Far Cry 2
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Games so bad they're good: Far Cry 2
I was invited to be on the "Games So Bad They're Good" panel at PAX East, but a scheduling conflict prevented me from taking part. Fortunately, my Editor in Chief, Ludwig Kietzmann, was ready and willing to take my place. His selection, Far Cry 2, took more than a few people by surprise - the reaction on Twitter went something like "Are you crazy? Far Cry 2 is awesommmmeeeeee!" His reasoning was ... unusual, to say the least, so we're reprinting his argument. These are the notes he used for his presentation, exactly as he used them, thus the atypical format. For the record, my choice was going to be Phantasy Star Online. I think Luddy won this one. --Susan I tried to be considerate about this, and cognizant of why bad qualities can lead to pleasure. The thing about bad movies like Plan 9 is that you're looking at an event so awkward and terrible for the people involved that you want to instinctually stop them and protect them, but you can't because it's already committed to film. It's too late to stop the tragedy, so now you are allowed to enjoy it. In a game, if your actions don't align with your expectations or what the game is about, it's frustrating. Most games are good despite their bad qualities, like story and controls, and not because of them. At first I thought: Okay, what about games that give the player all the power and then back away? Is that bad game design? Is God of War so bad, because they let you rip out a monster's medulla oblongata and then bash their head in with it and then you're like, "This violence is a bit mindless isn't it?" Or, what about games that overcomplicate and abstract simple, physical actions, like QWOP, Surgeon Simulator and Octodad? Then I had an epiphany, I yelled, "Eureka! "and someone said, "Shh, this is a library, keep your revelations to yourself." I'm going with Far Cry 2, and here's why.
Far Cry 2's Clint Hocking, Portal's Kim Swift join Amazon Game Studios
Portal Co-Creator Kim Swift and Far Cry 2 Lead Designer Clint Hocking have joined Amazon Game Studios. Hocking made the switch in February, according to his LinkedIn profile, following his departure from Valve near the end of 2013. Swift was previously creative director of Airight Games, which launched Soul Fjord exclusively on Ouya in January. Likewise, her profile on LinkedIn now notes her new position at Amazon as Senior Designer. The news follows Amazon's announcement of its Fire TV media streaming device, which is is on sale today for $99. The Fire TV's controller can be purchased separately for $40, and while games on the Android-based machine can support third-party Bluetooth controllers, gaming was deemed a "bonus" feature of the device. Amazon founded the in-house development studio in August 2012 and purchased Killer Instinct developer Double Helix in February. [Image: Clint Hocking]
Xbox Live 'Deal of the Week' offers up Far Cry getaways
Anxious to take a trip somewhere beautiful yet superbly dangerous? From now until January 14, Microsoft is discounting select Far Cry content on Xbox 360 as part of the Deal of the Week promotion. For $5, you can snag Far Cry Instincts Predator, Far Cry 2 or Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. Dropping $15 will get you Far Cry 3, while an extra $5 will secure the "Deluxe Bundle" DLC full of additional single-player missions, unique wild game to hunt and a variety of weapon unlocks for the campaign and multiplayer. Far Cry 3 was very successful for Ubisoft and helped to steer the company toward focusing on more open-world games. Ubisoft has said Far Cry 4 will "clearly" happen and Drive composer Cliff Martinez mentioned last year that work had already begun on the sequel. Ubisoft has yet to officially announce the next game in the series.
Far Cry Compilation coming to PS3 in February [Update]
To celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the Far Cry franchise, publisher Ubisoft has announced a special compilation package for PS3 owners. The Far Cry Compilation bundle features Joystiq favorites Far Cry 2, Far Cry 3 and, the standalone riot, Blood Dragon. PlayStation 3 owners can stalk the jungles of the Far Cry universe on February 11 when the set is released at retail for $40. Joystiq has asked Ubisoft if Far Cry Compilation – as it's officially named – will arrive on other platforms, but has not heard back at the time of publishing. Update: Ubisoft tells Joystiq that, in the United States, Far Cry Compilation is only coming to the PlayStation 3. Details for other regions are forthcoming.
Far Cry 2 lead designer Clint Hocking no longer working for Valve
It's emerged Clint Hocking, the lead designer of Far Cry 2 and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, left Valve towards the end of last year. According to Hocking's blog and his LinkedIn profile, the industry veteran's post as a designer and level designer ended in December 2013. The former Ubisoft and LucasArts creative director joined Valve in June 2012, but as Game Informer notes, it wasn't known what he was working on there. If the rumor mill is to be believed, Hocking was involved with the as-yet-unannounced Left 4 Dead 3. Back in October, Hocking featured on a supposed list of people working on the game, with ValveTime reporting (via superannuation) the list was procured from an internal Valve database.
Steam Daily Deal: Far Cry series for $40, Ubisoft games on sale
The Far Cry Franchise Pack is on sale for $40 on Steam today as the platform's Daily Deal. This deal is part of a larger Steam sale, as today is day three of the Ubisoft Publisher Weekend, so other Ubisoft-published games are 35 to 50 percent off on the platform as well.The Far Cry Franchise Pack includes all three games in the series along with the Far Cry 3 Deluxe Bundle DLC, which is 40 percent off ($5.99). Far Cry and Far Cry 2: Fortune's Edition are each 75 percent off today ($2.49), and Far Cry 3 has been hacked down by 40 percent ($29.99). Among the other Ubisoft games on sale today, Rayman Origins is 66 percent off ($6.79) and Assassin's Creed 3's price has been chopped by 35 percent ($32.49).
'Ultimate' Far Cry, Splinter Cell bundles spotted on UK retail site
UK retailer GAME has listings for an Ultimate Far Cry Compilation and something called Ultimate Splinter Cell, each with tentative release dates of 2013. The Far Cry compilation is priced at £40 for Xbox 360 and PS3, and £30 for PC, and Splinter Cell comes in PC flavor only, for £30. The product listings don't provide any extra details and there is so far no word of any similar bundles existing on US shores.Tomorrow Far Cry 3 gets a dose of free DLC exclusively for the PS3, with the High Tides co-op expansion. We thought Far Cry 3 had "excellent, explicit design" and it taught us the dangers of trusting in goats, which is probably the most important lesson we've ever gleaned from a game.
Select Ubisoft games 60% off on GOG right now
Whether you're simply behind on your gaming or have emerged from a block of ice after that hiking expedition in Antarctica went awry ten years ago, you may like to catch up on some of Ubisoft's PC wares. Good Old Games is making it much easier – at least on your wallet – to play catch-up by slashing the price on 36 Ubisoft games.There are many highlights in this Ubisoft sale, including several games for $3.99 a pop: Far Cry, Far Cry 2: Fortune's Edition, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Warrior Within, The Two Thrones, and Beyond Good & Evil included. Rayman and its two sequels are also on sale for $2.39 each.If you're not into the whole piecemeal thing, you can snag all 36 discounted games for $134.04, a total savings of $201.60.
Far Cry 2 creative lead Clint Hocking now working for Valve
Clint Hocking – the designer behind Far Cry 2 and the original Splinter Cell – vacated his latest gig at LucasArts last month. Though he didn't leave a forwarding address, a recent tweet depicted his son in the Valve headquarters lobby, with the word "Arrival." Valve reps confirmed his new employment there to Joystiq today via email, but stopped short of saying what Hocking's work at the Washington-based studio would entail.Hocking previously worked at LucasArts on projects unknown, and has spent the past few years out of the spotlight (our past three stories on him involve exiting or entering new jobs).
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, Far Cry 2, American Nightmare hit GOG
"Old" may no longer be a requirement for admission to the Good Old Games vault, but we're glad to see that "good" still makes the cut. The Longest Journey's sequel, Dreamfall, open world shooter Far Cry 2, and Remedy's Alan Wake's American Nightmare have arrived on the service, and are now available at $15 or less.Other recent updates include a few other, properly old games like Torin's Passage, the Quest for Glory series, and Silver.
Amazon: Buy one, get one on Ubisoft DRM-free PC downloads
Got five bucks? Want a couple of kinda-old Ubisoft PC games? Well, if you fall within that very niche category of people, a current promotion over at Amazon may be relevant to your needs.Assassin's Creed, a few Splinter Cells and Far Cry 2 are just a few of the titles you can nab for half a sawbuck -- without that pesky Ubisoft DRM. And, as astute headline reader types will tell you, if you buy one, you'll get one free of charge. The sale ends Saturday.
PSN Tuesday: Escape Plan, House of the Dead 3, The Simpsons Arcade
Naturally, a large part of this week's PSN content dump is devoted to the launch of the PlayStation Vita -- Escape Plan, Hustle Kings, and Super Stardust Delta are all available for download, the latter being the revealed free 3G game. For launch game reviews and pertinent PS Vita information, check out Joystiq's convenient launch guide.PSN Plus subscribers get the aforementioned free copies of The Simpsons Arcade Game and Far Cry 2, while PS3 users looking to pay for something to download have House of the Dead 3, Worms Ultimate Mayhem and Inferno Pool to choose from. You can check out the full list of this week's content over on the PlayStation Blog.
Assassin's Creed: Revelations creative director Alexandre Amancio leaves Ubisoft
Alexandre Amancio has left Ubisoft in order to serve as Chief Creative Officer for Cossette, a marketing company located in Quebec City, Canada. Amancio leaves the developer seven years after joining in 2005. He was most recently credited as the creative director for Assassin's Creed: Revelations and also served as art director for Far Cry 2. This marks the second time in as many years that the Assassin's Creed series' Creative Director has left Ubisoft Montreal, following Patrice Désilets' resignation in 2010. "Video games and advertising have many common elements," Amancio said in a press release issued by Cossette. "In both industries, we are always looking for new ways to engage the consumer to the brand." Sounds to us like Amancio will be right at home in the warm bosom of a marketing agency. We give it two years before Ezio is slammin' back 5-Hour Energy shots between trips to Wells-Fargo and 24-Hour Fitness.
Comix Zone coming early and free to PlayStation Plussers next week
The next set of bonuses coming to PlayStation Plus subscribers should tickle fans of old-school beat-em'-ups, as well as fans of egregious misspellings. The latest Sega title to serve as an incentive for the premium program is Comix Zone, the 1995 Genesis brawler that was notable for its clever comic-panel backdrop, as well as its inclusion of "Sketch Turner," the worst-named character in the history of written language. The game will be free for Plus members (and only Plus members) starting August 9, alongside a free DLC pack for Crash Commando and a trial for Far Cry 2. Based on the timing of the past Sega PSN releases, we'd wager Comix Zone will be available for the hoi polloi about one month later.
Far Cry 3 preview: Wandering off course
First and foremost, if you haven't played Far Cry 2, you're a monster. Let's just get that out of the way up front. I note as much because it's with my deep-seated love of Far Cry 2 that I approached today's hands-off presentation of Far Cry 3 ... and came away kinda worried.To be clear, the game is early. As in, "It's coming out some time next year" and that's all we know. Additionally, the demo shown off was actually just what was demoed during Ubisoft's press conference yesterday, albeit steered by Ubisoft game designer Andrea Zanini. So, given that, I haven't seen all that much more than what you saw yesterday. What troubled me, however, was the conversation I had with narrative lead Jason VandenBerghe post demo.%Gallery-125540%
Ubisoft Steam sale tears 75 percent off Far Cry games
These tears in our eyes? They're tears of joy, friends. The latest batch of Ubisoft titles to be savagely cut down on Steam's digital distribution platform includes Far Cry and Far Cry 2: Fortune's Edition, available for today only for $2.50 and $5, respectively! Now, let's go blow up the jungle.
Steam has Ubisoft hits on sale this weekend; Impulse has Medal of Honor
Whether you're in the mood for shooting or shooting, Steam and Impulse have your back this weekend. Active now, Steam's offering Assassin's Creed, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, Far Cry 2 and Rainbow Six Vegas 2 in a bargain $3 bundle; while Impulse has Medal of Honor for $15.
Splinter Cell, Far Cry 2 designer Clint Hocking leaves Ubisoft
[Image Source] Clint Hocking, longtime creative director at Ubisoft on the Splinter Cell games and lead designer on FarCry 2, has announced on his blog that he has resigned from Ubisoft. The separation appears to be genial -- Hocking waxes a little poetic about his nearly-a-decade with the company, and then goes on to say that he has found the courage to "bid farewell to those tragically comforting habits" and move forward to "walk on hot coals and sleep on a bed of nails." We'll assume he's speaking metaphorically there, and guess that Hocking is moving off to start his own company. Still, as Hocking points out, it's a big move away from the company where he started out, originally hired after "fiddling around more or less constantly ... with the Unreal Level Editor" and having "sent in a resume on a lark" to a job posting. Hocking started work on the first Splinter Cell, and says he's "been very lucky to say the least" in his career so far. We'll let you know when we hear what he's up to next. [Via IdleThumbs]
New Games on Demand added, questionably priced
Now, we know that Xbox 360 Games on Demand costing $19.99 and $29.99 is nothing new, but we have to call into question the choice of that higher price point for two of the three newest games available via the service. Far Cry 2, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men and Shrek the Third are now on the Marketplace, as promised, all priced at $30. Three Hamiltons for Far Cry 2? That we can get behind. But the other two are definitely $20 fare, in our humble (professional) opinion. Especially since you can buy all three games new for near that price from online retailers such as Amazon.
Shrek the Third, Far Cry 2 and Kane & Lynch coming to Games on Demand
Here's a brain-teaser for you: What do Shrek the Third, Far Cry 2 and Kane & Lynch all have in common? If you said "they all feature cartoon donkeys voiced by the stars of the Beverly Hills Cop series," you'd be correct. It's a little known fact that all three games contain flippant burros voiced by Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold and Bronson Pinchot, respectively. Oh, also? They're all coming to the Xbox Live Games on Demand storefront on April 27. The price of each game hasn't been announced -- we've contacted Microsoft to see if we can figure out how much each game will cost. Also, we'll double-check about the donkeys, although we're pretty certain we're right about that one.
