


In addition to those fantastic draw distances, Far Cry had some of the best water seen in games up to that point, amazing foliage, realistic physics, and even early HDR. It might sound quaint now, but FC was one of the first games where players could point at something in the far-off distance and say to friends, "See that, I can actually go there." These were no static 2D backgrounds. Crytek put the CryEngine's ability to create realistic, massive outdoor areas and long draw distances to great use.

The first Far Cry was praised for its graphics, which were stunning at the time. The open-world tropical island setting remained: mercs and mutated monkeys replaced the dinosaurs, and an ex-US Special Forces soldier called Jack Carver was introduced. Following a canceled FPS called Engalus, Crytek was approached by Ubisoft to see if it would turn X-Isle into a full game-it obliged.
