Ubisoft Knows How to Party
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell® Chaos Theory™, gamer chicks, Penny Arcade, and a catered lunch …
Man, do I love my job!
The day began with winners of the Ubisoft Chaos Theorypromotion dropping in to say hello to Robbie Bach, senior vice president of the Microsoft® Home and Entertainment division—which of course includes Xbox®. Robbie is one of the guys that make it all happen over here in Xbox land.
Robbie congratulates the contest winners.
Later, I headed over to the Microsoft Consumer Experience Center, where I saw two Ubisoft contest winners playing Chaos Theory and being coached by Eekers of the Frag Dolls, an all-female videogame clan. Ordinarily, I might have imagined guys bristling at game advice from a girl, but they didn’t seem to mind.
Frag Doll Eekers shares some tips.
The two guys on the couch were Fordham University students Paul and Kenny. These cats are on the polo team there and apparently find time away from practice and studying to enter contests and play Xbox. When I asked them about their favorite games, I think they misheard me because they replied, “Yeah, big Frag Dolls fans.”
Regardless, they were soon kickin’ ass in Chaos Theory, cutting their mission times in half. I watched and saw quite possibly the coolest in-game move I’ve ever seen: Tome Nage. Give it a try when you pick up this game.
After grabbing some grub at the Mexican buffet, I sat down with Jason Alaska, another Ubisoft contest winner. Jason is a new dad (congratulations), but he's found a way to work out the important, yet delicate balance of family and gaming.
To win his trip to Seattle to play Chaos Theory, Jason put together a hysterical video. He depicted a day in the life of Sam Fisher—shaving, taking out the garbage, and saving the world (all while wearing his special night goggles). There's nothing funnier than watching a guy in headgear try to shave or scratch himself, let me tell ya.
During the afternoon event, I had a little time to talk to the Penny Arcade guys, too. If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting them, let me assure you, they’re as wry and hysterical in real life as they are in their comic strips. I’m going to do a separate interview with them that we’ll publish later, but for now, check out this offhand Sam Fisher image they drew on the whiteboard.
Penny Arcade's on-the-fly sketch of Sam.
One other comment on the Penny Arcade guys. There was a Chaos Theory session in which I listened to them coordinating over the headset as they worked to eliminate the other team. I thought to myself, “These are the guys I want on special ops … for real!” It was scary how well they thought through scenarios in real time.
Though I knew that TriXie did a Frag Dolls interview not long ago, I felt it was my journalistic duty to spend a few moments … talking to them. Turns out, Brooklyn is a graphic arts major looking to get into the games industry here in the Seattle area in the near future. You may remember her from the PMS (Psychotic Men Slayerz) clan. Just as she’s constantly moving on to new games, she’s tackling new challenges, too, like the schedule of promoting great Ubisoft titles like Chaos Theory. Playing and talking about Ubisoft games is second nature to her— before her Frag Dolls gig, she logged more than 1000 hours in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® 3 alone!
Frag Dolls Rule!
I also spoke with Eekers. This girl gamer is “in the know.” She works at EBGames and puts other game industry folks to shame with her knowledge of what’s coming down the pike. As far as Chaos Theory goes, I didn’t even bother trying to play with her.
The Ubisoft folks were exceptionally gracious and helpful. You can tell by just talking to them that they are a premier game publisher. They understand what gamers want, and they know how to deliver. Chaos Theory is a perfect example of that. You might think I’m obliged to say so, but I can tell you that I’ll be playing this game even without free food, comics, and beautiful women.
Now, I’m just waiting for the next contest party …
By Peter Orullian, Managing Editor, Xbox.com
