A recent trip to my friendly neighborhood (insert DVD game supplier descriptive here) netted Far Cry Instincts, Ubisoft’s Xbox version of the 2004 hit PC first-person shooter, Far Cry. You all know I’m a monkey as far as FPS games go, but my FPS/RPG-addict brother said I should get this for our library. I was skeptical at first (I’m more of a Civilization-guy) but after playing Far Cry Instincts over the weekend, I will never doubt my brother again! This game blew me away.
The short review is: go and buy this title. You can’t go wrong with guns, bio-terrorists and picturesque landscapes.
The Storyline
You are Jack Carver, retired Navy commando. Terrorists and their mad scientist friends have taken over a pristine South Pacific island which you unknowingly visit and get trapped in, no thanks to a hot undercover agent. It’s the Predator on The Island of Dr. Moreau, with a little Resident Evil bio-monster mayhem on the side. Far Cry Instinct’s stunning graphics engine and excellent gameplay take this simple plot and raise it to even greater heights.
The Far Cry Instincts world is immense. One would think you can squeeze only this much action on an island. But as you shoot your way from point to point, you get the feeling that you’re playing on an island alright, an island as big as Australia. The game achieves this by 1) bringing the action above and below ground/water, 2) by throwing in a variety of terrain types to bewilder even the most seasoned tourist and 3) adding a vehicle driving component ala NFS. Be prepared to go spelunking, paragliding, swimming and ATV-ing in a moment’s notice. That’s how large and varied the Far Cry Instinct universe is.
As you move to the more advanced stages, your character develops “primal abilities”. Think Bravestar the cartoon character (strength of the beaaaar-er-er-er) only this time you get to actually rip the opposition to bloody shreds. The catch is you can only use these abilities when you have enough adrenaline.
Just in case you didn’t get the short review: go buy this game.
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