • Toy members can remain on “Waiting for players” after 2 players quit the group and the remaining toy started another mission
    • Accepting an invite to join or rejoin a player in a session can send the user in another session with other players
    • Support ability to start a COOP or Heist mission with the progress tracker if that Mission’s World is not the Player’s current world
  • Fixed various host migration issues
    • Performing a Host Migration while the users are on the AMD screen will split up the TOY
    • The former host of a session receives the “Connection failed” error after being invited back into the mission by the new host
    • Quit group option is not available after a TOY party leader starts a private session while the rest of the party is still on AMD screen
  • Fixed join-in-progress issues
    • When joining a coop from an existing group, the client of that group being from [Le roi est mort] mission, and then leaving the mission, he can no longer move the camera when going back in his single player mission
    • [Mission: LES ENRAGÉS] Impossible to interact with Quest NPC once a Join n progress is done at the start of ACT2
    • A client that joins a private session while in another private session has three loading screens
    • Join in progress Ghost does not spawn while the user is in Versailles
    • The gear rewards from a full completed mission will disappear after the user JIP and returns to free roam
    • One of the clients remains on loading screen and the other remaining players do not have an objective , after joining a toy session and starting mission ANCIENT HISTORY from progress tracker.
    • [Mission: POLITICAL PERSECUTION][Act 1] The objective remained stuck after a JIP occurred during act 1
    • [Mission: WOMEN’S MARCH][Act3] – The last objective will not update if a join in progress is performed as the users interact with the cannons
  • Fixed various replication issues between host and clients
    • [Mission: THE TOURNAMENT][Act 2]The arena reinforcements are not replicated for the clients
    • [Crowd] Sometime the Dead Replica Body will remain in a Stand up position
    • [Mission: WOMEN’S MARCH][Replication]After failing the mission some clients may see Theroigne and her ally walking backwards
    • [Mission: THE FOOD CHAIN] Theroigne is seen moving backwards as the host
    • [Mission: ANCIENT HISTORY ] One of the clients was replicated as far away until they moved when first spawning in the mission
    • [Mission: ROYALS, GUNS AND MONEY] After interacting with a door, the client lost his eagle vision and the door replicated as closed for him and opened for everyone else
    • Player sees his teammate get up before unspawning
    • Simultaneously interacting with locked doors/chests lit by Eagle Vision causes the object to become unresponsive and Eagle Vision to lose its functionality
    • If multiple players revive someone at the same time, he will either stay dead, or be displayed as dead on every screen but his own, or he will not be able to be revived and will be stuck dead.
    • [Mission: MOVING MIRABEAU] The Client and his actions are invisible to the Host after the Client performs a JIP when the Host opens the Crypt Gate.
    • [Mission: THE FOOD CHAIN] One of the NPCs spawns only for one of the Clients causing Theroigne to remain stuck
    • [Mission: HEADS WILL ROLL][ACT 1] The mission objective will disappear for the Host if he interacts with the chest objective in Act 1
    • Enemy AI do not attack after starting [Mission: WOMEN’S MARCH] in 4 player toy session for a second time after completing the mission the first time
    • [Mission: THE TOURNAMENT] Replication and lag issues can be observed between players during combat
    • Replica sees the master in an intermittent animation while the master is aiming the gun and looking around
    • Friend widget displays wrong user after starting a second COOP session
  • Fixed various issues in the My Club menu
    • All members except the user will appear unavailable, even though they are online, as long as there are only 4 members in the club (creator included).
    • Same club objective will appear for all the club challenges when a save is performed

Menus and HUD

  • Fixed various menu issues and pop-up overlap issues
    • “Extra Rewards” does not fit the safe area of the TV on Helix Credits screen.
    • Helix Packs are displayed off screen when viewing the Helix Credits menu in several languages
    • The Uplay window will appear for a very short time if the user beats a ghost’s score in a rift
    • It is possible to access the Gear Loadout while being in combat
    • A Cockade from Tuileries district is marked collected in Vendôme district.
    • Game crashes in the character customization menu after performing certain steps
    • Long weapon “Golden Bec de Corbin” does not become available after redeeming it via uplay points
    • User can access the Character Customization menu if booting the game while offline and selecting to connect from the newsfeed message
    • The background on the progress tracker is missing when the player is in resurrection animation
    • The AMB COOP menu overlaps the Customization menu if the host changes gear near the COOP mission givers
    • [Friend Widget] Waiting for is not correctly place under the health bar.
    • The progression bars on the Assassin Rank widget/helix do not register the progress
    • The price bar for renovating a Social club is not complete
  • Fixed Mission objectives & updates issues
    • The Average Mission/Member count doesn’t display the correct numbers
    • [Mission: THE ESTATES GENERAL] Permanent hint will be displayed above Arno (until reaching the next objective) if the user will descend from the top of the RHP instead of leaping in the hay stack.
    • After completing the game, the Francois-Thomas Germain AFS will pop up after every desync
    • Unspent Sync Points notification pops up too often
  • Fixed issues in customization menu
    • After buying the “Master Sans-Culottes Belt” the user will notice that upgrading costs 31250 creed points instead of 5000
    • Arno’s Original pieces of gear can no longer be equiped if the user equips other gear during SQ03M05
    • A specific weapon reward cannot be equipped and it doesn’t have any image or animation
    • There needs to be a flag to illustrate what is new when you receive a gear or weapon in the menu
  • Fixed some localization inconsistencies in the menus
    • Inconsistencies can be noticed on several languages, regarding the trophy description for “Hydrogen Bonded” and “Fraternité!”
    • Placeholder text is displayed on the map when the user is not signed in with any SEN account.
    • [Boot up sequence] Message is displayed in the wrong language when booting the game in Spanish.
    • [Villa-Arno’s Room] Button incompletely displayed to access the Progress Tracker in certain languages
    • Typo in Wall Eject causes mistranslation
  • Fixed some Credits issues
    • Missing dates of first publication in the LIBTESS section of the credits
    • Several spacing errors are present in the credits

Mission tweaks (campaign, coop & side content)

  • Fixed various low repro walkthrough breaks
    • [Mission: THE BODY IN THE BROTHEL] The 6th Clue location is not displayed
    • [Mission: The Great escapist] Mission will fail if Arno kills the Quartermaster before his specific orange icon appears on minimap
    • [Mission: Let them eat hay] The mission breaks when the user kills some of the targets before the objective updates.
    • [Mission: IMPRISONED] Bellec and his target can remain stuck if the player kills the guard too fast after entering the cell
    • [Mission: Confession] Arno gets stuck when interacting with the priest atop the church
    • [Mission: Training] Roll recovery training can be very hard to complete.
    • [Mission: Extortion contortion] The mission will fail if the user runs away from the area after finding the Extortionist, while the woman’s Follow marker is still present on the map
    • [Mission: The Temple] Arno remains stuck in the walls of the Temple after hitting Germain and trying to climb down to find him in the catacombs
    • [Mission: Les Enragés] Arno remains stuck making a few steps from the spawn point
    • [Mission: STOP THE PRESSES!] Climbing the wall just after interacting with the poster will render Arno stuck
    • [Mission: IMPRISONED] User cannot jump off the prison’s tower and remains stuck on its ledge
    • The main mission progress is lost if the user accepts an invite at the end of a RIFT mission and then selects to Play Next Rift on AMD.
    • [Mission: Ancestral Vengeance] If the player opens the door of the last location while on the nearby barrel, he will get stuck
    • [Mission: DANTON’S SACRIFICE ] Objective does not update in ACT 2 after replaying the mission
    • [Mission: TALL, DARK STRANGERS] Mission doesn’t update with “Kill the Soldier” objective
    • [Mission: WOMEN’S MARCH] The objective “SABOTAGE the cannons” did not update after all the remaining players interacted at the same time with the cannons
    • [Mission: IMPRISONED] User can fall through the textures during “Escape the Bastille” objective when jumping out the first window.
    • [Mission: LES ENRAGÉS] When two assassins interact with a locked door at the same time and both exit the lockpicking interface, one of them will get stuck
  • Fixed various NPC navigation issues
    • [Mission: IMPRISONED] Bellec can remain stuck if the user stays in front and on the same path
    • [Mission: A FISTFUL OF DUELERS] After killing the 4th duelist, the second enemy from that location remains stuck – does not attack.
  • Fixed inconsistencies in some missions
    • [Mission: TALL, DARK STRANGERS] Lenormand’s Clone present on the location where the mission was previously failed
    • [Mission: HIGH SOCIETY] NPCs can be seen before the cinematic, in the courtyard where De La Serre is assassinated
    • [Mission: HEADS WILL ROLL ] Missing shopkeeper NPC from the area where templars targets are spawned
    • [Mission: CONFRONTATION] The cinematic doesn’t trigger if the user does not activate “Eagle Pulse” when reaches Saint Chapelle
    • [Mission: À LA LANTERNE!] The third wave of aggressors does not attack the duchess
    • [Companion] An Ambush mission will randomly finish when reaching the target defend area without having done anything
    • [Mission: WOMEN’S MARCH] After using the Progress Tracker to start LB020 for the second time in a 2 player toy session, the mission starts directly in ACT 3
    • Arno can get an indefinite amount of Creed Points if he headshots incapacitated targets
    • [Mission: THE ASSASSINATION OF JEAN-PAUL MARAT] The player cannot interact with the letter in the Hotel for a few minutes
    • [Mission: MOVING MIRABEAU][Act 2] The assassins have no collision with the hidden door in the catacombs when replaying the mission a second time
    • [Mission: DANTON’S SACRIFICE ]The extremists will not prioritize Dalton’s ally that spawns near the coaches and will behave inappropriate when players are around him
    • [Mission: HEADS WILL ROLL ] Arno lost two assassin ranks after replaying RB030 and quitting the mission
    • [Mission: CATACOMB RAIDER] Mission started with very low light level for the client
    • [Mission: MARIANNE RETURNS HOME] After completing the practice objective, if the user runs (~20m) the NPC is despawned
    • [Mission: The Estates General] After failing to get in the Hotel des Menus Plaisirs, after you are respawned – the crowd life near the carriage is missing – thus the mission cannot be completed on the normal path.
    • The SQ03 /SQ04 trophy is unlocked completing the first mode mission of SQ03M020 / SQ04M020
    • [Mission: THE INFERNAL MACHINE] The objective “Kill the Royalist Leader” is not checked (completed) after the users kill the Royalist Leader.
    • [Mission: IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM] Player cannot use HP potion inside the Luxembourg Museum.

World & 3D

  • Fixed various collisions and navigation mesh issues

Progression & Difficulty

  • Adjusted various community events rewardsPC-Specific
  • Fixed saves corruptions in some cases
  • Fixed temporal blur for SLI
  • Fixed graphical corruptions in Character Customization menu
  • Fixed crash in Character Customization menu on controller autoswitch
  • Alt+Enter switch window modes correctly
  • NPC on side monitors shows correctly
  • Minor UI improvements

Win Lord of the Dance Dangerous Games on DVD

With the release of Lord of the Dance Dangerous Games on DVD and Blu-ray we are giving three lucky winners the chance to win a copy of the film on DVD.

DVD 2D - Copy

Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games – a spectacular new staging of the traditional masterpiece; a magical adventure of sight and sound that transports its audience to a mythical time and place, lifting the spirits and capturing the hearts of all who experience it.

Based on Irish folklore, this classic tale of Good vs. Evil, expressed through the universal language of dance, has thrilled audience’s worldwide and catapulted Irish dance to a new dimension and unprecedented worldwide acclaim.

With all the visceral precision and thrills of the original, Lord Of The Dance: Dangerous Games features new staging, new costumes and choreography and 40 of the world’s most outstanding young performers directed by Michael Flatley. With new music by composer Gerard Fahy, this latest iteration combines the best of tradition with all the excitement of new music and dance!

 

How to enter to win

We have three copies of Lord of the Dance Dangerous Games to give away on DVD.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Usual contest rules apply, and the winner will be selected at random. This contest is open to the UK only – sorry!

The contest ends at 12.00AM on Thursday December 4th, and Lord of the Dance Dangerous Games is available now on DVD and Blu-ray.

Win Billy Elliot The Musical LIVE on DVD

45

With the release of Billy Elliot The Musical LIVE on DVD and Blu-ray we are giving three lucky winners the chance to win a copy of the film on DVD.

BillyElliot UK DVD 2D

Seen by over 10 Million people, and winner of over 80 theatre awards worldwide comes the one-off spectacular production LIVE from London’s West End This amazing one-off staging of Billy Elliot is a celebration of one of the most popular and successful stage shows Delivering a story of individuality, determination, love and hope Billy Elliot The Musical is a is a modern-day fairy tale all the family will enjoy family based on an already much loved film. Re-live the magic of the musical event of a lifetime available for the first time on Blu-ray & DVD.

 

How to enter to win

We have three copies of Billy Elliot The Musical LIVE to give away on DVD.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Usual contest rules apply, and the winner will be selected at random. This contest is open to the UK only – sorry!

The contest ends at 12.00AM on Thursday December 4th, and Billy Elliot The Musical LIVE is available now on DVD and Blu-ray.

First teaser trailer for Pan

Watch the first teaser trailer called Pan, Directed by Joe Wright and starring Hugh Jackman.

Pan is released in cinemas nationwide starting the 17th July.

Starting Hugh Jackman (“Les Misérables”) as Blackbeard; Garrett Hedlund (“Inside Llewyn Davis”) as Hook, Oscar nominee Rooney Mara (“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”) as Tiger Lily, Adeel Akhtar (“The Dictator”) as Smee, and newcomer Levi Miller as Peter.