Review: Far Cry 4

The best thing about Far Cry 4 is not playing it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lot of fun – in fact it puts a lot of the AAA games we’ve seen this year to shame – it’s just that its cleverest moment involves skipping out on all that pesky gameplay. At the outset the protagonist, Ajay Ghale, is returning to his homeland of Kyrat (think Nepal meets Mongolia) to lay his mother’s ashes to rest. Kyrat is ruled with an iron fist by the despot Pagan Min (played by the imminently talented Troy Baker), who arrives in person to greet Ajay’s bus as it crosses the border. He gives the young man a (slightly blood-soaked) hug before stuffing him in a helicopter and whisking him off to a palace for a welcome dinner of crab Rangoon.When Min steps away from the table to take a call it’s the player’s cue to skedaddle, which kicks off the now-standard Far Cry intro of running through the underbrush with armed guards in pursuit. Of course, running from the dinner table like that is incredibly impolite, so Ajay really has nobody to blame for what follows but himself. Thing is, if he demonstrates just a modicum of good manners, Pagan Min returns to the table and whisks him off to the place where his mother wished to be interred. Then the credits roll. This scene is exceptionally clever in how it subverts player expectations, but it also shows the underlying philosophy that makes the Far Cry franchise unique.Unlike a lot of other sandbox games with pretensions of player choice,Far Cry 4 is all about what you choose to do. From the point you leave Pagan’s dinner party you’re drawn into working for The Golden Path, a terrorist organization founded by your father Mohan Ghale. Since your father’s death the organization has suffered a bit of a schism, and its two co-leaders Sabal and Anita don’t always see eye to eye. Anita is a pragmatist who prizes intel and military advantages over the lives of her soldiers, whereas Sabal is something of a bleeding heart. At certain points you get to choose which of the co-leaders Ajay supports, shifting the balance of power within the organization and leading to different missions.This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to player agency, though. Kyrat is immense, and right from the getgo you’re free to roam its mountain ranges looking for animals to hunt, outposts to liberate, and Royal Guard lieutenants to assassinate. Like all Far Cry protagonists, Ajay needs to use guerilla tactics in order to accomplish these objectives, which means you’ll spend a lot of time hiding in the bushes looking for the perfect angle of attack. Enemy bases are largely open-concept (I attribute this to Pagan Min’s clearly fantastic taste), so how you approach them is entirely up to you. You can sneak in through a hole in the fence and take out soldiers one by one, or charge in on the back of an elephant and flip cars in a berserker rage. The map is absolutely lousy with things to do, and even if you do find yourself without something in the immediate vicinity, the procedural Karma event system will create a hostage situation or animal attack for you to deal with.

For the most part, procedural events keep the action lively and ensure that the pacing is never dragged down by all the walking (and sometimes hang-gliding, which is more fun) that you have to do. The events that can pop up are varied, and if you don’t feel like dealing with one you can move on – most of the time. Sometimes you’ll be surrounded by a pack of wolves, or backed into a corner by a tiger, and at that point you have no choice but to fend the beasts off. This can happen when you’re in the middle of infiltrating a base, which throws a bit of a wrench into your plans, as I’m sure you can imagine. Still, you can just as easily turn the odds to your favor by tossing a bit of bait into the middle of a group of guards, so that particular frustration balances itself out. Base invasions, on the other hand, are a consistent annoyance. These random events, in which royal guards attempt to recapture your bases, create mandatory waypoints that force you away from whatever quest goal or objective you might be following. Having one of these pop up en route to a mission is infuriating, but at least the shootout that follows will be fun.The gunplay is polished to a mirror sheen (or a golden one if you have the rupees to drop on that paint job), with tight aiming controls and solid physics. Each of the guns in the game (and there are a lot of guns) has its own distinctive quirks – weight, recoil, firing rate – and special physics-driven weapons like grenades and bows feel really good to use. Between those weapons and your throwing knives, grenades, and Molotov cocktails, you’ll never run out of fun ways to deal with enemies. Far Cry’s fire physics in particular are remarkable (it’s been a hallmark of the series since the second installment) and you can absolutely wreak havoc with a carefully-placed Molotov or fire arrow.Ajay can customize his arsenal with an array of scopes, silencers, and special ammo, all of which can be earned by exploring and completing missions or by paying up in cold, hard rupees. It’s a nice feeling to have a tricked-out signature weapon at your disposal, and the upgrades actually improve the weapons in meaningful ways instead of just changing numbers around. There’s a significant difference between putting a reflex sight or a marksman sight on a bow, and the way that the latter allows you to make trajectory-adjusted shots with Ted-Nugent-style explosive arrows from a hundred meters away is positively badass. It’s very easy to earn rupees, so you’ll almost always have the option of trying out a new weapon or upgrade if you feel like the game is getting stale.

You can also tweak Ajay’s abilities directly through an RPG-style skill system. More or less everything you do in the game earns you EXP, and every ten minutes or so you’ll get a skill point to spend on an upgrade of your choosing. There are two sides to your skill tree, TheTiger and The Elephant, each of which corresponds loosely to a different playstyle. Tiger skills give you extra takedown moves and make your weapons more efficient, while Elephant skills increase your defensive capabilities and give you access to newer, better healing items. Both trees are important, but you can pick whatever skills you want in more or less any order without feeling like you’re gimping yourself.Unfortunately, as is often the case with games that let you choose your playstyle, Far Cry 4 doesn’t handle all aspects of its gameplay equally well. Stealth is the foundation of real-world guerilla warfare, and while the ability to infiltrate enemy bases from any angle is theoretically exciting, the Far Cry series has never had the AI chops to back it up. Enemies in Far Cry are great at keeping you on edge with coordinated attacks once they’ve spotted you, but everything before that feels off. Their range of vision is immense, and once they’ve spotted you, all of their allies instantly become aware of your location. In better stealth games there’s a bit of lag as guards shout out “Hey, there’s the enemy!” but even if you put an arrow through their throat the second they lay eyes on you these soldiers somehow manage to communicate your position to their friends. This still isn’t much of an issue in standard missions, where you can just switch to running and gunning when the jig is up, but in “assassinations” where you fail the second you’re spotted it’s a major headache.

Speaking of headaches, the game’s field of view is a little on the tight side, and while that works very well when it’s a down-the-barrel shooter, it isn’t nearly as serviceable in its sneakier moments. Thankfully, the FOV does pull back when you’re driving, but you still don’t have enough peripheral vision to do that effectively. Even if you did, though, driving would still be a mess. The game is designed to encourage shooting on the road, which means that all of the nice pressure-sensitive triggers you’re used to driving with in other sandbox games will only shoot out your window. Instead you have to accelerate by pressing up on the analog stick, which, as it happens, is also the implement that you use to steer. As you may be able to imagine, this is not a great setup, and the issue is compounded by the driving physics. Cars in Far Cry 4 feel about as unwieldy as those in WATCH_DOGS – to put it kindly, like a unicycle on ice. You can click L3 to have your car automatically drive toward your chosen waypoint, but pathfinding in this mode is finicky at best and you’ll lose a significant amount of karma points when the game makes you run over pedestrians. It’s best to just ride elephants everywhere.Bad driving isn’t the only way this feels like an Ubisoft game either. There are upsides to this, of course – the control-point based style of sandbox design established by Assassin’s Creed is a proven formula, and when paced effectively games based on it can work remarkably well. Ubisoft hasn’t managed to pace any of their campaigns effectively since Assassin’s Creed 2, but Far Cry 4 comes closer than most and its increased emphasis on emergent gameplay means pacing isn’t as much of a problem. On the other hand, there is the very obvious downside that’s characterized every one of the publisher’s game’s this year: a noticeable lack of polish. Bugs abound in Kyrat, and I’m not just talking about the mosquitos with exotic diseases. Texture pop in and animation glitches are common issues, and I’m not even sure what the hell this is:

None of the bugs I encountered in my playtime were game-breaking by any stretch, but they frequently took me out of the experience, which is the last thing a game like Far Cry 4 wants to do. This series is all about building a sense of immersion with its gorgeous environments and dynamic gameplay, and to have that broken so frequently is extremely disappointing. The awkward driving and touchy stealth are annoying for the same reason – when they inevitably fail they remind you that you’re playing a game.This is also a problem for large parts of the story, where the writing and acting can be a little uneven. Anything involving Pagan Min or the game’s minor villains (like De Pleur, a sadistic torturer who’s based his life around the teachings of Doctor Phil) is great – they have some great, scene-stealing lines, and Troy Baker especially strikes an impressive balance between erratic menace and potent charisma in his performance. The rebels are less convincing – Anita and Sabal deliver passable performances, but they speak almost entirely in stilted exposition. As far as the other quest-givers go, I’m fairly certain I heard one of them pausing to read his line in the take that Ubisoft decided to use, and they’re all so awful that I can’t remember which of them it was. I spent most of the game wishing I could be working for Pagan instead of the terrorists – a desire that the optional ending only intensifies.

Closing Comments:Despite having a lot of flaws, Far Cry 4 is a lot of fun. Ubisoft has set up a massive sandbox full of stuff to do, and though getting between things can be a bit of a hassle and not all of the activities are great, the core of the game – its gunplay – is exceptional. The primary intention of this series is to make you feel like Rambo, and in that respect Far Cry 4 succeeds spectacularly. It also has a compelling lead villain and a sharply-crafted nonlinear plot that suffers only for its focus on weaker characters. Those who’ve enjoyed previous Far Cry games will be happy to know that this is more of the same, just with rideable elephants.

Rating: 4/5 --- Reviewed By: HardCoreGamer

Just Cause 3 Wingsuits In For A 2015 Launch On PC And Consoles

The rumours have been doing the rounds for months now, but at last Avalanche Studios has officially announced Just Cause 3, revealing that the open-world grapple-obsessed sequel will be hitting PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2015. This time around Just Cause 3 will be set on a Mediterranean archipelago with fully revamped parachute and grapple mechanics, along with an all-new wingsuit sure to please fans.

The team claim that the stage is set for some of the most overblown action scenes imaginable, taking the Just Cause 2 template and blowing it into the stratosphere. “It’s a fine line between outright stupid and fun, but in Just Cause it just kind of works.” Avalanche has been working on the sequel for a full three years now but the wait is almost over, with Just Cause 3 pencilled in for a 2015 release.

"We’ve been waiting for this moment ever since Just Cause 2 was released,” said Christofer Sundberg, founder of Avalanche Studios. “This is the culmination of a decade’s worth of open-world evolution and innovation. In Just Cause 3, we’ve sent Rico to a beautiful Mediterranean archipelago. He is of course bringing his Grapple and Parachute, both with game-changing upgrades, as well as the brand new Wingsuit. Just Cause 3 truly represents the next generation of chaotic sandbox fun, and we can’t wait to show you more next year."

Just Cause 2 made a name for itself as the ultimate sandbox, particularly on PC where the modding scene flourished and it entered ever increasing levels of ridiculousness, including the thousand-strong multiplayer mode steeped in carnage. I’ll also never forget a mate showing me the body tree he’d made with infinite grapples and a worrying about of dedication, hanging up hundreds of dead soldiers. For a fleeting moment I contemplated whether I was sharing the air of a serial killer.For those worried about the F2P rumours and microtransactions from last week, Avalanche has also confirmed that this will most definitely not be the case for the sequel. The leaked screens were from a real build but were taken a long time ago, during an exploratory phase where the studio was indeed looking at different business models. The studio reiterated that it would be a full retail release, and will not feature in-game microtransactions.

Far Cry 4 Map Leaked

An image that allegedly shows off Far Cry 4′s map has been leaked online. It’s implied that the image shows the whole map but it’s not clear if that’s really the case.

There are blacked out areas around the edge, but this might just represent the boundary of the map, beyond which you cannot go.

The animals of Far Cry 4 that are going to kill you, and the ones that'll save your life

The animals in Far Cry 3 could be real jerks. Just as much as you enjoyed hunting them, they enjoyed hunting you too - with a habit of picking the most inconvenient moments. But Far Cry 3 was a petting zoo compared to the jungle that is Far Cry 4. Some are weird, some are wonderful, some are majestic - but every creature in this Himalayan wilderness is going to try to kill you. Alright, maybe not the turtles.The AI has come a long way since we last immersed ourselves in the world of Far Cry. That's both a good and a bad thing; with the animals more lifelike than ever, they're also smarter than ever.

"Animals are really interesting because they're part of the open world," Far Cry 4 creative director Alex Hutchinson tells TechRadar. "We think 'What's appropriate? Can we get a lot of different animals in there?' We look at behaviour… animals will be free, but even within that, some will charge at you, some will weave, some will circle"With Far Cry 3 the developers spent a lot of time at zoos studying animal behaviour, but much of the research this time was done from a desk. Perhaps that's not as interesting, but it made for some unique discoveries. "We found an amazing video of an eagle picking up a goat and dropping it off a cliff," says Alex. "We had to show people the reference video because they were accusing us of making stuff up."
The Himalayas are home to a plethora of wildlife, but human conflict is still at the heart of the game's narrative. So it was essential that the tigers, elephants, rhinos and bears remained secondary to everything else."It's a really tricky thing to deal with because if you dial it down too much, you find a lot of players don't engage with the animals," says Alex "Your goal is to allow the players to be annoyed sometimes, but for it not to become oppressive. You dont want to stop them achieving their goals. It's a very challenging and subjective thing to deal with because every player is different and their skills levels are different."It was also important that the team didn't get too lost in the jungle. "You could disappear into those systems. That might not always be the best spend of resources and time. So we've tried to add as much believability as we can. It's a big step up from Far Cry 3. Predators will hunt prey, elephants will wash itself in the stream. I think in terms of animals it's the best job we've done so far."

The developers have placed different species in different areas of the map, with crossovers at various points, so you won't be swarmed by every single species from the start. "We try to find some level of predictability, but...the chances of them spawning are semi random.""One of our goals was to spread it out. So we don't want them to find everything in the first hour. Definitely, the animals are spread everywhere. You'll be finding animals throughout the whole game."We've already had a good taste of the majestic beasts we'll be encountering in Far Cry 4, which we believe qualifies us as professional naturalists on a level that David Attenborough might feel intimidated by. So as David was unavailable to offer his own commentary on the animals of Far Cry 4, we've done it ourselves. These are the creatures that you'll be shooting in the face, and this is how much of a nuisance they're going to be.

Stunning Mass Effect 4 Concept Art Shown Off On N7 Day

We’ve known for some time now that Mass Effect 4 is being worked on, but BioWare has been suitably tight-lipped about the whole affair. This weekend saw the N7 Day Round table, where a panel discussion took place on what the future may hold in store for Mass Effect.During the panel BioWare revealed a whole load of Mass Effect 4 concept art, teasing what could be just around the corner for the much-loved sci-fi RPG series. A number of alien planets are shown in the pieces of concept art, as well as some impressive looking monolithic space vessels.N7 Day has become an annual event where all things Mass Effect are celebrated for 24 hours. There’s no clear direction for the title yet and how, or if, it will tie into the events of the previous trilogy, but on the basis of this spectacular art we should be in for a treat.

Far Cry 4 Sets Guinness World Record for Highest Console Gameplay Ever

FAR CRY® 4 SETS GUINNESS WORLD RECORD FOR HIGHEST CONSOLE GAMEPLAY EVER

Ubisoft and Contest Winner Will Cruz Take Gaming to Dazzling New Heights, Playing Far Cry® 4 at 18,569 Feet Above Sea Level.

Gaming has just reached the summit. Ubisoft® secured the Guinness World Record for Highest Altitude Videogame Console Session after leading a successful expedition earlier this month to play Far Cry 4 in the Everest Himalayas, at an elevation of 18,569 feet (5,660 meters). Ubisoft set the record with William Cruz, a 23-year-old Provo, Utah native selected as part of a nationwide contest to be one of the first to play Far Cry 4 in advance of its November 18release date.

Cruz was selected this summer as part of Ubisoft’s Quest for Everest: The Gaming Journey of a Lifetime, an online contest that identified the ultimate Far Cry gamer, and flew him halfway around the globe to see firsthand the real-world inspiration behind the Himalayan-set Far Cry 4. Cruz, who had never traveled outside of the United States before, filed for his first passport as part of the trip, visited Kathmandu, Nepal; Khumjung Monastery; the Khumbu Glacier; and the Ubisoft Base Camp at Mt. Everest. The hiking enthusiast was familiar with the mountains of Utah but had never come face-to-face with the ridgelines of the Everest Himalayas, home to the world’s highest mountain peaks.

Cruz hiked to the summit of Kala Patthar, one of the Himalayan Mountains set at the base of Mt. Everest in Nepal, with a support team of 15 people, including sherpas, a video crew and a train of yaks that helped carry the television, portable generator and gaming equipment necessary to set the record. On October 11, Cruz played Far Cry 4 on a gaming console for 79 minutes – from 4:38pm local Nepal time until 5:57pm, dealing with wind gusts of up to 25mph, temperatures that dropped from 26 to 17 degrees F, and the hazards of reduced oxygen where the air pressure is only half that of sea level.

Rumour: Leaked Images Suggest F2P Just Cause 3 In The Works With Microtransactions

Some leaked screenshots have cropped up from what looks to be an early debug build of Just Cause 3. These images by no means the absolute real deal but they look to indicate a move towards microtransactions for the roaming open-world series.The originals cropped up on a forum called xbox-underground in a thread started by user ‘Chr0m3 x MoDz’, who claims these are legitimate screenshots taken from an early build of Just Cause 3. This should all be taken with a hefty grain of salt but it certainly looks a lot like Just Cause 3, and we know Avalanche Studios has been working on something in collaboration with Square Enix again, namely “Project Mamba”, a 'groundbreaking' open-world action title.A shift to a F2P model or the introduction of microtransactions seems like a strange one, but Square Enix has been pretty vocal in the past that it wants to get involved is this area, ably demonstrated by the recently announced Triad Wars, a F2P Sleeping Dogs spin-off. The image below clearly shows a menu where players can buy or rent vehicles to drive using an unnamed currency, but it remains to be seen whether this is for cold, hard cash.

If you're worried about the prospect of a microtransaction-riddled Just Cause 3 then Avalanche founder Christofer Sundberg's words won't ease your woes, who tweeted last year that "Micro-Transactions, subscriptions and other biz models will be the next generation of games. It is that simple."

Fallout 4: Shadow Of Boston Discovered After Bethesda File German Patent

Try to contain yourselves but it looks like the long wait may finally be over. It’s no secret by now that a Fallout 4 is in development; Bethesda hasn't exactly made great strides to deny this fact, even if it’s never gone so far as to confirm it.It’s been rumoured for a long old while now that the post-apocalyptic sequel would be set in Boston, but now some intrepid Gaffers have unearthed a patent submitted by Bethesda last week to the German patent office, for a video game titled Fallout: Shadow of Boston.It looks like Fallout 4 could be surfacing soon as Bethesda prepares for a potential unveiling at VGX. The VGX Awards are set to take place in December this year, and the event has traditionally been used to take the wraps off one or two big titles, presenting a huge opportunity for Bethesda here.The patent listing below went public today, indicating that Bethesda has the rights to computer game discs, downloadable computer game programs, and even a potential tie-in TV show linked to the Fallout: Shadow of Boston name. You can see the patent for yourself below, or check it out here on the DPMA site.

There's still a question mark hanging over the validity of this title but it's clear that a new Fallout title is in the works, and this patent ties up nicely with the previous rumours regarding a Boston setting. The original leaks back in February suggest a casting call in Boston, while an IMDB listing for Fallout: Shadows of Boston has Drive and Sons of Anarchy actor actor Ron Perlman tipped for the job.

You Can Play Grand Theft Auto V In First-Person On PC/PS4/Xbox One

It was rumored before, but this is still sort of surreal to write: the upcoming current-gen remake of Grand Theft Auto V will have a first-person mode.

Yep, if you decide to purchase Rockstar's massive open-world game again, you can experience it all in first-person, from bank robbery to bike stunts to airplane theft.

Rockstar announced the mode today on IGN, where they've got a trailer showing how you'll be able to play as GTA's trio of degenerates from a more personal perspective. Footage shows the player driving, shooting, and flying in first-person, which is hardly new for a video game but definitely new for Grand Theft Auto.

GTA V comes to PS4 and Xbox One in two weeks, on November 18. The PC version is out in January.

Ubisoft employee dispels rumors of being pressured into locking PC games at 30fps

Towards the middle of October, GamerHeadlines reported on developments regarding Ubisoft’s commissioning of a few of their  staff to visit a school in France – Grenoble INP Ensimag, which is a prominent applied maths and computer science institution – to explain how they perform their tasks at the prominent game company.

According to a student who attended the Ubisoft’s presentation at the university, the employees supposedly revealed some startling information – which, in all honesty, is not that surprising coming from a company whose employee once stated that the video games industry will most likely adopt 30 frames per second as a standard in the future.

The same aforementioned student said that one of the attendees at Ubisoft’s school presentation asked the following question: “What the hell happened with Watch Dogs?”  Apparently, one of Ubisoft’s online programmers responded that right before the company releases a game, they have to send a copy of the respective game to console manufacturers, i.e. Microsoft and Sony, who tells them what content can stay, and what content has to go.

Additionally, Ubisoft’s game architect reportedly said that while the company makes 60fps a priority, certain limitations have demanded that their latest games run at 30fps. The student in question also said that the game architect stated that console makers are “pressuring” Ubisoft into doing the very same thing on PC, implying that Microsoft is forcing them to lock the framerate at 30 FPS on PC.

HOWEVER, one of Ubisoft’s employees (the online programmer who gave the presentation mentioned above, in fact), has reached out to GamerHeadlines in order to clarify the unsubstantiated rumors and inaccuracies the student has been spreading around.

Read more on what the Ubisoft employee had to say about the situation after the break.

Ubisoft Employee Dispels “30fps On PC” Rumors

I’m really upset on how the student has completely changed what we said (both I and the game architect).

The most disturbing point for me is this –  (Referring to the following  passage in the article mentioned in the disclaimer)

“The question: ‘What the hell happened with Watch Dogs?’

One of Ubisoft’s online programmers responded that right before the company releases a game, they have to send a copy of the respective game to console manufacturers, i.e. Microsoft and Sony, who tells them what content can stay, and what content has to go. ”

First point: That question (about Watch Dogs) was never asked.

Second point : During the presentation, I did talk about the normal validation process and quality check by the manufacturers. I said that we have to send versions to manufacturers, and subsequently, they ask us to fix some stuff in order to meet their quality guidelines.

That’s all. Bug-fixes to meet quality standard. Manufacturers never ask us to cut or remove content.

Everything else was purely invented by the student. 

---

What are your thoughts on this development regarding Ubisoft? Do you still believe that Ubisoft could be pressured by console manufacturers such as Microsoft or Sony into making their games run at 30fps on all platforms (including PC)? Why or why not?

More pertinently, what are your thoughts on what the Ubisoft employee had to say?

Let us know in the comments section below! As always, stay tuned to GamerHeadlines.com for the latest in video game and technology news.

Far Cry 4 – Ajay & The Golden Path

Every second in Far Cry 4 is another chance to make the game’s story your story. From the brutal rush of witnessing an elephant go on a rampage in an enemy camp, to driving your car off a cliff only to use your wingsuit to carry you to safety, the world is full of choice and possibility. It is only right that this range of choices applies to the story as well. Every decision you make will have an impact on the world, the missions and the other characters you come across. Ajay Ghale will encounter these key choice moments throughout his journey. But who is Ajay, and why is he so important that his choices can affect an entire country?

AJAY AND YOU

We know Ajay was born in Kyrat, and that his parents were important there for reasons initially unknown by him. When he was young, his mother brought him to the United States to escape Kyrat after something happened with his father (the team at Ubisoft Montreal is choosing to remain vague on the particulars) and he doesn’t return to his place of birth until many years later. However, once he arrives in Kyrat, a land of veritable strangers, he finds he is not so strange to all of the inhabitants. They know who he is, perhaps more so than he does himself. They know his family and his history. Even the tyrannical despot Pagan Min is familiar with him.

Creative Director Alex Hutchinson loves this parallel between the player and Ajay. At this moment, upon arriving in Kyrat, you know as little about what’s going on as Ajay does. “He has no idea what he’s getting into,” Hutchinson says. “We like the idea that at least in that moment, the player and the character are one. “

Hutchinson goes on to explain why the team wanted to maintain this relationship between the player and Ajay. “Ajay is interesting because in a first-person game you’re caught in this challenging spot where you don’t want to get in the player’s way too much. You really want as much as possible to allow the player to feel like they inhabit this world. We like the characters being representations of the player.”

Which is why it’s important that you (the player) are just as confused as Ajay is when he’s recognized by the Kyrati locals. Think of it like going to a party where everyone knows you and has crazy stories about you that you don’t remember telling anyone, let alone these people you’re sure you’ve never met before. It’s unsettling and, as Hutchinson says, a uniquely awkward feeling.

“You usually have either people who don’t know anything about you and they’re threatening you, or people who have all this knowledge about you and you know all about them – and it just makes you as the player feel disconnected from them. We wanted to find this hopefully new sensation of people recognizing you and involving you in their story before you really know much about them.”

This, of course, ties into the various choices players will have to make in the game with the sometimes limited information provided to them. Perhaps one of the most major choices involves what is known in Kyrat as the Golden Path.

SHADES OF GRAY

Nothing is simple in Far Cry 4. There is no black and white. Everyone has an agenda. Even the supposed “good guys” are sometimes torn apart by in-fighting and opposing methods and motives. It’s within this morally relativistic setting that you’ll be forced to make choices that shape the world around you along with the story being told.

The Golden Path is the rebel faction in Kyrat; Ajay will eventually ally with them in his fight against Pagan Min. But there are different paths to take, different leaders to side with in the Golden Path, and that will change everything for Ajay (and Kyrat).

“With the Golden Path, what we wanted to achieve was this idea that even though they’re the good guys, they’re kind of muddled about how they should achieve their aims,” Hutchinson explains. “So the player will be able to choose which leader of the Golden Path they’re following. They both want to target Pagan Min, but how they do it, why they do it, and what the consequences will be are radically different.”

There is no clear “light” side or “dark” side in the Golden Path. In fact, it’s more akin to old versus new. Both leaders have their own reasons for why they do things the way they do, and at times the feuding between them goes to extremes. On the one hand you have someone hoping to end Pagan Min’s reign and preserve the old ways, which might be seen as “repressive and strange” in a modern world. On the other hand you have a leader determined to bring Kyrat into the present by embracing riskier business ventures like drug and weapons in order to bring much-needed money to the country.

These leaders will force you to make decisions at key moments that will affect the story, the missions and even the tools at your disposal. Hutchinson further explains that these choices won’t be made dispassionately; Ajay is caught up in a family feud wrought with emotion, which means you’re likely to find yourself stuck in the middle quite a bit. Choose wisely, though: What you do will decide the fate of Kyrat in Far Cry 4.

                                                      From - UBIblog

Far Cry 4 – A Day in Kyrat

I flew over the peaks and valleys of Kyrat as enemies shot up at me from the ground. I survived the dangers of Shanath Arena. I stuck C-4 on a truck and rolled it into a crowd of enemies before diving out and blasting the vehicle (and my targets) to pieces. I punched a freaking tiger in the face. I did all this and so, so much more in my brief hands-on time with Far Cry 4. The following seven highlights are just a taste of what I experienced, and a small slice of what you can expect when you jump into the game on November 18.

ARE YOU THERE AJAY? IT’S ME, PAGAN

I was in a small village learning about Ajay’s father when Pagan Min’s voice drifted into my ears. Now, I was sure any second he’d start spouting off some threat of bodily harm, but instead he started talking about… Kanye West? “Do you follow that guy on Twitter? It’s gold. I would love to shoot the breeze with that young man.” Color me surprised. Pagan Min wants to be besties with Kanye. That’s a selfie I’d like to see.

BIRD’S-EYE VIEW

There are few things cooler than soaring through the air high above the ground and getting a breathtaking view of Kyrat’s valleys as you break over the crest of a mountain top. I spent a good chunk of my hands-on time with Far Cry 4 simply seeing the world from a bird’s perspective and getting a feel for the massive and beautiful landscape beneath me. Then of course, I steered the Buzzard over an enemy outpost and rained hell from the sky, and that was pretty glorious too.

DEATH AROUND EVERY CORNER

That’s not even an exaggeration. It really does seem like everything in Kyrat wants you dead. As I was on a mission searching through some corpses, a pack of wolves surrounded me, forcing me into a fight for my life. Not too long after that, I entered into a shootout with some Royalists, and a massive eagle came out of nowhere and began clawing at my face. I won’t lie to you: I did jump a little – but you would too if you suddenly had a screen full of talons and beating wings. A little recon before you take on enemies wouldn’t go amiss either. If you spot a Hunter among them, it might be wise to take him out first. These new enemies are tougher than the average grunt and can charm animals into going after you, making them even more deadly.

GUNS FOR HIRE

It really does pay to do some good in the world. Gain Karma by completing Karma Events and spinning Mani Wheels in order to get reduced costs at Trading Posts. More importantly, increase your Karma level to get Guns for Hire tokens that you can use to call in Golden Path rebels to fight for you. Aiding the Golden Path rebellion as they work to unseat Pagan Min is a good way to up your Karma level. These “Karma Events” pop up quite a bit in Kyrat, so you’ll have plenty of chances to help out.

DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH… OR MAYBE DO

The Himalayas are frigid and unforgiving. So unforgiving that you may find yourself having trouble performing the simple act of drawing breath. In certain areas high up on the mountain, you may need to get your hands on a gas mask to supply you with oxygen. Be careful, though, as your oxygen will deplete. Keep an eye out for canisters on the ground, and if you can’t spot any lying around, you can always just kill someone and steal their oxygen.

STOP AND SAY HELLO

Many of the NPCs you encounter in the world will offer you insight into the history of Kyrat as well as the current political situation. Some of them even provide details on Ajay’s family and who he is. You can just walk up and interact with people in towns and at captured outposts and they might have missions or just information that’ll help you fill in some of the blanks and gain a better understanding of the mess you’ve stepped into.

STEP INTO THE ARENA

What’s more terrifying than being dropped – naked and unarmed – into an arena full of armed opponents and angry animals? Not a whole heck of a lot, but that’s exactly what you get the first time you enter Shanath Arena, Noore’s pride and joy. Survive waves of enemies with only the weapons you collect inside the arena and Noore will allow you to leave with your life. It’s a pretty generous offer if you ask her. I’m not quite sure if Noore is seriously insane or just a pawn in Pagan Min’s game, but I’ll just have to wait until I get to know her better in November.

                                                      From - UBIblog

Review: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Advanced Warfare marks the largest departure for Call of Duty since Modern Warfare was introduced in 2007. As the tagline has continually reminded us, “power changes everything” and that’s certainly the case here. Advanced Warfare not only introduces the endearing Kevin Spacey into the mix (who’s Frank Underwood character on House of Cards fits right into the “power” motive), but also adds exoskeletons, exceeding the limits of the human body. Advanced tech being a more notable addition than dogs (which are virtually absent in this game, god rest Riley’s soul), first-time lead developer Sledgehammer Games is attempting to keep Call of Duty relevant into the future by literally bringing it into the future. In a year when EA and Activision themselves have done the same in the multiplayer space with Titanfall and Destiny, respectively, power is indeed changing everything. Now let’s see if Advanced Warfare has enough. Advanced Warfare takes place in 2054 where North Korea has become a world power and is in the midst of an invasion of Seoul. Jack Mitchell (Troy Baker) joins the marines to help protect the free world. Although fighting heroically to turn the tide of battle, Jack gets caught up an explosion that kills his best friend Will and leaves him severely injured and without one arm. Jack thinks his combat days are over until one day he’s approached by the CEO of Atlas, Jonathan Irons (Kevin Spacey), who offers him a second chance as part of his Private Military Corporation Atlas. Already beginning to rival the United States Military in size, Atlas has recruited the country’s top scientists and developed numerous groundbreaking technologies, the most interesting of which are advanced robotic prosthetics.

Equipping Jack with a new arm, Irons trains him to be one of the most effective soldiers and sends him on a series of clandestine operations throughout the world. On one mission, however, Jack gets caught up in an explosion at a power plant that is followed by similar attacks across the globe. A terrorist organization known as KVA takes credit for the attacks and sends the world into a frenzy. Irons steps up to protect it and militarizes most of the world, becoming the largest army in the world as a result. Although the world is safe, Jack begins to question the intentions of his employer. A marked improvement over the nonsensical story of Ghosts, its tight plotting and surprisingly strong performances make it a strong runner-up to Black Ops II, even if it’s derivative and not robust enough. Investigating Atlas and fighting off KVA, the campaign takes players throughout the world, dropping them in exotic places like Antarctica, Lagos, Greece and the interesting New Baghdad which has become a thriving business hub of the middle east rivaling the likes of Dubai in the time since Atlas took power. Like most Call of Duty games, the campaign boils down as a tour of all the different areas featured in multiplayer on a grander scale and various types of combat. Missions equip players with different loadouts like Specialist and Assault, which feature different technologies and exo abilities to better suit the mission at hand. One stealth-driven mission in Thailand, for instance, has players sneaking around a house and using a hook to pull enemies into the shadows. Tanks and fighter jets will also be commandeered, but only for one mission. As there’s a melange of ideas usually only used once, none of them are refined enough to become a central gameplay mechanic, but they all work smooth enough in unison. It might not have its own identity, but Advanced Warfare’s campaign is a highly entertaining six hour buffet of futuristic combat.

While Advanced Warfare is marginally worth buying for the single play campaign, the focus as always remains on multiplayer, and boy did Sledgehammer bring it this year. The biggest addition in Advanced Warfare is the exo, introducing new gameplay with the ability to boost jump, boost slam, boost dodge, boost slide, boost dash, grapple, cloak and more. Out of all the new abilities, the most notable is boost jump, allowing players to jump higher than was ever possible before. This adds a level of verticality comparable to Halo that has always been lacking in the series. Not only does it make combat more interesting as now players can jump high into the air to dispose of each other, but it also allows maps to be designed with taller structures, making them much more interesting to run through. The rest of the boost movements will predominately be used by advanced players to fine tune their strategies and try to remain as mobile as possible. The only one I didn’t care for was boost dodge, which was difficulty to execute with its combination of buttons and pushing down sticks. It becomes smoother to use after practice, but the fact that it doesn’t feel like a guarantee to work limits its use. There’s more to the exo than its inherent features, however. Also available are Exo Abilities which allow them to be augmented with multiple gadgets and bonuses including Exo Shield — a quick deploy shield attached to the exo’s arm, Exo Overlock — which increases foot speed, Exo Stim — which regenerates health beyond standard levels, Exo Cloak — which turns players invisible, Exo Hover — allowing for short hovering in place, Exo Ping — showing enemy movement and weapon fire in the Hud and the Exo Trophy System which destroys incoming grenades and rockets for a limited period of time. All of these are incredibly useful in combat and will challenge players with a tough decision on which they find more valuable. In the time we’ve been playing multiplayer, we’ve already seen a handful of players using the shield as their main weapon, so there’s a lot of potential here.

Rounding out the abilities of the exo are perks, which can do things like suppress the noise of boost, allow reloading while sprinting, drive more energy to the exo battery and more. Perks consume slots and players will again have to choose which they head into battle with carefully to ensure their strategy is best represented. The much loved Pick 10 system from Black Ops II is back, now improved as the Pick 13 system and allowing players to select with scorestreaks will be included with their class. Besides combining scorestreaks, they can also be customized for a cost, such as customizing a Remote Turret into a rocket Turret Module. Co-Op Scorestreaks also make their debut here, allowing two players to join up a scorestreak. This is a cool bonus both for players at the same skill level to play more cooperatively each other, but also allows for veteran players to team up with their novice friends and give them bonuses they normally wouldn’t get. Advanced Warfare features a bevy of weapons to head into combat with, some of which are variations of past guns, but many that take on an identity of their own. One of my personal favorites is the KF5 submachine gun, which although a basic weapon, has a smooth firing rate that allows for good accuracy when mobile. The Bal-27 assault is also a standout, increasing firing rate over time. With dozens of guns, players will have their own favorites, but there isn’t one I’ve used that doesn’t feel right. Advanced Warfare even introduces a new Heavy Weapons class that includes directed energy weapons such as the EM1 and EMPm2. Not requiring reloads, but overheating after prolonged activity, these weapons are removed from anything experienced in the series before and add another battlefield dynamic.

Another new feature are supply drops which are a reward system of more than a thousand piece of loot including character gear, custom weapons and reinforcements in three rarities — Enlisted, Professional and Elite. All of these goodies can be tested in the new Virtual Firing Range, which allows layers to try out new items and loadouts in the lobby before matches begin, decreasing the amount of “test matches” experienced in past games simply to test out gear. Of course, what good is all the gear without avenues to use it, so it’s a relief that Advanced Warfare comes stacked with modes. Almost all are returning game modes, but the ones selected are strong including Deathmatch, Search and Rescue, Capture the Flag, Hardpoint, Domination and more. New to the series this year are Uplink and Momentum. Similar to the Blitz mode of Ghosts (which itself was similar to football), Uplink sees two teams fighting for control of a satellite drone who then must take it to the opponent’s uplink to score. Momentum is based on the War game mode found all the way back in World at War, which in a virtual game of tug of war sees players attempting to capture five points on the map by whoever has the most kills. This allows for fast-paced combat in an attempt to turn the tides of the battle.

Besides the many versus modes, a co-op mode is again included this year called Exo-Survival. A glorified horde mode, Exo-Survival sees one to four players teaming up to fight of waves of increasingly difficult enemies including soldiers, dogs and drones. Exo abilities, weapons, scorestreaks, perks and be upgraded throughout the round to be able to face the enemies at hand. Although entertaining, it’s too basic to have much lasting appeal as the concept has been experienced so many times before. It’s too bad Sledgehammer didn’t add a self-contained horde-esque game mode like Infinity Ward did in Ghosts with Extinction, as that felt much more fresh. To experience the modes, multiple maps are included such as Riot, Biolab, Recovery, Ascent, Greenband, Defender, Comeback and more. Continuing the trend of the more open maps found in Ghosts, practically every map here is expertly-designed, featuring many confined converging paths as well as wide-open spaces for those who prefer to rush right into the grind. The verticality that exos add have allowed the maps to be built up more, which makes for some great vantage points from windows and close quarter combat in stairwells. Defender is likely the standout map, taking place at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge in the midst of a tsunami hitting which dynamically changes the area, but all of the maps work well in practically every available game mode.

Closing Comments: The first Call of Duty built for the current console generation, Advanced Warfare is a leap in the right direction for the series. The exoskeleton power doesn’t change “everything,” but it creates a fresh experience. The added verticality simply makes multiplayer more fun, allowing players to fling around the map in ways previously impossible. Game modes are relatively unchanged, but they’re presented with thousands of impressive new customization options, allowing players to tailor the experience to their liking. On the single player side of things, signing up Kevin Spacey was a brilliant move that makes the campaign more cinematic than ever before. Boasting the tightest multiplayer of the series and one of the strongest campaigns, Advanced Warfare proves that Call of Duty is here to stay — and it’s welcome.

                         Rating - 4.5/5

                                         From - HardCoreGamer