In an age where the search for deeper meaning in our interactive entertainment pursuits begins later the commencement trailer — where more thought goes into postal service-game critical analysis than development — a game that bears its shallow soul for all to see is a blessing. "The game is stupid," Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon creative director Dean Evans proudly proclaimed during a recent press upshot — not foolish pride, but pride in foolishness.

"Dare to be stupid," sang parody artist Weird Al Yankovick in a song actualization in the 1986 blithe Transformers movie, a contemporary to the belatedly 80s, early 90s action films from which this day-glo Far Weep three spin-off takes much of its inspiration. As a young teen I enjoyed the tune in the same way I enjoyed movies similar Terminator and Aliens (both featuring Michael Biehn, the voice of Blood Dragon'south protagonist) — mindless fun.

The game casts players as Sergeant Male monarch 'Power' Colt, a name we wouldn't have blinked an eye at back in 86. He'south a special forces cyborg with a homo to kill, but beginning he'southward going to have to kill all of the things standing betwixt him and that man. The game's loosely about saving the world. Heck, if we were in the 80s it might have been heralded equally a commentary on the Common cold War. We were pretty ridiculous in the 80s.

The story unfolds through a series of 2D cutscenes that wouldn't exist out-of-place in an NES-era adventure (well, except for the foul linguistic communication and... other things). And when those scenes end, information technology's into a day-glo nightmare from the early on days of MTV.

If a black light affiche bankrupt open a neon bar sign and inhaled its contents, this would exist what the puddle of vomit around its corpse would look like when the police constitute him. It was nice and novel for the first couple of hours, but I soon found myself yearning for the cloudy blue skies of Far Cry 3 proper.

Ubisoft has done great and terrible things with the game engine, transforming it into a nightmare world, where wild boars roam the purple plains, backs covered with neon graffiti. Where mutated gila monsters — the eponymous claret dragons — prowl the tiny island, seeking to brand a meal of whatever flesh your cyborg body still possesses.

Equally outlandish and garish as this tiny island is, at that place is e'er something in that location to remind me of Far Weep iii. There'southward the sugariness-spot shooting (not besides loose, non too tight) that helped push me to nominate an FPS — not my normal go-to genre — for game of the year last year. There are outposts to conquer, side-missions to complete for weapon upgrades, coin to collect and animals to hunt. The crafting arrangement is gone (and practiced riddance), and the leveling system has swapped tattoo-based branching trees for straightforward level-based power upgrades. Oh, and the developers couldn't resist the opportunity to scare the living shit out of me with an alligator. They get me every damn time.

Merely alligator attacks are few and far between — Blood Dragon would much rather make you laugh than make yous scream, and it'south damn skillful at it. Michael Biehn sighs gruffly through the opening tutorials, eager to get with the killing and catchphrases. The dialogue sounds as if information technology were written past a thirteen year-sometime me, more concerned with how absurd it sounds than how much sense it makes. "Tell them I died for my state," ane of Rex's compatriots tells him during a moment of tension. "You'll tell them that yourself!" he responds.

That's the power of overt, honest stupidity. I just described 2 things I despise in a game attempting to be taken seriously. Bad dialogue and repetitive vox clips would completely kill most games for me, but there is no pretension here at all. There is no other expectation. It's the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker of first-person shooters, delivering ridiculous with a direct face, Airplane! way.

There are people who consider Far Cry three to be the wrong kind of stupid — a senseless story masquerading as something deep and meaningful. There are many games that practice simply that, and sometimes they succeed. Far Cry 3: Claret Dragon isn't trying to fool anyone, and that's why I loved every minute.