Far Cry 3 is a really, really good game. One of the year’s best, I’d wager. I’ve had so much fun with it that I’m playing it again, just for the heck of it, and shooting for 100% completion.
https://lastchance.cc/far-cry-3-the-kotaku-review-5962414%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
The game’s invasive, pestering heads-up display is one of the most annoying in recent memory. My annoyance is doubtless due in large part to the fact that the game itself is so good, its world so lovely and immersive, that I wish it’d get out of my way. Far Cry 3 is a game that demands to be documented with screenshots, but the invasive HUD stymies every attempt.
Rare is the moment when there isn’t some sort of message on screen, either a note nudging you on towards your next story goal, a tutorial for a skill you mastered the first time through, or a tip on how to overcome your current obstacle. All of these are perfectly helpful for some players, but unfortunately, more experienced players can’t turn any of them off. Not the tips, the tutorials, the objective reminders and waypoint indicators, or the info-stocked mini-map. (And by now I hope we all know how I feel about mini-maps.)
https://lastchance.cc/youve-been-playing-gta-iv-wrong-5828760%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
The result is greatly reduced visibility, a problem that would’ve been greatly mitigated by giving players the ability to turn off or minimize the HUD in the options menu. Alas, the game allows for none of that. All that’s left now is to hold out hope for a patch. Given how deep, unpredictable and flat-out fun Far Cry 3 is, I can see myself playing it for months and even years to come. It’s a shame the game will always treat me like a newbie.
