Far Cr 3: Blood Dragon is very clearly cribbing a lot of its influence from 1980s action and sci-fi flicks, but one cinematic inspiration is much less clear: modern-day pulp action and horror. According to creative lead Dean Evans, a bolt of inspiration struck when he realized he wanted to replicate the feeling of films that are only five years old.
If we're honest with ourselves, we can admit that most games are silly. Even the ones that purport to take themselves very seriously are often rife with ludonarrative dissonance, when interaction doesn't match the gravity of the plot. Far Cry 3 was one recent example, but its offshoot, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, doesn't shackle itself anywhere near that level of seriousness. Instead, it strips away the artifice and revels in utter absurdity, all the while retaining the harmonious gameplay systems that helped Far Cry 3 stand out in an overcrowded shooter market.
You may already have seen proper gameplay footage from Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon after it leaked through Uplay, but any commentary on it was mostly likely a teenage YouTuber hurling obscenities. No, what you want is creative director Dean Evans narrating eight minutes of action from the downloadable throwback spin-off. All his swearing and wailing is officially sanctioned, see.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is coming out next week. But if you just can't wait to feather your hair and throw on some acid-wash denim, you can pre-order the original soundtrack from Power Glove today.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is a campy homage to action movies and heroes of the 1980s, In that vein, Ubisoft has released a new developer diary going behind the scenes with Michael Biehn, the voice of the game's star Sgt. Rex Power Colt.
Fans of the 80s have one more reason to be enthralled with Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. Today, the talented folks at Corridor Digital released Blood Dragon: The Cyber War, a live-action short that sets up the apocalypse's apocalypse and shows off the threat that cyborgs have become. Commissioned by Ubisoft, the film features the upcoming game's incredible soundtrack.
Given the response to the video, it seems like we're one step closer to Blood Dragon becoming its own franchise.
"If you look at what happened after Rambo 3 and Robocop 3, shit just went haywire. We tried to encapsulate that," creative director Dean Evans said when explaining the genesis of Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. "Let's look at it like a movie franchise that has jumped the shark and has gone absolutely mental."
A love letter to the "VHS era" of 80s action movies, Blood Dragon has captured the interest of gamers thanks to its surprising and refreshing setting. And it's something that Evans would love to return to. "It would be amazing, I'd love to do more of this sh-t," he told Shacknews.
As Ubisoft Montreal was wrapping up work on Far Cry 3, it was tasked with thinking about its requisite post-release DLC. "Sure, we could've made another island with new weapons," Blood Dragon creative director Dean Evans said. But instead, he took the opportunity to pitch a concept he's always wanted to do.
Inspired by the "VHS era" of 80s action movies, Evans went to Ubisoft execs with a 50-page presentation. On page three, he immediately received a "go."
It's finally official. After an April Fool's reveal confused people into thinking Blood Dragon was all a joke, Ubisoft has confirmed that the game will be available on May 1st on PC, PlayStation Network for PS3, and Xbox Live. And yes, it's a standalone game--no need for the original disc.
To coincide with the announcement, Ubisoft has a rather brilliant trailer prepared. With its eerily accurate 80s-style animation, cheesy voice acting, and VHS scan lines, the trailer will have you wanting to wear your jammies, turn on some Saturday morning cartoons, and eat some Batman cereal.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon just keeps getting weirder. Following leaks and an April 1st teaser site that seemed aimed at making us assume it was a joke, Ubisoft has been quiet on the issue. A new Xbox Live Marketplace listing might out the game's date, but most importantly, it exposes more of how the game is just straight-up bonkers.
In the future, in the year 2007, cyborg soldiers will be a reality. In Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, you'll play as Sergeant Rex Power Colt, and you'll mow down scientists and infiltrate missile silos with odd sci-fi weapons.
We're still not entirely sure what the connection to Far Cry is; this odd retro-themed spin-off game has us scratching our heads. Perhaps you can look at these leaked screenshots and make sense of it for us.
Far Cry 3 technical director Cedric Decelles is thoroughly excited for PS4 and the next-generation of consoles. After accepting the award for Best Technology at the GDC Awards, we chatted with him about what he thinks will come from the next-gen.
Perhaps the most important change in the next-gen is the switch to familiar x86 architecture, used in most modern Intel and AMD-powered PCs. (PS4 is already confirmed to use an x86 chip, the next Xbox is rumored to follow.) "Compared to previous generations, we can get the most out of them really quickly because it's a known architecture," Decelles told Shacknews. "We don't have to learn that much to get good use of it. That's good because we'll have better games quicker."
We've heard quite a few rumblings about Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, from a rating to achievements and artwork that imply a standalone downloadable game. Today Ubisoft has taken the wraps off of it, kind of, in a way that is both baffling and hilarious.
We really liked Far Cry 3. And apparently, so did nearly 5 million of you. With the open world shooter being positioned as one of Ubisoft's "major pillars," the company is quickly working on a follow-up.
The unannounced Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon has been discovered on the Brazilian ratings site, and is set to arrive on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 like the original game. In addition, possible XBLA artwork has been discovered.
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