ℹ️ Virtual Photography on Ubisoft+
Publisher: Ubisoft
If there is one thing that virtual photographers like, it's having a wide selection of games and photo modes to capture their shots in, right?! OK fine, maybe not everyone and some people do prefer to stick to one or two familiar titles for their photography, but for others, there is an insatiable alure to try out new photo modes and discover whole new worlds of photographic opportunity.
Admittedly though, video games don't come cheap these days, meaning that chasing each new opportunity can easily become quite an expensive endeavour, so it's well worth considering whether a subscription service might provide better value.
- UBISOFT+ -
Ubisoft's subscription solution, simply called Ubisoft+, seems to offer a lot on the face of it, with more than 100 titles that include new releases, premium editions with DLC expansions and season pass content, as well as an extensive back-catalogue of Ubisoft originals and ever-popular franchises.
As a publisher, Ubisoft has also long shown support for in-game photography, so you might expect the selection on Ubisoft+ to have plenty to keep virtual photographers busy. Put in their own words,
"Ubisoft is dedicated to creating exciting and engaging virtual worlds and has set out to continually advance in-game photo modes to ensure players get the most out of their experience".
There is no doubt that good photography tools do let players get more out of their experience with a game and, of the 100+ titles on offer in the subscription, 17 of them do include a fully featured photo mode.
While that might not immediately seem like a huge ratio, there is a lot of content to explore with a virtual camera when you take a look at the list:
Assassin's Creed Mirage
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Assassin's Creed Origins
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora? (PM unconfirmed)
Far Cry 5
Far Cry 6
Far Cry New Dawn
Ghost Recon Wildlands
Immortals Fenyx Rising
Riders Republic
STEEP
The Crew 2
The Crew Motorfest
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint
Watch Dogs Legion
- UBISOFT+ // NEW RELEASES -
It's a selection that includes some go-to games for virtual photographers, like the Assassin's Creed and Far Cry series, and one that also has a decent amount of variety too. As well as these sprawling open-world adventures, there are the extreme sports of STEEP and Riders Republic, motor racing in The Crew, and the fantasy realm of Immortals Fenyx Rising.
Perhaps most importantly though is that Ubisoft+ includes three of the publisher's most recent releases in the form of Assassin's Creed mirage, The Crew Motorfest, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Games that you won't currently find on any other subscription service.
- UBISOFT+ // AC MIRAGE -
Of course, this all comes at a cost, and Ubisoft+ will set you back £12.99 / month for the PC Access Plan, or £14.99 / month for Multi Access which lets you play via PC, Xbox, and the Luna cloud gaming service.
Whether this represents the best value to you or not really depends on how many of the available games you would play, and how many you might otherwise purchase without the subscription. Either way, it does look like a service that could serve virtual photographers well, especially if the inclusion of new releases continues into the future.
- UBISOFT+ // PLANS -
If it all sounds good but you just can't quite afford the costs right now, you should definitely think about trying your luck by entering The Virtual Photography Awards this year. Courtesy of Ubisoft, the prizes include a 12-month subscription to Ubisoft+ Multi Access with it being up for grabs for the overall winner.
As usual, there are 6 thematic categories available to enter and all you need to do it submit your best video game photography for a chance to become Virtual Photographer of the Year and scoop some great prizes.
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I would say that the photo mode in Avatar Frontiers Of Pandora is very basic and poorly optimized unfortunately.