Assassin's Creed IV : A Pirate's Life For Me

Even though it feels like Assassin's Creed III just came out yesterday, Ubisoft just unleashed a flurry of 'leaks' regarding the next installment in the Assassin's Creed series, which might actually be a welcome thematic departure from the typical flavor of the series. Slated to release this October, the official fourth installment of the series will hopefully take some of the best aspects of it's lackluster predeccesor (The naval combat) and add some new gameplay elements, combat improvements and a fresh setting to hopefully bring some life back to the over-sequeled series.

Featuring Edward Kenway as the new pirate flavored assassin, the setting and premise is introduced by Blackbeard himself in the CG trailer for Black Flag. Here's to hoping that Ubisoft can reinvigorate this franchise for the current and next gen platforms it's slated to release on (PS4) this October.

The Art of Chaoyuan Xu

There was a short moment on the internet where the gaming community collectively held their breath for the Assassin's Creed 3 announcement. While Assassins Creed 3 was by no means a disappointment for fans, many were hoping for a game set in Ancient China and while the possibility is still there, freelance artist Chaoyuan Xu has given a beautiful realization of where the series could head. Chaoyuan has an incredible knack for creating awesome detail in his work that holds incredible scale that completely fleshes out his potential worlds.

While Chaoyuan's Assassin's Creed work grabbed my attention I've included 7 more pieces after the jump. Chaoyuan Xu's DeviantArt can be found here.

A Look At The Visual Origins Of Assassins Creed

The low profile stance exploration. (Via)

Doesn't it feel like the first Assassins Creed came out just yesterday? The original 2007 title truly left an impression with its sense of scale and exotic locations, intriguing combat, revolutionary animation systems and conspiracy heavy plot. Fast forward to 2012, and the Ubisoft's IP is reaching its fifth colonial flavored installment, with 7 spinoff titles on multiple platforms and a total of 38 million copies sold.

As a kind of look back, the official Assassin's Creed Facebook group recently posted an album talking about the genesis of the series with some truly interesting tidbits about the game. Among one of the facts they revealed with the concepts, the game originally started off development as a spinoff to the Prince Of Persia series. If you're as big of a fan as I am of seeing how a great IP's are visually developed, you'll get a kick out of the images after the break.

Assassins Creed III Fights For The Right Of Every American

How does this NOT seem out of place? (Via)

Although this game is titled third, it is actually the fifth in the main series. So, when this American Revolution sequel was announced, I was a bit apprehensive. Since Assassins Creed II we've been getting for too many sequels for it's own good, and unsurprisingly I've grown tired of the franchise. Can the final game in the franchise bring some new ideas that will save the franchise, or are we doomed to three more sequels with any hint of innovation? Ubisoft has confirmed that more details are set to arrive on Monday, so I'll guess we'll see soon enough. At least we have some nice art in the meantime.

Assassin's Creed III is due to release October 30 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Newly Discovered Da Vinci Picture Is A Viral Campaign For Assassin's Creed: Obviously

Huh.....I've seen this somewhere before.

A painting by Leonardo da Vinci that was lost for centuries has been authenticated by distinguished scholars in the United States and Europe and will be exhibited at London's National Gallery as part of a Leonardo show that opens November 9. The painting, Salvator Mundi, or "Savior of the World," depicts Christ with his right hand raised in blessing and his left hand holding a globe.

But the nerd in me.....doesn't it look a tad familiar? Fans of the Assassin's Creed series will recognise what I mean...What might Jesus be holding in his right hand?

Female Assassins Stalk PAX Halls

From the official Assassin's Creed Facebook Page, take a look into the awesome cosplay happening at Pax. However, looking may just cost you your life...

Street Video Game Fashion 2: Infamous Creed

Who wore it best?

If you want to have a slick, hip, memorable character for your parkour sandbox game, there are some rules you need to follow:

1. Short hair
2. Single-strap messenger bag
3. Tribal tattoos.
4. etc. etc.

More Street Video Game Fashion and incestuous game design after the jump!