Vehicles and Weapons
Of course, any FPS worth a look these days has to have vehicles and Far Cry is no exception. The implementation is very well done with each different type having its own strength and weakness. You’ve got quite an array on offer here, from rubber dinghies and assault boats through to Humvees, trucks, forklifts and even a hang-glider. Control of these is intuitive and simple, and again, the superior game design shows as you can fire weapons from those that don’t have mounted ones of their own.
The weapons in the game are another boon. First off, they all sound superb. I have to admit, I’ve never fired an M16, or an AG36. I’ve never even seen a multiple launch, shoulder mounted rocket launcher, but they all sound like you’d expect them to.
Far Cry follows another FPS trend in that you can only carry a limited number of weapons, that being four. It adds another nice little touch though in that the weapon you have ready dictates your travelling speed. Load up a knife and you can hare around like Linford Christie. Lug the rocket launcher onto your shoulder though and you’ll be staggering along like a Pickford’s removal man with a well stocked wardrobe on his back.
There’s a fine spread of hardware on offer here, most with some form of alternate fire, and all with the option to use an aimed mode to improve accuracy. To improve your aim even more, going into a crouch or lying down helps a great deal and when using the sniper rifle, you can hold down the space bar to make Jack hold his breath, further improving your aim. There’s a certain satisfaction to be had in picking off mercenaries one by one from 400m out… and a fair bit of skill needed too.
