Far Cry Instincts - Review
Added October 21st, 2005 by Serenity Now
Introduction:
Early last year, a game by the name of Far Cry arrived on the PC. It rocked many gamers’ worlds, as well as their wallets because of the money that had to be shelled out for a new graphics card. Its gameplay department was much like your fundamental shooter, but what lied beneath was something no one could have expected -- one of the most well-developed shooters available on the platform. In Far Cry Instincts for Xbox, you once again take on the roll of Jack Carver, a ticked off man posing as a sailor stranded on an island littered with cutthroat murderers. Does Far Cry Instincts live up to the Far Cry name? You could certainly say that, but the real question is, is it as good as its PC counterpart?
Gameplay:
Far Cry Instincts, even though it may appear like yet another generic shooter, has a completely different premise than most titles of the genre. You’re not some arrogant soldier with tons of armor in some different dimension out to kill strange creatures. You’re Jack Carver. You’re just a normal guy. Well, almost. You’re just enjoying the sunshine when you bizarrely get trapped on a tropical island, which you thought to be safe, due to your boat being eradicated by some sort of militia. Following this, these same chaps relentlessly attempt to kill you for a reason good old Jack still doesn’t know. Take the Most Dangerous Game, pour some gasoline on it, spray it with hairspray, ignite it with a match, and you have yourself the theme of Far Cry Instincts. Far Cry Instincts is an intense adventure through beautiful terrain. While the features may be many, you only have one main objective -- to kick butt and get yourself the heck off this forsaken island before you go bye-byes.
Early last year, a game by the name of Far Cry arrived on the PC. It rocked many gamers’ worlds, as well as their wallets because of the money that had to be shelled out for a new graphics card. Its gameplay department was much like your fundamental shooter, but what lied beneath was something no one could have expected -- one of the most well-developed shooters available on the platform. In Far Cry Instincts for Xbox, you once again take on the roll of Jack Carver, a ticked off man posing as a sailor stranded on an island littered with cutthroat murderers. Does Far Cry Instincts live up to the Far Cry name? You could certainly say that, but the real question is, is it as good as its PC counterpart?
Gameplay:
Far Cry Instincts, even though it may appear like yet another generic shooter, has a completely different premise than most titles of the genre. You’re not some arrogant soldier with tons of armor in some different dimension out to kill strange creatures. You’re Jack Carver. You’re just a normal guy. Well, almost. You’re just enjoying the sunshine when you bizarrely get trapped on a tropical island, which you thought to be safe, due to your boat being eradicated by some sort of militia. Following this, these same chaps relentlessly attempt to kill you for a reason good old Jack still doesn’t know. Take the Most Dangerous Game, pour some gasoline on it, spray it with hairspray, ignite it with a match, and you have yourself the theme of Far Cry Instincts. Far Cry Instincts is an intense adventure through beautiful terrain. While the features may be many, you only have one main objective -- to kick butt and get yourself the heck off this forsaken island before you go bye-byes.
Far Cry Instincts’ gameplay is fast and furious, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have to use tactics and think a little. The single-player campaign consists of immersive missions where you’ll have to sneak your way through foliage, steal vehicles, and obtain weapons using any means necessary. Everything is presented extremely well, and it’s a real joy to see such freedom in a first-person shooter. Some missions you’ll be required to use your stealth skills, some missions you’ll have to take advantage of vehicles as well as the environment, while others you just follow your map and shoot everything in sight. Unlike most shooters today, this game does a nice job in mixing it up.
Those familiar with the PC version will feel right at home as far as how the setup goes. You still have to use binoculars to examine your enemy so you can execute a clean shot, and you still get to sneak up behind your foes and brutally dagger them. Those worried the Far Cry franchise wouldn’t make it over to the Xbox without sacrificing some sort of gameplay facet should put their worries behind them. Not only is the single-player portion as good as the PC version, it’s, in some respects, superior.
Even though the single-player campaign may be impressive, the place where you’ll be spending most of your time in Far Cry Instincts lies within its multiplayer modes. The multiplayer facet has a few similarities to other admired first-person shooters such as Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict, and even stealth-action games such as Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. In the shooters mentioned you can obtain power ups to make yourself dash and jump more effectively (Unreal Championship 2), and play as two distinctive teams that each have their own unique abilities (Chaos Theory). Far Cry Instincts incorporates both of these rather exciting attributes into its recipe, and what you get in return is a fresh new experience.
The actual game types found in Far Cry Instincts aren’t anything particularly special, instead it’s how they’re played that makes this game unique. The control scheme is nearly flawless, and the vehicle handling is some of the best I’ve seen this side of Project Gotham Racing 2. The game gives you an exhilarating sense of command. For a first-person shooter, this is absolutely vital to its playability because when you’re able to command your troops, you can conquer your enemies. This very deed has never been so easy to accomplish thanks to Far Cry Instincts’ amazing gameplay engine.
Perhaps this game’s most anticipated feature is its map editor. I’m happy to say that it’s a very nice addition to the package. It has a Tony Hawk-esque setup which enables you to construct some pretty sweet multiplayer maps. Before creating a map, you’ll be faced with the option of what kind of template you want to employ (tropical, jungle, or swamp), in addition to what brush set you want, which is basically just what types of objects you’ll be allowed to place onto your map. After deciding on these options you’ll be taken to an empty environment featuring the choices you have selected. You can then start to raise land, fashion waters, add vehicles, situate the weapons and health packs where you want, place trees, and much, much more. After you’re satisfied with your custom work of art, you can publish it onto Xbox Live. It’ll now be available for you to use in online matches.
Far Cry Instincts has hands down one of the best gameplay engines known to man. This doesn’t exactly come to a surprise because Far Cry’s on the PC was incredible as well. It’s still evident that Instincts’ was built from the ground up for the console though. I say that as a good thing. Objections? Not many. Gunshots don’t feel as if they’re truly hitting you the way they should. Simply put, they need more cowbell. For some, this may take them out of the experience. Other than that, the single-player campaign is a mile deep, the multiplayer portion is loads of fun on and off Live, and the added bonus of being able to craft your very own maps is extraordinary.
Graphics:
Far Cry Instincts raises the bar for visuals on Xbox. You’ll be treated to sun-drenched islands, lush and vibrant forests, and some of the best and well-produced explosions I have ever seen in a video game. And just for the record, Jack’s arms look better than they did in early screenshots of the game. Jack actually looks quite nice, as do all of the character models. The textures are greatly detailed, and the animations profoundly follow suit.
Those familiar with the PC version will feel right at home as far as how the setup goes. You still have to use binoculars to examine your enemy so you can execute a clean shot, and you still get to sneak up behind your foes and brutally dagger them. Those worried the Far Cry franchise wouldn’t make it over to the Xbox without sacrificing some sort of gameplay facet should put their worries behind them. Not only is the single-player portion as good as the PC version, it’s, in some respects, superior.
Even though the single-player campaign may be impressive, the place where you’ll be spending most of your time in Far Cry Instincts lies within its multiplayer modes. The multiplayer facet has a few similarities to other admired first-person shooters such as Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict, and even stealth-action games such as Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. In the shooters mentioned you can obtain power ups to make yourself dash and jump more effectively (Unreal Championship 2), and play as two distinctive teams that each have their own unique abilities (Chaos Theory). Far Cry Instincts incorporates both of these rather exciting attributes into its recipe, and what you get in return is a fresh new experience.
The actual game types found in Far Cry Instincts aren’t anything particularly special, instead it’s how they’re played that makes this game unique. The control scheme is nearly flawless, and the vehicle handling is some of the best I’ve seen this side of Project Gotham Racing 2. The game gives you an exhilarating sense of command. For a first-person shooter, this is absolutely vital to its playability because when you’re able to command your troops, you can conquer your enemies. This very deed has never been so easy to accomplish thanks to Far Cry Instincts’ amazing gameplay engine.
Perhaps this game’s most anticipated feature is its map editor. I’m happy to say that it’s a very nice addition to the package. It has a Tony Hawk-esque setup which enables you to construct some pretty sweet multiplayer maps. Before creating a map, you’ll be faced with the option of what kind of template you want to employ (tropical, jungle, or swamp), in addition to what brush set you want, which is basically just what types of objects you’ll be allowed to place onto your map. After deciding on these options you’ll be taken to an empty environment featuring the choices you have selected. You can then start to raise land, fashion waters, add vehicles, situate the weapons and health packs where you want, place trees, and much, much more. After you’re satisfied with your custom work of art, you can publish it onto Xbox Live. It’ll now be available for you to use in online matches.
Far Cry Instincts has hands down one of the best gameplay engines known to man. This doesn’t exactly come to a surprise because Far Cry’s on the PC was incredible as well. It’s still evident that Instincts’ was built from the ground up for the console though. I say that as a good thing. Objections? Not many. Gunshots don’t feel as if they’re truly hitting you the way they should. Simply put, they need more cowbell. For some, this may take them out of the experience. Other than that, the single-player campaign is a mile deep, the multiplayer portion is loads of fun on and off Live, and the added bonus of being able to craft your very own maps is extraordinary.
Graphics:
Far Cry Instincts raises the bar for visuals on Xbox. You’ll be treated to sun-drenched islands, lush and vibrant forests, and some of the best and well-produced explosions I have ever seen in a video game. And just for the record, Jack’s arms look better than they did in early screenshots of the game. Jack actually looks quite nice, as do all of the character models. The textures are greatly detailed, and the animations profoundly follow suit.
The entire game is driven by its tropical atmosphere, and that means a great deal of precision went into the environments. I’ll be honest, they’re without a doubt not as stunning as Far Cry’s on the PC, but that’s acceptable considering this game is running on fairly outdated hardware when compared to a top of the line PC. Factoring that in, Far Cry Instincts has some deliciously juicy environments that are utter bliss to conduct shootouts in. Does Far Cry Instincts obtain the finest graphics on the Xbox? It’s hard to say, but overall its engine works exceedingly well and creates an unsurpassed ambiance.
Audio:
The explosions not only look superb, they sound superb. The voice-acting is crisp and clear, and at times maybe even a little too harsh, but strangely it works very well. You know Jack’s a sailor at heart because of the graphic language he uses very often. There are some unfitting lines, but as a whole the voice-overs are of decent quality. Sound effects, such as gunfire and footsteps, are spot-on as well. I would have liked to have seen the ability to play your own music via the underused custom soundtracks feature. However, Instincts’ soundtrack is nothing to complain about. When you put the nut in the shell, you have yourself a game here that’s generally pleasing to the ears.
Controls:
As I mentioned previously, the control scheme is practically unblemished. It’s mainly a normal first-person control complex, but the controls are so well done and utilized that it makes the game seem leaps and bounds above other games of this genre. Yes, even Halo. And I’ll tell you why. The vehicle handling and control is outstanding. One thumbstick is used to maneuver the vehicle, while the other to aim your gun. That’s right folks, you can shoot while driving. Say goodbye to arguing over who gets the turret. While this may be nothing necessarily innovative, it does help to keep the gameplay fast. The controls are simply unmatched.
Replay:
With the outrageous prices of daily living expenses nowadays, fifty dollars is a hefty price tag for a game, especially with the Xbox 360’s birth approaching, so when you buy a game, you want it to last you a while. When you’re down at your local retailer looking for a game to help tide you over to the next generation of Xbox gaming, look no further than Far Cry Instincts. Not only will it tide you over, you’ll be taking advantage of the backwards compatibility feature sooner than expected. Its single-player campaign is lengthy, and its multiplayer will keep you coming back for months. When you couple this with the map editor, you get some fairly decent replay value.
Audio:
The explosions not only look superb, they sound superb. The voice-acting is crisp and clear, and at times maybe even a little too harsh, but strangely it works very well. You know Jack’s a sailor at heart because of the graphic language he uses very often. There are some unfitting lines, but as a whole the voice-overs are of decent quality. Sound effects, such as gunfire and footsteps, are spot-on as well. I would have liked to have seen the ability to play your own music via the underused custom soundtracks feature. However, Instincts’ soundtrack is nothing to complain about. When you put the nut in the shell, you have yourself a game here that’s generally pleasing to the ears.
Controls:
As I mentioned previously, the control scheme is practically unblemished. It’s mainly a normal first-person control complex, but the controls are so well done and utilized that it makes the game seem leaps and bounds above other games of this genre. Yes, even Halo. And I’ll tell you why. The vehicle handling and control is outstanding. One thumbstick is used to maneuver the vehicle, while the other to aim your gun. That’s right folks, you can shoot while driving. Say goodbye to arguing over who gets the turret. While this may be nothing necessarily innovative, it does help to keep the gameplay fast. The controls are simply unmatched.
Replay:
With the outrageous prices of daily living expenses nowadays, fifty dollars is a hefty price tag for a game, especially with the Xbox 360’s birth approaching, so when you buy a game, you want it to last you a while. When you’re down at your local retailer looking for a game to help tide you over to the next generation of Xbox gaming, look no further than Far Cry Instincts. Not only will it tide you over, you’ll be taking advantage of the backwards compatibility feature sooner than expected. Its single-player campaign is lengthy, and its multiplayer will keep you coming back for months. When you couple this with the map editor, you get some fairly decent replay value.
Summary:
I can almost guarantee you there will not be a better title to hit store shelves for Xbox, and I can assure there will not be a better first-person shooter released. Far Cry Instincts takes what made the PC version pure ecstasy and honestly just downright stops at that. That’s precisely what I was hoping for. The gameplay is packed with features, the visuals and atmospheric feel is exceptional, and its control system is magnificent. People, first-person shooters do not get much better, so if this genre is your cup of tea, I urge you to take a nice big swig of Far Cry Instincts.
I can almost guarantee you there will not be a better title to hit store shelves for Xbox, and I can assure there will not be a better first-person shooter released. Far Cry Instincts takes what made the PC version pure ecstasy and honestly just downright stops at that. That’s precisely what I was hoping for. The gameplay is packed with features, the visuals and atmospheric feel is exceptional, and its control system is magnificent. People, first-person shooters do not get much better, so if this genre is your cup of tea, I urge you to take a nice big swig of Far Cry Instincts.
