After the Xbox Games Showcase, there was a second reason for me to tune into this Ubisoft Forward. That being Star Wars. Before that announcement, I was checking this out mostly for The Crew Motorfest and to see if anything else would catch my eye. But the addition of Star Wars Outlaws gameplay just made it all the better to watch and wait.

There’s a lot of racing games coming in the second half of this year, with The Crew Motorfest being one I’ve had my eye on since its announcement. After all, an open world cruise around one of the islands of Hawaii is something that hasn’t been seen since Test Drive Unlimited 2. The rendition in Motorfest might not be at 1:1 scale, but it sure does seem like it’ll offer a diverse driving landscape from that trailer.

There’s plenty of vehicles that were seen within the trailer, with off-road buggies and F1 cars among the regular road-going vehicles. The progression of Motorfest was talked about after the trailer, with playlists offering focused events of car culture fun. It was also confirmed that your entire collection of vehicles from The Crew 2 can be brought into this one for free. So I can easily get to cruising around O’ahu in my Mini as soon as.

A VR Assassin’s Creed? Well, that’s certainly an interesting one. Yes, Assassin’s Creed Nexus is finally shown off, and it looks to be a very active experience. Jumping and swinging around, sword fighting, grabbing and stabbing foes from behind… Of course, a trailer that says it is pre-rendered animations isn’t fully indicative of how it will play. But if it does indicate one thing, it is that this will be a heavy motion-based experience.

Such means that player comfort is of upmost importance, though Ubisoft have said that some options are available to combat that such as teleporting rather than moving to those locations yourself. That does say they understand VR is a much different playing field compared to regular consoles. For as much as I would want to get in on this, the active gameplay is a barrier for someone with a small amount of space. Fortunately, this wasn’t the only Assassin’s Creed game featured at the event.

While I won’t cover the mobile game Codename Jade, it does look fun enough for those who like playing on mobile. The next console game of Mirage is what I’m talking of. This more back-to-basics Assassin’s Creed game is set in Baghdad, with assassin Basim feeling this is where he belongs. But nightmarish visions are telling him otherwise. The story trailer set the scene for all of that, but then it was gameplay time.

Showing off an assassination, Basim then parkours through the streets of Baghdad to escape the guards hunting him. Having lost them, he meets with those who had tasked him to kill. With the cutscene over, he acquires a blowdart and looks at the contract board. Then, it’s into stealth gameplay, using bushes, crowds and the acquired blowdart to get around. It really does have that classic feel. With a few modern features, of course.

Finally, Star Wars Outlaws. This new adventure within the galaxy far, far away takes place between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It’s a ruthless time, where criminals run rampant throughout the outer rim. Protagonist Kay Vess is caught up in all this as a street thief, who inadvertently becomes one of the galaxy’s most wanted. Now, with her animal companion Nix, she’s on the run, taking on contracts to survive.

The gameplay showcased sees the two escaping from a facility, which gives a look at the shooting, stealth, and exploration gameplay. Having stolen something from that facility, she then returns to the person who sent her there. That cutscene shows that you have choices, and depending on choices, those outcomes can have drastic results. Since this result was bad, Kay’s now running from the Empire, which gives a quick look at the space combat.

With the gameplay over, a new trailer is shown giving a look at various planets and a few action scenes that will occur during the story. With a release for next year, it’s going to be a while before exploring this particular galaxy, but it will be worth the wait, I feel. The gameplay and the trailers have already shown Massive Entertainment have nailed the Star Wars feel, so it will be lovely to be lost within this game when it arrives.

While not a lot new was featured during this Ubisoft Forward, it did reveal a lot of new details on already known entities. The focus on showcasing the gameplay of the largest of what they have to offer was welcomed, giving a great idea of how they feel rather than just how they look.

Images Taken From:
Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR | Ubisoft
Star Wars Outlaws: Official Gameplay Walkthrough | Ubisoft