Nearly 26,000 PSP fans have signed an online petition demanded UbiSoft release their smash hit Assassin’s Creed to the PSP. The petition starts out very strongly, and reads:

Considering the success that Assassin’s Creed has seen on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, we feel it is a slap in the face for PlayStation Portable fans to see the Nintendo DS getting Assassin’s Creed in early 2008. If this is the kind of treatment Ubisoft plans to show its loyal PSP fans in the future, then I for one will go elsewhere for my gaming needs.

I doubt Ubisoft would take an online petition seriously. Years of planning goes into development for video games. If they wanted to release Assassin’s Creed on the PSP, they would have done it by now. They must have their reasons… I just don’t know what they are. If it can be created for Nintendo DS, then it can be ported to the PSP.

Anyways, go ahead and sign the online petition if you want.

Those of you living down under in Australia have a chance to win an Assassin’s Creed Prize Pack. To celebrate the release of Assassin’s Creed on Nintendo DS, the team as Ubisoft Australia is giving out 5 prize packs to the most creative readers. Included in each is a copy of the game, an art book and a hoodie. To enter, all you’ve got to do is answer the question below.

Please send your response in 25 words or less, along with your forum username to assassin@aussie-nintendo.com. We’ll choose the five most creative entries, and then our assassin will deliver the prize packs to you! Entries close 25/04/2008 and entry is open to Australian residents only. Good luck!

Assassin’s Creed has been out for several months now, and it’s a shame that many of the Assassin’s Creed fans have nothing left to do but play the same game over and over again. We’ve already seen other games, like Mass Effect, release Downloadable Content.. so why haven’t we heard of anything about Assassin’s Creed DLC? Is it because the game is multi-platform? Is it because Ubi is slacking? Or is it because there would be nothing of substance to add in a DLC?

If you actually look no the game box, it doesn’t say Downloadable Content… so I don’t think we’ll end up seeing something. But why not give us fans something to keep us busy until Assassin’s Creed 2 comes out. It doesn’t even have to be a new explorable city (although that would be awesome). How about new weapons or clothes, or hell… even a new horse? Just give us something!

It’s hard to believe that in 2008 games are still being made without the possibility for DLC.

As you know, Assassin’s Creed is headed to PC in April. The game will be almost a straight port from the console version, but also have a few slight differences. To help better understand what’s new and what’s been changed in Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft released a Q&A with Charles Beauchemin, Assassin’s Creed developer. He details the four new investigation types (archer assassination, rooftop race challenge, merchant stand destruction challenge and escort challenge), system requirements, guards AI and more.

The following are a couple of questions, but if you want the whole list, please visit here.

In your opinion, what is the average machine needed to play the game ?

Any dual-core machine running at 2.2GHz and over with a decent graphic card (such as a ATi HD2600 or a NVidia 8600) will give great performances.

Our minimum requirement is a Pentium D 2.4GHz or a AMD X2 Athlon 3800+, equipped with a Shader Model 3.0 card (ATi X1300 and better, NVidia 6600 and better).

How are the X360 achievements translated to the PC version ?

You can still collect flags and templars but there is no achievement in the PC version.

It’s been said quite a few times that the AI on guards and on the crowd was not always as “ideal” as promised : have you managed to, improve this on the PC version ?

We modified the reaction of guards in certain occasions. Blending when close to a dead body doesn’t work anymore; guards will spot you if you stay too close. Also, the reaction of the guards to stealth assassination is now based on the number of NPC around you making it more realistic. If there is no one around you, guards will spot you much faster and if the crowd is bigger, you won’t be spotted that fast.

From Ubisoft: “Following our recent statement regarding the freeze issues that some consumers are facing with Assassin’s Creed on PlayStation 3, we can confirm that we are actively working on a game update. This update will help improve the stability of the game and will be released as soon as possible. In the meantime thank you for your ongoing feedback and patience.”

Read the post here.

Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announced its highly anticipated Assassin’s Creed video game has gone “gold” and is set to launch on November 16, 2007. The title is one of the most anticipated games for the holiday season, arriving on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The game will be a rating 15 BBFC.

We’ve been working very hard for nearly four years to make Assassin’s Creed a reality and now there is a confirmed date when players will get to experience the results of our efforts” shared Jade Raymond, producer of Assassin’s Creed. “This is a huge event for the team. Our biggest reward will be everyone having a lot of good solid fun.”

Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announced the score for the highly anticipated Assassin’s Creed video game is being composed by British Academy Award-winner Jesper Kyd. Players will become truly immersed into the mindset of Altair, the game’s main character, and the rich environments of the game through Jesper’s thematic score. The combination of epic orchestral compositions with acoustic, percussion and vocal performances delivers a deeply spiritual aesthetic with Hollywood flair. The rich and melodic palette, created exclusively for Assassin’s Creed, will be discovered by players worldwide this November.

“We listened to many composers before finding the right person for Assassin’s Creed. Jesper Kyd turned out to be the perfect match for the title because he is able to create epic historical pieces fused with both traditional medieval instruments and modern synth sounds” shared Jade Raymond, producer of Assassin’s Creed. “For Assassin’s Creed we wanted the score to capture the gruesome atmosphere of medieval warfare but also be edgy and contemporary. Jesper not only achieved this balance but also underlined the changes in gameplay and pacing in a way that immerses the player even further into the
Assassin’s Creed experience.”

While the graphical beauty and detail of Assassin’s Creed is quite evident visually, the music takes on the same level of precision and attention. Each setting within the game has its own theme and distinct musical identity, ranging from the tragedy-stricken city of Acre to the proud stoic stronghold of Damascus to the powerfully spiritual and multicultural capital of Jerusalem.

“I was inspired by the deep and engaging world of Assassin’s Creed and working with the visionary team at Ubisoft Montreal was a fantastic experience,” said Jesper Kyd. “It was truly refreshing to be given so much creative freedom for such a high-profile blockbuster title and I believe we took it to the max.”

With the release date of GTA IV pushed back to Spring of 2008, several key games including our favorite, Assassin’s Creed, will fill the gap for gamers (and extract cash from their wallets). Rockstar Games announced that development delays had led to the new date and that it had nothing to do with the fact that Assassin’s Creed will humiliate the GTA franchise by seriously mopping up the floor with it (editor’s notes added).

Today Pocket Books announced it will novelize Assassin’s Creed this October. The title of the first book will be “Assassin’s Creed Book One: The Invisible Imam” and is due to be published in October of 2007. The publisher plans to print a trilogy of novels based on Ubisoft’s highly-anticipated game.

The first title in the novel series will detail events leading up to the beginning of the game. “The Assassin’s Creed books, which begin by layering elements that prequel the game, will only expand upon this adventure to an eager audience of gamers and thrill seekers,” said Tony Key, VP, marketing at Ubisoft.

“With the anticipation for Assassin’s Creed building every day, it’s tremendously exciting to be in partnership with Ubisoft at the launch of this extraordinary franchise,” said Marco Palmieri, Senior Editor at Pocket Books.

Even though Assassin’s Creed is quite far from release, it’s already being recognized for its effects. Assassin’s Creed has been nominated for an award by the Visual Effects Society. Currently the game, well, trailer, has been nominated for Outstanding Real Time Visuals in a Video Game and Outstanding Pre-Rendered Visuals. Ubi Montreal employees Jade Raymond, Nicolas Cantin, Raphael Lacoste, Christophe Martin, Thomas Giroux, and Anne Mai Le Bouyonnec were also mentioned as potential honorees.

The VES Awards will be handed out at the Kodak Grand Ballroom in Hollywood, which is also the site of the Academy Awards and Nintendo’s E3 2006 press conference. I’m sure Assassin’s Creed will win, quite simply, because it blows away the competition.

Technorati Tags: Assassins Creed, Video Games, PS3, Xbox360, PC, Visual Effects Society

Ubisoft recently announced that they will be pushing the Assassins Creed (as well as Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway) release date back.

The new Assassins Creed release date will be somewhere in the range of April 2007 to March 2008 (Ubisoft is still giving vague information at this point)

Assassins Creed was originally supposed to be released in Q1 2007.

(This story has been locked for further comments. Please remember, everybody, this is a Fan Site, not the official Ubisoft site. I too am pi**ed that the game is delayed but venting here won’t make it to the publishers. If you feel the need, visit the official website at ubisoft.com. Thanks!)

Ubisoft has revealed today the plot synopsis for Assassin’s Creed, a next-generation game that will set a new standard in the action-adventure genre. This game is one that I can’t wait to play next to Mass Effect. I will be updating more about this game as I get more info.

What Assassin Creed story all about?

Ubisoft has revealed today the plot synopsis for Assassin’s Creed, a next-generation game that will set a new standard in the action-adventure genre.

Our story follows a disgraced master Assassin (ALTAIR) who embarks on an epic quest to restore his status within the Assassin Order. After failing to assassinate the Templar Leader (ROBERT DE SABLE) and recover the legendary Templar Treasure, Altair is demoted to Uninitiated (the lowest rank in the Assassin order).

SINAN, Leader of the Assassins, offers our hero an opportunity to redeem himself. Altair must venture out into the Holy Land and assassinate men said to be exacerbating and exploiting the hostilities created by the Third Crusade. In doing so, he will stabilize the region, allowing Sinan to usher in an age of peace.

When our game begins, Richard the Lionheart has just recaptured the port city of Acre from occupying Saracens. With a base of operations established, the Crusaders prepare to march south. Their true target is JERUSALEM – which they intend to recapture in the name of the Church. However, SALADIN, leader of the Saracen Army, currently rules Jerusalem. Stinging from his army’s defeat at Acre, he will now allow Richard to humiliate him again. The Saracens are massing at the ruins of Fortress Arsuf, intending to ambush the Crusaders and prevent them from reaching Jerusalem.

These war maneuvers have left the rest of the Holy Land wide open. While Richard and Saladin battle one another, the men left to govern in their stead have begun taking advantage of their newfound positions of power. Exploiting, manipulation, and provocation rule the day. It is into this chaotic mess our hero now finds himself thrust. He is ordered to assassinate those most active in their exploitation.

And so Altair begins his missions.

Along the way, however, he will begin to discover that his targets are bound by more than just a shared interest in personal gain. They seem to share membership in a secret society – a group all too familiar to the Assassins. And they are not simply looking for profit. The true goal, and how they plan to achieve it are secrets to be discovered during the course of our story.

Ubi has just launched the official website for Assassin’s Creed. Check it out: Assassins Creed Website

Just found this interview gamespot did with some of the devs of Assassin Creed. The interview was prompted by the announcement that Assassins Creed was coming to Xbox 360. Check out the interview here

Looking at the game, it’s not hard to draw comparisons to Prince of Persia. However, this is one thing that gets me really excited about the game. I absolutely loved Prince of Persia, I believe it had some really amazing gameplay. Now, why does this get me excited about Assassins Creed? Because I think Assassins Creed will take everything from Prince of Persia and… improve on it. Not to mention it’s an exclusive next-gen release, so the graphics should be stunning.