Far Cry Instincts Predator is an Xbox 360 port of the Xbox game Far Cry Instincts which in itself was a port of the 2004 first person shooter for the PC, Far Cry. The main story of the game never changes from any version, but the plot does differ somewhat. The hero, a mysterious man called Jack Carver, is set on rescuing a reporter he was escorting before being attacked on the shores of some remote location in Micronesia.

The process of porting the huge PC game to the Xbox console called for a lot of concessions to be made to the game. First to go was the vast open world in favour of a more linear adventure. The developers at Ubisoft Montréal did give the console version a few new features, maybe to make amends for what they took away. In the Xbox version, Jack gained some cool new "feral" abilities. The Xbox 360 kind of got the best of both worlds. It did maintain Jack's new abilities from the Xbox version, but it also benefited from a significant graphical upgrade and gained a lot more new goodies.

When Far Cry was first released on the personal computer it was praised for its incredible visuals. The game was simply stunning to look at. The addition of a few years did nothing to wane these incredible graphics. Far Cry Instincts Predator is a great looking title. Sure if the game is compared to a recent gem such as Modern Warfare 2 it may look a little plain, but the game was originally released in 2006 and as such should be compared to Call of Duty 2 instead, in which case it clearly eclipses its WWII counterpart. The world of Far Cry is filled with vibrant colour. This makes perfect sense as the events take place on a tropical island covered in lush green vegetation, but I have seen many games with similar settings and the graphics were still monochromatic with various shades of brown. The game stands out in more ways than just graphically, it also features a very rich story filled with plenty of twists and turns.

Of course the game is a shooter and the two main ingredients for a good shooter is “stuff to shoot with” and “stuff to shoot at”. The game offers plenty of each. In the “stuff to shoot with” category, Jack starts out his adventures holding nothing more than his hunting knife. It will not take very long for him to acquire better and more powerful weapons of every class; from handguns, to rifles to rocket launchers. Jack is limited to carrying only one weapons from each class as he makes his way through the jungle. Regular weapons are easily acquired, but special weapons are not. They should be conserved for very important situations. Beyond guns and ammunition, gamers should also be on the lookout for health packs and protective armour.

As far as the stuff to shoot at is concerned, the game does offer a very healthy challenge. Enemies are numerous and dangerous. Jack Carver is no bald space marine. He can only take a few hits before taking a dirt nap. Wearing protective armour will help a bit, but the best option is to use stealth. Jack can set traps and then lure an enemy into it for an effective and silent kill. Well at least that is how it should work in theory if not for the game’s biggest flaw, the artificial intelligence or lack thereof.

On one hand, the enemies are powerful and for the most part quite the good shot. On the other hand they are dumber than dirt. Setting up traps and then attempting to lure the bad guy into my McGyverism was extremely frustrating as the AI was not intelligent enough to figure out where the sound was coming from. On many occasions, the targeted goon got stuck behind a tree and could not figure out a way around it. I had to coral the thugs down a safe line, then into the trap. It was better to simply stick to guns. Sure they are noisier, but did not appear to make much of a difference on how the enemies reacted. On many occasions I could simply find a good vantage point overlooking a base and proceed to pick off bad guys from a safe distance with the sniper rifle. One would expect that a camp filled with trained mercenaries would fall into activity very quickly when the first body hit the ground with a hole in his head, but this was simply not the case. In Instincts Predator, the soldiers are either fearless or complete morons as they continued operating as if nothing happened when the person right behind them went flopping to the ground. At times I would missed my mark for a clean head shot and hit a shoulder or protective chest-plate, surely this near fatal wound would send the target scrambling for cover...nope, he just kept walking like nothing happened. Ah well, the game is tough enough I should not complain and enjoy some easy kills. Maybe that is why sniper ammo is difficult to find in the jungle.

Still the game is not a write-off. It offers great value. The main quest is quite long and extremely challenging on even the easiest level and near impossible on the higher difficulty setting. It should keep the average gamer busy for a good week or more. Completing the main game will unlock the second game; Predator. Yep boys and girls this is a completely new game for you to enjoy. Jack is once again escorting a fine lady that once again gets our hero into trouble. Predator is not as long as Instincts, but will offer as many challenges or so I have been told. The reality is that I never did finish the main quest during my week with the game. I did mention this game was challenging did I not.

If two games were not enough, Far Cry Instincts Predator ships with a great multiplayer component with several maps and game types. These are basic variations on standard multiplayer fare such as deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flag. Also as an added bonus for Xbox 360 owners is the inclusion of a map editor. It is a shame that no one plays this game online anymore. Far Cry Instincts Predator can easily be found for less than $10 at most retailers so go out, purchase a copy for you and 7 friends and have a blast in what is a much underrated title.