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Far Cry 3 Strategy Guide Product Details

Released on 30-Nov-2012

• Far Cry 3 update brings harder difficulty and outpost respawns

  Ubisoft has a major free update planned for its acclaimed shooter Far Cry 3, bringing features much requested by the game's fanbase. The announcement was made on the game's official forum.

  Top of the list is the ability to reset the various pirate outposts dotted around the blood-soaked madhouse of Rook Islands. Arguably the best bits of an already excellent game, these outposts find you trying to clear locations of enemies, using stealth and guile where possible. And explosive arrows and lots of bullets when that fails. And sometimes a tiger.

  The sense of sadness you felt when you'd beaten all the outposts will now turn to elation once you can reset and respawn any completed location, allowing you to creep, sneak and slay as many times as you like. You'll need to have finished the story in order to do this, as only then will the option appear in the menu. Any incomplete side missions, such as hunting challenges, related to each outpost will also be reset.

  The update will also introduce a new Master difficulty setting. "Seasoned veterans will find themselves challenged by more aggressive wildlife, tougher pirates, and more deadly privateers," read Ubisoft's post. "Your skills as a master of the Rook Islands will be tested." Again, you'll need to have finished the game on Adventurer, Survivor or Warrior difficulty before the option is available.

  Ubisoft has yet to confirm when this update will go live, but it's great to see a publisher continuing to improve and support its games months after release, based on fan feedback.

  Far Cry 3, one of the very best games of 2012, is out now for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

  Published: 19/02/2013

• Far Cry 3 - Review

  
  

  

  It's probably quite fitting for a game that's all about man's descent into insanity that Far Cry 3's probably the nuttiest thing you'll play all year. It's a hedonistic mix of guns, sun and madness - as well as a cavalcade of wildlife that takes this above and beyond your normal shooting experience. Here's a game where the balance of a gunfight can be tipped by an errant bear.

  If that's not enough to convince you - and really, it should be - then there's more. There's much, much more.

  Far Cry's always been a series about freedom. When Crytek's breathtaking original made its debut - a game that's still handsome today, some eight years on from its release - the tropical backdrop was a dizzying first. You could go anywhere, and explore any tactical option.

  The sequel carried on it that vein, although it may have been a bit too smart for its own good: Ubisoft Montreal's follow-up was an essay on the fallibility of man when faced against the wilderness, which is all well and good but, as your character's arm seized up through some strange illness and your gun jammed for the umpteenth time, wasn't actually that much fun.

  

  Sun, Sea And Sandbox

  Far Cry 3's still about freedom, but it couldn't be further removed from the strictness of its predecessor - this is a game that's been engineered at almost every level for fun, and one that's desperate to fix a big dumb grin on your face at all times. It pretty much succeeds at that, too.

  Ubisoft Montreal's case is no doubt helped by the fact that it's been taking notes from the king of open world games. Far Cry 3's biggest debt, and its biggest influence, isn't really the two entries that came before it. Instead, it's Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series.

  Yes, this is Skyrim with guns. If that sounds like an incongruous mix, well to be honest at first it is. When you're first scouring the jungle, looking for a goat to skin so you can craft a new pouch that'll allow you to carry more ammo, you may wonder what on earth is going on, but slowly Far Cry 3's madcap philosophy comes into focus.

  Every Rook And Cranny

  With the crafting joined by far-reaching and thoughtful skill trees, it turns out that this is a much deeper experience than you'd ever really expect of a first-person shooter. And like Skyrim, it's one that slowly sucks you in, until you find yourself spending more time in its fantasy world than you do your own.

  

  It helps that Far Cry 3's Rook Island has taken another leaf from Bethesda's book and filled its every nook and cranny with things to do. There are optional quest-lines, or even good old-fashioned rampages, and they're all unlocked in a pleasingly methodical way. The world's open from the off, but it's only really decipherable once you scale one of the many radio towers that grant access to a portion of the map, allowing you to see the dizzying selection of activities on offer.

  Paradise Lost

  So brilliant is the experience of traipsing around Rook Island - something that can be done on foot, by boat or car or, most pleasingly, by soaring across it in a hang-glider - that the actual story missions pale a little in comparison. They're tightly scripted and fairly effective, and they also deliver a story that while trashy is certainly compelling - but they're never quite as brilliant as the open-ended madness that defines the rest of Far Cry 3.

  It's a dizzying freedom that's typical of the best open world games. Oh, and let's not forget that it's a shooter too, and a pretty satisfying one. The guns are meaty - and all upgradeable, of course - and the enemy puts up a tough fight, often ensuring that you're forced down a more stealthy route in pursuit of victory. And if that doesn't work, you can always just hope and pray that a passing bear will help you out of your trouble.

  GAME's Verdict:

  The Good:

  • Incredible, packed open world
  • Fantastic open-ended stealth gunplay
  • Animals!

  The Bad:

  • Story missions aren't the measure of the off-script game

  Published: 28/11/2012

• Review Roundup: Far Cry 3

  Nestled in amongst such titans as Black Ops II, Halo 4 and Assassin's Creed III, offbeat tropical shooter Far Cry 3 could easily have been overlooked. That seems unlikely now that the game, which is out on November 30th, has attracted some of the best reviews of the year.

  Eurogamer is the most enthusiastic, dishing out a coveted 10/10 score and declaring it ""the new apex predator of open-world shooters". The review offers the game's open world freedom as its strongest asset, suggesting the game's unpredictable world makes it "a glorious anecdote factory, where you manufacture brilliant new memories every time you wake up in a safehouse and head out into the jungle."

  IGN scores the game 9/10, with particular attention paid to the dark storyline which casts you not as a rock hard supersoldier, but a terrified tourist trapped on an island with maniacal criminals. "As its unpredictable, often uncomfortable story comes unhinged," says the review, "Far Cry 3 challenges players' principles: How far would you go to protect the people you love, and what kind of person would you become to get them back?"

  PC Gamer joins the praise parade with an 89% score. "You've got a huge island to explore, ridiculously effective tools for scouting every hostile situation, and so many clever intersecting systems to inspire creative ways to conquer them," it reckons. "It's a better stealth game than Far Cry 1, set in an open world that feels richer than Far Cry 2's. That's an amazing thing to play."

  Far Cry 3 is out on November 30th for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
  

  Published: 22/11/2012

• Far Cry 3 will be weird but not

  Ubisoft's upcoming tropical shooter, Far Cry 3, has already attracted admiring glances for its surreal approach to openworld FPS action. Unlike the realistically parched African landscape of Far Cry 2, this sequel takes players into a more off-kilter world as a tourist caught up in bizarre circumstances.

  Things get pretty weird, but lead game designer Jamie Keen has told VG247 that it's important to the team that the game doesn't spill into outright wackiness. "The danger of broaching the notion of insanity in a game is that you go over a lip and end up with just full-on crazy and that's not what we're looking for with it", he said.

  "There's a particular feeling we're trying to get across, which is that sinking feeling that you sometimes get in the pit of your stomach as you realise 'Oh no, this isn't what I thought it was' and it's to replicate those times when you go into a situation and you think it's all good and all happy and then there's a switch where you suddenly realise there's something terribly, terribly wrong going on."

  Something terribly wrong will most certainly be going on, as unhinged characters pop up to both hinder and help hapless tourist Jason Brody as his tropical vacation takes a hellish turn for the worse.

  Far Cry 3 is out for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC from November 29th.

  Published: 26/10/2012

• Far Cry 3 - Preview

  
  

  

  There are so many first-person shooters out there that you'd be entirely forgiven for getting your Call of Duty's confused with your Medal of Honors, or your Modern Warfares with your Black Ops (Opses? Opsi?). That's not likely to ever be the case with Far Cry 3 - here's a game that's wilfully unique, and it's a colourful, eccentric alternative to the standard blockbuster fare.

  It helps that Far Cry comes from a long line of slightly off-kilter games - nuttiness, it seems, is in its genes. The first game, developed by tech wizards Crytek, offered a tropical paradise ravaged by mutants, and an experience that was equal parts Predator and Magnum PI.

  Cry Me A River

  The second, for which development duties turned to Ubisoft Montreal - the home of the Assassin's Creed series - was altogether darker in tone. The setting was no longer sun-kissed but instead one that was ravaged by the heat, a savage version of Africa that framed a gritty, downbeat game.

  

  For Far Cry 3 there's a neat balance that's been struck between the two prior extremes. The open world you're free to roam in is a wild one, full of hostile beasts and even more hostile people, but it's also one that's colourful and more than a little peculiar. This isn't the po-faced fare of many other shooters - instead, it's an FPS that's all about having fun.

  That said, the story's certainly no fairytale. You're Jason Brody, a carefree traveller who's out exploring the tropics with his mates. Things soon take a turn for the nasty, though, and your fellow fun-seekers are picked off while you're left to fend for yourself in the manner of the best teen horror films.

  Into The Wild

  The island that Jason Brody's stranded on is no theme park, then, but there are plenty of opportunities for gleeful chaos within its shores. Caged animals can be set upon packs of enemies with a well-placed shot on an iron padlock, and there's the option to either approach hostile camps with slow, silent stealth or with all guns blazing.

  And then there's the good old-fashioned thrill of exploration, an element that's been further fleshed-out for Far Cry's third proper outing. The island needs to be reclaimed, and it's separated into hostile territories that can be won over one by one.

  

  There are some quite surprising influences in the mix, too, and at times it's not Call of Duty or Battlefield that are the points of reference, but rather last year's incredible fantasy romp Skyrim. There are fetch quests and crafting, the latter of which encourages you to properly engage with the island's flora and fauna. You'll need to gather sticks and leaves as well as animal hides to conjure up the basic tools of survival, a feature that promises to make Far Cry 3 run deeper than any of its first-person rivals.

  A Smart Shooter

  The skills help do that too, with a variety of powers available to unlock that can help with your shooting or boost your athleticism. Neatly, the powers you acquire manifest themselves in an evolving tattoo that adorns your left arm, a constant reminder of your progression through the skill-tree.

  And for all this freedom, choice and borrowings from role-playing games such as Skyrim, Far Cry 3 still knows how to pack an explosive punch. There are still traditional levels that are more like those seen in Call of Duty or Battlefield - although, typically, they're delivered with a witty little twist. At one point you're asked to assist a mad doctor in his experiments, and you get a little too familiar with some of the hallucinogens he's concocting. What follows is a brilliantly warped psychedelic set-piece.

  So here's a first-person shooter with a difference, then - and one that looks like an interesting alternative to the usual suspects.

  Published: 25/10/2012

• Far Cry 3 isn't afraid of the Big Bad COD

  It takes serious bravado to launch a shooter in the same month as genre behemoth Call of Duty, but that's exactly what Ubisoft will do when it releases Far Cry 3 in November, shortly after Black Ops II. Madness? Apparently not, according to Ubisoft brand manager Henri Guay.

  Speaking to games industry trade magazine MCV, he explained that Far Cry 3's open world design and tropical location sets it apart from the shooter crowd, and makes it the perfect choice for players looking for something different.

  "Far Cry has always been a little bit off the map in terms of the offer that it gives," he said. "People are going to continue to play Call of Duty and people are going to look for experiences that give them something a little bit different. We feel we're in a comfortable spot."

  Ubisoft has supported the title all the way, he says, to the extent that features that were in danger of being cut ended up staying in the game because the team wanted people to see them.

  "Far Cry 3 is a big game and there's an expectation," adds Dan Hay, the game's product manager. "We wanted to make it as great as it absolutely can be. There were a couple of things we were talking about cutting from the game that I just couldn't bear to take away from the consumer."

  Far Cry 3 is out for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 30th. Call of Duty: Black Ops II comes to PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on November 13th.

  Published: 22/10/2012

• Far Cry 3 - Preview

  
  

  

  The true definition of insanity, it seems, is getting excited for a first-person threequel. We've become so inundated with ways to shoot people in the face that it's hard to get enthusiastic when another one trundles along, but there's something special about Far Cry 3. It's something that threatens to make this one of 2012's most memorable games, and certainly one of its craziest.

  Far Cry's always a series that's done things a little differently. The first game, when Crytek was on the beat, was one of the pioneers of open world gaming, as well as one of the most technically impressive experiences of its age. Its island paradise stretched out into the distance, a shooting sandbox that spilt out across countless beaches.

  Ubisoft Montreal's sequel took a shift in tone, replacing the paradise with a bleak vision of Africa inspired in no small measure by Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Gone was the sense of combat as fun, and in its place was a game torn through with rife, presenting you at each turn with the grim consequences of your actions.

  

  Gangster's Paradise

  Far Cry 3 finds a middle ground, but it's smart enough to pluck only the best elements from its predecessors. You're on an island that resembles a paradise - there are the long stretches of sand, the crystal blue waters and breathtaking cliff-faces. Scratch away at the surface, though, and you'll find that it's a cruel world that's defined by its own insanity.

  The open world that's defined previous Far Cry games returns, and a tour from the peaceful heights enabled by a hang glider shows that it's as beautiful as ever before - played on a high-end PC, Far Cry 3's got the capacity to stun with its generous draw distances that lay out a sun-kissed heaven for as far as the eye can see. It's an effect that the consoles would do well to replicate, and we're told by Ubisoft that they're well on track to do so.

  And this time out the island's more alive than ever before. Away from the small towns and safe houses that act as a haven, wildlife stalks the shrubs and plains of Far Cry 3's island. There are packs of wild dogs, wildebeest and shoals of fish. What's absolutely brilliant about their inclusion is how they've been woven into the gameplay itself.

  

  Jungle Safari

  On one level, the wildlife acts as a new class of enemy. Those dogs are likely to attack you when you're out exploring alone. Go for a swim and you're likely to come into grievous contact with a shark. Then - and surely this will never cease to entertain - you can just punch the dumb fish in the face.

  It gets better. Wildlife can be turned upon your enemies if you've the know-how - at one point in our brief sojourn across the island we came across a camp of bandits who also happened to be stowing a wild bear in cages. A couple of well-placed shots on some shabby looking locks and all of a sudden Gentle Ben's not so gentle, savaging the bandits in a flurry of fur and claws.

  Compared to other shooters it feels a little unhinged, but Far Cry 3's a more than competent shooter in its own right. Gunplay's tight and punchy, complemented this time out by a bow and arrow that enables a more stealthy approach. It also proves extremely satisfying to stalk an encampment, silently dispensing with guards before moving in and going loud with an AK-47 to finish off the job.

  It's a taut game, then, that knows how to spread out its own insanity across an open world first-person shooter that's incredibly adept. What could make Far Cry 3 that little bit more interesting is that madness though - and goodness knows the genre needs a little crazy right now.

  Published: 23/08/2012

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