Far Cry 2 is Ubidays highlight

Vernon Kay, Paris – Ubidays was a big event for publisher Ubisoft. A stack of new games were shown with Far Cry 2 being the highlight.  Set in Africa Far Cry 2 looked gorgeous. Think dusty browns, swaying trees and lots of action. I played the console versions – both seemed identical – but the PC demo, complete with amBX support was the best way to see the game. A wide open world and an organic environment – trees that get blown up grow back – suggest this could be more than just a straight forward shooter.

Elsewhere the latest Tom Clancy games, Endwar and Hawx, were both on show.  Endwar is the the voice-controlled RTS that actually works. You simply control your units via the headset. Slightly embarrassing yes, but better than using a joypad.  Meanwhile Hawx is a modern day flight combat game. The sky graphics are better than the ground and if you like Ace Combat 6 on the 360 then this will be of interest. Again online could be key here, with the 4-player co-op sounding very impressive.

Less exciting was Brothers in Arms: Hells Highway. Militarily accurate yes but after playing Call of Duty and the like it all felt a bit too clinical. The AI was dubious too. One demo I watched saw a German soldier seemingly oblivious to the gunfire around him as he faced the wall in the corner. Perhaps he had been told off? Like Far Cry 2 the 360 and PS3 looked identical. Hopefully the promise of a darker edge – the trailer showed flashbacks and hand-to-hand combat - will be realised come release.  

 

Perhaps the biggest surprise was Shaun White’s Snowboarding, a fun mix of Tony Hawks and SSX. Freedom is key with players able to make their own way down the four sizable mountains.  The view was impressive, with distant specs soon turning into trees. Multiplayer sounds promising, with 16 players able to share the same slopes. And the pose factor comes in. with players gaining better gear as they win events. The Wii version looked weaker than the rest – as you’d expect - but does use the balance board.

 

So what else? Prince of Persia was briefly shown. The short teaser trailer did its job, suggesting co-op combat and tactics – more please. Soul Calibur IV was playable though. The hook is the inclusion of Darth Vader and Yoda. Rayman Raving Rabbids was the obligatory party game. Two events were shown, one a skiing game controlled by sitting on board and steering by adjusting your, er, cheeks accordingly.  The other was a dancing game that saw lots of Saturday Night Fever style posing.

 

And then there was the casual stuff – aka Games for Everyone – with a stack of titles aiming straight for the Nintendo mainstream.  In amongst the secret diaries, weight management titles, pets simulators and games that assume all pre-teen girls want to be teachers was Allen Carr’s Easyway to stop smoking – yup, come back generic space marines, all is forgiven. This “game” sees you setting up your profile and gaining quit advice and tips. More entertaining are the mini games based around the book. The demo I watched saw the player trying prevent nicotine from dragging their character from the social haven of the bar – cue lots of DS stylus action. Niche then, but this could find a cult following.

 

Looking at it overall Far Cry 2 was by far the most impressive thing on show, though Shaun White’s snowboarding looked a promising dark horse. But no Splinter Cell and a disappointing looking Brothers in Arms game took some of the shine off. Assasins Creed and Haze – two of Ubisoft;s biggest recent releases - failed to live up to the hype, but initial impressions suggest Far Cry 2 at least may buck the trend.