Far Cry 4 Review

     In 2004, the first person shooter "Far Cry" was released to commercial and critical success. It was extremely over the top and warranted a sequel. In 2008 under the helm of a new studio, "Far Cry 2" was released and marketed as a gritty and realistic shooter; featuring mechanics like weapon degrade, vehicles that must be repaired when damaged, and malaria. While interesting, these new mechanics made the game tedious and sucked all the fun out of the series. So a few years later when the sequel "Far Cry 3" was announced many did not take notice; upon its release though, it was met with almost universal critical acclaim and was named one of the best games of the year by many publications. Personally, it became one of my all time favorite games. The personality, the amount of stuff you could do, and just how ridiculous it was at times worked perfectly together. The game also featured one of the best stand alone expansions ever made with "Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon." Since then I have been pining for the next game in the series; and after a long wait the highly anticipated sequel has arrived.

     The story follows the story of a young man named Ajay Ghale, who has decided to travel to a northern region of Nepal called Kyrat in order to spread the ashes of his recently deceased mother. Upon traveling to Kyrat, the bus he is on is attacked by several soldiers; soldiers working for the self proclaimed king of Kyrat, Pagan Min. Years ago Pagan attempted to make a name for himself in the Hong Kong crime scene but ultimately fails. After murdering his father he flees to Kyrat, where he uses his personal funds to hire a small, private army to help him take control when the country is in the middle of a civil war. Pagan was in love with Ajay's mother before she fled to the US, and after learning that he was coming to the country he decided to intervene. After kidnapping Ajay and his guide they are taken to Pagan palace; after getting away from Pagan, he is intersected by a local terrorist group called the golden path. Ajay's father (who died years ago) was the former leader of the group, so they feel they have an obligation to Ajay and save him. After seeing what Pagan has done to the area, he decides to join the group and fight Pagan's army; not just to fulfill his mother's final wish, but to help the people of the region who desperately need it.

     Going back to the beginning of the year, "Far Cry 4" might have been my most anticipated game of the year behind "Destiny." And while "Destiny" didn't quite live up to my expectations, "Far Cry 4" has. One aspect that really surprised me about both "Far Cry 4" and "Far Cry 3" is that it really works as a shooter, "Far cry 2" didn't really stand along some other FPS games at the time but the newer games really work. "Far Cry 4" just has really nice shooting mechanics, each weapon feels a bit different and you need to work with each weapon to get good at it. The game features a bow and it's arguably the best weapon in the game, but it's something you have to practice with to use effectively. "Far Cry 4" also has a lot more variety than its predecessor: weapons, mission, animals, and challenges are more diverse. In "Far Cry 3" you could put two attachments on a weapon as well as buy "signature" weapons that had more attachments. "Far Cry 4" features many more weapons, including many more "signature" weapons. The game also has a ton of stuff to do, there are hours upon hours of missions ranging from assassinations to hunting to bomb diffusion and many more. And with the hundreds of collectible, this is a game that will require a lot of time to beat 100%. One thing that I really loved about "Far Cry 3" was that it let you chose your play style. I always compare it to a game that came out the same year as it, "Dishonored." "Dishonored" was a stealth game that allowed you to beat it without having to kill a single enemy. The problem was that it gave you no incentive to do so; "Far Cry 3" on the other hand let you go in guns blazing or rewarded you for playing stealthy (which was more difficult). "Far Cry 4" continues with that tradition and gives you even more options to play how you want. The game has also added co-op, so you can now kill hundreds of enemy and animals with a friend. One thing that "Far Cry 3" vastly improved over its predecessor was that it had a much more interesting story and unique characters; "Far Cry 4" does the same thing but also has a much more likable protagonist. In "Far Cry 3" you played some rich kid who gets kidnapped and wants revenge against the people who killed your brother, while you see where he's coming from he usually just comes off as an asshole. The new character is someone you can actually get behind. Another thing that "Far Cry 4" has over the previous game would be the world it takes place in, the world of Kyrat is beautiful and expansive. The mountains, the forests, it really is one of the most beautiful open worlds I've played through in a while. But if there is one thing that "Far Cry 4" has really done right just like its predecessor, is that the game is just plain fun. It is one of the most enjoyable and satisfying games I have played this year and is something I will go back and visit many more times. Despite everything the game does right, it has two major flaws. First off would be the driving, I hate it, I don't like it. They changed up the driving controls so you can shoot and drive at the same time. The problem is that both acceleration and direction are tied to the left analog stick and is just a pain in the ass. Vehicles do have an auto-driving function that will keep you on a road, and without it driving would just be unbearable. But of anything the game suffers from the fact that it can't quite live up to its predecessor. "Far Cry 3" was so good and such a big surprise, and became a favorite for many people. "Far cry 4" is kind of like "Fallout: New Vegas" and "Saints Row 4;" while it makes some needed improvements, it doesn't act as a huge leap forward from its previous game. But while "Far Cry 4" might not be quite as good as "Far Cry 3," it’s still fantastic. In a year that hasn't featured a lot of great games, this one is a stand out. It's fun and features a world with tons of stuff to do. I really can't recommend this game enough; I've had a blast playing it thus far and will be putting a lot more time into it. There are still a few games set to be released in the next month and a half, but it safe to assume that "Far Cry 4" is one of the year's highlights. 

Pros: Solid shooting mechanics, interesting story, unique characters, beautiful and expansive world, tons of stuff to do, more variety than previous game, let's you gun blazing or rewards you to be stealthy, features co-op, more likable protagonist, just plain fun.

Cons: Driving isn't great, not a huge step up from "Far Cry 3," has trouble living up to its predecessor.

4.5/5 Stars

Note: I played this on the PS4 and had very few technical issues, none of which were close to game breaking. I have heard that both the PC and PS3 versions suffer from serious technical issues. So keep that in mind if you decide to buy this game.