During the tidal wave of pre-E3 events from the past two weeks, few had the buzz that Ubisoft's had. The French publisher showed off a variety of new titles in San Francisco, including updates to successful franchises, like Splinter Cell and Rayman Raving Rabbids, as well as new IPs, such as HAZE and Tom Clancy's EndWar. Few titles, however, have enjoyed the anticipation and momentum of Assassin's Creed.


Since last year's E3, AC has kept both the media's and gamers' collective attention. The game will put you in the role of Alta¿r, a high-flying Muslim assassin whose hitlist puts him up against some of the biggest targets in Richard the Lionhearted's military during the Crusades. From what we've seen -- but still haven't had a chance to play -- AC blends acrobatics and climbing, heavy amounts of social interaction with AI, and spectacular, stealthy kills in a highly detailed recreation of the Middle Ages.


During Ubi's event, the game's lead producer, Jade Raymond, took the podium to introduce what many in the audience had expected to be a gameplay demo. Raymond announced two more stages in the game, the cities of Jerusalem and Damascus. From there, the trailer that you likely just finished watching played. And in case you're wondering, that's "Lonely Soul" by UNKLE. From there, we discovered, that was it. While we'd thought that we'd get to see a new level in action, or take a hands-on demo, we got a new trailer, and the promise that we'll get that hands-on demo in two months at E3, which means that you, dear readers, will have to wait for the scoop a bit longer.