Killing Fields

Tropical islands are synonymous with ultimate tourist destinations – lush green surroundings, colourful flowers and fruits, gorgeous women in tiny bikinis; all next to a serene ocean. But enter the world of Far Cry 3 and all your notions of a tropical island paradise are turned upside down. Rook Island is no paradise, but instead it’s a haven for some ruthless pirates and slave traders.

The story is quite simple. You are Jason Brody who goes out skydiving with his friends on a vacation and ends up in the land of scalawags and cold-hearted murderers. Everyone is captured but due to some confusion, you manage to escape from a makeshift prison determined that you will free your friends as well. The storyline is a bit thin, but that's not the USP of the game.

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Far Cry 3 pushes the limits and defines what an open world game should be like. Taking a cue from Assassin's Creed, this game's detailed work is truly a diehard gamers delight as it makes the surroundings look realistic, but the standout feature is how the characters appear as close to real as possible. The graphics are topnotch just like Arkham City and make you actually feel like you really are in the thick of things. This troubled island entices you to want to complete each and every challenge. We have to give full credit to the games makers and developers for making a terrifying insane villain in the form of Vaas. This deranged pirate is quite charismatic in his psychotic way and is pure unadulterated entertainment.

Far Cry 3 brings a lot to the table and keeps you busy whether you are driving in the jungle or climbing the outposts to fix disabled radios. Each of these missions help you unlock areas, weapons, map information and skills. There are also assignments that test your survival skills like hunting or gathering herbs. The unique factor is the fact that the threat to you isn’t just from pirates, but the also wild animals and creatures that roam the jungle.

The Cooperative Gameplay or Co-op is a fantastic additional campaign where up to four players can play together online. This can also be played in split-screen mode with six-missions. This campaign gets two additions – the Battle Cry and Booster Systems. Battle Cry speeds up your movement and re-energises your health, which all team members in range benefit from, while Boosters are life boosts you can offer to another player. Once you are totally consumed by the game and its beautifully detailed graphics, the storyline becomes non-existent. Yes it does sound quite silly that a rich kid suddenly turns into a cold-blooded crusader who takes on pirates to save his friends, but the gaming world is not about being logical, rather it's the gameplay that counts and Far Cry 3 seems to pack in just that after its previous installment flopped big time.