Far Cry Review

And so, onto the visuals. To say they are impressive would be an understatement - the Cry engine proves to be equally adept at producing outstandingly lush outdoor maps as it is at clean metallic labs and grimy basements. Lighting is extremely impressive, although plays more of an aesthetic role than a practical one - sticking to shadows doesn't really offer any scope for stealth, however the effects often look nothing short of stunning, be it swinging lights casting illumination over dank walls or sunlight bathing the island world in glazing heat. Water has never looked so good in a game; the shimmering, fluid surface giving way to brilliant aquatic effects once submerged.

Water water everywhere... and doesn't it look lovely?

Its impressive scope also offers an unparalleled draw distance when out in the open - take to the skies in a glider and marvel at the far off islands in the distance, the nearby mercenary encampment or the detailed helicopter bearing down on you; it's fair to say that Far Cry will push that new graphics card quite hard, in anticipation for the upcoming range of DirectX 9 powered PC behemoths. Indeed, while the game offers some pitch for scalability, gamers with lower powered machines are going to find their systems will chug terribly with anything less than a fully DirectX 9 compliant nVidia or ATI card with no less than 128MB of memory.

What is really impressive about the visuals, however, is the sense of atmosphere they create - whether it be early dawn on a hot, tropical day, dusk or a dark night deep in the middle of a jungle research base, heavy with confused gunfire and a creepy snarl of unknown origins, never has a game made the player feel more involved in the action. The sense of being in the game world has rarely been more palpable, although kudos must be given to the well designed and varied jungles and facilities CryTek have supplied. Indeed, despite the often questionable monster design, the game still manages to evoke an often desperate sense of alarm in the player during the later stages of play, dramatic music subtly changing pace and pitch as you encounter danger, slowing once you have dispatched it; such is the sense of immersion the game evokes.

The sense of being in the game world has rarely been more palpable

This is fortunate because, as we previously alluded to, Far Cry is seriously lacking in other areas - namely its truly dire story, used merely as a means to keep the action ticking over, and the awful characterisations employed. Little more than one-dimensional avatars, the game characters are almost ludicrously geared towards the fabled young white male market - butch main character, busty female support, stock 'evil' scientist and a cast of hundreds of frankly rubbish bad guys and genetic monsters.

Despite what you may have been expecting from Far Cry, the game does indeed feature monsters later in the game - while they can prove a handful, sufficed to say their introduction will have eyes rolling (not to mention the fact that they look crap). From the outset Far Cry doesn't endear itself, narratively speaking, and promptly descends into sub-B-movie hell. Contrived and predictable in almost every way, the game narrative is uncaptivating and unentertaining. Compared to how B-movie sci-fi should be done in the glorious Halo and upcoming heavy-hitters Doom 3 and Half Life 2, Far Cry gives the distinct impression that the game is little more than an advert for potential Cry Engine licensees.

Jurassic Park? Not quite, but it's highly reminiscent

Which, ultimately, is what Far Cry proves to be - but that's no criticism. The fact that Far Cry is so much blatant fun is enough to excuse the cringe worthy story, dialogue, characters, et al. Combine leading AI with proper physics, next-gen rendering techniques and a passion for shooting things until they die, intersperse with crafty stealth elements and a few charges of vehicular assault and top it all off with atmosphere to die for and Far Cry is the game your new PC would want you to install. Indeed, if this is the precedent for future PC FPS efforts, the horizon is looking very bright. Mention must also be made of the stock multiplayer modes on offer; however a slightly confusing registry system at the Ubisoft website, and quite unimpressive 'net code will mean that most should probably steer clear of what proves to be a frustrating and often ham-fisted multiplayer experience.

A great advert for CryTek the budding developer then, but an even better game for first person shooter fans - if the plot had been any good at all and the AI tightened a little bit we could have been looking at a classic title. As it is, Far Cry is brilliant fun and puts CryTek firmly on the radar.