Now, Far Cry 3 has arrived with the same stunning graphics as well as with a special story that deals with insanity and how far a regular man, in this case protagonist Jason Brody, will go in order to survive on a pirate-infested tropical island and what he'll do in order to save his friends.

+Great blend of shooting and role-playing elements; +Lots of side activities; +Stunning graphics; +Unique characters; on 09 Dec 2012; 07:33 UTC

-Quite a few glitches; -Hunting gets annoying; -Stealth system doesn't always work

There we were, driving down a bumpy, pothole-ridden dirt road, when the onscreen indicator for enemies suddenly lit up like the muzzle flashes from the car we had just driven past.

Pulse-pounding gameplay; superb weapon selection; satisfying gunplay; gorgeous graphics

Peaks too early; main story is weak; too many cutscenes

Ridiculous. This is the one word that perfectly embodies the incredible experience that is Far Cry 3 . It permeates every aspect of the game, peeks out from behind every mechanic, and saturates every struggle in the game, be it the meta-narrative or an intense firefight.

Lush visuals; truly open-ended gameplay; no skill point starvation; a plethora of activities and missions to engage in; emergent gameplay; cool skill-tree; outpost captures are awesome

Illogical at times; story starts strong but stagnates quickly; infrequently quirky AI

Far Cry 3 is a delightful and harsh tropical wonderland, crawling with wildlife and threatened by the pirates and drug runners that disrupt its peace. The troubled paradise you explore is colorful and wild, enticing you to investigate its ravines and discover new ways to enjoy the open-world...

A huge tropical world stuffed with fun things to do; Ecology and unpredictable creatures make the world come alive; Stealth and action come together in rewarding ways; Role-playing elements and difficulty curve give a sense of momentum; Great structure leads you from one activity to the next

Some design quirks lead to minor frustrations; Certain story elements break the immersion

It says something about games writers' states of mind when they come up with characters like the ones you'll meet in Far Cry 3. Straight away Ubisoft sets the tone to dark and nasty with a sun- and alcohol-drenched vacation that goes disturbingly wrong, and tosses you into an island paradise to...

The Far Cry franchise has struggled to find its exact place in the world of shooters. Far Cry 3 is no exception, bringing back the lush environments of the first game and the spin-off series, the shooting and fire propagation mechanics of the second game, and a few tricks and elements from other...

Update: All clear! Now if only Crysis 3 can get its series back to its open-world shooter roots, we might be onto something here. Are you a fan of this open-world design, or do you prefer your shooters well-scripted and linear? With lots of explosions. Yes, lots of explosions...

Massive world to explore; addictive hunting, gathering, and crafting; fantastic villain

Generic multiplayer; linear, scripted story levels; DX11 crash bug

Far Cry 3 is the type of emergent open-world shooter that only current-generation technology can accomplish, but its campaign is filled with stale ideas. Its ambitious framework and strong first impression write a lot of checks that it can't cash, especially when it comes to the lackluster story...

There's plenty I haven't had space to talk about, like the drug experiences or the Indiana Jones temple moments, but if you have any questions just leave a comment below and I'll endeavour to answer – as this is a particular game where I'm sure you'll have plenty.

I really really loved Far Cry 3. The Far Cry series has been very difficult for me to quantify, as the first game is my favorite game of all time, and the second... Well, we don't talk about the second. Far Cry 3 falls in between the two, but it definitely gets closer to the first.