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| Game: |
Far Cry Instincts |
| Genre: |
Shooters |
| Developer: |
Ubisoft |
| Publisher: |
Ubisoft |
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| Related Links: |
Coming Soon. |
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As gamers we get to visit a wide variety of locations, both fantasy based and those that attempt to mimic real life counterparts. As players we are often faced with what seems like a sense of freedom which is more often than not quite the opposite, as the effect is a mere illusion whereby game play forces you to take a predetermined route unable to explore every visible part of the map. First person shooters have had their fair share of wonderful and diverse environments to mess around in and few have even offered the player reasonable amounts of freedom, especially games such as Ghost Recon and to a certain degree Deus Ex: Invisible War.
With gamers looking for more to do in games these days other than simply shooting their way to victory, it’s becoming increasingly clear that developers are constantly trying to find that edge or gimmick that sets their game above the efforts of peers. So Xbox gets yet another first person shooter to add to the overflowing melting pot of games that seem drawn to the console like moths around a flame. Developed and published by powerhouse Ubi Soft its quite clear that the pedigree behind this latest game is of a very high standard. Enter Far Cry: Instincts. The instincts tag being a reference to the console version as PC gamers have had the game for quite a while now.
Far Cry on the PC tells the tale of Jack Carver, a man with a shady past who now runs his own shipping operation in the lush locale of Micronesia (a fictitious tropical island). Jack’s latest assignment is to ship a journalist to a nearby island, a seemly mundane and simple task. However things don’t go exactly to plan as Jack is thrust into a living tropical hell or in other words Jack gets to kick some serious butt. Either way if the console version deviates from this premise you can be assured that Jack will be kicking as much butt as possible.
Far Cry was originally planned as an Xbox exclusive but has also been announced for PS2 as well, what the game offers is a whole new first person experience like no other. Rather than offer players levels to wade through Instincts presents an entire tropical island to free roam at leisure. Well I say leisure in the loosest sense, as bad guys litter the island and are out for your blood every step of the way. So almost like Tarzan, it’s you verses them as you pit your wits against the tropical heat and the heat that your opponents carry. The level of details in the graphics is absolutely stunning on the PC version and hopefully will look excellent on Xbox as well. With masses of foliage, trees littering the island and real time day/night cycles the island is sure to create an atmosphere unrivalled by most games.
What makes Far Cry unique is the level of play that gamers can adopt; having an entire island that lives and breathes to roam freely means that players can choose the level of engagement to suit their own playing style. Will you opt to go guns a blazing or will you be a little sneakier and use the terrain to your advantage? The choices are vast and offer players of all styles the chance to test their mettle against foes who won’t take it lying down. The AI is something that Ubi are very proud of and were promised enemies that will act according to what actions you are performing. This includes calling for backup when overwhelmed to calling for land sea and air support when its time to take you out proper.
Never fear though as Jack is pretty handy with weapons and will be able to get his hands on some tasty kit such as machete, shotguns, machine guns, pistols, rocket launcher and for those Predator moments, a mini gun. Jack will also be able to set traps for those who are unsuspecting. What’s more, Jack is able to commandeer various vehicles which will aide him in his navigation around the island and for those quick escapes when needed. Seems like vehicle are becoming the norm now in Xbox first person shooters, which make sense really as why run everywhere with the stamina of a world class athlete.
Xbox Live users will be pleased to know that Far Cry will offer several modes of play and maps for users to battle it out for online supremacy. What is not clear is whether down loadable content or 3.0 support will be offered. Based on Ubi’s previous efforts it’s quite clear that these will be a big possibility.
Far Cry: Instincts is probably going to be an early 2005 title and will be an excellent addition to the Ubi line up of games that you may already own. Going back to basics with this game and letting players decide how to approach things is a welcome move and one we shall all be enjoying when the game hits the shelves. Keep your eyes peeled for this game as its going to be talked about a lot more once we get nearer to its release.
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