Far Cry 3

I remember this game making a decent size splash when it came out, and while it's certainly a major improvement over its predecessor, it's fine, nothing particularly special. If you just want some fairly low-stakes open world action, it does the job, but years down the road it doesn't stand out in any real way or inspire strong feelings one way or the other. It's reasonably pretty for a game of this generation, and does a good job with immersing you in its environment (especially with a mod to turn off the HUD for the PC port). Story-wise there are both creditable elements/characters/performances and obnoxious ones, but they're not not strung together into anything compelling overall. Gameplay is solid enough, a little repetitive, and it's just missing that special something that elevates it beyond "pretty good".

The fall of AAA games began here. Fuck you ubisoft.

I finally just finished this after having played every game in the series apart from the first. I was really missing out for years not playing this. For a good bit into the game, I wasn't really interested because I realized Far Cry 4 was almost a copy of this game but I already played 4 many times. What is different about this game is the amazing and twist full plot. The characters in this game, unlike most Far Cry games, actually have value and really make Jason's journey more emotional and necessary. Even the player's character develops a lot as a person throughout the game which all leads to the end. I was a little disappointed for Vaas to die so soon because he had much more of a personality than Hoyt. I must say, Far Cry 6 just hardly makes it as my favorite but this game surprisingly became my second favorite of the series. It's just a shame more work wasn't put into side quests. Considering I played this years after 4 and really love both games, I can't quite complain at how similar they are.

i like the hunting system and the bases you have to infiltrate. please do not shove some vanilla ass story in my mouth. i just want to kill fucking zebras.
also why r u doing driving in first person? insanity.

The last relevant Far Cry and the beginning of the end for the series, or at least the beginning of its descent into complacency and mediocrity (if we are to ignore Blood Dragon).

It's around as good as its groundbreaking predecessor, but for almost completely different reasons. Compulsive collectables and AC-like design take the place of the harrowing realism of the second game. An arcade-y power fantasy vibe where you're a one-man army replaces the grounded, no-frills gunplay and desolate exploration. Frustrating attention to detail is sacrificed to make way for fun-first mechanics.

Then there's the bad: Immersion was traded in for a plethora of player aids which couldn't even be turned off. The crafting system felt forced and was as deep as a puddle. The RPG-like leveling up system makes an already easy game into an impossible to lose one.

What Far Cry 3 does deliver though is, as mentioned before, a lot of fun - most of it braindead. I never cared much for the story as Vaas is the only character that's remotely interesting, and he dies about two thirds in, but if you're looking to feel like a superhuman with access to a dizzying array of customizable guns that feel satisfying as fuck to use while you're exploring an incredibly gorgeous Micronesian environment, then this is the best you can get.

Far Cry 3 is as much dumb shallow fun as Far Cry 2 is an endlessly explorable commentary on war and twisted morality. Ubisoft nailed their winning Far Cry formula with this game - I just wish they would have changed it by now.

changed the far cry series to be even more open world & generalized to the industry trends. the story is total brocore as well and it kind of makes the whole experience cheesy. atleast the visuals are great with tons of color and breathtaking sights. combat is good and you have lots of options for weaponry and equipment. not too many complaints, overall felt like a breeze to play through

7/10