FIGURE A

This shot looks up and down the same stretch of beach. Click picture for a larger image.

Water isn't the only thing that looks great either. Figure B shows a jungle shot.

FIGURE B

Look at the plant detail in this jungle. Click picture for a larger image.

The game engine's physics do a pretty fair job simulating the real world. If you're too close to a flash-bang grenade when it goes off, you'll be blinded too. Too near an explosion, it'll deafen you for a minute or so. Speaking of explosions, they toss bodies through the air like they're rag dolls. The physics of the game also allow you to take advantage of cover, and shoot through thin barriers, like tents and wood.

You can see the tracers from enemy fire and almost feel the bullets zing past. When using a scoped weapon, you'll experience weapon drift that varies between standing, kneeling, and prone, with prone being the most stable, of course.

The character models in Far Cry have been understandably improved over last year's crop of shooters, but not as good as what I've seen with some that are due out this fall. The Crytek engine does a good job of smoothing out the curves and textures, making the characters less chopped and angular. Far Cry also offers you either a first or third person view.

Sounds like...
For the most part, Crytek has done a pretty good job with the audio aspects of Far Cry. They've included a lot of really subtle little elements that you may not notice at first. All of these things, like birds, insects, the sound of the water lapping at the shore, the whistle of the bullets as they streak by, and the rustling of the plants in the breeze, add up to create a genuine environment with atmosphere. The doppler effect of the helicopter rotors (increasing in volume as the helicopter approaches, and fading as it departs) is a very nice touch that adds to the reality of the game.

I was impressed quite a bit with the music soundtrack of Far Cry. The game is scored like an action movie, with appropriate up-tempo music during gun fights, and eerily haunting songs during moments of tension. Normally, I turn off the music in all the games I play as I find it a distraction. But with Far Cry, I actually enjoyed having the music on because it meshed so well with what was going on in the game. There was one song in particular that I especially enjoyed. It was played when Jack was outside and had a Polynesian/tribal/island feel to it.

The dialog in Far Cry isn't going to win any Oscars. It's an action game, with typical action movie dialog. The same kind of fare you'd expect from an Ahnold, Sly, or Seagal flick. You know, shot full of testosterone and quippy one-liners.

There's one thing I must say about the in-game and cut-scene dialog. The volume is entirely too low. I found that in order to be able to hear the dialog, I had to turn the volume up to a ludicrous level. It certainly made the gunfire seem real enough.

I've noticed this is an industry-wide problem and not specific to Far Cry. It seems like the volume of the dialog in all games is too low compared to the special effects.