An hour of games. A third at the start focused on Star Wars Outlaws, a third at the end focused on Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and the middle third providing updates on current games. It all looked good, but there’s just three things I’m interested in. Two of which are those games mentioned. And the third is The Crew Motorfest, which is getting new vehicles and events for another year.

Along with a new map. Yup, when season five begins in November this year, Maui will become available. A new Hawaiian island to be exploring. I loved what was done with O’ahu, so I’m sure Maui will be just as great. And different to what we have already. With this addition, it does make me wonder if all the large islands of Hawaii will be represented in the future. For those that make sense to, of course.

It’s not just the new island being added, as there’s also The Chase Squad. This seems to be a cops and robbers type deal where one team is trying to take down the other as they race through the streets. Being called Premium PvE content, it will feature more in an upcoming The Crew Showcase in September. Which is where we’ll likely be seeing more of Maui, too.

The showcases of both Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Star Wars Outlaws featured a good chunk of gameplay along with cinematic trailers. For Shadows, that chunk of gameplay provided a good look at how the two playable characters it feature differ. Yasuke is pretty much a tank, armoured up and wielding heavy-hitting weapons. In a fight, he is a powerful foe to face.

In contrast, Naoe takes to heart the stealth elements. Easily able to climb, with a grapple to help with more difficult vertical surfaces. Or swing across distances. Her weapons are silent killers, with more range that can also be used for distractions to get close-quarters kills. The choice of which style you want to utilise for assassinations is yours, but only one will enter the battle.

I’m also in love with how it looks. The Japanese setting looks so good, with the town built alongside a river, the cherry blossoms surrounding its entrance. And that’s just a small part of this world, with a large part of central Japan said to be in the game. I have a feeling that when November comes, I’ll be exploring all of what Shadows is offering. This November is seeming like a real blend of past and present, with the future coming before both.

Yes, Star Wars Outlaws. One I’ve been looking forward to since it was announced, even if I’ve been erring on the side of caution with it. Well, after what’s been seen at Ubisoft Forward, that caution is gone. I’m fully waiting for this, now. Set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Outlaws is all about the criminal underworld. The actions taken by Kay Vess influence the factions and how they perceive her as she strives to pull off one of the biggest heists the Outer Rim has seen.

The influence of criminal factions is just one part of this living world that is being crafted, with the gameplay shown starting off with Vess playing a game. Sabacc has already been seen, with one Lando Calrissian taking to the tables. There’s other activities for down time, too. But when it comes to other parts of this living world, there’s ambushes, eavesdropping on conversations for intel, and hacking into systems.

Traversal between worlds is smooth, with an easy navigation system to quickly set up the hyperdrive or select a port to land at while still being in control of the ship. And those worlds come from all eras of Star Wars, with Tatooine being joined by Akiva, Kijimi, and the newly created moon of Toshara. It seems like they’ll be expansive, filled with iconic landmarks and plenty of secrets.

The gameplay elements look fun to engage with. Space combat is fast and frantic, with a variety of weapons to use. On foot, there’s also a few options to fight. Sneaking around, or taking a fast and furious approach. Even the speeder used to traverse long distances on a planet looks fun to use. I’m fully going to enjoy this come its release 30/August. Will be great to have an adventure playing as someone just trying to survive this harsh galaxy.

Seeing the gameplay of both Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin’s Creed Shadows at this Ubisoft Forward was great. It’s got me more interested in both, with the new island for The Crew Motorfest easily bringing me back to that one. All that’s left for this summer of gaming news is the Nintendo Direct which is coming… likely next week.

Images Taken From:
Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Extended Gameplay Walkthrough | Ubisoft
Star Wars Outlaws: Official Gameplay Showcase | Ubisoft