According to Eurogamer, Ubisoft’s Uplay return in Playstation 4 and Xbox One versions of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, The Crew, The Division, Watch_Dogs, Child of Light, Valiant Hearts and Trials Fusion.

Available at launch, players on both consoles will be able to utilize the service, while a PC Uplay client 4.0 update is coming in October, adding a social wall and download manager.

Are you happy, sad or indifferent? Let us know in the comments below!

Valiant Hearts is set in the first World War era, and is inspired by real letters from that time. The 2D platformer comes from Rayman Legends’ studio, Ubisoft Montpelier, and will be a 2D platformer. While it retains a dark tone, goofy and comical moments are present to break away from it.

This is the story of 5 crossed destinies and a broken love in a world torn apart. All of them will try to survive the horror of the trenches following their faithful canine companion. From the green forests of the French countryside, to dank trenches and snowy fields, go back through history in this emotional adventure as friendship, love, sacrifice and tragedy befall each one as they help each other to retain their humanity against the horrors of war.

It is coming in downloadable form in 2014, for Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC. It reminds me of Rocketbirds… that’s a good thing. Check out the first trailer below:

Gematsu listed all 21 publishers that signed a deal with Sony regarding exclusive content for Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Playstation Vita and Playstation Mobile. Some if it, we know, some, not. Quench the list:

• Activision Blizzard – Diablo III content
• Atlus
• Bethesda Games – The Elder Scrolls Online gets Playstation 4-exclusive beta
• Bluepoint Games – “Sony classic to modern systems”
• Bungie – Destiny
• Capcom – Deep Down
• Disney Interactive
• EA
• Insomniac Games
• Konami
• Level-5
• Nordic Games
• Rockstar Games
• Sanzaru Games
• Sega
• Square Enix
• Sumo Digital
• Take-Two
• Ubisoft – Watch_Dogs, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Aveline content)
• Warner Bros. – Batman: Arkham Origins content
• Zindagi Games

I never liked the stealth-action approach Splinter Cell took in the most recent games leading to Blacklist. I thought it couldn’t work. Stealth is one thing, action is another. But boy, am I wrong. Blacklist blends the two so delicately that you’re itching for more when its standard-length campaign ends (around 10 hours on Normal, not started my Perfectionist playthrough yet).

Sam is back, indeed, though his iconic voice isn’t. The biggest thing franchise fans will notice isn’t how the game is the best thing to happen since Chaos Theory; it will be that Michael Ironside is missing. Eric Johnson replaces the man, because, as Ubisoft explained, it took three men to have Sam Fisher in the past (voice, facial animations capture, and motion capture), but Johnson combines all three. I don’t really know if that’s the issue, though it sounds like it cut costs, but still, the exact number of money saved from this move is not public. Fans are raging about Johnson replacing Ironside; was it worth the savings? To me, it doesn’t really matter. Not because I’m not a fan of Splinter Cell, but the polar opposite. I care for the franchise and want to see it move forward, tread new grounds. Double Agent sure did disappoint, showing Fisher move away from what he did for the past three games, and into Conviction, the absolute action-oriented, hand-holding Splinter Cell. Ubisoft knew they had to make the franchise relevant in the stealth genre, where it was born and thrived, once again. And thus we were graced with Blacklist.

“Why didn’t Blacklist come out earlier?”

Let me give you a typical Blacklist scenario I liked pulling off, because it filled me so much, reminding me of the golden Splinter Cell days. I slowly make my way towards an exit point. I scan the area and see 5 enemies spread out, all on the outside of buildings, so I think my best bet would be to use the buildings to my advantage. Going through silently, (which doesn’t necessarily means “slowly” or “walking”) I kept my Sonar goggles on to track enemy movements, making my plans on the go. Then, I reached a point where I was hanging above two enemies talking at arm’s range from each other. The other three were left unharmed, as I was going for a Ghost playstyle, but these two were blocking my exit. It was essential that they were put to sleep, but how? Sleeping gas? Proximity Shocker? Quickly shoot both? Nah, that last one would ruin my Ghost style. I traversed the ledges, reaching a point where I was roughly 2 meters above them. I pulled out my crossbow, shot a sleeping dart at the right one, and I instantly pressed Square to execute an Aerial Knockout. Timing had to be almost flawless, otherwise, a checkpoint restart would be needed. My plan worked, and it was glorious! You know what’s better than what I described above? The fact that the whole game invites you to plot such events, filling you with satisfaction each time you pull them off successfully.

You’ll die a lot, and you’ll fail a lot. Even if you don’t die and make it past a point you were stuck at, leaving a single body exposed in the tiniest will make enemies actively search for you, or even call in reinforcements. K-9 dogs are going to give you a bad time too, sniffing you out, constantly making you change cover. Maybe you want to take that route on the left? Sure, just shoot the lamp to create darkness! Oh, the lamp breaking or your pistol firing were heard, and now people are cautious and looking around for you. That heavy can’t get one-shot, and the dogs are searching for you. Wouldn’t everything be better if you just used a Sticky EMP? Yes, that’s it! Let’s try again, and get it right this time! See where this is going? Blacklist’s gameplay offers so much freedom, you can safely call it the best thing Fisher has seen since Chaos Theory. Movements are pretty tight, buttons are responsive, AI is dynamically changing whenever something occurs and you have to try hard to replicate scenes. Fisher is more fluid than ever, and that’s evident from the first few minutes.  You know that, when something goes wrong, it’s your fault, leaving a tiny percentage of fault on the game’s shoulders.

Sadly, the same can’t be told about one of the two weakest points of the game; its story. It’s the standard-fare, terrorist attack with a twist not good enough to justify the whole thing. Though grounded on reality and mixing and matching aspects of previous Splinter Cell games, it doesn’t shine, but it’s at least a step up from what I expected (= something similar to Conviction). Apart from Grim, the recurring female teammate, there’s two new guys on the block: Briggs, an African/American field operative and Charlie, the team’s computer genius and general comical relief. You won’t get attached to them, mostly because of the time you spend with them, which is very short. You only get to interact with them in a substantial manner between missions, and even then, it’s just not adding much to the pot. Without spoiling anything, you might like Briggs a bit more than the others because of how he’s treated, his choices, and how he makes up for them. Generally, the atmosphere inside the Paladin, the super-plane that the team is housed in, is not the best around, but it’s got to work for the mission to see completion. Speaking of it, the Paladin reminds me of Mass Effect, in that it serves as a hub to discuss with your crew members, take up missions, call your daughter Sarah, or just interact with the SMI and pick your next mission.

However, I have to give credit to the writers, for the sole fact that it takes you on a globe-trotting adventure. You’ll be assigned to many different missions, from data and hostage retrieval to grand escapes, in places like super-secret HQ’s, expensive villas and desert installations in broad daylight. Don’t let that last word scare you; it pulls no Conviction. You are not obliged to go all out on anyone, in fact, you have three different playstyle rankings integrated in the core experience. You earn Ghost points for taking out people silently and non-lethally, or by not taking them out at all! Simply passing through to your objective without touching anyone is the most rewarding action in the game, which encourages stealth play. However, you are not limited to that. Panther points are awarded for stealthy but lethal encounters, giving you the freedom to shoot people dead from the shadows and march to victory atop their bodies. Assault, on the other hand, rewards you for open conflict. Killing enemies while engaged in loud firefights, or using lethal gadgets (like Proximity Mine, which isn’t the most subtle killer around), rewards you with Assault points.

A unified money pool is used for both the game’s campaign and multiplayer (co-op or Spies vs Mercs). That means, money you amass from campaign missions can be used to upgrade your agent in multiplayer, or build the best Fisher around. Your campaign character can transfer over to co-op, which means you get to use the same pistols, “big guns” (sniper rifles, assault rifles, SMG’s, shotguns), and tactical equipment (various types of grenades, mines, the tri-rotor drone, sticky cameras and EMPs, etc) you used in the singleplayer part. There, you tackle on missions given by the other crew members, again, spanning the globe. Apart from Briggs’ 4 missions, the 14-mission co-op campaign can also be tackled alone, if you don’t want others in your game, which is something the game doesn’t really want you to do. Apart from interactions that absolutely need two players to work (like step-jumping to ledges), you can play co-op and do it as if you’re alone; you won’t see a lot of changes, but the game does feel better and more fluid when the partners cooperate. Co-op, online and offline, is a much wanted and appreciated feature in a lot of today’s games, provided they do it correctly. And Blacklist, once again, hits the target, though it’s not a headshot.

I’m not your bro, bro.

A target it also hits with the competitive multiplayer part, the Chaos Theory-introduced “Spies vs Mercs” mode. The premise is simple; teams of 4 duke it out on various maps, with the Spies played in 3rd person and the Mercs in 1st person. Game modes are hit or miss, though: Team Deathmatch mixes the two factions and allows them on the same team, but it’s chaos in a bad way. Uplink does the same, though it’s much more dependent on class cooperation. Classic Mode is my absolute favorite, though: the squishy, fast-moving and agile Spies have to hack 3 points on the map, while the juggernaut Mercs have to stop them from doing it. It’s refreshing, it’s tense, it’s strategic, and it’s an absolute blast to play. First-person gunplay is great, if a bit reminiscent of Far Cry 3, so the Mercs are not in a disadvantage on that aspect. The excellent controls of the campaign have translated well into 1st person. Ubisoft listened, and the mode that was absent for two games is back in full force. If you’re a Chaos Theory purist, fear not; 2vs2 is back, where partner cooperation is do or die.

Let’s cross over to the game’s second weak point: the graphics. They’re not atrocious per se, but they’re not what you’d expect to see in a game that late into this generation. Textures are generally washed out or plain ugly if it’s not Sam, so thank the lord you play as him in the campaign. I can forgive backgrounds that don’t fulfill their potential. I can forgive pistols looking like toy guns. But I can’t forgive the treatment you gave to the goggles, a piece of equipment synonymous with Splinter Cell. Seriously, the lights look like painted cardboard stuck on the goggles, and I’m not even trying to joke. Shame on you, Ubisoft.

Wii U details: Out of all three console versions, the game looks and runs better on Nintendo’s next-gen console. LensOfTruth.com posted a highly detailed comparison of the three console versions, which you can watch here. Atop that, the GamePad offers off-screen play and quicker inventory interactions, which makes your life easier. If you’re aiming for a Perfectionist playthrough, switching through gadgets at the touch of their icons will come in handy. If you want the best version of the game, you should pick the Wii U one, although it’s very probable that online lobbies will be emptier than the other platforms’.

The 5th Freedom Edition: Being the collector I am, I couldn’t resist another statue. The 5th Freedom Edition is the biggest one you can get for Blacklist, and I can say, it’s worth the 99$ price. It includes a very detailed, 24cm statue of Fisher, a steelbok, a 96-page graphic novel based on the game, and tons of DLC; most notable inclusions are Fisher’s Chaos Theory suit and a great co-op (also singleplayer) mission.

Conclusion

Splinter Cell: Blacklist is hands down the best Splinter Cell to grace our platforms in this generation, and for me, it lags behind Chaos Theory just a tiny bit. If this is the direction Ubisoft takes the franchise to, I’m in.

The Wii U and the Vita are still on Ubisoft’s radar, big time. In an interview with IGN at GamesCom, Ubisoft’s Alain Corre said that both struggling platforms are bound for a rebuttal.

“We were very pleasantly surprised by Sony’s last push on the Vita. Decreasing the price and investing a lot in new IP and trying to use the Vita as a second screen for the PS4, all of that gives a lot of advantages for the future of the Vita. We’re watching that space and making sure that our PS4 games work on Vita, so the global experience on PS4 is even better.”

Nintendo’s Wii U can also find its footing, Corre said. If anything, Nintendo’s franchises have so much power that tens of millions of fans worldwide can’t deny.

“There are millions, tens of millions of fans of Nintendo brands. I’m sure you’ve played Mario Kart for hundreds of hours. I did too. There are so many great franchises that are still making people dream. We think these brands will stay with us. After that, it’s up to Nintendo to make sure that the machine can reach as many consumers as possible. We all think that they’ll be able to sell more machines in the future. They have some of the best IP in the world, and some of the best memories for their players. If you’ve played Smash Bros. in the past, you want to play the next one. So these brands have a future, for sure. It’s up to them to work on more communication to get the machine into more hands.”

Ubisoft is one of the few supporters of both consoles. Putting out strong exclusives like ZombiU and Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, and having almost every game on Nintendo’s platform is only good for both them and disappointed Wii U owners like me.

Rayman Legends is releasing on Wii U and Vita on August 30th and September 3rd in Europe and North America respectively, while other high-profile titles like Watch_Dogs and Assassin’s Creed IV will not skip the Wii U. The widely-acclaimed Splinter Cell: Blacklist also is on the Wii U, and I’m working on my review, albeit of the Playstation 3 version.

EA, Activision, Ubisoft and Warner Bros. are already signed up for this deal, so you can expect games like LEGO Marvel Heroes, a possible Arkham Origins next-gen versions and more to follow suit later on.

“Since E3 we’ve been carefully listening to what’s been said on the internet. We’ve read your posts and discussions, and I can’t enough stress how important it has been for us to feel your support and commitment to the game.

One of the most frequently-discussed topics has been about releasing The Division on PC… You can be certain we will provide you with a first-rate PC experience.”

The game will also receive some exclusive Xbox One content, though not exact details were given.

New footage regarding the second-screen experience of the game, achieved through a connected tablet or smartphone, was also shown. The video below showcases how players can send down buffs, highlight enemies and call in airstrikes.

Fighter-Within.com and FighterWithinGame.com both have been registered by Ubisoft, and on Ubisoft’s official website, a URL seems to reference this. Going to Fighter-within.ubi.com shows the message “cOMING SOON”.

Earlier this month, Ubisoft revealed that it “plans to share details on a new next-gen IP currently in development” during Gamescom. It’s almost sure this is it. So, throw around your speculations, what will it be?

Mark Blecher, Hasbro SVP and GM of digital gaming and corporate development said:

“We look forward to collaborating with Ubisoft to offer consumers innovative new ways to experience their favorite gaming brands.”

Ubisoft SVP of sales and marketing Tony Key also added that the publisher is “thrilled” to have the opportunity to create console games based on Hasbro’s brands.

While Ubisoft will publish board games, Electronic Arts last month announced a new four-year partnership with the company for mobile games, with Activision holding the rights to the Transformers franchise.

“Liberation actually did very well – we’re very proud of it. Sales were fairly decent. But the focus for us was Assassin’s Creed 4, for current-gen consoles and next-gen consoles. From a resource standpoint, the team that worked on Liberation is actually working with us on AC4. They’re developing a specific part of the game for us.”

The amount of people working on AC4, Watch Dogs – that’s a massive game – the focus within Ubisoft right now is on these two games, and then you have The Crew and The Division as well.”

Dissapointing. I still boot up my Liberation copy every now and then, not because of the lackluster multiplayer, but because of it being one of the best open world games on my Vita. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is sailing to Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 1st, while PC, Playstation 4 and Xbox One versions will follow later.