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Far Cry Instincts: Predator for the Xbox360 has had a
fairly turbulent period in development. While Ubi Soft Montreal have
stated that they wanted to bring the franchise to those who have
moved onto the Xbox360 without disappointing those who have remained
with their Xbox, the original Far Cry development team have
become rather vocal about their disappointment with the original
console conversion of Far Cry: Instincts for the Xbox.
Far Cry: Instincts as an exclusive Xbox release went
down quite well with the Electronic
Articles writers upon its release mid-last year. Far Cry
Instincts: Predator offers a comprehensive coverage of the
console releases in the series, including both the original Xbox
release, and it’s sequel Far Cry Instincts: Evolution, as
well as the Multi-Player Map Editor and a variety of online and
offline Multi-Player gameplay options.
The first part of the title, the Instincts Story, is
disappointing to say the least. Much seems to have been lost in the
conversion, and what Xbox360 gamers are offered appears to be little
more than a lukewarm port of the original title. Enemy A.I. is
disastrous; whereas previously the game had encouraged the player to
stalk their prey – avoiding rash decisions and calculating their
death with both skill and cunning – this time around, the
intelligence is so vague that players often need not even think
about the placement of enemies as for most of the title, enemies
will simply stop when reaching the next in-game Checkpoint. The
basic premise of stalking, silent kills and stealth is interesting,
but simply blown apart not by the detailed environments, nor  the
well balanced placement of enemies, vehicles and ammunition, but by
the lack of interest in killing enemies who present themselves as
little more than rag-doll puppets.
The Maps are constructed well, and the ammunition is paced
well to exaggerate the environment structure and principles. Should
you wish to play through the title in the way imagined and,
generally, expected, the title plays through as an interesting
First-Person Shooter which at least attempts to push some minor
gameplay boundaries.
The second story, Unlocked only after the Instincts Story has
been completed – which is bound to annoy those who’ve already
played through the original release on the Xbox – is known as
Predator. This title has clearly benefited from being ported during
the time of the games creation, as it fares much better on the
Xbox360. While the enemy A.I. remains disappointing and the story is
incredibly short when compared to the previous, new additions have
been added which rejuvenate the clearly stale formula somewhat. The
inclusion of seeking out plant life in order to increase the
longevity of your Feral Abilities is an improvement, even if
executed as distastefully as the hunting ideology in Metal Gear
Solid 3: Snake Eater. The story features many more twists and
offers a much more engrossing appeal than that of the first. Being
betrayed is one thing; being led to your death by the  woman you love
is a whole other kettle-of-fish.
The Trap System returns and new weapons are few. The Map
design however, is less rewarding. Seemingly paralleling the
Nintendo64’s first First-Person Shooter, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter,
there’s little that could be seen as an exemplary continuation of
the design ethics of the first title.
The big pull for Far Cry fanatics – whether on PC or
console – has always been the Multi-Player options, and it is here
where Xbox360 gamers get treated. With a huge host of Maps available
from-the-off and, of course, the ability to use the incredibly
comprehensive Map Editor to create and upload your own visions, Far
Cry Instincts: Predator pulls together the highlights of both
Xbox releases within a breeze. The usual gameplay modes are evident,
although, much like those in Perfect Dark Zero, may not be
instantly recognisable as they have been dressed up with titles such
as Steal The Sample (a Capture The Flag Mode) and Chaos (simple
Deathmatch). The options available are tailored to the hardcore-end
of the First-Person Shooter market extensively and include the
fabled Predator Mode; the ability to supercharge your attack with
Feral Abilities such as increased speed and agility, and the
ravaging Combat Charge.
The graphics have seen no modifications between the Xbox
releases and this Xbox360 package. The water effects are pleasing,
but it’s clear the draw-distance isn’t exemplary for the
Xbox360, and the Character Models are bland to the point of
extremity.  The animation is fair, but, given the title’s
short-comings, it would have been a wise decision that the game
should have received even the slightest update, such as that which
was seen in Activision’s GUN, whereas the resulting release
is more comparable to the luck-lustre Tony Hawk’s American
Wasteland in terms of
appreciation for the format benefiting from the title’s arrival.
The sound quality too, is identical to that of the systems forebear
and, while the welcome touches (such as a ringing-in-the-ears when a
grenade explodes nearby) are clearly enhancing the experience,
little has been done that hasn’t gone before.
Far Cry Instincts: Predator
offers a package of amazing value to fans of the original Xbox
release; however, it’s unlikely to draw any new fans to the fold.
Whilst not being a bad game, by any sense, Far
Cry Instincts: Predator
refuses to push any boundaries; including that which the first title
established. A graphical and aural update would’ve been nice, but
the package obviously has its target market, and refuses to dare to
move an inch outside of the established branding.
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