Far Cry 3 Preview - E3 2012

Back to the haunting tropical paradise, now with an added dose of crazy

Posted by Alex V on June 16, 2012 - 5:47pm EST

After fighting our way through the enemy hordes, including an all-too-easy flamethrower-wielding enemy, we reached the large and neon-lit warehouse where Vaas was supposedly hiding. Turns out, he was! Too bad, then, that he was able to get a jump on Jason and stab him with a knife (which is said to be special), which sent Jason on another nightmarish trip through his subconscious. It’s where the demo concluded, promising players that insanity awaits – and we believe it.

We also had a chance to play the newly revealed cooperative mode. Once again, it was the same mission seen during the Sony Media Briefing. Alongside three other players, our objective was to assault a small area and blow up a bridge. Working together with a couple of strangers playing beside us, we made quick work of the guards around the small shacks which housed explosives. Now, continuous enemy waves began spawing on the other side of the bridge, working their way towards us. Our squad had to work together – as those who were carrying explosives to the specific bridge locations were unable to return fire. After placing a few charges, we switched to cover fire role while letting our teammates do the carrying.

Shooting bad guys was satisfying enough. Far Cry 3’s shooting mechanics were largely unchanged from the campaign demo we played, in that it was still satisfying. There were some graphical issues and noticeable lag during the coop demo, though nothing game breaking. Perhaps the only criticism for the demo was the UI design – our objective marker, to blow up the bridge, was so large and always-on that it actually obscured enemies and made it difficult to spot them on the bridge. Similarly, the smoke and other effects often unnecessarily restricted vision. Otherwise, it was a nice and quick demo showcasing the basics of cooperative play.

After a good but at times flawed experience with Far Cry 2, it seems that the series is headed back to the top. An exciting and haunting campaign in an open world, cooperative multiplayer, and the confirmed sandbox editor, the Far Cry 3 showing at E3 did nothing short of raising and exceeding our hopes and expectations. Look for the game to launch on consoles and PC in September 2012.