The Right Trigger: "Far Cry 3" Review

Well, the time has come for me to review Far Cry 3, and I have a lot to say, so I'll skip the witty introduction and just get right to it.
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Yes. This is actually from the game. Be amazed (1)

-Some of the greatest graphics I've ever seen.
-Great voice acting for all the major characters.
-the characters were always Three dimensional and well-portrayed.
-An open world system that just begs to be explored.
-all of the miscellaneous side-quests are fun, and some even have pretty huge plot twists of their own.
-The plot itself was just long enough to be satisfactory, and it was an exceptionally good plot filled with twists and turns at every corner.
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One of the 120 relics that I thoroughly enjoyed scouring the map looking for (2)

-Even with the great plot, I was always more busy searching for relics or lost letters or completing side-quests, liberating outposts, etc. Because I loved the experience so much. I got up to 99% game complete (not 100, because I did not grab 1 of the 120 relics in time), which is something that I have never once had the patience to do, not even in an elder scrolls game would I scour the map for 120 small relics.
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Charge in? Or go in quietly? (3)

-It was truly a perfect balance between stealth and action gameplay, things were always better when done stealthfully, but if you messed up you could easily just whip out the guns and start shooting.
-Once again I have to mention the map, the game takes place on a tropical island, and the setting is just dream-like in its beauty and atmosphere. Every little detail is amazing, from the slight haze of the distant mountains as you first exit a cave to the light filtering down onto a manta ray passing by underneath the sea.
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Yep. Also in-game (4)

-In order to carry more stuff, more guns, more syringes, you need to make holsters, bigger bags, things like that, and none of the components are sold. To get components to make life easier, you have to look on the map and hunt the animals whose hides you need to make stuff. Things like this give the game an atmosphere of survival that I really wanted in games like Fallout 3.
-The diversity of animals on the island was huge, from small crabs and lizards that one might not even notice to the tigers, leopards, Komodo dragons, goats, tapirs, etc.
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One of the many ruins that you go through on treasure hunts (5)

-Several Indiana Jones 'esque ancient chinese treasure hunts resulting in running as fast as you can from booby traps.
-A story of internal struggle running along with the external. A coming of age-esque self-discovery tale.
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A picture simply cannot capture the amazing sensation of flying that this game induces (6)

-Did I forget to mention you can fly? You can. There are hang-gliders scattered around the island, and in the second half of the game you get a wing-suit and a parachute, so you can fly whenever you jump off of a small hill, and the visual effect of it is enough to make any uneasy flier sick.
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If you are hurt by being shot, you pick the bullet out to heal (7)

-Part of the healing system is, if you're out of medicine, you heal by other means. A small in-game animation of you wrapping gauze on your arm or picking a bullet out will play, once again giving the game an intense atmosphere of survival.
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I don't think there has ever been a better vehicle mechanic than the one in Far Cry 3 (8)

-Exceptional driving aspect. There are several vehicles, from jeeps to massive cargo trucks to boats to jet skis, etc. and they are incredibly fun to drive....either on the road or off of cliffs, like I do.
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Ahhh, the bow and arrow. A single gamer's true dream (9)

-You get to use a bow and arrow. I am aware that, if writing a five page review about a videogame on facebook weren't enough to ensure that I remain single for the rest of my life, that statement would seal the deal. But in a world where guns are the main weapon, the option to go primal and use a bow and arrow for stealth and one hit kills is a welcome aspect.
-Supernatural elements are thrown in every now and then, and they are always justified. Always a surprise, but always justified, and always welcome.
-The feeling of being hunted is always there until you conquer all the outposts. The "oh crap" playing in the back of my head whenever I heard a car drive by, at which point I would have to hide in the bushes to ensure that the slavers wouldn't catch me, once again added to the survival aspect of this story, and it just made the atmosphere all the better.
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Never before have I had so much fun losing vast sums of money (10)

-Did I mention every minuscule thing is fun? Even the completely optional poker games. I never do that in games, but I found myself enjoying even the friggin card games.
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A beautiful sunset, which I feel is the perfect way to end this review (11)

This is a game that I have a million and more good things to say about, in addition to what I've written already. The only negatives were the hunting quest where you had to hunt dogs with a flamethrower...and an RPG. Those were saddening, and the fact that it had to end. This was a game that I wanted never to end. Tonight I collected the rest of the collectables, got as far up the % complete as I could go without finishing the game, and I was very sad because I knew that this fantastic game was going to end soon. I would be finished with the island and all of its adventures. All in all, the 2012 Reagan Wilkins game of the year is one of the greatest games I've ever played. The positives outweigh the two small negatives so much that they don't even take away a single point overall. This is an adventure game the likes of which I have never experienced before, and probably never will again.
And so, it is for these reasons and many, many, many, many, many more that, with a perfect score, Far Cry 3 may quite possibly win the Reagan Wilkins game of the year award for 2012.
10/10
Well done, Ubisoft, well done.