It's 1:00 am and I've just taken out another outpost, rescued some hostages, killed a lieutenant, and unlocked the ability to ride elephants into battle... and what I was trying to do was get enough altitude to try out my new wingsuit.
The game is a keeper.
I loved the moment-to-moment gameplay, and a lot of the missions were very fun. The story left a bad taste in my mouth, though. Much more so than the third, surprisingly. Yeah, Jason Brody was a bit of a douche, but I found it much easier to forget about him and his friends than I did about my 'allies' in this game. Pagan Min was just a much more interesting character - I wanted to hang out with him, rather than with the people on my side. If you read the different endings on a wiki that only confirms that feeling as accurate.
This is the only open world game I have 100% completed (PS4). Heck, it may be the only game ever I've 100% completed.
Mini-copter + grenade launcher = Smiles for days!
I've just unlocked the sniper-rifle that allows the silencer mod. Let the games begin!
Edit: The screwy AI and environment glitches are almost comforting at this point.
One of my favorite moments: The sound of screams and gunfire rang out from the road to my left. As I approached the ridge overlooking the scene a Karma questmarker popped up. Help the fighters. Switching to my scavenged AK I sprinted over the edge and slid down the incline. As luck would have it I was behind the enemy and no one seemed to have spotted me yet. Ducking into a quick crouch I moved to get behind one of the enemy. Right as got within range my world exploded. Backpedalling as fast as possible I took aim at the last enemy fighter and lucked into a headshot. Mission accomplished. The warriors gathered in the center of the road to celebrate. One of them was carrying an RPG! It was the first one I had seen so I got up close. The warrior indicated that she wanted to speak with me, so I did. She expressed gratiude for having saved their lives and handed me some money. She bowed, and right then a minibus decided to plow into her right in front of my nose. It was sad, but I now have an RPG.
The loading screen tells me that I am around 25% done with this game. I do not remember what the last story mission was. Something about hostages and retaking an outpost I think.
I will probably have to do more of them soon because the game told me that the north is off limits for now. I was puttering around in a flying lawnmower at the time, so I didn't press on to see if there were any consequences.
I don't know if Pagan's truckers are incompetent or merely suicidally seditious... But it seems one of them drives into every conflict I am in and helpfully drops off an xp pinata, or a handy ride to the nearest friendly outpost.
Making the elephant-rider skill a tier 1 unlock was inspired. One complaint: I want to be able to have an elephant as a companion Fallout or, even better, Red Dead style. An item or token that binds a certain elephant to the player. Spend mystic xp to resurrect and use moneys to upgrade, armor, and outfit your friend. Make this happen!
After playing this off and on for the past few days I've now rolled the credits on the campaign and completed enough of the side-missions that I feel like I've seen enough of what this game has to offer to be done with it.
I have thoughts. Nothing as coherent as an actual review and probably nothing that hasn't been stated before, but after getting this game for $8 instead of the regular asking price I feel like I owe it some reflection.
The core gameplay is fun. Disregard the politics and motivations for what is happening and you have a fun sandbox that is interesting to explore. Mini-copters, elephants, grappling hooks, wing-suit, trucks, boats. None are particularly perfect (except for maybe the elephants) but there is enough variety for traversing the world that you're not constantly pining for a fast-travel dot. I did find myself mentally marking the bases that spawn the Mini-Copters though, since those seemed to be the least amount of fuss for getting from point A to point B and allowed for some more strategic overview when approaching a fortified position.
The Story. Ugh. The Far Cry Sequels seem to have embraced the idea that every choice you make will end up in varying degrees of terrible consequences, you monster.
Your choices are binary. With no 'good' option that doesn't (mostly invisibly) harm bunches of innocents. Will the people die because of religious fanaticism or cynical practicality? You decide! Finding the journals of your father just further cement the idea that the idol of the rebellion had some serious flaws when it came to interpersonal relationships. Lots of moralizing and handwringing, while simultaneously encouraging you to murder, destroy, and otherwise terrorize the enemy. An enemy comprised of the leader of the previous rebellion. Do you get it? You are a monster.
The similarities between FC4 and FC3 are plentiful. Same enemy types. Same environmental cues. Same loot system. Weapons. Upgrades. Syringes. Etc etc. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but the subtle tweaks to the core game made it feel like just a new texture-pack for the same game.
There was a 'call in mercenaries' function. I believe I used it once. There was a side-arm grenade launcher that I nick-named 'the cavalry.' When the S hit the F the cavalry would ride in and fix it all.
I maxed out experience and Tradition XP (or whatever that purple stuff was called) long before I got near the end of the game. At one point I had over 20 skill points and nothing unlocked that I could spend them on.
One of the weapons was locked behind attaining arena rank 10. I played two rounds of the arena and hated it. There is a mobile app that you can play that will let you set up challenges, hunt or recruit pawns for the arena, and set up challenges for other players in exchange for arena xp. After a few hours I had reached rank 10, played one more arena level to trigger the achievements in the game, and haven't looked at it again since.
I paid $8 for this game. I had at least $8 of fun. My threshold for purchasing this game was set at $20. At $20 I would not have regretted my purchase. Above that I think that the copy/past of the Far Cry 3 systems with minor tweaks would have chaffed a bit more than they did.
Yeah it's bugging me that I have to pick which of two total assholes to support instead of being able to just shoot them both and put somebody sane in charge, or lock them in a room until they get their act together. I know it's not real, that I can just enjoy the mechanics, but it's still annoying to get Female Doggoed out by whoever I decided against in the last GP mission, and then figuring I've got to eventually put one of these clowns in charge kinda punts me straight into P&C territory.
Gotta love Hurk though.
Hurk: The Golden Path won't know what hit them!
Ajay: We're... we're the Golden Path.
Hurk: Dude, seriously? These guys have been givin' me a lot of stink-eye over the things I've been sayin' about the Golden Path... so that makes sense.
Here's a tip for anyone that, like me, avoids the story missions but still wants to unlock as much as possible as early as possible: When you're doing the snowy mountain missions you can use bait to lure Snow Leopards. It might take a few tries, but they will spawn. 
I'm about 6 hours into it and I'm enjoying it. A couple things:
How big of an asshole is Ajay's mom for sending him to a war zone run by a ruthless dictator to spread her ashes?
It didn't necessarily bother me, but once again in a Far Cry game you have a dude showing up in a new place with no experience killin' and blowin' up stuff, and immediately begins running around and doing that with pretty ruthless efficiency.
The helicopter sorta breaks the game a bit. The best part of this game is those emergent encounters you get in the middle of the wild so I hoof it most of the time, but I'm finding myself more and more spawning at that Kalisha Bazaar to get the chopper that always spawns there when I need to get somewhere. You get to skip most of the tough stuff, but it is fun firing down grenades from that sidearm grenade launcher on ATVs and Pagan's Wrath convoys.
Just had one of those emergent moments trying to take an outpost. I'm whittling it down with my recurve bow and I only have about 2 guys left to take out. I'm on a hillside shooting down, and I notice a patrol coming in behind me. No big deal, I take both guys out with the bow - but as I'm taking back my arrows, a pack of 5 wolves is approaching. I get the first one with an arrow but the rest are too much, so I have to switch to a shotgun to save myself.
Well, that alerts the guys left at the outpost, and, as I'm dispatching the wolves, I see a mortar barrage hit down the hill from me about 50 yards. I'm down to killing the last wolf, and the next mortar strike hits much closer, about 25 yards away. I scramble away but I'm pinned in by a sheer cliff face and can't get any further as the final barrage comes down right on my head.
Frustrating that I got that outpost down to the last two guys only for all of that, but it was awesome at the same time.
Far Cry has those really amazing moments where the environment interferes with your best laid plans. It can get frustrating, but you rarely feel entirely robbed, because usually it is happenstance and the outcome could just as easily go in your favor at times.
Far Cry has those really amazing moments where the environment interferes with your best laid plans. It can get frustrating, but you rarely feel entirely robbed, because usually it is happenstance and the outcome could just as easily go in your favor at times.
Definitely, I've had outposts that were cleared by a rampaging tiger, or just a random appearance of Golden Path fighters that came and diverted the attention of guards.
How big of an asshole is Ajay's mom for sending him to a war zone run by a ruthless dictator to spread her ashes?
Getting kind of spoilery with my answer here.
Not so much, really. She was likely trying to send him to Pagan, who was, until Ajay's interference, relatively in control of the country. 100% absolute control? No, but given where she wanted her ashes to be spread, he likely would have been in no danger had that soldier not gotten trigger happy and the Golden Path either missed him or not intervened.
Really, the father was by far the bigger asshole in this situation... like by a loooooooooong shot. Which makes Ajay's quest all the more ironic when it comes right down to it.
I haven't gotten that far yet but I did receive this game for Christmas.
Already the game "suffers" somewhat for my previous experience with FC3. Right after you escape the game goes into a little tutorial and when it talks about sneaking and discovery I just used that to do stealth takedowns of all the soldiers. Pretty sure you were supposed to sneak your way to the Golden Path but I pretty much left a trail of soldiers' bodies in my wake. Plus got a few skins in the process.
I haven't gotten that far yet but I did receive this game for Christmas.
Already the game "suffers" somewhat for my previous experience with FC3. Right after you escape the game goes into a little tutorial and when it talks about sneaking and discovery I just used that to do stealth takedowns of all the soldiers. Pretty sure you were supposed to sneak your way to the Golden Path but I pretty much left a trail of soldiers' bodies in my wake. Plus got a few skins in the process.
Since you can pick up a gun off the first guy you murder, I think the devs wanted you to do whatever you want. They just needed an enclosed area to instruct the player on some of the basics.
I haven't gotten that far yet but I did receive this game for Christmas.
Already the game "suffers" somewhat for my previous experience with FC3. Right after you escape the game goes into a little tutorial and when it talks about sneaking and discovery I just used that to do stealth takedowns of all the soldiers. Pretty sure you were supposed to sneak your way to the Golden Path but I pretty much left a trail of soldiers' bodies in my wake. Plus got a few skins in the process.
I'm about halfway through the game and I'm starting to realize that the actual missions are the least fun (although mostly still fun) part of the game. By far I feel like overtaking outposts, hunting, Karma events, etc... in the open world are the most enjoyable part. Too many of the missions have fail states that are contingent on mechanics other than player death, i.e. being detected or having a partner/escort get killed, which really annoys the hell out of me.
Planning outpost takeovers was always the most fun for me in FC3 and remains so now, except I don't have to deal with the fabulous douche squad as my back-up dancers anymore.
Yeah, I've already got the campaign spoiled for me and even knowing what I know I think I still prefer this set of characters.
I don't think either story is worth a rip. I've already had the story in 4 spoiled as well but it didn't even really make me raise an eyebrow. I think the main character in 3 was more insufferable but the whole concept around FC4 is only a shade less outlandish.
The story in 2 was a lot more compelling to me but I had to give up on that about half way through due to how arduous it was for me to play. That game didn't really lend itself well to playing in short bursts like I normally need to play.
Yeah, I just could not get into 3 at all. The immediate outset of black credit card douchebro was just such a turnoff. Ajay's story, by comparison, was awesome and let me just get into the game in such an awesome way.
I don't think either story is worth a rip. I've already had the story in 4 spoiled as well but it didn't even really make me raise an eyebrow. I think the main character in 3 was more insufferable but the whole concept around FC4 is only a shade less outlandish.
The story in 2 was a lot more compelling to me but I had to give up on that about half way through due to how arduous it was for me to play. That game didn't really lend itself well to playing in short bursts like I normally need to play.
If I could have FC2's story with FC3/4 gameplay it would be damn near close to the perfect game.
Part of what made FC2's narrative work was the gameplay. As much as I hated the bullet sponge enemies, the gun jamming, the malaria, the long gaps between saves, etc... it all reinforced the desperate situation your player character was in.
There's no sense of uncertainty for Ajay. He starts off as Rambo and basically becomes God as the game goes on. Which is fine with me, I can still have fun with it.
Part of what made FC2's narrative work was the gameplay. As much as I hated the bullet sponge enemies, the gun jamming, the malaria, the long gaps between saves, etc... it all reinforced the desperate situation your player character was in.
That all worked for me. It was the stupid enemy spawning. I literally had a truck full of bad guys appear out of thin air and run me down. That kind of stuff happened often enough that I just couldn't deal with the frustration any longer.
That all worked for me. It was the stupid enemy spawning. I literally had a truck full of bad guys appear out of thin air and run me down. That kind of stuff happened often enough that I just couldn't deal with the frustration any longer.
Ultimately that was a major factor in me giving up on it, as well. I know some people liked it, but the relentless respawns combined with them chasing you endlessly (or randomly roadkilling you) were frustrating. Especially when it causes you to lose a half hour or more of progress.
I still like FC4's story for being entirely missable based on your choices in game. This actually feels, upon reflection, to be something like the real world. Siding with one friend in a dispute means you're not likely to ever get more than a slanted version of that other person's story.
FC4 kind of does the same with Min and Ajay in a way that I really like. Toss in one set of collectibles and it's entirely possible to miss a huge event in the overall story of the country and it's revolution that massively changes the landscape of what you're doing and your original goal at the beginning of the game.
Spoilerific version of the above:
Seriously, having collected all of Ajay's father's journals and sparing Min during the first playthrough (before shooting him out of the sky), it's totally bizarre to realize that Ajay fell into the hands of the folks his mother probably hates (and the reason she fled the country)... and thanks to one trigger happy guard being a complete moron, Ajay was turned against the last love of his mother's life whom she probably meant for Ajay to end up with upon visiting the country.
In a way, it kind of reminds me of the Half-Life series where it's entirely possible ignore the story happening around you and thus have no clue what the hell is going on at several points.
So I picked up Valley of the Yetis last week as it was on sale, and I was really needing a change of pace after playing The Wolf Among Us, Life is Strange and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture back-to-back-to-back.
Now THAT is how DLC should be done! It's massive chunk of content, and I was really shocked at how long the campaign was, and how large the map was. How large was it? Well, here's a video clip of me flying from one side to the other:
You'll notice a really high peak off to the right around 0:25 sec, and yeah, you climb up to that as well.
I do love me some wing suit!
I am definitely jumping right back into this after I finish up my initial run in XCom 2.
The Shangri-La missions are f*cking terrible, and each one is worse than the last. The final boss fight is the definitive exercise in how not to design a boss fight.
Overall I enjoyed the game, but as far as controls go it's a middling console port. Wish I had a nickel for every time I accidentally swapped a weapon when I was trying to loot a corpse. Soooo many insta-fail stealth missions.
Every fast-travel location should have vehicles. Why don't they all?
And, like, this isn't complicated: if I turn the radio off, it's because I want that godawful f*cking radio off. But it turns on every time I enter a vehicle, even if it's a vehicle I previously turned the radio off in.
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