Far Cry is a great game with Good Graphics

User Rating: 10 | Far Cry PC
Crytek developed a new game engine called "CryENGINE" for Far Cry. Reportedly, the game was born out of a technology demo called X-Isle: Dinosaur Island made by Crytek to showcase the capabilities of the NVIDIA GeForce 3. The game features relatively long view or draw distance, similar to Operation Flashpoint, but has a more advanced rendering system for vegetation. Also, all of the level territory is accessible to the player without loading pauses. The game engine features seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor areas (for which slightly different lighting and rendering models are utilised).

Graphically, the game makes extensive use of pixel shaders. For example, water shaders are frequently used throughout the levels and have a significant effect on visual quality.

Character detail is also improved thanks to Crytek's PolyBump normal mapping technology. These effects are used extensively in both indoor and outdoor levels.

The release of the 1.3 patch saw the introduction of HDR (High Dynamic Range) in the CryENGINE. It can only be enabled on a graphics card that supports Shader Model 3.0 and 64bit blending support.

The tropical rain forest provides concealment and the game allows the player to use it to hide from the enemies. These enemies don't know the position of the player unless they see or hear him, but notably, they can remember his last known position and go there to investigate. As a counter, enemies react dynamically to the player's tactics and actions. For example, if the player was hiding in a bush and fired on a mercenary, the mercenary, unable to return fire because the player's position is not known, would crouch and quickly sneak towards cover. Mercenaries will often work together to outflank a player, often surrounding and firing where they think the player is. Once enemies enter the thick of the lush undergrowth, it often becomes a game of cat and mouse, with each side stalking each other and neither having an advantage. However, the player is able to track the position of all enemies on an onscreen radar screen that are sighted and marked through the special binoculars, as long as they scan the area before provoking foes.

Mercenaries, being less disciplined compared to Krieger's security guards and elite special forces, are often engaged in various recreational activities, such as fishing, carrying boxes, and even push-ups. They are frequently visibly chatting with one another.