$20 Game of the Week: Far Cry 3 – Blood Dragon (Xbox Live Arcade, PSN, PC)

Announced on April fool’s day, and too awesome to be fake, Blood Dragon is a standalone expansion to Far Cry 3 that’s a homage to 80s sci-fi. Completely and utterly batshit insane, Blood Dragon does not require the base game of Far Cry 3 nor do you have to have played it in order to enjoy this expansion (of course the FC3 base game isn’t a bad either).

Instead of whiny ass Jason Brody, you get to play as the badass Mark IV cyber-commando Sgt Rex Power Colt, who is voiced by Michael Beihn (Aliens, Terminator). Your mission is to stop an evil cybernetic madman and his cyborg army in post-apocalyptic year of 2007. If you’ve played Far Cry 3 already, then most of the mechanics will seem familiar. You’ll retake outposts, shoot weapons (although thankfully you don’t have to hunt down deer to craft a bigger holster), make use of stealth takedowns, and upgrade your skills (although Blood Dragon’s tech tree is a bit simplified compared to FC3). However, everything from the graphics to the audio has received a facelift. The graphical style is dark purple with vivid bright neon lights, a Far Cry (he he) from the bright tropical paradise of FC3. The sound track, performed by electronica duo Power Glove (not to be confused with the equally awesome Powerglove, which performs cover versions of video game and cartoon themes), and available on iTunes is a synth-powered masterpiece that reeks of 80s sci-fi. The cutscenes resemble 16-bit video games. The entire game takes jabs at 80s culture, and other video gaming conventions, even tutorials.

Then there are the titular blood dragons. These huge beasts roam the land and are similar to Bioshock’s Big Daddies. You can lure them towards enemy outposts and let them take out enemies, similar to the wild animals in FC3. Of course you’ll also have to do battle with these big fearsome creatures as well. The game is chock full of homages to everything from 80s arcade games, to movies, and even other UbiSoft games. If you’re a fan of 80s culture, or simply want a game that’s fun, check out Blood Dragon. It’s got a short length, but it’s antics won’t leave a dry eye in the house by the time you’re finished with it.