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Crush, impale, and otherwise maim enemies in ‘For Honor’

For Honor was one of the biggest surprises at Ubisoft’s press conference in 2015, one that serves as a medieval combat simulator where players can fight as three distinct factions — vikings, samurai, and knights — and an array of classes. Although the game’s multiplayer component seems like the main draw, the game will also feature a single-player campaign. At E3 2016, Ubisoft showed off some new footage, including a story trailer and stage demo for one of the viking missions. The trailer for the game hinted that the three factions are warring due to a global environmental crisis that has left resources scarce.

Combat is deliberately paced; players must read their opponent’s stance, react to attacks, and strike at the right opportunity. The demo shows a player playing as a raider, a massive warrior who wields a two-handed battle axe. For some stretches, the player must hack their way through hordes of enemies a la Dynasty Warriors. When it comes to fighting stronger enemies and bosses, players must focus and pay attention to their opponent’s stance. Players can parry enemy swings and try to break their guard, and in addition to clashing swords, they can use the environment to their advantage. In the demo, the raider was able to charge into enemies, pushing them off ledges or into conveniently placed spikes.

The crux of the mission shown is that the vikings are trying to breach a Samurai castle. After storming the beachhead, the player scales the walls, opening the gate for his allies and then fighting the samurai commander in a duel. For Honor’s slower pace and read-and-react gameplay seem like a welcome change from the typical hack-and-slash formula. The game is set for release on February 14, 2017.

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Will Nicol
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Will Nicol is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends. He covers a variety of subjects, particularly emerging technologies, movies…
Ubisoft will not attend E3 2023, but it will still host a summer live stream
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Ubisoft will no longer be attending E3 2023, even though it said it would participate in February. Instead, the game publisher behind Assassin's Creed and Far Cry plans to hold its own Ubisoft Forward Live event in Los Angeles this June.
Ubisoft confirmed its change in plans to Video Games Chronicle today, with a spokesperson saying that while Ubisoft "initially intended to have an official E3 presence, we've made the subsequent decision to move in a different direction." This is a change in messaging from just over a month ago when Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said, "If E3 happens, we will be there, and we will have a lot of things to show."
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"We approach our involvement in any event on a case-by-case basis and are always considering various ways to engage with our fans," a Nintendo spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge. "Since this year’s E3 show didn’t fit into our plans, we have made the decision to not participate. However, we have been and continue to be a strong supporter of the ESA [Entertainment Software Association] and E3."
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This is according to a report from IGN citing multiple sources, who claimed the companies won’t be a part of the show or make appearances on the floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center in any way. Their absence from this year’s E3, especially Nintendo’s, may come as a shock to the gaming community, but it's not such a surprise when looking at the past few iterations of E3. Even before the pandemic locked everyone down in 2020, Sony and Xbox had been hosting their own E3-style livestreams, so it was more likely they would do it again this year anyway. Nintendo, on the other hand, managed to show off its upcoming games via Nintendo Direct streams and at its booth, console kiosks and all.

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