Ok, so let’s start with what I do like so we can get that out of the way quickly. The graphics and settings are amazing. The islands are rendered beautifully with huge draw distances and lush foliage. The gun fights are actually pretty frantic and the vehicles can be cool at times. The game also has a pretty good length, one of the longest FPS games I have played in a while. There is a good selection of weapons, and you are limited to four different guns which can add a bit of strategy when you select what to take with you.
Now on to what I don’t like. First, whose idea was it to put a checkpoint save system in this game? That person needs to be fired. Honestly, I can not think of a single pc game that has a good checkpoint save system. It would have been bearable if the checkpoint system was at least done well, and offered a generous amount of checkpoints. Instead, you get a bunch of checkpoints that mostly seem to be placed at random. At least they generally give you a checkpoint before a large firefight, usually. But there will be times where you will have to travel large distances over and over and over again.
Next, up is the AI. What’s so bad about it you ask? Well, it cheats. There were many times when they actually spotted me through solid walls. They can also hear the slightest noise from a mile away, and instead of going to check out the sound, they usually go on full alert. The cheating AI makes the stealth aspect of the game completely useless. There is no point in trying to hide or be quiet with the slightest thing will set them off. There were times when I would creep around a corner and as soon as I peak out, I would get a rocket in my face, even though there was no way they could have possibly known I was there. The cheating AI and the checkpoint save system can make the game extremely frustrating. Not to mention the cheap mutants later in the game with rocket launchers for arms that can take you out in one or two hits, but take what seems like hundreds of shots themselves to take down. It doesn’t help that they also usually throw half a dozen of them at you at a time, often in indoor levels where there is no where to maneuver.
Then there is the vehicle physics, or should I say lack of realistic physics. Jeeps and the like bounce around like crazy, making them almost impossible to control at high speeds. Then again, you won’t get too much use out of them as you can’t even take them off road much due to the amount of trees, rocks, and the rest that will get in your way.
Of course, that didn’t make me quit the game, I felt compelled to play until the end (no thanks to the story, which is pretty bad). I think Robert Coffey said it pretty well when he said, “It would be so easy to dismiss Far Cry and the devastating effects of its save system as just another game disaster, but the truth is, the game does so many other things not just well but exceptionally, that you almost hate the game more because it could be so great.” If only they had spent more time on the save system, and fixed the obvious cheating AI, the game could have been a lot more fun.
Would I recommend the game? Yeah, its only $20 now, but I would highly suggest that if you have an Xbox, pick up Far Cry: Instincts instead. From what I played in the demo, they fixed many of the PC games problems.
