14 DAY TRIAL // With Far Cry 3, Ubisoft wants to give players more freedom in terms of how they approach the actual story so it won’t resort to the malaria mechanic from the previous game, instead allowing them to freely tackle their objectives whenever they want.
Far Cry 2 was a great game with stunning graphics, gritty realism, and plenty of interesting situations, although it became quite annoying at some points.
The most aggravating aspect was the malaria mechanic, which usually induced bouts of confusion right when you were attempting a side mission, thus leaving you vulnerable in front of your enemies.
With the new game, Ubisoft has learned its lesson, according to the company’s Lead Designer, Jaime Keen. He talked with IGN about the malaria from the second title and how things changed with the upcoming one.
"The malaria idea I think is one of those things that kind of could have gone either way,” he said. “I think most people found it frustrating, though some found it interesting because it was the world around them. We want to make sure the points that draw you into something aren't based on a MacGuffin, that's artificially put into the world so you feel like you're being forced to do something."
In Far Cry 3, players are given more freedom when it comes to completing their objectives and there won’t be any bouts of malaria or other sicknesses that affect them if they stray from the main path.
"There are points where we make you do something to pull them along, but we want to make sure we're not contriving situations too much. We want to say here's the objective - go there if you want. And if you want to go off and explore, it will be waiting for you when you get back. We're not dictating to players as much as we can."
Far Cry 3 is set to be released on September 4, in North America, and September 6, in Europe, for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.