Far Cry Instincts set for September

Over a year ago, console gamers looked on in envy as their PC brethren enjoyed the groundbreaking graphics and innovative gameplay of Far Cry. However, their hopes were raised just weeks later, when publisher Ubisoft announced it was working on Far Cry Instincts, a PlayStation 2 and Xbox version of the first-person shooter.

The console adaptation was being developed at Ubisoft Montreal, not at Germany-based Crytek, the studio behind the PC original. Good thing, too, since in July 2004 Crytek announced that it had entered into a "strategic partnership" with Electronic Arts, a rival and potential purchaser of Ubisoft.

Perhaps not so coincidentally, the EA-Crytek announcement came less than three weeks after Ubisoft revealed that Far Cry instincts would not arrive until Q1 2005, rather than the previously expected Q4 2004. That release date was pushed back further in March, when a financial report from the France-based publisher revealed that Instincts would storm store shelves during Ubisoft's second fiscal quarter, which runs from July to September 2005.

Now, Ubisoft has nailed down Far Cry Instincts' release as during the tail end of the aforementioned quarter. "Far Cry Instincts will ship for the consoles in September 2005," said the company in a brief statement. The statement did not mention specific platforms for the game, referring only to "the consoles." It did say, though, that "a hands-on demo" of the game would be playable at E3 in May.

Though not a direct port of the PC game, Far Cry Instincts will retain the same basic story arc of the original, following the exploits of mercenary Jack Carver as he uncovers a sinister plot while on a lush tropical archipelago. For more details, investigate GameSpot's impressions from last year's E3.