Parkour Archives

AppWizard

May 13, 2025

I wish Ubisoft had ever made the game it promised with Assassin’s Creed 1, but instead the series just spiralled into a weird identity crisis

Ubisoft aimed to create a historical assassination simulator that emphasized careful planning and execution, allowing players to embody a master assassin targeting high-ranking individuals. The original Assassin's Creed, while memorable, fell short of this vision, devolving into repetitive missions. As the series evolved, it strayed from its core elements, introducing new systems that overshadowed the original concept. The closest realization of the initial vision was in Assassin's Creed: Unity, which allowed for intricate schemes but suffered from technical issues at launch. Currently, it seems unlikely that Ubisoft will return to the original concept, though the idea of a cunning, strategy-focused assassin game remains appealing.

AppWizard

May 12, 2025

Get Ori, Wasteland 3, and six more amazing PC games in the latest Humble Xbox Games Studio Bundle

The Xbox Games Studio Bundle offers a selection of Steam codes for eight notable titles from Xbox Game Studios, organized into two pricing tiers. The first tier, priced at £3.90 / 4.67€, includes three games: Sunset Overdrive, Battletoads, and Broken Age. The second tier, priced at £7.80 / 9.35€, includes As Dusk Falls, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, and Wasteland 3. The bundle supports the Gameheads initiative, with 20% of each purchase going to the cause. The bundle is available until May 24, 2025.

AppWizard

May 1, 2025

Assassin’s Creed Shadows announces more difficulties, more immersion options, more Jesuits, and a bo staff in its year 1 roadmap

Ubisoft has announced a post-launch roadmap for Assassin's Creed Shadows, featuring a year of updates that include patches, new features, and enhancements. This month, players can expect: - A free quest focused on Yasuke's companion, Luis Frois. - Quality-of-life improvements, including the potential reinstatement of the multi-sell feature. - An updated photo mode for creative expression. - A special collaboration similar to past co-marketing efforts. - Refinements to parkour mechanics, introducing new movement options. Future content will include: - A new free quest and ally. - New difficulty settings. - Gameplay immersion options, such as headgear visibility in cutscenes. - An open-world alarm system with unspecified changes. Ubisoft has also teased expansions, including new storylines, collaborations, unique gear for the battle-pass system, and the Claws of Awaji expansion, which will add a new region. Additionally, Naoe will be able to wield a bo staff, enhancing combat dynamics.

AppWizard

April 19, 2025

While this paleontologist doesn’t find Elden Ring’s monster designs all that realistic, he was impressed by FromSoft’s subtle storytelling and commitment to ‘speculative biology’

Paleontologist Dr. Darren Naish analyzed the monster designs in the game Elden Ring, praising the developers at FromSoftware for their attention to detail. He specifically highlighted the Land Octopus, noting its design reflects thoughtful environmental storytelling and mimics the behavior of real-life intertidal octopuses. Naish observed that the creature's movements are adapted to a hybrid environment, demonstrating a blend of creativity and biological plausibility. The video series Reality Check features insights from various experts, including parkour athletes and psychologists, to explore the relationship between game design and real-world principles.

AppWizard

April 16, 2025

Steam Game Free for One Week Only

AtmaSphere, a game from Mazen Games and GrabTheGames released in 2018, is available for free on Steam until April 23. Players can download and keep the game without any cost during this period. The game is a roll-a-ball adventure set in a medieval landscape where players collect diamonds to impress a character named Ballerina while guiding Ballard home. It has a “Very Positive” rating on Steam, with about 82% of 215 user reviews being favorable. Compatibility with the Steam Deck is currently labeled as “Unknown.” Gameplay typically lasts between two to five hours.

BetaBeacon

March 30, 2025

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Coming to Mobile Devices on April 14

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is set to debut on Android and iOS devices on April 14. Players take on the role of Sargon, a warrior on a mission to rescue Prince Ghassan. The game features fast-paced combat, parkour moves, and puzzles, with time-manipulating abilities. Developed by Ubisoft Da Nang, the game runs at 60 frames per second and offers touch screen or external controller options. The mobile version includes features like auto-potion, auto-parry, and slow time options, as well as accessibility features that won an award. Pre-registration is now open on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.

AppWizard

March 30, 2025

Obsidian snuck goodies and secrets around every corner to make exploring Avowed feel worthwhile: ‘If you have a lot of dead ends that lead nowhere, you learn the lesson as a player: This game doesn’t have much to offer me’

The game Avowed rewards players for exploration by embedding hidden treasures throughout its environments, including vendor items and upgrade materials. It features a parkour system that encourages players to explore vertically-oriented levels without restrictions, leading to unexpected discoveries. Notable secrets include a concealed sewer beneath the starting docks with challenging enemies and a unique item, as well as a chest in Shatterscarp that has a creative loot interaction. The game is designed to ensure that exploration leads to meaningful discoveries, countering the negative impact of dead ends. The team aims to provide worthwhile rewards for side paths and explorations, fostering curiosity among players. Avowed is considered a strong contender for game of the year, and there are hints of potential DLC and a future release of The Outer Worlds 2 in 2025.

AppWizard

March 27, 2025

Best free-to-play action games on PS5, PC and Xbox Series X/S | Esports News – The Times of India

Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone 2, Warframe, Apex Legends, and Destiny 2 are five free-to-play games available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. 1. Fortnite: - Publisher: Epic Games - Features: Fast-paced gunfights, building mechanics, collaborations with pop culture icons, no-build mode, accessible battle royale and creative modes. 2. Call of Duty: Warzone 2: - Publisher: Activision - Features: Immersive battle royale experience, expansive open-world environments, tactical squad play, vehicle combat, extensive maps, diverse weapons, Gulag 2.0, crossplay capabilities. 3. Warframe: - Publisher: Digital Extremes - Features: Sci-fi gameplay, parkour mechanics, melee combat, over 50 unique Warframes, engaging PvE gameplay, abundant loot. 4. Apex Legends: - Publisher: Electronic Arts (EA) - Features: Battle royale and hero shooter elements, unique Legends with special abilities, fast-paced matches, fluid movement mechanics. 5. Destiny 2: - Publisher: Bungie - Features: Shooter and MMORPG elements, role of a Guardian, stunning visuals, solo quests, team raids, competitive PvP battles, deep storyline, variety of gameplay modes.

AppWizard

March 20, 2025

Minecraft Just Dropped a New Free A Minecraft Movie DLC

The Aotearoa New Zealand DLC for Minecraft is set to launch on March 18th and will be available for free across multiple platforms, including Xbox, PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices. The DLC features six real-life locations from New Zealand: 1. Waitomo Caves (Waikato) - A parkour adventure through a cave network with digital glowworms. 2. Te Puia, Rotorua (Bay of Plenty) - A fast-paced challenge to capture photos of geothermal features. 3. Kapiti Island (Wellington) - A birding challenge to photograph different bird species. 4. Abel Tasman (Nelson/Tasman) - Exploration of a coastal region aboard a waka taua boat with rhythm games. 5. Tekapo (Mackenzie) - An outdoor activity hub where players traverse the landscape on 4-wheelers. 6. Patea Doubtful Sound (Fiordland) - Navigation on a skipper boat while avoiding obstacles and observing wildlife. The DLC allows players to experience New Zealand's landscapes virtually.

AppWizard

March 17, 2025

We asked two parkour athletes to rate the realism of Assassin’s Creed’s acrobatics, and a surprising ‘crime against parkour’ might actually be one of the most realistic things they saw

Parkour athletes Toby Segar and Benj Cave from the UK-based team Storror analyzed the parkour mechanics in the Assassin's Creed video game series in a recent episode of Reality Check. They noted that while the game portrays thrilling parkour techniques, it often exaggerates realism. Segar mentioned that the game's "leaps of faith" could theoretically be executed from heights of up to eight stories with perfect precision, but in reality, such jumps could be dangerous. Cave pointed out the unrealistic endurance and flawless execution of characters in the game, contrasting it with the meticulous planning required in real parkour. The Storror team is also developing their own parkour simulation game, set to enter early access on Steam by the end of March.