Far Cry for Windows

I have so many mixed feelings about Far Cry that I am not sure where to start. There is a lot of "good" and a bit of "bad", but definitely no"ugly" as this is one of the most beautiful games, nay, the most beautiful game I have ever seen. OK, on with the show....

As a brief intro, Far Cry is a first person shooter with some lite-adventure elements thrown in. The game play takes place over a series of huge and mostly non-linear levels, although there are checkpoints that must be reached to progress so you aren't as free as it might feel to begin with. There is some sort of story going on which I am sure explains how and why Jack Carver and his lady friend ended up on the tropical island where the action takes place, but this info is provided through an extremely bizarre and disjointed intro-sequence so if you play the game and wonder what the hell is going on; Don't worry, you aren't alone.

The most obvious thing about Far Cry, so obvious that it practically slaps you in the face and leaves you in stunned bewilderment, is the next generation graphics produced by the cry engine. Far Cry is the current benchmark by which all other game graphics will be judged. The game features incredibly detailed landscapes and vegetation, and phenomenal water effects: water washes for eternity up and down, up and down, so realistically you would swear it was right there lapping around your toes. Characters are well drawn with some of the animations being particularly impressive, especially the way bodies are thrown against nearby objects by the force of an explosion and splay all over the place in perhaps the most convincing display by the dead ever seen in a computer game. The whole environment meshes together to create a world, with huge view distances, verdant colour and just so many damn things to look at and enjoy. I found myself cherishing such unlikely aspects as the view of some slightly damp rusted metal which looked just like the real thing.

As a side element to the graphical marvels of the game, the Far Cry world is populated by all manner of mammals, insects, birds, fish and the like. Seeing a dragonfly zoom past the scope of your sniper rifle is an incredible effect, especially when you consider that they, and the other animals are not scripted. Shadows are also used to very good effect and are convincing and consistent.

The levels design is excellent, making for a convincing game experience. Early in the game you discover the remains of a scuttled WW2 Japanese aircraft carrier, though natural landscapes, lagoons, jungle and mountains are the real strength of each map. Every new location is a pleasure to explore and experience.

The physics engine of the game is quite excellent for the most part. Bodies slide down embankments, barrels roll in a most convincing manner if you push them over a slope. Finally Trespasser has a rival when it comes to a physical world environment. The only drawbacks are the inconsistency of the way the game was designed to deal with physics. You can nudge a barrel over a slope, but grenade explosions have next to no effect on an empty 44 gallon drum and you can empty an assault rifle clip into same at point blank range and it will sit rooted to the spot like the rock of Gibraltar. In addition, there simply isn't enough to interact with. Vegetation cannot be hacked away with your machete and the rocks, sticks and other inanimate objects that were featured in the much maligned Trespasser are nowhere to be seen.

The AI of the enemy in Far Cry is a bit of a mixed bag. At close to medium range it is quite incredible, with enemies working as a team, using stealth tactics and making good use of available cover. Distance AI is a bit more problematic. I found it quite easy to hide behind a rock and pick off seven or eight enemy sentries standing on the deck of the ruined carrier without them landing a single hit on me. Whoever had the bright idea to have the enemy yell abuse and make smart remarks while fighting should be hunted down and shot. Not only is this repetitive, annoying and overdone, it spoils the stealth ability of the enemy mercenaries. You are there, completely outflanked, when the guy yells "I SEE YOU!", alerting you to his presence. Overall though, the AI is good. It's impressive to have an enemy man a mounted machine gun or jump into a vehicle to pursue you.

The storyline as mentioned above is rather confusing and very, very weak. The environment is so pleasant that the game survives this shortcoming, but there is nothing even remotely gripping or even mildly interesting about the plot. Game atmosphere would be a lot better without the mysterious guardian angel character who guides the player throughout the game. Just when I found myself feeling very isolated and alone there was this guy blabbering to me on my communicator, killing a lot of the atmosphere. There is terrible, laughable, embarrassing voice acting in the game, by far the worst offender being the main character himself. The shocking acting and plot give the game the feel of a straight to video piece of action schlock, starring Sylvester Stallone's second cousin.

The musical score is rather spartan, with a few bits of tense or ambient music played at key moments, but it is overall very disappointing and should have had a more cinematic feel.

Most of the time, Far Cry seems very spontaneous and realistic, but there are a few very blatantly scripted events, keyed to go off as you reach a certain point. I found the psychic ability of some of the attack helicopters to be very annoying. As you arrive at the trigger point, they head straight for the exact piece of vegetation you are hiding under and hover above you and don't go away until you take out the gunner. I have no problem with the "reinforcements" called in by the enemy troops when you make a mess of a situation, but the psychic choppers are a big shame.

Rating Far Cry is a very difficult task. The sheer magnificence of the environment and the basic fun of game play makes it an instant four stars, but I feel so much more could be done with this start. Why has Ubi Soft, so renowned for producing the thinking man's shooter, added a generic blaster to it's stable? How much better would the game be if it was aimed at the action/adventure gamer rather than at action purists, who are likely to find the huge levels and sporadic combat disappointments in their own right?

I would give my right eye to see the cry engine used for an action adventure, where the emphasis was more on exploration, puzzle solving, staying alive and escape, rather than blasting and reaching checkpoints. Far Cry is a beautiful game which is a blast to play, but I can't see too many people replaying after their first completion. There is much that is ground breaking here, it's a shame the game play is so very stock-standard.