**Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora ** is Ubisoft's upcoming game set in the world of James Cameron's hugely successful Avatar Game franchise. When not adjusted for inflation, the Avatar movies are some of the highest-grossing movies of all time, with the first Avatar recently reclaiming the top spot from Avengers Endgame after some cinematic re-releases, and its sequel Avatar: The Way of Water breaking records upon its release in 2

When first looking at the map of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora , it clearly looks as busy as any Ubisoft game . Expanding the map all the way out also showed us how big the area was, at least twice the size of the playable section we were given (which we could not explore all of during our time with the game), and everywhere the save file hadn't been before us was covered in clouds. There are color-marked areas, marked for resource gathering; names across wider regions, indicating things like swamps; and a few select stand out areas marked like the Home Tree. Some areas like the Ikran Rookery weren't specifically marked until we made it to them for the quest, so it's clearly a map that develops over t

Seemingly, Massive's answer to the long treks is the Ikran flight . This sped up going from destination to destination as soon as it was unlocked, but given we were at least a few hours into the game, it feels like it might be something that comes a little too late for some players. Ikran flight, overall though, is still a lot of fun and may be worth the wait for some players; jumping off a massive mountain, falling for a considerable time, and mounting the Ikran at the last possible second was pure and exhilarating experience. This doesn't abandon the entire "long trek" element of its exploration, but it does shorten it considerably. Furthermore, players are able to name their Ikran, and if players at least go with one of the pre-selected names, the player character will say it in dialogue. We couldn't resist name our Ikran Floof, just adding to the underlying humor found within the g

Unfortunately, Ubisoft doesn't appear to be interested in toning down microtransactions any time soon, if AC Valhalla and the upcoming live-service Assassin's Creed are any indication. Still, if Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora can resist the urge to commodify collectibles, gear pieces, and in-game currency, tying these resources to real-world money, it would result in a game that is much less frustrating and more focused on offering a fun experience over one that has the most profit potential. The game would also avoid the problems that Assassin's Creed games face when it comes to pac

Ubisoft has a strong interest in open-world games that borders on obsession, so much so that gamers were ready to believe that the 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

Currently, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora seems to be a current-gen exclusive. It will release on Amazon's cloud-based gaming platform, Amazon Luna, PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5, with players on the latter console receiving exclusive access to the Aranahe Warrior Pack for free at launch. There’s been no word regarding any support for previous-gen hardware or a Nintendo Switch release for the game, and a release on these platforms seems highly unlikely with Ubisoft's press release stating that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora had been exclusively developed to maximize the power of new-gen consoles and

Ubisoft is planning on releasing Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora _ some time this year, but the famous gaming company should take care not to repeat its **_Assassin's Creed ** mistakes with this title. The massive French studio has remixed and revamped its globe-trotting historical action franchise in many ways over the past decade, and not always for the best. The gaming community has leveled no shortage of complaints and criticisms against this franchise, mostly as it pertains to microtransactions, bloated game design, bugs, and repetitive gameplay mechanics. There is even a sentiment that Ubisoft lied about AC Valhalla fixes , as that game was meant to mark a return to stealth-based gameplay but did

One of the best parts about Assassin's Creed is the fact that it transports players to exciting historical settings. While seeing these unique time periods and locations is an at-times thrilling novelty, the games simply don't have the narrative chops to serve interesting stories in these settings. This is to say nothing of the overarching, long-running Assassin's Creed story , which is confusing and boring at best and nonsensical at wo