The Working Girl's Game Review - Far Cry Classic

So the first game I'm going to try and give a thorough review for is Far Cry Classic,  Not exactly a modern game, but that's okay.  There might be people who played any of the other Far Cry games and might be interested in picking up the original and completing their collection.  Also, I can hone my skills at giving reviews.  This is new to me too.  I'll try to keep it spoiler free as much as possible, but a few things might have to be spoiled to explain a point I'm making.

System:
Xbox 360 Arcade

Developer:
Crytex

Story:
You play as Jack Carver who is running a boat tour business.  His only costumer this time is a lovely lady journalist named Valerie Constantine.  Except she's not who she says she is.  More on that later.  While cruising around some archipelago islands their boat is attacked and Jack and Val are thrown in to the water.  Jack wanders ashore and now has to find his charge Val.  The locals aren't friendly and Jack has no idea where Val might be.  Jack finds a radio and receives a broadcast from Harland Doyle that he might know where Val is.  While he doesn't know whether or not to trust Doyle he just wants to get Val and get off the island.

The Island holds a lot of secrets.  A very big one is that there is a secret organization that's been experimenting with genetic engineering (specifically weaponizing) and this organization and mercenaries don't want this secret to come out.  Especially the main guy Krieger.  After Jack rescues Val she confuses that she's CIA and there to find out what happened to an undercover agent . . . Harland Doyle.  Val releases the mutants (called Trigens) thinking that they will help distract the mercenaries to make things easier for Jack.  Unfortunately that just creates a new enemy for Jack to fight.  Val wants to find all the data and destroy the lab.  Oh, did we mention that Jack is an ex Army Special Forces operative?  Nope, well you don't learn that right off the bat either.  Now you know why your player is so proficient in guns right from the get go.

Story score: 3 penguins

Characters:
Jack seems okay.  He's got some snarky stuff to say in response to Doyle's instructions.  If the game mentioned he was ex-Armed Forces at the beginning of the game I missed it.  It wasn't until much later that you learn who he really is/was.  The whole first half of the game is all about rescuing Val so it makes it seem that she's incapably of doing it herself.  After you rescue her she's very capable of taking care of herself.  And if you play some of the later "escort" missions right you can get her to take out most of the enemies so you don't have to.  Doyle is not upfront about who he is either.  And there's another side to him as well.  But I won't spoil that.

Character score: 3 penguins

 

Game Mechanics:
The aiming and gun control was okay.  There was one thing that almost made me quit playing the game before I figured it out.  When you come across a new weapon you get the "Y" button prompt if you want to switch weapons.  That left me thinking I could only carry 3 weapons; primary, secondary and a pistol.  That is NOT true.  I was also left thinking that the only way I could heal was to find a med pack somewhere.  I couldn't figure out how to have one in my inventory.  I also found that I could cycle through 3 different types of grenades but I couldn't see them in my inventory.  In fact I couldn't find my inventory at all. 

It turns out that  you have to hold the left bumper to pull up your inventory wheel.  Once I did that it was amazing what I could do with my weapons.  And healing . . . oh, look at that I had a med kit in my inventory and never knew it.  I didn't want a pistol so now I could equip that and swap it out for a better gun.  I didn't figure this out until almost half way through the game.  I had to go online to find help because I was so frustrated with the game.  There is NOTHING in the tutorial part, the menus, or the booklet for this game that explains how to pull up the wheel and use items on it (like much needed health kits).  I can't tell you how many times I died when I could have healed myself.  Once I figured this out the rest of the game was much easier . . . with one exception.

The other game mechanic that almost made me quit the game was the enemy concentration and spawn points.  There were too many times where there was hardly any enemies at all and then the next level you'd be surrounded by a hoard of them all the time.  The enemy concentration points were very unbalanced and it always happened at the worse time.  You'd be hit by a punch of enemies right at a check point . . . which is the only way to save your game.  If you died, you always came back right in the middle of all the enemies and usually at very low health (this is why it would have been good to know I was carrying around a med kit). 

The worse level for this was the River level.  I can't tell you how many times I hit a save point, died, respawned only to die instantly again.  There were 4 times in that level alone that I had to jump back a save just so I could survive spawning in.  It also took me about 30-40 minutes to survive long enough to get to a second check point after repeatedly dying at the previous one.  It made editing the level a nightmare.  I don't mind a little variety in the concentration level of enemies in section of the game but this game took it to the extremes and I hated that.

Game Mechanics: 1 penguin

Art Design:

The night time missions are dark.  I mean VERY dark.  I actually had to set up brightness all the way up just to see what was going on on the screen.  Too many times I walked in to a tree but didn't know that because I couldn't see the tree.  Once I uped the brightness it was so much more playable.  I left it all the way bright even for the daytime missions and it didn't blow out the image out so I just left it there for the whole game.

The game did look dated with flat graphics but it's an older game so I figure it for that.  I'm sure it looked stunning when it originally came out.

Art Design score: 3 penguins

Overall Impression:
After playing this game I'm left a little bewildered as to how this game launched the whole Far Cry franchise as I know it today.  This game seems very different from what I've seen of Far Cry 3,4 and Primal.  But I wanted to start at the beginning and see where everything started. 

I finished this game and I'm proud of that especially with all the problems I had playing it.  It's not one that I would play again.  And it's not a game that I would recommend to a casual gamer.  Only those who are completionists like me and who like to play a whole series of a franchise would get any 'enjoyment' from playing this game. 

The achievements are another thing that is not evenly spaced throughout the game.  They come in fits and spurts, especially towards the end.  Some of them you wouldn't think to do if you didn't read up on what the achievements are.  I played on easy and there's an achievement for playing on the hardest difficulty.  I don't think I'll get that one, although now that I know how things work I might make an attempt.  It just find it too frustrating to really put my heart in to it.  Once is enough for me.

Overall Impression score: 2 penguins (out of 5)

Boogie Bunnies is brilliant

In an attempt to clean up my Arcade games on my 360 I decided to play the demo of Boogie Bunnies that I downloaded awhile ago. I'm glad I did.

The game play is not that much different than what you've seen before if you've played Bust-A-Move or Bubble Pop (or is it Bubble Burst). You have brightly colored shapes in a grad and you launch a colored shape to get three of the same connected to make them disappear. Every now and then the grid moves closer to you and more lines are added to at the top. In Bust-A-Move you fire from a fixed pointer in the center at the bottom of the grid. You can bounce the ball off the walls to get it into a space your fixed position might not allow. But Boogie Bunnies is a little bit different.

Instead of being stuck at a fixed position on the bottom of the screen you can move side to side to pick the best column to launch your bunny at. It's kind of like Space Invaders in that sense. But Boogie Bunnies adds a twist to the mix. You can also rotate around the grid and launch your bunny from the side. Yes, that's it. If you don't have any good placement for that blue bunny at the bottom but you just wish you could attach him (or is it a her?) to that second row from the top, now you can. Just swing your bunny over to the edge of the grid and things will rotate slightly so you can glide up and down the outer edges of the grid. This is a great way to set up combos and save yourself if you're running out of room at the bottom.

And while you play just listen to those cute little bunnies. They say "Hi" and laugh and you can't help but be touched by the tremble in their little voices when they start to say "Uh" as they get close to the bottom of the screen. If any of them fall into the crack of the ice (on the Arctic level) their sad voices should make you feel guilty for not saving them. And those bunnies sure do love to dance.

I knew I was hooked on playing this game, after only one session, when I was in the shower this morning wondering if I was going to have enough time to get in one more game before I went to work. I remember doing that with SSX Tricky many times. And being late to work many times too. Yes, I did get in a game this morning and picked up a couple of achievements too. And no, I wasn't late to work . . . this time. I'm sure they'll be other morning when I itch to get in one more game before I have to do something else.

This game reminded me a lot of Pikmin for the Game Cube. It's also another game I tried to play before work, but was more difficult to squeeze in. I bought Pikmin because I thought the cover looked cute. That's all. I had no idea of the game play or what type of game it was. I'm really glad I made that leap for Pikmin and that's the same leap I made with Boogie Bunnies. I liked the little snap shot image I saw in all the advertisements. Didn't know anything about the game so I downloaded the demo first. I'm glad I played it because it put a smile to my face. You should pick it up too. If not you just might hear a little tremble in my voice when I say "uh".

Your profile is everything

So a friend of mine was thinking about deleting all his Call of Duty 4 stuff and starting over now that he knows what to do. This way he thinks he'll rank up faster and finish challenges quicker. As much as that sounds like a good idea we had to remind him that when you log in to Xbox Live to play a multiplayer map it downloads your profile/game settings. You can delete all you want but Xbox Live still knows what you've done. So your profile is everything.

And right now I've got nothing.

I was having problems playing some arcade games that I previously downloaded on my original console but haven't played yet. Before I made the connection in my head about the licensing agreements tied to the console you downloaded the games on I had a brilliant idea. Or, at the time I thought it was a brilliant idea. I decided to delete my profile and recover it thinking that might help.

Boy was I wrong. Why? Because I kept getting an error message about half way through the recovery. And after spending 2 hours on the phone with Xbox Support the only thing they can figure out (besides the licensing agreement problems which I had already figured out) is that my internet connection is timing out and that's why it can't complete the process. Great.

What's their solution? Take my system to someone else's place (preferably with a different internet provider) and try recovering it there. Until I can make arrangements to do that I'm screwed. I don't have access to any of my arcade games and I'm not sure if I can play a disk game. And even if I did, anything I do that would count towards earning an achievement wouldn't count since I'm not logged into my profile.

Like I said, I'm screwed. Hopefully I can take care of things tomorrow since I already have the day off work. I was hoping to spend the whole day gaming and not recovering my profile. As it stands now I can't really do anything. So remember kids, your profile is everything. Oh, and don't do what I did. 'Cause if you do then you'll be like me. And I've got nothing.

Poll Results - Number of Xbox Live Arcade games

So the poll is closed and the voting ended like this:

1-15 = 4 votes
15-30 = 1 vote
30-45 = 1 vote
45-60 = no votes
60-75 = no votes
75+ = 1 vote

And just for the record my votes was the 75+, but I'll get to that in a bit.

Why only 1-15 Arcade games? That doesn't seem like enough. Just think about it. Unless you have the narrowest taste in games (or a very limited budget) you're bound to pick up more than 15. For starters Aegis Wings, Hexic HD and Yaris are free. No money involved there. If you're a card player you'll probably pick up Uno, Hearts and Spades as well as Solitaire (and all the expansion packs). You might even pick up Backgammon even though it's not a card game. So you're already up to 8 games and we haven't gotten into other interests you might have.

If you are an old "going to the arcade" gamer you've probably unlocked Asteroids, Tempest, Centipede, Galaga, Gauntlet, Joust and Tron. If you're going to unlock Pac Man you might as well unlock Ms. Pac Man and Pac Man CE while you’re at it. You see how easy it is to accumulate a bunch of games?

If you were a home gamer in your youth (back in the old Atari days) you probably bought Frogger, Track & Field, Smash TV, Paperboy, Root Beer Tapper and Missile Command. Those games will let you relive old childhood memories. And for the sports/bar fanatic Pinball FX, Bankshot Billiards 2, 3D Ultra Mini Golf and Texas Hold 'Em.

But even if you didn't have a set taste in games there are several that are similar to each other that if you liked one you'll probably get the other. I’m talking about Zuma and Luxor 2, Hexic HD and Hexic 2, Crystal Quest and Robotron 2084, Bejeweled 2 and Jewel Quest, Space Giraffe and Every Extend Extra Extreme, Aegis Wings and Scramble. There's something for everyone and something very similar to it that only costs about 800 points more.

Yes, I know money is something some people have to consider when it comes to their electronic entertainment. Buying all the latest games (through the Arcade or otherwise) can really add up, including all the add on features that come out. That's way when you don't have the money it's nice to download the demo and get your fix that way.

I counted up my games and I've got 95 total Arcade games. About 10-12 of those are demos that I wanted to try out based on recommendations from friends. Yes, I know that's a lot of games, but I like them. There's a game to suit my every mood (and I'm a girl so I've got lots of moods). If I can't find the right game for my mood then there isn't a game out there made for what I'm feeling at that time.

Some times I get obsessed with playing a game either for the achievements or for the highest score. I got that way with Jewel Quest and Backgammon. I just had to finish those games. I played a little bit every night to keep myself fresh and within in a couple of weeks I made it to the end and earned every achievement. I'm currently obsessed with Catan but unfortunately my internet connection (and the crappy online support that game has) prevents me from picking up the last achievements I need. For some reason I don't have connection issues with any other game on my 360 except this one.

I even have full versions of games that I haven't played yet. I've unlocked Golden Axe, Outpost Kaloski X, Prince of Persia Classic, Time Pilot and Double Dragon but I haven't played them. Why? Because I usually do all my downloading after I'm done playing for the night. I jump out of whatever game I'm playing, download the new content then go to bed. By the time I get back to playing again I've started playing something else. I will eventually play those games. And all the demos I've downloaded but haven't tried.

I even tallied up my gamer points from my Arcade games vs. my disk games. I think I have more points through the Arcade. The numbers were very close and things might have swung back in favor of the disks as I picked up some achievements in Conan and Bioshock after I added things up.

Even though I have a lot of Arcade games already I still check the New Arrivals every Wednesday. And I can't wait until Ikaruga comes out. I have this game for the Game Cube but I can't wait to play it and earn achievements for my 360. So if for some reason the game developers go on strike and stop making new games I think I'm set for awhile. I've got enough games to last me for a couple of years at least. Hopefully those with 1-15 Arcade games won't regret not getting more.

The Gods of Catan don't like me

I figured the best way to get all the achievements in an Arcade game was to stop trying to play them all and just focus on one or two. Currently I'm focusing on Texas Hold 'Em and Catan. And I'm not having much luck in either one of them. My Texas Hold 'Em bankroll got wiped out awhile back so now I have to start from scratch. And Catan has been even tougher on me.

For the life of me I simply can not beat 3 AIs on hard. It seems I'll never get that achievement. I've been close . . . but no cigar. I've tried focusing on upgrading my settlements to cities as soon as possible. I've tried getting the longest road as soon as possible. The largest army. The most settlements. I just can't seem to pull it off in the end. I've even tried just buying development cards the whole game. That was a bust.

I tried varying my placements at the beginning of the game. I've tried monopolizing a particular resource. And trying to get a little bit of everything. I've tried uses my cards as soon as possible. And tried to hold on to them as long as possible. When I do that someone always rolls a 7 and I lose almost everything I have. I've even tried swapping out the AIs I play against. I still can't find a way to win the game on hard.

To get my achievement for Builder of Catan (for the longest road 10x) I had to go back and play a few games on easy. On hard someone always stole those points from me just in time win the game. And if you're trying to get the Knight of Catan (largest army 10x) achievement make sure Elizabeth isn't in your party. I've learned that the hard way. I guess I'll have to play some easy games again to finish out that achievement.

And playing a ranked game is impossible. I've joined 4 ranked games, but I've never gotten credit for any of them. My ranked matches show as zero wins/zero losses. Every time I get into a ranked game someone either drops out or lags out leaving 3 human players behind. I don't know if those games would still count because a little while later I'll look up and see all AI gamer pictures staring back at me. Everyone's gone.

At first I thought everyone else dropped out so I kept playing the game. I'd get the credit right? Wrong. After the second time this happened I looked at my recent player's list and found that at least 2 of the other players would be playing a match and have exactly the same victory points as they had in the game with me. Does that mean everyone is lagging out? Why can't I stay in a nice 4 human ranked match? I've played a couple of player matches and haven't had a problem.

I just think the Gods of Catan don't like me.

All That Hard Work for Nothing

I love hearing that bleep and seeing that little pop up that says you've just unlocked an achievement. But come on developers, at least make it worth something!

I'm not talking about all those 5 point achievements for completing the training exercises. How much more inventive can the control scheme get for a first person shooter? You point and you shoot . . . or you die. I'm talking about an achievement that was worth 0 points. Yep, that's right. Zero. Zip. Nada. Zilch.

On Labor Day Xbox slashed the price of some of their Xbox Live Arcade games. A friend of mine took Microsoft up on the deal and bought the discounted games. Now, he's not a person that plays the arcade games so he roped in a few friends to make the experience more enjoyable. After a round of Gauntlet (one of my old-time favorites that I don't play nearly enough) he moved on to Small Arms.

Once he got the game settings taken care of I jumped in and we all started wailing on each other. (It's really very therapeutic for our friendships - honest.) During the first game I heard the bleep and earned a 2x achievement. WooHoo! Now we're talking. We pounded on each other and had an open player slot so people would jump in the game and we'd pound on them too . . . and then they'd jump out. A little while later when the game ended after someone jumped in (don't remember who) I heard that little beep and saw the pop up for the "Six Degrees of Small Arms" achievements. None of us knew what this was for so we all took a moment to look at our achievement list. And boy were we surprised.

The achievement reads something like "play the game with someone who already has this achievement." Fine. Okay we get it. It's one of those "virus" achievements. You know "the Mingler" or "secret achievement - play with someone who has this achievement to unlock." These achievements seem to serve the purpose to get people to play their games online. Mix it up. Go against real humans instead of the AI all the time. So you would think that this achievement would be worth something.

What was the "Six Degrees of Small Arms" achievement worth. You guessed it. Zero. What's the point of that. It's like saying "we want you to play online with other people but we don't want you to be rewarded for it." Is that any way to encourage people to get out there and play? Why go through all that hard work and effort (okay, maybe it wasn't that much work or effort and it was kind of fun) but then not give a payout in the end. It's almost as bad as those achievements you get in some games for just putting the disk in the machine. There's no effort in that at all (at least for most people).

Make it mean something. Or is all that hard work for nothing?