Far Cry

With the pending release of some highly anticipated 3D shooters, gamers are about to enjoy a gaming renaissance that has not been seen since Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament divided gamers over which set the new standard for all others to follow. Powered by the advanced Far Cry engine, the folks at Crytek Studios have crafted a dynamic evolution in gaming with the release of Far Cry.
Players take on the role of Jack carver, a freelance sailor who accepts a job from journalist named Valerie who wants him to sail her to a tropical destination. Jack cant believe how much money he is being pad for a simple run, but when his arrival at the destination is greeted by artillery, Jack soon finds himself stranded on the island and Valerie missing. Thanks to the help of an insider, Jack soon learns the deadly secret of the island and finds himself battling deadly mercenaries for his very survival.
The gameplay options of the game are amazing; numerous vehicles ranging from jeeps, boats and gliders are available to help Jack with his mission. The weaponry is solid as there are several types of grenades, machine guns, shotguns, grenade and missile launchers that will help Jack give he payback to the mercenary hordes.
The controls of the game are easily set via the options screen and any player used to a 3D shooter will have no trouble setting up the controls. The enemy A.I. is very good as enemies duck and cover, and even call in assistance when things do not go their way. While it can be frustrating to players used to being a one man army, it is amazing to clear most of an area only to see a helicopter full of reinforcements arriving with the goal of stopping you by any means necessary.
The graphics of the game are solid showing the incredible potential of the new game engine. With my 128 MB Geforce 4600 TI by Jaton, I was able to have high detail levels that included moving grass and water drops as well as dynamic explosions. The game engine is able to render detailed objects far in the distance and gives an amazing sense of scale, as the terrain and layout of the island are very detailed. The ability to use binoculars as well as snipe from great distances adds a new dimension to the game thanks to an 800-meter scale sniping system.
The audio portions of the game are good as weapons fire is authentic and unique to the weapon being used. Multiplay was solid as once I got into a server, the action was fast and furious and I generally had plenty of people to play against.
The game does have a very high end setup and players will want to ensure they have at least 512 MB of system memory as tests with memory in the 386 MB range showed the game to run very slowly even on an 800X600 setting. The game also has a very long load time for levels. I enjoyed playing the game though the voice acting was nothing spectacular and at times, I grew weary of looking at the same lush foliage and beaches no matter how nicely rendered they were. Far Cry is a solid game with outstanding gameplay experiences that will delight fans of 3D shooters especially for those with a high-end system that will allow them to enjoy the benefits of the new technology.
Gameplay 4
Graphics 4.5
Sound 4
Value 4
Rating M www.ubisoft.com