News
6 CommentsUbisoft announces 18 percent increase in annual sales driven by Assassin's Creed and Far Cry
By Dave Tach on May 15, 2013 05.15.13
Ubisoft's annual sales rose 18 percent and its operating income increased by 79 percent, driven in part by strong sales of games in the Assassin's Creed and Far Cry franchises, according to the company's financial report for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013. The report highlights "revenue generated from games for core gamers," which was up 60 percent year-over-year. Ubisoft called out Assassin's Creed 3, which sold more than 12.5 million units, and Far Cry 3, which sold more than 6 million units, as driving the increase. Revenue from casual games shrunk 32 percent year-over-year, though Just Dance 4 sold 8.5 million units. "Online/digital" sales were up 86 percent year-over-year and accounted for 11.7 percent of total sales. Ubisoft expects that the first quarter 2013-2014...
News
3 CommentsFar Cry 3 voice actor Martin Kevan passes away at age 66
By Emily Gera on May 07, 2013 05.07.13
Martin Kevan, best known throughout the gaming community as the voice behind Far Cry 3's Dr. Earnhardt, passed away on May 1 following a brief battle with cancer, according to the Montreal Gazette. The 66 year-old actor, voice actor and author was born in Kenya and later raised in England and Montreal. While living in Quebec, Canada, Kevan was one of only a few anglophone actors to cultivate a successful career in both French and English languages. In the early 1980s, he became an author with the release of the acclaimed novel Racing Tides. He is survived by his mother and brother. A full obituary is available here.
Review
56 CommentsFar Cry 3: Blood Dragon review: cold war kids
By Arthur Gies on Apr 30, 2013 04.30.13
Blood Dragon's plot is intentionally dumb. I think. The condensed version of Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon's — intentionally, I think — laughably convoluted plot goes something like this: In the "future" world of 2007, an extended Cold War has yielded full-on nuclear annihilation for most of the planet. Cyber commando Rex "Power" Colt has been sent to solve the mysteries of an island full of cyborgs, mutants and VHS tapes. Blood Dragon tries harder than just about any retro-flavored release I've ever played to fit in as much of its inspiration and, at times, points of ridicule as it can. It drips John Carpenter, Arnold Schwarzenegger, John McTiernan, cult action movies with audiences grown through mom and pop video stores, even the bizarre tough guy/tender emotions dichotomy that...
News
2 CommentsXbox Live Gold free in the UK this weekend
By Emily Gera on Apr 30, 2013 04.30.13
Xbox Live Gold will be free this weekend for users across the U.K., Xbox U.K. officials announced today. The event is slated to begin a 12 p.m. BST on May 3 until 23:59 p.m. BST on May 5. This will unlock multiplayer functionality on games over the weekend for those who are not already Xbox Live Gold members. A number of offers are also scheduled to run alongside the upcoming free weekend, including double XP events for Gears of War: Judgment, Assassin's Creed 3 and Far Cry 3. Netflix and Lovefilm subscribers will also be able to access the service through their Xbox.
News
11 CommentsXbox Live Gold free weekend hits US, Canada, Latin America and Japan on Apr. 19
By Michael McWhertor on Apr 18, 2013 04.18.13
Xbox 360 owners in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Japan will be able to enjoy the online services Xbox Live Gold membership offers for free this weekend, according to an Xbox.com announcement. Beginning Friday, April 19 at 7 a.m. PT, Xbox Live will be unlocked, granting Silver-level members access to online multiplayer and services like Netflix, HBO Go, Hulu Plus and more. The free weekend comes to a close on Monday, April 22 at 10 a.m. PT. In addition to the free Gold weekend, a handful of games will be holding double XP promotions: Far Cry 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Assassin's Creed 3. A Shift key for Borderlands 2 will also offer three Golden Keys that will provide "rare and powerful loot" as part of the promotion. Microsoft held similar free weekends for E...
Deals
2 CommentsFar Cry 3 on PS3, 360 discounted to $29.99 on Amazon
By Samit Sarkar on Apr 11, 2013 04.11.13
The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Far Cry 3 are available for $29.99 on Amazon today, a half-price discount off the regular price of $59.99. It's a not-too-shabby price for the open-world first-person shooter, which came in at number 4 on our Games of the Year list for 2012. Check out our original review here, and then read our preview of the upcoming '80s-inspired downloadable follow-up, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.
News
14 CommentsFar Cry 3: Blood Dragon dated for May 1, won't require Far Cry 3 to play
By Jenna Pitcher on Apr 07, 2013 04.07.13
Blood Dragon, the "Kick-Ass Cyber Shooter" Far Cry 3 spin off, is coming May 1 for Xbox 360 and won't require a copy of Far Cry 3 to play, according to the Xbox Live Marketplace. Set on a "bizarre open-world island" in the year 2007, players take on the role of Sergeant Rex Colt, a Mark IV Cyber Commando. As Rex, players have to fight a cyborg army gone rogue, "get the girl" and save the world. "Experience every cliché of a VHS era vision of a nuclear future, where cyborgs, blood dragons, mutants, and Michael Biehn (Terminator, Aliens, Navy SEALs) collide," the game's description reads. The "'80s VHS vision of the future" was first teased by Ubisoft on April Fools day and screenshots of the neon game were revealed a few days later. That same day, Ubisoft released three tracks from...
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12 CommentsFar Cry 3: Blood Dragon gets three retro-styled tracks on Soundcloud
By Emily Gera on Apr 04, 2013 04.04.13
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, a retro-inspired title teased by Ubisoft on April Fools' Day, now features a three-track, '80s styled soundtrack from Melbourne electronica group Power Glove. All three tracks can be streamed for free on SoundCloud, where you can check out the dulcet electronic tones of titles "Power Core," "Sloan's Assault" and "Warzone". Blood Dragon first reared its head earlier in the week in a teaser trailer and website released from Ubisoft, that pitches the title as a fake '80s sci-fi film from that era. "The year is 2007. It is the future," reads the tagline from the film. According to its synopsis found on the website, Blood Dragon tells the story of cyborg soldier Sgt. Rex Power Colt, a "Mark IV Cyber Commando" who has been sent to retrieve a bioweapon from a...
News
15 CommentsFar Cry 3 lead writer advocates for Method acting in video games
By Chris Plante on Mar 31, 2013 03.31.13
Video games, Yohalem said, are the latest and most evolved form of performance. As players, we embody characters, just as actors do onstage. But unlike a play or a film, video games put the performer in the character's shoes, not just their costumes, affording them agency. For the next 30 minutes, Yohalem made a convincing argument for this narrative strategy, occasionally including advice to fellow narrative designers. In Method acting, he said, you must understand a character's psychological motives, perform their actions and connect their experiences with your own. The same can be said of a character and its player. The writer mixed in quotes from Method acting creator Constantin Stanislavski and Method actress Meryl Streep, and showed examples of his creative philosophy in a...
Deals
1 CommentGameFly's Spring Break PC Sale discounts downloads daily through Saturday
By Dave Tach on Mar 20, 2013 03.20.13
GameFly's Spring Break PC Sale offers discounts of up to 75 percent off on downloadable PC games this week, according to the company's official Twitter account. GameFly will discount a new batch of games every day until March 24 at 2:59 a.m. Today's discounts include: Far Cry 3 for $34.99 (regularly $49.99) Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning for $7.49 (regularly $29.99) The Cave for $7.49 (regularly $14.99) Sleeping Dogs for $9.99 (regularly $39.99) Torchlight 2 for $6.79 (regularly $19.99) XCOM: Enemy Unknown for $15.99 (regularly $49.99) You can check out the deals every day by clicking the Spring Break PC Sale banner at GameFly's PC Download hub.
