![]() But I do wonder what would have stopped the story being about a local of the island rising up against the pirate oppressors. So I've argued why I think the story of the spoilt rich white kids having their worlds fall apart is not a bad thing. This might be discussed, it might be addressed, but it's certainly already there. Now, I've not finished the game - I am, by the map, halfway through. They can't fight against the pirates for themselves, but you can save them. You are the outsider who has come in and outdone them, shown them the true majesty of their savage abilities. And the locals begin to hear word of not only your helpful ways (which would seem fair - you're being very helpful) but also your abilities with their customs, your wielding of their powers. The antagonists call you Snow White, a derisory name but one that pretty much points out that you're the pure white American man in this land of colourful folks. The further you get, the more revered your character becomes. The premise relies on the belief that the individual's race is in some way debilitating, something their noble/mystical abilities are able to 'overcome'. The trope is that the non-white character possesses mystical insight, magical abilities, or simply a wisdom derived from such a 'simple life', that can enlighten the white man. And it also falls under the remit of the " Magical Negro". And it's here that the problems really kick in. Essentially, the locals behave as if they're helpless without you, but when you wield their tattoo-based magical powers then true greatness appears. Locals ask you to help them kill endangered species, find their missing daughters, and point out when their husbands are gay. White people ask you to get involved in enormously elaborate machinations, ancient mysteries, and local politics. As it is, you have the simple-folk-natives, and the immigrant white men with their mixture of South African and Australian accents. ![]() The issue is the horribly worn tropes it so lazily kicks around when it gets there. And that's the case - that's really not the issue here. I said, rather flippantly, that the people of this island are the race they are, because it's the island they're native to. Because Far Cry 3, well, it's a bit racist, isn't it? I also attempted to dismiss away the situation he was in. Yesterday I talked about the protagonist, and how while there were clearly problems, in the end I found myself liking this spoiled kid's descent into cruel, terrified brutality. Because I care enough about how good it is to want to highlight its shortcomings, partly in the hope that at least some of them can be patched out to stop marring this glorious thing. Why am I hammering this point home? Because I'm up at 7am to get an hour of Far Cry 3 in before I start work, despite having played it all last night and every spare moment of the weekend before it. So as I've said, while the whole of this article is negative, this isn't a statement that it's a negative game. But in the case of Far Cry 3, this isn't about picking up on issues that would pass in a more mediocre game - this is about really wantonly stupid mistakes, issues that defy the belief that any human being can have played the game before it was released, further evidencing the theory that this was indeed a game coded by tigers. And as I said yesterday, such experiences come at a price - when stuff is wrong, it looks very, very wrong. It is, overall, a very positive experience. ![]() A game that deserves celebration, a surprise treat from a series that never promised anything this involved, mad, and genre-busting. Yesterday I celebrated what is definitely a really fantastic game. ![]()
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