Far Cry Instincts Predator (X360)

I picked this up last night for $60. I sure hope there is a sale soon so I can price adjust.

- I've only played about one hour so far. I did boot up the old xbox far cry so I could compare back to back.
- Graphics are pretty good but don't particularly look next gen to me. This is definitely an upscale version of the original xbox game. Now granted I thought the original xbox version looked great. I was just expecting more of an update on the X360. It didn't look like they reworked much of the textures or models. Water does look nice but overall I expected much more. Framerate is good.
- It didn't help that I just watched the GDC Crysis trailer. Now THAT looks next gen:
Port this to X360!!!!
- They lock you out of chapter 2 until you complete chapter one though you can unlock it with the cheat code "GiveMeItAll"
- I've read the checkpoints are more frequent in this version. Once nice touch is if you hit a checkpoint with say only 5 health when you die and respawn you always start with at lest 50 health.
- The controls feel a bit off. It's almost like there is a bit of a lag. The acceleration curve is all wrong. It takes too long to get going (when panning around). Then, once you start turning around it goes way too fast. It needs a more gradual acceleration curve over the entire travel distance of the analog stick. So basically it feels mushy and over sensitive at the same time. Adjusting the sensitivity doesn't help a whole lot. The xbox version also has this issue to some extent but for some reason it seems worse on the X360.
- I still haven't tried multiplayer or the map editor.

Overall I'm still enjoying this game but I expected a bit more of an upgrade on the X360. I hear chapter 2 is kind of short. If you haven't played Instincts then this 2 for 1 deal is great. But if you are like me who already purchased instincts on xbox then I feel a bit let down only getting an upscaled version of the xbox game plus what amounts to an expansion for $60.

Some impressions on XBOX instincts
First impressions (about 1-2hrs of play)

- xbox exclusive.
- very pretty for the xbox. not quite as nice as the pc but close. there's some pop in on the foliage. They tried to do some pseudo HDR lighting and I personally don't like it. Some things just look too bright in the sun. But other than that very nice graphics.
- This game shares NOTHING from the PC version except the characters, setting, and probably some of the storyline. So far there hasn't been a single duplicate map/mission. It's all new.
- Gameplay feels more linear (but that isn't really a bad thing). You rarely get lost. You always know where to go next (it's shown in your compass). The controls are spot on (very halo like). Weapons feel nice when fired. The gun play and battles are great. There are some innovative gameplay elements I haven't seen before like setting traps or get this. You can go prone, crawl under one of those island huts on stilts, turn around and lie on your back, and shoot the enemies between the floor boards. That is way cool. AI seems almost as good as the PC version.
- Check point save system that hasn't been too bad so far. No difficulty settings but there is a place to enter cheat codes.
- extensive live support that I haven't had a chance to test yet
- Levels are HUGE.

Overall this is an excellent shooter for xbox and is highly recommended.