During this never ending onslaught of first person shooters, I have grown quite tired of them. When I first received this title, I was less than thrilled to have to review it. In fact, I actually put off playing it for awhile. Boy was I a fool. Far Cry is a shinning jewel and I sure was stupid for letting it collect dust on my desk for a few days.

Far Cry isn't a run into the open and fire away type of FPS. Far from it, that's the sure fire way to be shot and killed. Some strategy and tactics are required to play this game. Even though I hate being sneaky and having to hide and crawl around instead of just firing away, this game makes it so fun. You're Jack Carver and you wake up on an island that's just so gorgeous yet littered with tons mercenaries who are out for your blood. That's really all you need to know.

The graphics in this game will just blow your mind away. Provided that you a machine that can handle it that is. The minimum requirements for this game are 1 GHz, 256mb ram, a 64mb video card and 4 gigs of space. Obviously, that won't get you too far. The recommended specs are 2 GHz, 512mb ram, and a 128mb video card. That will take you much farther. However if you really want to truly experience Far Cry, then I'd recommend a 3 GHz, 1gb ram, and a 128mb video card. That's the specs on my laptop and I still couldn't crank up the details to high. The game still looks like a million bucks though.

The enemies in the game are smarter than your usual thugs and goons that populate many other FPSs. They aren't afraid to run and take cover. Many times they'll also call for help, sound the alarm, or alert the dreaded helicopter. It's fun sometimes to use the binoculars, zoom in on the enemies and hear what they would do to you if you were ever caught. If you get sick and tired of their meaningless threats and insults, then a bullet from afar will shut them up. In areas with helicopters are incredibly frustrating (in a good way, I don't mind having to replay it once or twice again). There's a manned chain gun on these helicopters and they are like annoying flies that just won't go away. A rocket or two will get rid of them or if you have expert aim, perhaps you can take down the gunman.

The weapons are pretty standard in the game, and you can only hold four at a time. There are the usual machine guns, hand gun, a machete, rocket launcher and other goody goodies. My favorite has to be the sniper rifle; however I don't ever have enough ammo to make much use of it. A neat feature in this game is the ability to ride vehicles. I'm absolutely in love with the hang glider. Or I would be if I didn't have a helicopter on my ass trying to shoot me down. By pressing the F1 button, you can change views from first person to third person. You'll want to do this sometimes as foliage will get in your way and you will be blind, can't be having that when several mercenaries are trying to make a BBQ out of you.

Crytek Studios did a great job with the details and the lighting. The lighting, especially adds to the atmosphere of the game. Whether you're creeping through the cave and the light's flickering on the wall or the amazing outdoors, there's nothing to be disappointed about. I especially love the water. You'll be spending some amount of time in the water, whether it was because you decide to jump off a cliff to avoid a confrontation or just because you wanted to. Especially in dynamic lighting, the water is breathless. Only beef I have with the water is that I can't shoot underwater. Then again, I can't expect all weapons to be waterproof. I feel the explosions are a little bit weak, not very spectacular. Still, it doesn't fail to impress me at all. Especially when I shoot a canister and it explodes taking out several mercenaries around it. Virtually all of the items in this game are movable. So feel free to roll a barrel down the hill or pull a table to block a door. Sometimes, you can push a boat out to sea and have fun mowing everyone down on the mounted chain gun.

I love the music in this game, its very mood setting. The music will progressively get louder and more intense when you're in the heat of battle. Sometimes when you're creeping along and trying to be sneaky thinking you're safe from harm, the music will suddenly shift and scare the living daylights out of you. Then you're just swinging around checking for anybody trying to pop several bullets in your sneaky ass. In the lower hand corner, there is a gauge that will show if you've been spotted, so you won't be caught off guard too often.

One major beef I have with the game is the save. This thing drives me insane. Instead of allowing you to save whenever, there are random checkpoints that'll save your progress for you. Which sounds like a nifty idea, well no not really, it's a stupid idea. Sometimes you end up having to replay 20 minutes because you got caught off guard and the auto save didn't kick in. Usually, checkpoints occur after objectives or when you reach a certain point.

Overall, this isn't a game you want to miss this year. At a great price of $39.99, this game is also cheaper than some of the other releases that may not stand up to Far Cry.

Xi Lin