Reader Reviews
Your reviews of Interstate 76, Far Cry, Super Mario Sunshine, Soldner, Shining Force, TOCA Race Driver 2 and Space Invaders Anniversary. More to come later this week.
Far Cry (PC)
by Anthony Byrne
Every now and then a game comes out of nowhere that just raises the bar in certain areas of gaming design. With the most basic of premises Far Cry is a bog standard FPS - run shoot kill repeat. There is a start to a level and there is an end, plain and simple. With system specs NASA would be proud of, this game demands high spec so aiming for the shorter end of the market. The pre-hype was nothing spectacular - a demo, some E3 2003 screenshots, and a movie. What it did offer? Superb graphics and good gameplay with online modes of play. What did it deliver? All of the above.
Graphically Far Cry is the best looking game on the market bar none, it stands head and shoulders above every other FPS out there. With simply amazing effects and a level of detail Da Vinci be in awe at. If you can run this game you will see why you bought all those shiny things in anti static bags. Everything about these graphics is just jaw dropping. I mean the water actually looks like water. But if you can run this game in all it loveliness you will enjoy driving around and wrecking everything in your path with an awesome array of weaponry. Nice graphics and you can wreck things a nice balance.
Again with the sound they hit on a winner, everything sounds right and comes at the right time. Music is low key but very well integrated into the surroundings, on an ambient level its nice to just sit in the jungle looking at the sea and relaxing if like me you can't afford foreign holidays (damn kids). From AI screaming "HE'S OVER THERE" to the distant sound of an approaching helicopter (a noise that will make cry over and over again), this game has high production values and in every facet of the sound it's noticeable.
Can an FPS with the best graphics and superb sound be any good to play? Oh my it is. Right from the start you are involved in a very simple game get from A to B and kill everything. But you can go to C and sneak by everyone if you want. The level design is well balanced; it gives you a sense of freedom to explore and make your own way to your objectives. Weapons fire with ease and no fiddly views to drive a jeep or hang-glider (possibly the best vehicle in game). Sadly you can't fly the helicopters but they reward you with an arsenal of weapons Rambo would be happy with. From Assault rifles to rocket launchers each has a satisfying feel to it. Very well balanced in terms of online play but we get to that soon enough.
And rather than the big bag of weapons that come in normal FPS you only carry two at a time, and when one is a sniper rifle which you can shoot enemies from over a mile away its hard to drop it even when you have no ammo for it. Control is perfect whether on foot or in car/boat you never have any miscontrol issues and if you die its simply because the AI is evil. These guys are good and will hunt you down, they have a leader and hunt in packs all taking commands from the leader (Tip: take him out fast). Later on in he game they will change shape but not to give away any spoilers I will say nothing. I was a bit disappointed with that part but it doesn't take too much away from the single player experience.
Online play is a bit of a letdown for two reasons; firstly the weapons system seems different to in-game as you can take an awful amount of damage from close range and still survive (needs Crowking Realism mod). Secondly due to the high specs it can get very laggy online and sometimes you die without even knowing. Its minor point but it can ruin your online experience. Otherwise is plain old simply Objective/CTF and DM modes. Nothing really new but then again nothing about the game is.
Modding/mapping is option right from day one, with the devs realising we like this and want it with the game from day one. Crytek have gone one further and released a manual and while not specific it gives you enough idea on how to make a map with simple how-to guides. And most impressive is the LUA scripts - the possibilities within these are endless from RPG to Car game, it could be done and all launched from with Far Cry (no EXE making here).
Overall I was very impressed with this game, from gameplay point of view it's a simple FPS but it plays well rewards the player for doing well rather than punish. It does what it says on the box simple game that plays well it does everything right. Technically its the best looking and sounding game out now, but let down slightly by online play. Would recommend this to anyone who can run it.