Posted on October 2, 2012
My Top 100: #76 – Far Cry Instincts: Predator
2006 – Ubisoft Montreal (Xbox 360)
It may sound a bit crazy, but there was only one video I needed to see to be sold on Far Cry Instincts: Predator…
I was aware of the awesomeness of Far Cry Instincts on the original Xbox for a few months before the Xbox 360 was even released. We’d get together at my friends’ apartment every Sunday evening, play some multiplayer games, watch The Simpsons, play for another 30 minutes, then watch Family Guy before I headed home. Far Cry was one of the games that we played the most.
This is actually one of the few games I know more for its awesome multiplayer than for its single player campaign. I’m not sure if I’ve touched on this in prior entries (though I probably have), but I’ve never been big on multiplayer games. Yeah, they’re fun, and yeah, it adds a nice layer of competition when talking about games with friends… but growing up, I had to rely on my own gaming experiences, just because I lived so far out of town.
Games like GoldenEye 007 and Halo had come and gone by then, and I had gotten some enjoyment out of other multiplayer shooters as well… but there was something about Far Cry that got me truly pumped up to play it.
The mode that we most consistently played was 4-player “Predator”. At the beginning of the round, one of the four players is given the role of the Predator, whose superior speed and extremely powerful melee attacks provide definite advantages. The other three players are tasked with activating a beacon that, if left running long enough, can kill the Predator for good and end the match.
You could also design your own multiplayer maps with the level editor, which was pretty in-depth. You could design some pretty funky stuff with it if you were creative enough!
Oh, and the Xbox 360 version has two full single player campaigns on it. They’re pretty great too!
This game didn’t re-invent the wheel or anything, but we had an absolute blast with it.
“FIVE MINUTES OF KILLIN’ WITH YOUR CLAWS REMAINING, YOU GUYYYSS.”
(Inside joke.)
I still remember that one map we’d play over and over again. Two bases, water and sand in between. Top that off with hang-gliders, zip-lines, and jeeps, and it was truly one of the best MP maps ever made. Beaver/Battle Creek be damned, THIS one was fun.
Also, that announcer really did get too excited for his own good.
Yeah, they weren’t the most fortified bases in the world, bein’ made from bamboo and all. haha
I was so bad at the game… so bad.. though those sunday night events sure were fun.
I think part of my problem was having never played the single player of the game, every week it was like reinventing the wheel.