Jack Carver just can't catch a break.
Back in the United States, Jack Carver got into a bit of trouble. His illegal arms smuggling and dealing inadvertently got the nephew of a very connected New York mob boss killed. Since then he has been trying to keep a low profile in the South Pacific. Everything was going well for Jack as he continued his illegal business, until the day he met Valerie Cortez that is.
While out on a routine island tour with the journalist Valerie, a band of mercenaries ambushed them, destroyed Jack’s boat, and kidnapped the young Miss Valerie. Now boatless and stranded out in the middle of a huge island in the South Pacific, Jack Carver must use his survival instincts and knowledge of weapons to survive the onslaught of mercenaries that now hunt after him.
Gamers that enjoy their first-person-shooters in a more nonlinear fashion should be thoroughly engrossed with “Far Cry Instincts.” Being able to run around on a huge tropical island while choosing which of the many pathways to take is quite an experience not seen very often in the gaming scene. Of course stopping to see the sights is completely out of the question, thanks to those pesky mercenaries and all.
Another quality that gamers may find a bit refreshing is the incredibly clever A.I. that enemies possess. The mercenaries in the game are smart enough to see and hear gamers coming as they traverse the leafy areas, not to mention their battle tactics are downright intimidating.
They will chunk grenades and use cover fire as their buddies try and flank from both sides, and can even mount vehicles and stationary guns to make Jack’s day a whole lot worse.
It’s safe to assume that sooner or later the mercenaries will best gamers with their aggressive strategies, although this shouldn’t be too much of a reoccurring problem with the guns Jack Carver can tote.
Jack can pick up and use over 17 different types of weapons in “Far Cry Instincts.” This includes weapons such as knives, pistols, shotguns, rifles, machine guns, carbines, grenades, and rocket launchers. Even with this much weaponry, the game decides to keep it a bit on the realistic side as Jack can only carry four weapons at a time. This includes a knife, a pistol, a medium sized gun, and a heavy-duty gun.
On the other hand, gamers that complete a decent chunk of the game will soon find out that the biggest weapon in the game is Jack Carver himself.
Not to ruin the fun, but let’s just say Jack Carver is “given” special abilities in the game that make him a lot more adaptable to survive the tropical setting. Abilities like increased strength, increased speed, being able to see in the dark, picking up the scent trails of enemies, and even being able to punch bad guys about 30 yards with Jack’s bare hands.
These abilities are known as Feral Abilities and will become a gamer’s best friend in dangerous situations.
The best thing about “Far Cry Instincts” is surprisingly not the single-player mode. If gamers have X-Box Live or a group of friends lying around, jumping into a game of multiplayer and messing around is as good as it gets.
There are tons of multiplayer maps and options are available that will keep gamers satisfied for months to come. Even if gamers become bored with the same old maps, “Far Cry Instincts” comes with its own Map Editor to help players create their own multiplayer maps that they can play with friends or share online with others.
The selection of new maps to play is only as limited as the gamer’s imagination with this amazing option.
In general “Far Cry Instincts” is one incredibly fun first-person-shooter. The gameplay is rapid and intense and there are tons of options and secrets to keep gamers hooked on the game.
The game is well worth the rent, but sooner or later it will stealthily sneak its way into gamers’ hearts, and more importantly into their collections.