Disc-based consoles introduced us to the wonderful world of loading screens. Thankfully, many developers tried to mask those loading times with interactive screens and whatnot, but most of the times they failed. OMGLists takes a look at some of them, including the painfully slow lifts from Mass Effect to Assassin Creed’s fog.

Veronica Mars actress and newcomer Heroes Kristen Bell will appear in Assassin’s Creed, which is due out on PS3 and Xbox 360 later this month. She will play a key character in the game, whose role is an important part of the game’s storyline, though details weren’t provided.

“It was crucial to find an actress who could convey the emotional range and talent needed to play this key character in the Assassin’s universe,” said Jade Raymond, producer for Assassin’s Creed. “Kristen Bell is a remarkable actress who was able to bring her character to life in a dynamic way that I don’t think anyone else could have done properly. Her professionalism and dynamic personality were a perfect fit for this project.”

“I was a big video gamer growing up, so working on Assassin’s Creed is my chance to be a part of video game history,” said Kristen Bell. “It’s something completely different than what I’ve done before, so it’s cool I get to branch out and try another entertainment medium. I was attracted to this project because of the intelligent storyline and the character I play. Plus I admire the artistry of the graphics of video games. I look forward to seeing what my character will look like and I can’t wait to play the game and see if I can beat it!”

The game will also be available for PC later on. It will be available in standard and limited editions retailing for $59.99 and $69.99, respectively.

An achievements list for Assassin’s Creed has been posted online. There are a total of 44 achievements, with 13 of them secret. Do not read if you are not into spoilers.

Some details on the Collector’s Edition of Assassin’s Creed has risen. It will feature a Penny Arcade comic based on the game, a mini-strategy guide, a bonus disc and a 12 inch figure of Altair, the game’s main character. The figure and the box has been pictured to the right.

As expected, the bonus disc will feature behind-the-scenes videos, among other things. The limite edition will retail for $10 more than the standard edition.

This video interview on Gametrailers with Jade Raymond offers word that there will not be an Assassin’s Creed demo. She explains that a sandbox-style game with three “huge” cities will be very difficult to cut down into a sample. Therefore, no demo.

While we’re on the subject, a video development diary was released by the team, showing off the freedom in the coming game. Check it out below:

Tons of screenshots were released by Ubisoft at GC. Here are some of them:

Far Cry 2

EndWar

Haze

Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway

Assassin’s Creed

The sci-fi part of Assassin’s Creed is yet to be explained, but the cat may be out of the bag, thanks to an interview with Kristen Bell. In an interview with IGN TV, the star of Veronica Mars explains her relation to the game, as well as the following interesting bit: “It’s actually really interesting to me. It’s sort of based on the research that’s sort of happening now, about the fact that your genes might be able to hold memory. And you could argue semantics and say it’s instinct, but how does a baby bird know to eat a worm, as opposed to a cockroach, if its parents don’t show it? And it’s about this science company trying to, Matrix-style, go into peoples brains and find out an ancestor who used to be an assassin, and sort of locate who that person is.”

As expected, Ubisoft is yet to comment on this. However, if a certain gameplay video from X06 is any indication, we might be in for a sci-fi game.

Ubisoft has made quite a few revelations through its sales report for its current fiscal year, and they’re not about the company’s financial success. First up is the disclosure of a sequel to Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter: dubbed GRAW2, it will ship in the fourth quarter of its current fiscal year, which puts it sometime between January and March 2007.

It is already known that the publisher has the largest number of launch titles for the Wii. Well, that did not stop them from upping the number: it announced an additional seven games for the Wii, including one ‘non-announced new brand’, bringing the total number of games available for the system to 14 by March 2007.

Lastly, in a bit of sad news, Ubi revealed that both Assassin’s Creed and Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway have been delayed from the Q1 2007 release periods. These games are now scheduled for release sometime between April 2007-March 2008.

Ubisoft has released three new screenshots for Assassin’s Creed for PS3 and Xbox 360. They also released the game’s storyline, so if you’re interested in that, click on more below.

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Some (awesome) screenshots from Assassin’s Creed, Ubi’s highly anticipated stealth-action title for the PS3.

1Up reports that Ubisoft is planning to release a demo for Assassin’s Creed before the game launches next year for the PS3. It is yet unclear as to how the demo will be distributed, but many are speculating that it will be done through a magazine demo disc or via Sony’s upcoming online service for their console.

The first screenshots from Assassin’s Creed which is due out on PS3.

Revealed at last year’s E3, Ubisoft has finally properly announced Assassin’s Creed, formerly known as Project Assassin. Being developed exclusively for the PS3 by Ubi’s Monstreal studio (Prince of Persia and Splinter Cell), the first game in the franchise will be available in 2007; it will make its public debut at E3 in a couple of days.

The first game in the Assassin’s Creed franchise is set in 1191 AD, when the Third Crusade was tearing the Holy Land apart. Shrouded in secrecy and feared for their ruthlessness, the Assassins intend to stop the hostilities by suppressing both sides of the conflict. Players, assuming the role of the main character Altair, will have the power to throw their immediate environment into chaos and to shape events during this pivotal moment in history.

A teaser trailer has been released - it can be found on the game’s official website.