Far Cry (PC Games, 2004)

If you haven't checked game out yet, do yourself a favor and do it now!

Why is Far Cry Great?

Graphics + Story + Gameplay = Complete Game!

GRAPHICS
Domo 3 may be getting all the accolades for it's graphics right now but nothing is cooler than running abount a series of Island and being able to see the trees swaying in the wind a MILE away. Seriously, how can you ask for more? Booootiful boootiful graphics is all I have to say. When the game first starts you are in a small cramped cave, a la' Doom3, and your first thought it wow great visuals. This is basically the un-avoidable tutorial section. However it is quickly over and next thing you now you are stepping outside. @#$%@$#%@ holy crap!! I found myself rubbing my eyes. There was no way this was a real, it had to be some sort of fake out. Before me was a full fledged real life system of islands, with swaying trees, moving grass, wildlife, ocean water with a tidal effect! Did I say holy crap?? Soon you obtain a set of binoculars, and you think to yourself OK now I can find out how real this really is. Zooming in on an Island in the distance I was thinking to myself "no way they let me actually see this island in the distan....@$#%#@$% there are people on that island and they are moving!!" ...AND the parabolic mic in my Binocs is letting me hear what they are saying. And not a repetitive conversation! Real words, real story line dialogue! Holly crap.

STORY
I don't want to be crass but in this day in age we all should expect more from a game story line than find the $^%$ key! And Far Cry delivers, with a full fledges plot that drives the game play. You start out trying to evade capture from mercenaries on a set of islands, which turn out to be the experimenting grounds of a Dr. Moreau type, creating mutant monstrosities.

Slowly but surely you are pulled into a quest to put a stop to things, however it is all done in away that you are never thinking at any point WHY??

GAMEPLAY
Sniping from a mile away, driving boats, jeeps, flying hang gliders? Playing evade and capture. Stopping the mad rush of a swarm of mutants. Setting up a bomb to play up a radio bunker. All in one game? YES YES YES. Searching for the key to some crappy door just to shoot more baddies.. NOT IN THIS GAME! Nothing is cooler than watching a firefight between the escaped mutants and the Island mercenaries from a mile away, letting kill each other off, before setting up your sniper rifle and picking off the remainders. Of rushing through the mayhem to steal a jeep and escape across and Island while a full out battle rages around you. Strong AI rounds out this game, but enemies responding to noises that you make and using a variety of TACTICS to hunt you down.

All in all with this new price drop if you own a PC for gaming you cannot afford to pass up on this game!