Scold Ubisoft and talk about all the sins and sins of this original, interesting, slightly irresponsible but wonderful studio. From under their light... little hands came many masterpieces. And for some reason, while criticizing Assassins Creed.Unity and Watch Dogs, as well as Far Cry 2, we forget about the first, second and fourth Assassins, 3 Far Cry and many other good games that these comrades made.
Now about Far Cry. Part 3 is rightfully considered the best. Excellent graphics, excellent plot, interesting and thoughtful characters, convenient gameplay and most importantly - a large open world - a tropical island. Truly a paradise, at first glance, hiding many cruel secrets. The game was truly amazing.
When part 4 was announced, I knew that the game would be at least good. And she met all my expectations. To the maximum.
So - the pros.
+Excellent graphics. My PC couldn't handle even medium graphics settings, but everything in the game still looks great! The environment is very detailed, clothes, animal skins, weapons, visual effects - everything is top notch! Masterpiece.
+Gameplay. Many people criticize 4 Far Cry for the fact that the gameplay has not changed one iota after the 3rd part. And I have a question: why should it change? This doesn't make the slightest sense. Moreover, many are accustomed to the gameplay of Far Cry 3. But in part 4 there are several changes. The stealth system has been improved. Now you can hide corpses like Hitman. Throwing knives and pieces of meat appeared to bait animals. The good old compound bow remained and a new one appeared - the traditional Kirat one. The compound bow is now unlocked from the start of the game. A crossbow also appeared - a silent and deadly weapon for those who like to hide and wait. So stealth in the game is a pleasure.
+Transport. Transport has not changed much, but... A gyrocopter has appeared - a small helicopter that significantly helps in the gameplay. It was also possible to shoot pistols from the car. And it's cool!!! And the best thing is to fire at outposts and just opponents with a grenade launcher while flying on a gyrocopter!
+Diversity of the game world. In the 3rd part of the game, the world was big, but there weren’t very many people in it, and there weren’t any interesting places either. There is a lot of this in Kirat. Not counting 24 outposts and 4 fortresses, and several story places, there are a lot of different villages, monasteries, altars, caves, bunkers, etc. Exploring this world is interesting and pleasant.
+Hunting. In terms of gameplay, hunting has not changed, but the animals have changed. Hunting is also necessary and also interesting. The innovations regarding skins were also encouraging. And Kyrat Fashion Week is simply wonderful.
+Collectibles. If in Part 3 there were only relics and Japanese letters, then in Kirat there are “Yalung masks” and “letters from an English lieutenant” and propaganda posters and prayer wheels and lost pages of Mohan Gale’s diary. There is something to look for.
+Side quests. There are a lot more of them, and even if they are not particularly diverse, they are interesting to go through.
+The main villain. Pagan Min is not like Vaasa Montenegro in that he hides his madness behind a mask of calm and flowery speeches. When communicating with such a person, you never know what is on his mind. One minute he was sitting calmly and telling the story of his life, and a second later he stuck a fork in the back of your companion. And Pagan also has plenty of charisma.
+Arena. The arena brings a little originality to the game. It is interesting to play there both alone and with friends. The modes are interesting and don’t get boring. But the best mode is the one where you can choose your weapon.
+Shangri La. That's what made Far Cry 4 original and so much fun. The Country of the Gods, desecrated by rakshasas, is a thangka with which you can get there and free Paradise from demonic shackles. New weapons and abilities, amazing made by Shangri La!!! This is worthy of the highest rating.
+Elephants. What we didn't drive in the games. Horses, bikes, racing cars, tanks, submarines, boats, sleds pulled by sadomasochists, dragons... But we didn’t ride elephants in any of the games. So in Far Cry 4 you can not only ride elephants, but also knock over cars and soldiers with your trunk, and then trample them!!! You can also arm yourself with a “Circular Saw” and rush into the enemy’s ranks at full speed, knocking them down and filling them with lead. Isn't this fun?!?
+New weapons. "Circular saw", crossbow, hand grenade launcher, portable howitzer, sawed-off shotgun, "Elephant Killer"... Sticky grenades... an arsenal for all occasions. Compared to part 3, there are many more weapons and they are much more varied. And that's good!!!
+Optimization. I can’t say anything bad about it, because throughout the entire game - and I completed it completely - I didn’t encounter a single bug, the game never sagged/freezed, never crashed, etc. So the optimization is great.
+Nonlinearity. For the first time in the Far Cry series!!! And this is very cool. But there is one nuance here - and more on that below.
Well, we’ve talked about the pros, now let’s talk about the cons.
- Story missions. The plot in the game does not shine with originality, and it is not necessary. In Part 3, he wasn’t too original either. But the story missions in part 3 were very compelling!!! A mission to burn hemp, a mission to save yourself and hostages with only a machete, a mission to obtain the costume of Hoyt's mercenaries, the search for a dagger... These missions left an imprint on the soul forever. But the missions in this game lack some zest, or something. There are missions similar to those in part 3. Burning opium, escaping from Durgesh... But for some reason they don’t catch you like the missions in part 3 did. And it’s not that this is bad, because the missions are still interesting, but... something is still missing. Although... the very last mission is quite in the spirit of The Expendables 2 and Rambo 4!!!
-Same type of faces. What about civilians, what about the Golden Path, what about the King's Army - it seems that in the Ubisoft Universe they are churning out clones for everyone - for the pirates of Vaas, for the inhabitants of Rook Island, for Hoyt's mercenaries, for the inhabitants of Kyrat... This is a little irresponsible, but ok - I didn’t come to Kirat to look at faces. Although... there is something to see at the entrance to the Arena. If you know what I mean!!!
-Nonlinearity. Above I wrote that this is a cool addition to the Far Cry Universe. But here the developers were a little too lazy to work. The non-linearity of the plot could have been worked out to the fullest. For example, play as Pagan and kill both Amita and Sabal and rule together with Pagan. Or betray Amita and Sabal and Pagan and join one of Pagan’s comrades-in-arms and rule Kirat! Or kill absolutely everyone and become the full-fledged King of Kyrat. So, Ubisoft has a lot to work on in the future!
To sum it up - Far Cry 4 is a great game. An indirect sequel, but with familiar characters. Everything in the game is excellent and absolutely everyone will like it, except for the snickering ultra-high level gamers, because they only need innovative gameplay and an ultra-original plot! Of course, Ubisoft has something to work on, but still, Far Cry 4 is another masterpiece from Great Developers!
10 out of 10!!!