Far Cry 3
In Ubisoft's FAR CRY 3, you'll assume the role of Jason Brody, a vacationing young man who vows to rescue his friends stranded on a mysterious tropical island. Initially, your quest is to find and retrieve your kidnapped friends from the clutches of an infamous pirate named Vaas, but as you dive deeper into the adventure, you'll also learn more about what's really going on here on the island, start a spiritual journey (with the help of the local Rakyat tribe), and decide whom to ally with. Much of the game is standard first-person shooter fare, with many weapons at your disposal, while traipsing through various parts of the lush island. The game offers both a solo campaign and multiplayer modes for those who want to venture online.
Far Cry 3 is a good first person shooter, but be aware of the violent and sometimes sexual content. While the story has some weak points, the developers at Ubisoft Montreal have painted a huge and interactive tropical world in which to explore. The first-person action and melee combat is, in a word, intense. Players will find that the game's role-playing elements make the game more "sticky" and meaningful. You truly believe there's a huge and lush island to discover here. Adding to the game's longevity is a smart artificial intelligence (A.I.), interesting missions, some vehicle driving, and online multiplayer play. Whether or not you're a fan of past Far Cry shooters, the game's intense action and huge set pieces make it a memorable action title.
The game interestingly has two climaxes which can be chosen by us.
The game can be rated a 4 out of 5
HITMAN ABSOLUTION
Hitman: Absolution This is a stealth game in which you play as a deadly assassin who must kill a number of human targets in a realistic way. In missions, you'll use stealth to sneak up and strangle, while at other times you'll use weapons (primarily guns and bombs) to destroy targets. There is a lot of blood and some gore.
As with other Hitman games from IO Interactive, HITMAN: ABSOLUTION follows Agent 47, a cold-blooded assassin who must first kill Diana Burnwood, his former employer and friend. But the tale is largely about a major conspiracy -- that you find yourself in the middle of -- and you must uncover throughout various missions. As with the past four games in the series, you're a contract killer who receives targets to hit throughout the course of the single-player game. You can approach the level in various ways -- through stealth or guns a blazin' to get the jobs done (and then hide the bodies). Much of the game is played from a third-person view as you take out targets with guns, explosives or your bare hands, but there are some first-person sequences, too. The game introduces an asynchronous Contracts mode, where gamers can choose level, targets, and weapons in the solo campaign and then challenge online friends to complete the contract with specific rules.
Hitman: Absolution is a good B+ grade game that has a lot going for it. Along with open-ended environments to let you approach the task at hand how you like (which also adds to the game's replayability), Hitman: Absolution also has the best story in the franchise so far, slick high-definition graphics thanks to IO Interactive's proprietary GLACIER 2 technology, and the unique online mode that lets you create game challenges for friends (those who complete a contract get in-game currency to buy weapons, disguises, upgrades, and more).
But the game has a frustrating checkpoint system that results in having to replay large areas of a game again to get back to the point where you perished. The artificial intelligence (A.I.) is also spotty, as enemies don't always shoot in your direction (which hurts the suspension of disbelief). But overall, while very mature, Hitman: Absolution is a lot of fun -- in a guilty pleasure kind of way.
This game can be rated a 3.5 out of 5.
