Far Cry 4 Sneak Peek

Last night, I went to Durham's Museum of Life and Science for an adults-only event devoted to games and game theory. The event featured local game game developers, a Duke professor who gave some short talks on game theory, a room where people were playing J. S. Joust with Playstation Move, and—best of all for me—a demo of Far Cry 4 hosted by some of the developers who worked on the game. Here is what I learned:

1) Daniel Solis of Smart Play Games creates card games that are both competitive and nonviolent. He had a booth last night where he was showing off his newest game, Belle of the Ball, in which players attempt to get high scores by admitting party guests who are compatible and turning others away. Several of his other card games were also on display, including one called Nine Lives in which players attempt to rescue stray cats without getting scratched. These games looked like a lot of fun, and I'm thinking about acquiring one to test with students at my school's game club.

2) Playing prisoner's dilemma games with your boyfriend really sucks. (Or is it just my boyfriend?)

3) J.S. Joust is so much fun! I had always neglected the Playstation Move and seen it as a pointless accessory, but watching people play Joust and then trying it myself was absolutely hilarious. The point of the game is to move in time with some classical music and hold your controller steady—while getting close enough to others to jostle their controllers and get them "out." My favorite moment was probably when I saw one guy reach out to shake another player's hand... only to shake it so hard that it threw his new friend's other hand off balance for a surprise elimination.

4) The Far Cry 4 development team is awesome, and it looks like their game will be awesome. I had never spoken to game developers before, and I was very impressed with the experience I had last night. The guys who were there to represent Far Cry were open, friendly, and excited about their handiwork. I'm normally a little bit shy about trying video games for the first time in front of other people, but they created a relaxed and welcoming environment that helped me overcome that.

We were allowed to play a limited version of multiplayer, in which one side represents the stealthy, magic-wielding Rakshasa and the other represents the gun- and machinery-heavy Golden Path. After each round, teams switch sides, which encourages versatility. The elephant battles are real, and they are awesome. My favorite moment, though, was probably when I accidentally summoned a bear to act as my ally. How cool is that? So far, I'm definitely more excited about playing as the Rakshasa, whose stealth, animal summoning, and archery tricks are going to make me feel like a badass.

Overall, I had a good night last night. I'm so glad that I preordered Far Cry 4 and will be picking it up on Tuesday. I'm not only excited about the single player campaign, but I'm also genuinely excited about multiplayer for the first time ever.