Game review: Far cry 3

Imagine merging together the freedom and scale of Skyrim, the gunplay of Call of Duty and the stealth of Dishonored - what we would get is Ubisoft’s Far Cry 3.

It’s easily the best Far Cry game available and possibility for game of the year.

A a bold statement considering the strong competition, but this game is one heavyweight to be reckoned with, with its emotionally charged story and fantastic game mechanics and one of the biggest and best locations ever to grace our TV screens since Skyrim.

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It’s hard to see faults with this game and the faults you do see are purely cosmetic, doing nothing to bring down the Far Cry 3 experience whatsoever.

You are Jason Brody, a youngster on a holiday with his friends to Rook Island when suddenly you are all captured and kidnapped by a twisted pirate leader named Vaas who has claimed ownership of the island.

Vaas has plans to hold you and your friends for ransom and sell you off for slavery before you make a daring escape into the wilderness where you are soon snapped up and taught how to be a warrior by the Rakyat, Rooks native tribe, who are suffering by the hands of Vaas and his band of pirates.

After learning survival ways, hunting and fighting skills, you undergo a mission to save your friends and escape the island.

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The story is a brutal one and very emotionally charged thanks to the second to none animation and voice acting, especially from the evil Vaas who is one mental so and so which is obvious from the start.

The gameplay is amazingly executed, mixing cunning stealth, exciting edge of your seat gunplay and driving which make one masterpiece of a game.

Every single problem with the last game has been fixed and sorted here so no more endless boring driving, a stealth mechanic that works thanks to the new visibility meters which indicate if an enemy has spotted you and recognised you or not, and Jason isn’t struck by malaria so regular medication isn’t required thank god!

The map is fully explorable from the start, however the map cannot be used to navigate until it is unlocked by taking the island’s many radio towers which have to be scaled.

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There are many different types of collectables hidden throughout the island, such as memory card holding compromising information on the pirate’s motives, relics and loot boxes which hold goodies.

Weaponry can be bought from stores as well as attachment upgrades and ammunition, however in order to enhance how much stuff you can hold, you have to craft items from skinned animals, which means hunting.

The crafting system is quick and easy and requires specific materials. To craft syringes of medicine, hunting or combat enhancements you need to gather certain types of flora, to craft weapon holsters, syringe holders, bigger wallets for cash or bigger rucksacks for loot, you need animal skin or meat from hunted animals.

This system works a treat and gave it more authenticity when it comes to survival and makes the game a lot easier in the long run as you become more powerful and skilful.

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Combat is fantastically executed, however sometimes enemies tend to rush you more than use cover or flank which lets it down somewhat, but it’s easy to overlook as stealth is the best way to go in any situation with the different types of takedowns that can be unlocked which look and feel stylish and make you feel like a warrior.

Umpteen side quests involving liberating enemy outposts and hunting rare exotic animals will keep you busy outside of the main quest which never gets old or tedious.

You need to see Far Cry 3 to believe it, Rook Island is beautiful with gorgeous sunsets and lush countryside’s bustling with wildlife, shacks and small villages pollute the island as well as shores and beaches, all of which look fantastic. There are also gliders parked up here and there which allow the player to take in all these beautiful views whilst transporting them from one part to another.

The characters look superb, Jason and his friends are stereotypical teenagers and the games enemies are menacing and intimidating, however there are some things I encountered whilst playing which are more cosmetic but worth mentioning. Evidence of texture popping and tearing as well as dumb animal AI which was evident when I was hunting a deer, I missed my shot so it ran into the water and died, ok not a huge thing but unrealistic.

Summary

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Ubisoft have done the Far Cry franchise justice with Far Cry 3 with every improvement a huge one from the top notch stealth and gunplay mechanics, exciting hunting and superb graphics.

This is how open world first person games should be done.

A fine execution from start to finish, the co-op and multiplayer modes, whilst fast and frantic, feel tacked on and limp with little to keep players interested, that’s fine though because it’s the campaign that’s what Far Cry 3 is all about. I will be playing this for quite some time.

Far cry 3

Developers: Ubisoft

Publisher: Ubisoft

Xbox 360®

Playstation 3®

PC

Genre: First Person shooter

Release Date: 30th November 2012

Story – 5/5

Graphics - 4/5

Gameplay – 5/5

Overall - 5/5

©theleet