Video game review by ERIK LEIJON

When R. Kelly remixed “Ignition,” the blatantly sexual lyrics may have been replaced with more suggestive ones, but his minor tweaks here and there produced one of the most unforgettably catchy tracks of 2003. Ubisoft Montreal is just as masterful in the studio, because their next-gen remix of 2005’s Far Cry Instincts feels fresh enough for those who played last year’s iteration. If anything, it is more violent and action-packed than before.

Far Cry Instincts Predator (X360/Ubisoft, Ubisoft Montreal) isn’t a new game, but rather the original game souped-up graphically for the 360 (although the updated visuals pale in comparison with the other Ubisoft next-gen offering, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter), and a new “evolution” story mode that feels more like a jumble of previous missions with new locales. It’s more of the same, but in this case, it’s more of a great game.

For fans of the series, it might be a minor annoyance that in order to play the new evolution mode, you have to beat the original Instincts game first. It seems incomprehensible to force gamers to replay a game they finished just last fall, especially since the stories don’t seem connected. I’d hate to think they did it to prevent fans from just renting the game and blowing through the new story mode, because it may not be worth the $70 price tag for anyone who bought Instincts last year.

For fans of the original PC version, it should also be noted that while Instincts may have shared a few elements of the source material, Instincts Predator removes every shred of evidence that this was ever a PC shooter. Predator is a stealth-oriented FPS where you play Jack Carver, a one-man army who must kill often dozens of enemies at a time without taking a single blow or peering above the brush. Taking place on a jungle island, Jack can use trees to set up traps and must use plants to regenerate his feral powers.

Instincts Predator feels like a typical FPS until Jack evolves into a hunter-like creature, with his feral powers giving him heightened awareness, senses and physical abilities. What is graphically impressive is when Jack storms through the forest in feral mode and the environments around him become a blur. The water still looks better than any other game, and the jungle looks great, although the developers still haven’t solved the occasional clipping.

While still looking amazing, Far Cry Instincts for the Xbox 1 was impressive too, and the improvements here are extremely slight. The refinements are noticeable on the guns and hands, but most of the environments look about the same. The gameplay is completely unchanged, as is the high difficulty, although the new story mode is slightly easier than the original.

“Think of it as free anger management,” Doyle tells Carver near the start of Evolution mode, which perfectly encapsulates this violent and carnage-filled title. It might be hard to recommend paying sticker price if you bought Instincts last year, but Instincts Predator is still a fresh take on a great FPS.

Solid blocks

Tetris DS (DS, Nintendo) dares to mess with perfection. You can keep a block in a bank so you don’t have to use it, you get to see the preceeding six blocks as opposed to just the next, and you can make a block spin infinitely until you find out where to place it.

Don’t worry—the game is still as close to flawless as mankind has ever achieved. The new modes are forgettable (catch mode makes no sense but is fun), and it has Wi-Fi multiplayer.