 Or Just a Whimper
Maybe you've heard shit like this before, but I'm going to say it anyway, because it's definitely the case here: Farcry is not your typical 'buy-install-new game' type of product. Let's get things straight (this is about performance): before you buy this game, you should consider whether your PC is able to run it or not, and I'm not talking about your computer not being more than the developers' minimum specified 1GHz CPU, 256MB RAM and a measly GeForce 2. Also I'm not talking about 'running' as in watching pretty slideshows of some jungle stuff and then maybe something happens, no. If you don't think your machine can handle this beast, buy the game first, than take it to the computer store, and when the geek that works there asks you 'What'll be, sport? <zing>', or some other stupid shit like that, just hold up the game and he'll understand you're there for an upgrade.
What's the dream machine for playing this game with everything maxxed up? Uhm, I don't really know if there is one just yet, because, well, I'm running a 2250MHz AthlonXP (call it 2800+ or something), overclocked Radeon 9800 Pro (think 9800 XT) and 512MB DDR433, and I still couldn't turn everything on in 1024x768 without my system hanging from time to time, and the framerate just over 40fps, even below 30 under some circumstances.
But don't let me frighten you, the game is very scalable, you could still run it on a, let's say, AthlonXP 1700+, 256MB RAM and a GeForce 3 for example, but quality isn't something you should expect from this game playing on that configuration at decent speed. I strongly recommend a DirectX 9 card and 1GB RAM, this game deserves to be played the way it was meant to in the first place.
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs
Some crazy doctor makes some experiments on a remote island, some bitch hires you to try and stop him, some things happen then and you win, hooray! But before that, you get to have a lot of fun. I'm not saying fun as in Ha-ha! but rather fun like doing something that is very exciting and keeps you glued to your seat (if you thought I was going to say 'couch' get the fuck out of here, we still have PC-only games, and good ones at that!).
Visual Pleasure (Oral - Later On)
I know you've all played the demo, I know you've all been impressed, but maybe you missed it, never read any previews, and live on Uranus, so people around you don't really talk about games (hey, if that's the case, could I come on Uranus?).  Ahem, yeah. Like I said, this game's graphics are incredible, I didn't know my PC could do shit like that until this game's programmers came and taught it 'this' and 'that'. I've seen good-looking games before, I've witnessed great scenery and the works, but Farcry's are by far the best so far. OK, that is by far the worst phrase I've written so far, so I'm going to cut it out, it's gone too far as it is. Enough said Farcry is THE best looking game I've seen. Forget technicalities, the tropical paradise feeling is so perfectly transposed on your screen you'll just abandon yourself to the game in no time. Sure, there's the interiors, the sea, rivers, mercenaries, monsters, they all look great, I don't think it's necessary to paddle on that anymore. Remember Quake 3, how different and good looking it was at the time, without being completely innovative in most ways, that game was thoroughly polished to look the way it did.  It's the same thing here. I'm not going to tell you that this game has new things, never before seen and shit like that, because it wouldn't be true, but what I can tell you is that this particular product has it all. Maybe you remember Morrowind for its beautiful water, Gothic 2 for the huge landscapes, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time for the neat textures, Splinter Cell for great dynamic lightning, well, Farcry has all of these put together and more. There isn't a single graphics-related item I noticed in this game that I could say about 'Yeah, I've seen it done better elsewhere'.
Stop, look what it's doing to you!
So, everything looks nice, but how does it work? Powered by a fantastic physics engine, Farcry comes to life. Clever animations enable characters to jump, shoot, dodge, fall, die, run and whatever else they do very realistically, everything feels the way it should, nothing that moves ever scratches the eye, it's all natural and harmonious. Boxes and other such inanimate objects also act the way they're supposed, when shot or tipped over they react to the stimuli just as you would expect any other stupid real-life box. Just like the graphics, this game's physics engine seems to be the most powerful up to date, even better than Max Payne 2.
This graphics-physics mix is what gives the game its fresh flavour. I'm not saying that Farcry is innovative by any means, nor that it is original in any way, but everything has been done right, and the setting for some serious fun has been laid. It's good to know everything looks and reacts the way it should. |
