Far Cry is the next title to check off on my list of games to complete.
Months after a rocky release, with a stable version and better video drivers, this game is a pleasure to play most of the time.
Overall, the game is nearly flawless. The story is engaging, with some plot twists and well scripted sequences. Paired with a captivating soundtrack and the brilliant graphics, it delivers the right balance to draw you right in the middle of an action movie such as Die Hard.
The graphics are just spectacular. If Doom III set the standard for claustrophobic lighting and Half Life 2 for scripted action and physics, Far Cry raises the bar for rencering vast, outdoor landscapes. Its jungles are deep, shaded, luxuriant places that deserve to be cited as a character in their own right.
This is also the only game I can think of with actually challenging AI. You just have to see how enemies react to your moves, change tactics and adapt to whatever you throw at them. In what other game can you create a diversion in one area and watch your enemies rush toward the noise as you discretely crawl around them. The level of unscripted behaviour in either mercenaries or creatures is high enough to ensure replayability.
And I just might replay it again, if it was not for some difficulty balancing issues that plague the game, especially near the end. Some of the last stages of the game are tedious and sometimes just plain impossible to go through without some kind of cheat code.