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not fair to review an item before it comes out...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 32
Date: July 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

but i feel this deserves a little more on the page besides the title.

its a first person shooter founded on technology from a company called crytek. it belongs on the list with doom 3 and half-life 2 in terms of quality and enjoyment/gameplay.

the things that make it stand out from the other two games though, are the AI, level structure, and definitely plot.

This game boasts AI from the start. theres mutliple ways to go through a level, so the AI was made to be smarter right from the start. even if you dont see them, theyre working, they get bored. they chat to each other.

the levels are massive. the game mostly takes place on a certain island. but if you see another island in the distance, you can swim to it. there is no linearity to the design. and the plot is not your standard, aliens/demons are taking over (although doom 3 is at the top of my list).

i definitely think this game deserves a look at.

a Far Cry from the opposition, perhaps?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 26
Date: November 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

My review is based on articles and interviews I have read along a viewing of the tech demo. Even so, it's worth a 5 for whetting my appetite with what it promises to offer.

There are many first person shooters, but Far Cry from CryTek strives to add gameplay elements which make it worth serious consideration.

The action takes place on the main island of Micronesia, although there are other smaller islands which you can swim to. You play Jack Carver who is forced out of his sun-drenched retirement to help out a female journalist. There are homicidal mercenaries out to stop you. That's the basic premise of the game.

The decision to set the game on a lush tropical island means that the game is not linear as in most shooters. You have complete freedom to move about and carry out your missions any way you deem fit. The player is in control, rather than being forced to complete missions in a set way. You are free to use your own discretion and to undertake missions using stealth tactics, all out assault, or a combination of the two depending on the circumstances you find yourself in.

Environments will range from jungle, to caves, as well as man made facilities.

The AI of the game was designed to "understand", and react to the environment. The enemy interacts with the environment just like you, and will use it for cover and to try take you down using tactics such as suppressive fire, outflanking, and/or calling reinforcements. Each enemy unit will react not only to your input, but also with the surrounding terrain in unique ways. In other words, the enemy knows as much as you about the arena you play in. Because of the non-linearity of the game (even though there is a progressive story line), the AI are NOT scripted. The beauty of this is that every time you play a section of the game the AI will respond in different ways so you never play out a scenario in exactly the same way.

My excitement was further increased with news of the Sandbox Editor which will be shipped with the game and is billed as the What You See is What You Play. According to an interview with the developers, it took only 3 days (!) for one of their new multiplayer developers to learn how to use the editor. You can build and edit terrain, drop in some AI units, then play test it through all with a few mouse clicks. Switching from game to editor will be a breeze (like in Operation Flashpoint) and ensure a formidable amount of Multiplayer maps will be developed soon after the game ships.

For programmmers who want to write their own scripted routines, the game uses the Lua programming language which allows you to write and embed your routines into the game without having to touch the game's original C++ code.

For modders, the news is also optimistic. The developers have stressed that everything in the game has been designed with the mod community in mind, and can be modded quite easily. They have mentioned releasing an SDK for the mod community either with, or shortly after, the game's release.

Weapons range from a P90 SMG, OICW, AG36, M4, Desert Eagle, down to a machete.

Vehicles can be driven in 1st or 3rd person view with the ability to fire weapons while driving. Jeeps, boats, HMMVs, and hang-gliders can be used by the player, and the AI will use vehicles to pursue you.

With huge terrains, vast draw distances of up to 2 kilometers, rag doll and real-time physics, an editor which appears to be simplicity itself, and an unscripted AI, next year looks promising for anyone willing - and daring - enough to take a relaxing (?) break in the lagoons, caves, and lush jungles of Far Cry's Micronesian Islands.

Two excellent interviews with the developers can be viewed at Game Zone and Avault.

For an impressive demo of the game go to Gamers Hell and download the 32Mb "tech demo". I'm sure you'll be impressed with what you see.

FAR CRY - muscling in on the Action Genre

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 16
Date: November 20, 2003
Author: Amazon User

My preview is based on articles and interviews I have read along with a viewing of the tech demo. Even so, it's worth a 5 for whetting my appetite with what it promises to offer.

There are many first person shooters, but Far Cry from German developer CryTek strives to add gameplay elements which make it worth serious consideration. Voted Best Game at ECTS 2003, Far Cry has managed to draw interest and create lasting impressions despite going up against heavyweight contenders such as Half Life 2 and Doom 3.

>>The Game Engine

CryTek have designed their own engine for running the game. The engine is known as CryEngine and is capable of rendering vast draw distances of up to 2 kilometers without fogging. It also makes use of polybump technology, enabling an object comprised of 250,000 polygons to be condensed into only 1,500 without virtually any loss of quality. This alone frees up cpu time and makes FAR CRY more accessible to lower ended systems.

Added to this is the ability to create real world physics. In the game you might decide to push some barrels in order to watch them roll down a hill onto the enemy. The barrels will roll the way they should depending on the angle used to push them and the shape of the ground they connect with. Push them again from a different angle, or using different force, and the barrels will roll in a different way.

This realism is also applied to the in-game characters which have been modelled with a great deal of attention paid to their skeletal structure. The character will react and/or fall according to where on the body a shot impacts - an event referred to in computer games as rag doll physics.

And lastly, the terrain is deformable. Use a rocket launcher and the shell's impact will leave a crater in the ground.

>>Game Premise

You play Jack Carver who is forced out of his sun-drenched semi-retirement to help out a female journalist in unravelling a mystery. There are homicidal mercenaries out to stop you.

>>Game Setting

The action takes place on the main island of Micronesia, although there are other smaller islands which you can sail or swim to.

Environments will range from jungles, caves, lagoons, ancient temples, and include facilities such as bunkers, underground laboratories and other claustrophobic indoor areas.

>>Player Freedom

The decision to set the game on a lush tropical island means that the game is not linear as in most shooters. You have complete freedom to move about and carry out your missions any way you deem fit. The player is in control, rather than being forced to complete missions in a set way. You are free to use your discretion and imagination to undertake missions using stealth tactics, all out assault, or a combination of the two depending on the circumstances you find yourself in.

>>Non-Scripted Artificial Intelligence

This, for me, will be the heart of the gameplay.

Because of the non-linearity of the game (even though there is a progressive story line), the AI units are NOT scripted.

The AI of the game was designed to "understand", and react to the environment. The enemy interacts with the environment just like you, and will use it for cover and to try take you down using tactics such as suppressive fire, outflanking etc. They will call for reinforcements - even from other islands - for backup. Each enemy unit will react not only to your input, but also with the surrounding terrain in unique ways. In other words, the enemy knows as much as you about the arena you play in. Each AI unit will have the ability to recognize objects within the environment such as rocks, water, trees, vehicles, as well as being able to recognize other agents in the game including dead AI units, and they will respond individually to the situation through their internal driven AI.

The beauty of this is that every time you play a section of the game the AI will respond in different ways so you never play out a scenario in exactly the same way. One example of AI attacking strategy in FAR CRY is that rather than keep shooting at the last location they 'saw' or 'heard' you, the AI will attempt to 'guess' where you might be moving to and in which direction, and will continue to hunt you down. This will make for very tense close combat and keep the adrenaline level pumped up for the player.

>>Weapons and Vehicles

At present, weapons range from a P90 SMG, OICW, AG36, M4, Desert Eagle, down to a machete.

Vehicles can be driven in 1st or 3rd person view with the ability to fire weapons while driving. Jeeps, boats, and HMMVs can be used by the player, and the AI will use vehicles to pursue you.

And did I mention you also get to fly hang-gliders? : )

>>The Sandbox Editor

My excitement was further increased with news of the Sandbox Editor which will be shipped with the game and is billed as the What You See is What You Play Editor. According to an interview with the developers, it took only 3 days (!) for one of their new multiplayer developers to learn how to use the editor.

You can build and edit terrain, drop in some AI units, then play test your scenario all with a few mouse clicks. Switching from the game to the editor will be easy (much like in Operation Flashpoint).

Fast development time for scenarios coupled with a low learning curve using the editor will ensure a formidable amount of Multiplayer maps will be developed soon after the game ships.

*An example of the Editor can be seen in the "tech demo" - see end of this preview for details.

>>For Programmers

For programmmers who want to write their own scripted routines, the game uses the Lua programming language which allows you to write and embed your own routines into the game without having to touch the game's original C++ code.

>>For the Mod Community

For modders, the news is also optimistic. The developers have stressed that everything in the game has been designed with the mod community in mind, and therefore can be modded quite easily. They have mentioned releasing development tools for the mod community either with, or shortly after, the game's release.

>>Summary

With huge terrains, vast draw distances of up to 2 kilometers, rag doll and real world physics, polybump technology, deformable terrain, an editor which appears to be simplicity itself, and an unscripted AI, next year looks promising for anyone willing - and daring enough - to take a relaxing (?) break in the lagoons, caves, and lush jungles of Far Cry's Micronesian Islands.

>>Additional Information

FAR CRY is presently scheduled for release in February 2004.

Two excellent interviews with CryTek's developers can be viewed at Game Zone and Avault.

* For an impressive demo of the game go to Gamer's Hell and download the 32Mb "tech demo". I'm sure you'll be excited at what you see.

Playable Demo is Available

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: January 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

A playable demo of FarCry is now available for download - see www.farcry-thegame.com. Check it out for yourself!!! It is big (500 megs), but well worth the effort.

The touted AI, while not perfect, is better than any other game on the market. You will feel the pressure as a horde of mercenaries chase you down. Maybe even panic a little, because they will intelligently cut off your escape routes. The Rambo approach doesn't work well here. You need to be smarter.

The graphics is also top-notch. The lush island is filled with tropical vegetation, calm water, and blue blue sky. If it weren't for the mercenaries trying to kill me, I'd explore the island to enjoy its Hawaiian sceneries. You simply have to see it!!!

Back to the AI (artificial intelligence) of the game, it makes the game non-linear so you can replay the demo with different approaches. The possibility is almost endless. FarCry's AI captures this aspect of 'realism', which greatly extends the game's re-playability.

I wish the final game will come with "cooperative" mode, so my friends and I could play the game plot together.

A rarity that actually exceeds expectations...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: February 04, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I'm a gaming junkie. I played this beta (got it at fileplanet.com) at first day of release expecting allot less than what I got:

Exceptional Graphics: The Far Cry engine can render a full kilometer of terrain in real time!

Insane Physics: The water is as beautiful as any I've seen in a game (very hard to render), it ebbs and flows uneven (according to resistance). Birds flutter overhead when shots are fired, plants sway in the breeze.

Great AI: More testing needs to be done, but from what I've played so far, I haven't seen one pattern flaw in their pathfinding, response, etc...

The future for this game is a bright one. I look very forward to its release.

Enjoy...

Demo Review

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 9
Date: February 17, 2004
Author: Amazon User

First of all, if you're having problems it's because you're running with an NVidia Card. I will never own one of those pathetic cards. I've been using an ATI Radeon 9700Pro for a little over a year now and the release of this demo was the first time I've even had to update my drivers. I have had no trouble running this mouth watering demo. No lockups period. And my processor is half what the other guy's is, Athlon XP 2000. There is simply no excuse, dump NVidia and reap the rewards. It may say "the way it's meant to be played" but it's definitely not in most cases.

With any demo, we know that this is just giving us a taste of the game, but what a taste this is! The island setting is so visually stunning, it almost seems a shame to have to play the game. I had a desire to just roam the beach and watch the tide come in. The bright colors practically put you in the scenary unlike any other game setting you've seen. Weapons respond realistically as do the AI which becomes evident all too quickly when you're being flanked. Someone put it perfectly when they said that going RAMBO in this game won't work at all. You have to survey and think it through before you act out your will. I find that if you use the jungle exactly the way the AI does, you're going to be king of said jungle. I've actually watched an enemy walk backwards until he stumbled over me. I shot him in the back before he could call for help. It's so real it's scarey sometimes. Here's another neat trick: While the enemy is flanking you, walk straight through them and come up behind them. Give em a surprise they'll even remember when you restart the game.

The environment is huge. No loading, no waiting, great score, just nonstop adrenaline rush. It's like Die Hard in paradise. Bring it on!

Action/strategy FPS

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: February 22, 2004
Author: Amazon User

After having finished the demo of the game//

+++Good things:
+ AI of the ennemies is impressive.
+ Beautiful lanscapes, very detailed textures.
+ Can drive boats and all vehicles you can find :)
+ Good use of the sniper rifle, need to hold your breath to make sure you'll hit.

---Bad things:
- Some inertia in the jump. Seems like we're on the moon when we jump.
- Grenades need to do more damages: If u throw a grenade not exactly on a vehicle but 2 feet right next to it, you have a lot of chances the vehicle won't blow.
- Need more Controls options, like a "toggle crouch" in addition to the "crouch" who makes you hold the button, same with zoom of normal weapons, etc.

But the game deserves a 5 stars. It's quite original, and I like this mix between Half-Life and Counter, good job.

Great Demo....Needs a Great Computer.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: February 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Love this demo. Graphics and Sound will blow you away! But, make sure you have a good Graphics Card (I have a ATI All-in-Wonder 9700 Pro) and a lot of Ram. I first played the demo with 512k ram and it was sluggish, would jump, and some delay problems with the shooting trigger response. Then I upgraded my Dell 8200 P4 2.4 with 1 Gig of ram and that did the trick. Game reminds me of a better " Return to Castle Wolfenstien". I pre-orderd my copy.

The first great FPS of '04...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: February 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This will be an amazing game if the demo available on the internet is any indication. The new engine that CryTek has developed will certainly rival the Source engine of Valve's Half-Life 2 and any other for that matter. It is capable of amazingly detailed and colorful graphics and advanced physics and AI that will knock your socks off. And PLEASE, if you do anything, don't listen to the below reviewer who bad-mouth NVidia's cards or the one that says the game "runs like a dog" on his ultra-powerful machine. I mean, I have a NVidia GeForce 4 128Mb card, a 1.7GHz CPU, 512Mb Ram, and the game runs so well that I have no complaints whatsoever. Sure, I don't run it on the highest resolution, but on 800x600 it runs like a dream and is the most fun I have had with a demo. If you are a fan of First Person Shooters, do yourself the favor of investing in this title. Download the demo first, if you like, and see how it runs on your machine if you doubt my review. Also keep in mind that as development proceeds and the release date draws nearer, the game is constantly being optimized to run smoother no matter what sort of machine you have. To sum this up, this title will set the new high watermark for FPS that the rest(Doom3,HL2, and STALKER, in particular) will have to try to best. Its also great if you want a vacation sim that surrounds and completely immerses you in the ambient splendor of the tropics--its beautiful enough to just walk around the island and explore the jungle and wander the beaches, observing ambient wildlife like parrots, seagulls, various tropical fish, wild pigs, etc--but provides you with a great deal of adventure as well. I am a fan of both and will most definitely be getting this game upon its release.

Waiting... not so patiently.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: February 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Yeah, yeah, yeah... Get the demo, see for yourself. If you've got a low-end system, 2004Q2 will definately be the time to upgrade.

This is the soon-to-be-released game I am most excited about. Half-Life2? First, it's vaporware - it may never come out at this rate. Second, it's a dead horse - how many expansions were there? It looks nice as a movie, but who's played it? Too much hype. Doom3? Now there's a dead horse. The mindless shooter... just doesn't do it anymore.

So, here's "Far Cry". It looks AWESOME and the sound is stunning, as well. I hear the birds chirping in my 5.1 and I check the window to see if it's open. The controls are what you'd expect... although another reviewer's point about a toggle for crouch would be nice, but I've adapted. One thing the *demo* is really missing is support for 5-button mice. If the final release doesn't have that, it would be a disappointment. The AI is the best of any game I've seen (definately not a "shoot first - think later" friendly game) and on the "Hard" level... their environmental awareness is kinda frightening. What enhances the AI's behavior is a lot of the dialog that the AI's shout back and forth, it certainly seems consistent with their behavior. The only enhancement I could think of is a permanently configurable body timer, but "\p_deathtime 9999" in the console is fine. As long as the body is there, the AI will react to it. Cap a merc on the trail and they'll send out a patrol after you.

Anyway, this is a MUST. I'd pre-order it here, but I simply MUST HAVE IT the day it comes out, so I'll have to buy it retail. Download the demo and see for yourself. I have played the heck out of it - to the point where I try to go through the whole thing with only the machete. Tip: It pays to be sneaky... and patient.

...and we haven't even seen the Multiplayer...

I'll be waiting for you in in a deathmatch, sukka.

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