It was September 2006 when, while casually surfing on the web, I stumbled upon a cheap copy of Far Cry for sale.
Sure the game came out about 2 years ago but I said to myself that given the price, it would have been worth the detour.
As soon as I get it in the mail, for some reason I get all excited and I decide to immediately give it a quick go. After a few minutes spent on installing it, I'm finally ready to launch the game. I double-click on the icon but the excitement of trying a new game immediately vanishes when a message tells me to disable a CD emulation device on my PC! What the hell is that supposed to mean?! After some random attempts (and a lot of cursing in many languages), I finally decide to look online for what might cause this conflict and it ends up being a little program called Clone CD which is apparently a software on the black list of Far Cry. PC gaming would be boring if users didn't have unexpected surprises half of the time…
Anyway, getting rid of Clone CD allows me to finally load the game and as soon as the main menu pops up, my jaw literally falls to the floor, where it will steadily lie until the end of the game!
You have been sent to some far out tropical islands in Micronesia and your goal is to stop some illegal experiments which have been reported in the area. An area which seems to be the next best thing after paradise itself. The crystal-clear water which surrounds the islands shimmers and glitters like a mirror, reflecting and absorbing sun-rays seamlessly.
On land, the intricacies of the trees, the grass and the plants with their entangled roots will even reinforce the illusion of being immerged into an organic world. The tree-branches faintly move, each individual blade of grass rhythmically bends as almost to salute the blowing wind. The bright colors, the stark intensity of the sun, the vivid greens…this must be Eden.
And there is you. Armed, resolute and with a mission to accomplish. You're not alone though, as several patrolling soldiers will try to take you down with every means at their disposal. They are slick, camouflaged and will often hunt you down in packs. To survive them, whip out your binoculars to spot them first and waste them after that with the sniper rifle, one by one. But this is just the beginning.
Missions will take you to distant hilltops, maybe to a lighthouse. Try to get passed the light unnoticed. Reach the enemy positions, clear yourself a path to the hilltops, grab the glider and jump into the void to the next location while under fire by a military helicopter. Again, walk out of the ruins of decaying catacombs where you just made it out of hell. Ancient ruins of forgotten civilizations beautifully merge with the surrounding jungle. You can almost feel the heat and the humidity on your skin. It's dusk, shadows start stretching their claws as if to reach you. Was that a demon or just your imagination?
In the distance, a river. As you sink deeper into the vegetation, it seems you're undertaking a journey with no return. In a scene which could be mistaken to be part of the movie “Apocalypse Now”, you jump into a boat and start your descent at high speed. Patrolling boats chase you and mercilessly try to blow you up. But somehow, after a frantic chase, you manage to survive. Once more. But the horror has just begun.
Later on, you are captured and thrown into a huge island where experiments have turned bad and everything is out of control. Armed with only a machine gun, with only a few bullets, it's you against the forces of evolution. Man against the wicked evolution of man. Run like hell, jump down a waterfall, follow the river. Swim and run. Run and swim. Until you're out of breath. Until you have some energy left in you. Because death is everywhere, and it wants YOU.
The single-player mode of Far Cry is so beyond a regular FPS. It is a unique blend of relentless action, framed within unrivalled audio-visuals which shape a believable and breath-taking universe. Captivating and beautiful yet highly hostile and deadly. It provides an experience that can only be truly appreciated on PC, be it because of the sheer scale of the environments or because of the wonderful control interface. If I have to find something to complain about, then it should be cut-scenes which inexplicably look less impressive than the regular in-game graphics…They should have just used those same graphics to advance the story.
Also, the difficulty level in normal mode is set higher than expected and the check-point system (which doesn't allow for instant saving) makes the game harder.
In a word, Far Cry is a benchmark in this crowded genre. You haven't witnessed PC gaming if you haven't played Far Cry. My advice? Play it NOW!
As for the multi-player mode, I only tried it briefly and it seems to include all of the typical playing modes. Maps are also very open and maybe a bit too dispersive but in the end, Far Cry on Multiplayer manages to stay true to its identity.
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from retro to modern gaming 
