Far Cry 3
Reviewed By Tristan Tancredi
Far Cry is back and it's bigger and better then ever. Ubisoft has brought to the gaming landscape an Open-World First Person Island experience like no other. An open world of wild animals, sadistic pirates, wild drug use and abhorrent violence.
The basic gist sees main character Jason and his entourage of "thrill-seeking" friends on vacation on an island in the Pacific Ocean (presumably). A skydiving trip results in the group landing across different parts of a pirate-infested island, Uh Oh. Upon waking up in a cage under the watchful eye of Vaas (Pirate Boss), gamers must take control of Jason, escape from this makeshift prison and ultimately free their friends from the island.
The main mission varies from rescuing friends trapped in enemy camps, burning crops of weed, hallucinating on drugs and playing poker, but ultimately it's about clearing out the enemy whether it via shootout or stealth take downs. The storyline slowly unravels to contain more than just "escaping from the island" and this in itself is what keeps Far Cry 3 fresh, entertaining and down-right dope!
There are a bucket-load of things to do on the island besides following the main storyline. First up there is Hunting, which is exactly as the name suggests. Gamers can head out to the forest, swamps, oceans, you name it and stalk a variety of prey including bison, Sumatran tigers, dingoes, wild dogs and sharks. Yes, sharks! What other game can you play whereby you can snipe a shark? There are also specific hunting missions called "Path of the Hunter" where gamers must hunt animals with specified weapons. Let me tell you, taking out 4 leopards with a bow and arrow isn't an easy task.
Secondly, there are Story Missions. These missions aren't connected in any way to the central story, yet provide a few extra scenarios for the gamer to play out. Often, these side missions are a breeze and are planted into the game solely for a touch of replay value.
Other tasks in Far Cry 3 include missions to overtake enemy camps and strongholds (this is achieved by eliminating the guards inside), Medical transport missions (taking a quad bike or boat from point A to point B as quick as possible), updating your inventory, concocting various medicines and drugs and heaps of other objectives (finding relics, find lost letters, etc, etc).
Far Cry 3 is packed to the brim with content and provides hours upon hours of relentless fun, yet it is not without its issues.
The storyline is one such aspect which is quite "sketchy" at times. For example, gamers are introduced to main character "Jason" and it seems the writers have gone to a lot of effort to display Jason as a timid, scared, helpless bloke with no military experience. 15 minutes into the game and Jason has no issue slicing throats, firing rifles, or capturing enemy camps by his lonesome. Thus throwing out the writing efforts that built him up as a man way out of his element. Pretty quick adaption we must admit.
Despite this obvious gaffe, the storyline remains pretty solid for the remainder of the game. Characters are entertaining (although the most entertaining enemy is killed off too soon), and the story makes sense without being overly predictable. In fact, the last scene whereby gamers must make a choice is some pretty memorable gaming.
The memorable and brilliantly cast and performed voice acting is a true highlight of our Far Cry 3 experience. Vaas in particular is played out with nothing but class. We were often left sitting back, thinking "Bravo". He really set the pace early (from the first scene) as he plays the creepy, sadistic pirate to perfection.
Vaas is what you would call "the leader of the pirates" and he is one of the main antagonists of Far Cry 3. Other main characters encountered outside of Jason's main group of mates include; Dennis (a member of the islands natives called the Rakyat), Dr.Earnhardt (puts Breaking Bads, Walter Whites cooking abilities to shame with his drug lab), Citra (lead female character and the mighty sexy Rakyat Priestess) and Hoyt Volker (Slave trader and employer of Vaas).
So, we have established that the storyline (despite the quick character development of Jason) holds up, the voice acting and characters are top notch and the tasks and missions will keep you busy and enthralled for hours upon hours. But, how does the game play and look? Let's find out.
Gameplay wise and there are pretty much two combat options here; First Person Shooter and First Person Stealth. Both of which handle extremely well and are equally rewarding. If you can maintain your patience, it is easier to clear an area using stealth, but sometimes it's more fun to destroy the enemy with an assortment of weaponry. From Shotguns, machine guns, pistols, sniper rifles, bow and arrow, proximity mines, C4 Explosives, Molokov Cocktails, Grenades, Rocket Launches... The list goes on. The controls handle well and everything is A-OK in that department.
Looks wise, and the graphics are sublime. The island surroundings are finely detailed. Often we were left ogling at the visuals of Far Cry 3. There is quite literally nothing to complain about in terms of visuals. Simply fantastic.
With Co-Op (Takes place 6 months prior to Single Player mode) and Multiplayer components, Far Cry 3 has quite extensive replayability. Multiplayer offers nothing fresh to the FPS world yet is still a heap of fun. That is of course, if you can maintain a solid connection to the server.
Far Cry 3 is an awesome open world experience. A huge expanse of detailed scenery compiles to create a gorgeous game with an enthralling storyline. Don't miss thing one. Now, please excuse me while I get back to work on my tattoo sleeve!
Game: Far Cry 3
System: PS3
Developer/Co-Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
