Ubisoft Montreal has unleashed "Far Cry 4" on the world today. I've played each of the four games in the series and unlike most of today's video game franchises I have to say that each "Fay Cry" installment has gotten progressively better.
For some backdrop on this fourth title (from the Ubisoft web site): "Hidden in the towering Himalayas lies a country thick with tradition and violence. You assume the role of Ajay Ghale, returning to the country of your birth, the lush forests and harsh snow-capped summits of Kyrat, to fulfill your mother's final wish of distributing her ashes. This vast and unpredictable country offers visitors opportunity and danger. You summarily find yourself caught up in a rebellion to subvert the oppressive regime of Pagan Min, a figure notorious as much for his sense of style and charisma as for his cruelty and naked brutality. Navigating the treacherous landscape, you find your fate increasingly determined by the choices you make because in Kyrat, and every second is a story. In 'Far Cry 4,' you'll conquer fortress outposts from the back of a six-ton elephant and take to the skies as you rain down explosives from your moving perch in the gyrocopter. The vertical landscape of the Himalayas isn't just a gorgeous backdrop, but a playground that encourages the gamer to scrap, hunt and explore, grappling cliffs or launching into the air, plummeting to the valley below in a controlled free fall with your wing suit. You'll carry with you a truly unique arsenal of weaponry that lets you play your way, whether it's sniping, sneaking or all-out assault. When all else fails, animals can be your most important allies or your greatest peril, as Kyrat's wilderness delivers on the promise of a true open world anecdote factory."
Personally, I've spent about five hours with the PC version of the game so far, and I'm digging every minute of it. The forest and mountainous settings are fantastic, as is the overall variety in missions and gameplay choices as you get embroiled in the Kyrati civil war. There's just so much to see and do in Kyrat it's a bit mind-boggling. Also, I've been very impressed with the writing/characterization of the main bad guy, Pagan Min. He has the quality of a great James Bond villain, without being cartoony or over the top. He's definitely a guy you don't want to cross and look forward to taking down ultimately.
I honestly can't wait to get back to playing "Far Cry 4." And that's saying something because I can usually put down a lot of today's "AAA" games after a few hours and never have any desire to go back.
Let's see how other reviewers viewed this latest experience from Ubisoft:
"Snow instead of sand, mountains instead of beach, but the same concept of a dark paradise, 'Far Cry 4' takes us on a journey through an exotic land in civil war," writes Javi Andres of Meristation. "We choose who are our allies are and who our enemies are in a game with the same mechanics and gameplay as 'Far Cry 3,' only expanded and polished in a bigger environment and with a vast array of side quests. Add a great multiplayer cooperative and competitive and one of those charismatic villains, and you have a new journey to paradise that fans of FPS, sandbox and the 'Far Cry' series should embark on."
Kevin VanOrd of Gamespot laments: "It's a problematic campaign, certainly, forcing you to restart an entire mission from scratch if you arrive at your destination and realize you'd like a different loadout, and making you reach for the radio dial so you don't have to listen to the worst radio personality this side of the Great Wall of China. It's when you circumvent 'Far Cry 4's' major thematic flaws, inconsistent missions, and incessant nagging that you find the game you came looking for, breathing easy and enjoying the mountains that rise in the distance and the valleys that stretch beneath you. Like the terrain if depicts, 'Far Cry 4' travels both high and low, representing the good, the bad, and ugly of video games all at once. It's awesome and messy and dumb and fun and annoying and gross and beautiful. Take any given adjective in your vocabulary, and chances are, it will in some way describe 'Far Cry 4.'"
"'Far Cry 4' does all the things that its predecessor did and more - more weapons, more vehicles, more modes, more ground to cover - so if all you're looking for is a big old wide open space to tear up with a friend, go forth and make merry with mortar," Aoife Wilson of Eurogamer posits. "That said, more does not necessarily mean better, and the truth is that the wilds of Kyrat simply aren't as beguiling as the Rook Islands were. 'Far Cry 4' is well worth a visit, but it's more a backpacker's delight than a five-star island paradise."
And finally, Ludwig Kietzmann of Joystiq writes: "There's a staggering number of adventures to extract from 'Far Cry 4,' whether you chase the ones laid out by the game explicitly, or the ones that develop naturally as you take in the sights. It's another interesting and absorbing world to fall into, shoot through, burn and then guide to new beginnings. 'Far Cry 4' may have installed a despot, but it's still the undisputed king of the open-world shooter."
As of this moment, "Far Cry 4's" Metacritic score stands at 86 (8.1 user score) on the PlayStation 4. There aren't enough reviewer scores for either the Xbox One or the PC versions as of yet. But, the Xbox One version has a user score of 7.3, and the PC version as user score of 7.5. Take those user scores as you will.
