Which is nice

All this talk of Wii U and the most recent Nintendo Direct has put poor 3DS in the shade. Well don't worry, the little handheld that can will get its chance to shine again during Nintendo's E3 press conference today.

Despite saying it'll focus on Wii U software, Nintendo confirmed it will reveal new games for 3DS today, promising a "massive line-up":

At the E3 Expo, Nintendo will reveal a massive lineup of first- and third-party video games for the Wii U home console and the Nintendo 3DS handheld system.

The consensus in the Nintendo Life office seems to be we'll see the new Zelda for 3DS today. What are you hoping for?

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Shhh...

Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed III was one of the publisher's biggest titles of its E3 conference this year, and while we didn't see any Wii U-specific footage the game is shaping up very nicely indeed.

The trailer might all be CGI but it should give you a taste of what to expect from Connor's trip onto Wii U later this year.

It's one of eight Ubisoft Wii U games lined up for the machine.

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Get it all live!

If you're itching for some PlayStation information, we've got you covered with a live stream of Sony's whole conference.

The conference kicks off at 6:00pm Pacific — that's 9pm Eastern, 2am UK and 3am Central European Time — but you can tune in half an hour earlier for a special preview.

We'll have regular updates for you through the night so keep it locked on Push Square for all your PlayStation E3 news.

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So there you are

Nintendo Japan has issued a statement denying the earlier rumours of a redesigned 3DS and Wii U price information.

The strongly-worded statement says Nikkei's story isn't based on information released by Nintendo and is full of mistakes, which both sort of mean the same thing.

Guess we'll find out the real truth tomorrow (or today, depending on where you are) at Nintendo's E3 conference.

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Maybe its best, too

Ubisoft closed its E3 2012 presentation with a brand new IP called Watch Dogs, coming to PS3 in the near future.

An open world game set in a near-future Chicago, the concept works with 'digital shadows': the amount of online data stored about every one of us. You'll be able to use your smartphone to hack into other people's digital devices, and we glimpsed some two-player modes too.

It was a lengthy demonstration and certainly looked impressive — Ubisoft's clearly spent a huge amount of money on the game — and it's definitely one to keep your eye on in future.

Ubisoft Divulges Development of Groundbreaking New IP “Watch Dogs”

LOS ANGELES — June 4, 2012 — Today at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Ubisoft debuted its new, ground-breaking intellectual property, an open-world action-adventure game, Watch Dogs.

Development of Watch Dogs is being led by Ubisoft Montreal, with a team comprised of industry veterans from blockbuster franchises like Assassin’s Creed®, Rainbow 6® and Far Cry™. Watch Dogs blends cutting-edge technologies and sophisticated game design into a realistic and living open world where players must use any means at their disposal to take down a corrupt system.

In Watch Dogs, players enter the dangerous world of Aiden Pearce, a new class of antihero whose ability to hack into any connected system could be his most powerful weapon. Whether it’s triggering a 30-car pileup by manipulating traffic-lights to trap an enemy during a downtown shootout or tapping into the city’s omnipresent security cameras to access anyone’s personal information, Pearce is capable of coercing and controlling almost every element of the world around him.

“Watch Dogs goes beyond the limits of today’s open-world games by giving players the ability to control an entire city,” said Jonathan Morin, creative director, Ubisoft. “In Watch Dogs, anything connected to the city’s Central Operating System becomes a weapon. By pushing the boundaries, we can provide players with action and access to information on a scale that’s never been seen in a video game before.”

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Hopes take a knock

We're all hoping Nintendo will confirm Wii U supports two GamePads during its E3 conference, but don't get your expectations up too high — Ubisoft France manager Xavier Poix has told VentureBeat the machine only supports one GamePad.

GamesBeat: How many players can you get on the Wii U at once? Is it four or is it two…?

Poix: On the controller it’s just the one. One person. But you can still play with the four Wiimotes if you have four. So it adds up to five players.

Poix doesn't see that as a disadvantage though, calling its asymmetrical capabilities "a revolution in terms of gameplay":

It’s not one against the other or one with the other, it’s, I’m doing something very different from my partner, but still we’re in the same world and the same game. That’s something really interesting. It’s not a disadvantage. And the best of all the games that are on the iPhone or other mobile games, tactical stuff, are brought… It’s stuff you couldn’t do before in the console market, obviously. Now you have this new layer that’s been added, it’s really cool.

So there you go — don't expect to see two GamePads working in conjunction.

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Something for everyone?

Ubisoft's just lifted the lid on its full line-up of Wii U titles. Some we knew about already, others we didn't.

Here's what's heading to Wii U:

• Assassin's Creed III
• Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth
• Rayman Legends
• Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2013
• Just Dance 4
• ZombiU (formerly Killer Freaks from Outer Space)
• Sports Connection
• Rabbids Land

Not a bad line-up we think. What about you?

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Braainnss

Not content with showing off more of Rayman Legends for Wii U, Ubisoft's also lifted the lid on ZombiU, a Wii U-exclusive zombie-based survival horror.

It's actually an evolution of last year's Killer Freaks from Outer Space, but with zombies instead of aliens.

The publisher showed off a very lengthy trailer showing Dead Rising-style action set in the UK: zombies are decapitated in front of Buckingham Palace. Just like this week with the Jubilee, then.

Ubisoft®’s Infectious ZombiUTM Coming Exclusively to Nintendo's Wii UTM

Survival-Horror Shooter Showcases Nintendo Wii UTM GamePad, Delivers Intense and Terrifying New Gaming Experience

LOS ANGELES — June 4, 2012 — Today, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Ubisoft challenged gamers to find out how long they can survive in the dilapidated, infected world of ZombiU – a new survival-horror shooter that will be released exclusively for Nintendo’s Wii UTM. ZombiU headlines a group of eight titles from Ubisoft that will be available for the Nintendo Wii UTM.

Developed by Ubisoft Montpellier, the studio behind critically acclaimed titles like From DustTM, Beyond Good & Evil® and Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter®, ZombiU puts players in the middle of London circa 2012, where an outbreak has infected the population, destroying their humanity and turning them into mindless monsters preying on the flesh of the few remaining survivors. This fear-fueled first-person shooter takes all the terror, chaos and tension found in the best of the horror genre and adds original interactive elements, including a unique death mechanic that puts players in the body of a different survivor each time they die, allowing them to track and take down their old, infected characters, recover their equipment and see if they can stay alive just a little bit longer this time.

ZombiU showcases the innovative features of the Nintendo Wii UTM GamePad and creates new game experiences not possible on other consoles. The Nintendo Wii UTM GamePad serves as the player’s ultimate survival kit, called the “Bug Out Bag.” The Bug Out Bag is a backpack containing all the maps, tools, weapons and supplies that players can scavenge from the limited resources available in the devastated cityscape. ZombiU also uses the Nintendo Wii UTM GamePad’s touch screen, gyroscope and camera to create a tactile connection between gamers and the in-game world. Finally, ZombiU features a distinctive multiplayer adversarial mode that allows one player to take on the role of “Zombie Master,” spawning and controlling enemies from a top-down view on the Nintendo Wii UTM GamePad while the second player fights for survival on the big screen in first-person shooter view with the Nintendo Wii UTM Pro controller.

“ZombiU is a dark and daunting game that gamers will love to play again and again,” said Guillaume Brunier, producer at Ubisoft. “ZombiU takes advantage of the Nintendo Wii U’s one-of-a-kind capabilities and will be a launch title that every gamer will want to sink their teeth into.”

For more information on ZombiU, please visit the official ZombiU website (www.zombiu.com) and facebook.com/zombiugame

ZombiU also can be pre-ordered at UBIShop® by visiting: www.ubishop.com/zombiu

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Supports Pro Controller

Ubisoft's shown off more about Rayman Legends including how it'll work with the Wii U GamePad.

In co-op play, the player using the GamePad controls a new character, Murphy, who's more of a support character instead of playing a regular role: Murphy can interact with ropes, platforms and enemies on screen to make life easier — or more difficult — for the other players, who'll be using Wii Remotes.

Wii U supports five players — four with Wii Remotes, one with the Wii U GamePad.

The player using the Wii U GamePad also sees unique information on the controller's screen — they can touch purple icons to sprout Lums in the main stage. Co-operative play looks suitably crazy and fluid with three players; five could be manic.

It's exclusive to Wii U and will be out at launch.

UBISOFT EMBARKS ON A LEGENDARY ADVENTURE WITH RAYMAN LEGENDS

LOS ANGELES, USA — June 4, 2012 — Today at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Ubisoft® revealed Rayman Legends®, a brand new platforming adventure with innovative social functionality. Developed by Ubisoft Montpellier, Rayman Legends will be available on Nintendo’s Wii U™ system.

“The combinations of new controls and original game styles that the Nintendo Wii U makes possible really inspired the creative ambition of the team working on Rayman Legends,” said Michel Ancel, creative director at Ubisoft. ”Rayman Legends expands upon what everyone loves about Rayman’s world, and adds new ways of playing together that will make it the most collaborative and fun game in the franchise.”

Rayman Legends is the follow-up to last year’s highly-acclaimed Rayman Origins®. Legends uses the innovative Wii U Gamepad to explore fresh multiplayer gameplay experiences and expand beyond the traditional platform games. Players use the Wii U GamePad to discover new ways to navigate through the game with touch–based gameplay to take out enemies or clear paths and gyroscope technology to manipulate and rotate platforms. The GamePad also allows you to continue the adventure of Rayman and his friends on the controller screen even while the television is off.

Rayman, Globox and the Teensies are back to embark on a new fantasy adventure through a series of legendary worlds with new environments, characters and enemies. Rayman Legends features a variety of uniquely-themed levels including several musical maps intricately set to creative soundtracks and a spooky medieval theme. Players can also connect online with friends through a variety of challenges to test their skill and speed, and see where they rank on the worldwide leaderboards.

Rayman Legends retains the fantasy appeal of its predecessor while adding a multitude of clever and entertaining gaming modes, new characters, new environments and a new soundtrack. The award-winning team of artists, designers and composers behind the UbiArt framework has also returned with an advanced engine to include multi-dimensional gameplay elements, an improved lighting system and updated game rendering that elevate Rayman Legends to the next level.

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Out in October, apparently

Ubisoft's done what EA hasn't and shown off a game for Wii U.

Just Dance 4 kicked off Ubisoft's press conference with a performance from Flo-Rida and some dancers. The video in the background showed a player placing the Wii U GamePad into the cradle and dancing. As you would.

Ubisoft has confirmed Wii U will support up to five players, with the player using the GamePad able to capture video and screenshots to share online as well as acting as a Puppet Master, controlling dance routines for the other four players.

Wii U-exclusive Features: The Wii U version introduces, for the first time ever, up to 5-player gameplay with the innovative and exclusive Puppet Master Mode. In this mode, the player operating the Wii U controller becomes a true Master of Ceremony as thegets the power to switch dance routines that are being performed by the four other players in real-time. The Wii U operator he also has the ability to create choreographies and choose playlists for the other players to follow. In addition, the Wii U controller allows for writing on-screen live dedications and taking pictures and videos of the best dance moments to share online. It’s a complete new way to take part in the Just Dance experience!

Ubisoft has said the game will be available on Wii U from the system's launch.

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