It appears that the hunt for Sam Fisher is on.  He seems to be an enemy of the state, with no where to run, and no friends to be found.  That said, it appears that Sam Fisher has his own story to tell and has taken it to Twitter to get the truth out about his struggle and fight against The Third Echelon.  Not sure why the government couldn’t just attack the Twitter offices and get the IP info needed to track down good old Sam, but those are questions that should never be asked about a good action game or movie.  Follow Sam Fisher’s fight over at www.twitter.com/Real_SamFisher.

Last year, Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes hit the DS and was a surprising hit for Ubisoft.  The title took the Might and Magic brand and fused it together with an anime style, setting up the title for a new audience that might not be as familiar with the Might and Magic brand.

A year later, the title is now coming to both the Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network, although we do not have a pricing structure in place for it.  Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes will sport multiplayer battles as well as a co-op feature for those that want to team up to fight the enemy.

Check the jump for more screenshots and a video of the title in action.

UBISOFT® ANNOUNCES MIGHT & MAGIC® CLASH OF HEROES® FOR PlayStation®Network & Xbox LIVE ARCADE

SAN FRANCISCO – March 11, 2010 – Today Ubisoft announced that it will bring the critically acclaimed Might & Magic Clash of Heroes to the PlayStation Network from Sony and Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Developed by Capybara Games, the creators of Might & Magic Clash of Heroes for the Nintendo DS ™ system, Might and Magic Clash of Heroes for Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 and PlayStation Network will give players the opportunity to enjoy the remarkable gameplay but now in high definition (HD).

“We’re very excited to bring Might & Magic Clash of Heroes to Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 and PlayStation Network,” said Senior Producer, Romain de Waubert de Genlis. “Not only have we had the chance to adapt all of our graphics to High-Definition, but we’ve also had the opportunity to improve the game even further, both in single-player battles and in the main campaign. We took many of the community’s recurring wishes into consideration, allowing players to match their strategic skills and taking full advantage of the online capabilities of Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 and PlayStation Network.”

Might and Magic Clash of Heroes for Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network will take advantage of the next-gen consoles’ capabilities to increase its visual appeal and enrich the multiplayer experience. With a unique mix of RPG and an exceptional puzzle battle system, this upcoming release will give Might & Magic fans something to look forward to this Summer 2010.

Key features include:

• Might & Magic Universe

• High-definition environments with manga art design

• Five different factions and five different heroes with five different stories

• Fresh turn-based puzzle battle system with offensive & defensive combos

• Unlockable heroes

• Online Level-up & Ranking

• Multiplayer mode for 2-4 players local and online.

For the latest information on Might & Magic Clash of Heroes, please visit: http://mightandmagic.com/clashofheroes/

About Ubisoft

Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft is present in 28 countries and has sales in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2008–09 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of 1.058 billion euros. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

© 2009 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Heroes, Might and Magic, Heroes of Might and Magic, Ubisoft, Ubi.com, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. “PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Nintendo DS is a trademark of Nintendo.

Sigh, I don’t know where to go with this, so you can check the press release if you are still reading.

RACQUET SPORTS FOR WII™ NOW AVAILABLE IN NORTH AMERICA

SAN FRANCISCO– March 9, 2010 – Today Ubisoft® announced that Racquet Sports, the multisport game that includes tennis, ping-pong, badminton, squash and beach tennis is now available on North America retail shelves, exclusively for the Wii™ system from Nintendo. The game will be released in EMEA territories on March 25th under the name Racket Sports Party. Racquet Sports is rated “E” for everyone and delivers an engaging and interactive experience for the entire family.

Racquet Sports offers unprecedented realism and pinpoint gameplay mechanics, bringing every serve, swing and backhand to life while replicating the experience in the comfort of the living room.

Racquet Sports is sold at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $29.99. The game also comes bundled with Ubisoft’s Motion Tracking Camera and is priced at $39.99. For more information, please visit: www.racquetsportsgame.com.

About Racquet Sports: Racquet Sports engages players in 40 rich graphical environments in worldwide locations including an underwater reef, a Moroccan palace, a New York loft and a fan-filled stadium. The multiplayer feature in Racquet Sports allows the family to play cooperatively with each other or to compete against each other. Compatible with the Wii MotionPlus™ accessory and Ubisoft’s Motion Tracking Camera for Wii™, players will experience easy-to-use controls that precisely simulate their movements and will be able to play in multiple gameplay modes, from party to championship mode.

© 2009 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Asobo Studio is a registered trademark. The technology is the property of Asobo Studio SARL. Developed by Asobo Studio SARL and published by Ubisoft.Wii, the Wii logo and Wii MotionPlus are trademarks of Nintendo.

Wii MotionPlus™ accessory sold separately.

About Ubisoft:

Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has teams in 28 countries and distributes games in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2008-09 fiscal year, Ubisoft generated sales of 1.058 billion euros. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

Today, Ubisoft was nice enough to send over a new Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands trailer filled with developer commentary, as well as some first looks at the gameplay.  The new title takes place in the gap between the Sands of Time and Warrior Within story arc, and probably factors into the upcoming movie.

Check the jump for the full video.  Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands hits shelves on May 18th, 2010.

THIS IS REALLY DRIVING ME MAD NOW! I HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO PLAY AT ALL TODAY! DON’T SELL YOUR ****ING GAMES IF PEOPLE CAN’T PLAY THEM!

from someone called LadyRinsun and this

I am 100% returning this game tomorrow! i have lost an entire weekend trying over and over to play this. I urge everyone to return this shambolic cack. Someone is bound to get around your DRM soon. I’ll just wait for that! Ubi….you deserve to make massive losses on this, bad forward thinking.

from mattymcrae1979!

Now, before you accuse me of dancing on a grave (so to speak), I’m obviously not pleased that people can’t play their copies of AC2. What I am happy about is that all the problems with Ubisoft’s quite frankly cretinous and moronic DRM strategy are floating to the surface immediately, and consumers, not just the press, are up in arms about it. It’ll discourage them from pursuing it with such gusto in future. I only feel sorry for all the devs and PR people who have to try and defend this indefensible tripe.

Via Joystiq, picture via Roger Ebert’s Twitpic

I am a few days behind on this, but Silent Hunter V: Battle of the Atlantic has hit store shelves and digital download services.  And in case you have not made up your mind on whether to get this installment of the submarine series, check out the jump for a new cinematic trailer, as well as screenshots. 

Silent Hunter V: Battle of the Atlantic, is a continuation of the Silent Hunter series, complete with the now standard dynamic campaign.  Events are structured around your successes and failures, so no two careers will be alike.

The new screenshots and video from Silent Hunter V: Battle of the Atlantic shows off the cramped quarters of the inside of a 1940’s U-boat and how you would interact with the crew.  From inside the ship, you will have the ability to praise or chastise crew members, along with alloting skill points to better their actions on the sub.

We also get to see a small sampling of the main feature of the Silent Hunter series, which is the dynamic campaign.  No two campaigns in Silent Hunter V will play out the same, as the campaign can change on the fly due to numerous battles happening on the battlefield.  You are not the only sub fighting the war, and your battles will link in with other AI ships and subs and how they win or lose their battles.  It works really well, and going off of previous releases, Silent Hunter V is shaping up to be another solid release from Ubisoft.

Ubisoft has announced that their dynamic WWII submarine simulation, Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic, will come in a Gold Edition that will gain players some nice little bonuses for those that decide to pick it, over the standard edition.

The Gold Edition will net players a nice operations manual in PDF format, that will hold 110 pages of information on the boats and submarines that will be in the game, with pictorials and information on each.  Yeah, its not a hard binder like games of the past might of come with, but it is about as good as we will get in the digital age.  The other reason it does not come with a hard bound book is because the Gold Edition is only available via digital download.

Check the jump for a gaggle of screenshots of boats and subs.  Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic hits digital download and store shelves on March 4th, 2010.

Today, we received a new video from Ubisoft showing off the new Victory Points system for Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom.  The Victory Points system allows players to choose the way that they play the game, setting the victory conditions to their playstyle.  It also affords them an extra challenge by changing the victory conditions to something completely contradictory to their playstyle.

Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom drops on PCs March 23rd, 2010.  Check out the video after the jump.

Now with early review copies hitting some sites, it seems that we have some clarity on how the DRM will work, and it is leaning towards the “sounds good on paper, but extremely flawed in practice” route.

First and foremost is how the system works.  As it stands, Settlers 7 and Assassin’s Creed II will be the first games from Ubisoft to use this system.  It should be assumed that it will be in Splinter Cell: Conviction as well next month.  The system will require users to create an Ubisoft account, and install a front end Ubisoft application that will run in the background everytime an Ubisoft game is launched.

When you load up a game the application will run as normal, and the user should see no differences with the game.  Saving your game works just like any other game, as it will create a save file on your local hard drive, most likely somewhere in the My Documents directory.

However, when you quit your game, your save games will upload to the Ubisoft servers, and will be tied to your account.  This option can be turned off, if you choose to take that option.  So, people like myself, who thought there would be no local save option, have been proven wrong, with one huge caviat.

It appears that you will not be able to play an Ubisoft game if your lose connection to the Ubisoft servers.  This connection works both ways.  If the Ubisoft servers go down, you cannot play your game, as it will not load.  If your Internet connection goes down, you will again, be locked out from playing.  Even worse is if you are in the middle of a game, and you somehow lose contact with the Ubisoft servers, the game stops running, and you lose any progress from your last save point.

I get that companies want to protect their games, but using a system like this without any means to play the game without a connection to Ubisoft, aka Big Brother, just screws the legitimate customer out of a good gaming experience.  Most DRM systems like this, ie. Steam, at least allow people to play offline if they lose their connection to Steam.  And as most people know, Internet connections are never known to be 100% reliable.  Unless you have an infallable Internet connection, and Ubisoft has fault free servers, this will only end bad for both Ubisoft and the consumer.  However, if this is a ploy by Ubisoft to move people to console gaming, they may have finally found the golden bullet, because after my third or fourth disconnect, I may end up just killing the game off of my hard drive.