User Score
8.1 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1686 Ratings

User score distribution:

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  1. Apr 20, 2013
    9
    I must say, this game really surprised me: infact is surprisingly playable and...fun and even though it may resemble like a "Skyrim with guns", it has its unique traits to make the difference. The game has 3 modes, and the first (and most important) is the story mode, which is basically the core of the game. The story is actually engaging and your character is...not bad! You kinda sympathize with him in the end because he becomes sure of himself and becomes a real warrior of the jungle. We also have various missions here and we also need to hunt for animals, in order to increase our inventory. The island is huge and you'll take a lot of time to explore it. The graphics are good but they lack some extra detail that could have made it amazing, but it's still good, without mentioning the huge amount of secrets and things to discover (relics, lost letters from the war, underwater caves, etc). But still, it has some big flaws that really annoyed me: for starters, the idea of giving you an extremely limited inventory is bad and at the beginning of the game you won't be able to carry more than 1 weapon at the time, with also few ammo, few medicines, few grenades, few rockets, few anything! Luckily it can be increased rather quick by just hunting the animals you need but it's a huge limitation at the beginning that forces you to sell almost anything you get and to make you use weapons that aren't good for silent attacks. It looks more like an excuse to hunt animals, more than a real limitation. Since the island is huge, you'll be able to drive on the island, but the controls are horrible and really feels like it's sliding on the road. And those are jeeps. The game will make us see from "his eyes" so we basically play from his perspective in all times...yet we only see his hands: are we a ghost? That really seems a big lack, considering that the "feel" the game wants to give us is a feel of "real life" and engagement. Infact, the inventory shouldn't even be a menu on another screen and it should be on without stopping the game (sort of like Dead Space). That would have made things much more interesting and engaging. The missions are...very lacking too. You get more missions by conquering outposts (and if you do without being seen, you get tons of exp), and these missions are usually of 2 kinds: 1) kill a pirate with your knife 2) kill a rare animal...which is easily spotted on the map. There are also other sub quests, but they are even easier than the previous ones and usually takes no more than 5 minute. In other words, it could have been better Ah, and there are also challenges to do but they usually just give you money, which is so easy to obtain in the game and you'll be often spending it in order to keep your wallet free. And for last, your skills: you don't have levels but you obtain skill points each time you get enough experience: the skills are many and splitted into 3 branches, which mostly differs on game styles more than actual "speccs". It might be good except that the game forces you to play onward for unlocking your advanced skills! I had 5-6 points to spend, but no new skills to buy, and in the end I had to continue in order to unlock more: this again kills the purpose of being free, since you'll be limited on your skills until you reach a certain point of the story, without mentioning that a lot of these skills are useless and gaining skill points is a breeze (1500 exp just for taking over an outpost without being seen!). However, as a story mode itself, is great, engaging and fun, and that alone it's enough to entertain you. But we also have co-op mode, which you take control of 1 of 4 characters, which aren't exactly related with the story of game, and you'll basically do campaigns with more people. I wasn't able to play it entirely due to my bad luck but it was pretty intense! The enemies are tough and your weapons choice (which can be pre-set or the same as your multiplayer set) count. I can't say exactly much, but it's still more variation to a game that have a lot of content. For last, we have a multiplayer, which is similar to Call of Duty in style...except you actually need to aim. There are various modes and the weapons are varied, although unlocked by levels, and you get attachments from decoding (and if I'm right also from levels). The arenas are pretty detailed and very cured: I hardly saw campers and the reason is that you can't kill in few hits (unless you use a shotgun), forcing you to aim and to try to be a little more precise. We also get "killstreaks", which aren't many but they aren't unbalanced either. This mode is, in a nutshell, a more balanced version of Call of Duty, and it's a good time waster for those moments you just want to shoot. All in all, a very good game, fun to play andreally enjoyable, definitely worth a try out if you want to play a good FPS-RPG game. Nothing really original...but it's extremely fun to play! Expand
  2. Jan 1, 2013
    9
    Far Cry 3 is an amazing game. The graphics are incredible, and if you're capable of running this maxed you're in for a treat. I found my finger hovering over the screenshot button most of the game. The storyline is very, very dark, and, minus the mystical tattoo silliness, will remind anyone who's read it of Heart of Darkness. Vaas is incredibly compelling, and steals every scene he's in. Gameplay is likewise excellent, and how you approach things is largely up to you. Sneak around, be stealthy, set up traps, or go in guns blazing and burn everything down. I do have a few minor issues, and one major one which prevent me from giving it a 10 though. Hunting is fun for a while, but once you've crafted everything (which is pretty much a necessity, you will want to do it ASAP) there's no reason to continue, and loot interaction, especially looting bodies, is awkward. The major issue I have, however, is with the quick buttons. There are only 4, and 2 should be used for your camera and rock throwing, meaning that out of the dozen or so crafted items you can make only 2 are easily available at a time. It's a PC game, there's NO reason for the limited console control scheme. Despite the questionable controls, I still found Far Cry 3 to be one of the best games I've played this year. Expand
  3. May 4, 2013
    10
    Far Cry 3 is a brilliant display of game design by a professional development team, working in the the adventure game genre and applying so many lessons in game design from other games and bringing them together very well. The game, finally is well built, big, fun to play, and also, on highest difficulty very challenging. Models, lighting, weapon play and AI are all excellent. The environmental art and animal behavior is fantastic. Nothing is perfect and it is possible to complain about various design choices, such as the high number of QTEs and the console port clumsiness of the UI on PC. But that is splitting straws. Far Cry 3 boasts a large, brilliantly realised environment, which is beautiful and fun to roam. NPC dialogue and interaction in the general exploration of the island are almost non existant, however it is not a RPG, so much as a FPS, so the lack of interaction with passive NPCs is forgiveably replaced with the gameplay of a 'lone hunter'. To enjoy this the player is offered, cars, trucks, jet skis, quads, boats, hang-gliders and an arsenal of weapons to play with. It is quite a buzz driving at full speed along the narrow island roads, or using molotov and a flamethrower in chaotic battle with a dozen enemies or more, when you can literally set the mountains on fire. The game really has two parts: The open exploration game and the main story-line. The sandbox is great so long as you do not capture all enemy bases. You need enemy bases to spawn guys to fight so clearing the island is a BAD idea and destroys the core gameplay. DON'T DO IT. The other part of the game is the set-piece linear 'main story'. In truth this has pros and cons. The story is great but is totally linear. It also requires a range of different game actions to succeed. There are plenty of quick time events and it can be frustrating replaying sections after numerous fails. Despite some qualms about the play style the set story is really good. We have here stella writing and great humour. The key NPC's are brilliantly written and the voice acting is spot on. While the pirate leader Voss is great, I prefer the drug-fiend doctor and the CIA agent who gets my vote as the FUNNIEST NPC yet writen in the history of game design. Who would imagine references to 'pinkos' in a game written in 2012? Crafting and hunting in the game find a reasonable balance of fun and tedium. They are necessary for a time but are not required once you have skinned enough tigers to get the biggest carry bags. Think about that for a moment and tell me that video games are politically correct. The skill sets are fairly well designed, but not as good as they could have been. It's too bad they are unlocked only through the main quest line. The game offers, finally almost unlimited driving around, running, shooting and arson, on a beautiful set of islands. There are also dozens of different challenges and minigames to try out or master as well as a interesting background story in the form of relics and war letters from the Japanese occupation in WWII, as well as 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' style temples and artifacts. Probably the most important advice about this game was already given: DO NOT TAKE ALL THE PIRATE OUTPOSTS. If you do that the bad guys dry-up and you will become quickly bored in a peaceful paradise. A final nod also to the sound design. We often forget to praise the music mixers and the sound engineers when we praise a design, because the sound effects are so deep a part of the experience we may not even notice them. In this game listening is as important as looking while you roam about and the music rises to match the frenzy of combat brilliantly. It's not a perfect game, but its pretty damn close. What could be PERFECT according to gamers spoilt by such a wealth of great games in the past couple of years? Far Cry 3 hints that a truly perfect game is becoming a possibilty quite soon. This game with a better UI, better (longer, deeper) skill trees and REAL choices/ real interactions with NPCs would be perfect. Witnin the next couple of years one of these great games is going to cross the line and be PERFECT, the Hamlet of game design. Which team will reach Nirvana first? Expand
  4. Dec 24, 2012
    9
    I think its far different from what i played before,Far Cry 2 which is stupidly fast voice actor,GOnE,awesome...i`m not really much fans of Far Cry but to tell the truth,this game is far better than old series yet,with Incredible Graphics,Good Game-Play Mechanics,Good Storylines and Big map to explored :)
    But some Bugs may starting to get you nerve like wtf i stuck when sliding down cliff
    ,a not so good stealth mechanics and enemies respawn quickly,but other than that,i really enjoy this game more than boring Far Cry 2. Expand
  5. Jan 20, 2013
    10
    Wow! This is the most fun I have had with a video game this year. Perhaps I'm just easily impressed, but FC3 held my interest from start to finish. It has just the right amount of cut scenes to tell a story and the rest of the game is nonstop action. My only complaint is that I couldn't find a way around watching an entire cut scene when I first logged on. The save points weren't very user friendly. Otherwise, this game is well worth playing and reminds me of Borderlands 2 with a touch of realism. Expand
  6. Feb 9, 2013
    10
    Amazing game. A incredibly beautiful open-world where just looking around is satisfying, not to mention all the activities you can do. The gameplay is varied, hunting, taking bases, side-missions, crafting, discovering, and games like poker/aim challenge/races etc.
    The storyline is also pretty solid with a nice plot and greatly designed characters(especially the bad ones). The voice actin
    g is top notch too.

    Only good things to say about this game in my opinion. I think it's a must-play for all the shooter fans.
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  7. Feb 21, 2013
    10
    This is so much better than the last game. Beautiful world, nice combat mechanics, fine story. Definitely the best game of 2012. Thanks Ubisoft, Thanks!
  8. Mar 7, 2013
    9
    This is exactly what Far Cry 2 should have been. (Except for the crappy MAP UI and the lack of the sleeping feature)
    Beautiful graphics, amazing sounds and gun sounds, bad NPC voice acting and a gorgeous island to explore, hunt or just to enjoy the scenery.
    The storyline is quite MEH, but i'll take it anyway it since FC never really had a good story to be honest.
    The MP and the CO-OP is
    quite good, a bit glitchy though.

    The map editor guarantee hours of fun. :D
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  9. Dec 18, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Positives:
    - Open worldish with a strong story line (trying not to inject reality here but I will say that the older brother Grant should be the Main Character and Jason should have died) that is, of course, told in a linear fashion
    - Decent gun play and a large variety of weapons, tactics, etc.
    - Good stealth mechanics
    - Decent graphics
    - Great voice acting (Vaas will go down as one of the all-time great villains in video games)
    - Doable platforming that is not horribly frustrating but is still a challenge
    - Well written
    - Great soundtrack and very immersive use of sound throughout the game

    Negatives - - The AI will sometimes just go plain stupid on you
    - A few glitches in terrain and other areas that cause you to restart a checkpoint
    - Occasional rendering bugs, for example, there are times when you look like you have a headshot but are really hitting the rock in front of you


    All in all this an almost great game and well worth the price.
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  10. Mar 8, 2013
    9
    First of all, this game SHOULD have been a 10/10, but is still an amazing game. Although not horrible, it is still an obvious port with an uncomfortable menu that switches control schemes between each option. Also, the boss battles or confrontations with high profile characters seemed extremely unfinished and rushed. Despite that the game is still phenomenal and a must buy for any gamer.
    However, the "Skyrim with Guns" claim is horribly inaccurate. Maybe Skyrim without 99% of the NPC interaction. Far Cry is not an RPG. It is an exploratory/adventure game at the most. Expand
  11. Dec 4, 2012
    10
    An amazing game, featuring stunning visuals and gameplay..
    The combat system allows you to play the game your own way, whether it be like rambo or hitman, or a combination of both himbon! and many other play styles..
    The story could be strong, but its easily over looked when there is so much to do and explore..
    This has quickly become one of my top 5 favorite games of all time, I would
    rank it up there with the GTA Series, Elderscrolls, dark souls and halflife..

    The co-op adds many more ours of fun and a social immersion into the tropical island paradise/hell..

    Get this game you won't regret it, definitely worth the $70!
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  12. Jan 1, 2013
    10
    I wasn't a fan of the previous Far Cry games. No idea why, they just didn't gel with me. FC3 however has me hooked from the start. I'm really enjoying the story telling and the realism of the cut scenes. The combat is smooth, graphically is a work of art. Sadly, I can't run it at max settings, but even on a mix of medium and high ... WOW! I enjoy the hunting missions prowling in the undergrowth and there's a real sense of tension. The vehicles are varied and have weight, the sound is excellent, the score itself blends nicely and for me, the greatest achievement is the immersion. I feel like I'm on an island when I play. I want to explore and find the caves and old camp sites. I struggle to see why people are rating this so low??? Even at it's worst, it NEVER deserves less than a 7. It's a very enjoyable game and Ubisoft have done themselves proud. Grab it on Steam now as it's on sale (31/12/2012). UPDATE: I had to change my score from a 9 to a 10. I have been playing FC3 non stop for 3 days and the bug will not die down. I'm constantly thinking about the game and what to do next. I've bought a lot of games this year and FC3 surpasses all of them. There is so much to do and it's all fun. The racing is good, the hunting (animal), the bounty hunting, looking for loot, swimming, etc. I cannot find a single fault with this game. It stands out like a beam of light this year. People have compared this to Skyrim (with guns). While Skyrim has more depth (I played that for 150 hours) FC3 is the more 'fun' game. EASILY the best game this year and one of the best I've played ever to be honest. Expand
  13. Feb 12, 2013
    10
    the best game of 2012.far cry 3 is batter from far cry 2 and let me tell you why:first vaas is the best villian ever.he is so epic.the single player is the best in all of this package its lest a lot of hour,its very fun and the story is epic and inresting.than come the co-op let me tell you that its not brilliant but it will give you at least more 10 hours.and than comes the multiplayer:it is fun and you will spent on it hours but its doesnt bring anything new or unique.so i will give it 10/10 and i am highly recommending on this game. Expand
  14. Dec 4, 2012
    10
    This game was completely off my radar for 2012. [I actually never finished Far Cry 2... hated the lack of reason to explore and terrible storyline. And oh god how bad was malaria?] Well guess what... THIS IS GAME OF THE YEAR 2012 MATERIAL! Single player took approximately 30 hrs (55% completion based on stats). The storyline is intense, amazing, and had me in tears at points throughout the whole journey. They've basically either removed or improved everything in Far Cry 2 that I loathed, and kept everything that I loved. The HUD is absolutely terrible and uPlay is annoying, but after switching uPlay to offline mode I stopped having issues. Gameplay is nice. You start out with nothing, as a scared holiday goer... but you turn into an absolute killing machine with a bow, a knife, suppressed MP5 and flamethrower at your side the enemy doesn't know what beast is after them. Basically you can play this game as an out and out Rambo-fest, or be a bit more predator-type assassin/sneak mode. The sound effects are brilliant. Hunting prey, sneaking up on them... listening to their growls or moans... is thrilling. The music that pumps through my headphones while in the midst of explosions going off everywhere as I trigger my C4 explosives is tight and some brilliant choices. (Die Antwood - I Fink U Freeky, M.I.A., Skrillex etc.). Hmm.... if you liked a combination of Just Cause 2, Far Cry 1, and.... a little Batman Arkham City (Vaas / Joker) / Alice in Wonderland references (oh... some of the dialogue in this game is sooo well delivered!) then this game comes highly recommended. Other notable mechanics are the relics that you find scattered across the island Expand
  15. Apr 12, 2013
    9
    This is a very fun game with lots to do. The story takes a nose dive at the end, could have been a lot better. It practically feels like a different team worked on the end of the game than the first 2/3. Although, it's still very fun. Exploring the island, hunting animals, taking over the island, it's just all very fun. The game can be played run and gun or stealth. Great game.
  16. May 11, 2013
    9
    I have 30 hours logged in on this game in steam, and i still haven't beat the game there is that much content. Wrap your brain around that. Its Skyrim with guns. It has a great story, and on of the most memorable villains i have ever seen who deserves to be a fan favorite. I love this game. Its woth paying for this game
  17. Jan 8, 2013
    10
    Game of the Year 2012. Far Cry 3 strikes the perfect balance between sophistication and simplicity with a terrific plot that'll keep you glued to the end. As a shooter, I must say that the "weapons" look and feel amazing and in this area at least the game seems to take some inspiration from the original Call of Duty: Black Ops (a very good thing). Just amazing. The only complaint I have is that I don't care of the cast of characters the protagonist must save - I wouldn't care to know them in the real world. I'm not sure if Ubisoft created these characters as an inside joke or if they really believe they're likeable. A small mar on an otherwise impressive achievement that does more to move the FPS genre forward than any other game this year. Highly recommended. Expand
  18. Dec 4, 2012
    10
    I wouldn't trust any review here below a 7. Skyrim with guns is an apt description of this game. I like the leveling mechanic, stealth killing a whole base is a good challenge, but it's the chaos of the world that makes the game come alive. I was stalking a base, tagging enemies when a freakin' tiger attacked the base. The enemy panicked and threw molotov's around, forcing me to escape a brush fire and approach the attack from a different angle. I very much enjoyed that moment. Climbing your first tower is awesome because the game looks incredible under ultra settings - my pc is about 2 years old too and the framerate is better than Skyrim on a whole. Expand
  19. Jan 10, 2013
    10
    BUY THIS GAME NOW. This game is absolutely amazing, I usually go in-depth and try give people a clear picture of a game when I review it but all I can say is this: This is basically Skyrim set on a tropical island in the present day real world with guns, amazing graphics, fascinating characters, a brilliant story and SUPER FUN side-missions, not to mention the great driving mechanics and freakin' sharks. If you're a videogamer you have to experience Far Cry 3 Expand
  20. May 14, 2013
    9
    The best game of 2012, yeah just like that, the question is why the hell it wasn't even a contender ta VGA's, probably because vga is full of crap! PS Just what the did to Deus Ex Human Revolution
  21. Dec 4, 2012
    10
    I really liked this game alot. It has great visuals and most importantly a fantastic story. This is one of the few games that has held my attention for quite some time. It has alot of the open fun that Crysis had along with one of the best boss fights i have ever seen.
  22. Jan 1, 2013
    9
    Excellent. The game has a pretty good storyline , Great graphics and immersing gameplay. UBisoft really outdid themselves with this one and Its a must have
  23. Feb 2, 2013
    10
    Far Cry 3 is now among one of the most amazing games I have ever played. Far Cry 3's story brought me to the boundaries of my very emotions. The story is so immersive, It managed to get my heart racing during extremely suspenseful moments, as if I was truly experiencing it for myself. Every character has a very distinctive, believable, and well-developed personality. You truly build an emotional connection with these characters, which sets the stage for an extremely influential story. Not only that, but the design choices made in the game greatly amplify the immersion, and encourage you think about the deeper themes that it's dark and unpredictable story may possess. But what about the gameplay? Good news, it's absolutely incredible. You are a warrior, a hunter, a stuntman, a skilled craftsman, you are everything you could ever hope to be and more. This game allows you to do so much, it's almost unbelievable. This is all complimented by the elaborate, beautiful, and extensive open world environment. The island is your playground, and even after completing the story there is still much left to accomplish on the island. Now, this is primarily a single-player review, as I value a good single-player experience over a multiplayer experience any day. However, I was delightfully surprised by the multiplayer in this game. I expected the multiplayer to be a more of a gimmick, since the single-player is already enough to warrant an amazing rating. However, Ubisoft actually delivered a decent, entertaining, and well-developed multiplayer experience. I give the story a 10/10, the gameplay a 10/10, and the multiplayer an 8/10. I am rounding this score up to a solid 10/10, because like I said, this is primarily a single-player review, and the single-player is worthy of this rating. Expand
  24. Dec 6, 2012
    10
    Let me get this straight, I HATE having to post a score just to balance misguided hate. So many of these zeroes, you get the mob mentality of "I never played Far Cry" or "I've never liked the series." Really? I mean, really? If you never liked the series, why even open your mouth? My suggestion would be just don't play it.
  25. Dec 21, 2012
    9
    The hunting feeling is great, but your character gets strong really fast and then completely overpower anything on the island. Bosses: Vaas was great, the rest were all stereotypical and boring. The main character doesn't behave as I would like him to also. He's scared of blood :p. He doesn't have sex with the girls. He never just hold on to one bad guy after beating him up and ask him to explain why the **** do they all work for this sickos?
    Wonderful environment otherwise. I Loved it.
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  26. Dec 4, 2012
    10
    This is a GAME OF THE YEAR contender for sure. The first thing I noticed was that the voice acting is top notch. It really brings you into the experience and makes the story more compelling. Of course the graphics and game design are great. But we all expected that from a Far Cry game. Ubisoft has also learned alot from the public and what they asked for. No more DRM!!! On Steam the game starts at $50 instead of $60 for a hard copy on all platforms. The only downside I have heard of is having to launch via uplay.... which frankly isn't that bad. The worst part was trying to remember which email address my uplay account was linked to. So in this jam packed gaming season just before xmas I would say this is still a easy buy and well worth the time and money!!!! Expand
  27. Dec 7, 2012
    9
    For me this is one of the standout games in the 2012 calendar, standing proud next to Dishonoured, Max Payne 3 and Forza Horizon 3. Looking back it seems to be a year of the 3
  28. Dec 4, 2012
    9
    Far Cry 3 is one of the games you should not afford to miss. From beautiful tropical islands to thick jungles, Dunia Engine 2 may not be best looking but still worth to satisfy the cause.The plot of game has simple yet entertaining elements . Micheal as Vaas has done a phenomenal job,but you will still found a hell lot of insanity in the game . Gun system(without malfunction) now feel so much fun and driving different range of vehicles always feel awesome. Though i didn't like Hunting-Skinning,Tower as well as its buying system , but there is soo much in campaign that you find it a perfect sequel of Far Cry 3 series Expand
  29. Dec 4, 2012
    9
    The best Shooter since Crysis 1 back in 2007. The performance is great for me, with an 4-year old PC (playing on high). (Intel 9650 4x3,0ghz, 4gb ram, geforce 570gtx 1gb)

    The island is huge and in every corner you can find something special. Another great feature is that the world in Far Cry 3 is soooo alive animals attack pirates or your allies fight against them. I love it. The graph
    ics are nice. There are some nice shadow effects and the jungle looks like a jungle. Maybe you meet a tiger in there...

    Right now i played 5h+ and i must say that the story is awesome. Its not a normal story like in Call Of Duty or Battlefield 3 its unique in some ways.
    I dont get bored with this game, you have so many things to do. Collect relicts, or just hunting animals to collect skins for upgrading your inventory. You also can play like you want. Play like rambo? Yes you can! You want to be sneaky. Just do if you want!

    Two things i dont like in Far Cry 3 are the multiplayer. Its nearly the same as Call of Duty. You unlock weapons with every level you complete. (But i dont care about the multiplayer because i bought this game for the singleplayer experience)
    The other things is that the artificial intelligence is quiet easy to fight against. Sometimes they dont really know whats going on.

    This game deserves to be the best game of 2012!!
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  30. Dec 4, 2012
    9
    I really enjoyed Far Cry, but felt a little bit let down by Far Cry 2, so I was a bit apprehensive about Far Cry 3, but it really brought back the Far Cry experience for me. Ultimately I have a goal I need to achieve, as part of the main story, but my methods, how prepared I am and how accomplished I am are entirely down to me.

    The action is intense, explosive and satisfying, the weapon
    s have a great feel to them (especially the bow, oh wow I love the bow!)

    It's very open world, graphically very well polished but also very well optimised, you don't necessarily need the best PC in the world to run this game and it still look good, which is a great difference to a few titles released recently that rely on the consumer to have ridiculously powerful systems!

    Just like to add that my opinion of the game reflects purely the single player.
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Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 43 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 43
  2. Negative: 0 out of 43
  1. 89
    Far Cry 3 is a classic shooter at its core, but there are various RPG mechanics, skills and upgrades under the hood. It’s a fabulous playing ground and one can but marvel at the wondrous ways the various elements interact with each other. [January 2013]
  2. Jan 29, 2013
    75
    Exhilarating, colorful, mindless – that's Far Cry 3 in three words.
  3. Jan 24, 2013
    90
    Tighter and more accessible than Far Cry 2, the third outing is a master class in open world shooting. [Feb 2013, p.59]