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Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Genre: FPS
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 28 Mar 06
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- Far Cry debuts on the 360 with a bang, featuring the same solid gameplay and lush visual, and adds a superb multiplayer and map-creator to enhance its longevity.
Overview
I have to say that the initial launch of the Xbox 360 was not all that spectacular but as time as progressed the Xbox 360 has been really gaining a lot of steam with some really big named games. One of these big name titles that has been released comes from Ubi Soft and one of their key franchise series. Today we are checking out the first Xbox 360 version of Far Cry in Far Cry Instincts Predator. So the big question is how is the transition from PC to Console for the beloved Far Cry series? Read our full review to find out!
Gameplay
As some may be wondering, what exactly is Far Cry Instincts Predator, as it is a game that really hasn't got a whole lot of buzz around it during its development process. In fact for a game based off of the Far Cry series, I have to say that I was rather surprised there wasn't more hype surrounding this game? But now it has been released and we can see for ourselves whether this is a game worth waiting for.
For those who don't know, Far Cry Instincts Predator is a game that really combines two products in one. So in Far Cry Instincts Predator you actually get both the original Far Cry Instincts, as well as the expansion pack which is Evolution. Now for the actual storylines of the game, you will of course be playing as Jack Carver, who is really your run of the mill action hero. Just like the PC version, the story is not a major part of the Far Cry game and continues not to be in both versions of the game.
So for those of you who haven't figured these out, you have Far Cry Instincts, which was released on the Xbox a year ago. Now what Ubi Soft did was basically just upping the ante on the original game by upgrading the visuals and tightening some of the gameplay elements up to help the 360 version run a bit better. Without going into too much detail, as I am speculating that many of you have already played into this game, the 360 version is really not much different from the Xbox. I did feel like the controls were a bit more intuitive, but at the same time I felt like the same "linear" feel of the Xbox version was still lingering around in the 360 version.
And then you have Evolution, which is a new campaign that is about half the length of Instincts but is still a really interesting new campaign. The new campaign does still use the same sort of gameplay mechanics as Instincts, but to me felt a lot more entertaining. I really felt that the developers did a better job of mixing the gameplay up and just stopping it from being a typical run and gun shooter. So to say that you have a lot of single player content is probably a big understatement.
The best part of this package is that of the multiplayer, which includes a very comprehensive map editor that makes for some serious multiplayer gameplay. Standing on my soap box for just a second, I should say that more developers should keep putting more and more map editors into the multiplayer. There are a lot of different modes to choose from online, as well all of which play pretty well. With the Map Editor you get a great deal of online multiplayer, as it allows you to download an unlimited amount of user-created maps, which is just a great addition to the game.
In the end, Far Cry Instincts Predator is just a good well rounded FPS that takes the series a step further. This is not a game that manages to make the series feel new but continues forward with it. The biggest plus for me was the online multiplayer, which was just fantastic. In the end, Far Cry Instincts Predator is not a perfect experience, but one that if you haven't had the chance to play will really impress you.
Graphics
The one area that some may have some complaints is in the visual category, which is where I think the developers could have put more work into. In fact, you can see throughout the Instincts campaign that there were some areas in which looked very rough around the edges. Far Cry Instincts Predator is a game that does have some very good "next gen" feel to it, but the whole game just has the feeling like it could have been a much better looking game. You can just expect a good looking shooter, minus some of the extra thrills that some may expect.
Fun Factor
As much as I can say, I am not the biggest fan of the Far Cry series, Far Cry Instincts Predator really impressed me. You get a lot of bang for your buck in this title, with two very good campaigns which all by itself is fun to play through. But when you add a huge multiplayer aspect that includes both a map editor and a ton of great modes, this is really a great entertaining package. Combine both of these huge elements into one package and you have a really fun and enjoyable game.
Overall
Far Cry Instincts Predator is a game that takes the Xbox game of last year and manages to take it up a few notches on the Xbox 360. For those expecting a true next generation game, you might be disappointed by some of the lack of upgrades to this game. But in the end, there is just so much replay value and so much depth to this game that it is one that I find hard to pass up, especially if you haven't played the original Xbox game.
- Gameplay
8.0 - Graphics
7.0 - Fun Factor
8.0 - Overall
8.0
