assassin

Assassin's Creed series turned into epic slasher movie saga

Some people take cut scenes in a video game for granted, skipping mercilessly past eye-popping visuals and compelling -- or sometimes forgettable -- dialogue.

With more than 55 million copies sold, the Assassin's Creed series holds a special place in the hearts of many gamers, but Indiana astronomy tutor Andy Gilleand took things to a new level. Gilleand carefully created movies out of the cut scenes and gameplay from the five main titles in the series. In total, the movies collectively span over 16 hours and average about 3 hours each. … Read more

Homeland Security: Let's be clear about aerial drone privacy

A Homeland Security office says it plans to review the privacy implications of using drones to monitor U.S. citizens.

The department's Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties has created a working group that will "clarify any misunderstandings that exist" about DHS's drone program, as well as make an effort to "mitigate and address any outstanding" privacy concerns.

Tamara Kessler from DHS's civil rights office and Jonathan Cantor, DHS acting chief privacy officer, sent the memo (PDF) describing the review to Secretary Janet Napolitano last September. It was released this week.

It … Read more

The 404 1,168: Where we pass judgment on the Nintendo Wii U (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Watch Jeff go nuts on the Wii U.

- German police stop man with mobile office in car.… Read more

The 404 1,148: Where we all get a little closer (podcast)

If you're a gamer or at least marginally interested in videogames, today's show is for you. With Justin Yu out of town for the day, Jeff invited gaming industry all-stars Russ Frushtick (Polygon) and Scott Jones (EP Daily) to take on a handful of gaming-related topics. Laughs were had, tears were shed, but at the end of the day we all got a little closer.

Topics from today's show:

- Scott is really digging Fieldrunners 2.

- If there's one thing we're all in agreement on, it's that Dishonored is already a top 3 game of 2012 -- and that Russ' new nickname is "Ghost."

- Will Need For Speed: Most Wanted finally give us the Burnout-esque game we've been asking for?

- What the hell is going to happen with the Wii U?

- Just how Assassin's Creed-y will Assassin's Creed III be?… Read more

Assassin's Creed is really just parkour: Video proof emerges

One of the joys of playing video games is breaking the laws of physics and playing a character that can move, fly, jump, and roll in ways you could never to do in real life... unless you happen to be a parkour daredevil.

YouTube filmmaker Devin Graham created a real-life Assassin's Creed sequence full of jumps, climbs, and rolls. There's one shot that features visual effects, but the video is pretty much all human-powered awesomeness. … Read more

The 404 1,097: Where what kind of man dresses like a bird (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Apple patents game controller.

- Check out Shellrazer, out now and available for everyone.

- Spelunky is a 2D platform game for Xbox Live Arcade and PCs that demands patience and a lot of time.

- The Verge has bad news about your favorite game.

- Subscribe to Polygon's gaming podcast The Besties, featuring Russ Frushtick. … Read more

Sony lets games do the talking during press conference

LOS ANGELES--At the company's E3 2012 press conference, Sony let a collection of exclusive software and features do all the talking. Spread across the PlayStation 3 and Vita platforms, there was certainly an impressive display of thrilling -- and most importantly exclusive games that are only available on Sony's machines.

Getting things started was David Cage, the head of developer Quantic Dream, the house behind the PS3 story-driven success, Heavy Rain. Cage announced Beyond: Two Souls, the next title in the genre-redefining resume of games his studio has produced. Adding some star power to Beyond is actress Ellen Page, who plays the lead character in the new title. … Read more

The 404 1,063: Where we get Russ on the regular (podcast)

Russ Frushtick from The Verge's Polygon gaming Zord joins us today for a preview of what's to come at next week's Electronic Gaming Expo.

Jeff and Russ will both be there to cover the show, and while casual gamers may still lament the lack of hardware announcements this year, there are still plenty of highly anticipated games to get their hands on, including "The Last of Us," "The Last Guardian," and the new "Tomb Raider."… Read more

India-set Assassin's Creed on Ubisoft's radar

Assassin's Creed III is set in Colonial America, and a future installment in the series could have gamers slitting throats in Colonial India.

Speaking to the Official Xbox Magazine, Assassin's Creed III creative director Alex Hutchinson said Ubisoft is excited about the prospect of bringing the franchise to that country.

"[Assassin's Creed III writer Corey May] really wants to do India," he said. "I would, too. I'd really love to do the Raj."

Read more of "India-set Assassin's Creed on Ubisoft's radar" at GameSpot. … Read more

Become an assassin

Clear Vision (17+) offers an age-appropriate warning right in its name, but this sniper game based on a popular Flash game truly delivers with great playability, graphical style, and storyline.

Certainly not for kids, Clear Vision's storyline is about a guy whose patience gets pushed too far and resorts to the life of a sniper for hire. In the game you play as Tyler, a former clerk at a grocery store who begins to take sniping jobs for cash. Tyler is a cold-blooded killer who doesn't care who gives him the job or who he's hired to … Read more