Developer: Crytek Publisher: Ubisoft
Reviewed by Vansau on 5/12/04
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First
Impressions:
When I first heard about Ubisoft’s Far Cry, I have to admit that I was not quivering with anticipation at the idea of yet another “amazing” and “revolutionary” first person shooter being released into an already oversaturated game market. Such claims have been made before, mainly for a bunch of games that feel like they were stamped out by a cookie cutter. A bad cookie cutter, to be completely honest.
However, since Ubisoft deemed me worthy to receive a review copy, I felt obligated to at least cast my critical eye on the new Crytek graphics engine developed exclusively for this game. It is my solemn duty to play all games, even bad ones, so that you may be informed consumers who can avoid wasting your money on worthless investments. It is a lonely vigil, dear readers, but one that I perform so that I can help make the world a better place.
However, I was pleasantly surprised by this game, which contains the strongest story and visuals I’ve ever seen in a FPS. As Jack Carver, you survive an attack on your boat by a mercenary army while escorting a mysterious journalist around some tropical islands in search of a story. From there on out, you need to survive and escape the island chain, but the story only gets more complex and involving from there.
Graphics:
Oh God, this game is pretty. Before I go any further, let me state this: Far Cry has the most amazing graphics I have ever seen in a game. I spent a good twenty minutes or so wandering around the first level and letting myself get shot numerous times just so I could look at the game’s environments. The Crytek engine lives up to Ubisoft’s boasting, with an impressive 1.4 km draw distance and creating a literal jungle of vegetation to hide within while you avoid and assassinate enemies at your discretion.
You will also find yourself swimming underwater with a fair amount of frequency, so the underwater environments are beautifully rendered with quite a bit of detail put into them. One of my favorite things to do is to examine the underwater wreckage of other ships that have been destroyed by the mercenary army encamped on the game’s island chain.
Sound/Music:
Far Cry’s sound and music is pretty impressive. The sound effects play a particular role in the game: enemies often detect you by sound, so you have to be aware of that quick movement generates noise, that the sound generated by knocking over that bookshelf will attract a guard, and gunshots will not be ignored by your enemies. The music is very nicely done as well; being fast-paced at most times, with a slightly sinister sound to remind you that while you may be in a tropical paradise, this is not a nice place at all.
Gameplay:
First Person Shooters generally annoy me because of the lack of exploration involved as well as an inability to interact with the environment. Far Cry addresses these problems very nicely. When moving about, players have the choice to run, walk, crouch and move, or crawl around the level. In the single player campaign, you can only carry 4 different weapons and will find your speed limited depending on the size of the weapon you’re carrying. You can also drive lots of vehicles in the game, my favorite of which is the 4WD Hummer look-alike because it has both a rocket launcher and a gattling gun attached to it. As for environment interaction, players can knock over and push just about any free-standing object in the game. However, these objects can’t be destroyed, no matter how many grenades you throw at them.
Enjoyment:
This is a game that was designed to appeal to everyone, and Crytek Studios has done an excellent job pulling this off. The superb story, excellent graphics, easy control scheme, and frequently tense atmosphere make this a very enjoyable game for just about anyone. The only damper on the fun is that even on the easiest setting, Far Cry is insanely hard.
Multiplayer:
The multiplayer segment of the game is a lot of fun as well. Currently, there are only a few multiplayer skins for players to choose from, but I’m sure that Ubisoft and Crytek will remedy this soon. There is also a very easy-to-use level designer that comes included with the game, which allows even the most amateur gamer to tailor a map to their tastes. The only complaint I have regarding the online portion is that snipers can dominate the map quite easily once they find some sort of camouflage which makes them impossible to see. Aside from that, Far Cry’s online capacity is just as strong as that belonging to either Halo or Half-Life.
Overall
Impression:
I love a good story, and the fact that Far Cry possesses one has earned it a lot of points in my book. For a new game it’s a bit cheaper than its competitors on the shelves ($39.99), which will sweeten the deal for anyone interested in picking it up. While I’m not generally a fan of the FPS genre, Far Cry is a game that I’ll be playing for years to come.
Marketing
Efforts Towards Women:
Marketing a FPS towards women can’t be an easy task, but Ubisoft has done a decent job by creating Val, Jack’s journalist employer. In magazine ads she has been featured standing next to Jack in the middle of the picture holding a gun and dressed as a less sexual version of Lara Croft. The character profile, released by Ubisoft, states:
“Val is a strong and ambitious journalist. Using her persuasive wit, she convinces Jack to transport her to the island of Cabatu to document its stunning beauty. But upon uncovering Krieger's sinister plot, Val risks her own life to undermine his twisted ambitions. Although strong-willed and athletic, she'll need Jack's help if she wants to expose Krieger's secret and get off the island alive.”
It’s also clear that the game is being marketed towards as broad an audience, not just die-hard FPS fans, based on the strong story and other deep characters.
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