Hardcore Goes Feral

Far Cry Instincts Predator™ is a needed variation on a common theme. Every hardcore gamer has a shelf overflowing with first-person shooters, yet there's not a lot of innovations in the genre. It's here that Far Cry Instincts: Predator shines through.

Its lush jungle environments act as a welcome shot of adrenaline, thrusting the FPS experience out of the dungeons and space stations and into a sun-drenched tropical jungle, filled with equal parts beauty and danger.

Tsk, tsk. Don't take em straight on.

Visual flair aside, Predator also unfolds at a more deliberate, tension-filled pace. Crawl carefully through brush and mud, set traps, lay the bait, run panicked from cover to cover as sure death chases you, and generally hop from one death-defying set of circumstances to another. This isn't run and gun, and for that reason it marks a welcome change from the norm.

Stalk your prey until the moment is right, and
never let them see their dark fate coming.

Despite offering a more cerebral challenge already, there is still work to be done on the Hardcore Challenge™ front, and yours truly is happy to share some of the rules I force myself to abide by.

Make It Personal
A good enemy kill is an up close and personal affair. I want to smell that cheap aftershave and listen dutifully to the nitwit guard's inane chatter before I sink my survival blade into his incompetent skull. When you've got a lone soldier or two to send packing, up the danger-ante and tag them with a melee kill for a true challenge.

Scan and approach, but don't shoot.

Map Editor Love
The casual gamer is likely to enjoy another gamer's hard work, but the hardcore require adulation for the blood, sweat, and tears of an artistically create multiplayer level. Do not merely enjoy the map editor offered in Far Cry, but master it. Your crafted multiplayer paradise should be indistinguishable in quality when compared to the developer-created levels on hand. With a host of new terrain types and tactical objects (hurray for zip-lines) at your disposal, Predator offers the most complete Far Cry toolset yet. Get to work.

In the Spirit of the Game
Don't instigate an action sequence by charging around a corner with guns blazing. Rambo-style gunplay will only get you wasted in Far Cry. Get creative, folks. Your enemy's demise should be artful and unique, befitting the environmental opportunities, weapons, and special abilities available to you.

That's a fair fight.

The game is subtitled Predator for a reason. Let that one word be your guide. Stalk your prey until the moment is right, and never let them see their dark fate coming. A prime example occurs early in the game. Instead of charging into a hut and firing away at the guard inside, the game prompts you to crawl beneath the hut, flip around onto your back, and blast them from below the floorboards.

Achievement Glory
No doubt a completist will take aim at the full arsenal of available achievements in Far Cry Instincts Predator, but with a bevy of achievements unlocked through mere quality play, there are a few you should aspire to:

• Instincts Predator: A classic hardcore challenge, this 30 point achievement asks you to beat the Intincts storyline on Predator difficulty, and you can believe that is an achievement worth proudly displaying.
• Feral Warrior: Net 80 Feral Punch kills for this 30 point achievement, but here's the hardcore rub: Don't cheat the system by lowering health at a distance only to close at the end with a Feral Punch to polish them off. You know which Feral Punch kills are legitimate and which aren't. Be your own hardcore conscience.
• Treasure Raider: Possibly the most impressive of the single-player achievements, this whopping 100 point achievement requires you to locate every last scrap of Doctor Krieger's research. Only a dedicated gamer with sharp eyes and the willingness to explore will win this award.
• All Champion Awards: Each different multiplayer game type offers an achievement for a first place finish online. Though a single one may be worthy of a nod of recognition, collecting them all will show that your prowess lies with no one game type.

Far Cry Instincts Predator is a next-gen shooter with a brain; play within the spirit of the game for a unique and memorable experience. Add a few hardcore challenges to spice up the gameplay, and you can find satisfaction at every turn.

Article by Hardcore