Shax

Three Pillar Reviews

Naming in progress :P

Test Review #3: Far Cry 5!


Played on PS4. Single-player only

Wonderful World. Wonderful Characters. Wonderful Graphics. Wonderful Gameplay. Wonderful Cinematics. The story leaves much to be desired however.

Immersion Almost Perfect with some mild annoyances.

Even with the PS4 Pro, this game looked amazing; the acting and voice acting, were very immersive. The characters have deep personalities and charisma.
There are some physics bugs, but nothing too surprising with the history of the franchise and similar games. Nothing game-breaking either.
It really hits all the right marks here. Immersion was so good here, it actually surprised me in a specific cutscene that I would have never expected any game to do, and I believe it was very well done even though it can be considered “risky”

Image below is from a screenshot that’s in the first two minutes of the game

Gameplay The changes here are very welcoming and it is less “chorey” than it’s predecessors.

If you played Far Cry 3 or 4, you will find the exact same base gameplay: liberate outposts, save hostages, kill the oppression, you pretty much have the same weapons, takedowns, etc. But they have added guns-for-hire, these are partners that help you out on your missions and just wrecking some shit up. (Except for story missions, more on that in a bit) You can recruit up to 3 fighters you find in the world, or do some special missions to unlock the 9 specialists that are able to help you. Each of these specialists have their own set of skills and weapons. I’m sure you have seen the dog in the trailers, he can mark the enemies for you. There is another guy who comes in with a fighter plane that is quite helpful when you are pinned down. And a woman that uses a bow and arrow to help you stealthily sneak around and finish off the cultists. Initially, you are allowed to have one gun-for-hire by your side, but after you unlock 3? specialists you will be able to buy a perk that allows you to have two guns-for-hire with you. So you can mix and match! My personal favorite were the dog and the woman with the bow and arrow.

That takes us to the perks. In the previous games you had to liberate outposts, perform takedowns, etc to gain exp and that allows you to get perks. You had to kill and skin a lot of animals just so you can have more bows/ammo on your person. They removed all of that here, now if you want perks you’ll have to get perk points, which you get by getting achievements like killing X number of cultists, or skinning Y of this kind of animal, or having your gun-for-hire kill Z number of people etc. So you could be able to unlock (almost) every perk before going in with the story!

So, if you don’t get exp from liberating outposts, then what are they good for?
Well you don’t get exp but you do get Resistance points. And you require certain amount of resistance points to proceed with the story.
There are only a few of story missions here, but they are also forced. What I mean by that is once you pass that amount of resistance points needed for a story mission you get dragged from wherever you are or whatever you are doing and forced to do a story mission that you are not able get out from. It could be a little frustrating at times if you are in a middle of another mission you are about to complete. But don’t worry there aren’t many of them in this game.

The map is divided into three regions, each led by a lieutenant, and you will have to defeat all three before you could go for the cult’s leader. You don’t have to do it in a certain order and you don’t even have to complete a region before going to the next. You can just jump in and out and do whatever missions or outposts you fancy.
Each of the regions have their own feel to them, own resistance meter, and they also each have three specialists that you can unlock. My best suggestion to start the game is by unlocking all 9 specialists first so you’ll have the chance to take a look at each region/lieutenant and figure out how you would like to proceed with the game.

A small annoying issue I faced a couple of times was that when I’m flying a plane or a helicopter and end up dying I respawn in the middle of the air in the helicopter/plane instead of the ground. Now that’s good and all but the actual problem is that you respawn while the engine is turned off, so more often than not you won’t have enough time to gather your momentum to continue you flying before hitting the ground and damaging your vehicle and/or dying yet again. This might have been solved in a later update or patch however, I have played this on the PS4 and I don’t believe I have updated anything when I started.

Oh I forgot to mention! You don’t have to climb as much radio towers here!

Story Immense potential that is wasted by a lack of character arcs and purpose

Personally, I really love stories that revolve around politics or religion, they have incredible potential that can’t be found in others. And a story that revolves around a cult is just something that can go over the roof! The two endings were very well made and I really loved them both. The father’s personality and aura is powerful and keeps you interested in what he has to say.
Unfortunately, while the characters did have a deep personality in them, Ubisoft did not really fully utilize this potential.

One thing that was missing and needed was the lieutenant arcs, three regions with three lieutenants, you do get to know more about them while you are in their regions but it doesn’t feel enough. Some cutscenes tell you a little about their past but then again they raise more interesting questions. Not being able to feel closure once you have completed a region.

Now, the worst aspect of the game is that you don’t really know what ideals the cult has. The misconception I might have created to fill in the blanks contradict with some elements seen in the game. You might understand why the cult is trying to get more followers, but you couldn’t understand why they try to kill and force non-followers as well.
The question of why would they do this pops up a lot in my mind even towards the end.
This makes it very hard to have any feeling about the cult, which could also have a lingering effect in your ending.

I have watched Inside Eden’s Gate, a prequel 30-minute video that is supposed to tell you more about the cult. Even though it did help emphasize what they are trying to do, it still didn’t answer the questions I have raised when I was playing the games.

Verdict
Far Cry 5 is an amazing installment to the series and to the FPS Genre as a whole. With two very solid pillars and good third, you have a lot on the table to play and enjoy the game. Even if story has an issue or two I still think of it as a nice experience.
It’s not a must play however, because of its wasted potential.
If you loved the earlier Far Cry games and you think you need to play another, then yes you should play this as you will greatly enjoy it.
If you tried the earlier Far Cry games and you didn’t think it was interesting then you can avoid this one as its story doesn’t fully redeem it.
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Have any of you guys played this game? How accurate was I in my review?
What did you guys think of my review in general? Anything I should add or remove for my next one?
Is there any question left unanswered after you read my review?
Do you like the new addition “Recommended for Gameplay and Immersion”? I could do more reviews like that eg “Not Recommended because of Gameplay and Story” etc. What do you think?
I want to write a little more about the story, but I also believe that it’s best to know as little as possible when you start a game. How can I write enough about the story without implicating anything to my audience?

What would you like to hear about next: RiME or Beyond: Two Souls?

86maylin

Eyy~This one is really good. :3 Really like the recommended text. It’s precise and lets me know what exactly is your verdict on the game.
I haven’t and don’t really plan on playing the game myself. Your review does clear up some points tho, like I have heard the story is kinda bad for this one, but the trailer left me curious about the characters since they look interesting. Gameplay is eh imo. Looks like the same thing over and over. I won’t mind playing these kind of games, but I won’t actively search for it.
I’d like to hear about Beyond: Two Souls next since I’ve played that one before. :P

Shax

Thanks May Lin! Those words make me more excited to write the next one! The recommended text was a last-minute edit and I saw that it could have potential and wanted to ask for your feedback on it.
And you are right, far cry is pretty much the same thing over and over, I didn’t complete 4 because it didn’t add anything new to the game. 5 added guns for hire, but remove that and yet you have the same thing again.

I won’t mind playing these kind of games, but I won’t actively search for it.

I understand, I feel the same way. I only played this now because my cousin bought it and I borrowed it from him :P

I’d like to hear about Beyond: Two Souls next since I’ve played that one before. :P

Good! We will be able to discuss a little more in detail next time then!

stef

Nice review. I didn’t really enjoy the last Far Cry because of the story, so I think I’ll skip this one. Story means a lot more to me then any other point so I appreciate the review!

What would you like to hear about next: RiME or Beyond: Two Souls?

I’d like to hear about Beyond: Two Souls. I actually co-oped it with my friend and really loved it. Most people didn’t like it though so I don’t expect a positive review xD

I’m really enjoying your reviewing system. It’s easy to read and straight to the point with good detail.

Shax

Thanks stef! I really appreciate the feedback!
Did you complete Far Cry 4? I skipped it because the story also didn’t keep me interested.

I will see how I will rate it tomorrow after I draft the review for Beyond: Two Souls. On the one hand it had incredible immersion but really doesn’t do much in the other pillars. I believe the players are very separated.

stef

Yes I did. I agree. The story didn’t grab me throughout the entire game and the ending was very bland. I enjoyed the villain but we didn’t see much of him and the main character himself had zero character or growth.

Shax

If you think the protagonist had zero character or growth you will hate this one because the protagonsit is completely silent!

tsupertsundere

Your reviews have been getting better and better with each new one, and I think the time and care you’re putting into them is really working. You’re doing some real-deal, you-should-get-paid-for-this shit.

I especially like the ‘recommended for…’ addition - I think that’s a really great idea. It sets the tone of what the review will be like, and it helps scannability - even if I don’t have time to read the full review, I at least get the major thrust of your opinion.

I would write nothing about the story further than you did already - the basic plot premise to set the stage for people who haven’t played. One exception - if plot twists and turns inspired a particular reaction you might want to share with others, or as an example of how effective (or not effective) the game was at conveying its story, etc.

I’d like to hear about RiME!

Shax

Thanks for the womderful words tsupertsundere, it really warms my heart to hear you say that. I’m glad the fruits of my labor has payed off!

I also thought you especially would like to hear about RiME next!

JaffaCaffa

Nice descriptive review, easy to follow along and pick out parts that you’re particularly curious about. I’m sure you’ll have to play around with the balance a bunch to tweek exactly how much story you can tell etc. while still being precise. I personally usually skip reading the story parts of reviews because I don’t know how spoilery the person is going to be. Anyways have fun with the reviews. :)

I agree with the others, I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on Beyond: Two Souls. Overall I really enjoyed it, besides a particular chapter of the game. I Have been told multiple times it’s the weakest David Cage game though (haven’t played the others), so wouldn’t have too high expectations.

Shax

Thank you so much!
I also usually skip the story part for the same reason! I need to work more on the balance of the story pillar so it wouldn’t have any sppilery feelings or set up unnecessary hype or disapppintment before someone plays the game.
I have wrote a review for Life is Strange: Before the Storm but I’m sure not many will like the review especially if they haven’t played it yet. I want to post it but I also fear it will bring unnecessary mosconception to the readers that cpuld potentially ruin their experience.

Also I agree with the others, I only played Heavy Rain, other than Beyond: Two Souls and you can really see a huge difference in the story pillar. Stay tuned, I hope you’ll like it!

JaffaCaffa

I feel you, I tend to overhype the games I completely fall in love with and am aware of it, try to balance it out with negatives so I don’t get people’s hopes up. It can definitely be tough finding that balance and who exactly your target audience is. I’ve learned to try and take people’s reviews with a grain of salt as well and apply what they’ve said to my own tastes, so I don’t have unrealistic expectations.

I really need to give Heavy Rain another chance, I’ve only seen the first 20 minutes or so plus a bunch of the memes. I’m super interested in the Detroit: Become Human too! Will keep my eyes peeled for the review, thanks. :)

Arbiter Libera

I’m a simple man - I see a lot of text, I must read.

Good review although I’m not sure how much my input matters considering last Far Cry I played was FC2, and formula seems to have changed plenty since those days. Nice of Ubisoft to vary familiar on-foot FPS majority of gameplay with some vehicle sections, though. Didn’t Far Cry 4 have a glider as a big selling point?

Now, the worst aspect of the game is that you don’t really know what ideals the cult has.

This sounds like a big problem if the idea is you’re battling said cult. So they’re baddies because of the usual: violence, drug dealing, etc?

What would you like to hear about next: RiME or Beyond: Two Souls?

Definitely Beyond: Two Souls. Haven’t played it myself and Cage’s games have a reputation.

PS.
Just so you know I’m totally stealing your idea of bolding certain parts of the text to emphasize that particular topic of the paragraph. :D Reading back my own reviews I can tell individual segments kinda blend together so you’re either all-in or just skim the review.

Shax

If the glider was a selling point in Far Cry 4 then it pretty much sucked. In 5 a new addition I forgot to mention was the fast travel, you can get an air drop on the location so you can glide to your desired location much faster than being on-foot. 5 definitely was better than 4 in every way.

So they’re baddies because of the usual: violence, drug dealing, etc?

Yes it sure felt that way. They gave a very generic feel to an interesting setup.

The be bolding thing just came to me as I read the review. I personally wouldn’t bother reading too much, and I’m sure it would’ve been helpful to many who only want to learn a little more about specific things and be completely surprised with the rest.

Arbiter Libera

From what I’ve heard problem is that ever since FC3 they’ve been making the same game and trying to replicate the charismatic villain approach. Does that at least work in FC5?

Shax

Again, it had extreme potential. Yes the villains were charismatic, but they didn’t follow through with a good story.
The story is generally the same throughout, you are stuck in an isolated location where you have to save your friends and face the antagonist.
That is perfectly fine, but without much character development or a solid story, you can’t differentiate it from.the rest.
The protagonsit in FC3 had a good character development iirc. In 5, the protagonsit is completely silent!
If I had to pick only one Far Cry game I would go for 3 definitely, 5 wouldve won by a landslide if it had a better story.

Deleted

This comment was deleted almost 6 years ago.

Trent

My vote: Beyond Two Souls

Saikania

I would love to hear what you think about Rime. :) And I like the way you write your reviews.