8 Video Games With Mind-Blowing Details You Didn't Notice

3. Far Cry 3 €“ Alice In Wonderland

Far Cry 3 Far Cry 3 is an excellent game €“ that much is plain. They took the faults of Far Cry 2 (weak characterisation, slightly faulty mechanics) and built upon them, buffing up the island setting and plot to an almost mirror shine. The characters were good, the storyline was good €“ really, it was just a 9/10 game all over. But beneath the surface, there was something very clever going on. You might notice that around half-way through the game, when Jason really starts to enjoy slaughtering people, that loading screens begin to include quotes from Alice In Wonderland. Specifically, it brings up the debates between the Mad Hatter and Alice about whether she's mad. The analogy there is faintly obvious €“ the Hatter's admission that 'we're all mad here' equally applies to Jason Brody, who goes from scared college student to Rakyat Messiah as the game develops. But there's also a number of details that speak directly to player. First, much like Alice going down the rabbit hole you go from North to South on the map, giving your descent into madness a geographical twist. Also, Vaas makes it clear to the player that Jason's not the only one indulging in madness. His 'definition of madness' rants can equally apply to you €“ you're playing through the game, knowing full well you'll bump into him an inordinate amount of times, but you put up with it because it's a computer game. Also, once you finish the game, you might start it up and play again on another difficulty. Either way up, Vaas is asking whether you're any better than Jason (who keeps throwing himself into the these positions) or himself (who keeps giving the same lecture). After all, no-one's forcing you to repeat yourself. You do it anyway, because we're all mad here.
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Contributor

Durham University graduate and qualified sports journalist. Very good at sitting down and watching things. Can multi-task this with playing computer games. Football Manager addict who has taken Shrewsbury Town to the summit of the Premier League. You can follow me at @Ed_OwenUK, if you like ramblings about Newcastle United and A Place in the Sun. If you don't, I don't know what I can do for you.