Okay, first off, let me say that I have always been a fan of Far Cry. I love being the ultimate badass that just saves the day from all the crazy arms dealers and drug pushers. So thank you, Ubisoft, for this wonderful game.
Far Cry 3 is an open-world, first person shooter that also features some RPG elements, such as skill trees, and experience points to spend on said skills.The setting is on a tropical island somewhere in the area of the Malay Archipelago. Jason Brody, his two brothers,Riley and Grant, and three other friends are vacationing in Bangkok, go skydiving, and land on a pirate infested island. Inevitably, disaster strikes, and everyone is kidnapped by the mentally unhinged pirates that run the place.
Right in the beginning, you are are introduced to possibly one of my favorite villains, good ol’ Vaas. I love this guy. I mean, he is absolutely insane. Completely off his rocker, but his creation is extraordinary.
Little background on Vaas: He is the leader of the pirates on Rook Island, and by all accounts, barely controlling his own pirates anyways, who are insane, just like their dear leader. He answers to the real crazy mastermind, Hoyt Volker. Vaas’ sister, Citra, is the leader of the Rakyat, natives who inhabit the island, yet suffer constantly at the hands of Vaas and his merry men. More on him later.
Okay, time to meet Jason Brody.
After trying to escape from Vaas, Grant Brody dies, and Vaas tells Jason to run while the attack dogs and pirates chase him and try to kill him. Luckily, Jason is rescued by Dennis, who begins Jason’s tattoo. This tattoo is designed to help Jason come into his true warrior skills to be able to defeat Vaas and rescue his friends. Jason really grows as a warrior, from someone who whines a lot about dying to someone who becomes a vengeful killer. Jason’s character transformation, and his questions about his very OWN sanity, really helped bring the story a nice touch. As a player, you really felt connected and involved in everything Jason was going through…all the questions and emotions he felt, were connected through you as the player. The game is very emotionally connected through the characters, which really helps the overall rating of the game.
I don’t want to give away the story for those of you who haven’t played the game…because it is INCREDIBLE…so, long story short, Jason trains, betters his skills, hunts, crafts, and basically goes from whiny rich kid to cold killer, and your mission continues.
With the insanity thing, there are some pretty crazy moments in this game. It tripped me out sometimes.
On to the gameplay!
Gameplay
Alright, so I loved this game (I think I might have mentioned this already), not just because of the story, but because of the gameplay. It is wonderfully designed. Gun control is awesome, not all shaky and hard to aim, which I loved. The control wasn’t too sensitive, so I didn’t feel like a twitch gamer the whole time. I was actually allowed time to line up my shots to the be the most effective predator in the jungle. There’s a wide variety of weapons, which you don’t actually have to buy….you can unlock them freeing up radio towers for the Rakyat, which is actually very helpful, as you can unlock some high powered weapons that your enemies have had for the last few missions, and you’ve been stuck with your rifle. It’s also a very nice first person integration, I don’t feel like I’m constantly trying to look further than the camera allows. I actually have full range of motion at all times, thank whomever.
You know what else is cool? The fact that you actually HAVE to hunt for medicinal supplies and animal pelts in order to craft items for yourself, whether it’s medicine, holsters, or boosters. Thankfully, it doesn’t get introduced and then abandoned (ahem, Tomb Raider), and it’s actually kind of fun. You can use boosters to make yourself virtually invisibly to skittish animals, making it easier to take them down for your various needs. One part that annoyed me about this, actually, is that Jason cannot get used to skinning the animals. He did it like 40 times when I played, and every time, he says “Oh, ugh, grooosss” when skinning. I mean….I just feel like we could have taken it out after the introductory mission.
Harvesting all the plants around in the game allowed for some pretty nice power upgrades as well, either making you fireproof for a short while, breathe underwater longer, or have sharper senses. There’s a timer in the corner so you know just how long you have, so you aren’t helplessly sitting underwater hoping you have some breath left. Underwater, once your lungs start straining, Jason starts to get tunnel vision, and the screen slowly turns black, which I thought was a nice touch.
Now, the skill tree is pretty cool. The skills are mostly designed to help you become a better shot, take less damage, and become stealthier than your average ninja. You earn the skill points, spend them, and earn a tattoo, called the tatau by the Rakyat, which is your source of internal strength and power. Your left forearm will eventually have a full sleeve as you progress through the game. The chain takedown skill is pretty cool, allowing you to silently takedown a group of enemies by slicing them across the throat. How exciting!
The character complexities and emotions that run throughout the game are amazing, I must say. Like I already said, Vaas is my favorite…he’s an awesome villain. Insane, funny, and you meet him multiple times. He really enjoys playing cat and mouse with poor Jason, but Jason fights back pretty well. Once you kill Vaas though, you join up with Hoyt (in disguise of course) and learn about a whole new breed of crazy. The whole game is based on the concept of insanity, and the fact that extreme events warp the mind. Everyone on this island is partially insane, even the men on your side, along some hired guns that you meet. (Keep an eye out for Buck-vastly entertaining.) Your friends also run through a variety of emotions, mainly ending as worry for you as you progress into a lean, mean, killing machine. Everyone’s attitude changes on a whim, and the characters really feel human in this game.
And it is FUN. My feelings for this game just run wild, and I love the insanity, and the depth of the characters, and the environment…and basically everything about it.
And it was challenging. I was never bored with the game. Not only that, but it’s totally open-world, with tons of areas to explore and prizes for you to discover. I mean, really, just hang out on the island and kill all of Vaas’ pirates along the way, and then there’s side quests for the Rakyat, some coming with skill point rewards as well.
Honestly, though, if you like first person shooters, play this game. If you like guns, play this game. If you’re crazy, play this game. If you have nothing to do, play this game.
It’s so much fun.
Try to beat the insanity.
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