Details Surface On 'Assassin's Creed: Rogue,' Michael Fassbender Talks Movie
The Assassin’s Creed series is one of those things that you never have to wait a long time to get another dose of. Since the release of the first stealth-action video game in the franchise in 2007, a new title donning the Assassin’s Creed name has come out every year, and this year is no different. However, with all of the news of the next game installments, details have also surfaced regarding the upcoming film adaptation.
Video game publisher Ubisoft is shaking things up a bit this time around. While we usually get only one Assassin’s Creed on major platforms every year, we’ll be getting two in just a few months. PlayStation 4/Xbox One/PC users will get to experience Assassin’s Creed: Unity, which follows Arno Dorian in his quest to expose the secrets behind the French Revolution, and PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 users get Assassin’s Creed: Rogue - a story about assassin Shay Cormac during the Seven Years’ War. Unity will release on October 28, and Rogue is out November 11.
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Two games may seem like a bit of an overkill, but it actually makes perfect sense. Though the current-gen systems are getting hotter as months go on, the fact is that last-gen systems simply have an install base of millions and millions more. Why not make the most profit you can by giving two entirely different stories on multiple platforms? However, it does appear that Rogue has a very similar play style to last year’s Assassin’s Creed, Black Flag, with its emphasis on ship-based naval travel and combat. It’s possible that Rogue isn’t going to stray too far from what’s been done before, but why fix what isn’t broken? Unity, on the other hand, is said to feature a wide array of new features - stuff like overhauled parkour mechanics, and more interactive crowds. The big one? Co-operative multiplayer. It’s going to let you seamlessly transition into a friend’s game with up to four people and let you take on assassin missions as a group. If you’ve got the best of both worlds with systems on current gen and last gen, it’s looking like Rogue or Unity is going to give you something you’re looking for if you’re an Assassin’s Creed fan.
Next page: What do we know so far about the movie?
Then again, if video games aren’t your thing: fear not. The movie based on the game is coming, but it might take a little longer than originally planned. The upcoming Assassin’s Creed movie is scheduled for release in May 2015 - nine months from now - but not much progress has officially been made. That won’t stop leading man Michael Fassbender from talking about it, though. According to Fassbender, he wants the movie to honor the game as closely as possible, and also dispelled rumors that he was leaving the project. “I'm still a part of Assassin's Creed, and we're working on the script as we speak,” he told IGN. “We absolutely want to respect the game. There's so much cool stuff in the game that we're actually spoiled for choice in terms of what we can use and what we can't.” While no other casting info is known yet, MacBeth director Justin Kurzel will be taking over directing duties.
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An Assassin’s Creed movie is a tricky thing, and it can either turn out to be a massive failure, or really good. It all depends on a couple of things: in which time period will the movie be set? The games have been in eras such as the Renaissance and Colonial era, so it’s important that the movie’s environment is done right. What’s equally as important as the historical setting is also the present day setting. As the games rely heavily on the integration of a present day plotline with DNA memory, it’s an intriguing concept that can either make or break the film depending on how well it’s handled. Aside from plot and setting, there needs to be a presence of popular game mechanics, too. Things like stealth kills with the famous hidden blade, parkour, and leaps of faith - the huge dives off of giant buildings - will all separate the Assassin’s Creed movie from just turning into another corny action film. There’s a lot of potential here with a feature film, and it’ll be up to Fassbender and Kurzel to get it right.