How far do you dare into the Jungle?

Before I get into the thick of this review, quick house-keeping note. I won’t always play and review the most recent games. My budget simply doesn’t allow for it at the moment. However, the cut-off date for game that I review is around 5-6 years. Oldie but Goldie Re-reviews will be for games that have reached around 15-later years of maturity. Now that’s out of the way, let’s get down to business.

Far Cry 3 is a peculiar personal case of mine. I have always watched it from afar, viewing the youtubers that would do lets plays on it. My first time actually playing the game was about 2 years ago when I rented it for the 360, from a video store, in a land before digital time. After having an idea on what the game was about, and there being a personal connection to it as well, I had high hopes for the game. I was satisfied, very satisfied. Later on I bought the game for PC, and on my very simple rig I am surprise that the thing even booted up. But life is filled with happy surprises.

The atmosphere of the game is an interesting one, I’ll talk about that later. The most pressing point that I want to emphasize is the continuity in the immersion of the game’s atmosphere. I realize this a very cliché term for many gamers, but this game actually makes it a point to keep the feeling that you, the person, is deep in a jungle, fighting a guerilla force, surviving through the dangerous jungle of Rook Island, dealing with the Rakyat natives, and exploring the deep mysteries held within the ancient and tumultuous land. Very few times did the game seem little more than that, for me, the pure adventure of it all is real.

The control system of the game is your standard First Person Shooter (FPS) cover shooter system. The aim mechanic is done interestingly, where in most of your run of the mill FPS, aiming has a zoom effect. In Far Cry 3, the only noticeable change in the field of view is the focusing of the sights. Mechanics like this have the game really challenge you to perform your tasks in a raw and intense manner, actually throwing you onto a bike without training wheels. This set up gives off a really exhilarating rush and making you say “Oh dear God! Pain! Suffering! Hiding! Screaming! Running!” Sometimes it’s like narrating a horror movie.

Now, there is an element of madness here that I feel can put off some players and onlookers. That’s perfectly alright, when I first played the game, I was completely unprepared for the unhinged world that I was being thrown into. The meat of the meaning, however, is not in the madness of the adventure, but the goal of it. The story mode has the player go on a quest to find the protagonists captured friends, a group of rich 20 year old college students that went on a holiday cruise. After a week of unabashed privileged fun, each person has been claimed by the island in one way or another. It is the players job to re-unite the group to the best of their ability, making sure to survive as well.

I feel that anyone who might say “Well then, why play something as violently representative as this?” To them I say, “Does life always go as planned?” This game is not about being as violent as you can, actually, the game even punishes you in many ways to discourage that. The point of the game is to deal with problems that never seem to stop, while still trying to remain sane. Sound a little bit like being an adult? Well, maybe some aspects of the experience are mystified, but the meaning still rings true.

So, my first decision on a game, my chest grows with pride. Ego aside, I give Far Cry 3 a buy. It has a world that invigorates the primal *wink* human spirit, pushing you to survive, survive as hard as you can. So go ahead and buy this game from your local store. It goes for about $20 now, a steal if you ask me. Games like these are valuable classics, and if you’re tired of the state of the art hogwash that most developers produce today, go and pick this up, the jungle awaits.

--G