Far Cry back in 2004 could bring a system to its knees. It was the ultimate benchmark game due to an insane draw distance. That said, back in 2004 Halo 2, Half-Life 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3 used normal mapped textures that often looked better than those in Far Cry which really makes the game look obsolete, especially since the draw distance is compensated for by a low dynamic level of detail. So despite being a game that needed a very powerful system to run, it's not all that great looking of a game, especially indoors.
The character models are especially terrible, being ugly, blocky and nowhere near as good as the models in many titles that are even older like Soldier of Fortune 2. I like the effects that bullet holes have on flesh but the characters look terrible. Far Cry hasn't aged well compared to many games released at the same time and it deserves to be condemned for such, high draw distance or not.
Also, the first level of the game is one of the hardest. This game took me thirty-five hours to beat, the first four of which were spent trying to survive the beginning of the game on the easiest difficulty setting. I'm no stranger to shooters but Far Cry's AI that can see you and shoot you through walls is incredibly cheap, as was having to clear the enemy base without any sort of scoped weapon.
That said, the game gets easier after this. Most notably because the game gives the player a silenced submachine gun and a sniper rifle that make most encounters way too easy. That said, the lack of a quicksave means that I'd often find myself reloading save files from twenty minutes ago due to the game's slow pace and lack of checkpoints. This is coupled with enemy AI programmed to flank, no regenerating health and a main character who moves like he's stuck in molasses. Up until an assault rifle with a scope can be found, success in Far Cry is entirely dependent on how much sniper rifle ammo can be found.
Sniping in Far Cry is incredibly fun and makes me feel like I'm some type of jungle predator stalking prey. Lining up headshots from a kilometer away is a great experience that's sadly hampered by the fact that the game was designed from the ground up to favor sniping over all else. There are still occasional indoor levels that allow players to make use of other weapons but they're the exception rather than the rule although still frequent enough that carrying around a shotgun and submachine gun is a good idea.
The story absolutely sucks. The plot is a 1980s B-action movie plot riddled with terrible voice acting. The main character’s voice is particularly annoying in a 90s video game way, with such an annoying tone to it that cutscenes were painful to watch. Other characters come across as either over the top or flat, meaning that there are no good voices in this game. Just a collection of hammy monotones that I couldn’t stand listening to alongside forgettable music and bland sound effects.
And for all of Far Cry's flaws, it's still a fun game but one that will forever live in the shadow of the superior Far Cry 2 and Crysis. It's still brilliant for it's pioneering use of first person stealth gameplay. Even though enemies can pinpoint exactly where I am through thinner walls, they still have trouble seeing me through foliage, which leads to some cools ways to escape and ambush foes. In fact, due to the low amount of non-regenerating health that I have, I'm practically obligated to retreat as often as possible since head-on fights in outdoor areas are always suicidal. As much as I hated first person stealth in the past since it often felt awkward, Far Cry finds a way to make it work although there sadly haven’t been many games which have followed suit.
So while it's possible to do a lot worse than purchasing Far Cry, both the sequel and spiritual successor blow it out of the water, making the original hard to recommend. Those who love Far Cry 2 and Crysis should give it a shot but in this case, it's hard to play the original over either title.
Pros: Great draw distance, sniping is great, finds a way to make first person stealth work, (mostly) great AI
Cons: Horrible voice acting, weak sound effects, low health, poor story, AI that can see through walls, the sniper rifle dominates gameplay, inability to shoot while swimming, poor character models
7.2/10
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