Far Cry 3's intelligent and elegant open-world structure balances exciting action with the joys of free-form adventuring, making it one of the best shooters of the year.
Far Cry 3 is a delightful and harsh tropical wonderland, crawling with wildlife and threatened by the pirates and drug runners that disrupt its peace. The troubled paradise you explore is colorful and wild, enticing you to investigate its ravines and discover new ways to enjoy the open-world playground sprawling in front of you. This is a game that ignites the desire to complete every last challenge and check out every last icon on your map. You gradually journey across the entirety of two sunny and sinful islands, hunting for rare game, speeding medicine to needy communities, and skinning sharks so that you might craft new wallets with their hides. Far Cry 3 is an excellent game, marred mainly by some irritating design elements and an inconsistent story that often defaults to generic "tribal" cliches to make an impact.
When the story leaves those cliches behind for deeper territory, however, it does manage to communicate ideas of substance. It takes many hours for its themes to come together in a coherent way--yet in certain aspects, the incoherence makes sense. As protagonist Jason Brody, your initial quest to rescue your friends from a chaotic and truly frightful pirate named Vaas turns into a personal journey blurred by drugs, and fueled by the desire to follow a new and exciting spiritual path. Those friends are too shallow for you to care much about them, which keeps the story at arm's length for a good half of the game. But his friends' shallowness ultimately allows Jason to take a guilt-free look inward, as he grows further mesmerized by the customs of the local Rakyat tribe that takes him under its wing. You might see the narrative curveballs coming after a while, but the trippy manner in which certain events unfold effectively blurs the lines between reality and Jason's occasionally drug-addled imagination.
Nonetheless, narrative oddities stand out. Some of Jason's friends are strangely unaffected by the horrors inflicted upon them. The game quickly glosses over an event that would make most of us emotional wrecks, making Jason's proclamations that the issue was harder to deal with than he expected ring hollow. Some moments seem made to be shocking for the sake of shock alone--not because they develop the world or its characters--but Far Cry 3 isn't so much about story as it is about its world, and the ways you exploit it for your own personal enjoyment. Story missions have you navigating caves and holding off enemies in modern shooter fashion, but out in the wild, you have an entire paradise to tame.
And it's that lush and menacing world that makes Far Cry 3 utterly enthralling. The game is big, certainly, but where Far Cry 2 could feel aimless, its sequel feels more focused without ever losing its sandbox appeal. One core activity may sound familiar to returning fans: you shoot up enemy outposts so that you may liberate them, turning them into safe zones where you can load up on ammo and other supplies. These camps also serve as quick-travel points, lessening the tedium of driving from one objective to the next. Early on, freeing an outpost can be remarkably easy: you shoot down a handful of pirates, and the flag is raised declaring the camp as the Rakyat's. Further in, however, you must put Far Cry 3's diverse possibilities to intelligent use.
One consideration: you must be aware of an outpost's alarm. Should a pirate trigger it, reinforcements arrive in a matter of seconds, so you might want to sneak in and deactivate the alarm system. Or, you could snipe the individual alarms, though shooting one does not deactivate others. Caged leopards and bears can be freed with a single shot, granting you a temporary ally in your quest for vengeance. Consider using a C4 charge and luring a small group of pirates to an explosive demise, or using a flamethrower to char evil henchmen to a crisp. That same flamethrower can lay waste to vegetation and effectively create moats of fire that can keep combatants at bay. (Well, some combatants, anyway.) Near the end of the game, your foes can put up quite a fight, and be great in number, so Far Cry 3 doesn't just give you the tools to be creative; it ultimately demands you use them to survive.
You don't have to conduct your business so loudly and dramatically, however: Far Cry 3 gives you ample opportunity to be stealthy and sometimes outright requires it. Forced stealth, such as that seen in a later-game mission that fails you the moment you are discovered, isn't that enjoyable. Fortunately, sneaking about is usually a blast, because it pays off in a brutal takedown of your unsuspecting target. Such moments are even greater once you have earned certain powerful abilities, such as the one that allows you to assassinate a pirate and toss a blade into another's skull in a single, effortless move.
Liberating outposts is only one of many activities to pursue in Far Cry 3. To reveal more of the map and gain access to free weapons, you climb radio towers and hack their transmitters. The entire concept is clearly inspired by the Assassin's Creed series, and no wonder, considering both games were created by the same development studio. First-person platforming is a frequent frustration in shooters--but Far Cry 3 makes it a delight. The tower creaks and groans as you climb ladders, make a few well-timed leaps, grasp some ledges, and ultimately arrive at the pinnacle. After you make a few hardware adjustments to the transmitter, the camera zooms to several points of interest, and you can make a breathless descent to the ground via zip line.
There's so much more out there: hunting missions that give you a bow and arrow or a shotgun, perhaps, and send you after rare creatures. You can jump on an ATV or behind the wheel of a truck for a timed medicine run that showcases Far Cry 3's bouncy vehicles--and how they respond authentically to the bumpy terrain. Some challenges compare your performance to other players via the game's online leaderboards; others require you to murder a specific target using your knife. These activities are tied together in smart ways, with one task often leading you to another hunting challenge, a vehicle to race, or even a cave to investigate.
Kevin VanOrd is a lifelong RPG lover and violin player. When he isn't busy building PCs and composing symphonies, he watches American Dad reruns with his fat cat, Ollie.
It is unclear why in Far Cry made ??RPG? That killed the second part, the first was a pure 3D action from the first person in the Doom and Half Life. Third part went in the footsteps of the second, just not interesting travel around the world, look for a job to run them constantly to view the map, instead of running around and destroy your enemies with a weapon.
There seem like a *lot* of weaknesses for a 9.0. I suspect that any other reviewer would get flamed for this apparent disconnect.
Perhaps when a game achieves something so close to 'perfection' in score, there's a temptation to highlight disadvantages to give the impression of balance (or perhaps the illusion?).
That issue sent me straight to the user comments. And sure enough...a slew of disappointments and other downsides seeped out.
Its weakness were covered by its stunning Graphics.
But remember nowadays's Entertainment Formula: Great Graphics doesn't mean Great Content
Most overrated game of the year! I was really looking forward to this one, but I'm finding it so repetetive and anti-climactic and not that much different to Far Cry 2...except for inferior graphics and physics.
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the shooting mechanic and graphics of far cry 3 are way better than any other game.. it's definitely better than far cry 2..
Leaving mission zone feels like not so free in such a open world fps game, strange. Great game though.
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To all of you that complained about enemy respawns at observation posts in FC2:
You got what you wanted, now the game is boring once you liberate areas in FC3. Especially if you complete the game and want to explore further. Thank you for your complaints. Ubisoft took you guys a bit too seriously. I understand the frustration when you double back in FC2, only to find that the enemies are back, but with sniper rifles, fast travel, unlimited ammo on mounted guns, not to mention the plethora of ammo pickups, what is wrong with enemy respawns? Too fast, maybe, but why are you doubling back so soon anyway? Go around, or take the rivers.
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Was I the only one that found this game sorely lacking? Horrendous graphical issues (pop up, crap draw distances, tearing and shoddy animation), awful AI, rubbish, unbelievable characters and convoluted menus. I wanted to like it, I really did, but after persevering for several days I just couldn't get past these issues and sold it.
@ZippyDeth It doesn't get any better. It's just the same crap over and over again, fetch this or that, kill this or that army, and the final encounters with the big bad guys are massive anti-climaxes.
Farcry environment graphic was great back then. Farcry 2 was awesome too, and its africa. Farcry 3 back to the tropical lush like in the 1st one but for me Farcry 3 is at the same level with Farcry 2.
But still love this game as Farcry series. Don't bother buy this game if you hate Farcry 2.
Im really tempted to purchase far cry 3 if only I can pull myself away from counterstrike....
I'm still shocked this ended up being the players choice game for 2012. its good maybe arguably even a great game but there are just simply too many amazing games out there this year for FC3 to sit on top. "you have left the mission zone" if i see that one more time, reminded my of gaming circa 1994, i'm going to burn my copy of the game
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Far Cry 3 is not much better than Far Cry 2, first of all, and I was looking for it, only to feel frustrated. Far Cry 3 is a great game nevertheless, with CPU hungry graphics and a worthwhile vilan, but several things in the AI quickly bore me too much after a few missions. Also, the fact that the whole game is done in an island is not engaging after a few missions. No gamer wants to be playing in the same set for 8 hours. I mean, do you? This is enough to think twice to buy the game, trust me.
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I'm really interested to play this. I absolutely loved FC1 and ran through it several times - it was my go-to game for a while when I needed to play. Then FC2 came along and I was stoked. It was in Africa, my home. At first I thought it was great. The transitions from tropical to semi-tropical to savannas to semi-desert and then desert environments were all too quick for reality, but it's a game and one accepts that. The environments were real, though. I could see myself in Namibia or Zambia or a number of other places I've lived in or been and could almost smell the dust and feel the heat, it was that beautifully done. Ultimately, though, the gameplay turned out to be a bit of a bore and I can't even remember if I finished it - probably not. I got FC3 today and am impatiently waiting for all the updates to download. I hope it's worth it ...
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Got this game after all the great reviews. Was greatly disappointed. You have to kill animals to make slings and backpacks in order to carry more than one weapon. Really??. This one aspect ruined the game for me. You should be able to carry 2 weapons (one primary and a secondary). I had to jump into a car. Drive it across the map. And then swap out my weapon. Drive back to where I was to start the mission with the weapon I needed. Just couldnt get past this party of the game. Took it back to GameStop for store credit after one hour of play
@Voice_of_Wisdom @Kingpin051865
I agree with voice of wisdom. full realism in a game? Amazing you are so defensive... I am guessing you are regretting you return the game in such haste or you should give up gaming
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@Voice_of_Wisdom Wow, what an amazing statement for someone with a user ID of "Voice of Wisdom". I think you just proved you have none. If you don't have anything constructive to add to the conversation. Shut your mouth, or just don't comment.
I don't agree with everything the other people said. But at least they said it in an Intelligen way. and I can see some of their ponits. You have none. So until you do. Shut up.
@Kingpin051865 the 1st few side missions and crafting are as tutorial, part of game but also teach you and realize you how to play and what will come next. what did ya expect from open world FAR CRY?? its not boxed game, you've to run or drive anywhere everywhere. in half hour gameplay i can craft all of weapons pack and much more. what was ya doing in 1 hour gameplay? must be staring to screen and did nothing.
@vlad_123. No not really. Just took me out of the game because all you could do was carry one gun when you first start out. Incredibley stupid, and not realistic at all. Even the smallest of people could carry a rifle and a sidearm. I think visually the game looks amazing. And the story seemed decent. I just couldn't stay with it long enough because of this one part. Glad you liked it though. In addition, I'm not the only one who has expressed troubles with this part of the game. So it's clearly not a personal problem.
@Kingpin051865 An odd quibble. Judging by the review and other comments, your issue seems over-blown. "I know it seems like a small thing to you".
Ok, you were responding to killa32120; make that "it *is* a small thing to *us*". It's a shame it spoilt the game for you
@killa32130 We could debate this back and forth. I'm not going to change your opinion. And your not going to change mine. I realize it only takes a few minutes to kill a goat. My point was I feel it's stupid to even have to do that in order to carry 2 weapons. Anyone should be able to carry 2 weapons. It would make more sense to me if the game made you make slings and packs to carry more than 2 weapons. I know it seems like a small thing to you. But a game that maintains its realistic yet doesn't allow me to carry 2 guns without doing some trival task is not. When I was in IRAQ. I carried an M4-A1 & a 45 pistol. I didn't have to kill a single goat in order to do that. And believe me. There were plenty of them....lol
@Kingpin051865 Killing 1 goat to hold a second weapon takes you 5 minutes, some how that ruined the game for you... This game has a stupid easy crafting system which hardly needs time to get all the stuff you need.
" I would have enjoyed the game more if before each mission I was given a choice to make a load out tailored to each job."
Then Black Ops 2 is tailored just for you.
@killa32130 I was only complaining about driving because that was the easiest way for me to swap out my weapon. And I shouldn't have to liberate an outpost to solve my problem. All the reviews talk about how detailed, realistic and rich the environment is in the game. But how realistic is it that when you start the game. You can only carry ONE weapon. This little detail ruined the game for me. I realize it's a small detail. But we all have games where we hated something small and it messed the game up for us. The killing of animals in order to carry more weapons just seems like something put in a game that serves no other purpose than to take up time. I would have enjoyed the game more if before each mission I was given a choice to make a load out tailored to each job. And not be like, well I need 2 weapons for this one, better go off and kill a goat..lol
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You said you played one hour of the game, that doesn't even scratch the surface of it. Every outpost you liberate turns into a location where you can buy/change your gun, you could have liberated an outpost next to your objective, problem solved. Also you're complaining about driving in an open world sand box game, this isn't Call of Duty lol.
@killa32130. Sorry, but your wrong. There were 2 Fast travel location available at this point in the game for me. And neither were anywhere why I needed to be to complete the next part of the game. Therefore, you pretty much had to jump in a car and drive. And this still doesn't change the fact you start off being able to only carry one weapon. I felt this was "silly" as you say....lol
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Crafting a slot for a second weapon only needs 1 Goat Skin i believe lol. also you can swap out weapons at the vast majority of Fast travel locations (The big yellow arrows), you don't need to drive at all. Your argument is silly.
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A big improvment since Far Cry 2.Better graphics of course and a better story,even if there is something like magic(i'm reffering to "Tatau"),but it's ok! :)
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Huge improvement over Far Cry 2 and a well developed story and characters. Really enjoyed it.
@gameranky yes,if you have bought it,otherwise you can play through a gaming network program called "Tunngle",but i'm not so sure :P
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I found this game very fun and addictive, it is a brilliant game, although i felt the difficulty was a bit too easy and some parts of the game are a bit too forgiving (sharks for example)However it was a very worthwhile game to play and i don't regret buying it at all
You can buy and download from steam or no doubt Ubisoft's site. If you mean download for free then i can't help you mate. Regardless you should get the game, lots of fun. :)
come on guys WTF?????? Far cry 2 was better???? FC2 was the worst game everrrrrrr TOOO BORING
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Luckily - there's youtube, so I can get an honest assessment of the game.
Think I'll go with Just Cause 2 when the Steam sale kicks in. It looks like a better game, and it won't cost the ridiculous price of $60.
@Born_Lucky its now 39.99 and about 40hours of fun gameplay worth it ... i liked just cause 2 but action mechanic really was awful .
@Born_Lucky First off, Far Cry retails for $50 not $60 and I just bought it from Direct2play for $28. Second, I own Just Cause 2 and it's alright. Far Cry 3 is superior in my opinion. Third, they are two very different games. Same open-world principles but it's like comparing BF3 to CoD.
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I'm shocked by how much fun I'm having with this game. I hate FPS's, and the first-person perspective in general. I tried Dishonored and it bored me to tears. I tried FC3 at a friends and I didn't want to stop playing, so I had to pick up my own copy. I can lose hours in this game. Right now my favorite thing to do is scout out an outpost to see enemy locations and patrol routes, and then find a good sniper perch to pick off the biggest threats. Then I will try to take everyone else out using stealth. It is a blast.
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@emilio721 @bonander It's not a proper FPS game. It's not linear, allows free roam, and isn't restricted like most FPS games. Are you some kind of militant FPS purist that scours the comments looking for people to take digs at when you disagree with them?
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I am totally disappointed in FR3. I loved FR2 for the freedom to use my own strategies for approaching a mission, and the freedom of choosing weapons and techniques for completion of mission goals. I also had the freedom to ignore the missions and just explore and collect money, so I could equip myself before taking on a difficult mission.
Now with FR3, the story line is overpowering the gameplay. Cinematic sequences reduce the player to an observer that occasionally gets frantic orders to spasctically jump on a button. There is only one way to complete a mission, and only one set of secret locations that work. I want a character that jumps every time I push the button, that melees or reloads every time I push the button, not be prevented from using my sense and abilities by some pre-determined outcome. While side quests and exploration does allow character control to a great extent, the main missions are too heavily scripted and there is only one way to complete them. Many of the sequences are so dependent on narrow parameters that failure over and over is assured, rendering the experience frustrating, and maddening because I am not allowed to control the character. Unfortunately, one cannot proceed until these rote sequences are finally achieved.
The story line feels like a cheap B movie stereotype, with unbelievable character actions, like being trapped in a sinking ship, finding a air bottle, then abandoning it after one breath, but stiff far from an exit. Loot pickups are frivolous junk, where it takes scores of pickups to amount to any value. Climbing towers to open up weapons gets old after a few, and the zip line is not anywhere near as exciting as it would be in real life.
Far Cry 3 has abandoned the FPS experience of FC2, and replaced it with an alphabet soup of the worse game stereotypes from all other genre of games. A one size fits all game, that tries to do everything, and actually does very little well.
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@aligatorhardt 100% agree with you on every point. I got this game based on the reviews and fully regret my purchase. I did give this game a chance too (put about 10 hrs in) and finally just gave up out of boredom and frustration with the tightly scripted and constrained gameplay in the missions that are linked to the actual or main story - this is 100% unforgivable for a game that attempts to sell itself as an open world sandbox game. Sure you're allowed to wander and do things like hunt but for the most part side distractions like hunting or side quests to kill a certain species of animal with a specific weapon, freeing radio towers so you can access weapons go boring real quick. For me this game is a complete step backwards from FC 2 (at least in FC 2 there is actual freedom in the main missions to approach them as you see fit). On its only real positive note for me this game has some of the best visuals I've seen to-date - makes a great tech demo for my dual 680GTX vid cards.
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@Agent_47 @aligatorhardt if u dont like (u r in minority) then y comments?? leave others (majority) and dont insult their choice.
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@aligatorhardt HEY DUDE..........ITS A VRYYYY VRYYY GD GAME,I THINK IT IS THE BST GAME OF THE YEAR......
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@aligatorhardt Your opinion is as legitimate as anyone else that prefers FC2 over FC3.
But, the part you complain about I have yet to encounter, after 15 or so hours of totaly free gameplay so i will suppose it's just a small part in the game, on the other hand I dropped FC2 after 2 hours of playing because of the idiotic malaria mechanic, and the endlessly respawning bullet sponge mobs.
My other major complain about FC2 AI, is their unbalanced reaction, you could mostly walk right up to them and they would be oblivious to your presence but once ONE spotted you, every other mob in the area would immediately know exactly where you where and shoot you even if you where behind cover.
Different strokes for different folks I guess but judging by the other posts you must aknowledge that concerning FC2 to FC3 comparisons you are in the minority.
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@Lucasdxx The opinions of others are their business. I want to control the character and I do not like being stopped while a sequence film plays out for a second, then I jump on a button, then can do nothing until the next prompt comes up. Just play the cut scene and let me know when it is my turn to play. Those are the most annoying things, also the inability to use the knife underwater. The game is well done in other respects, and there is a lot of open time available.
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