E3 2012 Hands-On: Far Cry 3

The second Far Cry was one of my favorite games and the upcoming Far Cry 3 that Ubisoft is ready to publish has become of the title I’m most interested in when it comes to first-person experiences set to arrive during this year.

The E3 2012 single-player oriented demo is built around smart enemies, a set of weapons that give the player options when it comes to tackling all tactical challenges and impressive visuals.

Far Cry 3 takes the style of both titles previously launched in the series and enhances it, with crisp detail on vegetation, smooth movements for the enemies and fire that spreads and moves around in a very realistic manner. However, I’m not sure whether the burning mechanics are scripted for some sequences or available all throughout the game.

Far Cry 2 set a new standard when it comes to smart enemies and the sequel does not disappoint when it comes to Artificial Intelligence.

The E3 2012 demo asks the player to navigate a village filled with enemies and when I tried to move against them head-on, with little planning and no attention paid to stealth, I was quickly cut down, even though I used all my health syringes in quick succession.

Success seems to be a matter of staying hidden for as long as possible and then taking out one or two enemies with quick, well-placed shots before starting a run-and-gun sequence in order to draw out the rest of the enemy force and take them out one by one.

Far Cry 3 also allows the player to use a bow, a weapon that also plays a central role in Crysis 3. It's incredibly powerful when moving around without getting detected, but it fails to deliver the stained rate of fire that’s required in a firefight with multiple enemies.

Ubisoft is also pushing the insanity angle for Far Cry 3 and they plan sequences that take away the enemies and focus on storytelling and on actually making gamers think about a range of moral issues.