I still can't figure out how to actually post a review.. I must be retarded.

My review of Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, a game by Ubisoft Montreal. Read the review with pretty pictures & music at Glitchcraft.net

Review Score // ★★★★★

By // OliviaSystem // 2013 PC/Steam/Uplay (also available on: XBLA, PSN)

A Game By // Ubisoft Montreal

Related Articles // NOVUS: FC3 Blood Dragon

PROLOGUE

Blood Dragon is in a very precarious place... on the one hand, it's easy to see where a game that bets everything on 80's nostalgia could go horribly wrong; on the other, it could be everything you dreamed it would be. Let me start off by saying that if you love 80's action/sci-fi movies, there's little Blood Dragon could do to screw up your enjoyment of this standalone expansion for the 2012 FPS, even if you didn't like Far Cry 3.

Firstly, the essential movie-watching list. If you have any desire to play Blood Dragon, you've probably already seen a good chunk of these movies, but some of them are worth a re-watch just to get pumped! Predator & T2 are the top picks for heaviest influences. This list was compiled on the Glitchcraft facebook page with followers' input. Like our page to participate in all our future nerdy polls! (you can also make suggestions about the site & tell us what you think ♥)

• Predator
• Terminator & T2
• Commando
• Apocalypse Now
• Soldier
• Robocop
• Blade Runner
• Judge Dredd
• Die Hard
• Universal Soldier
• The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai

VISUALS

Blade RunnerArguably one of the best things about Blood Dragon is its aesthetic. Traditionally, dark levels are usually difficult to see during; Blood Dragon fixes that by making nearly everything glow: the enemies, your weapons (read the description of the Bow in-game)... even the alligators' teeth. Borrowing heavily from , the fog-soaked island (which some may recognize from FC3) is replete with neon, bloom & blow-outs, whether from the giant lasers projected into the sky, or for no reason at all, as many areas will just glow without a light-source.

It's sci-fi.

My favorite part are the filters layered over the graphics, especially the scan-lines & rgb channel-splitting. These are what really drive the 80's movie visual nostalgia home, hearkening back to a time when everyone was watching & making VHS tapes, & SD broadcast television was the shit. There's something very "old-tapes of Liquid Television" about it.

AUDIO

This area may well end up being a major number of peoples' favorite part of the whole game. As soon as you turn the game on, the title screen will probably hold your attention for some time as you wonder, "What is this glorious sound?!" The answer is futuretro duo Power Glove, two dudes from Australia that kick a lot of ass. I'm currently hoping to get an interview about this soundtrack out of them. In fall 2012 I was searching for music to share with a friend in pertinence to an upcoming concert for the power-metal cover band, Powerglove. I saw this video in the related links & thought, "How can there be a Powerglove song I haven't heard?" - when I clicked on it, I was surprised, then confused, then really, really happy.

"IT'S MORE LIKE... BACKGROUND MUSIC. BACKGROUND MUSIC TO THE SWEETEST MOVIE EVER."

Later, when Power Glove teased that they were doing an original soundtrack for a game, my mind was blown. When I learned just what game they were talking about, everything made perfect sense. Of course, there isn't anyone else that could do the job proper. I had previously stated, "What I really like about Power Glove's music is that they aren't really songs per se, it's more like... background music. Background music to the sweetest movie ever;" I swear Ubisoft was listening to me. More sick tunage.The soundtrack is available now! (amazon, itunes) Check out Power Glove's SoundCloud for previews! Like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter. If you like what you hear, you should check out my youtube playlist Beeps & Boops to discover more amazing futuretro artists!

& I just love being able to hear Predator-vision-noise whenever I want. Wouldn't you?

CHARACTERS

Blood Dragon stars the voice of Michael Beihn (Terminator/Kyle Reese, Aliens/Cpl. Hicks) as cyborg commando Sgt Rex Power Colt. Enough said about that. My only other pick would have been David Hayter, making fun of himself as Solid Snake. Phil Lamarr (MadTV) is Colt's hacker-cyborg sidekick, Spider. I don't want to say anything else.

STORY

I'm not telling. But on my blog there's a sweet montage of what you'll find!

GAMEPLAY

It's super-standard FPS with open-world map-exploration & base-raiding, the same as its' predecessor, Far Cry 3. There are a few extra gadgets, like some sweet new guns, but the Bow is still around. MVP Terror 4000.

USER INTERFACE

I enjoyed the super lo-fi UI; it fit the 80's-feel of the game perfectly. Far Cry 3 players will recognize it. Sometimes simplicity & under-designing really can be a work of art, when complementing a whole vibe. It made sense cohesively & is just easy on the eyes. Can we go back to green on dark green text please?If you're an infoholic like me, you'll read every single shred of text that the developers give as description. & you'll be very happy that you did. I implore you to read. Do it!

EPILOGUE

Blood Dragon is really a big joke on nerds, but it's an epic joke - one that for once, the nerds are laughing hardest at. Ubisoft Montreal wrote this game for you. Did you know that Canadians & French-Canadians are super nerdy? You do now. If you lived through the 80's & cherish anything about its' questionable but charming aesthetics, do yourself a favor & play this game: it's only $14.99! In a recent podcast interview, Michael Beihn confirms work on a sequel; I'm speculating here but the series will probably be called just Blood Dragon. Humanity wins!

~ Olivia

Glitchcraft. A website about video games. By girls. Deal with it.

Join the future polls at the Glitchcraft Facebook page