s the world of video games has evolved through the years, so too has the genre of the first person shooter. Years ago, an FPS was considered a hit if it contained buckets of blood and enough ammo to blow your opponents into tiny red bits. But, as discerning gamers of the present, we constantly demand more. We want more blood, more ammo, but also more polished gameplay like intuitive and intelligent enemy AI, a compelling storyline, and actual strategy outside the realm of blowing up everything in sight. Enter Ubisoft and Crytek’s Far Cry, an ambitious FPS for the PC that brings all of these features to the table and more. Included in the overall package of the game is not only some of the most cunning enemy AI to be ever featured in a game, but also a visual flair that is almost second to none on the PC.
The story in Far Cry focuses around the hero of Jack Carver. Down on his luck and haggard, Jack has retired from his previous life and has set up a small charter boat business in the South Pacific. Everything seems to be going well for Jack. He has the tropical air to keep him honest and he manages to whittle away a nice life for himself. But, one day, a mysterious woman by the name of Val Cortez hires Jack to take her by boat to a small nearby island. Val is an investigative reporter and the island in question may be more than just a quaint retreat for vacationers. So, with reporter in tow, Jack sets sail for the island. The welcome, however, is far from hospitable. The boat is immediately attacked and destroyed, with Val being carted away by a mysterious band of mercenaries. While not wanting to get involved, Jack has no choice but to try and track down the woman and rescue her. But, he’s not alone. After his boat is sent down to Davy Jones’ locker, Jack discovers a mysterious device that is tuned into a helpful Samaritan - a man who offers up both help and clues as Jack tries to rescue Val.
As you progress through the storyline, you’ll be filled in with more and more clues as to what’s actually happening on the island. When you first start off your journey, you’re basically in the dark as to what’s really going on, so it’s nice to be offered the reward of having the story filled in for you the further you progress. What seems odd and somewhat misplaced at first (mercenaries running rampant) unfolds into more bizarre things, including strange genetic experimentation, and even mutants, who are also running rampant. Compared to other FPS titles that barely have a story at all, the plot in Far Cry is both compelling and interesting. While it does tend to get a bit hokey at times, it does offer up a good reason to keep playing, something that other FPS games can rarely credit themselves with.
Anyone familiar with FPS titles on the PC won’t be too terribly surprised by the control setups and gameplay that is featured in Far Cry. With the game being on the PC, you can tweak and customize your controls to your liking. What really sets Far Cry apart from other FPS games is its heavy emphasis on strategy and stealth while playing. While other FPS titles usually charge you with simply gunning your way through hordes of enemies, Far Cry offers up a more strategic play. Essentially, there are usually two ways to confront a situation in the game; the way of stealth and the way of the gun. Controls in the game allow for quite a few different stealth maneuvers, which makes sneaking around enemy encampments and through the forests easier. Along with being able to crouch and creep around, Jack can also lie prone on the ground, as well as peek around corners. With environments that are literally crawling with enemies at times, these moves prove to be invaluable for when you absolutely can’t be spotted by an enemy. Also, the stealth maneuvers play into overall combat as well. For example, whipping out a sniper rifle while standing proves to be a test in both patience and accuracy since old Jack isn’t much of an accurate shot. While you can pick off enemies while standing, your targeting reticule will shimmy and shake more than a co-ed at Spring Break. Lying prone on the ground will give you more stability and as a result, your reticule will be far easier to control. Also, creeping around or even crawling around on your belly helps to make you less detectable, especially when you’re trying to sneak up on someone.
For those who have the composure of a bull in a china shop, the game does offer up some intense action if you choose to simply gun your way through confrontations. Jack is able to carry a wide array of different weapons, including things like assault rifle, handguns, rocket launchers, machetes, and sniper rifles, just to name a few. But, Jack isn’t a pack mule so you can’t weigh him down with everything that you find. He’s only able to carry four different weapons at a time, so you’ll need to carefully consider if a weapon that you may be toting around really is all that handy when you come across something that could be potentially more helpful. Nearly every weapon in the game also comes with a handy “zoom” feature that allows you to target in on an enemy in closer detail. While the sniper rifle and the rocket launcher were the only weapons that I came across so far that actually contain an adjustable zoom function, being able to use the limited zoom with weapons like the assault rifle help to tip the balance of warfare in your favor quite a bit.
Outside of firearms, Jack can also pick up a wide variety of other items, including things like key cards, bombs, and other knick knacks that he finds throughout his adventure. Jack can throw grenades for some collateral damage as well as rocks to distract enemies, and early on Jack picks up a pair of binoculars that are handy for scouting out distant areas that could be crawling with evil mercenaries. And, like any good FPS hero, Jack will do his share of interacting with his environment. He’ll be pushing switches, setting explosives, activating elevators and even manning gun turrets. That’s right; Jack can turn many weapons of his opponents back on them. Throughout the game you’ll run across gun turrets and other weapons installations that can be used to spray your immediate vicinity with gunfire. But, like everything, there’s a catch involved. While gun turrets are capable of dealing out hot leaden death like crazy, manning one will usually leave you exposed for enemy counter measures, such as being flanked or the target of a grenade.
If your arsenal of sneaky moves and heavy firepower weren’t enough, Jack can also commandeer a wide variety of different vehicles to get around. Vehicles like Jeeps and 4-wheel drive monsters prove not only to be nice rides, but also come equipped with mounted machine guns to help even the odds when you’re tearing around the game’s varied environments. While I was only able to use those two vehicles along with a piddly little raft with an outboard motor during my time with the game, the vehicles did offer up enough in terms of gameplay to keep me satisfied. Interestingly, Far Cry is a game all about pros and cons. Stealth versus action is just one example of this unique feature. Vehicles are another. While riding in a Jeep, you have the freedom of being able to move faster and use a potentially devastating machine gun. But, the downside is the fact that maneuvering a Jeep through tiny jungle paths isn’t all that practical and enemy soldiers can quickly reduce a stationary vehicle to rubble in a matter of seconds. So, while hopping into a vehicle may seem like a good idea at first, you’ll eventually pick up on the fact that while powerful and quick, sometimes hoofing is a better option in the long run.
You think you know enemies? You don’t know squat, as enemies in Far Cry are really unlike anything that you’ve probably seen in a video game before. Gone are the mindless drones that would typically run straight into your hail of gunfire. Gone are the enemies that, because of suspect AI, would get caught on objects in the environment or stop chasing you after a few steps if they spotted you. In their place are perhaps the most cunning and intelligent enemies I’ve seen in a video game in quite a long time. To sum it up best, enemies play the game as if you were playing the game; with intuition and common sense. For example, say you’ve just picked off a soldier from a seemingly safe position with your sniper rifle. After the soldier falls, nearby enemies will sniff out your position thanks in part to your rifle’s muzzle fire. Instead of staying in one large group and charging up to your location, they’ll form small bands and branch out, attempting to surround you or flank you while you’re occupied during a firefight. To make matters worse, they’ll also use their weapons to their fullest, and won’t hesitate to use grenades and other means to flush you out of your hiding places. Also, agitated enemies make generous use of backup and once you’ve been spotted, you can expect a whole horde of enemies to hone in on your general location. While the enemy AI is extremely cunning and at points downright frustrating to go up against, there is a delicate balance in the game that helps to prevent the game from becoming way too difficult. After all, when faced with enemies with such a high level of AI, you inherently learn quite a few things about combat, including the right ways to hide and use your environment to your advantage. So, in the long run, while the enemy AI can be difficult to deal with, it essentially makes you a better player in the long run.
\ Far Cry also features some of the most lush and detailed graphics that you’ll likely to find on the PC. Environments are both expansive and incredibly detailed. While each level does come complete with a bit of a lengthy load time, the wait is surely worth it as each level features nearly no loading time whatsoever while playing and features draw distances that border on the insane. Also, everything in your environment has incredible detail, from the blades of grass on hillsides to the highly realistic water that has fish swimming around in it. Enemy models are also very detailed and feature some nice rag-doll physics in their animations. Shooting an enemy soldier will usually illicit a realistic fall-down animation that is affected not only by where you shoot them but also by their immediate surroundings. While some of the environments did seem a bit static every now and then, the overall look of Far Cry is something that all other FPS games, and all other games for that matter, should aspire for on the PC.
To go with the incredible visuals, Far Cry also sports some impressive audio, in both music and in-game audio. Music in the game fits nicely in with the usually frenetic pace of the action and really adds a nice touch of atmosphere while playing. Weapons fire off audio-wise with realistic fashion and enemies feature a host of interesting sound clips. Sneaking up on a group of soldiers will usually give you the chance to eavesdrop on their conversations, which run the gamut of being informative to hilarious.
For those of you who actually manage to get sick of the single player mode, the game also features a cool online multiplayer mode and includes Assault, Free For All, and Team Deathmatch. Ubisoft allows promises a number of mods that will be available for use with the game, as well as a hefty level editor that will ship with the title. The level editor will give players control of nearly every aspect of map-making, including being able to set wind speeds and lighting.
Overall, it’s hard not to like a game like Far Cry. With its breathtaking visuals and highly tuned enemy AI, the game is guaranteed to give you a challenge whether you’re sitting down with the game for the first time or the one hundredth. And, when you take into consideration the game’s delicate balance between stealth and action, it’s not hard to realize that Far Cry is going to be a major release for the PC in terms of gameplay and technical achievement.
Far Cry is currently slated to ship on March 23rd for the PC.