Far Cry PC review 9.0

2004 was a good year for FPS games. Both HALF LIFE 2 and FAR CRY were released. Whereas DOOM III and QUAKE IV came and went - mostly unnoticed, these two were here to stay. Nevertheless, whereas HL2 eventually got to my nerves with the whole STEAMed-permission-to-play-for-30-minutes blunder, FAR CRY was the game I loved the most and replayed again and again.

The graphics are just amazing! HL2 may have crisp and clear textures too, however, FAR CRY's are also realistic and detailed even at maximum resolution. The controls are intuitive and remapable - and take the character (Jack Carver) precisely where you want him. Running is fast and crawling is effectively silent. When greater distances are to be covered, vehicles are available to commandeer.

The weapons are beautiful: a mix of real and futuristic improvements. Ammo is never really a problem (well, with the exception of the Sniper rifle bullets and the RPG loads when they would really tip the balance in your favor) and, most importantly, the damage they inflict is TRULY BALANCED: both enemies and player go down with about the same amount of damage (you would be surprised on how many games this is not true - STALKLER for one...).

The story is interesting, the locales truly breathtaking and the horizon the further you have ever seen in any game! True free roaming is not actually available (try to round an island with a speedboat to circumvent same stubborn enemies and a black helicopter will chop you to pieces), however the taste is at the tip of your tongue the whole time.

The sounds and music have been worked on with care and they maximize the gaming experience.

My only (minor) objection focuses on the battles with the mutants: FAR CRY features one of the best enemy AI ever encountered. I truly savored battling human AIs - but was apprehensive when another mutant segment was coming up. The game is so realistic that it truly shines in real environments and opponents. Then again, it never lets you get bored either...


1.4 patch
Radeon HD 5970
Core 2 Quad Q9550
6 GB DDR2
64-bit Windows 7.