Far Cry 3 Review

Far Cry 3: Review

by:Michael Serrata

I have been playing shooters for almost as long as I have been playing games. I am accustomed and admittedly fond of the high I receive from mowing down endless waves of enemies and my god-like prowess with various deadly weaponry. There are few moments when I, or my in-game representation, pause for a moment to reflect on the countless enemies I send to their graves. In reality, I am a mild mannered pacifist who reflects and mourns the loss of life every time I turn on the news. It seems odd that in games I develop a blood lust without remorse. Few games actually confront this aspect of gaming in a reflective, intelligent way. This year, however, we had many exceptions to that rule. First we had Spec Ops 2: The Line, The Walking Dead from Telltale Games, and now we have Ubisoft's Far Cry 3.

I never had a capable enough gaming PC, so sadly I missed out on Crytek's first title, Far Cry. Regrettably, the first experience I had with the franchise was Uwe Boll's terrible movie adaptation. When Far Cry 2 was released, I picked it up release date and consumed it. It was a promising game with beautiful visuals, an interesting fire propagation system, a serviceable plot filled with political intrigue, and most importantly, a vast amount of freedom. The ability to attack each mission with a variety of techniques and weaponry ensured that the combat was varied enough to not get stale. The game, while a solid release, was not without a fair amount of flaws. The weapon degradation system was not only frustrating but poorly implemented. Many missions would be foiled when a rifle would jam or fall apart during combat. Couple that with a mostly forgettable plot and the terrible fast travel system and the game became more of a chore to play than it should have. It quickly fell off my radar as it released around the same time as Fallout 3.

When I saw the first trailer for Far Cry 3 I was instantly excited. The maniacal baddie seemed to promise that one of Far Cry 2's main flaws, relatable characters that you care about, would be fixed. Upon loading the game into my Playstation, I quickly saw that this had been rectified. The plot opens with protagonist Jason Brody and his group of wealthy friends and family traveling to the beautiful Rook Island on vacation for some skydiving. The privileged group is attacked and held captive by an insane pirate leader Vaas. Jason and his older brother plot an escape, but his brother is killed as they attempt to flee. It is during this time that Jason takes his first life. In most games this would be an incidental moment glossed over by player and character alike. Far Cry 3 takes a different path and forces both character and player to feel empathy. The character, much like the player, is not a trained soldier. We are not skilled with weapons or calloused from the experience of a battlefield. Jason is overwhelmed by this act, and so too is the player. Without spoiling much of the plot, it is an incredibly profound transformation to take part in as Jason moves from traumatized rich boy to hardened killer. Many shooters in today's market follow a familiar route of cliched plots and Far Cry 3 manages to avoid these with ease. The plot is thoughtful and evokes the ideas of Nietzsche's Ubermensch and social Darwinism, yet is simple enough for most gamers to follow. After you make your escape, you are quickly rescued by a man named Dennis and introduced to the island natives called the Rakyat and their leader Citra. They aid you in your quest to rescue your group and get revenge. Jason is a likable enough character, and strangely enough so is Vaas. As your body count climbs into the hundreds, the plot takes a philosophical route and often asks questions of who is the true monster. While the plot is mostly fantastic, it does suffer from some general pacing issues around the halfway point. Overall though, nothing seriously detracts from the cohesive storyline.

The first thing anyone sees when playing the game is the incredible visuals and setting. While maybe not as cutting edge as something like Crysis 3, it makes up for in art style. Rook Island is an amazing setting. You can traverse this gorgeous jungle by car, boat, hanglider with other vehicles being unlocked after a critical midway point in the game. As beautiful as a place Rook Island is, it is a hellish one as well. Crazed pirates, vicious tigers, and sharks all crave your blood. It's world is one that begs to be explored and it is easy to get lost trekking through the island exploring every nook and cranny looking for relics or hunting rare animals. The second game's equally beautiful African setting was bogged down by its wonky fast travel system. This title thankfully gets rid of the clunky bus system and uses a more modern fast travel. With that being said, it is often too tempting to forgo the fast travel for a trip by car or boat. The huge island is initially restricted with radio towers scattered throughout the map. They unlock icons on your map over time, as well as providing access to new weapons. Enemy encampments are also dotted throughout the island, coloring your map red until you reclaim these for your Rakyat allies. I could not rest until the map was completely green.

All these attributes could be worthless if the gameplay was not solid. As a frequent player of first person shooters, I have been spoiled by the refined mechanics. No longer can a shooter be clunky or unresponsive; I require precision and fluidity of movement. Given Crytek's pedigree within the genre, Far Cry 2 fared well despite the intrusive weapon degradation system. The mechanics in Far Cry 3 are among the best ever made. Combat is refined as expected in a modern shooter, and movement is smooth and fast. Players can hop over obstacles easily, climb up towers with little frustration, and sneak around battlefields with little effort. Players gain XP for each kill and objective you complete and you spend the skill points you earn in a straightforward skill tree illustrated by tattoos your character gets. Each unlocked skill is useful, and it is very possible to unlock the entire skill tree. Another oft failed mechanic in games like this is controlling vehicles. With Far Cry 3, driving is smooth and responsive. The game does suffer from some glitches, regardless of platform. These involve checkpoints spawning inside boulders, or an unreachable place that you would have to get to in order to progress the mission. A certain amount of freedom has always been a hallmark of the series. In one of my favorite parts of the game, you have the option of taking over enemy bases throughout the map. You have a decent arsenal at your disposal and can go in guns blazing, handle the situation with stealth, or get even more creative. For one mission, I used a hanglider to get over the base. I then dropped onto an enemy, took him out with a knife, and used his pistol to take out the two other pirates. On another, I snuck onto and opened the cage of a komodo dragon and watched as it tore apart unsuspecting pirates while I picked off the remaining enemies with a silenced sniper rifle. It is with this variety that the open world truly feels like the sandbox we we were all promised. 

On the other hand, included co-op and multiplayer modes seem to leave behind the kind of chaotic freedom and magic found in the campaign for a bland story and a less than stellar Call of Duty-lite clone, respectively. The co-op mode tells a largely skippable standalone story about the crew of a hijacked luxury cruise ship. This mode offers some fun if you have a group of friends to play with. Both local and online modes are available. The story is completely separate and is told through the eyes of four new characters with class based gameplay. You earn XP for each kill and objective completed and offers different missions. Whereas the campaign was varied in how you could approach each objective, the co-op campaign strips away that in favor of a very linear experience. While not terrible, don't expect to be blown away. Similarly, the multiplayer mode is the kind of standard, obligatory game mode expected in every modern FPS released within the last five years. It predictably offers progression ripped from Call of Duty without any of the polish or appeal of that game. Admittedly, I have not been able to force myself to put more than 10 hours in to the game. Recommended if online competitive multiplayer is a must-have for you, this is for you. Everyone else should anticipate holding onto Black Ops 2 or Battlefield 3 a little longer. Far Cry 3 has a fair amount of replayability with the campaign and the multiplayer modes are nothing more than a bonus.

9/10

It is hard for me to not compare this to another Ubisoft open world game released around the same time: Assassin's Creed 3. The influence of that series is apparent in many aspects of the game, but this game managed to avoid all the pitfalls that AC3 hit. While not nearly on the same level as far as sales go, this game is superior in almost every way. Far Cry 3 truly is a joy to play. This game is what an open world game should be and what a shooter should feel like. The setting and visuals of the game, the varied combat, the intelligent story and an ending that you will think about for a long time after the game ends, all add up to make an overall great game, and one of 2012's best. Even if you missed any of the previous titles in the series do not hesitate to pick this up.

All video footage property of Ubisoft.