Ezio gets funky and deadly in Assassin's Creed 2 montage

November 17th is when the next chapter of the Assassin's Creed story is released for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.

Ubisoft Montreal released a new gameplay montage today. In it, Ezio shows off fancy and deft ways to stab and maim people. Though the game is set in the Renaissance era, the music accompanying the video seems like something that John Carpenter would have come up with if he was listening to Michael Jackson's Thriller on repeat over and over again, locked in a music studio someplace.

Will the much-anticipated sequel add a bit more variation to the gameplay?

Will you be able to assassinate Leonardo Da Vinci and steal plans for his machine gun and cluster bombs and armored robot soldiers (source) ? Probably not -- apparently he is your friend in the game. But certainly there will be no shortage of targets in Assassin's Creed 2.

‘Ninja Assassin’ Director James McTeigue Extols Rain’s ‘Star Charisma’Ubisoft releases Q1 2009 financial report

Operation Flashpoint 2 Co-op Trailer

Getting in on the action tonight, Codemasters has released a short gameplay trailer for their upcoming tactical shooter, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising. Clocking in at just under two minutes long, the video gives us a sneak peek at the game's co-operative mode. Flanking bad guys, providing cover fire and kicking down doors...it's all in there! Enjoy:

Thanks to GameTrailers for the above stream. Hit-up any of the following websites for a mirror:

GamersHellFileFrontFileShackStrategy Informer

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is scheduled for release in North America on October 6th and Europes on October 9th.

Operation Flashpoint 2 Release Date Announced‘Avatar’ Hype Continues As Trailer Breaks Apple.com Record

Cities XL Demo Released

Keeping our modems nice and toasty tonight, Monte Cristo has released a playable demo for their upcoming city-builder, Cities XL. Weighing in at 1GB, the demo allows you to create a city with up to 22k citizens on a persistent plant with three different maps, access to Capital City, the ability to discuss and trade resources with other players and even write your own city journal. You can grab this bad boy from any of the following websites:

YouGamers (courtesy of GamersHell)FileFrontFileFront

Dig the demo? Then keep an eye out for the full game when it hits stores in Europe on October 8th and North America on October 9th!

Darkest of Days Demo ReleasedOfficial ‘Twilight’ Fan Conventions Launched By Studio

Good Old Games celebrates anniversary with unlimited Buy 1 Get 1 Free sale

Nearly a year ago to the day, we'd reported on the Early Access Beta launch of a new digital distribution service for classic PC titles, called Good Old Games (GOG). Lots has happened with the site since, including big names like Ubisoft and Apogee signing on, along with niche favourites Revolution Software, JoWood and Oddworld Inhabitants, to name a few.

As part of the Beta, the team had ran a promo whereby users could grab an Interplay game for free, including one of the great Fallouts. In keeping with that, GOG has decided to blow the promo wide open for its one-year anniversary, allowing anyone to get a free Interplay game for each Interplay game they buy. So yes, in theory, at $6 each, you could grab the entire 33-game catalogue for about $100 -- not that you should.

The madness begins today and runs until Tuesday, September 8 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. According to a team post in the forums, this sort of thing could very well be a one-time deal only.

As always, the games are XP and Vista compatibile (future compatibility is assured, too), DRM-free and come with extras.

“Looking back at the first year, I think we can say it's been a really successful time for us – we’ve added lots of great publishing partners and amazing games," said Adam Oldakowski, Managing Director of GOG.com. "But we couldn't have achieved any of that success without the fans who support us in so many ways. We decided to say thank you to our fans and run this promo. We know there are still a lot of things to improve and a lot of games to be revived, but we're just starting and the future is looking really bright for us. We have some big announcements lined up for fall and winter, so be sure to keep an eye on GOG.com.”

Steam Weekend Deal: 75% Off Indie Games PackPeter Jackson Proud Of ‘Fiercely Original’ ‘District 9′

DC Universe Online Screenshots

Fresh out of the oven, Sony Online Entertainment have cooked up ten (!) new screenshots from their upcoming massively multiplayer online RPG, DC Universe Online. These latest shots reveal a new superhero to fight alongside/against: The Green Lantern! Enjoy:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DC Universe Online's release date is still TBA.

First LEGO Universe Screenshots Released‘Inglourious Basterds’ Stars Tell Tarantino’s Secrets

Disney To Acquire Marvel Entertainment

Shaking things up in the business world today, The Walt Disney Company has announced that they've agreed to acquire comic book giant Marvel Entertainment in a stock and cash transaction worth $4 billion. Subject to clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and various other customary closing conditions, the deal will include Marvel's massive catalog of over 5000 characters. Here's a little snippet from the press release:

"This transaction combines Marvel’s strong global brand and world-renowned library of characters including Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four and Thor with Disney’s creative skills, unparalleled gl2255obal portfolio of entertainment properties, and a business structure that maximizes the value of creative properties across multiple platforms and territories," said Robert A. Iger, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. "Ike Perlmutter and his team have done an impressive job of nurturing these properties and have created significant value. We are pleased to bring this talent and these great assets to Disney."

How will this affect the development of future Marvel-related games? Disney CFO Tom Staggs offered the following comments to paidContent.org:

"Over time I think it can be important. They have a number of good strong licensing agreements in place today with a variety of companies but we’ll enjoy the benefit of those deals. As we move forward and look to broaden the base of properties that we’re leveraging within Marvel, we’ve believe there’s opportunity to broaden our gaming business as well."

So ya...don't be surprised if Disney brings a lot of games in-house, instead of licensing them out to other studios. Should be interesting to see how it all pans out!

New ‘Fantastic Four’ Movie Is In The WorksNew Alice in Wonderland Game Announced

Dragon Age Voice-Overs Trailer

Finally tonight, the fine folks over at BioWare have released a new behind-the-scenes trailer for their upcoming Fantasy-RPG, Dragon Age: Origins. Running just under two minutes long, the video focuses on voice-overs, revealing some of the Hollywood talent they've recruited for the game. Check it out:

Thanks to GameTrailers for the above stream. The video is also available for download at the FileShack and WorthPlaying.com.

Dragon Age: Origins is scheduled for release on October 20th.

Nicolas Cage Explains His ‘Ridiculous’ Voice In ‘G-Force’Dragon Age: Origins ‘Haven’ Trailer