Take Rook Island in Ubisoft's excellent open world shooter.
Let me say this right away: Far Cry 3 is the best shooter I have ever played. The base mechanics are familiar, but the execution is excellent. The controls are tight, the action is tense and exciting and the story is a really well-developed plot of slavery, conflict and violence. So much has been added to the formula, with an XP system, loot and much more. Filled with quests, dozens and dozens of real, breathing wildlife to hunt and hundreds of collectibles and side missions, Far Cry 3 is the ultimate shooter experience. Not only is Far Cry 3 the absolute best shooter and game of 2012, it's quite possibly one of the generation's best too.
Far Cry 3 is set on the beautiful, dense and dangerous Rook Island. After a group vacation goes seriously sideways, protagonist Jason Brody must find his friends who have been taken captive by pirates and their hierarchy warlords. As Jason sets out to discover the history of the island and its inhabitants, there is more to this mission than just rescuing his buddies. There are seriously twisted people on the island, a tribal faction named the Rakyat becomes embroiled in the narrative and Brody must do anything to not just escape the island with his friends, but to survive.
The absolute best thing about the game is the island. It's huge, filled with subtle details and content. It's lush, full of greens and very dangerous. Wildlife roams free throughout every acre of this vast landscape and pirates patrol every corner. Brody must discover ways to enhance his survival skills and become a killer. Yet that's what is most riveting. Brody is somebody who is vulnerable, harmless and cannot shoot a gun. Following the death of his older brother, Brody begins to change and his need for killing grows over time. He goes from vulnerable and scared to a violent killer, in the most believable way I've ever seen in any entertainment form. Sure, it may still be difficult for a film to captivate the viewer with changing it's protagonist over time, but to succeed in the same regard in a thirty-hour gaming experience is mere impossible. Somehow, Ubisoft nails this so well that by the time the credits roll, Jason isn't the only one who has been on that journey, but you too. This is an incredible achievement, as it rivets you into the action and makes you feel about every kill and consequence. Unlike many shooters these days, Brody has a reason for killing and a reason for doing everything he does. He's an empathetic character and the subsequent unravelling of the story makes him all the more so.
The story wouldn't be what it is without the fantastic cast of characters. Jason and his friends are your typical dumb American teenagers who do silly things and are punished for it. However, the inhabitants of Rook Island are certainly not. Without spoiling the story, the surface of the narrative involves warlords and tribesmen who effect Jason in different ways. Right at the start of the game, we are introduced to the fantastically twisted, insane Vaas Montenegro. Though there is more to the story than described in this review, Vaas is the villain of the entire experience. He's dark, unpredictable and downright riveting in every scene he inhabits. He steals cinematic after cinematic and is an incredible villain to drive the story. He's gaming's answer to The Dark Knight's Joker, if you will, with the same sense of unpredicability, ticky persona and uncompromising presence. He makes you feel uncomfortable, and that is what a character should do. This isn't just a superficial thing, either. Though he is a video game character, Vaas says and does some morally uncompromising things and is incredibly well-written and highly likeable. Actor Michael Mando, star of Vaas, is absolutely outstanding and should be awarded with some sort of recognition, as he definitely portrays his character with great depth and style.
There are some heavy themes portrayed throughout the game. Though profanity and violence are two common tropes in gaming, they are turned up a notch in Far Cry 3. Cursing is used perfectly as opposed to the profanity that is unnecessarily shoehorned into other shooters, and the psychotic vibe and killing throughout blur the line between traditional moral gaming tropes. Where Call of Duty puts you in the shoes of a normal soldier waging war, Far Cry 3 gives you a sense of believability of your character where every kill has a moral effect. It's this psychological study that is most fascinating; in fact the most engaging test of a protagonist's psyche since Max Payne 2.
There are other great characters that I insist on avoiding to prevent any kind of spoiler from the story. The voice acting across the entire game is solid and the writing is great. The characters are portayed and written well and look convincing. The cinematics are also well directed here, and the choreography of the set pieces are great. Rather surprisingly, given that this is a modern day shooter, Far Cry 3's pacing is top-notch. Your motivations for undergoing objectives and performing actions are given enough reason, and the action and set pieces are well-timed and happen at perfect moments in the story.
In terms of action, Far Cry 3 is splendid. The game adds a host of features not seen in many first-person shooters today. Firstly, the shooting. Far Cry 3 has the best shooter mechanics I've ever used in a game. Superb in every way, the controls are fluid and the gunplay is weighty, responsive and unbelievably satisfying. I haven't had so much fun killing enemies, blowing up depots and mowing down pursuers in a long time. This is, contrary to the Vaas monologue, the definition of wildly entertaining.
The shooter mechanics are aided by the great cover system. When crouched behind cover, Jason will hold his gun behind the object, enabling you to peek out and pick off enemies. You can shimmy over and around the piece of cover, and you can also blind fire, which is really cool. Most objects serve as cover, so experimenting with the environment during a gunfight is fun. Then again, you'd think shooting enemies for thirty hours would get repetitive, right? No chance. Far Cry 3 implements weapon customization that goes beyond Far Cry 2 in both accessibility and simplicity. Opposite to Far Cry 2's often complex customization layout and it's subsequent requirements, Far Cry 3 gives you a simpler function that enables you to choose your loadouts and attachments easily. There are plenty of attachments and weapons to unlock, and these can be accessed using gun cabinets found in safehouses. There are 34 enemy outposts throughout Rook Island, which must liberated from a group, usually consisting of four or five guards. There are alarms located around the perimeter, so it would be wise to disable them before opening fire. Once liberated, allies will appear and the area will be safe. This is when the safehouses are opened up. For every outpost you liberated, you open up a safer part of the map. These gun cabinets sell dozens of weapon opportunities. There are handguns, SMGs, assault rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers and even flare guns and a flamethrower. There are many others too, and unlocking and using all of the them is ridiculously entertaining and addicting. Experimenting with these weapons in different outposts and story missions is hugely satisfying and rewarding. It's all the better because of how unpredictable enemy encounters are. No two gunfights will unfold the same way. First you may fire an RPG at an enemy patrol vehicle, yet the next gunfight may see you sniping from a cliffside. Also, because of the fantastic world and level design, it avoids linearity and becomes all the most intense because of it. Therefore, starting fights is actually something you'll want to do a lot.
Another reason why the gunplay is so fun is because of the stealth system. Far Cry 2's stealth implementation was wildly inconsistent and underdeveloped. However, Far Cry 3's stealth system is incredible. Flawless, even. It works perfectly so long as you follow the rules. Suppressed weapons, crouching and observing are par for the course of one of the best stealth systems I've ever used in a game – and that's including stealth games. Enemy AI is relatively smart and responsive. Sometimes it can bug you to witness an enemy spotting a dead body and the entire outpost becoming alerted, and it can be occasionally disheartening, but most of the time you have the opportunity to kill them efficiently. If you are in tight spaces surrounded by enemies or are finding a route difficult to take, Jason can throw rocks which both distract guards and force them to check out the noise. It's a clever implementation that is surprisingly important. You may sometimes be out of ammo or required to keep all enemies alive for a particular quest, so throwing rocks is a smart inclusion. Jason can also utilize a camera. Here he can tag enemies and animals, watch patrol patterns and generally observe attacks. It's only used for outposts, but it's a welcome feature and is quite important, especially on higher difficulties.
Jason has character upgrades in the form of tattoo markings associated with a tribal faction known as the Rakyat. Spoilers aside, these give Jason skill points earned by completing objectives, killing enemies and collecting items and secrets. The XP system is incredibly satisfying and addictive. Killing enemies in certain ways yields a different amount of XP. For example, killing an enemy rewards 10XP but obtaining a headshot may give you 25XP, yet achieving a multi-kill will provide even more XP. It's accessible and highly engaging. Some games provide filler content that is rarely completed to 100 percent, but Far Cry 3's content is so intoxicating and compellling that achieving full completion is something you will definitely want to do. Returning to the skills, these are varied and provide many different abilities. Some of the first few abilities include Takedowns, which allow Jason to stab an enemy from behind. There is also sprinting while reloading, crouching faster and even shooting from ziplines. At first, I was convinced that some of Far Cry 2's features, like running and sliding and throwing grenades, were omitted. Then, when I saw the three-category skill tree (Heron – survival skills, Shark – action and movement, and Spider – stealth, health etc). Levelling up awards skill points and maxing out these abilities will increase your characters abilities. Experiencing this steady progression over the game and becoming more and more powerful is terrific, and happens in a believable way. There are also Rakyat relics to find around the island, usually underwater on sunken shipwrecks and in caves and old temples, and are a good find. These add to the XP meter and are therefore worth checking out.
Experience points are also earned by activating radio towers. There are 18 radio towers to locate in Rook Island and doing so will reward you with visual access to the area on the map. Initially blacked out and empty, it opens up to dozens of loot chests and quests. It's a pretty tense climb, too – slowly finding your way to the top of a 100-foot tower is pretty scary for the acrophobe, but makes for a remarkable visual view. Though your first initial climbs will be relatively simple, later towers get tougher to climb, whether it is decaying debris blocking off access to a particular side of the tower, or broken walkways that must be re-routed to continue. Their rewarding in the sense that they give you new weapons, supply drop missions and oftentimes free prices on said weapons. There are also four main side quest types for Jason to participate. Wanted: Dead missions are objectives that have you seeking out a commander surrounded by pirates. Though the pirates can be neutralized in any way, the commander must be killed with a knife, true to Rakyat tradition. These missions are fun and varied and, although the premise and layout of each quest are similar, the approach to killing them can be different. Path of the Hunter quests involve reaching a destination to obtain an objective-specific weapon and hunting particular animals and skinning them. Supply Drops are races where you must reach a destination with medical supplies before the time runs out. Due to the incredible driving mechanics, these are fun and avoid the potentially tiring nature of the quest structure. Another variant of collectible is the Letters of the Lost. These are sealed letters collecting from dead corpses around the island that grant additional backstory of Rook Island and it's past history with the Japanese. It's a cool addition that provides some depth of the island's past. There are also some story related side missions involving the Rakyat and supporting characters, as well as minor diversions like knife throwing, poker and races. Plus, because of the excellent driving mechanics, they can be more fun than other diversions you may have experienced in other games. These also earn XP and can be completed at any time. Another form of activity are some occasional random events. Though not visible on the map, and though they don't award XP, they are small quests like repairing a vehicle for somebody, rescuing some people from being shot by pirates and engaging in gunfights to support your allies.
Skinning animals can be pretty intense, and Jason is always quoting each kill. Skins can then be used to craft different items. These items require different animal skins and can be upgraded multiple times. These items include medical syringes, ammunition pouches, gun holsters and a higher loot rucksack capacity. As the items increase, the skin requirements get tougher and more rare. Some skins can be difficult to obtain, and so can be acquired through completing side quests. From collecting deer hide, a higher ammunition pouch may then require bear skins and a four-weapon gun holster will require more than one shark skin – tougher animal variants for better item rewards. It's a good trade-off, and makes searching for animals even more interesting. There are so many animals, zoos would go crazy. Though the game lacks zebras, elephants and giraffes, there are pretty much every other species in the game. Dogs, monkeys, tapirs, pigs, buffalos and birds. There are even more amazing animals like tigers, leopards and black panthers – the black panther being one of the more rare animals on Rook Island. Just watching wildlife wander around, hunt each other down or just sleep is fascinating – it's like a David Attenborough documentary, only more violent and immersive. Like mentioned earlier, the unpredictable enemy counters are made more complex by the inclusion of animals. Some outposts have captive animals in bamboo cages. You can shoot these cages, so the animals will escape and attack their foes. However, get too close and these animals will also attack you. It's a fascinating role reversal on traditional shooter gameplay, as the environment becomes just as dangerous as the enemies you face.
The loot feature is great, and lets Jason search dead enemies and other corpses throughout the world. These can grant items that can then be sold at gun cabinets or gun stores, and can also grant more cash to spend on weapons and attachments. Honestly, it's a wonder I'm able to write this review. Looting is so damn addictive. You simply cannot kill enemies without looting, but also because it's important. You may be low on ammo, yet a corpse could contain a batch of SMG bullets or a rocket. Though some of the items you find may be random, their still valuable and earn you money to spend on awesome weapons and gadgets.
As was the case with Far Cry 2, and as I very slightly touched on earlier, there are vehicles to drive in Far Cry 3. Though Far Cry 2's driving controls were stiff and had you repeatedly flipping the bonnet and repairing a vehicle after every enemy outpost, Far Cry 3's driving system is really great, in my opinion. The driving animations are excellent and pull you into it more. Because the controls are great, and unlike Far Cry 2, you'll actually want to drive and also do so for more reason that to simply get to the next objective. Oh and as a side note, mowing down enemies is really satisfying. You can also drive trucks and jeeps too, which have mounted machine guns to mow down pursuers. However, there are even more impressive forms of transport. There are boats to use, which are really cool as well as jet skiis which add more fun to traversing the seas. Jason can also use handgliders which are awesome, as well as a wingsuit, acquired later in the game which is so good.
As for the presentation, I can't praise the game enough. This is the perfect example of how to make not just a shooter and not just an open world sandbox, but how to make a game. Far Cry 3's menus, maps and general layout are superb, and the HUD is great. One of Far Cry 2's strenghts was it's immersive qualities – the visibility of the protagonists limbs, the involving actions like driving and running – their all present and vastly improved in Far Cry 3. If Jason jumps over a large space, he stumbles and grunts when falling to the ground. When driving, Jason's hands move and turn appropriately. The most immersive quality, however, is swimming. Jason can now dive into water, and diving from large heights is brilliantly cinematic. However, the movement and loss of breath makes this game feel real. I haven't been immersed as much in a game since Mirror's Edge, but even then Far Cry 3's establishes those qualities even more than EA's free-running experience. If Jason falls from a ledge into water, he fumbles all over and turns his body around to continue swimming – it's amazing.
In the graphics department, Far Cry 3 looks great most of the time. The lighting is great – the shining over trees, the reflections over the sea and the shadows of huts and towns are really nice. The vast landscapes of Rook Island are a sight to behold. The colour palette is beautiful and the overall view of the world is awe-inspiring. Climbing atop a radio tower and witnessing the scenic beauty below is worth the price of admission in itself. Jumping out of a moving jeep and watching it crash and explode into the rocks below shows off some strong visual effects. The explosions, the smoke, water and shooting look fantastic. For as amazing as Rook Island looks, Far Cry 3's animations are great. Character models are excellent and facial movements are really good. Jason's movements are phenomenal and animal animations are eerily realistic. Just watch a tiger crouch and move to see what I mean – it's crazy good. The animal designs are incredible. Skinning animals offers view of great textures and detail. Ubisoft have clearly dedicated themselves with not only making the world look great, but providing the right care to attention to detail of the animals and animations. There are some drops in the framerate when things get hectic, some clipping and pop-in in the environment (which is expected on consoles) and most NPC models are bland and repetitive. Those issues aside, Far Cry 3 succeeds visually.
There is a leaderboard-specific mode for the Far Cry 3 community called Trials of the Rakyat. These are timed challenges with different objectives such as taking down enemy waves or surviving against them. Scores are given at the end of each trial with the option to retry the challenge. You can increase your score by obtaining better kills such as takedowns and stealth kills. You can then compare your overall scores to your friends. There is a news feed on the main menu of Far Cry 3 which displays your friends' new scores and where you can also see if they have beaten your score, so that you always know which friends have taken which particular trials. It allows for good leaderboard competition, in a score-specific but friendly way.
Far Cry 3 has a co-op story, separate to the single player campaign and unique in it's own right. Four-player ready and available online and offline in split-screen, Far Cry 3's co-op campaign is set around six months before the main plot of the game and follows four individuals - Callum, Leonard, Mikhail and Tisha - all with their specific past military and combat declarations, who are attempting to lead normal lives following their past history. After being scammed by the Captain pirate of a cruise ship, they attempt to hunt him down and pursue their lost money, leading them to the location of Rook Island. The story is largely uninteresting and, while the cut-scenes are decent, never holds your attention. Unfortunately, the co-op story may cause gamers to compare it to Jason Brody's story in a negative light, but that shouldn't be the case. It's simply to keep the action going along, similar to Ubisoft's own Splinter Cell: Conviction, which had two contractors thwarting an enemy. The combat is still solid, but there are a few notable differences to the main game. Firstly, the mode is linear - very linear. There is only a small perimter to traverse and most of the six maps' locations look and feel decidely similar. It would have been nice to have some open structure of gameplay with different environments, but I guess because it's a co-op campaign, some restrictions must be applied. Also, enemies seem to take more damage, and deal significantly more. Because of the four-player nature, this is probably an understandable feature rather than a negative, because it's supposed to be progressively tougher given the co-op integration. Lastly, it's a good sized campaign running at four to five hours, but the gameplay can become tiring what with repetitive objectives and no variety in the combat - no skills, no customization and XP doesn't carry over. It's still pretty fun, though - a good challenge with two players - but it can wear on you after long play sessions.
There is also multiplayer, featuring a now standard persistent unlocking and reward system along the lines of Call of Duty, Medal of Honor and... every other modern shooter. There are the usual modes you have come to expect with the same class systems introduced in dozens of games before. This isn't a criticism of Far Cry 3 – it may have been a decision made from higher up in the food chain, but when pitted against the phenomenal single player portion of the game, the multiplayer is forgettable. It works and can be genuine entertaining, but it isn't a mainstay amidst better online shooters like Call of Duty 4, Killzone 3 and Halo.
As of March 6th, Ubisoft have updated Far Cry 3 in a really cool way. Once the game is completed, there isn't really much incentive to play for long due to the lack of enemies and not all of the collectibles need to be collected (only a certain amount for trophies). However, thanks to Ubisoft's new update, players can reset all of the outposts in the game and liberate them again. It's a neat feature, and will definitely give me the incentive to continue. You can only use this feature when the game is completed, though, so keep that in mind when playing the game.
Far Cry 3 is an incredible experience. The story is unpredictable and engaging, the visual and sound presentation is great and the gameplay mechanics are the best I've ever used in this genre. The base content here is admirable and the aspects Ubisoft have implemented - the loot, XP, character progression, hunting etc - are all fantastic. It isn't perfect, though - the AI can be a bit inconsistent, there are some visual issues, the side missions aren't as engaging as the main story and the NPC characters that occupy the world are bland, but this is a brilliant shooter nontheless.
SUMMARY
Presentation 10 - An excellent presentation, a great story and satisfying content.
Graphics 8.5 - Really nice lighting and colour, and some great animations. Screen-tearing and generic NPC models drag it down.
Audio 9.5 - Great voice acting, brilliant sound effects and an awesome soundtrack.
Gameplay 10 - Outstanding, unpredictable combat, an engrossing game world and great mechanics (looting, driving, XP).
Replayability 9.0 - A 30 hour story, a 3-4 hour co-op story that can drag, and collectibles to scour for. The ability to reset outposts makes for a great reason to return to this brilliant island.
Overall - 9.5/10