Anyone who played Far Cry 3 hit that point in the game where they said “self, this game is pretty cool, but would be even more awesome if they replaced Jason Brody with a Mark 4 Cyber-Commando, voiced by Michael Biehn, and had dragons that shot freaking lasers from their eyes.” Take that concept, apply a liberal helping of 80’s cheese, and serve it up in a post-apocalyptic island crockpot called Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, released May 1st for PSN, XBLA and Windows.
Fancy Killing You Here
Ubisoft Montreal set Blood Dragon in the near future: the year 2007. Sgt. Rex Power Colt, voiced by an enthusiastic Michael Biehn, and his partner, Spider, must infiltrate a terrorist installation, neutralize hostile forces, and deactivate their missiles. However, Colt’s former commander, Col. Sloan, kills his buddy and leaves Rex for dead.
Our hero is spared by an unlikely ally, one of Sloan’s subordinate scientists, Dr. Darling. Darling’s plan to stop Sloan is simple: kill all of Sloan’s cybernetic army, then kill Sloan, and don’t die yourself. That’s exactly the kind of plan I can get behind!
Is This an Expansion or What?
Blood Dragon has almost nothing to do with Far Cry 3. It’s a standalone title and you do not need to own, or even play, Far Cry 3 in order to enjoy Blood Dragon. Here’s the deal with the Far Cry 3 moniker: many game elements and environmentals are pulled directly from Far Cry 3. The boats and vehicles are the same and many of the same animals are here, only mutated or cybernetic. Additionally, ziplines, takedowns, and hang gliders all made the Blood Dragon cut. The weapon wheel is exactly the same as Far Cry 3, but the weapons are different. Even some of the gameplay goals, like liberating outposts, feature a Blood Dragon counterpart. Once a garrison is liberated, players may take on side quests to earn weapon upgrades. Side quests fall into three types: save a guy, kill a guy, or hunt a beast. Collectibles, in the forms of scientist diary entries, VHS rentals, and televisions, also unlock upgrades. Upgrades and ammo are purchased at vending machines in any garrison. This is the future, after all! Button configurations are identical in both games, so Far Cry 3 veterans can slip into Colt’s boots and start killing shit immediately.
Call For A Medic...So I Can Kill Him Too
Most of the personality in Far Cry 3 came from the game’s antagonists, most notably Vaas; Jason Brody couldn’t carry that game on his own. However, Blood Dragon is all about Rex Power Colt. Think of Rex as the ultimate American bad-ass hero from an 80’s action movie, complete with tough guy attitude and gritty one-liners. A hero of Colt’s stature must be appropriately armed. Some of the available weapons include a stealth bow, a burst-fire pistol, a shotgun with a quad-barrel upgrade and fire ammo, an assault rifle with upgradeable laser ammo, sniper rifle, grenades, mines, a flamethrower, a killing star, and a hella-fun minigun. Some installations and vehicles feature non-detachable machine gun emplacements that Rex can also utilize.
Blood Dragons
So, do you want the good news regarding Blood Dragons, or the bad news? I knew it, you’re one of those “the glass is half empty” gamers! Here’s the bad news: Blood Dragons are huge, voracious, plentiful, and shoot deadly lasers out of their eyes. Their blood has such a horrifying effect on humans that Sloan is packing that shit onto his missiles to launch at what’s left of humanity. Nothing personal, it’s just how Sloan rolls. The good news? Blood Dragons possess shitty eyesight and cyber hearts attract them. Blood Dragons are rather indiscriminate about who they attack, so feel free to chuck those cyber hearts into a group of enemies for a little cyborg vs. beastie action. The Dragons wear their hearts on their sleeves, so to speak. Blood Dragons glow green when docile, yellow when irritated or alert, and bright neon red when they are pissed smooth-the-fuck off. It’s like a mood ring that can be seen for miles!
Final Verdict
Blood Dragon is a relatively short game, I finished it in about 13 hours-including all collectibles-so it’s no shorter than Tomb Raider or Bioshock Infinite, which are full $60 titles. Coming in at 1200 MS points, or $15 if you prefer, Blood Dragon is worth it’s weight in, uh, I need an 80’s reference here. Oh yeah, it’s worth it’s weight in...Solid Gold (with Dionne Warwick and Andy Gibb...remember?)! Never mind, just go get the game.