Far Cry Instincts

By Hep

Your Jack Carver, your life is going well like any past court-martialed serviceman would be. Well to be honest not really. After making a name for yourself with the law and becoming impossible to employ, you grab yourself a fake passport thanks to a reliable indebted friend, and decide to take your life elsewhere. Jack Carver takes on a boat charter business to make an attempt at trying to start a new life, and everything seems to be going right for him. That’s until one day, when an attractive Val Cortez shows up impersonating a curious journalist, offering a bundle of cash to take her on a boat trip to the island of Jacutan. Unlucky for Jack, her inquisitiveness leads Jack into a new path that seems somewhat familiar. Welcome to the beautiful island of Jacutan…….beautiful one day, dangerous the next.

Far Cry Instincts is an expansion to the 2004 PC game of the year, which introduces several new features to the Xbox version of the game.

As you progress through Far Cry Instincts, the true depth of detail within the game is revealed. The water offers a pretty reflection but the islands foliage, which in most games, is pretty ordinary and rarely worth much attention is postcard perfect. The graphics in this game are nothing short of breathtaking, and I was very surprised at how Ubisoft Montreal was able to pack as much in the scenery as the PC version had. A dense forest, long grass to wade through, and amazingly realistic water effects with a reflection that makes you stop and admire the work they have done with this game. With a solid frame rate, we simply have a game that deserves to take the crown for the best-looking Xbox game to date, no questions asked.

Weapons

A rmed only with a knife at the start of the game you must make use of your Splinter Cell stealth like skills within the game to make your first kill and obtain a firearm. Don’t think the game is all stealth though, while it attempts to give the gamer a choice of play between stealth and full blown action, you tend to be finding yourself running around a bit lost out in the open looking for some more action-orientated fun, or simply trying to remember where you’ve been or where you’re trying to go. I found myself only playing stealth like, when my life or ammo supplies were low further into the game. As far as weapons go, they range from pistols to rocket launchers and everything in between, including some great vehicles, which also add some excitement to the game and offer variety in certain missions. You have a limited amount of weapons that you can carry at any one time, but the upside to this is it is possible to hold two guns at once and kick off some duel wielding action; however one dampening factor to this is the inability to carry two different unique weapons when doing so. The controls are easy to become familiar with, with no apparent dead zone either that can be sometimes found in shooters, the sensitivity is also adjustable so you can adjust the settings to your desire.

The game does very well in trying to hide the linear feeling to the game with huge open levels. I did find myself getting lost on occasions or losing my bearings, but looking at it, it really gave me multiple options into the way I approached certain areas in the game and my approach towards enemies. It was also very impressive to see such large levels on the Xbox. Another new feature to the Xbox version of Far Cry is the new traps system. It allows Jack to set a spring-loaded branchwhip traps against a tree and then lure unsuspecting bad guys towards its location by seeking their attention, one way by is by throwing rocks. The whole technique is simply and quickly achieved and can be done at any time in the game. Make enemies aware of your presence though and the AI in Far Cry kicks in, avoiding any traps you have set for them as their awareness is raised.

 
Go Feral

Another new feature exclusive to Far Cry Instincts is Jack Carver’s feral abilities, Jack has the chance to develop as you progress through the game; increased strength, seeing in the dark and tracking the scent of your enemies, also the ability to make long leaps are unveiled as you advance through the levels. This is all the result of being captured and stuck with a mysterious syringe reasonably early in the game, leaving Jack with even more questions and bigger problems.

Vehicles

As previously mentioned vehicular transport is available in certain areas of the game, ranging from Jeeps to hang-gliders, you see it, and it can be driven. The game offers simultaneous steering and shooting which can take a little getting used to. After a bit of practice you soon become accustom to this. Vehicles like the hang glider also make their way into the multiplayer modes of the game and offer some pleasurable multiplayer concepts we haven’t seen before.

Game Modes

Along with every other shooter comes the need for more game modes. Far Cry offers four different modes. The Predator mode is a great deal of fun, this particular mode sees one player with all the feral abilities and the rest with none. Capturing the vile also looks promising. Far Cry Instincts even includes a Map Editor, allowing you to create your own islands and upload them to Xbox Live. This would simply be one of the best map editors I have ever played with and actually made me want to design that ultimate map I’ve always imagined.

The map editor itself, allows for ramps and spawn points to be placed anywhere you want, but also allows you to make hills up to 225m high or really deep lakes. This is perfect for placing your hang glider up on a really tall cliff. Or perhaps you would like to build an under water area to place your rocket launcher, making the gamer have to swim discreetly to it, offering some interesting challenges.

Far Cry Instincts is easily one of the best shooters for the Xbox and Xbox Live. It lived and surpassed the expectations set, and to think they done this level of detail on the current generation Xbox is amazing. It has a great story, which is fairly unique to the PC game as well for the already prodigious amount of Far Cry fans out there. There is a lot more in Far Cry Instincts but you’re going to have to take a trip to paradise to discover the secrets that can be found in the game. Go pick yourself up a copy now; you’re going to love it.

9 out of 10