Far Cry 3 Review (PC)

Far Cry 3 by Ubisoft Montreal, is the latest installment in the videogame series of the same name. Like its predecessors, this game is an open-world FPS with a minor RPG element to it. The open-world setting takes place on a rather large, tropical island, which hosts a plethora of neutral NPCs, enemies, and flora and fauna, all of which are essential elements to the PC's evolution, which we will discuss later.

The story is about a group of vacationing college friends who are taken prisoner by the criminal network that resides there - think Turistas or something similar - and this is when our protagonist, Jason Brody, is introduced to the psychopathic pirate Vaas. After the player character (PC)/Jason manages a thrilling escape, the open-world element is introduced, and the PC can choose to continue the story of the campaign (save friends from pirates), and/or do challenge missions, or just mess about in general. The story is quite long, and well-written, in my opinion, and the challenges ensure that one will get their money's worth out of this game in terms of game length/replayability. My only complaint about the story is that it's an extremely linear one, and the only real choice you get to make is at the end of the game. The endings themselves are good, but it was almost as if having more than one was unnecessary.

The graphics are also quite impressive, and whether it's non-player characters (NPCs) or the environment, the realism of said graphics adds immersion to the whole experience. One is even able to see the player character's body, something which many games don't bother to do, but should. Even the methods of killing have a creative aspect to them in terms of graphics, whether it's stabbing, shooting, or fragging. I particularly like the animations for the bow, as in the tropical setting it makes one feel a bit like an actual hunter.

This brings us to the actual gameplay - the controls are fairly simple and the movement/actions of the PC make combat and general maneuverability quite comfortable. The PC is able to fight or move on foot or in vehicles, and the transition to either is easy to do (think the Battlefield series) as well. Ranged combat is very similar to that of other games, but the melee/takedown moves are a little different. When one has the element of surprise, it is possible to do a melee takedown, and as the PC levels up they are able to chain melee attacks, melee chains with a ranged finishing takedown, and even a takedown that involves pulling the pin on an enemy's grenade and kicking them away. The health system is half regen-based, half health bar. Basically if one of the health bars loses only a portion of health, the bar regens back, while if all the health in the bar is lost, it is only able to be refilled by holding down a button to restore the health via stimpacks. The enemy AI is fairly realistic; that is, they are intelligent but not more brilliant than one would expect pirates or low-level criminals to be.

Another thing to note is their crafting system, in which pelts from animals you kill/skin can be used to upgrade ammo bags or weapon pouches, etc., or stims from plant ingredients. Thus, whether you are getting XP from killing enemies to level your abilities, skinning animals to upgrade your items, or searching the land for the various plants to make healing poultices, it is clear that everything you do in the game is relevant to your experience, and this ensures that all sidequests/challenges/upgrades are worth undertaking. That is, the game doesn't have you do anything tedious that is not for your long-term benefit.

In terms of originality, I would say the story - other than the general premise being used before - is pretty original, and as I said well-written. There are some similarities and differences between this Far Cry and the last two in the series, but overall, for the sake of the length of the review, I won't be dissecting all of them. Needless to say, from the positive characteristics I have mentioned previously, Far Cry 3 is a worthy addition to the series and I believe the developers are heading in the right direction. After playing the stand-alone expansion that has been released - Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon - I can stand by that praise. Look forward to a review of the expansion in the near future.

The bottom line: Far Cry 3 is a worthy addition to the series, but is just as incredible as if it was a stand-alone game. Its sensational graphics, gameplay, and story - inserted into a beautifully created open-world setting - ensured not only my enjoyment of the game but ensured that the replayability value would keep me playing for the foreseeable future.

Verdict: 9/10