Far Cry 3 - Xbox 360

First Screenshots Revealed For Apocalyptic Twist On A Well-Known Franchise

Kayla Herrera — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:23:00 GMT

It seems that All Games Beta has leaked new screenshots for the rumored-standalone game, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.

The screenshots give hint to an apocalyptic universe, starring protagonist Mark IV Cyber Commando Sergeant Rex Power Colt.

[Source: Joystiq]

Far Cry 3 Co-op Trailer

Jim Reilly — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 17:41:00 GMT

Ubisoft released a new trailer highlighting Far Cry 3's cooperative mode. Up to 4-players can sink their teeth into an entirely new campaign and play locally split screen on consoles or online. Far Cry 3 is out December 4 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

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Create Your Own Insanity

Jim Reilly — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:16:44 GMT

The onslaught of Far Cry 3 gameplay trailers before the game's launch continues. Today's video shows off an impressive-looking multiplayer map editor. Check it out below.

Far Cry 3 is out December 4.

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Far Cry 3 Has Plenty Of Tricks Up Its Tattooed Sleeves

Kyle Hilliard — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 20:30:02 GMT

The latest video showing off what Far Cry 3 has to offer has exploding hang-gliders, underwater stabbings, and at least one rocket launcher. To quote the producer of the game Dan Hay, "We give you the tools, we give you the weapons, but it's up to you how you play." We've played it quite a bit already, and we liked it. Check out our review here.

Far Cry 3 releases for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on December 4.

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You Know Where You Are? You’re In The Jungle, Baby

Matt Bertz — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 17:00:00 GMT

The idyllic beaches, lush jungles, and warm weather make the South Pacific islands intriguing vacation destinations, but the region also has a darker side. From blackbirding in the 19th century to seedy drug and human trafficking operations in modern times, visits to these remote locations aren’t always memorable for the right reasons. When a group of trust-fund kids unknowingly parachute onto an island inhabited by pirates, their sheltered, picture-perfect life is given a cruel dose of reality.

After escaping pirate captivity, Jason Brody vows to drop his silver spoon and pick up an AK-47. With the help of the island natives, he starts down the path of the warrior, taking over enemy encampments, learning to live off the land, and trying to find his friends before they are sold into slavery. This sudden transformation from harmless party boy to savage killer feels implausible, but Far Cry 3 introduces so many other compelling characters (especially the tribal leader Citra and the madman Vaas) and throws so many activities at players that you find yourself invested in the world nonetheless.

When you’re not searching for your fellow one-percenters, you can participate in races, compete in shooting challenges, hunt down wanted islanders, climb towers to reveal more of the map, or capture pirate camps to free the surrounding territory of their influence. This ability to reclaim areas of the map is a welcome addition to the series, since the infinite enemy respawns of Far Cry 2 and unforgiving checkpoint system derailed the experience. The island also has several types of collectibles to search for, some of which make sense (relics) and others that seem baffling (drug recipes).

The pirates represent the gravest threat on the island, but they aren’t the only danger Brody faces. The wild is filled with deadly predators like tigers, Komodo dragons, and sharks. If you don’t pay close attention to your surroundings, you may meet your untimely demise like a foolish Steve Irwin wannabe. Killing them and gathering their hides allows you to construct new pouches for carrying more weapons, ammunition, syringes, and money. It doesn’t make sense to force a player to find a rare animal just to craft a new wallet that can hold more cash, but it encourages you to explore the rich and varied island terrain, which includes ancient ruins, huge waterfalls, and wrecked ships.

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Like the best open-world shooters, Far Cry 3 excels because it lets you approach objectives in any way you see fit. For some missions I would sneak in to the base, turn off the alarms, and stealth kill as many people as possible. In others I would use an overlook to snipe unsuspecting pirates with a suppressed long-range rifle. My favorite approach is introducing the chaos of the wildlife into the encampment. Driving Komodo dragons into the bases or letting caged tigers loose helps you even the odds. While the pirates desperately try to subdue the animals, you can open fire with their backs turned.

This kind of freedom is exhilarating; I only wish the AI posed more of a challenge. They too frequently pour into the same positions where their friends just died, and can’t discern elevation changes. Rather than work their way up a cliff to attack after spotting me, for instance, they just stood at the base of the incline, making it extremely easy to take them all out with one well-placed grenade.

As you hone your killing skills, Jason Brody’s growth as a warrior is chronicled by a tribal tattoo on his arm. By completing missions and side activities, you earn XP that can unlock new special abilities like more health, improved shooting accuracy, or cinematic takedown moves. Far Cry 3 offers a wealth of options, but you don’t need to be picky. If you tackle a fair amount of side activities you will unlock most of them before you reach the end of the story.

In addition to the impressive single-player campaign, which features one of my favorite narrative conclusions this year, Far Cry 3 also offers a standalone co-op mode complete with its own story. As four players work together to hunt down a cruise-ship captain who sold out his crew and passengers to pirates, you encounter scripted sequences that require you to work together to take out bridges or compete against one another in shooting challenges. The co-op largely abandons the open-world format that makes the single-player experience, but it’s a fun diversion nonetheless.

Far Cry 3 also features a full-fledged multiplayer mode complete with player progression, unlockable weapons/attachments, and four game modes. The sluggish movement and questionable hit detection keep this game from competing against the top online shooters, but if the community embraces the map editor, it could still find a niche in the overcrowded space. The modes don’t offer much you can’t get elsewhere, but the island setting, “survival instinct” effect that highlights enemies for poorly performing players, and amusing match endgame that allows the best player on the winning team to either humiliate or show mercy to the best player of the losing team give the game its own feel.

After two remarkable but uneven offerings, Far Cry finally pulls everything together in the third installment. The diverse open-world action, compelling story, and an alluring environment that begs exploration are all high water marks for the series. This is an island adventure all shooter fans should experience.

Extended Interview With Producer Dan Hay

Jeff Cork — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 20:00:00 GMT

There's a lot going on in Far Cry 3's vast open world. Piracy! Human trafficking! Shark attacks! Even after spending hours with the game, we were left with a few nagging questions. Fortunately, the game's producer, Dan Hay, was kind enough to answer them all.

One of the biggest challenges I’ve seen in open-world games is striking the balance between holding players’ hands through a story while also allowing them to dink around. Sometimes the storytelling suffers, through no fault of the writers. (“The bomb is going to blow up, and you can stop it by walking on this glowing spot! Hurry!” “No thanks, I’m going to drive a cab into pedestrians for a while and maybe deliver some pizzas.”) How did you handle this in Far Cry 3?

In FC3 we were very focused on making sure the open world and the story worked together, and what I mean by that is that we are self-aware of our own genre. Characters in the game will tell you to, “go out; use the open world, it’s OK”, but then some of the people you had to rescue would see that you changed because of it. “Where have you been? What have you been doing out there?” It confirms the idea that you are out there in the world, using it like your own super market, but that the game and characters are actually aware of it. You are out there playing with the toy, not feeling guilty that your friends are in trouble, but you’re actually harvesting the skills you need to go and save your friends.

During our demo, you characterized Vaas and Hoyt as having a kind of Darth Vader/Emperor dynamic. Can you talk a little bit about their relationship?

With Vaas we set out asking ourselves “What does it take to make somebody like him? Was he born in the island? Was he normal? Where does the hate come from? What makes him interesting as a character?" We began to create an entire lore behind him, and that lore steeped its way into the game.

In order to make a character like Vaas credible, we knew he had to be made of things that you and I have experienced. Simply put: Vaas is a bully. He is always too close and always making you feel like a victim. Now, the question we need to answer to shape our characters and make them click is: What makes a bully? We decided that our bully would come from learned behavior combined with a feel of emptiness inside.

When we look at Hoyt, there‘s a great opportunity for us to showcase the person that helped make Vaas. In that light, yes, they very much have a relationship like the Emperor and Darth Vader. You can imagine a history where Vaas was lured by the promises Hoyt made, then a lot of these promises turned out to be dangerous, and turned out not to be true, ultimately tainting Vaas. That’s how the relationship was born.

I’m getting a supernatural vibe from the islands. Am I crazy? Should I stop listening to my vibes?

The reality is that we didn’t set out to make the island supernatural. The idea is that the vibes you get are the vibes that resonate and make sense for the player. We built a story where we enabled the player to be a participant in this place. We treated the island like it had a history of its own, that it had a history of thousands of years of civilization that was washed over again and again. If maintained, a place like this will obviously raise questions, and we specifically don’t answer all of them. We think it’s more interesting that way.

There are a lot of emotions that come from treating the island like a character, so if your vibes are telling you that the island is alive but that it also has a little bit of insanity to it, that’s not a bad thing.

Along the same lines, is there a reason why all of these seemingly broken people are being drawn toward the islands?

Great question. We didn’t set out to make a supernatural entanglement between our characters and the island. Some of them are drawn there; some of them are born there; some of them are victims who have built defense mechanisms to survive it. The reality is, when you build a place where there are no rules, people who have been jaded by the rules of society, have been expelled from society or think they have everything figured out, well, they’re going to gravitate towards it; they are going to find their way, and that’s what we wanted.

Far Cry 3 Story Trailer

Jim Reilly — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:54:00 GMT

To get you ready for the launch of Far Cry 3 next month, Ubisoft released a new trailer giving you a look at just how messed up the island is. Here, we get a look at some of the game's brutal deaths and torture scenes. The game is out December 4.

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See Stealth And Chaos In This Far Cry 3 Mission Walkthrough

Kyle Hilliard — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 15:22:00 GMT

This isn't the first time we've met Hurk and his explosive monkeys, but this is the first time we've seen one his missions played through to completion. The video below shows a full playthrough of one the DLC character's missions with a little bit of narration from the game's Producer. You'll see a stealth path in, and a chaos path on the way out.

Far Cry 3 is set for release on December 4.

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[Editor's Note: Game Informer is a subsidiary of Game Stop]

Meet Far Cry 3's Resident Psychopath And Sadist

Jeff Cork — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:04:00 GMT

Far Cry 3's island chain is home to a variety of castoffs, thugs, and hired guns. It's all overseen by a psychopath named Hoyt. A new trailer for the game shows how he's earned that dubious title, and also introduces us to Sam, who doesn't seem any less sadistic.

As you can see in the embedded video below, Hoyt rules his men through violence and implied torture. He's probably the worst boss you could possibly imagine; reprimands include getting locked in a cage and roasted alive. One of his top commanders is a man named Sam, the child of notorious war criminals. See those tats? They each contain a bit of his victims' blood. Yes, Jason Brody is about to experience the worst vacation ever.

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Far Cry 3 is due out December 4 on the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Ubisoft recently released a 13-minute video highlighting the game's open world, so check it out in the meantime.

13-Minute Open World Walkthrough Of Far Cry 3

Ben Reeves — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 00:42:00 GMT

Far Cry 3 is large. It's hard to get a good sense for the game in a short trailer. This extended developer walkthrough -- on the other hand -- might do the trick.

Lead level designer Mark Thompson and lead game designer Jamie Keen explore the immersive open world of Far Cry 3 in this 13 minutes walkthrough.

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Read our preview of Far Cry 3's Rakyat Tribe for more info on the game before it's November 29 release.

Meet The Rakyat Tribe In An Ominous New Trailer

Jeff Cork — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Far Cry 3's island archipelago is home to a variety of unusual characters, including the previously revealed Buck and Vaas. Now it's time to meet a pair of more agreeable types. Don't get complacent, though. Dennis and Citra may have motives beyond helping our hero Jason Brody.

The video below introduces the characters, along with their relationship to the native Rakyat tribe. You'll learn about the group's past, and also get a glimpse of why they're so interested in helping Jason. Keep an eye on that Citra; she doesn't seem as though she's being completely forthright.

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Ubisoft has also provided quick bios for both Citra and Dennis. You'll grow to depend on these allies as you play the game — at least for a while.

Citra

Known to the Rakyat as their warrior priestess, goddess and their queen, Citra is cloaked in the mystery of old ritual. Only the warriors deep in the jungle have seen her, far fewer have spoken with her. Charismatic and beautiful, she hungers for the power denied her people by the pirates and privateers tearing apart her island. The destiny of the Rakyat has been foretold by those at the beginning of time and Citra will see that destiny fulfilled.

After her brother, Vaas, deserted the tribe to join the pirates, she vowed to crush him. Her warriors wage a fierce battle against the pirates daily. Never wavering in her resolve, Citra has ordered the execution of countless pirates. The Rakyat live to fight and she exists as the purest manifestation of the spirit. From atop her temple stronghold, she leads the charge.

When Jason is ready, Dennis will introduce him to Citra. She has the ability to unlock great power within him. The path will be plagued with danger, but if Jason wants to defeat Vaas, it may be the only way to come out on top. As he progresses, Citra sees more in him than a great warrior, she sees a kindred spirit.

Dennis

Tigers, pirates and sharks got you down? Help is on the way. Dennis Rogers is the ultimate guide to Rook Island. Not only does he know his way around, he can teach you to fight back. But Dennis is more than useful backup, he’s the key to the Path of the Warrior and the gateway to the mysterious Rakyat tribe at the heart of the jungle.

Born and raised in Liberia, Dennis was no stranger to war and poverty. Seeking a better life, he eventually left his homeland, immigrating to America. But 10 years later, he left, disillusioned. He returned to Liberia, but discovered he no longer fit. He was lost. After drifting from job to job he found his way to Rook Island and Citra. He embraced the Rakyat cause and proved himself as a dedicated warrior.

Jason Brody will come to rely on Dennis, who saves him from certain death. Dennis sees great potential in Jason, teaching him to follow the path of the warrior, telling him with a knowing smile that, “The ways of the jungle and of war share a common ancestry. They are the drum beats of the human heart.”

But, it will be up to Jason to prove that he can deliver, rather than end up under Vaas’s knife.

Look for Far Cry 3 on December 4 on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.

Getting To Know Far Cry 3's Buck And Vaas

Mike Mahardy — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 19:45:00 GMT

Ubisoft has released the first in a series of videos fleshing out the characters in the upcoming Far Cry 3.

In the first episode, the characters Buck and Vaas are shown, and monologues by both suggest hints of insanity and cannibalism. Also, in true Far Cry 3 fashion, a montage of dozens of methods with which to eliminate enemies are shown, showcasing the over the top gameplay once again.

The game is due out on December 4 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

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Far Cry 3's 'Top Of The Food Chain' Video Features Absurd Action

Jeff Cork — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 15:40:40 GMT

Far Cry 3 is looking better and better with each new reveal. The latest installment in the Island Survival Guide provides a look at Hoyt Volker, the leader of the militaristic Privateers. It wouldn't be a Far Cry 3 video without a few over-the-top sequences, and the clip doesn't disappoint.

According to the narration from former CIA operative Agent Huntley, Volker is a pretty bad individual. He's into human and drug trafficking, among other illicit activities. Fortunately, hero Jason Brody is a capable commando in his own right. If you're not convinced, wait until you see him ride into an enemy roadblock, jump over the front of his moving jeep, and attack a bad guy on his way down. It may be fudging the laws of physics a little tiny bit, but it looks ridiculously cool.

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Look for Far Cry 3 in stores December 4. Also, take a look at the previous Island Survival Guide here in case you missed it.

New Video Survival Guide Features Plenty Of Action

Jeff Marchiafava — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 17:45:00 GMT

Ubisoft has released the newest installment of its informative video survival guide for Far Cry 3, this time detailing the dangers awaiting players in the game's island paradise.

The theme of the video is "Psychopaths, Drugs, and Other Dangers," and contains the same corny narration as the previous video. Luckily, the video also shows off a number of different environments, characters, and game systems that should get open-world fans excited.

Highlights include details on Far Cry 3's medicine system, which allows players to make remedies out of vegetation found on the island (though they may result in the pesky side effect of going insane), as well as teases of various hunting, crafting, and gambling diversions that tie into the game's economy. All in all, it sounds like everything we want from a Far Cry game: a big, open-world sandbox full of chaos.

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Far Cry 3 releases on December 4. For more information on the game, check out Jeff Cork's impressions from Gamescom.

Far Cry 3 Travelogue Video More Exciting Than Your Last Vacation

Jeff Cork — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:55:00 GMT

Far Cry 3 takes place in a series of beautiful tropical islands, and that's exactly where it departs from most vacations. Ubisoft has released a new video survival guide, which shows off some of the characters, locations, and activities in the upcoming open-world game.

The island is a deadly place, as the video's narrator explains in one of the most bizarre analogies we've heard in a while. "It's waiting to pounce on you faster than rising gasoline prices."

We don't know about pouncing gasoline prices, but the clip shows at least one pouncing tiger attack.

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Look for Far Cry 3 on December 4.