Far Cry Instincts

The game follows the story of a man named Jack Carver (voiced by Stephen Dorff). Carver is a former officer in the United States Navy, who was dishonorably discharged following a number of illegal actions. Afterwards, he sets up a shop in Manhattan and began supplying illegal arms to anyone and everyone, until a gang performed a hit using weapons supplied by Jack against a Mafia heir. Consequently, a price was put on his head by the Mob and he was forced to flee the United States and settle in Micronesia.

Carver purchased a used boat from a government auction and spent his time ferrying tourists and diving clubs around the area. Eventually, a woman named Valerie Cortez shows up, offering a large sum if Jack would take her to a remote archipelago known as "Jacutan". Carver accepts, albeit with caution.

Upon arriving at Jacutan, Cortez borrows a jet-ski from Jack and heads off on her own. Unworried, Jack decides to nap until she returns. When he awakes, Carver is startled to find UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters flying around his boat. They open fire on him, destroying his boat and force him to take cover inside a nearby wrecked Japanese aircraft carrier.

At this point, the player assumes control. After a brief introduction level, the player acquires a headset and is directed by a mysterious voice who calls himself "Doyle". As it turns out, Cortez is part of the CIA and came to rescue Doyle. Doyle had been on a mission to expose the works of a mad scientist named Dr. Krieger. Krieger, along with his right-hand man, an ex-Apartheid officer named Colonel Richard Crowe, were attempting to develop a serum that would enhance the physical abilities of man and "unlock" hidden animal traits.

Doyle convinces Carver to find and rescue Cortez, who has been captured by Crowe and his mercenaries. While covering Cortez, Carver himself is captured by Crowe on the orders of Doctor Krieger, who notes Carver's resourcefulness and tenacity and decided he would make a good test subject. Carver is injected with the serum and is to be transported to an observation area when he recovers prematurely and escapes and discovers, to his shock, that he has new "feral abilities", such as increased speed, night vision and a violent melee attack.

Along with the feral powers comes an implant designed to regulate the serum's effects and allows for specialized weapons to be used against Carver. Doyle commands Carver to find his way to Doyle's position, so that the implant can be removed. Along the way, Carver has to prevent a mercenary computer programmer from deciphering a pocket PC that belongs to Cortez, which would, in turn, blow Doyle's cover. Descending into an old World War II-era Japanese bunker to stop the decryption, Jack is cornered by the mercenaries as he attempts to escape. He retreats through an old underground mining complex and follows Doyle's instructions to the main research facility. Carver then makes his way to the facility, where he discovers the extent of Krieger's work and the mutant monsters he has created. While in the facility, Carver discovers Crowe is gathering the mutants for an unknown purpose and then later, he finally meets with Doyle, who frees Carver from the implant. Upon having the implant removed, Jack begins to exhibit uncontrolled evolution; in game terms, the adrenaline cost for his abilities decreases and he gains the ability to carry and wield mounted weapons like the .50 caliber machine gun.

As Jack escapes the research facility, he discovers that Crowe has taken Doyle and the mutant serum and has unleashed the mutants in a plot to betray Krieger. Jack must fight through the middle of a war between Crowe's mercenaries, the feral mutants and an elite group of special forces under Krieger's personal command, under orders to "sanitize" Crowe's troops. Rescuing Doyle, Carver discovers that Crowe has injected himself with a quadruple dose of the serum Jack received and without an implant. Assuming control of the "Alpha" creatures, the most powerful and intelligent mutants with abilities similar to Jack's own, Crowe has gone straight to Kreiger's base of operations. Jack follows and fights his way to Dr. Krieger's mansion atop an active volcano, where he battles and defeats the physically deformed Crowe. Krieger, in a last-ditch effort to use the Alphas against Jack, realizes that they now view Jack as their leader due to his victory over Crowe. The mutants turn on Dr. Krieger and kill him, viewing him as a threat to Jack, and thus allow him to escape as the volcano erupts. Jack is able to retreat onto a Black Hawk piloted by Cortez and Doyle, who promise to pay for a new boat to replace his destroyed one; Doyle also promises that they "can do one better" and slides a metal case to Jack, who opens it and laughs cryptically at the unseen contents as the helicopter flies away.

The game includes subtle thematic elements relating to the dangers of genetic engineering and the genocide of local islanders, as can be seen by the deformed creatures created by Krieger. Also, a mysterious backdrop relating to dinosaurs is revealed via in-game radios that will sometimes carry programs that discuss the history of dinosaurs and the possibility that some might still be alive. This is further developed by appearance of lizard-like animals (which resemble small dinosaurs) that reside in the jungles on the island.

The terrain in Far Cry: Instincts varies greatly. Set on a South Pacific archipelago, the landscape includes tropical rainforests, dense jungles, towering canyons, mines, swamps, and even volcanic forests.

The major gameplay addition to Far Cry: Instincts that was not present in the PC version is the aforementioned "Feral Ability". There is also a trap system that allows the player to create a booby trap by wrapping a spiked tree branch around nearby foliage. When an unsuspecting NPC walks by, they are killed by the branch-whip. Claymore mines are also available, and can be set up in the paths of enemies for devastating results. These traps can be employed in multiplayer as well. There is also a map editor that allows the player to create their own maps with access to many vehicles, guns, buildings, trees; and the ability to change the landscape. Water can not be added; it is at a constant height and a player can choose whether or not water is accessible by making the land higher or lower. They may upload the maps and use them on Xbox Live to play against friends.

• Far Cry Instincts at MobyGames
• Far Cry Instincts: Evolution at MobyGames
• Far Cry Instincts: Predator at MobyGames
• Far Cry Instincts, a 6-page promotional comic created by Penny Arcade
• Official website via Internet Archive