evilrob

As you've likely guessed by now, this is the spinoff that Ubisoft revealed to be in production a few months back -- the same spinoff spotted in a domain name registration just two weeks ago (which lends more credibility to the possibility that the next Driver game will be based in San Francisco, we suppose). The tiny screenshots seen on the back of the placeholder art additionally boast "A never-before-seen online multiplayer experience" and the ability to "Lead your own brotherhood of assassins, as Ezio, and conquer Rome." As you can see on the right side, a pre-order sticker advertises the pre-order bonus of an "exclusive multiplayer character." Kotaku thinks it could be Altair, but we're gonna be rebels and hope for Renaissance-era Sam Fisher. That's synergy, baby!

Update: A Ubisoft rep told Joystiq, "Ubisoft confirms the authenticity of this image and will provide more information next week."

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood confirmed by Ubisoft originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 05 May 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

[Thanks, Lander]

Update: Looks like this was all a hilarious hoax perpetrated by someone pretending to be Surfer Girl. Yeah, we've heard plenty of "real" rumors about a slimmer Xbox and Natal bundles, but it looks like there's no weight to this one.

Slim Xbox 360 and Natal bundle to debut at E3? (Rumor update: false) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 03:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The newly released Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies game for the iPhone/iPod Touch brings hours of great gameplay even if you’re not a zombie fan like myself.

The iPhone version features the original zombie map “Nacht der Untoten” (Night of the Undead) from World at War. It was designed by Treyarch, powered on the iPhone using Airplay by ideaworks and published by the recent gaming king Activision.
Activision’s (ATVI) has reportedly grossed $310 Million (North American/England Sales) the first day of it’s Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 launch. Assuming these numbers are correct, it would push that release to the number one grossing game of all time.

This must be music to CEO, Bobby Kotick’s ears considering he also just reportedly sold a solid chunk of his stock priced in the millions. COD Zombies really utilizes the iPhones’ processing power and reconfirms why the iPhone gaming platform is rapidly growing.

For me it doesn’t get much better then taking head shots at Nazi-zombie’s although the limited number of maps is disappointing for the $9.99 price point. Downloadable maps aren’t available yet however they do assert in the Maps option that they will be coming soon. Here’s hoping that this will be at no extra cost, considering the hefty price of the game, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Begin the carnage…
Earn points by terminating zombies and repairing barracks. Points are used to buy ammo, open doors and to buy yourself past blocked areas of the map. There’s a double barrel sawed-off shotgun if you’re going to do this Bruce Campbell style.
If you see a ghost-like zombie face show up on the screen it’s a notification that Zombie-Nazi’s are coming up behind you. Stay aware.
As you bring on the pain you’ll also unlock achievement points and helpful tools like Instant Kill. Accomplishments can be synced and posted to leaderboards with your current Call of Duty account.

You’re equipped with a knife and a pistol in round one. Kill 2000 points worth of zombies, make your way to the door on the right labeled “help” and pay the toll where you’ll find some random butt-kicking machinery.

When your skills are “Army of Darkness-good” move over to online play where you can join or host games. Play with 2-3 other players online, WiFi or via bluetooth which is limited to 2 players.

I found Team play smooth and didn’t experience any lag during gameplay. Very handy to play with a group watching your back and in assisting in unlocks.
Multi-Player mode is where this app really shines although the inability to communicate is a bit of a bummer. Voicechat and the ability to play using a 3G connection would be two big-time desirable updates.

A look at the weaponry…
Whether your piece of choice is a flamethrower or a grenade you can equip yourself by cashing in your points to the chalk outlines on the wall or in the random weapons chest. Machinery is sure to impress, just aim for the head =) Are a group of zombies hanging out around oil cans? Just shoot the can and watch some Zombie-Nazi fireworks.
My favorite gameplay visuals are the post-grenade leg-less victims that crawl
towards you. C-c-creepy.

Perhaps the hardcore gaming set (of which I do not belong) will scoff at this mini adventure in the series, but as a part time mobile player, I’m impressed with it’s graphics and play. Ultimately, it’s difficult to assess the value of this offering, with the high price point and only one map alone it’s a little weak, even though I’m thrilled with the port. If Activision releases more content without a price tag attached, I think we have a real winner here.

Compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch OS 2.2.1+
Get it here (iTunes)

Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies
Single or Co-op Play
Syncs with COD online account
Uploads stats to online leaderboards