Ubisoft had a huge booth in the center of PAX East, offering plenty of games for attendees to check out. An Assassins Creed III theater showed gameplay footage for the first time; Ghost Recon: Future Soldier co-op matches introduced some great teamwork elements; and smaller efforts like Trials Evolution and Ghost Recon Online had presence on the show floor as well.
But perhaps the game that got the most attention on the floor was Far Cry 3, the latest in the company’s long-running first person shooting series. Not only did the company have a multiplayer version of the game present and accounted for, but it also brought an interesting promotion that gave attendees a free copy of the game – provided they were willing to go the extra mile for it.
The multiplayer consists of six vs. six match-ups, with a “capture the flag” mode taking place in an urban jungle map, complete with a nearby village encampment and ammunition dump. The point of this match was to take control of three primary points on the map, either overtaking them from an enemy team or attempting to keep them from being captured. It operated like traditional multiplayer, with plenty of run-and-gun opportunities and even the option of struggling to stay alive after a fatal wound, until someone could come over and revive you. An interesting new feature allows players to virtually see where they were hit, and by which assailant, while the match is still taking place without them.
On top of playable game units, Ubisoft offered one of two ways to really show your devotion to Far Cry 3. On Friday, the company flew in a pair of tattoo specialists from New York to provide free Far Cry-themed tattoos. Those who got them would receive a free copy of the game, along with promotional notoriety with a tattoo on their arm, back or wherever they wanted one. (Sorry, no private parts included this time around.)
On Saturday and Sunday, Ubisoft flew in some hair cutters to provide attendees with special Mohawk cuts, like one of the chief villain characters in the game. Those who obliged not only got a free trim, but a copy of the game as well. And these weren’t the old Mr. T Mohawks either, but rather the slightly mangled ones like the renegade refugee sports.
Far Cry 3 hits stores this September for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Sadly, we didn’t get either a tattoo or mohawk…but at least the multiplayer was quite engaging.
