Far Cry 3 Review: An Essential FPS

On top of the giant sprawling open world that’s filled with things to do. There are two separate multiplayer components. First is in my opinion the weakest link to the game, the co-op. While it’s great as the cherry on top, the 4 player co-op strips away everything that makes the single player so great. Instead of an open world with plenty to do, it boils down to linear missions where players work together to clear objectives and move on throughout the story. It’s a good addition to the game but it feels tacked on just for the sake of a bullet point on the back of the box.

Time and resources that Ubisoft spent on the co-op could have easily went into the single player or PvP multiplayer modes to make them even better. The characters in co-op are bland attempts at bad ass mercenary characters and they are all voiced with bad accents that make them laughable at best. Aside from the Russian and the Scotsman, there’s a former soldier and a crooked ex cop. Nothing groundbreaking as far as these character archetypes go. The story involves the four of them trying to reclaim the money that they were scammed out of, but with the focus being on point to point action, the story isn’t noteworthy to speak of. It’s a good distraction but doesn’t include the great features that make the main chunk of the game so memorable.

As far as the typical multiplayer goes, it also has a very generic, “been there, done that” feel. There are four different modes, all of them trying to implement a focus on teamwork, but teamwork in an online shooter is nothing short of rare. There’s the standard team deathmatch, the standard domination. A mode called “Transmission” essentially boils down to being domination but with a capture point that moves around the map. The last mode is called “Firestorm” and it involves burning the enemies supply depots and then capturing the radio transmitter to end the match.

The multiplayer itself is the same rank up and unlock new weapons seen in most modern shooters these days. The use of kill streaks doesn’t set it apart either and instead of trying to break the mold, it seems they were content just giving you the same multiplayer you can experience with Call Of Duty or Battlefield. The one redeeming factor in Far Cry 3 multiplayer is the ability to create your own maps. This means that new maps will constantly be made available and will give players a fresh experience every time they play. The editor itself is a great tool that can be used to great effect with those who know what they’re doing. However, when so many other games have already established user bases it will be hard for Far Cry 3 to hold its ground in the multiplayer department. Only time will tell if the map editor will keep a strong community around or if it will fill another slot in the graveyard of shooters that expect to compete with the popular shooter titles.

Is Far Cry 3 really like “Skyrim with guns”? Well not exactly. There is a giant open world and plenty of missions and activities to do, but that’s where the similarities end. Far Cry 3 is a first person shooter that pushed the boundaries of what the genre can do. Instead of just another multiplayer focused shooter with a 5 hour campaign, Far Cry 3 takes the opposite route and gives the player a huge amount of content in the single player campaign, that alone, warrants the full price tag. Sure, the multiplayer modes are nothing revolutionary but they are the whipped cream on the top of the pie that makes the deal that much sweeter of a purchase. If you are a fan of shooters or a fan of open world games in general, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up.

Far Cry 3 Xbox 360 Scoring
Gameplay
The open world feels nice and refreshing in the shooter genre. The guns themselves feel very solid and the vehicles handle very well. Playing this game is just fun.
Graphics
Some occasional screen tearing here and there still doesn’t ruin how beautiful the island can look while exploring.
Sound
Sound is phenomenal, whether it be the various animals in the wildlife, the enemies talking in the distance or the meaty sounds of the guns in your hands.
Replay Value
While there won’t be anything new to see when replaying the story, there is enough content here to keep one occupied for several hours, be it single player or multiplayer.
Presentation
The island itself is full of locations to explore while the villain monologues are very well done.
Overall
The open world nature of the game is a fresh experience in the shooter genre. The multiplayer modes aren’t very impressive and the protagonist characters are a let down but they don’t derail just how good the single player experience can be. Certainly a must own title for fans of the FPS genre.

Far Cry 3 is out now.

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