"Worth a shot for multiplayer"

Far Cry: Instincts has some pretty tough competition on the Xbox in that it is very hard for a FPS to really stand up to either version of Halo in either single or multiplayer. Maybe it isn't too surprising, then, that this game never really impressed me so much as it left me comparing it, at least on some levels, to Halo. In the end, Halo is a better game, but there are certainly aspects of Far Cry Instincts ("FC") that make it worth a play.

Set on a tropical island, FC places the player in the role of Jack Carver, a former military man trying to escape his shadowed past. One day while showing a woman (who, unbeknownst to Jack, is a military operative) around the island, his boat is attacked and destroyed, leaving Jack to fight for his life. Certainly, this is a familiar enough story (in fact, it's just about the most generic FPS story there is), but nevertheless its execution is sound enough that it does not play out as blandly as it sounds.

The single player plays well enough, although frequently I felt as though the designers were torn between making a stealth or action based game. There are certainly instances where I felt as though the correct way to progress was hiding in bushes or setting traps (another interesting, albeit not terribly useful, feature), but at the same time, I rarely felt the NEED to do so. In fact, other parts of the game turned into nothing more than a bum rush, where I just sprinted through the level dual wielding my best weapons. Some games combine both these traits seamlessly, but FC feels more as though it has an identity crisis.

Likewise, the AI enemies also seem to be fighting split personalities. One of the game's major advertising points is that the enemy AI is brilliant, ruthless, and aggressive. In reality, however, I found the AI to be generally worse than even the first Halo. The enemies certainly talk as though they are using some kind of battlefield tactics against you, frequently barking commands such as "i have him pinned" or "moving in on his flank," but really it seems as though they are either charging you and shooting or just running away. AI such as this lends itself to Jack running through the level guns blazing, rather than having to form a plan to outwit his numerically superior foes.

Weapon selection is mostly satisfactory, and generally the weapons are relatively balanced. Unlike most FPS, there is no one weapon that I relegate to describing as the "weiner pistol," which was somewhat refreshing. Throughout the game, there are instances where just about every weapon comes in use.

On the other hand, I have considerable issues with the vehicles that Jack finds scattered throughout the island. The simple fact is that despite the large quantity of vehicles, all of them share equally heinous controls. It is exceedingly difficult to accurately move around in any of the vehicles, and I found myself frequently abandoning them when possible. I'm not sure the point in adding so many vehicles only to spend practically no time at all in ensuring that they are usable.

That aside, perhaps the aspect of FC that distinguishes it from other FPS games is the introduction of Feral Abilities. As the game progresses, Jack "evolves" to acquire several different animal abilities. These range from a ridiculously overpowered melee attack to less useful abilities such as night vision. Unfortunately, these powers seem to me more as ammunition for advertising rather than having a real positive impact on the storyline part of the game.

In terms of variety in environments, however, the single player mode of FC really shines. The story takes Jack through tropical beaches, murky swamps, and dark mines, and the graphics throughout are really top notch. The water effects in particular are some of the best that I've seen in an Xbox game. I have read other reviews that have been more critical of the graphics, but generally anyone accustomed to Xbox-era graphics will not find themselves disappointed.

Similarly, there is a clear amount of effort that was put into adding ambient sounds to try and bolster the effect of environments. While generally less impressive than the graphical feats, the sounds in the game are still relatively solid. Also, as I mentioned earlier, the enemies in singleplayer are loudmouths and frequently will holler at Jack as he fights them, frequently cursing at him or their own demise. I appreciated this realism - after all, it's silly for someone to just get shot in the knee and not have something to say about it.

Having said all this, the multiplayer mode is really where the game is the most impressive. There are the two traditional modes of deathmatch and capture the flag, but probably the most interesting is the Predator mode. Here, one of the players, the predator, receives all of the Feral Abilities and has to defend an area from the rest of the players. The predator respawns every time he dies, but everyone else only respawns upon the predator's death. It is a pretty interesting mode and probably the shining point of the game.

The other modes are more or less exactly what you'd expect. There really aren't too many shakeups that distinguish the game from other FPSs here, besides the fact that I think the weapons are more balanced than most.

Probably the most impressive feature of the entire game is the map editor. For a console release, this editor is relatively easy to use to make boards as complicated or as simple as desired. In the end, it is the sound multiplayer and the map editor that really make this release worth playing.

Is FC the best FPS shooter on the market? I would say certainly not. If I were going to recommend one game in the genre on the Xbox, I'd be forced to suggest Halo over Far Cry. To someone who has already played their fill of Halo or is just looking for a change, however, I would recommend giving Far Cry Instincts a try. It isn't the best shooter out there, but the multiplayer certainly will not disappoint, even if the singleplayer is only fair.

7/10 Good

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/29/06