Crispy Gamer News

Okay, so every day we hear about the supposed ills and traumatic effects of violence and sex in video games corrupting the youths of the world, usually mentioned in the same breath as games like Grand Theft Auto, Mass Effect, and Viva Piñata. Hey, I don’t care what anyone else thinks … those candy filled critters reproduce faster than rabbits on Viagra and then gorge themselves in a cannibalistic manner on their fallen friends. But SCRABBLE?!?

According to an article in the UK Daily Mail, a mother who had purchased Ubisoft’s DS adaptation of the popular board game for her 8 year-old son, was stunned to find the game using more than a few words of the seemingly “M-rated” variety. Apparently, during the course of a few matches, the game’s AI controlled opponent used words such as “tits” and “toke”. For the record, both words are, in fact, a part of the official Scrabble dictionary, with “tit” defined as “a small bird” and toke (naturally) as “to take a puff on a marijuana cigarette”.
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Interesting news this week out of Ubisoft. It looks like the publisher just isn’t happy with its current size. During a presentation at the 36th Annual UBS Global Media Conference, Ubi CFO Alain Martinez is currently negotiating with at least three different studios for possible acquisition.

“We have about three deals within the five million Euro range, each of them, that we are negotiating,” said Martinez. “Probably, one or two of them will be closed in the next three or four months.”

This year has seen no shortage of acquisitions and mergers in the video game industry, and Ubisoft has already picked up more than a few studios of its own, most recently acquiring World in Conflict developer, Massive Entertainment.

And while Ubisoft seems to be eager to snap up available studios, it recently missed out on one major acquisition. According to Martinez, Ubisoft was in talks to pick up MMO developer Cryptic Studios, only to lose out to Atari earlier this week.

“We lost one deal which we were a bit mad,” he said. “We lost Cryptic. It’s a U.S. company. That was taken by Atari [and] we were a bit disappointed.”

The end of the year looks like it’ll be a busy time for the video game industry. First, word comes down that Sumner Redstone had a fire sale with his Midway stock, and now the UK-based Daily Mail is reporting that SCi, owner of Tomb Raider publisher Eidos Interactive, is currently in takeover talks after a year which has seen the company’s stock plummet more than 90 percent below its asking price this time last year.

According to the article, a source “familiar with the matter” said the takeover talks are in their early stages and that SCi has been approached by two separate firms within the past few weeks. While the two potential suitors weren’t called by name, the Daily Mail suggests that Electronic Arts and Ubisoft are the two sharks circling the waters around the sinking SCI ship. Of course, we can’t forget that Warner Bros. Interactive already owns a piece of SCi, and was recently cleared to purchase more stock in the ailing company.

If the two offers on the table are in fact from EA and Ubi, it makes this news all the more interesting, as EA already owns a minority stake in Ubisoft, meaning that EA could very well be bidding against itself for SCi. For its part, SCi is keeping quiet about everything, refusing to comment on the current financial dealings.

Ubisoft’s new Prince of Persia game has gone gold and will begin shipping to stores for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on Dec. 2. Ubisoft also revealed that the prince’s latest adventure is still available for pre-order. Consumers who pre-order the game will receive the free Limited Edition Upgrade including Collectable Limited Edition packaging, an exclusive look at the making of Prince of Persia, a Prima digital mini-strategy guide full of developer’s secrets to help players master the game, a digital art book that chronicles the game’s journey from concept to final product, the original soundtrack scored by master composer Inon Zur and a whole lot more.

Prince of Persia will carry a suggested retail price of $59.99 for the Xbox 360 and PS3, and $49.99 for the PC.

Ubisoft will release the first batch of downloadable content for Far Cry 2 by the end of November. The Fortune’s Pack DLC will bring new vehicles and new weapons to both the single-player game and the multiplayer game. Users will get access to new weapons like the new crossbow on vehicles like the new quad. The pack will also offer four new multiplayer maps, three new weapons in total and two new vehicles.

The Fortune’s Pack DLC for Far Cry 2 will be available for download from Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 for 800 Microsoft Points and from PlayStation Network for $9.99. A full list of the DLC’s contents after the break.

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Hey. Someone got their Assassin’s Creed in my Prince of Persia. And yet, much like peanut butter and chocolate, this looks like it may be two great tastes that taste great together.

In a bit of a surprise announcement, Ubisoft clued gamers in on a new perk for linking their Ubisoft.com user accounts with either their Xbox LIVE or PlayStation Network accounts. By doing so, players who pick up Prince of Persia will gain access to a special character skin of Altair from Assassin’s Creed.
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With smoking on the decline in America according to recent statistics, Ubisoft’s new My Stop Smoking Coach with Allen Carr product for the DS may be just what the doctor ordered to help those still in the grip of the addicition. Designed for portability, My Stop Smoking Coach with Allen Carr provides users with an entertaining, interactive method to quit smoking.

Based on the method outlined in Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking book, My Stop Smoking Coach with Allen Carr removes the smoker’s belief that smoking provides any genuine pleasure or crutch, and takes away the feeling of deprivation, according to Ubisoft.

My Stop Smoking Coach with Allen Carr is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $29.99. It can be purchased anywhere video games are sold.