Far Cry 4

I got Far Cry 4 recently, as it came with a Playstation Plus membership. I have avoided getting the Playstation Plus on principle (a principle I shall explain in another post).

Anyway, so I started off Far Cry 4 and am about three quarters of the way through it, and so far I am enjoying the game. Although I think body armour is a little flimsy, genuinely the game is fun. That being said, I am going to compare this with Far Cry 3 as that was my favourite of the series. I missed Primal (so far) but I did play Far Cry 2, which was decent but the malaria mechanic was poorly handled.

On to the Far Cry 4 thoughts, I enjoyed the story more than 3, the feeling that you do not know the whole story or see the big picture. Although Pagan Min is a little bland in comparison to Vaas, his creepy factor is well implemented.
The biggest loss from Far Cry 3 is the tattoo on the arm, I thought this was an exceptional level up system that you could see in real time as you play.
Transportation is another small issue I had with this game, where if you prefer to take a less travelled route to your waypoint and destroy your vehicle then it can take a while to get hold of another one.

Now on to the good stuff. Co-op is a hell of a good time. Whether it is taking encampments or fulfilling side missions, where before you focus on skill and finesse, now you and your buddy can drunkenly blow your way through. This is a big plus point for me, as the game should be easier if you’ve got double the firepower and skills at your disposal.

In terms of single player, the characters you come across are interesting, though the leaders of the golden path could’ve done with some fleshing out. My personal favourite is Longinus, warlord turned priest who is atoning for his sins. Gameplay wise, the stealth approach is the most challenging but fulfilling way to play, and you can feel like a ninja badass when you take down an outpost with just a knife and some stones.

Skill upgrades are good to use, but again am really missing the tattoo that shows the progress that you make. You only really need a few health related perks (though the elephant rider makes you feel like an OG & sticky mines gives you more tactical options) and then the tiger tree generally becomes your main focus. I do like some skills are locked behind completing some side missions which isn’t that hard to be honest.

The guns, oh sweet jezus, the guns. For the majority of the game, I went with a bow, grenade launcher, a sniper and assault rifle. Mostly stealth build, the launcher was for vehicle takedowns mainly. A lot of the guns are locked behind doing missions, outposts and radio towers, though natural progression will get you mostly what you need. Special note for the Buzzsaw signature weapon (signatures are special guns that tend to be better that the standard weapons, though very expensive) which is possibly a game breaker, dealing loads of damage and having a LOT of ammo to use it.

Handy tips for players

– Towers, liberate them as quickly as you can. This ‘unclouds’ the map and makes life a lot easier for you e.g. hunting, free weapons, navigation, etc. Get a helicopter, it can reduce the travel time significantly.
– Free guns are good guns, experiment to find out what makes you feel like the badass you want to be.
– Bow and arrows are amazing! They can kill all normal people (heavies not included) with one hit. They’re quiet. They make you feel like a goddamn ninja! Also if you hunt animals with a bow and knifes, you get double pelts.
– Following on from the previous point, hunt immediately. I would recommend that bell towers and hunting should be on top of your list of things to do. You need the upgrades those skins provide.
– Hunting tip of the year, do not take on rhinos or tigers with a bow. You will 99% of the time die. Embarrassingly. Pump them full of lead, get one skin and then look for more, it’s better than dying.
– Co-op if you can, makes things like outposts and side missions incredibly easy but so much more fun.
– Skill upgrades wise, get a takedown and drag quickly for you ninja wannabe’s, but early on focus on elephant health perks. Also harvester is a very practical one so you can stock up on health kits quickly.
– If you’re on your own, in an outpost and reinforcements are coming be PROACTIVE. Lay some mines, find out if there are turrets or mortars to use.
– Heavies and hunters are the work of the devil. Hunters need to die quickly. Heavies, if you can break the line of sight then they are easy to sneak up on. If you haven’t got the takedown, you need to aim at the side/back of their head.
– If you’re still struggling, do everything you can to get the buzzsaw weapon. Game breaking but your struggling and deserve to feel like a terminator.