$20 Game of the Week: Far Cry (PC, Xbox, Xbox 360)

When it was released in 2004, Far Cry was initially seen as a tech demo for Crytek’s CryEngine, which produces beautiful graphics even by today’s standards. The game itself wasn’t bad either, merging sandbox-style gameplay, spot-on FPS action, and enemy AI. You step into the shoes of Jack Carver, an ex Special Forces operative who is attempting to escape his troubled past. When escorting a female reporter named Valerie Constantine, his boat is attacked by mercenaries and she goes missing. Jack must search the island to find her, and discover why these mercenaries are attacking him. The journey will take him all over the island, from lush jungles, to deep forests, beaches, and canyons. The game’s graphical engine makes these visuals seem realistic as possible, and at times you may even forget that you’re being hunted down by mercenaries. Players can approach a confrontation any way they choose, be it an all-out gun approach, using stealth, or even setting traps to avoid confrontation altogether.

The game includes the sandbox editor, which allows players to create their own mods, and to date, there have been several total conversions made by fans. The game was also released on Xbox as Far Cry Instincts. While it contained the same graphical quality as the PC version, it was a bit more linear then the PC game, although it included new feral powers as well as a map-maker for creating multiplayer levels. Instincts also received a sequel called Evolution, and the Xbox 360 Port contains both Instincts and Evolution, while Far Cry Vengeance, released for the Wii, is basically Far Cry Evolution with motion controls. The Wii version wasn’t very well received, as it lacks the mapmaker, has no online play, and has inferior graphics to the Xbox version.

Far Cry isn’t exactly Half Life, but it’s still an awesome FPS that has a unique graphical style and mentality. You can find a boxed copy for cheap, and you can order the PC version from GOG.com for $10.