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It's been said in some circles that Far Cry 4 is more like Far Cry 3.5, due to the similarity to the previous outing.
Okay. I can respect that. Just remember I said so the next time you're playing "Call of Duty 2.4.6" or "Need for Speed 2 part 4".
Far Cry is a game series, and just like any other game series, it's supposed to build on what's already been learnt with each of the previous iterations, without cloning the previous games. What it shouldn't be doing is completely rewriting history every time, so 3.5 or 4 doesn't really matter. The real question is, does it change enough to be worth a play after Far Cry 3?
The old and familiar
Firstly, the control set is almost identical to 3, the same functions and moves, the same menu selections, everything. This is not a bad thing at all. I've played 3, and as such did not have to learn new tricks to pull off my favourite moves or select my favourite weapons. Where the control set was fluid and relatively intuitive before, so that fact remains. This is a game that's logically designed for keyboard and mouse, it works, plain and simple.
Also familiar will be the process of unlocking the map, weapons and upgrades via the use of lookout towers, initially controlled by Pagan Min and his cronies, and your job to liberate after a bit of a fight and an arduous climb. Shoot the bad guys, scale the rickety wooden structure (not forgetting to collect the goodies from the odd random lockbox), override the system and take the zipline down. Another part of the map populates, and all the general stores suddenly have new toys for you to blow stuff up with.
Outposts provide safe houses and fast travel locations once liberated, just like Far Cry 3. New missions and characters become available, along with upgrades via the skill points you earn. Capturing outposts can be achieved through several methods, including stealthy assassination, full frontal assault, or unleashing the local wildlife on the unwary occupants. Shoot open a cage, watch the tiger eat your opposition, or cap an elephnt in the rump and laugh as he throws a car at the nearest bad guy.
Hunting and crafting will bring benefits in the way of extra carrying capacity, better syringes and tonics, and new and exotic explosive items. Just like Far Cry 3, these will be majorly important to ensure your ongoing success in later missions, so facing down a bear or two, or killing a tiger are essential side missions. Do them in your own time, but make sure you do them!
Other side missions include countless collectibles, dozens of "hunting" missions, random "karma" events (we'll come back to those) and tons of little "easter eggs". Just like Far Cry 3, it's dead easy to get entirely side tracked when you set out for a particular mission or goal, and, just like Far Cry 3, it's dead easy to wind up riddled with bullets or mauled by Yogi just because you took the wrong path at the right time...
Yup, all very familiar...
The new and shiny bits
Well, for a start, it's set in the Himalayan foothills, so loads of mountains, rivers, streams and cliffs. A very different environment from 3, it demands a bit more respect. I can vouch for the fact that ATV's do not fare well when you take them full pelt over the edge of an 80 foot drop, hitting every tree possible on the way before landing, topside down, in a stream full of razor sharp rocks. Gone are the (mostly) gentle rolling hills, lush vegetation and sandy shores of a tropical island, instead say hello to sharp drops, towering cliffs, ragged trees and little villages perched precariously in the mountainside. It makes for some interesting and challenging objectives, as the terrain becomes an effective barrier to straightforward movement, forcing you to be creative and to use every advantage that presents itself.
Talking of which, gyrocopters...
Yes, little, flimsy flying machines will soon become your best friend! Fly over an enemy base, drop a couple of grenades or a handful of bait, watch the fun that ensues. Ignore the rugged terrain, the impassable cliffs, the wide open expanse of water inhabited by killer fish, just fly around and rain death from the skies...
...Until someone catches you with a lucky shot from a sniper rifle that is...
Also new to your armoury is the grappling hook, allowing you to scale the heights, sneaking up on your enemy from cliff-side, and in conjunction with two new skills (death from above, death from below), your options are newly expanded. There's more than a little bit of the "Assassin's Creed" about this game, which, I guess, is not really surprising, but it does mean that the stealth side of things is far more effective and fun.
Karma missions are little random events that'll pop up unexpectedly as you travel. One of your rebel buddies might be in trouble, for example, pinned down in a firefight, and it's your duty as a good and righteous human being to get in there and save them. You'll earn a little karma as a result, which leads to some nice little perks, like being able to summon your buddies when you're in a tight spot (surprisingly useful, I might add!).
And talking of buddying up, the online co-op mode springs a load more missions on you. It's kind of "drop in and play" crossed with a proper online multiplayer mode, a hybrid system that Ubisoft have used to great effect in others of their gaming series'. Ignore it if you like, you don't have to do anything multiplayer unless you want to, but just occasionally it's nice to be sociable. Again, there are some nice little rewards to be gained too...
I couldn't mention all of the new stuff without giving a big shout for the elephants. Elephants are cool, elephants are fun, elephants are big, scary and dangerous! You can antagonise them, causing them the break everything within a wide radius, you can ride them, you can charge into battle on them, they're like a floppy-eared tank with a bad temper and that makes me smile! There's something oddly satisfying about using an elephant as a weapon.
Story and characters
There has been some debate over the strength of the "supporting cast" in Far Cry 4, particularly with regard to Pagan Min, the despotic, self-proclaimed king of the region. I find this a little odd, as he's every bit as ruthless, depraved and insane as any Ubisoft bad guy could get. For example, the first appearance of Pagan Min in the game sees him stab one of his own men to death with a (very nice) gold fountain pen, before taking you off to his mountaintop retreat, where he takes the urn containing your mother's ashes, dips his finger in and has a taste...
He is, for want of a better word, despicable. I'm not sure I dislike him in the same way as I did Vaas, but he does disturb me considerably, and for very different reasons. Vaas was chilling, cold and heartless, but calculating and aware of his actions. Pagan Min is just simply devoid of boundaries, mindless of the hurt he causes, self-serving and shallow; what you see is what you get, and believe me, you don't want it!
Your dislike of Pagan Min is... instinctive, and perhaps this is where the problem sits. With Vaas, you wanted to hate him, but there was always that little bit in the back of your mind that wanted to see what he'd do next, that wanted to see how crazy he'd get. With Pagan Min, there's an edge that just horrifies on a visceral level.
If there was a game where you got to play as Vaas, you'd love it, it's good to be bad once in a while, right? But a game where you got to be Pagan Min... I'm not so sure...
I've not finished the game yet, so I have a considerable amount of the story to go, but what I've seen so far works for me. There's enough grit for it to encourage that FPS attitude, but enough subtlety to give you a proper "story". The missions are varied (more so than in 3, in my opinion) and, in many cases, quite lengthy, the map is huge and, as previously mentioned, quite complex and challenging, so you won't be racing through this unless you're dumb enough to want to miss the good stuff.
Technical bits...
Ubisoft clearly need to get their heads screwed on when it comes to "minimum specifications". According to the tech specs for the game, I shouldn't be able to run it on my PC, but I'm comfortably set at the highest settings with a decent framerate on my little £90 AMD quad core (the "recommended" specs "want" an eight-core AMD apparently, with my specific processor marked as "not suitable"...). But then, that was the same for Assassin's Creed Unity, which is also running flat out and pretty.
One thing you WILL want is a decent DX 11 graphics card. There's a massive amount of cutting-edge prettiness here, everything from proper soft shadows to ambient occlusion from every leaf and branch, proper water and parallax effects. Just like Far Cry 3, this is a truly stunning environment to spend a few weeks in. Technically, like most Ubisoft games, this is like a master class in texture- and lighting- artistry, and I have yet to find a flaw.
As ever, Ubisoft manage to pull off the convincing AI trick quite... well... convincingly, as it goes. Enemy troops react to gunfire, distractions and incursions as you would expect, attempting flanking manouvres, or to flush you out with a well placed grenade, or, as happened to me, they'll try to burn you out with a little brush fire. In fact, the enemy can be every bit as tricky and as sneaky as you are able to be at times.
So, is it worth it?
If you loved 3, absolutely.
If you wanted more from 3, beyond any shadow of a doubt.
If you hated 3, WHY ARE YOU READING THIS REVIEW?! Did you not see my opening statement?
There's enough that's new and fresh for this to be worth every penny, built on a solid core of tried and tested systems, controls and game elements to ensure a fluid gaming experience. What's not to love?
Call it Far Cry 3.5, Far Cry 4 or Far Cry ++, it doesn't matter. Buy it, ride elephants and fly a gyrocopter, trash some jungle and climb some cliffs. Say what you like, it's one hell of a place to visit.
10/10
Okay. I can respect that. Just remember I said so the next time you're playing "Call of Duty 2.4.6" or "Need for Speed 2 part 4".
Far Cry is a game series, and just like any other game series, it's supposed to build on what's already been learnt with each of the previous iterations, without cloning the previous games. What it shouldn't be doing is completely rewriting history every time, so 3.5 or 4 doesn't really matter. The real question is, does it change enough to be worth a play after Far Cry 3?
The old and familiar
Firstly, the control set is almost identical to 3, the same functions and moves, the same menu selections, everything. This is not a bad thing at all. I've played 3, and as such did not have to learn new tricks to pull off my favourite moves or select my favourite weapons. Where the control set was fluid and relatively intuitive before, so that fact remains. This is a game that's logically designed for keyboard and mouse, it works, plain and simple.
Also familiar will be the process of unlocking the map, weapons and upgrades via the use of lookout towers, initially controlled by Pagan Min and his cronies, and your job to liberate after a bit of a fight and an arduous climb. Shoot the bad guys, scale the rickety wooden structure (not forgetting to collect the goodies from the odd random lockbox), override the system and take the zipline down. Another part of the map populates, and all the general stores suddenly have new toys for you to blow stuff up with.
Outposts provide safe houses and fast travel locations once liberated, just like Far Cry 3. New missions and characters become available, along with upgrades via the skill points you earn. Capturing outposts can be achieved through several methods, including stealthy assassination, full frontal assault, or unleashing the local wildlife on the unwary occupants. Shoot open a cage, watch the tiger eat your opposition, or cap an elephnt in the rump and laugh as he throws a car at the nearest bad guy.
Hunting and crafting will bring benefits in the way of extra carrying capacity, better syringes and tonics, and new and exotic explosive items. Just like Far Cry 3, these will be majorly important to ensure your ongoing success in later missions, so facing down a bear or two, or killing a tiger are essential side missions. Do them in your own time, but make sure you do them!
Other side missions include countless collectibles, dozens of "hunting" missions, random "karma" events (we'll come back to those) and tons of little "easter eggs". Just like Far Cry 3, it's dead easy to get entirely side tracked when you set out for a particular mission or goal, and, just like Far Cry 3, it's dead easy to wind up riddled with bullets or mauled by Yogi just because you took the wrong path at the right time...
Yup, all very familiar...
The new and shiny bits
Well, for a start, it's set in the Himalayan foothills, so loads of mountains, rivers, streams and cliffs. A very different environment from 3, it demands a bit more respect. I can vouch for the fact that ATV's do not fare well when you take them full pelt over the edge of an 80 foot drop, hitting every tree possible on the way before landing, topside down, in a stream full of razor sharp rocks. Gone are the (mostly) gentle rolling hills, lush vegetation and sandy shores of a tropical island, instead say hello to sharp drops, towering cliffs, ragged trees and little villages perched precariously in the mountainside. It makes for some interesting and challenging objectives, as the terrain becomes an effective barrier to straightforward movement, forcing you to be creative and to use every advantage that presents itself.
Talking of which, gyrocopters...
Yes, little, flimsy flying machines will soon become your best friend! Fly over an enemy base, drop a couple of grenades or a handful of bait, watch the fun that ensues. Ignore the rugged terrain, the impassable cliffs, the wide open expanse of water inhabited by killer fish, just fly around and rain death from the skies...
...Until someone catches you with a lucky shot from a sniper rifle that is...
Also new to your armoury is the grappling hook, allowing you to scale the heights, sneaking up on your enemy from cliff-side, and in conjunction with two new skills (death from above, death from below), your options are newly expanded. There's more than a little bit of the "Assassin's Creed" about this game, which, I guess, is not really surprising, but it does mean that the stealth side of things is far more effective and fun.
Karma missions are little random events that'll pop up unexpectedly as you travel. One of your rebel buddies might be in trouble, for example, pinned down in a firefight, and it's your duty as a good and righteous human being to get in there and save them. You'll earn a little karma as a result, which leads to some nice little perks, like being able to summon your buddies when you're in a tight spot (surprisingly useful, I might add!).
And talking of buddying up, the online co-op mode springs a load more missions on you. It's kind of "drop in and play" crossed with a proper online multiplayer mode, a hybrid system that Ubisoft have used to great effect in others of their gaming series'. Ignore it if you like, you don't have to do anything multiplayer unless you want to, but just occasionally it's nice to be sociable. Again, there are some nice little rewards to be gained too...
I couldn't mention all of the new stuff without giving a big shout for the elephants. Elephants are cool, elephants are fun, elephants are big, scary and dangerous! You can antagonise them, causing them the break everything within a wide radius, you can ride them, you can charge into battle on them, they're like a floppy-eared tank with a bad temper and that makes me smile! There's something oddly satisfying about using an elephant as a weapon.
Story and characters
There has been some debate over the strength of the "supporting cast" in Far Cry 4, particularly with regard to Pagan Min, the despotic, self-proclaimed king of the region. I find this a little odd, as he's every bit as ruthless, depraved and insane as any Ubisoft bad guy could get. For example, the first appearance of Pagan Min in the game sees him stab one of his own men to death with a (very nice) gold fountain pen, before taking you off to his mountaintop retreat, where he takes the urn containing your mother's ashes, dips his finger in and has a taste...
He is, for want of a better word, despicable. I'm not sure I dislike him in the same way as I did Vaas, but he does disturb me considerably, and for very different reasons. Vaas was chilling, cold and heartless, but calculating and aware of his actions. Pagan Min is just simply devoid of boundaries, mindless of the hurt he causes, self-serving and shallow; what you see is what you get, and believe me, you don't want it!
Your dislike of Pagan Min is... instinctive, and perhaps this is where the problem sits. With Vaas, you wanted to hate him, but there was always that little bit in the back of your mind that wanted to see what he'd do next, that wanted to see how crazy he'd get. With Pagan Min, there's an edge that just horrifies on a visceral level.
If there was a game where you got to play as Vaas, you'd love it, it's good to be bad once in a while, right? But a game where you got to be Pagan Min... I'm not so sure...
I've not finished the game yet, so I have a considerable amount of the story to go, but what I've seen so far works for me. There's enough grit for it to encourage that FPS attitude, but enough subtlety to give you a proper "story". The missions are varied (more so than in 3, in my opinion) and, in many cases, quite lengthy, the map is huge and, as previously mentioned, quite complex and challenging, so you won't be racing through this unless you're dumb enough to want to miss the good stuff.
Technical bits...
Ubisoft clearly need to get their heads screwed on when it comes to "minimum specifications". According to the tech specs for the game, I shouldn't be able to run it on my PC, but I'm comfortably set at the highest settings with a decent framerate on my little £90 AMD quad core (the "recommended" specs "want" an eight-core AMD apparently, with my specific processor marked as "not suitable"...). But then, that was the same for Assassin's Creed Unity, which is also running flat out and pretty.
One thing you WILL want is a decent DX 11 graphics card. There's a massive amount of cutting-edge prettiness here, everything from proper soft shadows to ambient occlusion from every leaf and branch, proper water and parallax effects. Just like Far Cry 3, this is a truly stunning environment to spend a few weeks in. Technically, like most Ubisoft games, this is like a master class in texture- and lighting- artistry, and I have yet to find a flaw.
As ever, Ubisoft manage to pull off the convincing AI trick quite... well... convincingly, as it goes. Enemy troops react to gunfire, distractions and incursions as you would expect, attempting flanking manouvres, or to flush you out with a well placed grenade, or, as happened to me, they'll try to burn you out with a little brush fire. In fact, the enemy can be every bit as tricky and as sneaky as you are able to be at times.
So, is it worth it?
If you loved 3, absolutely.
If you wanted more from 3, beyond any shadow of a doubt.
If you hated 3, WHY ARE YOU READING THIS REVIEW?! Did you not see my opening statement?
There's enough that's new and fresh for this to be worth every penny, built on a solid core of tried and tested systems, controls and game elements to ensure a fluid gaming experience. What's not to love?
Call it Far Cry 3.5, Far Cry 4 or Far Cry ++, it doesn't matter. Buy it, ride elephants and fly a gyrocopter, trash some jungle and climb some cliffs. Say what you like, it's one hell of a place to visit.
10/10
DL wrote:
Loved the review chas ... next on my buy list from Steam! Stacking them up now ready for the new pc ... thanks dad ;¬)
No doubt it will appear on the next Steam sale.
Loved the review chas ... next on my buy list from Steam! Stacking them up now ready for the new pc ... thanks dad ;¬)
No doubt it will appear on the next Steam sale.
pete_21 wrote:
Blood Dragon is the only Far Cry game I have ever really enjoyed TBH, that was awesome. There was just too much faffing about in Far Cry 3 for my liking.
Have to agree old mate ... Blood Dragon was awesome :¬) A re-run methinks!
Blood Dragon is the only Far Cry game I have ever really enjoyed TBH, that was awesome. There was just too much faffing about in Far Cry 3 for my liking.
Have to agree old mate ... Blood Dragon was awesome :¬) A re-run methinks!
Blood Dragon is the only Far Cry game I have ever really enjoyed TBH, that was awesome. There was just too much faffing about in Far Cry 3 for my liking.
Loved the review chas ... next on my buy list from Steam! Stacking them up now ready for the new pc ... thanks dad ;¬)
chasfh wrote:
pb wrote:
[i]Bloody Honey Badgers!
Anyway, great review and I agree with it all, especially the fun gyrocopters. I've actually managed to take a tower by landing a gyrocopter near to the top of it and avoiding all the climbing!
Still playing it and I'm still having fun. Got the season pass in the recent PSN sale, too. When I get a new graphics card I might re-buy on PC (it'll no doubt be on a sale by then) but the PS4 version certainly looks the part.
Haven't tried landing on a tower yet. Might just have to give that a go...[/i]
Most have sloped roofs so don't land on the top, land on the next bit down from that. Then you can get back in to the copter afterwards.
pb wrote:
[i]Bloody Honey Badgers!
Anyway, great review and I agree with it all, especially the fun gyrocopters. I've actually managed to take a tower by landing a gyrocopter near to the top of it and avoiding all the climbing!
Still playing it and I'm still having fun. Got the season pass in the recent PSN sale, too. When I get a new graphics card I might re-buy on PC (it'll no doubt be on a sale by then) but the PS4 version certainly looks the part.
Haven't tried landing on a tower yet. Might just have to give that a go...[/i]
Most have sloped roofs so don't land on the top, land on the next bit down from that. Then you can get back in to the copter afterwards.
pb wrote:
Bloody Honey Badgers!
Anyway, great review and I agree with it all, especially the fun gyrocopters. I've actually managed to take a tower by landing a gyrocopter near to the top of it and avoiding all the climbing!
Still playing it and I'm still having fun. Got the season pass in the recent PSN sale, too. When I get a new graphics card I might re-buy on PC (it'll no doubt be on a sale by then) but the PS4 version certainly looks the part.
Haven't tried landing on a tower yet. Might just have to give that a go...
Bloody Honey Badgers!
Anyway, great review and I agree with it all, especially the fun gyrocopters. I've actually managed to take a tower by landing a gyrocopter near to the top of it and avoiding all the climbing!
Still playing it and I'm still having fun. Got the season pass in the recent PSN sale, too. When I get a new graphics card I might re-buy on PC (it'll no doubt be on a sale by then) but the PS4 version certainly looks the part.
Haven't tried landing on a tower yet. Might just have to give that a go...
Bloody Honey Badgers!
Anyway, great review and I agree with it all, especially the fun gyrocopters. I've actually managed to take a tower by landing a gyrocopter near to the top of it and avoiding all the climbing!
Still playing it and I'm still having fun. Got the season pass in the recent PSN sale, too. When I get a new graphics card I might re-buy on PC (it'll no doubt be on a sale by then) but the PS4 version certainly looks the part.
Anyway, great review and I agree with it all, especially the fun gyrocopters. I've actually managed to take a tower by landing a gyrocopter near to the top of it and avoiding all the climbing!
Still playing it and I'm still having fun. Got the season pass in the recent PSN sale, too. When I get a new graphics card I might re-buy on PC (it'll no doubt be on a sale by then) but the PS4 version certainly looks the part.
dav2612 wrote:
A fine review there.
As someone who loved FC3 I was expecting big things from this one but I actually don't like it. I found it rather frustrating and surprisingly dull. I gave up at just over a third complete as I just couldn't bring myself to play any more.
The wildlife was a big frustration for me. At times I could barely go anywhere without being attacked by the dog like creatures or the birds. By the time I was finished dealing with them, the camp I was sneaking up to was well aware of my presence. It just happened too often.
The lack of fun I can't really put my finger on. Perhaps it was because I came from GTA V into this one; it lacks the character of GTA.
Yup, the wildlife is a bit more "lively", shall we say...
It took me a little while to start figuring it out, and a change of tactics seem to have done the trick (why do you think I like gyrocopters and the bait bag so much?).
The eagle is annoying, I'll give you that one, but with a little careful timing, a little creativity, you can pretty much avoid it.
A fine review there.
As someone who loved FC3 I was expecting big things from this one but I actually don't like it. I found it rather frustrating and surprisingly dull. I gave up at just over a third complete as I just couldn't bring myself to play any more.
The wildlife was a big frustration for me. At times I could barely go anywhere without being attacked by the dog like creatures or the birds. By the time I was finished dealing with them, the camp I was sneaking up to was well aware of my presence. It just happened too often.
The lack of fun I can't really put my finger on. Perhaps it was because I came from GTA V into this one; it lacks the character of GTA.
Yup, the wildlife is a bit more "lively", shall we say...
It took me a little while to start figuring it out, and a change of tactics seem to have done the trick (why do you think I like gyrocopters and the bait bag so much?).
The eagle is annoying, I'll give you that one, but with a little careful timing, a little creativity, you can pretty much avoid it.
A fine review there.
As someone who loved FC3 I was expecting big things from this one but I actually don't like it. I found it rather frustrating and surprisingly dull. I gave up at just over a third complete as I just couldn't bring myself to play any more.
The wildlife was a big frustration for me. At times I could barely go anywhere without being attacked by the dog like creatures or the birds. By the time I was finished dealing with them, the camp I was sneaking up to was well aware of my presence. It just happened too often.
The lack of fun I can't really put my finger on. Perhaps it was because I came from GTA V into this one; it lacks the character of GTA.
As someone who loved FC3 I was expecting big things from this one but I actually don't like it. I found it rather frustrating and surprisingly dull. I gave up at just over a third complete as I just couldn't bring myself to play any more.
The wildlife was a big frustration for me. At times I could barely go anywhere without being attacked by the dog like creatures or the birds. By the time I was finished dealing with them, the camp I was sneaking up to was well aware of my presence. It just happened too often.
The lack of fun I can't really put my finger on. Perhaps it was because I came from GTA V into this one; it lacks the character of GTA.
It's been said in some circles that Far Cry 4 is more like Far Cry 3.5, due to the similarity to the previous outing.
Okay. I can respect that. Just remember I said so the next time you're playing "Call of Duty 2.4.6" or "Need for Speed 2 part 4".
Far Cry is a game series, and just like any other game series, it's supposed to build on what's already been learnt with each of the previous iterations, without cloning the previous games. What it shouldn't be doing is completely rewriting history every time, so 3.5 or 4 doesn't really matter. The real question is, does it change enough to be worth a play after Far Cry 3?
The old and familiar
Firstly, the control set is almost identical to 3, the same functions and moves, the same menu selections, everything. This is not a bad thing at all. I've played 3, and as such did not have to learn new tricks to pull off my favourite moves or select my favourite weapons. Where the control set was fluid and relatively intuitive before, so that fact remains. This is a game that's logically designed for keyboard and mouse, it works, plain and simple.
Also familiar will be the process of unlocking the map, weapons and upgrades via the use of lookout towers, initially controlled by Pagan Min and his cronies, and your job to liberate after a bit of a fight and an arduous climb. Shoot the bad guys, scale the rickety wooden structure (not forgetting to collect the goodies from the odd random lockbox), override the system and take the zipline down. Another part of the map populates, and all the general stores suddenly have new toys for you to blow stuff up with.
Outposts provide safe houses and fast travel locations once liberated, just like Far Cry 3. New missions and characters become available, along with upgrades via the skill points you earn. Capturing outposts can be achieved through several methods, including stealthy assassination, full frontal assault, or unleashing the local wildlife on the unwary occupants. Shoot open a cage, watch the tiger eat your opposition, or cap an elephnt in the rump and laugh as he throws a car at the nearest bad guy.
Hunting and crafting will bring benefits in the way of extra carrying capacity, better syringes and tonics, and new and exotic explosive items. Just like Far Cry 3, these will be majorly important to ensure your ongoing success in later missions, so facing down a bear or two, or killing a tiger are essential side missions. Do them in your own time, but make sure you do them!
Other side missions include countless collectibles, dozens of "hunting" missions, random "karma" events (we'll come back to those) and tons of little "easter eggs". Just like Far Cry 3, it's dead easy to get entirely side tracked when you set out for a particular mission or goal, and, just like Far Cry 3, it's dead easy to wind up riddled with bullets or mauled by Yogi just because you took the wrong path at the right time...
Yup, all very familiar...
The new and shiny bits
Well, for a start, it's set in the Himalayan foothills, so loads of mountains, rivers, streams and cliffs. A very different environment from 3, it demands a bit more respect. I can vouch for the fact that ATV's do not fare well when you take them full pelt over the edge of an 80 foot drop, hitting every tree possible on the way before landing, topside down, in a stream full of razor sharp rocks. Gone are the (mostly) gentle rolling hills, lush vegetation and sandy shores of a tropical island, instead say hello to sharp drops, towering cliffs, ragged trees and little villages perched precariously in the mountainside. It makes for some interesting and challenging objectives, as the terrain becomes an effective barrier to straightforward movement, forcing you to be creative and to use every advantage that presents itself.
Talking of which, gyrocopters...
Yes, little, flimsy flying machines will soon become your best friend! Fly over an enemy base, drop a couple of grenades or a handful of bait, watch the fun that ensues. Ignore the rugged terrain, the impassable cliffs, the wide open expanse of water inhabited by killer fish, just fly around and rain death from the skies...
...Until someone catches you with a lucky shot from a sniper rifle that is...
Also new to your armoury is the grappling hook, allowing you to scale the heights, sneaking up on your enemy from cliff-side, and in conjunction with two new skills (death from above, death from below), your options are newly expanded. There's more than a little bit of the "Assassin's Creed" about this game, which, I guess, is not really surprising, but it does mean that the stealth side of things is far more effective and fun.
Karma missions are little random events that'll pop up unexpectedly as you travel. One of your rebel buddies might be in trouble, for example, pinned down in a firefight, and it's your duty as a good and righteous human being to get in there and save them. You'll earn a little karma as a result, which leads to some nice little perks, like being able to summon your buddies when you're in a tight spot (surprisingly useful, I might add!).
And talking of buddying up, the online co-op mode springs a load more missions on you. It's kind of "drop in and play" crossed with a proper online multiplayer mode, a hybrid system that Ubisoft have used to great effect in others of their gaming series'. Ignore it if you like, you don't have to do anything multiplayer unless you want to, but just occasionally it's nice to be sociable. Again, there are some nice little rewards to be gained too...
I couldn't mention all of the new stuff without giving a big shout for the elephants. Elephants are cool, elephants are fun, elephants are big, scary and dangerous! You can antagonise them, causing them the break everything within a wide radius, you can ride them, you can charge into battle on them, they're like a floppy-eared tank with a bad temper and that makes me smile! There's something oddly satisfying about using an elephant as a weapon.
Story and characters
There has been some debate over the strength of the "supporting cast" in Far Cry 4, particularly with regard to Pagan Min, the despotic, self-proclaimed king of the region. I find this a little odd, as he's every bit as ruthless, depraved and insane as any Ubisoft bad guy could get. For example, the first appearance of Pagan Min in the game sees him stab one of his own men to death with a (very nice) gold fountain pen, before taking you off to his mountaintop retreat, where he takes the urn containing your mother's ashes, dips his finger in and has a taste...
He is, for want of a better word, despicable. I'm not sure I dislike him in the same way as I did Vaas, but he does disturb me considerably, and for very different reasons. Vaas was chilling, cold and heartless, but calculating and aware of his actions. Pagan Min is just simply devoid of boundaries, mindless of the hurt he causes, self-serving and shallow; what you see is what you get, and believe me, you don't want it!
Your dislike of Pagan Min is... instinctive, and perhaps this is where the problem sits. With Vaas, you wanted to hate him, but there was always that little bit in the back of your mind that wanted to see what he'd do next, that wanted to see how crazy he'd get. With Pagan Min, there's an edge that just horrifies on a visceral level.
If there was a game where you got to play as Vaas, you'd love it, it's good to be bad once in a while, right? But a game where you got to be Pagan Min... I'm not so sure...
I've not finished the game yet, so I have a considerable amount of the story to go, but what I've seen so far works for me. There's enough grit for it to encourage that FPS attitude, but enough subtlety to give you a proper "story". The missions are varied (more so than in 3, in my opinion) and, in many cases, quite lengthy, the map is huge and, as previously mentioned, quite complex and challenging, so you won't be racing through this unless you're dumb enough to want to miss the good stuff.
Technical bits...
Ubisoft clearly need to get their heads screwed on when it comes to "minimum specifications". According to the tech specs for the game, I shouldn't be able to run it on my PC, but I'm comfortably set at the highest settings with a decent framerate on my little £90 AMD quad core (the "recommended" specs "want" an eight-core AMD apparently, with my specific processor marked as "not suitable"...). But then, that was the same for Assassin's Creed Unity, which is also running flat out and pretty.
One thing you WILL want is a decent DX 11 graphics card. There's a massive amount of cutting-edge prettiness here, everything from proper soft shadows to ambient occlusion from every leaf and branch, proper water and parallax effects. Just like Far Cry 3, this is a truly stunning environment to spend a few weeks in. Technically, like most Ubisoft games, this is like a master class in texture- and lighting- artistry, and I have yet to find a flaw.
As ever, Ubisoft manage to pull off the convincing AI trick quite... well... convincingly, as it goes. Enemy troops react to gunfire, distractions and incursions as you would expect, attempting flanking manouvres, or to flush you out with a well placed grenade, or, as happened to me, they'll try to burn you out with a little brush fire. In fact, the enemy can be every bit as tricky and as sneaky as you are able to be at times.
So, is it worth it?
If you loved 3, absolutely.
If you wanted more from 3, beyond any shadow of a doubt.
If you hated 3, WHY ARE YOU READING THIS REVIEW?! Did you not see my opening statement?
There's enough that's new and fresh for this to be worth every penny, built on a solid core of tried and tested systems, controls and game elements to ensure a fluid gaming experience. What's not to love?
Call it Far Cry 3.5, Far Cry 4 or Far Cry ++, it doesn't matter. Buy it, ride elephants and fly a gyrocopter, trash some jungle and climb some cliffs. Say what you like, it's one hell of a place to visit.
10/10
Okay. I can respect that. Just remember I said so the next time you're playing "Call of Duty 2.4.6" or "Need for Speed 2 part 4".
Far Cry is a game series, and just like any other game series, it's supposed to build on what's already been learnt with each of the previous iterations, without cloning the previous games. What it shouldn't be doing is completely rewriting history every time, so 3.5 or 4 doesn't really matter. The real question is, does it change enough to be worth a play after Far Cry 3?
The old and familiar
Firstly, the control set is almost identical to 3, the same functions and moves, the same menu selections, everything. This is not a bad thing at all. I've played 3, and as such did not have to learn new tricks to pull off my favourite moves or select my favourite weapons. Where the control set was fluid and relatively intuitive before, so that fact remains. This is a game that's logically designed for keyboard and mouse, it works, plain and simple.
Also familiar will be the process of unlocking the map, weapons and upgrades via the use of lookout towers, initially controlled by Pagan Min and his cronies, and your job to liberate after a bit of a fight and an arduous climb. Shoot the bad guys, scale the rickety wooden structure (not forgetting to collect the goodies from the odd random lockbox), override the system and take the zipline down. Another part of the map populates, and all the general stores suddenly have new toys for you to blow stuff up with.
Outposts provide safe houses and fast travel locations once liberated, just like Far Cry 3. New missions and characters become available, along with upgrades via the skill points you earn. Capturing outposts can be achieved through several methods, including stealthy assassination, full frontal assault, or unleashing the local wildlife on the unwary occupants. Shoot open a cage, watch the tiger eat your opposition, or cap an elephnt in the rump and laugh as he throws a car at the nearest bad guy.
Hunting and crafting will bring benefits in the way of extra carrying capacity, better syringes and tonics, and new and exotic explosive items. Just like Far Cry 3, these will be majorly important to ensure your ongoing success in later missions, so facing down a bear or two, or killing a tiger are essential side missions. Do them in your own time, but make sure you do them!
Other side missions include countless collectibles, dozens of "hunting" missions, random "karma" events (we'll come back to those) and tons of little "easter eggs". Just like Far Cry 3, it's dead easy to get entirely side tracked when you set out for a particular mission or goal, and, just like Far Cry 3, it's dead easy to wind up riddled with bullets or mauled by Yogi just because you took the wrong path at the right time...
Yup, all very familiar...
The new and shiny bits
Well, for a start, it's set in the Himalayan foothills, so loads of mountains, rivers, streams and cliffs. A very different environment from 3, it demands a bit more respect. I can vouch for the fact that ATV's do not fare well when you take them full pelt over the edge of an 80 foot drop, hitting every tree possible on the way before landing, topside down, in a stream full of razor sharp rocks. Gone are the (mostly) gentle rolling hills, lush vegetation and sandy shores of a tropical island, instead say hello to sharp drops, towering cliffs, ragged trees and little villages perched precariously in the mountainside. It makes for some interesting and challenging objectives, as the terrain becomes an effective barrier to straightforward movement, forcing you to be creative and to use every advantage that presents itself.
Talking of which, gyrocopters...
Yes, little, flimsy flying machines will soon become your best friend! Fly over an enemy base, drop a couple of grenades or a handful of bait, watch the fun that ensues. Ignore the rugged terrain, the impassable cliffs, the wide open expanse of water inhabited by killer fish, just fly around and rain death from the skies...
...Until someone catches you with a lucky shot from a sniper rifle that is...
Also new to your armoury is the grappling hook, allowing you to scale the heights, sneaking up on your enemy from cliff-side, and in conjunction with two new skills (death from above, death from below), your options are newly expanded. There's more than a little bit of the "Assassin's Creed" about this game, which, I guess, is not really surprising, but it does mean that the stealth side of things is far more effective and fun.
Karma missions are little random events that'll pop up unexpectedly as you travel. One of your rebel buddies might be in trouble, for example, pinned down in a firefight, and it's your duty as a good and righteous human being to get in there and save them. You'll earn a little karma as a result, which leads to some nice little perks, like being able to summon your buddies when you're in a tight spot (surprisingly useful, I might add!).
And talking of buddying up, the online co-op mode springs a load more missions on you. It's kind of "drop in and play" crossed with a proper online multiplayer mode, a hybrid system that Ubisoft have used to great effect in others of their gaming series'. Ignore it if you like, you don't have to do anything multiplayer unless you want to, but just occasionally it's nice to be sociable. Again, there are some nice little rewards to be gained too...
I couldn't mention all of the new stuff without giving a big shout for the elephants. Elephants are cool, elephants are fun, elephants are big, scary and dangerous! You can antagonise them, causing them the break everything within a wide radius, you can ride them, you can charge into battle on them, they're like a floppy-eared tank with a bad temper and that makes me smile! There's something oddly satisfying about using an elephant as a weapon.
Story and characters
There has been some debate over the strength of the "supporting cast" in Far Cry 4, particularly with regard to Pagan Min, the despotic, self-proclaimed king of the region. I find this a little odd, as he's every bit as ruthless, depraved and insane as any Ubisoft bad guy could get. For example, the first appearance of Pagan Min in the game sees him stab one of his own men to death with a (very nice) gold fountain pen, before taking you off to his mountaintop retreat, where he takes the urn containing your mother's ashes, dips his finger in and has a taste...
He is, for want of a better word, despicable. I'm not sure I dislike him in the same way as I did Vaas, but he does disturb me considerably, and for very different reasons. Vaas was chilling, cold and heartless, but calculating and aware of his actions. Pagan Min is just simply devoid of boundaries, mindless of the hurt he causes, self-serving and shallow; what you see is what you get, and believe me, you don't want it!
Your dislike of Pagan Min is... instinctive, and perhaps this is where the problem sits. With Vaas, you wanted to hate him, but there was always that little bit in the back of your mind that wanted to see what he'd do next, that wanted to see how crazy he'd get. With Pagan Min, there's an edge that just horrifies on a visceral level.
If there was a game where you got to play as Vaas, you'd love it, it's good to be bad once in a while, right? But a game where you got to be Pagan Min... I'm not so sure...
I've not finished the game yet, so I have a considerable amount of the story to go, but what I've seen so far works for me. There's enough grit for it to encourage that FPS attitude, but enough subtlety to give you a proper "story". The missions are varied (more so than in 3, in my opinion) and, in many cases, quite lengthy, the map is huge and, as previously mentioned, quite complex and challenging, so you won't be racing through this unless you're dumb enough to want to miss the good stuff.
Technical bits...
Ubisoft clearly need to get their heads screwed on when it comes to "minimum specifications". According to the tech specs for the game, I shouldn't be able to run it on my PC, but I'm comfortably set at the highest settings with a decent framerate on my little £90 AMD quad core (the "recommended" specs "want" an eight-core AMD apparently, with my specific processor marked as "not suitable"...). But then, that was the same for Assassin's Creed Unity, which is also running flat out and pretty.
One thing you WILL want is a decent DX 11 graphics card. There's a massive amount of cutting-edge prettiness here, everything from proper soft shadows to ambient occlusion from every leaf and branch, proper water and parallax effects. Just like Far Cry 3, this is a truly stunning environment to spend a few weeks in. Technically, like most Ubisoft games, this is like a master class in texture- and lighting- artistry, and I have yet to find a flaw.
As ever, Ubisoft manage to pull off the convincing AI trick quite... well... convincingly, as it goes. Enemy troops react to gunfire, distractions and incursions as you would expect, attempting flanking manouvres, or to flush you out with a well placed grenade, or, as happened to me, they'll try to burn you out with a little brush fire. In fact, the enemy can be every bit as tricky and as sneaky as you are able to be at times.
So, is it worth it?
If you loved 3, absolutely.
If you wanted more from 3, beyond any shadow of a doubt.
If you hated 3, WHY ARE YOU READING THIS REVIEW?! Did you not see my opening statement?
There's enough that's new and fresh for this to be worth every penny, built on a solid core of tried and tested systems, controls and game elements to ensure a fluid gaming experience. What's not to love?
Call it Far Cry 3.5, Far Cry 4 or Far Cry ++, it doesn't matter. Buy it, ride elephants and fly a gyrocopter, trash some jungle and climb some cliffs. Say what you like, it's one hell of a place to visit.
10/10