Far Cry Vengeance
Far Cry Vengeance (Wii)

Developer
Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher
Ubisoft
Genre
Shooter
Players
2
C3 Score
2
Reader Score (39 Votes)
7
2
7
Posted on 18.01.2007
Posted by Mike Mason (Mason)
Tags:
Far, Cry, Vengeance, 5, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft, Shooter
Posted by Mike Mason (Mason)
Tags:
Far, Cry, Vengeance, 5, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft, Shooter
Find out more
Similar Games
Far Cry VengeanceMedal of Honor: VanguardResident Evil: The DarkSide ChroniclesCastle of Shikigami IIIAttack of the Movies 3D
Hooray for Ubisoft! The first major third party to jump on Wii in a huge way revealed that they would be providing immense support for the system, and one of the games close to launch would be of the acclaimed FPS franchise Far Cry, exclusive to Wii. Brilliant! However, now the dust has cleared, it has become obvious that Ubisoft’s support has not been up to scratch, with the exceptions of the hysterical Rayman or the action-packed Red Steel. Can Jack Carver help raise expectations of Ubisoft’s support?
Jack Carver is a man on a mission – well, a mission to relax on an island, actually, but within minutes of the game beginning he’s battered down by some rotten soldier types and imprisoned. Taking matters into his own hands, Carver nicks some guns, escapes and becomes embroiled in an arms dealing plot with a random girl he meets and exchanges not-so-subtle innuendo with in a bar right at the start. Thus begins an adventure wholly comprised of Carver shooting people on tropical islands as he battles his animalistic side (developed thanks to a serum by a mad doctor in Far Cry Instincts). Carver can move closer to this wild side by attacking enemies at point blank range to increase a meter, and with enough murders behind him he can unleash a Predator mode to increase his speed and allow him to use fierce feral attacks to the bane of his foes.
We had high hopes. Far Cry has been well received on PC, Xbox and Xbox 360, so it seemed natural to assume that this would follow in its foot steps. Perhaps this was a tad optimistic, considering that we didn’t know about its existence until quite late on, probably meaning it had a very short development cycle, but still we persevered. Another decent FPS to add to the roster fairly rapidly into the Wii’s life! Sometimes, though, hope just isn’t enough, so we might as well be blunt: Far Cry Vengeance is a mess. As soon as you load it up, warning bells ring out. In fact, it happened to us before we’d even booted it up – the first time, the game refused to load. The game was brand new and had no marks on the disk, so we can only assume that it was the Wii trying desperately to stop us playing before all hell broke loose. If only it had succeeded…you’re presented with a plain looking title screen and upon starting your single player campaign from here the horror begins.
These have to be the worst frame rates we’ve seen in a game in years. Even within the opening cutscene, the screen jerks around and struggles to keep up with the ‘action’, which involves the camera moving back and forth all of 180 degrees. In game is not much better, Carver’s eyes apparently harbouring some kind of deficiency that he’s been keeping quiet, things juddering around even as you’re moving around as slowly as possible with little looking about. Similarly, the graphics are utterly, incredulously, horrendous. Ignore the first screenshots that Ubisoft released, as it looks absolutely nothing like them – for a start, the water doesn’t look anywhere close to decent aside in cutscenes, instead appearing pixelated, having all of five frames of animation and no reflections whatsoever. Carver’s hands look like they belong to a zombie with a suntan, character models are poor, blood spurts out as an unsanitary brown slime, every texture is disgustingly murky or otherwise rubbish, the grass consists of random mashings of green pixels seemingly put together in MSPaint. The draw distance is insulting, with some grass and trees only appearing when you’re within a foot of them, while ‘shadows’ pop up under your feet (if you call pixelated – noticing a pattern, here? – greyish blobs shadows). We could go on, but instead think of it like this: take an N64 game, downgrade it to run through a PSOne, plug it into an LCD TV with a composite cable and shove the result in a food processor, just for added fun. We give you Far Cry Vengeance’s graphics. The game looks its best when you emerge from water – everything is slightly blurred and actually looks competent, so why this couldn’t be applied to the whole game we don’t know. Speeding about in Predator mode also looks fairly decent for the same reason.
The enemies are also a good few years behind in what we expect from games; most of the major problems are associated with them, so it makes sense to talk about them all at once. A big issue is that of hit detection: if an enemy can be seen and clearly targeted, they should be able to be shot at. Apparently not. Only when the reticule turns red can bad guys be shot at, which gives the bullets in the land of Far Cry a trajectory of approximately 4 metres (with the exception of those fired from the sniper rifle). There are no hit zones to speak of on the enemies at all – we don’t expect them to be able to react differently for every single different region they could be shot at, but is it really too much to want to be able to shoot somebody in the leg and have them act accordingly? Hell, head shots should be possible; Far Cry Vengeance manages to completely miss the concept of ‘bullet to the head equals death’, and it takes the same amount of bullets to down somebody if you shoot them repeatedly in the head or the groin. To make a further mockery, the enemies don’t appear to have had any artificial intelligence coded for them either, with their patterns roughly being ‘run at, shoot’. We had one guy, fully loaded gun in hand, attempt briefly to shoot at us then turn and flee completely randomly. We chased after him for two minutes, directly behind him, without receiving any kind of attempt at an offensive back. Then we put him out of his horrid-algorithm-ridden misery.
The sound is a step up – it seems some actual thought was put into areas of it, with ringing/screeching in your ears if you’re too close to an explosive when it goes off, and slightly foggy sound when you’ve just gotten out of water, as though liquid is filling your ears. The voice ‘acting’ is appalling though, whether it’s Carver giving another embarrassing quip within the cutscenes (which we presume are supposed to drip with some sort of sexual tension, but instead end up playing out like scenes from the worst of budget films) or a random soldier telling us to eat our own excrement. Charmed.
What’s most tragic of all is the control scheme, because it’s actually quite good and is dragged down by the rest of the game. Moving around is a cinch, aiming is accurate, and holding down A allows you to stop turning and aim even more precisely. It has its problems: even on highest sensitivity, turning can feel a bit like you’re rotating in a vat of sludge, pushing the remote forward to zoom in is annoying, and for some stupid reason jump is assigned to flicking the nunchuk up awkwardly rather than a simple button press, but there’s a feeling that it could really work in a halfway decent game with some modifications. Oh, and we didn’t get to test out the multiplayer much, as nobody else was brave enough to be near the game for more than a minute at a time. What we did play wasn’t very good, though, and only supported two players.
Ultimately, we don’t want to blame the developers alone for this. We’d make a quick guess that they weren’t happy with it and didn’t want to release it in its current form, but were pressurised to by Ubisoft to capitalise on Wii’s launch sales. What you have here is a poorly finished game that could have done with a good few more months development and testing, rather than being pushed out as launch pap. It’s a Far Cry from being a competent game (ho ho) – just who are Ubisoft trying to get Vengeance on by releasing this?
Gameplay
3
The controls are pretty decent save a few bad decisions, but the AI, lack of hit zones on enemies, obscurity of objectives and generally everything else mar them.
Graphics
1
Ghastly framerates and shocking graphics all around. Post-water and Predator blurs are alright, but occur relatively little unless you keep getting in and out of the water. Which we did, because swimming was better than the rest of the game.
Sound
5
Good little touches, but average weapon sounds and pathetic voice acting drag it down.
Value
2
Quite a bit to do, but you really wouldn’t want to be wasting your time with it.
2
C3 Score Far Cry Vengeance is a shambles of a game. Ubisoft need to rethink their support for Wii if they honestly think this sort of thing can slide – discouragingly, the game has been in the Wii charts for the last couple of weeks, which means that some people are actually buying this tripe thinking that it’s a decent game. Don’t bother and avoid at all costs, or you’ll be joining the ranks of gamers who want to declare vengeance on Ubisoft./10
Please post your comments below.
Buy Far Cry Vengeance
Reader Comments
1
Microsoft Pwnzorz!
3825
L88 Super Sonic
:lol: Niiiiiiice! Happy Time! Chinqui!
Star system fixed - sorry about that - thanks guys! J
14623
L100 C3 Master
Oh...dear...god. Ubisoft really need to tone down their quantity and go for 2/3 really solid titles. There goes another good franchise down the toilet.
2? Owch!
2? Owch!
get reading about my trip to London to see EA, Nintendo and Eurogamer Expo!
9266
Reviews Editor
Told you Ubisoft did you a favour by not sending you a review copy. 
Cubed3 Staff :: Reviews Editor
Xbox Live/Twitter :: C3Mike
Cubed3 Staff :: Reviews Editor
Xbox Live/Twitter :: C3Mike
`
3935
L89 Tom Nook
Wow! I think that's the lowest I've seen a game score on C3! I'll make sure not to buy it :P
Endless Ocean 2 Adventures of the Deep - review now live!
12189
News Editor
Wow, it's better than Crazy Frog Racer! I might just go buy it...
*ahem*
*ahem*
.
7670
L100 C3 Master
having too much to do to play. Unfortunately.
1834
L67 Ken
Hey, it's worse than the famous Superman Returns? Wow! That's not easy.
I read the gamespot-review last week but you are even more shameless and gave even lower marks. Yes, it may be a downfall, drains all expectations. But that much? Wow! look: There is a ONE there. In graphics! This may be the one 3D-game that looks better on screenshots then on TV...
I read the gamespot-review last week but you are even more shameless and gave even lower marks. Yes, it may be a downfall, drains all expectations. But that much? Wow! look: There is a ONE there. In graphics! This may be the one 3D-game that looks better on screenshots then on TV...
I find your lack of faith disturbing!
259
L23 Fire Leo
A fantastic Review Mason. I expected no less from you. The game's is not only fugggly but a farcry from the gameplay of the Xbox version
get reading about my trip to London to see EA, Nintendo and Eurogamer Expo!
9266
Reviews Editor
I feel no need to be nice and butter it up for Ubisoft, if a game of this quality is released it deserves everything it gets. Besides, I was one of the people who was nice to Red Steel, so it evens out. 
Cubed3 Staff :: Reviews Editor
Xbox Live/Twitter :: C3Mike
Cubed3 Staff :: Reviews Editor
Xbox Live/Twitter :: C3Mike
towel technique...wowzer.
11455
Features Editor
Wow, I'm quite glad I didn't ever once consider buying this, it would have been a waste of my valuable thought processes. Utter rubbish and wonderfully shoved in the crapper Mike, well done and well deserved.
Trying to think of a witty signature after 'Hacker-gate'...
PSN: Mart9n | XBL: Mart7n
8590
L100 C3 Master
Finally, a good critical review on C3. Well done, Mason! Apparently, even the old Xbox FarCry from over a year ago looks better than this one. You should have also mentioned the lack of the AMAZING map maker from all the other versions, and online play.
get reading about my trip to London to see EA, Nintendo and Eurogamer Expo!
9266
Reviews Editor
Good points Oni, I probably should have mentioned those. Nevermind. I think I insulted it enough in its own right without having to compare it to a year old+ game - and I have no doubt that it looks and plays worse than that based on what I've seen of it.
Thanks for the comments, guys. :
Cubed3 Staff :: Reviews Editor
Xbox Live/Twitter :: C3Mike
Thanks for the comments, guys. :
Cubed3 Staff :: Reviews Editor
Xbox Live/Twitter :: C3Mike
Who the fuck are you when you take that mask away ?
4122
L91 Wario
I take it mason you are agree heavily with GameCentral review.
It just looks shocking
Mike Gee of iZINE said, "...The Verve, as he [Richard Ashcroft] promised, had become the greatest band in the world. Most of the critics agreed with him. Most paid due homage. The Verve were no longer the question mark or the cliché. They were the statement and the definition."
It just looks shocking
Mike Gee of iZINE said, "...The Verve, as he [Richard Ashcroft] promised, had become the greatest band in the world. Most of the critics agreed with him. Most paid due homage. The Verve were no longer the question mark or the cliché. They were the statement and the definition."
Oh, hello C3!
4696
L96 Marth
Spirit Tracks is complete
4145
L91 Wario
What a load of crap! I've never heard such nonsense in my life. I haven't even played it and even I know it's better than that. To be honest I'm not bothered anyway. It doesn't mean that everyone will hate it. That's just one persons opinion. Hopefully we will get a proper review of the game on Nintendo 63. I have to rent this one just to see if it's really that bad. Because I highly doubt it.
Who the fuck are you when you take that mask away ?
4122
L91 Wario
Dunno Marzy everyone can differing opinions on games, but there seems to be well some sort of an acceptance that this is utter shit.
The graphics are that of a medicore of PS2.
Ubi are just trying to make a qiuck buk
Mike Gee of iZINE said, "...The Verve, as he [Richard Ashcroft] promised, had become the greatest band in the world. Most of the critics agreed with him. Most paid due homage. The Verve were no longer the question mark or the cliché. They were the statement and the definition."
The graphics are that of a medicore of PS2.
Ubi are just trying to make a qiuck buk
Mike Gee of iZINE said, "...The Verve, as he [Richard Ashcroft] promised, had become the greatest band in the world. Most of the critics agreed with him. Most paid due homage. The Verve were no longer the question mark or the cliché. They were the statement and the definition."
is currently watching The Best of Smackdown 10th Anniversary 1999-2009
2642
L76 Ridley
The ignorant Sony fan boys would have a field day if they heard that the Wii has a crap game.
The annoying thing about it riding so high in the charts is that the word would spread that the Wii has crap games. Or the other console version are better than the Wii ones. (applies in this case)
Lets hope that this doesnt shit on the wii's rep
The annoying thing about it riding so high in the charts is that the word would spread that the Wii has crap games. Or the other console version are better than the Wii ones. (applies in this case)
Lets hope that this doesnt shit on the wii's rep

get reading about my trip to London to see EA, Nintendo and Eurogamer Expo!
9266
Reviews Editor
I haven't even played it and even I know it's better than that.
Your opinion is invalidated by this part. If you play it and think it's better, fine, but you can't say otherwise if you haven't even had it within a foot of your Wii - I've spent a week with this thing. Reviews are subjective and this is honestly the worst game I've reviewed for C3. I had more fun with FIFA World Cup on GBA. Also, it's not exactly wildly different to other reviews - it's scoring has been between 2 and 4 from most reputable sources.
Cubed3 Staff :: Reviews Editor
Xbox Live/Twitter :: C3Mike
Spirit Tracks is complete
4145
L91 Wario
Like I said, I'll try and pick it up to see if it's that bad, but I just cant believe it can be that bad. Yer a 4 or a 5, but 2. I just find that a bit hard to believe. I have played the XBOX original and it was a qaulity game, everything worked so well. I have also exploered every nook and cranny of footage of Vengeance and to me it looks like a fairly average shooter. Not bad nor good just a averagly good shooter. Sure the graphics aren't up to scratch, but do they really need to be, I still have more fun on Goldeneye then any other shooter. What a classic!
Anyway I'll have to try this one out to see for myself. I'm not saying your wrong, I'm just saying I can't believe it can be that bad.
Anyway I'll have to try this one out to see for myself. I'm not saying your wrong, I'm just saying I can't believe it can be that bad.
get reading about my trip to London to see EA, Nintendo and Eurogamer Expo!
9266
Reviews Editor
Well, you ARE saying I'm wrong, because you called it a load of crap and nonsense, when you've not actually played it for yourself. Just because the other versions are decent, it doesn't mean this is.
You've got to remember that this is a port of sorts from one of the Xbox titles, which explains the bad graphics - Xbox hardware is different to the GC hardware that Wii is based on (shaders, etc., are done differently, for example), and it doesn't seem that much has been done to compensate for the changes, as you might guess from the score for graphics. I'm no graphics whore, but if I'm playing a game I don't expect the camera to drag around unable to keep up fully, nor do I expect it to not even be able to keep up a solid 30 frames per second or so.
It's not like I'm alone in discussing the problems, from the graphics to the more substantial issues of the AI. GameCentral on Teletext gave it a 2/10 as well, which along with my review is the harshest score it's got. Perhaps you don't agree with my score - even EDGE gave it a point better, and I did consider giving it the same - but others have found the exact problems as me. It's also not like I've completely slated it, as it definitely has its upsides, the controls working better than Red Steel in places. I'm not vengeful, Ubisoft has done nothing against me personally, I just call it how it is, and to me this is one of the worst games I've played in a long time.
Hey, it could be worse - it's not gotten a 1 or a 0.
Cubed3 Staff :: Reviews Editor
Xbox Live/Twitter :: C3Mike
You've got to remember that this is a port of sorts from one of the Xbox titles, which explains the bad graphics - Xbox hardware is different to the GC hardware that Wii is based on (shaders, etc., are done differently, for example), and it doesn't seem that much has been done to compensate for the changes, as you might guess from the score for graphics. I'm no graphics whore, but if I'm playing a game I don't expect the camera to drag around unable to keep up fully, nor do I expect it to not even be able to keep up a solid 30 frames per second or so.
It's not like I'm alone in discussing the problems, from the graphics to the more substantial issues of the AI. GameCentral on Teletext gave it a 2/10 as well, which along with my review is the harshest score it's got. Perhaps you don't agree with my score - even EDGE gave it a point better, and I did consider giving it the same - but others have found the exact problems as me. It's also not like I've completely slated it, as it definitely has its upsides, the controls working better than Red Steel in places. I'm not vengeful, Ubisoft has done nothing against me personally, I just call it how it is, and to me this is one of the worst games I've played in a long time.
Hey, it could be worse - it's not gotten a 1 or a 0.
Cubed3 Staff :: Reviews Editor
Xbox Live/Twitter :: C3Mike
Microsoft Pwnzorz!
3825
L88 Super Sonic
Mason you are totally wrong, wait for a PROPER review on Nintendo 63 - 63 times the power. MArzy, you should make it an audio review.
Spirit Tracks is complete
4145
L91 Wario
Cheers Kellerman, glad someone enjoys the site. Yep should get a review of it soon. I'm currently recording an audio review on Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, should be up in the next week or so. Podcast will also be up sometime this week. Enjoy!
DISCUSS
2485
L74 Olimar
1"We're mentalist psychic Scots , which means we can read your mind. If you're lying, your head explodes and we laugh."


get reading about my trip to London to see EA, Nintendo and Eurogamer Expo!
9266
Reviews Editor
I was mistaken. This is better than FIFA World Cup 2006 on GBA. I didn't remember how bad that was until I just re-read my review.
Look forward to the audio review Marzy!
Cubed3 Staff :: Reviews Editor
Xbox Live/Twitter :: C3Mike
Look forward to the audio review Marzy!
Cubed3 Staff :: Reviews Editor
Xbox Live/Twitter :: C3Mike
Spirit Tracks is complete
4145
L91 Wario
Cheers Mason, I might be able to get the audio review up by tomorrow, but could be a delay. More than likley will though. You could always listen to the Forcast Channel audio review on the site at the moment. It's not to good as I was new to the whole audio thing, but the Monkey Ball one is a lot better and I feel a lot more confident while speaking now.
Reply to this Topic
Subscribe to this topicTo keep up with comments, you can view and add the RSS feed for this topic. (Find out More)
1

Search C3
Feature Content
23
News Updates

Forums and Blogs
Site Feed

Community
























