Far Cry 3 - Better Than Expected
I didn't expect much of Far Cry 3. By the time of release, I had mostly lost interest in shooters so I decided to wait until the game was on sale somewhere down the road. Luckily I was rewarded with an all around fun and engaging experience.
The original Far Cry, (not the offshoots on Xbox), wasn't more than a standard, linear first person shooter. But the unique and open jungle setting, and high hardware requirements to run properly on a PC, made it stand out. Far Cry 2 changed things up a bit, with a new twist on actually surviving in a dangerous setting by keeping malaria in check, and digging bullets out of yourself. I liked both games, but swore no allegiance to the Far Cry series going in to 3.
The opening of 3 is brief, showing the player (as Jason Brody) and friends skydiving to a tropical island while M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" plays.The choice of song brings the movie "Pineapple Express" to mind, and evokes a feeling of lightheartedness that permeates throughout Far Cry 3's campaign. But events quickly turn grim, and the player is introduced to the game's antagonist, Vaas. I felt the character of Vaas was well done. He might have been a bloodthirsty, junkie pirate, but somehow he was likeable. The man trying to kill you and your friends is crazy, but funny.
Lighthearted.
Jason escapes, vows revenge, (cue the title card), and the player is off to reclaim the island from Vaas and his pirates, all while hunting, getting tattoos, and shooting a lot of guns. Far Cry 3's gameplay doesn't bring anything new to the table and has a lot of Ubisoft trappings that have become common in their other series, Assassin's Creed. But, the shooting felt smooth, and the stealth kills were very satisfying. I tried to be stealthy as much as possible since it was the quickest way to tackle enemies, and being spotted could quickly get ugly. When I got careless, I was quickly overwhelmed by groups of pirates, and occasionally attack dogs. One of the game's strengths was the stress on stealth. Jason is a young thrill seeker, not a trained killer (yet), so it felt right that you should have to sneak around in the tall grass to avoid detection.
The rest of the game is mostly standard first person shooter fare, with plenty of side missions and collectibles to keep the player busy between missions. You earn upgrades in the form of the tattoo, and craft items from hunting the wild animals that are literally everywhere. Far Cry 3's world felt truly alive at times. I came across multiple instances of Vass' pirates battling the native Rakyat people, scenes of utter despair where the pirates had murdered innocent island natives caught in the crossfire, and even the natural wild life showcasing survival of the fittest. I saw an alligator burst from the river and grab a deer. While I'm sure most of these scenes were scripted, I never saw one repeated, leaving a great feeling of immersion.
Despite Vaas, I felt the game failed mostly at character development. As Jason, the player is set with finding his friends and rescuing them. Each time a new friend was introduced and rescued, the game tried to play them off as close friends whom I should care about. But the mission buildup to the rescues never made me care about them. I felt detached, for the entire campaign. Which brings up the player's character, Jason. I thought Jason was the worst character in the game. As Jason became more and more entrenched in the life of Rook Island on the side of the Rakyat warriors, there was a great opportunity to tell a story of bringing out a human's inner monster. Jason, and his friends, slowly realize this is happening to him, and comment on it, but it always felt stilted. I didn't expect much in terms of story anyway, but the game did such a good job of immersion that I kept holding out hope that the story might hold a nice surprise. Oh well.
I loved Far Cry 3. The character and story shortcomings did not hinder the overall experience, which was thrilling and immersive in a gorgeous setting. Hunting dangerous animals to increase your gear was a nice way to break up the pace, and rationale for increasing how much junk you could carry. The other side quests and collectibles didn't make any waves with me, but there's a lot to do should the player want. After conquering Rook Island, don't miss the incredible side expansion, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.
