I was beyond excited to get my hands on Ubisoft’s latest release, Far Cry 3. The Far Cry series is one that is near and dear to me: I put dozens of hours and sleepless nights into Far Cry 2 and perhaps even more into the venerated and now ancient, Far Cry Instincts. Those two games from the same team are almost polar opposites. Far Cry Instincts wasUbisoft’s attempt to reinvent a story they inherited from Crytek: The original developers who created the series. Ubisoftdid the best thing possible when they gave the game’s main character feral abilities that gave the player a sense of predatory power and set the game apart from the humdrum of first person shooters.

With 2009’s Far Cry 2, Ubisoft once again set out to reinvent the venerated series. They crafted an open world game that placed you as a mercenary caught in the middle of an African civil war. Far Cry 2 was extremely ambitious and despite its freedom and impressive technology, the game was hindered by a throwaway story and some weak design choices that kept the player from enjoying the open world. Ubisoft has taken every criticism of Far Cry 2 into account and with Far Cry 3 has crafted a game that bears all of its predecessor’s strengths and none of its weaknesses. Read on for the full in depth review.

Photo courtesy of Ubisoft

Visuals 

Far Cry 3 may be the best looking game this holiday season, its only competitor being the stellar Assassin’s Creed 3, also from Ubisoft. Far Cry 3’s environments are massive, detailed and beautiful. Hang gliding over a mountain and seeing afirefight far below is impressive and the range of graphical effects can be so engrossing it’ll stop you in your tracks. Artistically the game has reached a balance between realism and cartoon fantasy that keeps things interesting while providing a believable world. On the console you may encounter frame rate stutters during some of the crazier action but its nothing that should keep you from playing. On the PC the game looks superb and plays buttery smooth.

Photo courtesy of Ubisoft

Premise

Far Cry 3’s opening moments do as much to evoke as they do to inform. A group of twenty-somethings party in a tropical paradise; between the MIA soundtrack, strippers and skydiving they are having the time of their lives; the perfect fantasy. This is of course cut short when they find themselves in a wrong place, wrong time situation and are captured by pirates who intend to sell them into slavery. Jason Brody: the hero of the story, is an overachieving UCLA grad who likes to spend his time thrill seeking; hiking mountains and skydiving. Naturally he’s the perfect candidate to become a crazed killer. But in all seriousness, playing as Jason gets the player invested into the story as Jason’s personal investment in the drama that unfolds not only involves his friends and his two brothers but his own internal search for identity. Jason begins the game as a typical LA asshole but quickly becomes the survivor you would hope to be in his dark and unforgiving scenario. Much hubbub has been made about the game’s villain: Vaas, an interesting and well played character for sure, but he’s just one of many villains in the game. All of which have a three-dimensional quality to them that helps flush out the plot in a realistic and terrifying way.