There are all kinds of arrows and bombs that could be implemented into enemy encounters, and the opportunity to hijack drones, planes, or helicopters would add an extra layer. No extended gameplay footage was shown in the trailer Ubisoft revealed at E3 , but aerial combat riding on the back of a Banshee can't possibly be limited to cutsce

In the Avatar film , the Mountain Banshees mark a significant rite of passage that is essential for all members of the Na'vi. The creatures look somewhat like dragons and serve as mounts and companions for their warriors. For Jake Sully, obtaining a Banshee of his own is one of the most important story beats because it means he has been fully accepted into the tribe as a warrior, to the point of being allowed to take a wife. It's essentially a coming-of-age ceremony that every Na'vi must compl

It’s a good movie! Breaking new ground in the realm of visual effects while building upon the world James Cameron created in countless ways. It’s still pretty dry and predictable when it comes to storytelling and characters, but for the average joe it is more than enough for a film that provides rock solid entertainment value without inspiring much else. This brings us to Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, a new open world game from Ubisoft and Massive that aims to faithfully expand upon the filmic world with new characters, mechanics, and ideas. After a couple of hours with the game though, it sure seems like a souped-up version of Far Cry .

This is where the player character enters, as one such Na'vi who has to explore Pandora with zero understanding of her cultural roots. Interestingly, this does put the player in a similar position to Jake sully in the original film: beginning as a member of the RDA only to end up renouncing them. The RDA appear to make up a lot of the game's enemies. It is currently unclear if, like the original film, there will be any human characters who also renounce their association with the RDA and side with the pla

Ubisoft has a strong interest in open-world games that borders on obsession, so much so that gamers were ready to believe that click through the next article Splinter Cell remake would be open-world , despite the fact that Splinter Cell has no real business being so. Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with open-world design, but Ubisoft franchises like Assassin's Creed are routinely poked fun at for having remarkably rote and predictable exploration elements that boil down to following endless map markers and scaling towers. Indeed, this approach to making open-world games has reached a point of parody, especially in the age of critically acclaimed games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Elden Ring , which have received praise for rejecting these Ubisoft-style open-world tre

Interestingly, this is not the first time that Ubisoft has worked on a game in this world. They had previously released James Cameron's Avatar: The Video Game in 2009 which was a third-person action-adventure. The title received mixed reviews and wasn't considered a great expansion of the franchise , but Ubisoft would have learned a lot of lessons si

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will be an open-world game, but it doesn't have to be like Assassin's Creed in this regard. Pandora is a more interesting environment than even the coolest Assassin's Creed setting , and the alien planet will likely be one of the main draws for many players. As such, it will be crucial for Ubisoft not to squander the exploration and storytelling opportunities that it holds. Natural, gratifying exploration like that of Breath of the Wild and a genuine sense of unpredictability like that of Elden Ring could lead to a truly interesting and one-of-a-kind experie

The Na'vi form intimate connections with much of the wildlife, but the relationships between warriors and their Banshees, also known as Ikran in the Na'vi language, is the most special. Banshees only select one rider and to prove their worth, the Na'vi must best the creature in battle and claim it. Once that initial bond is formed, it is unbreakable. It looks like the game will offer an opportunity to choose an Ikran, but as of now, it's unclear if the player will be able to deepen that relationship during the st

Combat is also very easy , or it at least it was in the preview build. Human mechs that I recall taking out dozens of Na’vi in the films can be downed with three arrows or fewer than a full magazine of bullets in Frontiers of Pandora, turning outposts into a cakewalk. You are also very tall, so human enemies can be brushed aside with a light punch unless they’re hiding in the mountains or atop tall platforms aiming snipers at you. Even as a new species in a video game that could easily expand on the types of technology and weapons they have access to, Massive hasn’t done much here to take advantage of that. I can use some sort of cool launcher that can fling poisonous or explosive projectiles, but when it’s more of a chore to use than existing weapons, there wasn’t much of a point. Much of it feels uninspired.