Conclusion

The demo is fairly short, particularly considering the size, but the route up the mountain is like a tree branch – there are many ways to start, but they narrow down to the same objective. You can go through a complex with an elevator, or take one of several jungle paths.

Obviously the graphics are the highlight of the game, and if you’re looking to see just what your GeForce FX or Radeon 9700/9800 can do, Far Cry is the game to do it. The sound effects are solid, though as with control, we wish weapon sounds were a little crisper. We also noticed that the MP5 SD, the silenced variant, is a little too quiet – it seems to make no noise at all.

The AI is quite competent. Yes, it makes mistakes, but it’s no worse than Call of Duty, Half-Life, or any other game that tries to simulate human behavior. Enemy soldiers take cover, try to flank you, throw grenades, and say the funniest stuff in the world, such as “Hey, you with the shirt!” Like having a shirt was a distinguishing mark.

Far Cry has a physics engine, which works quite well with the vehicles but has little application outside of that. Boxes and bodies will float in water and barrels can be knocked over, just don’t expect to shoot wooden houses down to the ground (then again, I kinda doubt you’ll be able to in Half-Life 2 either. -ed.)


Is it worth the almost 500MB download? Not if you’re looking for a lasting experience, for free gaming to hold you over for days. But if you want to see what DX9 level graphics look like, or need to justify your 256MB GeRadeon XT Ultra 5 billion, Far Cry is definitely the game to do it.

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