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Live in Montreal? Like games? Tour Ubisoft this weekend
We'll be honest, this doesn't sit well with us. You see, there's an "us" and "them" thing here: we write about the video games, get showered with free gifts, and get invited to hang out and drink beers with all our favorite developers in their space-age offices from the future, while you sit at home and pretend you can imagine what beer tastes like in zero-G. That's been the status quo for centuries ... until now.The ne'er-do'wells at Ubisoft Montréal want to throw away centuries of tradition just to participate in Les Journées de la culture – a weekend of free activities happening all throughout Quebec. Show up on their doorstep tomorrow between 9am and 4:30pm, leave your cameras and whatnot at home, and get a 30-minute tour of the five-story facility. Wanna drink space beers with Prince of Persia producer Ben Mattes? No dice, chum. Some things are still off-limits.[Thanks, Dom]
Prince of Persia team wants your questions
Yes, it's true that (other than Vin Diesel's Oscar shelf builders) we have the world's easiest job. But Ubisoft is offering fans the opportunity to walk a mile in our shoes, to live the dream and ask the Prince of Persia dev team questions directly. It's exactly like working at Joystiq, especially in that you'll be paid absolutely nothing for your efforts.You can get a direct line to the team by filming a response to the video below the jump. There are only five right now, so it seems like you have a pretty good chance of getting some answers. And even if you can't, you can complete the Joystiq experience and totally make something up. No one will ever know, trust us.
Far Cry 2 dev diary goes to Africa
Okay, forget the Halo 3 ViDocs. Forget the Too Human Goblin Man of Norway. We're prepared to call the first installment of the Far Cry 2 developer diary the best developer diary ever. It's not every day that a development team -- in this case Ubisoft Montreal -- travels to Kenya for research. The first in a series of developer diaries about the trip, this video covers the events leading up to departure. Even preparing for the trip sounds like it was quite an ordeal. In addition to briefings about what to expect (wild animals, corruption, etc.), each member was given over a dozen shots to prepare them for the possibility of disease. Risking malaria to make sure you get those tree bark textures just right? That's dedication.
Royal treatment: Prince of Persia 'Limited Edition' free for pre-orders
It's good to be the king, er ... prince. Or, in this case, simply a pre-order holder for Ubisoft's upcoming Prince of Persia series refresh. The publisher has announced that anyone who lays down the cash (or plastic, or first-borns) to reserve the game will receive the Limited Edition – at no extra cost.In an unusual step, Ubisoft is creating the LE for pre-orders only, simply as an incentive to pony up early for the game. Unlike other "special" or "limited" edition treatments of current-gen games, it won't come as a $10-$20 premium to advance purchasers – it'll run the standard $59.99. However, those who don't pre-order won't get the goodies, which include: Collectable Limited Edition packaging An exclusive look at the making of Prince of Persia A Prima digital mini-strategy guide full of developer's secrets A digital art book The original soundtrack scored by master composer Inon Zur We're still chomping at the bit for Ubisoft to show off more of the promising action-platformer, but, for now, this most recent walkthrough video straight outta Leipzig will have to do.
Far Cry 2 trailer talks player immersion
The for Far Cry 2 has us wondering just how immersive we want our games to be. In the video above, Far Cry 2 creative director Clint Hocking explains that the player avatar in Far Cry 2 does everything. In other words, the player avatar physically performs every action in the game. There is no magic healing when you pass over a med kit. The camera doesn't simply teleport into a car when you enter it. Every action is accompanied by an animation, whether it be fixing a jammed weapon or (sickeningly) fixing a dislocated joint (seriously, it's gross). Speaking of jammed weapons, Hocking notes that all of the game's weapons and vehicles degrade over time. As guns are used they begin to accumulate dirt and rust and eventually they will simply break in a player's hands. Likewise, vehicles will break down, requiring players to hop out and work on the engine before continuing.The only question we have now is whether or not players will have to hunt down an in-game Porta-Potty every few hours.
GC 2008: Prince of Persia gameplay run, jump, and climb-through
Now here's an interesting twist on your average game video – Ubisoft has created a "guided tour" of the first area from its jaw-dropping, new-gen Prince of Persia. In fact, it's the entire first zone of the game, and the same area we played at this year's E3. In it, you'll see the tweaks made to the series' platforming style, the ways in which the Prince's partner, Elika, aids him, and the strategic combat system used during battles with zone bosses. Oh, and did we mention it's drop-dead gorgeous? It doesn't hurt that it's already playing great, either.
Far Crysis: PCs will weep at Far Cry 2's system reqs
Ubisoft has revealed the minimum and respectable suggested system requirements for its upcoming FPS / wildfire simulator, Far Cry 2. Let's just say that if your current rig had trouble running Crysis well, it's a far cry from being able to handle FC2. Oh, and just because previous series-dev Crytek is currently designing Crysis Warhead to run well on $600 systems doesn't mean that its new caretakers at Ubisoft are giving up the war against two-week-old PC components. You'll find the full shopping list rundown of requirements after the break. [Via Big Download]
E308: Far Cry 2 trailer proves Africa is the hottest new setting for games
Resident Evil 5 and Far Cry 2 are both Africa bound! Coming soon from Ubisoft Montreal is Far Cry 2. A sequel of sorts, Far Cry 2 takes the name from the original title developed by Crytek and features a new story and world. Taking place in an unnamed part of Africa players can expect a more realistic shooter than the original. If that guarantees we won't be shooting up aliens in the boiling heat then sign us up! Also, check out the briefly flashed-URL that points to the blog of Reuben Monday-Oluwagembi, the personal blog of the journalist narrator from the trailer. Yay! More Alternate Reality Games! Far Cry 2 is set to release this October, the trailer is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Far Cry 2 video interview discusses day/night system
In this video interview with the developers of Far Cry 2, Ubisoft gives you a brief rundown of the story: track down an arms dealer supplying goods to both sides of some warring factions. There's also a lot of different ways to approach the game: there's a night and day system in place and depending on your actions during the day or night, the game will play out differently. Of course, the time of day will have coinciding strategies that will work to your advantage, whether you want to sneak Metal Gear Solid style or run in with guns blazing. It sounds interesting and we hope to hear more as the game nears completion.
Ubisoft confirms no stealthy Assassins 2 this year
Filed under both the "frowny face" and "umm, duh?" news categories is confirmation from Ubisoft that there will be no Assassin's Creed sequel releasing in 2008. Laurent Detoc, the uber rich president of Ubisoft North America, told Forbes that " there's no new 'Assassin's Creed' this year, despite its sales success," but that "when we bring it back, there will be more anticipation for it." And even though you're semi-sad about the news, it isn't like you expected to be assassinating in 2008 anyway ... right? Don't kid yourself kiddo. [Via Eurogamer]
Far Cry 2 single player could last 25 hours! No 50! ... No 100!
Players looking forward to shooting their way through Far Cry 2's 50-square kilometers of African wilderness best set aside the better part of a few weeks (at least!) to do so. Varying reports suggest it could take as long as 100 hours (for compass-be-damned wanderers, no doubt) to complete the game's single player campaign alone.Ubisoft Montreal creative workhorse Clint Hocking offered us an apparently inadequate estimate when he guessed that the campaign could be completed in as little as 25 hours, before adding that to see it all "you're looking at a 100-hour play experience." And, speaking to CVG, producer Louis-Pierre Pharand landed his estimate somewhere in the middle, suggesting 50 hours of play time to completion. Regardless of the varying possibilities, it's reasonable to expect that the shooter's single player experience will be long, evidence that not all devs are drinking from the same fountain as Phil Harrison.%Gallery-6687%
New Prince of Persia screens and video
As the embargo for Ubidays ends and news about the new Prince of Persia game begins to flood the tubes, the more promise the game seems to have. Ubisoft Montreal is looking to refresh the franchise by taking elements from everything from Ico to Assassin's Creed. The main change is the female character, Elika, who will be your AI companion through the game, similar to Yorda from Ico.Unlike Yorda however, Ubisoft Montreal is looking to make Elika only helpful and never detrimental. As seen in the trailer Elika is now the source of many of your time powers, and she'll be intergal to the new combat system. The new system focuses entirely on single combat and you'll never find yourself in any fight that isn't a duel. Ubisoft is making some big changes with this one, lets hope it's a success!%Gallery-23436%
Joystiq hands-on: Far Cry 2
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Hands_on_Far_Cry_2'; When we last saw Clint Hocking, creative director at Ubisoft Montreal, he was making a last minute stop at PAX to show off Far Cry 2. The visibly tired Hocking took us on a tour of the new game's exotic environment, the African Serengeti – exoticism being the game's major connection to the original. A couple weeks ago at Ubisoft's Ubidays event in San Francisco, Hocking was there again, but in a smaller room (decorated in an African theme) surrounded by journalists actually playing the game. "It's 50 square kilometers, an open world," he says. We'd heard the same thing previously, as far back as PAX. The game had always been ambitious; now, it was running quite smoothly right in front of us, on an Xbox 360. So, how close are they to reaching that goal of being an entirely open world shooter? From what I could tell in this very limited demo, pretty close.%Gallery-23913%
New Prince of Persia: Prodigy Screens
Since the reveal the that franchise would be continuing in a different form, the cel-shaded look has received both admiration and criticism. Unfortunately, there were only magazine scans until now, and with hi res direct shots of the game the debate about the graphical style at least has some sort of shared resources. Whether you you like the style or not, the shots are worth a look and obviously have some good art direction behind them. Click below readers! %Gallery-23436%
A cleaner look at next-gen, cel-shaded Prince of Persia
An Ubisoft rep tells us, "We haven't officially released any screenshots online for PoP" -- kinda hard to believe when there's a fresh cluster warming up the server on Czech Republic site Tiscali Games. (There's a preview too, in Czech -- and here's Google's best effort.) While the images look virtually identical to those seen in the leaked Joypad feature from last month, being online screenshots, these new offerings have an obvious advantage over the scans we were forced to make due with previously. As for when Ubi plans the official release of screenshots online: "All screens and artwork will be available on the Ubidays press kit on Wednesday, May 28th."In addition, we've posted a new "Speed Art" trailer after the break, depicting Elika, a "powerful companion who accompanies the Prince throughout the game." Elika will apparently be integrated into the actual gameplay, assisting with acrobatics and combat. Just think of her as the new Dominic Santiago, you know, minus the Hispanic meathead part.[Via NeoGaf]
Prince of Persia Speedpainting? Ready, Set, GO!
Do you like art? We here at X3F absolutely do, especially when it has to do with a game that sounds great and that we don't know a whole lot about yet. In a sped-up video of Ubisoft's character artist working his magic, we watch as twenty minutes (amazing!) of work flies by in about a minute, producing a stylized likeness of the protagonist. And as is becoming more common in the gaming world, there are plans to keep the short video clips of the game coming. With the job or introducing all the potential players to the world in hopes they'll eventually become actual players. A pic of the artwork can be found here.
Far Cry 2 intro trailer mixes gameplay with developer commentary
Ubisoft recently released an introductory video for Far Cry 2, its upcoming human-hunt across the African plains. The trailer mixes clips of Ubi Montreal developers talking and actual gameplay footage. Although we got some footage showing off the game's engine earlier this year, we really haven't seen gameplay footage since Leipzig.The developer clips in this trailer are actually quite entertaining, with Far Cry 2's art director, Alex Amancio, explaining how the team almost got eaten by lions while camping in Africa (silly Quebecers, should have hired someone with lion-mastering experience). Far Cry 2 is expected later this year and will allegedly be the same game on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.%Gallery-6687%
Rumor: New Prince of Persia detailed in Joypad mag
Though it's been officially announced for a Holiday 2008 release, Ubisoft's next and "next-gen" Prince of Persia hasn't been glimpsed outside of some leaked concept art (seen above). Of course, that's not a situation the internet can tolerate for very long, with alleged magazine scans of the royal wall runner already popping up on several sites. New information and images, reportedly emerging from the pages of French mag, Joypad, reveal the cel-shaded prince leaping through several stunning environments. A loose (and unconfirmed) French translation from the NeoGAF forum indicate that our acrobatic pal has gone and done something regrettable again -- this time he's let an evil god out of its box and needs to restore the corrupted world (a la Okami) bit by bit. Quick, rewind the time! Oh, wait, that's supposedly not in the game anymore. Instead, it seems the Ubisoft Montreal team has started anew, with more open levels ("multiple paths can be taken"), a greater reliance on the environment ("Prince can slide along any walls using his glove") and fewer, more memorable bosses "inspired by" Metal Gear Solid. It's not specified whether you'll have to change wireless controller channels to defeat any of them.Read -- NeoGAF translation (the forum is currently down)Read -- Prince of Persia screens
Prince of Persia coming to PS3 by the end of 2008
Ubisoft Montreal have announced that the Prince of Persia franchise will be making its giant leap onto next-gen systems. The as yet unnamed sequel to the rejuvenate the action-adventure genre" with the next Prince of Persia as well as introducing a "brand-new illustrative art style" to the series. No doubt we'll hear more about this at Ubisoft's Ubidays at the end of this month. Until then you'll have to remain satisfied with the knowledge you'll be playing an all new -- next-gen -- Prince of Persia before the end of the year. Even if it doesn't have a name yet.[Via Press Release]
Ubisoft confirms new Prince of Persia for holiday 08
Today Ubisoft announced that a new title in the Prince of Persia franchise will release this holiday season. The latest entry, which is simply titled Prince of Persia, is currently in development at Ubisoft Montreal and will launch on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.According to the publisher the latest installment in the franchise, "[opens] a new chapter in the Prince of Persia universe" and will feature a new style of gameplay "poised to rejuvenate the action-adventure genre." Along with the new gameplay Ubisoft promises a new "illustrative" art style. Well, color us excited.[via Joystiq]
