Casual Reviews – Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

Warning: The following trailer is NSFW…and NSFBC (Not Safe For Brain Cells)

Sometimes you just know when something is Right. I’m talking about truth in its purest, most basic form. Right with a capital R. It’s explicit. You don’t have to think about it.

Bacon? Correct…bacon is good, bacon is Right.

James Earl Jones is Darth Vader…that is Right.

Staying in the Star Wars universe, you know this one is coming…Han shoots first. That is Right.

S’mores at a campfire…can’t be more Right.

Sean Bean dies…Right.

Donald Trump would never have support to become the President of the United States…hahaha that is so Right I can’t…hehehe…believe my brain even came up with that notion. He he…I mean am I right or am…I…I can’t…wow, sorry guys but I’m a little choked up. *sniffle* Let me get a new keyboard. The saltwater from my tears for my nation corroded this one.

Anyway, Far Cry in cheesy 80’s form? Yes please.

Environment

Like the 80’s itself, I cannot say I really understand everything that is happening in this world, however, cocaine is most certainly the cause. Laser dinosaurs (a.k.a. blood dragons)? Cyber sharks? Robo-crocs? My best explanation is that the Terminator went back in time and impregnated Mechagodzilla. The result of this most unholy union is the world we witness in this game.

I love it.

I love this freaky, robotic, monster baby to death. And what really gets me is the music. Just listen to this:

If you did not just have an overwhelming urge wear bright, tight clothes, fashion your hair to seem like fur, and go to an arcade, I submit to you that you are not, in fact, alive.

The story in Blood Dragon is truly what Far Cry is about. Over the top, stupid, fun. This time, it is not held back by any attempt to care about characters. This is the heart of Far Cry, and it is the most fun you will probably have with the franchise.

This is Far Cry done Right.

Gameplay

The gameplay is basically like other Far Cry games, which in this case is not a bad thing. As I said in my review of Far Cry 4, Ubisoft has made some of the best gameplay available in the shooter genre with the Far Cry series. It’s fast, clean, and smooth. And this time around, you don’t need to worry about leveling up. The levels are automatic and you start with some of the best perks right off the bat. Chaining takedowns and throwing ninja stars after completing a takedown are some of the first moves you will perform. Even the ‘tutorial’ is entertaining, and I despise tutorials (I never played Pazaak until probably my 6th playthrough of KotOR because I didn’t want to sit through the tutorial).

The outposts are here! My favorite part of the Far Cry series is clearing outposts, and you get to that straight away. I don’t know if I was just more into this game than Far Cry 4, but I found stealth to be so much easier in Blood Dragon. Perhaps it was because an eagle didn’t decide to attack me every second I didn’t have a roof over my head. Maybe it was because this game was so stupid and over the top, I tried anything and felt more free to fail than in my other Far Cry experiences. I don’t know. All I know is I was able to sneak around and stealthily remove enemies one by one…something I seemed incapable of in other Far Cry games.

The bottom line is…it’s Far Cry. Far Cry gameplay is fun. And when this gameplay is paired with this world…well Ubisoft has quite a pair…there.

Replay Value

So I got this for free with PS+. If you have PS+ and you haven’t played this, do it. Go download it now. The value is inexplicable at the price of free…of course you’re paying for PS+ but…you know…ignore that.

It regularly sells for $15 and I gotta say, I think it’s worth it IF you like Far Cry gameplay and IF you like satirical games. Oh, and if you like 80’s action flicks then yeah…no brainer.

The question here also is: Will I go back to this game? Honestly, I’m not sure. Here’s where it gets tricky about buying the game. There is no online to team up with a friend and take outposts. I don’t usually game on my PS3 and have to reconnect the HDMI when I do. On the other hand, it’s only $15, not the price of the whole game. You basically get to experience the best Far Cry has to offer for far less than a full game cost.

I would personally wait until it went on sale if you do not have PS+.

Online

Someday I’ll review an online game again.

Conclusion

As the trailer states, “The apocalypse has had an apocalypse.” And trust me guys, it’s awesome. The fact that this game exists does not completely register in my brain. I, like many others, believed when the teaser came out that it was simply an April Fools’ joke. It did come out on the first of April, after all. I was wrong, and I’ve never been so happy to be wrong.

I love a good FPS. Unfortunately, many of the AAA titles feel the same now. They all want to be the next Halo…except Halo of course, which wants to be the next Call of Duty.

The only downside is that Blood Dragon is for PS3. And I hate having to readjust my entertainment system simply for one game. I know…I’m pathetic. In my defense, science is on my side. Objects at rest tend to stay at rest…

Don’t let my laziness discourage you or take away from how awesome this game is. The fact that I’m willing to overcome Newton’s First Law and set my PS3 back up speaks volumes about how fun this game is.

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL O’ Y’ALL!

Leave a gaming Christmas tradition in the comments if you’d like. For my family it’s Sports Champions (PS Move game) and for my wife’s family it’s Super Monkey Ball 2’s Race Grand Prix mini game (GameCube).