Far Cry Instincts: Predator is the perfect game for novices of the series. And those novices need to buy this game now.
Since Microsoft never put Far Cry: Instincts on their backwards compatibility list, the developer Ubisoft decided to enhance the original Far Cry: Instincts, package it with the new Far Cry Instincts: Evolution, throw in a map editor, and put it on the Xbox 360. The result is nothing short of what you'd expect from a Far Cry game, and more.
Pros: Intuitive controls, amazing graphics (especially with the water effects), lush; tropical setting, tons of vehicles to commandeer, you're getting two games, a map editor, and great Xbox Live support for $30.
Cons: Achievements aren't too easy to earn, the difficulty can be pretty brutal, vehicle controls aren't too great, sometimes the start button is a bit unresponsive, some levels get a bit repetitive, spotty AI.
Gameplay: You play as Jack Carver, a cynical, salty, former Navy SEAL who now charters boats out to tourists. On a routine trip over to a seemingly-deserted island, Jack lets a young woman go off on her own with a simple: "be back on time", and falls to sleep.
Jack wakes up to helicopters and gunfire. He jumps off deck into the water, losing his boat in the process. Now he must fight his way through tons of guerilla mercenaries, evil scientists, and set plenty of traps in order to survive.
The game in general controls very well. The game's basic control layout is very typical FPS controls, and that's not a bad thing. FPS nuts will have no problem with the controls, as will novices.
To throw some variety into the mix, there are plenty of turrets and vehicles that you can commandeer. The controls for the vehicles just aren't too tight. They'd probably be fine if the vehicle driving wasn't in first person. You see, the there are a lot of ramps that you can perform jumps off of in most of the vehicular segments of the game. I can't tell you how many times I've screwed up because of not hitting the ramp right and having to abandon my vehicle. With trial and error, you will eventually get it right, but that trial and error shouldn't really be necessary in the first place. We can only hope that Ubisoft gives us a 3rd person option for the next game.
The thing that separates Far Cry from the other FPS series is the whole "animal" thing. You don't get these animal abilities until a good few hours into the Instincts campaign. Once you do, however, it's a lot of fun to use. The main attack is called the "Feral Claw" which basically makes Jack into an overgrown human cat.....with superhuman strength. When you use the claw, your enemies not only die, but go flying incredibly far. It's just as amusing as it sounds.
Aside from the Feral Claw, Jack also is able to heal when he's not taking fire. This makes the game vastly easier, and gives you a healthy does of revenge on the mercenaries who put you through hell earlier in the game. Your hearing is also heightened, allowing you to eavesdrop on enemy conversations from incredibly far away.
When fighting the mercenaries, you'll be able to set traps in the woods. These are also amusing and will kill the mercenary instantly. When your foes are not on high alert, you may find one with his back turned. By pressing B, you execute a stealth kill. These come in handy for when you do not want to set off an alarm.
Speaking of those mercenaries, the mercenaries in this game are either geniuses, or have a Pre-K education. In other words, the AI in Far Cry Instincts: Predator is quite variable, and can be a subtle let-down in terms of quality. It's still decent enough to pass with me though.
The two campaigns aren't very different at all, except in the length. In Instincts (you have to play through this to unlock evolution) you can get through the campaign in 20 hours tops. The game is satisfyingly long, and you'll enjoy nearly every minute of it. Evolution, on the other hand, is an expansion in every sense of the word. It delivers what you come to expect in a shorter length. While it does work, most of the gameplay flaws haven't been fixed
The Xbox Live support is great, while not chock-full of different game modes. You get what you'd expect from a multiplayer game, nothing more. The ability to make your own maps really ups the anti though. If you can get used to the different tools, you can really create some cool, quality maps to play on.
Overall, I give gameplay an 8/10.
Graphics: The graphics in this game are nothing short of excellent, there's no doubt about it. The environments are some of the best parts of the game. While swimming I wanted to stop and drink the water numerous times. The graphics are great, but they're not perfect.
By now we've seen games like GRAW, and Fight Night Round 3, which have nearly photo-realistic graphics and visuals. Far Cry's graphics are great and all, but I think by now we're expecting a bit more from the 360. When compared to the original Xbox versions, there's a bit more polish in some spots, but it's virtually the same.
The physics in the game are pretty good too, if you kill someone in the water, the body floats. Touches like that show you how much effort the designers put into these superb environments.
The graphics are impressive by most standards, but don't deliver the full potential. I give graphics a 9/10.
Sound: There really isn't anything you can say badly about the sound in this game. The guns sound great, the voice acting's great, the vehicle sound is great, all of the audio in this game sounds flat-out awesome. Jack speaks his mind, and though there is a lot of a profanity, you actually believe a lot of the scenarios he encounters.
It's top-notch. What can I say? It's the closest thing to half-life 2's quality you'll get. 10/10.
Value: You don't get more value than you do with this game. For $30, you're getting two campaigns, a map editor, and some Xbox Live play. Of course, if you've already played through Far Cry: Instincts you probably just want to pick up Far Cry Instincts: Evolution, for the original Xbox.
You're getting an awful lot of bang for your buck, need I say more?
Value gets a 10/10 for me.
Bottom Line: As I've mentioned before, this game is not for everyone. If you're new to the series like I was, then it's a dream come true. It packages too truly great FPS's and gives some intense replay value with the map editor and Xbox Live support. If you haven't played Far Cry then don't deny yourself this top-notch experience any longer. It's just that great.
OVERALL SCORE: 9.3/10