Far Cry Instincts Predator

Most of you will be aware of the original Far Cry game on both the Xbox and the PC, likewise you might be aware that, at the time of their release, the games were some of the most stunning first person shooters you could buy on each of the systems. We take a look at what Ubisoft have been able to achieve with their latest release for the Xbox 360 – Far Cry Instincts Predator.

Basically, Far Cry Instincts Predator (FCIP) is made up of the original story from the Xbox/PC version, called Far Cry Instincts and another new single player campaign called Instincts: Evolution. It also features various multiplayer modes, and a map editor, as seems common with most 360 games these days.

For those unfamiliar with the original story, Instincts, it basically follows Jack Carver as he runs around an island paradise killing pirates, mercenaries, and other unsavoury individuals. During the course of all this, Carver unlocks and learns to use his feral powers which give him animal abilities such as increased speed, strength and rejuvenation rates. Instincts: Evolution, the newest story in the Far Cry series, picks up at a later date after Instincts and starts up with Jack meeting a woman named Kade while he is out drinking in a bar. She has some weapons she needs to offload to militia living on an island, and at the same time needs to give the Governor of the island his cut too.

Giving in to her womanly charms, Jack accepts the deal and soon finds himself on another tropical island paradise with the local militia and some rebels, who decide to crash the arms deal. Jack then finds himself fighting both the rebels and the local militia who somehow think he was involved. His mission - to protect Kade and get the hell off the island!

The gameplay in FCIP is pretty standard for a FPS, however Jack’s feral abilities certainly add another element. In the original Far Cry game Jack did not start out with these abilities, and instead gained them during the game. In the latest story, Instincts: Evolution, Jack starts out with his abilities, which means more fun from the start.

He is able to run fast, jump extremely high, track enemies by their scent, see in the dark, and best of all has a one hit melee hit that you are able to activate when you are close enough to an enemy. Upon activation Jack will run up to the target and perform a sort of overhead hook that will send the target screaming and flying into the air. Pulling these off in quick succession is a great way to deal with opponents when in close quarters.

Aside from his animalistic powers, Jack also has the usual range of firepower at his disposal. These include rifles, machine guns, pistols, grenades and pipe bombs. What's more, there is also a range of different land, sea and air vehicles which Jack can drive. Everything from jeeps, to longboats and jet skis, to planes are available for use in both the single and multiplayer modes. In fact their inclusion in missions is a welcome break from what can sometimes be the monotonous job of walking through the jungle dispatching lots of bad guys.

One issue that needs specific comment on though is the fact that you first need to complete the original Instincts mode before you can go onto Instincts: Evolution. While this may not be a problem for gamers with no experience in the Far Cry series, those who have already completed the Far Cry game on their Xbox or PC might find it a little boring.

Turning briefly to the gameplay differences between the two different stories, the most obvious difference is that in Instincts: Evolution you will start out with feral abilities available, as previously mentioned. There is also more of an "open" feel in the second story, there is not as many invisible walls as in the original (presumably given that the Xbox 360 has more available memory), and there is also a little more variation in the maps.

Two other items that deserve a mention are the save points and the load times. The save points seem to have had a bit more thought put into them with the Instincts: Evolution story. This means that you won't find yourself backtracking too much after dying, which is always welcome. As for the load times, they aren't bad by any means, but they aren't especially good. While you get to read character bio's and such at the load screens, you will soon know the cast of the game inside out and that's when you really start to notice the load times.