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Dawn of Discovery coming to Wii, DS and PC

by: Sean Colleli -
More On: Dawn of Discovery
Ubisoft just announced Dawn of Discovery, an empire building sim based on the 1400s.  The story concerns King George and his sons William and Edward as they work to establish their rule and prevent their people from starving.  This one has me interested, and not just for the medieval time period, which hasn't been (accurately) done much in games.  Supposedly it's been build from the ground up for each platform, which means we'll be getting games that take advantage of their rspective consoles instead of a cheap port.  The Wii has been rather light on any genre besides craptacular minigames so it'll be cool to see how the sim genre works out with the Wii remote.  Hopefully it'll be better than MySims.
UBISOFT ANNOUNCES DAWN OF DISCOVERY FOR Wii, Nintendo DS AND PC

Uniquely Designed for Each Platform, New Game Allows Players to Create Their Own Flourishing Empire

SAN FRANCISCO – February 26th, 2009 – Today Ubisoft announced Dawn of Discovery(TM), a real-time strategy and simulation game specifically designed for the Wii(TM) home video game system, the Nintendo DS(TM) hand held system and PC. Scheduled for release in summer 2009, Dawn of Discovery gives gamers the opportunity to explore new civilizations and build their own empire like never before through the immersive action of the Wii Remote(TM) and the DS stylus.

"Dawn of Discovery allows gamers to take the civilization-building experience to the next level of fun and interactivity,” said Adam Novickas, director of marketing for Ubisoft. "We're pleased to be bringing the brand new, uniquely designed game to not only the PC and Nintendo DS, but also to Wii for the first time.”

Dawn of Discovery takes place in the year 1404, when King George's land is suffering from severe droughts and brutal famine. Aware of his people's distress, the king calls on his two sons, William and Edward, to acquire new territories in order to produce enough goods to satisfy the needs of his empire's inhabitants. Whereas Edward suggests aggressive means to collect the precious resources, his brother William offers a peaceful solution, proposing to explore new and unsettled lands in the south of the kingdom. With his Father's blessing, William heads south to the mysterious Orient and returns with valuable new technologies such as the water pump that allows dry lands to be cultivated in order to produce enough food for the people. But there are still many unmet needs within the king's empire, and players are tasked with the mission of fulfilling those needs while both expanding and sustaining the vast society.

Game features include:

Build and sustain your own expansive empire
•       Explore the beautifully detailed world and discover new places to create your civilization
•       Set up trade posts in the spice mines of the Orient and explore new trade routes to keep your nation growing
•       Learn from other nearby cultures to expand your horizons and master the challenges of establishing a prosperous society

Developed specifically for Wii, DS and PC audiences
•       Unique art style and clever integration of the Wii Remote and DS stylus makes building your empire more fun and interactive than ever before
•       All new scalable 3-D engine ensures unmatched visuals, optimized for all PC's – from high-end to low-end desktops
•       Seamless user interface delivers multiple gameplay modes and faster player rewards for both long or short play sessions

Exclusive multiplayer modes across platforms
•       Build your civilization and make history along with a friend in the 2-player co-op mode for Wii
•       Integration with Ubi.com allows PC players to track achievements, climb leaderboards and challenge others online

Accessible for everyone from beginners to pros
•       Intelligent help system offers contextual hints for any situation
•       In-game encyclopedia includes illustrated tutorial filled with tips and strategies for building your civilization

Formerly known as ANNO 1404, Dawn of Discovery is the North American title of the game.

About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has teams in 28 countries and distributes games in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2007–08 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of 928 million euros. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

© 2009 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Ubisoft, Ubi.com, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Dawn of Discovery, Sunflowers and Sunflowers logo are trademarks of Sunflowers GmbH in the U.S. and/or other countries. Sunflowers GmbH is a Ubisoft Entertainment company. Wii and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo.