Things are hotting-up now since being voted into the Top 3 games of the most interesting and busy year the industry has ever witnessed, is no small feat. Achieving Top 3 glory is all the more important when considering that this Top 10 has been voted for by gamers, the people who invest their money in the industry and who should be the ones voicing their opinions.
The Number 3 MegaGame of 2004 is, possibly one of the most controversial games of 2004 and one which has seen its fortunes rise and fall throughout the past year. In a year riddled with sequels, prequels and movie tie-ins, seeing an original title this high up in gamer preference is a breath of fresh air. When Crytek, a small German developer, unleashed Far Cry on 23 March, 2004, the sound of millions of gamer's jaws dropping could be heard all over the world.
The visual beauty and technical excellence of the game held everyone hostage and didn’t allow players any time to consider the potential of the game. Immediately following the release, a barrage of negative reviews begun to appear, claiming that stunning visuals were all that Far Cry was about. Just like every other beautiful thing out there, Far Cry was accused of offering a hollow and empty experience. Tired editors decided that one look was all they needed to decide that this was a case of the wrapper being betrayed by the contents. What everyone seems to forget however, is that for every Pamela Anderson there is, at least one, Hilary Swank and with time gamers got to know their game a bit better and discovered that all is not as it seems in the islands of Micronesia.
Despite the rapid success of the game, as far as gamers were concerned, reviewers seemed convinced that it was not all that. Considering that Far Cry is the only original title in the Top 10 MegaGames does raise some questions regarding the direction the industry is heading. Independent studios are closing every day, falling pray to large publishers, unwilling to risk developing something different. The question to consider is whether the industry has numbed us all by its relentless pursuit of the successful franchise that we are unable to accept or even consider any new game that is not familiar?
It all could have been so different; the game we have come to know as Far Cry can trace its roots back to the modest surroundings of a German developer’s studio. Its parents, having initially named it X-Isle, had very different plans for it. At the request of a rich partner, nVidia, X-Isle was to serve as a showcase for the graphics giant’s nfinite-FX engine. The original technology demo featured a tropical island and a variety of dinosaurs but Crytek saw the potential and immediately stopped all other projects and focused on turning the young X-Isle into a fully-featured game.
In Far Cry we can see a lot of the original technology it was meant to showcase and so much more. The A.I., initially accused by learned critics as merely a tool for throwing bad guys at you, can function as a team, will call for help and attempt to surround you and will duck for cover or charge, depending on the circumstances. Players quickly discover that merely charging in on your enemies will not be enough to overpower them while the plasticity off all levels makes the game extremely replayable. Add to all that the extremely fun multiplayer, the variety of vehicles and you have a very entertaining game which, with very little hype, was the first visually stunning, advanced FPS to reach store shelves, beating other similarly featured games by 5-6 months.
If there is one weakness to Far Cry it has to be the appalling voice-acting. Compared to what you experience in the game, many dubbed martial arts movies of the 70s will seem professionally done. Crytek will have to seriously consider releasing a revised version of the game, I personally would like to see the Number 3 MegaGame of 2004 Edition, in which voice acting, in its entirety, will be redone by trained professionals. The lack of proper voice-acting makes the, already frail, story seem completely inconsequential, detracting from the, otherwise excellent, Far Cry experience.
Far Cry was a popular choice with FPS-only voters but was also the FPS of choice of gamers who also voted for other genres. Although we have heaped our collective praise on Far Cry, let’s see what the average voter had to say about it.
Most of the people who voted for Far Cry seemed to appreciate the openness of the gameplay, Far cry is the first of its kind, the only game I’ve seen which combines FPS with paradise, there is a great deal of ways you can use to complete your objective, it is truly a fantastic game. Other voters enjoyed the multiplayer aspect of the game, even going so far as to compare it with a classic online game, …this is the first game I ever played that you can almost drive anything you find.. not saying that there are no other games like this but I just like the way this game is designed, the graphics and playing multi player which is almost as fan as battlefield-Vietnam I would say.
Love it or hate it you have to accept that Far Cry was the surprise success for the industry in 2004 and that seems to be what our next voter enjoyed, Far Cry was my surprise of the year. Came out of nowhere for me at least, with fun gameplay and lots of beautiful and open areas. Another voter adds, Far Cry was a brilliant, clever and vibrant game that kept my face glued to the monitor for hours.
Number 4