After watching the Ubisoft press conference at E3, we must say: Far Cry 2 and Prince of Persia both looked impressive.

First up was Fry Cry 2, which Ubisoft called “first-person shooter 2.0, the next evolution in the first-person genre." Pretty big words, but did the demo back up there claims? It sure did. The Xbox 360 version was the one being played and looked stunning; no visible slowdown or tearing occurred while played, with everything running smoothly.

Ubisoft started with an attack on an enemy base at night to demonstrate the stealth element of the game. As they walked up to the base, crouching and crawling through the long grass, they showed us a vital feature in the game: you can use your binoculars to scope out the enemy and by doing this, markers will be added to your map. This works for both enemy locations and items, so spotting health packs will also be logged on the map. They spent a little time sniping with a silencer, taking out a few guards in the lookout tower, but the stealth approach didn’t last long, as they were soon spotted by an enemy. This forced their hand into rushing head first into the base to complete the objective and end the demo.

Prince of Persia was shown next. This Prince of Persia game is using an updated version of the same engine that powered Assassin’s Creed and because of that, the game packs a visual and artistic punch. Ubisoft also demonstrated what Elika, the Prince’s new companion, is there to do: she’s your safety net, so if you jump and don’t make it, she’ll will catch you and bring you back to safety. Ubisoft stated that having the “You died, continue?” come up when the player dies is old and stated that this “Save me!” feature will carry the flow of the game with no interruptions.

To be honest, I’m not to sure I’m sold on the “no dying” element and may make the game very easy to complete, but until we get hands-on time, it’s hard to tell. The flow of the game was fast and very slick, and Ubisoft did mention that the moves are a lot easier to pull off, making the flow of the game more continued. Another big feature is the fact that it’s not a linear game like previous entries. You can choose your own path and decide how to complete the game. The combat that was shown was intense and fast, with both the prince and Elika using each other to take down the beast.

Overall, both games look very promising and definitely left us with the feeling of wanting more. Be sure to check back to TGR as we get hands on later on in the week.