Far Cry - Australian Review (Reviews)

David Kvasnicka, GamePro Australia

30/03/2004 11:50:46

If this is the future of games, then the future is looking very bright indeed. Forget dodgy physics, forget crappy location damage, and forget unrealistic light and shadows. Far Cry is here, and it flaunts just about every cool feature gamers have wanted in a first person shooter.

You play Jack Carver, a shady character that has set up a new life operating charter boats in the Pacific. Jack is hired to take a journalist named Valerie to Cabatu Island to investigate the goals of a tyrannical genetic scientist. The pair are attacked en-route, and Valerie is captured. Jack escapes and comes across a communicator device through which a mysterious stranger, Doyle, helps Jack survive. Without giving too much away, your quest for survival leads to revelations about Valerie, your past, and eventually sees you pitted against enemies far worse than your fellow man…

The first impression of Far Cry is that it simply breathes life. The initial missions are characterised by the need to say “sweeeet!” every few seconds, and even after that there’s nothing but shock and disbelief. Technically speaking, it’s all there – operable vehicles, loads of weapons, ultra-realistic indoor and outdoor environments, impressive location damage, and tonnes of varying enemies. But they didn’t leave it there. For starters, Far Cry features some of the most realistic AI for this type of FPS, with the major difference being that enemies will make their own survival first priority. Once you’ve been spotted, the AI of your adversaries will employ a range of tactics to catch you, based on the situation. They can only find and attack you based on what they have seen or heard, so in this respect there are many ways to “fool” the enemy - including the ability to lure them into an ambush.

The next aspect of Far Cry that tends to blow minds is its dynamic lighting and shadowing. You could be hiding in wait, badly injured, while your adversaries creep around silently in search of you. If they step in front of a light source, a convincing shadow will be cast – not only giving away their numbers and position, but the type of weapons they’re carrying, thanks to the detail of the shadows. And it’s all done dynamically, so if a hanging light is swayed, the shadows will change correspondingly.

And undoubtedly the greatest feature is that which made the hanging light sway. Yes, everything in-game is based on what is perhaps the best physics ever seen in a game. At long last we have bodies that will slink down stairs, objects that will create a domino effect if pushed into each other, and barrels that can be rolled down hills to squash those below. Enemies will die according to how and where they were shot, even if it means falling like a rag-doll off a cliff head first after being shot-gunned in the face.

But while the technology is definitely top-notch, it is interesting to note the trade-offs they’ve made with the engine. While almost everything in the game can be affected by the player, relative to the type of material and the weight of the object, simple things (like crates) are indestructible. Also, bullet holes, bodies, and other player-influenced changes still unfortunately perform disappearing acts. The voice acting is lame, and worst of all, there is no gibbing. But to be fair, all these quibbles are forgotten when you’re too busy picking up your jaw off the keyboard.

At the end of the day, Far Cry is one of those games that even when finished, you still “play” around in the game-world, riding around in the vehicles, experimenting with the environments, or re-playing the game using different tactics. It’s the most high-tech FPS out at the moment – a giant leap towards the next generation and an absolute dream to play.

Far Cry is at the top of its class in almost every respect.

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Graphics: 5.0

Sound: 5.0

Control: 5.0

Fun Factor:

Scoring scale: 1-5

Publisher: Ubisoft / Developer: Crytek / Retail Price: $89.95 (PC) / Release date: 25/03/2004 / OFLC Rating: MA (15+)

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