Far Cry 2
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Former DICE designer analyzes in-game user interfaces
Though we rarely acknowledge their existence (unless they're super original or horrifically ugly), heads-up displays and user interfaces play a major role in how we interact with games. Former DICE designer Marcus Andrews was recently tasked by his previous employer with studying a variety of UIs to find out which work effectively, and why. Andrews then took his findings and penned an extremely fascinating article on Gamasutra, which you should really read at your earliest convenience. The article examines the relationship between in-game "diegetic" HUD elements (think Isaac's holo-projector in Dead Space) and "non-diegetic" elements which only the player can see. Heck, it's worth reading just because of new vocabulary like that, which could easily be used to impress friends and members of the opposite sex.
Steam weekend deal: Far Cry series is half-off
The first Far Cry may seem a bit ancient if you've never played it before, but Far Cry 2 is still a very viable source for securing your quota of fun. Each are 50 percent off on Steam this weekend -- Far Cry for $5 and Far Cry 2: Fortune's Edition for $10. If you're wondering what all of the hullabaloo is about, this collection of words should help clear it up for you. Or you could just check out this image in our gallery. If you click through the images fast enough, it's almost like you're playing the game!
Nvidia details next graphics chip, codenamed 'GF100'
There's nothing quite like a 30-second tech demo clip to get our hearts racing. Maybe, just maybe, the inclusion of some steaming hot data to go with that footage, perhaps from a big PC hardware company like Nvidia regarding its next graphics chip. Good thing then that we have just that (we're shaking in anticipation just putting down these words), as Nvidia unveiled its "GF100" (a codename) alongside said video clip (embedded after the break) just recently. What about those pulse-pounding specifics, you say? Well, the chip features "3 billion transistors, double the CUDA cores of previous generation GPUs, a high speed GDDR5 memory interface, and full DirectX 11 support." Whoa, whoa, settle down there kiddo, there's more. Reports have gauged it as running games like FarCry 2 at 84.3 frames per second with the resolution cranked all the way up. No price has yet been given, but can you really put a price on quality? (The answer is yes, and it could be a high one.) [Via BigDownload]
Left 4 Dead 2 demo, new Games on Demand available now
The demo of the zombie survival training game (also known as Left 4 Dead 2) is available now to Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Although the retail game completes the scenario snippet on offer, the demo certainly feels like "more of the same," albeit with the addition of some new melee and bullet-required weapons.Also on the shooter front: Battlefield 2: Modern Combat can now be acquired through Games on Demand for $20. Far Cry 2 is also available outside of North America. As always, we feel it prudent to mention that the titles are likely to be found cheaper at a local brick-and-mortar shop (at the risk of running into shopper zombies!).Shortcuts: Add Left 4 Dead 2 demo to your download queue [via Xbox.com] Purchase and add Battlefield 2: Modern Combat to your download queue [via Xbox.com]
XBLM 'Deal of the Week' is Far Cry 2 DLC
Now this is the Xbox Live Deal of the Week that we know and don't love. After a month of decent deals (plus one week of The Force Unleashed marketing), the Deal of the Week has returned to its roots: DLC for a game that came out last year. The game in question is Far Cry 2. The DLC in question is the Fortunes Pack, which includes three weapons, two vehicles and four multiplayer maps. Usually 400 ($5), Deal of the Week status knocks it down to only 240 ($3). We suppose it might be a good deal if you're still playing Far Cry 2. Then again, if you're still playing Far Cry 2, you probably have the Fortunes Pack already.Thank goodness, we'd almost forgotten the empty, tepid feeling that the Deal of the Week can inspire. Welcome back, complete indifference!
Far Cry 2 bugs squashed on 360, 'Hardcore Mode' added
It's been quite a while since Far Cry 2 was released on Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/PC -- 203 days, to be precise, but who's counting? -- and just yesterday Ubisoft released a patch aimed at a game-breaking save problem. And we'd know all about it, as after 25 hours spent terrorizing the African wilderness, we were halted in our tracks by the save file corrupting-bug patched just yesterday. Our bitterness is somewhat assuaged by the arrival of the promised "Hardcore" multiplayer mode, advertised on the developer's forums back in February. The team has also added the ability to play Rank matches, employing some of the more ... well-developed user maps created over the past half year. Unfortunately, while the (likely malaria infested) save bug has been squashed, the fix isn't retroactive and thus, those who encountered it are out of luck. As for you folks playing FC2 on a PC or PlayStation 3, the patch should be headed your way soon. Not 203 days ago-soon, but soon none the less. %Gallery-6687%
Jack Thompson takes his fight to Utah radio
Fueled by the recent veto of his Utah game bill and the constant thirst for more, Jack Thompson made an appearance on Utah radio show "Utah Eagle Forum" recently to discuss the merits of the bill and, well, to be Jack Thompson. Claiming the Columbine school shooting occurred due to "training on Doom" and saying the recent school shooting in Germany occurred due to the shooter's predilection for Counterstrike and Far Cry 2, Thompson immediately built a case for the audience to be concerned "why this is so terribly serious, to their own safety."As GamePolitics points out, at no point in the show does anyone make note of Thompson's lack of an actual license to practice law or of his disbarring. He is, in fact, introduced as "an attorney from Florida." An odd omission considering the theme of the show is "Truth in Advertising."
Cry some more: Far Cry 2 'Fortunes Pack' now on Steam
Fire up your Steam client -- Ubisoft has loosed the Far Cry 2 Fortunes Pack on the PC gaming public. It's just a wee bit late; the DLC was originally supposed to be available by the end of last November. We're willing to forgive (but not forget -- we never forget) when new content includes the likes of a silenced shotgun. Take a moment to let that one settle in.Priced at $4.99, the pack also introduces a sawed-off shotgun and crossbow (!) to the game's arsenal, along with two new vehicles -- a quad and the "Unimog" (Ubisoft's helpful description: 'a big truck') -- and five multiplayer maps, including the dubiously titled "Lake Smear" and "Jungle Seizure." We're assuming the latter doesn't flash a convulsion-inducing pattern of lights on your screen.
PSA: Steam did not just gift you Far Cry 2
Multiple members of Team Joystiq received a weird email this morning, which stated that Valve, the beloved developers behind PC's great platform, Steam, had gifted us Far Cry 2. With an email address originating from the Steam URL, you could imagine how (almost) convinced we were. Turns out it was all a hoax.The activation link in the very convincing email (seriously, it looks legit!) goes to a third-party site. We can only imagine the malice awaiting us on the other side of that link, so if you were also the recipient of this email, know that IT'S A TRAP!
Far Cry 2 patch to add 'Hardcore' multiplayer mode, rebalances weapons [update]
We didn't know anyone wandered into Far Cry 2's expansive, hojillion-hour-long single-player campaign and somehow managed to make time to check out the game's multiplayer offerings, but apparently there's a sizable community of online FC2 players out there. This group has been calling for more realistic match settings for quite some time -- players can apparently catch more lead than Sonny Corleone and walk away with little more than a scratch and an interesting story.Their pleas have been answered -- in a recent post on the FC2 community blog, the game's developers announced a patch which will, in addition to rebalancing the weapons in all multiplayer modes, add a more realistic "hardcore setting" to all match types. This mode will boost the damage for all weapons (ensuring speedier demises) and will let players tweak the "spawn times" (but not the "spawn rates", whatever that means). They didn't specify which platforms the patch will be landing on -- hopefully, they'll be affording a hasty death to all three.Update: The update is coming to "all platforms". Huzzah![Via Big Download]
Ubisoft: Prince of Persia had 'slower take-off', Far Cry 2 ships 2.9m
As part of its fiscal earnings report for the quarter ending December 2008, Ubisoft has revealed the "sell-in sales" (that's to retailers, not consumers) for a handful of key titles. Far Cry 2, launched in late October, shipped 2.9 million, while Raving Rabbids TV Party has tallied up 1.5 million since its mid-November unveiling. Unfortunately, a certain wisecracking acrobat didn't seem to meet expectations. According to the report, the above figures helped to "offset the impact of a slower take-off" for Prince of Persia and its 2.2 million shipped units for December. Yesterday's NPD stats put PoP's US sales at around 483K. Ubisoft has also confirmed a fiscal 2009 release window for Assassin's Creed 2, Splinter Cell Conviction and a new Ghost Recon.
Joystiq's Top 10 of 2008: Far Cry 2
<< BACK (9) COMMENT NEXT (7) >> Would you believe that Far Cry 2 is a lot like the original Star Wars trilogy? It's true! Before he took to bludgeoning audiences with obnoxious special effects, director George Lucas delivered a coherent, lived-in world that seemed more cobbled together than intentionally designed. The spaceships were old and busted, the bars were filthy and sometimes, the hyperdrives just didn't work. Far Cry 2's approximated Africa feels like just such a place -- dangerous, dirty and devoid of designer fingerprints. There's no level design here, no dynamic vegetation and no sophisticated radiosity. There's only a blistering sun creeping through the trees, their leaves shivering in fear of the approaching downpour.And then you shoot stuff!
Far Cry 2 getting DLC by end of month
Not too long after the release of Far Cry 2, Ubisoft has announced a new DLC pack to be made available by the end of November (so, next week, perhaps?). The Fortune's Pack DLC brings new vehicles and weapons to both the single-player and multiplayer aspects of Far Cry 2. It will be available for $9.99.The Fortune's Pack DLC for Far Cry 2 will include:Single-Player Mode Three brand-new weapons:Silenced shotgun; Sawed-off shotgun; Crossbow Two new vehicles:Unimog; Quad Multiplayer Mode Four new maps:Cheap Labor; Last Resort; Lake Smear; Fort Fury New single-player weapons and vehicles also available in multiplayer %Gallery-37657%
Far Cry 2 'Fortune's Pack' adds new vehicles, weapons, maps
Ubisoft has revealed a new batch of downloadable content for its incredibly aggressive African safari, Far Cry 2. Due to be released "by the end of November," the Fortune's Pack bolsters the game's collection of weapons, multiplayer maps and, perhaps most importantly, fuel-guzzling transports. It's not quite the turret-equipped elephant we were hoping for, but a quad should do us fine. There's also a "unimog," which is either a big truck thing or an adorable Final Fantasy creature with a tertiary education. Probably the former.Also added to both the single- and multiplayer components are three new weapons: the sawed-off shotgun; the silenced shotgun; and the crossbow. Be sure to use those on Fortune's four additional multiplayer maps, dubbed Cheap Labor, Last Resort, Lake Smear and Fort Fury. The pack will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Store for $10 -- or two of the diamonds you found in a suspicious briefcase in the middle of nowhere.%Gallery-37661%
Branching Dialogue: Wild file preservation (and other Far Cry 2 stuff)
Presenting Branching Dialogue, a weekly, wordy and often worryingly pedantic discussion of video game genres, trends and err ... stuff I didn't think to put in this introductory line. Alright, that's it. After starting, deleting, undoing, regretting and then restarting this opening paragraph numerous times, I'm just going to write things as they tumble out of my brain and work their way down to my fingertips. Far Cry 2 is a struggle. Narratively, mechanically, stylistically, everything about the game is a to-and-fro tug-of-war. And for me, Ubisoft's open-world shooter is a struggle to decode, to disassemble in my mind's eye and discover that one piece that makes everything click into place. But I think I've found that critical cog in the machine -- the relatively limited save system. Why? Well, now that I've saved that paragraph for the last time, I'm just going to have to figure that out as I go along.
Far Cry 2 sells a million copies across the globe
Ubisoft has disclosed its sales numbers for Far Cry 2 -- in less than three weeks, the game has sold an impressive one million copies all across all platforms worldwide. The FPS has received a fair amount of praise from gamers and the press alike, so this doesn't come as a complete surprise. We are also glad to see a title with developers who have voiced support for the PS3 have such success -- Far Cry 2's technical director Dominic Guay has praised the Blu-ray format and its hard drive as ideal for their game. Congratulations Ubisoft!
Far Cry 2 becomes a million copy selling member
Thanks in part to its much hyped map editor, Far Cry 2 has sold one million copies worldwide across all platform since its release a few weeks back. Congrats! One million copies is nothing to take lightly, seeing that Ubisoft's Far Cry 2 has been (for the most part) under the gaming radar thanks to this Fall's blockbuster gaming lineup that is a bit crowded. We raise our glass to Ubisoft in hopes of seeing another Far Cry grace the 360 with even more explosive goodness and maybe an even more advanced map editor. Maybe ...
Far Cry 2 sells a million copies worldwide
Ubisoft just announced that Far Cry 2 has achieved a million sales worldwide in under three weeks across Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Even with the holiday wallet onslaught (and recession) in full effect, it's encouraging to see a quality title that could have slipped through the cracks compete at retail.The Africa-set Far Cry 2, developed by Ubisoft Montreal, has met with solid reviews from the gaming press and our very own Afrikaner, who greeted the news of the game's achievement with, "YES! Good job, world."
Fable 2 slays Far Cry 2 in UK sales charts
More appropriately, we should probably say, "Fable 2 slayed Far Cry 2, then farted on it, did a heroic pose for the crowd, brought it a shoddy necklace, bought it a house to live in and invited it to unprotected group sex with three random villagers." Peter Molyneux's farcical epic debuted at the top of Chart-Track's UK sales chart, followed by Ubisoft's African-based shooter at number two. Can somebody get Pete a tissue?Other fun facts about Fable 2's launch: It was Microsoft's first All Formats #1 since Halo 3. It outsold the first Fable's launch by a margin of 3.8 to 1 It was the 5th fastest selling Xbox 360 game in the UK, behind Grand Theft Auto IV, Halo 3, FIFA 09 and Call of Duty 4. European's virtual football sensation FIFA09 dropped down to number three, followed by Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 and Saints Row 2. Full top ten list after the break.
Metareview -- Far Cry 2
It may have gotten lost in the pre-holiday hubbub for some of you, but, judging by the bulk of reviews that have dropped, Far Cry 2 is an experience you don't want to miss. We've spent some quality time with it, and if you want to lose yourself in a gorgeous open world actioner, you should absolutely pick it up. Yahoo! Games (100/100): "The objective of Far Cry 2 as a game is to get out of the way and let you experience the game world. And there is no other game world quite like this one: haunting, spectacular, meditative, explosive, violent, and serene, all at once, and all in a mere shooter." Gamervision (90/100): "Far Cry 2's gameplay is solid, and it works as both an open world game and a shooter. Its plot is light, but dense, and will make you rethink the way you look at real world conflicts like the ones represented in the game. As with most sandbox titles, there is a huge amount of content, and there is at least twenty hours of gameplay in the single player alone. " 1UP (B+): "Even if I find the multiplayer too staid, I find the possibility of cool user-made levels (via the easy map editor) tantalizing. Like any good Grand Theft Auto, Far Cry 2's overall package makes up for any individual flaws -- enough for it to be on a short list of best FPS games this year -- and so it's fitting to summarize it as...well, GTA: Mogadishu." Game Informer (80/100): "Ubisoft has managed to strike some potent emotional chords with Far Cry 2. Combined with the depth and breadth of the sweeping African environment, they may very well be enough to overcome a combat system that isn't nearly as intricate as the game world in which it is housed. "
