Review: Far Cry: The Wild Expedition

Even though the Xbox One and the PS4 have been in Australia for a while, games seem to be few and far between. It seems like publishers have picked up on this as well, realising that most of us are basically killing time until big releases make their way to us. To help fill that gap, Ubisoft has released a $60 AUD Far Cry collection titled The Wild Expedition, bundling Far Cry, Far Cry 2, Far Cry 3 and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.

In short? If you haven’t played Far Cry 3 or Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, the pack is worth the purchase for either game alone.

We’ve reviewed both games separately. In his Far Cry 3 review, Bryce Wilson said, “Far Cry 3 is a mature breath of fresh air in an otherwise stagnant market.

“You’ll clamour to reach that next level to get that next weapon to see that next cut scene. You literally want to play more, just to get more involved with the incredibly dynamic world and its charismatic inhabitants. While you see Jason transform, you will to, an you’ll find yourself going from a sympathiser to a large doubter of his behaviour and evolution. Far Cry 3 is an experience any gamer needs to see to believe.”

You can’t get much better than that, eh?

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon takes the Far Cry 3 engine and “encapsulates what was great about [80s] cinema, [wrapping] it up into a video game that tries to have a load of fun without taking itself too seriously,” according to my own review.

We can’t say this enough about Blood Dragon: So. Much. Neon.

Whereas Blood Dragon is very over the top and Far Cry 3 is bordering on the obscure at times, Far Cry 2 and Far Cry itself (now retitled Far Cry Classic in this pack) are more serious affairs. The original Far Cry was responsible for Crytek’s CryEngine, so it’s basically the grandfather of the Crysis series. Far Cry 2 refined the original game, adding in a multiplayer component that’s included in this bundle. The first two games in the series aren’t without flaws, but again, for $60 AUD, you really can’t go wrong in this four-game pack. That being said, those with internet quota concerns should be aware that only Far Cry 2 and Far Cry 3 are provided in physical form; Far Cry Classic and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon need to be downloaded onto your platform of choice.

If you’ve got a PC, PS3 or Xbox 360 with nothing to play, and — even better — you’ve never experienced Far Cry before, you owe it to yourself to try these games out. If you have played the latter games, this pack probably isn’t the cheapest way to get ahold of the earlier games in the series. Decide what’s best for your own economical situation, and then go and have some fun in the tall grass.

• Review