Far Cry Review

Far Cry Review - Gameplay

The gameplay in Far Cry is engaging and as detailed as the visual aspect of the game. It can be frustrating at moments, but you'll always be coming back for more. The weapons are all modeled after realistic modern firearms. There are no real surprises here, but all the bases are covered. They "feel" like real weapons when you fire them, machine guns will recoil and jump with automatic fire, the sniper rifle will bob and weave with your breath when zoomed way out, and of course the models are all beautiful. You can carry up to four weapons at one time, meaning you will sometimes have to strategically pick the right gun for the right situation.

The game has a robust physics model, many objects can be affected by gunfire and explosions. Enemies will die with satisfying "ragdoll" animations, and there are several situations where you wil be able to roll barrels down a hillside to crush bad guys. In some cases the terrain will deform with explosions, which is a cool effect, unfortunately this doesn't seem to happen most of the time. Also, it is disappointing how few obects can actually be destroyed. Trees and buildings can take a full clip of rockets and suffer little more than a scorching.

The enemy AI is competent and well programmed. Enemies will take cover and aggressively team up and try to flank you, issuing verbal commands to one another. The "stealth" aspect of the game is one which could have used more work. Sometimes no matter how stealthy you try to be, enemies will be alerted to your presence, and once one has seen you, all enemies in the area will go fully hostile. It's usually better to take the direct and violent approach.

There are a variety of drivable vehicles in the game, several with mounted weapons, and these are all an absolute blast to drive. There are some fun chase sequences scattered throught the campaign, on land, sea and air. Each vehicle has its own distinct wieght and feel. Zipping down a river in a patrol boat feels quite different from soaring through a deep valley in a hang glider, once again a testament to the games great use of physics.

The Multiplayer portion of the game offers endless hours of entertainment. There are several different modes of play, including classic deathmatch and CTF, but the main draw seems to be the assault mode. In this team based game, one team will try to capture a series of checkpoints while the other defends. There are different character classes, similar to Half-Life's Team Fortress. There is a fighter who carries assault rifles and submachine guns, a sniper, and an engineer. The engineers can drop health packs, lay mines and build structures at various predetermined points in the level. The structures can be anything from defensive walls to gun emplacements and towers. These can be destroyed with enough firepower, and rebuilt again, adding an almost RTS-like give and take element to the game. A good combination of the three classes is needed to acheive victory. There's nothing particularly groundbreaking here, and it's not as fast paced or fleshed out as other recent games such as Unreal Tournament 2004, but the online game is fun, stable and is easily the best looking multiplayer shooter to date. With the inclusion of the CryEngine Sandbox, a development tool that allows users to create their own content, we are sure to see some great mods. The future online life of Far Cry looks promising.

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