While it's easy to focus on the major first-party and exclusive games on the way to the Wii U in the coming months, it shouldn't be forgotten that Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag, one of the highest profile multi-platform games of the year, is coming to the Wii U. It was perhaps surprising that a numbered released followed hot on the heels of Assassin's Creed III, and that it's also set in the Caribbean, with various figures including famous real-life pirates set to feature prominently.
Of course, the release on the Wii U will have its own non-story subplots, as Ubisoft and no doubt Nintendo will monitor its sales and progress on the system, especially with the title also arriving on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 and PS4. As is always — unfortunately — the case, we're also left hoping that Nintendo gamers will receive a high quality, full featured version.
In an interview to be published later today Robin Lavallée, the Wii U project manager of the system's team of 15 in the company's Quebec Studio, addressed our enquiries regarding the performance we can expect on the Wii U. While Assassin's Creed III was a reasonable port, there were undoubtedly moments, such as crowded battle scenes, where the framerate and performance would undergo a substantial dip on the console; he's told us that the team is confident such areas should be improved this time around.
I’m happy you are asking the question, the team worked really hard during the last month to increase the performances on the Wii U version… and one of those points was the crowded battle scenes. So the quick answer is, yes we have worked to improve this on Black Flag.
...The Wii U architecture poses some technical challenges that we’ve been able to thankfully overcome. It hasn’t been easy, but we’re really proud of the final result on this console.
We'll need to wait and see whether these assurances are delivered upon in the final product. Be sure to check back later today to see the whole interview and learn more about this latest entry and its Wii U iteration.
Comments 46
I can't wait, I'm still trying to 100% AC3
Well this is generally the problem with games released early in a console's lifespan, especially in regards to ports.
However, we'll need to see some Wii U game footage before we can really tell if the performance has been fixed in this version.
Wait...worked hard on the Wii U version....I don't know if I can handle this.
We shall see Ubi.
"So the quick answer is, yes we have worked to improve this on Black Flag."
He never actually said they were successful at improving anything, just working on it. Maybe in the interview later?
This is a game about sailing the high seas looking for treasure buried on remote islands. A constant map on the Gamepad could be really helpful for a game like this. Of course we're sitll waiting to hear how W_D will utilize the Gamepad, that game seems tailor made for it.
And I'm really getting sick of hearing about how the Wii U hardware can't handle it - "technical challenges". I know it isn't up to X1 and PS4 standards but I know it's at least as powerful as the PS3 and Xbox360 which these games are made to run on.
No thanks.
I'll wait for a YouTube video of the Wii U version before I buy it.....
Anybody know why every once in a while I get a pop-up box saying "You are unable to post now"? Is it something I said, am I posting too frequently, is it an anti-US thing? It only happens every couple of weeks so it's not a huge concern, just wondering.
@rjejr I think it's a system to avoid spamming/multiple post by one person.
On topic:
I'll pass, got the first two on my x360 and it's enough for me to say this game sucks (for me). It's even worse than playing gta... ._.
I'll just wait for watch dogs to see if they did something better than those two games or if this genre is definitely not for me.
The naval battles were my favourite bits from AC3 with me often wondering how cool it would be if someone remade "Sid Mayer's Pirates" using that engine. A couple of months later "Black Flag" was leaked and now it's right around the corner! Can't wait!
@rjejr It was a slightly ambiguous answer, I'd tend to agree, so at the moment I'm personally expecting improvements over ACIII; that does seem to be the key message to me. As I said in the concluding line, we shall see
@X-Factor You can count on me for that, good sir.
I have this preordered but I'll be cancelling if the reviews reveal any missing content or major issues.
This is what i Mean about third party companies trying with the Wii U
Ubisoft you make this the definitive version and you will be the best 3rd party on WII U In my eyes
This is why I love Ubisoft
We know Wii U is weaker than PS4/X1... but that much? Or maybe it was just a lack of attention to improve performance from the developers in the AC3 port on Wii U last year? Glad they are aware of this now, hope they can improve that, especially with Watch_Dogs since is my most anticipated 3rd party game for Wii U.
@rjejr Well, he said they are really proud of the final result, so I guess it's safe to assume they were successful with it.
Right, so if your wonderful team overcame all those "technical challenges" of the Wii U then why did Blacklist still have all of the freezing issues that AC III did?
What a bunch of total BS. Out of all of the versions of this game the Wii U version is the least important to Ubisoft and they know it. They know that no matter what the title will sell the worst on Nintendo's console, so why put in all that extra effort? The audience for Assassin's Creed owns either a PS3 or a 360 - that's where the series started and that's where the fans are. If you're buying #4 then you either already have one of those two consoles to play it on, or you're getting it on PS4 or Xbox One.
Watch_Dogs on Wii U will be the same; it'll sell the worst and it will perform the worst. Ubisoft does not polish their games. They care more about releasing titles annually than they do about making sure that they are releasing a quality, finished product.
@Airola
Umm, no. It’s not safe to assume that at all. It wouldn’t be very good PR to say that their game is a technical mess on Wii U, would it? Of course he’s going to say that it runs fine because he wants you to buy it.
@Pachterkid So you didn't read the news. You didn't read what rjerj wrote, and you didn't read what I replied to him.
This was about the crowded battle scenes with framerate problems. Not about freezing issues. The PR guy commented only on those crowded scenes and that they have specifically tried to fix that, and that they have overcome it and are proud of it. Rjerj said the PR guy only mentioned that they've tried to fix it, when in fact he was saying more. That was what I wrote. That was what you didn't read.
The beauty of Gamefly is a lengthy rental that could lead to less expensive purchase price if I decide it is good enough to keep. If the game is not that great, that is fine, I will return it and have another one in a week. $60 saved.
Splinter Cell was my first Ubi title for Wii so I can't comment on other stuff they've done as I played the lackluster AC III on PS3. I think the campaign on Splinter Cell for me has been pretty smooth but I know their online is just downright abysmal so I guess it's a good thing I don't usually play the online counterparts. Hopefully AC IV's campaign is as smooth as Splinter Cell for Wii U owners buying that version but I think I'm going PS4 on this years AC.
Well, I don't really know what to expect but I'll say I'll be getting this on Wii U either way.
Well it would seem almost rude not to invest in this game now
After purchasing the frame rate challenged and buggy Splinter Cell Blacklist, I will be skipping all of Ubisoft's releases from now on.
This is probably gonna be my first ever Assassin's Creed game. It seems like teher's an actual open world this time around, and the open-ended sea exploring theme will make this a nice follow-up to Wind Waker HD.
Ubisoft: "Come and play our 360 games in a slightly higher frame rate on Wii U..."
Thanks Ubisoft!
I'll probably buy it for the PS4 where its locked at 30fps,
@Shiryu Ok I'll be looking forward to that video for real, what's your name on YouTube?
And show some off-screen modes too, please.
@X-Factor I'm youtube.com/ShiryuGL over there. Off-screen modes? What do you mean by that? +me big and dumb+
@Captain_Gonru Indeed, the Wii's reboot was very impressive and fun, I wish some one would call on Sid Meyer over at Fireaxis because I think it would be a hit... even more so with a persistent online world!
@Shiryu What I mean bout that, is play it using the gamepad
@X-Factor Ah, sadly I can't capture video form the gamepad. It's the only limitation I got, it's bad when I'm recording game that make you do stuff on the gamepad and I can only capture what's on the screen. T_T
@Cohort
Hey, a AAA game on Wii U is a AAA game on Wii U, right?. I'll take it- most definitely like me some Assassin's Creed. And I'm always happy to buy 3rd party games on Wii U. I love showing them that Nintendo gamers like more than just 1st party Ninty games...
@Shiryu Nice, and good quality captures too, so my compliments. Consider me subscribed...
By the way: for off-screen gameplay you don't have to use a capture device. Any device capable of filming in HD will do, such as a normal camera or a smart phone on a stand.
@Shiryu oh ok thought you had a camera stand or something
The development of this title went so fast. How can that be?
They produce these games quicker than I can play. I hope they don't rush it.
Btw, I'm 86hrs into AC3 and have 82% and haven't even touched any of the DLC. Man, am I slow these days.
Also, I've seen pre order DLC codes for AC4 in stores for 4,99€. They contain a treasure map, a online costume, and 2 weapons. Is this the only way to get those ingame bonuses?
@ActionMan
I haven't noticed any major framerate problems or bugs in Blacklist. The load times are very long and it froze once but that's about all for me. I've only played campaign and online co-op though. To me it's still the best version, as the GamePad's weapon/gadget selection makes all the difference.
I'm buying Watch Dogs on Wii U (hoping for good GamePad use) but I'll be skipping AC4 as the entire series bores me.
@rjejr Actually the wiiu is "potentially" up to 50% more powerful than ps3. The issue is its unique hardware devs arent use to. So maybe ac4 will be a crappy port(i hope not) but given time,especially once devs are mainly concentrating on next gen we will see major improvements in graphical fidelity
@TheRealThanos Thanks, I record at 720p because my capture device only records 1080p at 30fps, so I prefer to stick to 720p 60fps. I aim now to provide good Wii U gameplay videos so people can decide if the game is worthy of purchase or not (plus, I usually managed to get my games a couple of days before their official european release!).
^@X-Factor Next step: Buy good HD digital camera. =)
@JaxonH I've commented before on this, I bought Blacklist and ZombiU and enjoyed them for the most part, but the fact that Ubisoft can't release a stable game on Wii U worries me slightly.
There's no excuse really, especially in Blacklist's case, it's a 360 game yet the Wii U version is only a slight improvement?
@Cohort it's not perfect, but it's not a bad version at all (besides no local co op). I did love the gamepad integration, campaign and online co op
@Shiryu kk cool, imma still your video tho.
@JaxonH I decided to wait and picked up blacklist for £24.99, so I can't really complain too much, £55.00 on the eShop though is a completely different story.
It sounds like Ubisoft made strides regarding the hardware concerning AC4 on Wii U, one to keep an eye on for sure...
see this is the time where they should be showing off that hard work by a gameplay trailer just for the wii u come on -_- opportunity here!
but what worries me is the fact that they say they had to work hard on it and that it wasnt easy so this means stuff on wii u have to be put more work to get things right is that why devs been complaining?
Hmm, this might be my first Assassin's Creed.
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