Far Cry 3 - Insane Edition

This game is fantastic. It takes the best ideas from FC1 & FC2 and molds them into something more satisfying than the sum of its parts.

I haven't tried multiplayer yet so my experience refers to the single player campaign.

The first thing which hits you is how cinematic the start is. You're immersed in a Blockbuster from the word go. The voice-acting and the emotion conveyed by the virtual actors is first-rate - Vaas is an unhinged psycho who will shoot you in the face on a whim - the others are as believable as any I've seen.

Once the initial tutorial sections are over with, you're released in a free-roam, GORGEOUS world when you're as likely to die from a bullet in the face as the horns/claws/teeth of some irate jungle-island fauna - and that goes for the enemy! Several times I've been stealthing up to some fools when they've started shooting at the Komodo dragons I didn't notice slinking around in the grass adjacent to me. This world is alive; tigers sprint through a jungle clearing after Tapir , Leopards tackle deers on the beach, bull sharks melt into the shallows menacingly.

I could literally play FC3 for a month without touching the main story-line there's that much to do.

Each animal you kill, whether by bullet, knife or - my favourite - the bow and arrow - can be skinned. You'll need different skins to make different things - a larger loot sack, a larger ammo belt - a larger arrow bag. Plants too can be collected to make syringes which heal you or heighten your senses.

the adventure starts as soon as you leave one of the safe villages, you'll find animals, enemies to fight and things to climb for the hell of it or to unlock areas of the map. It's a very rich experience and a deeply satisfying one; take aim with your bow, which you've modified with a holographic site (yes, all the weapons can be modified with attachments), shoot and skin some animal you've stalked through the pleasingly rendered jungle foliage, collecting your arrow from its warm corpse and craft something from jungle loot!

The AI behaves predictably - this isn't a criticism. Throw a stone to attract a guard and he'll cautiously walk over to investigate the source of the noise, allowing you to divide and conquer with your trusty machete. Stealth is done very well in FC3 - if that's your thing - there is of course the louder option which plays out very well too - the guns sound and feel satisfyingly punchy with varying handling.

Graphically the game looks stunning. The character animation for bipeds and quadrupeds alike is natural - furthering the sense of immersion.

I turned off the music for no other reason than I always do, but everything sounds like it should.

I would recommend playing on the medium difficulty based on my experience - the island should be somewhat intimidating, at least to begin. You'll probably die a few times, but the game won't punish you unfairly and you won't have to re-do sections of the game over and over. You CAN change the difficulty on the fly if things are testing you too much.

The only negative I can think of relates to some key-mapping issues which may be my fault as much as the games.

Beware of over-pricing of this title - I see that console gamers and being asked £60-80 for the Insane Edition. I paid under £30 from Amazon so bare that in mind.

Over-all I can't recommend this enough - it's definitely the game that I'll be playing through into 2013.

9.8/10

There are better and more expressive reviews than mine,buti would just like to add that the game delivers everything that was promised, Graphics are superb, and the missions show some real flair from the designers (must have been eating the mushrooms)It requires a bit of PC power,but for a game like this it almost deserves buying a new PC just to play it..Some people have had minor glitches with sound and stuff but i am sure they will be patched soon.

Man I love this game!

I was a big fan of the original FC on the xbox, Naturally I got FC2 on the PC but was not really impressed. The game looked great and had the illusion of being a big game but let down by constant battles at every road junction,my gripes were the same as most others.

FC 3 however addressed all that and has made possibly one of the best games I have ever played. The place is alive and vibrant. Of course it's a game and as such has flaws like most others. Not enough voice variation all the enimies dress the same. Aside from that the game does very well to keep you entertained.

I never get the feeling I'm being pushed to do the main story which is good because in these types of games I tend to go off on one just heading in whatever direction I feel like gives a real sense of it being huge.

I love the hunting. I feel like Diago in Ice age when he learns to swim saying to myself out loud "stalking the prey" :)

I've not tried the MP but I will ge to that once I Have done the main missions.

All in all this is a great game with very little to be dissapointed about. Insane edition for £30 is awesome!.

Recently I have Hitman 3 Cssassins Creed 3 and Far Cry 3. All great games but this one has held my attention the longest in 1 sitting.

I've had no issues with crashing or major glitches on the PC version. No frame rate drops.

Running I7 ivy@3.5 8Gb DDR3 RAM with gtx 670 on ultra settings. Graphically Hitman is superior but I don't find it a problem or a let down.

Hope this helps

Edit:

Reached about half way through and I didn't think it possible but it get's even better still throwing supprises at me and by far the most gripping story of any game in 2012 possibly longer!