I'm fairly sure Far Cry 3 is specifically designed to grab your attention in a vise-like grip and then mess with your sanity. We put hands on Ubisoft's upcoming sequel, and we were able to discern some facts about the game. There seems to be a heavier emphasis on pacing and outright violence this time around, with dashes of nudity and lunacy peppering the demo. Hell, the demo starts off with a topless woman grinding on top of you, and it ends with you being unsure of who you are. You're also reluctantly holding a gun against a man who is egging you on to kill him.

Perhaps it's a bit easier to explain the gameplay. Starting off in the demo, we found ourselves sufficiently well armed with a box and an assault rifle, and we had to infiltrate a camp filled with enemies in the pursuit of a man called Vaas. We first had to dive into a picturesque lake before performing a stealth takedown from the water against a hapless enemy on the dock, stabbing him and dragging him down to let his blood permeate the crystal-clear waters. Once on dry land, we bumbled our way through the forest; it pissed off a couple of guards, so we shot one and dispatched the other in melee combat. Every weapon has a unique melee attack, and in this case, instead of stringing an arrow, we used it to stab the poor guy. Had we not been so careless, we could have snuck into the camp to silently take down the guards, and we're told that it's entirely possible to make your way through an area without killing anyone.

It was good practice for the area ahead, though. As we crested a small ridge, we saw the camp, which was a collection of small shacks with a large structure just behind them. Displaying our continued disregard for stealth, we equipped an explosive arrow and launched it at a truck, causing both to explode and take out a few nearby enemies. We then used a zip line to keep up the pace of the carnage, landing in the camp to engage the enemy with our assault rifle. As we made our way into the large building, it was clear that Vaas was screwing with us, leaving psychotic messages scrawled in paint and recordings of himself playing on stacks of televisions. As we made our way to the end, the player entered some sort of hallucinogenic state, showing the player's reflection shifting between two or three different people before finally ending with the player character holding his pistol against a clearly psychotic Vaas.

We didn't get to check out much more of the game, but it was pretty clear that a lot of the issues with the combat in Far Cry 2 have been worked out. It's unclear how the rest of the game will pan out, but the gameplay of the demo felt solid and kept things moving along. The potential insanity of the player's character is certainly intriguing, and it would seem that Ubisoft is not afraid to push the envelope with Far Cry 3 in more than a few ways. Hopefully, we'll be able to cut through the madness soon, as the game is coming out later this year.