‘Assassins Creed: Pirates’ now available as a free-to-play browser game

Here’s the thing about Assassins Creed: Pirates (you know, aside from the obvious swashbuckling theme): It was made specifically for phones and tablets. In fact, Ubisoft warned from the get-go that we probably wouldn’t see a PC or console version. Starting today, though, you can play it on your computer after all — well, sort of. Ubisoft just released a free browser-based version allowing you to play in the browser, using either touch input or a mouse and keyboard. What’s nice, too, is that although Ubisoft developed the web game with Microsoft, it actually works with every major browser — Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari and, of course, IE. As a bonus, it runs at full-screen, something most web-based titles can’t.

There are a couple catches, though, starting with the very nature of the game. Though Assassins Creed: Pirates is indeed a shoot-em-up title in its original form, the web version is a simple racing game (not that there’s anything wrong with that), where you challenge your friends to see who can steer the ship the fastest. From the settings menu, always a click away in the upper-left corner, you can change the weather conditions on the fly in case you get bored with racing in calm waters. Speaking of, this might be a good time to underline another Microsoft connection: the game makes use of Babylon.JS, an open-source 3D engine based on WebGL, JavaScript and TypeScript, which was developed by four developer evangelists at the company.

The second catch: the game only works on desktop browsers, which means unless you’re using a Windows tablet with IE installed, you’re out of luck; it won’t work on the mobile version of Safari, for instance. (Moral of the story: get a Surface.) Assuming you’ve got a Windows tablet or a computer of any sort, the game is live now, with support for five languages and three difficulty levels. Check it out!

Filed under: Gaming, Internet, Microsoft

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Source: Assassins Creed: Pirates, Microsoft

Halo: The Master Chief Collection coming to Xbox One this year, collects Halos 1-4

Master Chief is getting a facelift with an HD collection of his exploits. We’ve learned that Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo 4 are being collected in a Master Chief-focused HD remaster coming from Microsoft. Our sources say that the set will zero in on Halo‘s most famous soldier to refresh audience’s memories ahead of Halo 5‘s release, so curiosities like Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach likely won’t be a part of the package. The game’s developer is unknown at this point, but considering that Saber Interactive handled Combat Evolved Anniversary and is also working on an unannounced Xbox One project, the team is a likely suspect. Also unclear are plans for digital distribution, resolution and frame-rate (Microsoft bragged that will run at the next Halo will run at a “blistering” 60fps), piecemeal releases, or if the games will surface on other platforms as well (PC, anyone?).

Microsoft has gone on record saying that it would love to have Halo release more than once every three years. Its used different developers to fill that task since, but we’re still pushing two years since Halo 4 launched. To commemorate the first game’s tenth birthday, Microsoft released Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary for the Xbox 360, which served as a stop-gap for the 343 Industries-developed Halo 4; there’s precedent for this sort of thing. This remake makes a lot of sense for Redmond for a couple of different reasons: it satisfies the more-frequent release desire and it helps fans get caught up on the story. It also gives them the chance to re-experience some of the best console shooters with better looks and sound — everyone wins!

We reached out for official word from Microsoft and are waiting to hear back, but we’re not expecting much beyond the usual, “We don’t comment on rumors or speculation.”

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft

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