User Rating: 7.8 | Far Cry PC
By nunyerbiz | Review Date:
It's a beautiful FPS, but don't believe all the hype. I'm sure everyone has already read the main Gamespot review and are somewhat familar with the story, basics of gameplay, etc... so I'll just cut to the chase... Gameplay: Above average overall, but rarely great. I'm probably only about half way thru the single player campaign, so I haven't seen it all. That being said, you have spotty AI, a complete joke of a stealth system and a good amount of bland level design. The AI can be fun to watch and fight but can also be pretty frustrating. The enemies have some form of ESP, as they detect you seemingly on a whim, regardless of your "stealth meter". Not to forget that they have uncanny marksmanship skills with automatic weapons. Sure, they use some decent squad tactics when aroused in mass... but pick them off one at a time from long range and rarely do they notice their buddy 20 yards away no longer has a complete skull. A lot of the encounters consist of the baddies hearing you approaching from around the corner, so of course they loudly proclaim... "Did you hear something??!?", instead of just lying in ambush. Many times you can just make some more noise, wait at a doorway and waste at least some of them right off the bat. Of course, there is the almost-cliche AI routine of trading a few bullets with a baddie, breifly walking away and then, of course, he completely forgets you existed and shot at him 30 seconds earlier. Sure, none of this is new or even that uncommon in most single player shooters. However it definately chips a few points away from the 9.2 hype-o-meter rating that this game is getting from everyone. Graphics: Great engine top to bottom. Yes, it will take some serious hardware to get it to run smooth at the highest settings, but even on upper-mid range settings everything is beautiful. (Yes, I have noticed the engine does seem to be a little sluggish with the mouse reposnse, but it hasn't caused me any great headaches and is really only noticeable next to something like UT2004) Sound: Sound effects and surround performance are very well done, assuming you have a decent 5.1 rig to enjoy it with. Voice acting is solid for the most part, although never anything more than that. Music is bland but it's just there for atomoshpere anyway, so no knock there. My only complaint with the sound is the lack of positional sound for the baddies "Did you hear something?" canned phrases. Can never really tell if it's around the corner, behind a closed door or whatever. Not a big deal, but everytime you hear one of them, it sounds like he's right next to you. Value: It's a long single player campaign for sure. I completed Call of Duty in the time that it's taken me to get about half way thru Far Cry. There is alot to do and see, so no complaints there. Multiplayer is just gravy and adds some value. Although Far Cry hasn't knocked UT2004 or Call of Duty from my multiplayer rotation, I might give it a whirl once I'm done with singleplay. Tilt: This is definately an ambitious FPS entry from a relative unknown. Much like Half Life all those years ago, this game does raise the bar in some areas. That being said, the overall accomplishment is nowhere near as impressive or as substantial as Half Life. Nothing in terms of general gameplay, AI or story is much of an improvement over it's 6 year old ancestor. This one is definately worth your $40, however. It provides a long and challenging single player campaign with some great eye candy along for the ride. Just don't expect the next greatest thing in FPS gaming. Far Cry is a solid evolutionary step, but apart from raw graphical capabilities, never crosses over into revolutionary.

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