Far Cry Instincts nearer

Far Cry Instincts has gone gold...finally. Months after its originally scheduled first-quarter 2005 release, the console version of Ubisoft's best-selling PC shooter now has a firm ship date of September 27. Originally slated for both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, the game is now exclusive to Microsoft's console. It is rated M for Mature by the ESRB and will carry an MSRP of $49.99. As an added incentive, Ubisoft is offering anyone who preorders the game from EB Games, GameStop, GameCrazy, GameRush, Hastings, and Ubisoft's online store a free copy of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 for the Xbox.

Far Cry Instincts is a "reworking" of the popular first-person shooter Far Cry. But while the PC edition was developed by the now EA-allied Crytek, Instincts was created at Ubisoft's Montreal studio, the same shop responsible for the Prince of Persia and Splinter Cell series. It "takes the PC version's signature locations, and unprecedented view-distance, and combines them with improved gameplay scenarios that will challenge players to utilize an even broader range of strategies and survival tactics," according to Ubisoft. That means you'll see the same setting as the original, but you'll find new plot elements and a graphics engine that's been tweaked for the Xbox.

But while Instincts will feature new scenarios, its basic premise is still the same. Players take on the role of Jack Carver, a man who wakes up marooned on a tropical island. Despite the lush setting, there is trouble in paradise, in the form of a group of heavily armed mercenaries that proceeds to try to kill Carver. After seeing Jack run through the jungle for a while, players will encounter even more nefarious foes.

GameSpot recently got to play a near-final build of Far Cry Instincts. Read our hands-on to find out more.