Huge, amazing to look at with RPG elements and a lot of fun to be had but Far Cry 3 is far from perfect.
So Far Cry 3 has come along and is all the rave. Many of which saying it's the game of the year and others saying it's the best sandbox game ever but is it just a fixed version of Far Cry 2 and how far have they taken the series this time round?
Graphically it looks great, as expected, as all Far Cry games have looked great but Far Cry 3 is no "leader" when faced with the competition now. Interesting to see that the original developers of the first game in the series are now behind the graphically popular and impressive Crysis series, which does indeed wipe the floor with Far Cry 3 but not by much. Still you can't help but think how much more variation and realism would be pumped into Far Cry 3 if Crytek were behind it. But they're not so we need to leave this alone.
I think the first grumble for me with Far Cry 3 is the lack of control during cutscenes. Much of these moments are scripted and they made me realize how much I enjoyed being able to listen but look wherever I wanted during a narrative conversation. I recall Half Life being the first game that did this for me. The second instant grumble for me is the lack of customization and personalization of your character. Some reviews have said that the multiplayer is a little tacked on and there's not much of anything "new" to discover. What annoys me is that if the game was made more personal and customizable then why not just have up to 16 of your buddies and people you know go out into the land of Far Cry 3 and have a doosey? Customization is key to games that take on a big story with a big place to explore and also manage to include RPG elements as well. A similar grumble I had with Far Cry 2 if I remember correctly. In all honesty there's no excuse for it. The game is a little hard to get immersed in as it is as the character that's been chosen for you is a bit of a weed to begin with. Don't get me wrong I actually liked this touch - going from weak to strong to eventually insane but it's hard to capture and immerse a player with a character that's just a bit too much of a douche.
One of the biggest disappointments for me though has to be the lack of variation in weapons. Sure you've got all your faves here but where's the double barrel shotgun? Why can't I customize ALL these weapons instead of a select few? Why must I be limited to how many attachments I can put on them (with respect to scopes where you can only really use one)? Why is my machete only useable as a melee attack? I love the bow but where's the crossbow? Signature weapons are already modded but why can't I decide on how to mod them? Thinking about it realistically, those pirates would have so many different types of machine guns, pistols, shotguns etc but instead it all feels really limited and unrealistic. I mean how many different cars are there?! It's not that there's a lack of variation but how easy it is to make money and buy the greater of guns within each category. I bought the MS16 (one of the better assault rifles, if not the leading assault rifle) within 4 hours of play with attachments. There doesn't seem to be much in respect of "if you complete this side mission you'll unlock a new weapon" - instead these side missions tend to just reward you with money and experience points. A missed opportunity it feels for expansive gameplay.
Now I'm all up for experience points and having your character develop along a path. There are some great skills to unlock and the tattoo idea is interesting. Still without the customization and personalization of your own character this leaves me to not particularly care much about my skills other than the Takedown ones. That and the fact that some of the best guns are within a stones throw from the get go. Sure I want some of those skills but it's not like the minute I get a point I want to spend it. Plus there's no skill list for becoming stealthy in the game - or stealthier. There's no "you can now hide yourself against a tree without being seen" etc - this could've been expanded upon so much. Having just played the fantastic Dishonored, the first thing you want to do in that game is spend your Runes and upgrade your skills because the skills you can get are a lot of fun and add major variation to the gameplay. Dare I say that if Ubisoft kept with the mutant side of things from the first game we would be seeing a lot more variation and fun with this character? The other thing with Dishonored (not to focus too much on it) is that your character already looks cool as opposed to Jason in Far Cry 3 who, lets face it, isn't what you'd choose as your ideal character is he?
Having animals in the game is a great move, making the islands seem more realistic but knowing what type of animals, and where they are right away (after getting to a radio tower) takes away from exploring. When walking around you should mark on you map when you come face to face with an animal and get rewarded for exploring. Killing animals and skinning them leads me onto another unrealistic aspect. When you skin them they seem untouched. Much like when you burn a pirate, there's no sign that the pirate died through burning. He seems untouched. Was it just too much hassle to create a burnt person or a skinned animal carcass 3D model?
So whilst there's tons and tons of stuff to do in Far Cry 3, much of which I haven't touched on, and the story is interesting with a villain that has to be one of the best voice acting roles ever in a video game but unfortunately isn't given enough screen time, it's really not that much of a step away from Far Cry 2. It lacks expected variation and realism when these are the things it boasts about the most. It's RPG qualities are great but missing expansive areas such as stealth. No character customization leads to a hard to like character and harder to get into game. Exploring could have been rewarding but instead it sometimes seems redundant after reaching a radio tower.
Far Cry 3 is its own best friend and worst enemy. All the elements that are great about the game, whilst all pro points, come with their own cons and unfortunately added on top that come the genuine cons leading to a list that has more cons than pros. This doesn't mean to say you won't enjoy it and have a blast but even hardcore gamers may find parts a bit of a drag and repetitive.
My breakdown of pros and cons:
Pros
* Great graphics
* Massive amount to explore and do aside from the story
* RPG elements are great
* Sneaky "Takedowns" get better and better as you evolve
* Voice acting and most of the main characters are superbly presented and written
* Traditional FPS gameplay doesn't seem to get old when faced with RPG elements and a vast place to explore
* Lots of different transport options
* Great to see another huge game, easily bigger than Rage and Mass Effect 3 come on one disc.
* Humanoid Enemy AI is great
Cons
* RPG elements lack a stealth path
* Some good weapons are available too soon or too easily acquired
* Talking on the phone or to yourself whilst underwater
* A cutscene involving another character who one minute is there but the very next (when you re-gain control) is gone.
* Seems almost impossible to step over the smallest of steps without having to jump sometimes.
* You seriously are playing as a complete douche of a protagonist.
* Searching bodies for loot or trying to pick something up can become a mission in itself.
* Music is used in slight but when a mission starts to bellow out dub step over and over… it has to be turned off.
* Bodies show no sign of cause of death - burnt bodies are seemingly untouched, as are skinned animals.
* Radio towers reveal where animals are - they should be discovered
* Main character encounters restrict movement
* Great graphics but are things a little too vibrant? Some grass seems a little too green.
* If Crytek were still making this franchise, would it look better?
* No motorbikes, helicopters, push bikes, mini planes, horses, donkeys to use
* Not a great play directly after Far Cry 2
* Animal AI is questionable - I saw a Deer or Goat run straight off a small cliff into some water.