E3 2012: Failing to Cooperate in Far Cry 3

Imagine a lush, dense, layered jungle, one full of possibilities, options and secrets. Imagine a cast of characters that spring to life under pressure, the friction of their personalities sparking wild, ferocious chemistry that requires scripted moments in an open world. Imagine gameplay that requires choice and strategic thinking to overcome odds that are often overwhelming, where you wish you had help to achieve your task.

Now keep dreaming, because Far Cry 3’s cooperative mode is none of those things. While an argument could be made that the game’s single player ambitions check off a number of those ideas, its counterpart is wholly lacking not only in engaging design but anything remotely compelling. It detracts from the overall product and, as it currently exists, could be considered a strong reason not to buy the game.

Ubisoft’s alternative to the Jason/Vaas dynamic in the single player mode places four distinct (albeit stereotypical) characters in a jungle, presumably with the intent of twisting them around just as the main game’s storyline seems poised to do. That in and of itself is no problem, as it’s one of the key notions - and mysteries - that intrigues us about Far Cry 3 as a whole. But everything surrounding it fails to do anything, not only as a cooperative endeavor, but as a shooter in general.

Ostensibly four players would team up to face challenges too great for any one person (or two or three) to overcome. Curiously that doesn’t seem to be the case with FC3. After choosing a basic layout of weaponry, four players are given mundane tasks like carrying bombs to destroy a bridge or fixing a train to progress to their next team-oriented goal. Naturally there are those who don’t want these things done, who attack one after the next to attempt to thwart you and your friends.

But take that “one after the next” statement almost to its literal meaning. The threat your opposition poses here is almost nonexistent, to the point where one player shouldn’t have much of a problem doing everything necessary. Furthermore it’s tough to imagine that even a steep increase in difficulty would even things out. Even if it did, the modes objectives are so mundane it wouldn’t matter. There is no coordination required here. There is no variety. All players are tasked with doing the same things at the same time - fix this, bomb that, kill those guys over there - and the lack of necessary diversification or specialization is truly alarming.

Far Cry 3 has a lot left to prove as an overall product. Its single player element has yet to fully reveal itself as an open world shooter, but it’s easy to see how those ideas can weave their way into the more scripted segments we’ve seen so far. The cooperative multiplayer is something else entirely. Though admittedly only a taste of the complete product, the demo we played was so underwhelming and completely lacking in quality that it’s hard to see how anything redeeming could result with a mere three months of development left.

Source : http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/06/05/failing-to-cooperate-in-far-cry-3