According to Far Cry 2’s producer Louis-Pierre Pharand, the single player campaign in the game could last up to 50 hours. While there are games that last that long (and longer), it’s usually role-playing games like Oblivion, not first person shooters like Far Cry 2. I would assume that’s because of the nature of first person shooters; they are usually fast-paced and more frantic, which means everything is a lot more packed and takes more work to create less play time. This is also what many FPS fans expect and enjoy, and a genre that is usually fast-paced could become tedious if stretched over the equivalent of more than two straight days.

However, the wording of Pharand’s claim didn’t seem as confident as many of the other numbers game producers throw around, and instead sounded more like an optimistic guess:

“Just on single alone, gamers can potentially have close to 50 hours of game play”

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Man, anyone that tells you that all the biggest games come out near Christmas is a dirty rotten liar. March is where it is fucking at. We’ve got a plethora of hyped games flooding out this month. Other then the four we’re looking at here there is God of War: Chains of Olympus, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Rings of Fate, Final Fantasy: Crisis Core and a whole host of other games vying for your attention. Even games not so in demand like Sega Super Star Tennis are getting hyped up to no end. So since we’ve already taken a look at February let’s jump right into all the shiny packaging and pretty advertising we can. There might be more hype this month thanks solely to one game (you know which one) then any other during the entire year. So strap yourself in and get ready to ride the roller coaster of PR speak and doctored screenshots. This is The Hype Machine.

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Nine new videos of Rainbow Six Vegas 2 were released recently, and we’re finally getting to see some substantial gameplay (unlike in the first two disappointing trailers). There’s a new developer diary, two featurettes, and a bunch of brief gameplay segments, and it is looking good, albeit identical in many respects to the first Rainbow Six Vegas. Considering how much fun the original was this isn’t necessarily bad, but the first thing I notice is the lack of significant changes, and it seems like most of it was taken directly from the first Rainbow Six Vegas without much modification. That’s not to say there aren’t any improvements (like a much better co-op mode, a more advanced ranking and customization system, new modes, maps, and weapons, and I’m sure many minor adjustments and additions), but a lot of it seems like it could have just as easily been an expansion pack.

All nine videos are embedded below so you can make your own judgement:

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Ubisoft has announced today that Far Cry 2 is becoming multiplatform, and heading to the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. The sequel to the original 2004 PC game will release on the PC at the end of the first quarter of 2008, while the console versions will be releasing sometime in the very broad timeline of 2008-2009. Ubisoft Montreal is now in charge of the Far Cry sequel, instead of Crytek, and will be sure to do a bang up job of dealing with the game by impressing up with the bright graphics the original game gave us.

Microsoft isn’t a stranger to the Far Cry series, as Far Cry: Instincts and its other games has appeared on both the Xbox 360 and the Xbox. It’s just too bad that Far Cry 2 cannot appear on the Wii, as Far Cry: Vengeance did…

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The first Rainbow Six Vegas 2 trailer was released a little over a week ago, and unfortunately it was pretty disappointing with its only redeeming factor being some random boobs thrown in. A new teaser has been released, and unlike the first one it’s composed of more than live action gambling and cheesy voice-overs. It doesn’t really show much though, besides the team getting out of a helicopter and the leader shoving his hand into the camera, but at least it actually shows the game (even if it is pre-rendered). Still, I’m left waiting for some action and explosions, and it could have been a lot better. Maybe next time - they’ve had two tries after all, so they better have something awesome for the third.

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I enjoyed Rainbow Six Vegas, so I was excited when the sequel was announced. Vegas is just such a bright and vibrant backdrop for a shooter, and the tactical gameplay fit great with the city. Now, thanks to the Spike Video Game Awards, there’s a trailer for Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (embedded above). Unfortunately, it doesn’t show a whole lot that actually pertains to the game it is supposed to be showing. It starts out with live-action, talking about what Vegas is, and there’s some scantily clad women thrown in to keep your attention while you wait for something interesting to happen. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with throwing some boobs in game trailers (I actually recommend it), but all the live-action stuff isn’t necessary and I was hoping for more game footage.

Finally at the end they show more than just actors and close up shots of cards and chips, but it is brief and really doesn’t show much. The far too cliche announcer doesn’t help, and it comes off more like a cheesy Hollywood movie preview. It wasn’t too bad, but I was hoping for much more and it doesn’t really help hype the game up. Hopefully they release another trailer soon, but with lots of gameplay and action instead of what this trailer had. Well, except for the boobs. Those can stay.

[UPDATE: Unfortunately for anyone who wanted to see it but fortunately for Ubisoft, it appears GameTrailers took down the video, probably because almost every site that posted it thought it really wasn't that good. I've embedded the same trailer on a different site above, so hopefully this one stays.]

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Atari has announced today that it will stop developing games and focus solely on publishing them. It’s also been revealed today that their CEO, David Pierce, has resigned today. Curtis G. Solsvig III will be taking over the CEO duties until the company can find a replacement. Job cuts ensue.

Atari parent company, Infogrames, will be now taking over the Test Drive series. Infogrames will be paying $5 million to produce the games over the course of the next 6 years. Atari also recently sold it’s Driver franchise to Ubisoft, and Stuntman to THQ.

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Seriously, what is up with these rabbids? Where is the appeal? I’m sure that a 5 year old girl would get a kick out of them, but where’s my slice of the pie? Yes, I played the first game. Yes, it was enjoyable for the couple of hours that it lasted. However, is the world ready for another Rayman Raving Rabbids game?

If I had a chance to answer that question, I would give a stark, “No.” Can’t Ubisoft take the game back to its platforming roots, which I love and appreciate so much? Or at least color the game cartridge green? Please, Ubisoft, do anything that gets rid of the gimmicky multiplayer minigame controls.

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Hey, Ubisoft?! Who thought it was a good idea to can Jade Raymond in the interview-about-Assassin’s Creed-gameplay department? Whoever it was, please consider firing this person.

Well, anyway, I guess we’re stuck with some filthy Canadian, who happens to go by the name Patrice Desilets, describing just exactly how gameplay in Assassin’s Creed will work. Ah well, who cares if he can’t pronounce “control” or “throw” correctly? I bet he wishes that he could speak American properly.

As far as combat gameplay goes, it seems somewhat simple. Dodge, attack, counter? Sounds easy enough. However, couple this with the fact that you’ll be facing an almost uncountable number of enemies all at once, and you’ve got a solid challenge.

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If you’ve ever met me, or read anything that I’ve written about the upcoming Assassin’s Creed (PS3, X360), you’d know about my *huge* crush on the game’s producer, Jade Raymond. Well, now that Assassin’s Creed has officially gone gold, I’ve finally mustered up the courage to ring my sweetie on the phone. The only thing is, I can’t seem to find her phone number anywhere. Each time I google “Jade Raymond phone number,” a message keeps coming up telling me that this information is “restricted” to me, due to “Restraining Order B378576.” What’s a restraining order? Does that mean that my love for Jade can no longer be restrained?

All faux legal action against me aside, hit the jump for the official press release.

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