Far Cry 2, '07 & '08

Far Cry 2 Release Date Narrowed Down
-an article from softpedia.com by Andrei Dumitrescu (March 2008)

"And the teasing never stops. Some game publishers are really fine tunning the art of dropping a date here, a new feature there, a new character name over there, while only serving their deep desire to make gamers so excited about an upcoming game that they begin counting the days until release. And then, the hours. And then, the minutes. And then... I'm sure you know how it feels.

Ubisoft is one company that's getting dangerously close to perfecting the "make a gamer psychotic" routine. Their Far Cry 2 game, one of the most expected games of the year, was subject to numerous rumors that alluded to it being pushed to the spring of 2009. Only now, after the rumors made their way across the globe, has Ubisoft stepped in to announce that the company is "confident" that Far Cry 2 will ship in the Autumn of 2008, simultaneously on the PC, the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.

The game is the direct successor to the first Far Cry game, which was developed by Crytek and published by Ubisoft. The two had a falling out over the next game and so Crytek parted ways and went on to make graphical wonder and system hog Crysis while Ubisoft created an internal studio to develop Far Cry 2.

The game takes place in Africa and offers the player a wide open world which he can explore to his liking. The graphics as seen so far are really breathtaking and trees seem to regrow foliage after it's been shot off. Also, the game will lack a story in its traditional sense. The only limitation to what you can do is your own morals and the way you approach the game.Ubisoft also said it planned on putting together a demo for the game, to encourage gamers to see for themselves if all the features are in place and the game really looks as good as advertised. There's no release date for the demo at the moment."

source:
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Far-Cry-2-Release-Date-Narrowed-Down-81807.shtml

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Far Cry 2 Screens & Interview
Posted by Steve on Thursday, August 23rd, 2007 at 9:06 pm

"Coming out of the wealth of new gaming info from the 2007 Leipzeig Gaming Convention are new in-game screenshots from Far Cry 2, developed by Ubisoft Montreal.
I had my doubts about this game due to the Far Cry IP being pawned off by Crytek. Also supporting my doubt was knowledge of Ubisoft Montreal’s choice to design a completely new engine for Far Cry 2. The developer of Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia games tackling a wide open lush environment 3D shooter? That’s quite a jump in game complexity. But wait, there’s more. Ubi is also dumping the Far Cry storyline and characters. Yep, no more Jack Carver (RiP). Oh yeah, I almost forgot… no tropical island paradise either. Ubi wants to take us on safari instead. Bloody hell! What are they smoking?
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist’s broker to see that Ubisoft just wanted to buy the Far Cry IP for the name. I guess we’ve gotten to the point where originality is so hard to sell that we have to try to trick people into buying it? Marketing for the win… (/rant)

Regardless, the new screenshots available have somewhat negated most of my doubts. For now, Far Cry 2 doesn’t look to be a Crysis-killer; however, if these screens are any indication, I’d bet this game can hold its own in the graphics department. Ok, Ubi, you’ve got a good looking game. Now, the real question is can you make something other than just another pretty game? To back that up, CVG scored a pretty good interview with Far Cry 2’s producer and creative director. The interview covers most of the things I’ve already mentioned; however, there are some note-worthy Far Cry 2 features worth mentioning:

• African setting (safari baby!)
• new custom engine
• 50 sq/km open world
• 650 meter distance views
• new LivePosture animation system
• dynamic environments (destructable vegetation and reactive elements)
• dynamic weather system (time of day, rain, storm, procedural clouds)
• real fire propagation (every flammable element can burn)
• more than 30 weapons (with weapon wear)
• 14 vehicles with 40 variants (glider is back!)
• completely unscripted AI
• drama-management engine to drive a non-linear story (think GTA)
• joinable factions (think S.T.A.L.K.E.R.)
  more features coming…

Ok, now I’m even more interested. I must admit, Far Cry 2 is sporting some realistic looking fire there (which probably looks ten times better in motion). I can just see it now. Light up a cigarette. Toss it into some random straw house. Walk away and watch a whole village burn to the ground. Oooh, pretty fire. Oh how you glow with delight.

Ubi, if you can pull this off, the inner-pyro in me wants to say “You had me at burn”."

source:

http://news.filefront.com/new-far-cry-2-screens-interview/

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From Me

steve lotto

I am excited.

There are only few games I play anymore and only like once every 2 weeks, so I'm actually kinda proud of it, but when a game gets my eye like Far Cry 2 and Crysis, I can't really resist, especially when I have The Machine to play it on. I enjoy a beautiful game. A game that makes me think of how it must have been to create it. A game that is no longer just a game, but an experience. Something you can get lost in. Something worthy of an Academy Award.

• Halo 3
• Crysis
• Far Cry 2

Those are really the only ones that really struck a chord with me. (I'll also add in Call of Duty 4, but take out Halo 3 because it didn't quite do it for me besides the story.)

So, it's basically just Crysis. Hats off to it and the creators.

But, Halo 3 was an excellent story that had me anticipating it ever since I beat Halo 2 back "in the day". I loved hangin' with my bro Mark "the Sharkus" playin' H3 co-op thru the story for the first time.

As far as Crysis' storyline. It was hardcore and gripping, but the end.....oh my buttery goodness, the end. It wasn't the way to end a game. You might as well shoot me. I had honestly been anticipating this game for over a year by this point, and had even bought the X Faktor Machine to play it the way it should be played, put through all the crap with the Machine, the delays and such....and the game had a glitch where I could not get passed a certain level.....had to start over...and then at the end....it just ended. Abrupt, just like Halo 2. Now, I cannot begin to express how I felt at that moment. I had a relapse to my Halo 2 days. Fury.

All I know, is that if the developers don't want to be hunted down and shot, they better get working on the sequel real soon, or at least throw some believable rumors that it's coming.

When we'll know, nobody knows.

Japanese Film

3 flicks recently I viewed....

Kagemusha

"When a powerful warlord in medieval Japan dies, a poor thief recruited to impersonate him finds difficulty living up to his role and clashes with the spirit of the warlord during turbulent times in the kingdom." -IMDb

Kagemusha means "Shadow Warrior". This totally threw me off, since I watched this film assuming it had a ninja that flipped out on everyone. Nope. No ninja(s). No fun for anyone.

The 1980 film by acclaimed Japanese director, Akira Kurosawa, nearly put me to sleep. I have never wanted a refund for the 1.5 hours of my life spent viewing a film, until now. I quit after half of the film was over, I just couldn't take it anymore, especially since I had Sword of Doom ready to be watched. If you have nothing better to do but wash your dentures, and desire to hone your patience skills, then this movie is for you!

Apparently, IMDb gave it an 8.0 (7.9 after I voted, lol)....maybe they hung in there for the other half of the film.

According to IMDb, I gave it a 6/10, meaning, it's good & long enough to fall asleep to on a nice Saturday afternoon.

the Sword of Doom

"Ryunosuke is a sociopathic samurai without compassion or scruples. When he is scheduled for an exhibition match at his fencing school, the wife of his opponent begs Ryunosuke to throw the match, offering her own virtue in trade. Ryunosuke accepts her offer, but kills her husband in the match. Over time, Ryunosuke is pursued by the brother of the man he killed. The brother trains with the master fencer Shimada. In the meantime, however, Ryunosuke earns the enmity of the band of assassins he runs with, and it becomes a question of who shall face him in final conflict." -IMDb

The film was great. Plus, it stars Toshiro Mifune, who is friggin sweet, in my opinon.

8.0 on IMDb, and the same from me.

2hrs long.

Zatoichi (2003)

"Blind Zatoichi makes his living by gambling and giving massages. But behind his humble facade, Zatoichi is a master swordsman, gifted with lightning-fast draw and strokes of breathtaking precision. Zatoichi wanders into a town run by sinister gangs and a powerful samurai. He's destined for violent showdowns when he stumbles on two beautiful geishas avenging their parents' murder... Duels, wit and a touch of zen! Cult anti-hero Zatoichi is back in a sword-fighting adventure written, directed and starring Takeshi Kitano." -IMDb

I loved this film, and I have no idea why it scored lower than the previous mentioned films. (7.6/10) Maybe, because it is, in fact, only 5 years old....and for some reason, new films don't get the respect that they should until they get to be at least 30 years old. Sad day. Oh well, I enjoyed it, that's for sure.

Lots of CG blood. "The blood in the film has been described by many as being "too CGI". Kitano did this intentionally, wanting to "soften the shock to the audience" due to the high body count. Kitano told the CGI artist he wanted the blood to "look like flowers blossoming across the screen."'

Good film, watch it.

New Muze and Reruns

i busted out some of the 'ol 8-tracks

Our 10th ANNIVERSARY today! I love you Kyla!

Just got the new albums from Flame (Our World: Redeemed) and Pillar (For the Love of the Game). Very good albums, lots of deep bass with Flame.

Just watched Juno tonight. I had no idea what it was about going into it, but it wouldn't be a movie I'd buy or even consider renting. I only got it for my buddy, Cdub. I won't even post a review on it. just a rating: 5.4/10.

And that's it for now.

adios.