FarCry Instincts Predator

[ElCapichan]

Just a couple of a years ago, we were introduced to FarCry on the PC. The hype around this game was huge boasting incredible graphics, particularly the water, and beautiful surroundings. Not too long after, FarCry Instincts made its way to the Xbox. Unleashing a few new tricks up Carver's sleeve and great graphics as far as the Xbox could handle, Instincts made a place in the hearts of FPS fans all over. Now, FarCry makes its way to the 360, but is it the upgrade everyone has been waiting for?

FarCry Instincts Predator has updated graphics and improved AI, but is this enough? For starters, the graphics aren't all they are made up to be. Asides from the incredible water detail, characters look bland and while some ground and building textures look great, some of the foilage and surroundings leave a little to be desired. The game does have some nice details however, but nothing that is mindblowing. The reflections off the water are beautiful and seeing the floating corpse of an enemy bob aroud in the water is a cool sight. The game has some pretty decent and cool physics, especialy when you clobber someone with your ferral powers into a pile of explosive barrels blowing them up and taking out anyone close enough.

The sound of the game is probably the best part of the game as they are superb. Pretty much every sound that you would actualy hear while sneaking through the jungle is in this game. Crickets and birds can always be heard when away from action. The gun sounds are kind of weak however as they all sound like cartoon guns. Don't go in expecting to hear gun detail such as the like of COD2 or GRAW. The voice acting however is pretty damn good as well as the quailty. The voice sounds are crisp and clear and Carver's constant cursing as things go from good to bad to worse add a little comic relief to the game.

Ok, so the graphics are pretty good, although not great, and the sound is amazing, it all comes down to the gameplay. Sadly, the FarCry Instincts Predator falls short in this area. Although I've only played on the hardest difficulty, there is still no excuse to the poor excuse of gameplay. For starters. the aiming is just terrible. Rather than give you a typical crosshair, you are stuck with a giant circe making accurate head shots difficult. There is also something about the aiming that just doesn't feel right. At default settings, its easy to overshoot your target, and at lower sensitivity, it moves way too slow. So not only is it difficult to target your enemy, but it also takes a whole clip to kill anyone and 2-3 headshots if you aren't point blank range. The vehicles are fun and are the really only enjoyable parts of the game, except when you have to make your way through hordes of enemys that just can't seem to miss.

All in all, the game is acceptable at best, but if you've played any of the previous versions, I'd pass. There just isn't enough thats new to warrant a re-buy and the sequel part feels more like a minor expansion rather than a true sequel. The surrounding feel worn and used. So if you haven't played FarCry before, you might have some fun with this one, but I'd pass otherwise.

[Diff-chan]

Couple comments:

1. For a review it focuses way too much on graphics.
2. Are you surprised enemies were hard to kill on the hardest difficulty level?
3. Is the game worth it if you have never played Instincts? I heard that game is superior to the original.
4. How long did you play this before you reviewed?