The third and final day of the Games Convention Asia (GCA) 2008 saw a diverse line up of events and visitors. The international event is the only platform for the electronic game industry in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region. Gaming peripheral suppliers like Logitech to game publishing powerhouse EA were amongst the participants.

As the last day of the convention and also specifically catered to students, who will form the future talent pool for the gaming industry and Singapore as well as occupying a large segment of the local gaming market, product give-aways and a cosplay competition were some of the highlights of the event, as well as game previews.

UrbanWire managed to catch previews of the upcoming major title, Far Cry 2 and a blindingly fast lightsaber duel in the newly released LucasArts’ game, Star Wars: the Force Unleashed. Far Cry 2, the sequel to the award winning title from Ubisoft in 2000, is set in the savannahs and jungle of Africa. Ubisoft has certainly striven to crank the immersion factor and free-form gaming concept to its fullest in its latest first-person shooter.

A Far Cry From Home

Clint Hawking, Creative Director of Far Cry 2 said in an interview with GameSpot, “a lot of developers set out to make immersion one of their core components in a game”, because while realism is the all-essential ingredient for that “wow” factor in games, it is especially indispensable for a shooter when one explores the world through a first person perspective, even more so for a brand name one like the Far Cry series which bears the burdens of high expectations. And Far Cry 2 rises to the challenge by tailoring their game world to a gamer’s loftiest dreams, “to make him really feel like he is physically embodied in that world,” such that “he feels his physical presence in the world.”

And what wonderful realism it is. Ferns and other assorted jungle foliage sway in the gentle, sun-lit African breeze, belying the dangerous outlaws and renegades who make camp deep in these parts. When struck by gunfire, the flora snap back from the brute impact and break off into pieces, while saplings yield flying splinters and eventually fall down if you get the angle of your fire right. The camera never jumps to another view but always represents what you see in front of you, like when you pull out your machete or get into a car, your right hand will reach to your side to pull out the blade or grab onto the steering wheel and turn as you drive and steer. When you jump into a river for to swim, your hands automatically start pulling in a swimming motion as your body chugs through the water with each stroke. Weapons jam and degrade after time, prompting your character to slap the weapon with his hands and repeatedly pulling the cocking handle to clear the rifle stoppage.

In a scene UrbanWire was privy to, a player ambushes a beat-up car trundling down a crude winding dirt path through the jungle. Firing a spray of whistling hot lead into the car punches holes through its bonnet, and as the driver of the vehicle, a renegade, steps out brandishing his rifle, the player pumps several shots into the man’s face and chest. Immediately, in a spot-on display of animation and physics, the man is thrown back and slams against the door of his car, clutching his face with blood spurting, before finally expiring on the ground.

All this and a 50 sq km area (bigger than the game world of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion) in which the player can roam about freely at their leisure, this sequel is definitely shaping up to be a far cry from the lacklustre, linear shooters of the past.