The story? Have you completed it then? ISTR two endings, one which was violent. The other was violent and a bit blue.

No, haven't finished. Finished the cave o' Chinese treasures. Haven't made it to South Island yet. Looking forward to more base captures there. The story mixes up some decent firefights with hokey cut scenes. Like many a video game.

Liking my current load out with an m4 AR (non-auto), shotgun, shredder SMG and suppressed sniper rifle with high- power scope.

Firefights getting better, story is tanking. Way too many cut scenes of pre-rendered 'boss fights' involving space bar 'mashing' and clicking mouse buttons on cue.

Speaking of tigers, I killed a heavy with a tiger. So that was cool.

I started playing FC3 again last night, it looks way better than I remember it. :)

I've only escaped from the slave camp and unlocked the first radio tower, but I'm noticing little asides and references in the opening scenes that make more sense now since I've played through it the once.

I got stuck on one mission and had to resort to god mode unlimited health to put it out of my misery.

So I made it to the Southern lsland after an improbably difficult firefight and several other bullshit cut scenes. Glad I brought the grenade launcher. Damn, it's like the game designers were kids on dope making up puerile schlock to meet an impossible deadline. Go Ubi. Anyhoo.

You love it. Dirty game.

Got beat in a manhunt for the first time last night. Unlike all the bases, this one was at the top of the hill instead of bottom. And the guards were clustered together so picking them off undetected was a non-starter. And the heavys have super-armour. I reckon I needed the grenade launcher.

But wait, there's more:  (bounce) I discovered you can't do a takedown of a heavy, but you can still kill him with the knife by slashing it back and forth a few times. Considering they can take two clips of AR rounds in the head without flinching this is... illogical. The one other bright spot in this dismal deathslog was I was able at one point to pick up an RPG launcher from a dead guard and blow away a heavy with it at the same instant he mowed me down with LMG fire.

Hmmph. This is showing the east ridge camp wanted dead (one that has me stumped) with all takedowns -- including the heavys!  >-O

So I went back to the coke machine and took out an RPG launcher. Improbably accurate at long distance, like a sniper cannon (and strangely less effective at mid to close range). Heavies problem solved. You can actually kill two (in close proximity) with one shot.  :-O~~~

The Grenade Launcher is an essential in my loadout. When the shit hits the fan, as it occasionally does, the grenade launcher will take out most heavies and many clusters with a single shot. You soon get expert at judging the distance at which it can be fired without killing yourself as well - and it's probably unfeasibly close.  It's also useful for continuing to soften up enemy outposts from height after your sniper ammo runs out or you've been detected.  Plus it's huge fun firing from a buzzer.

My loadout tends to be the aforementioned grenade launcher, the best sniper rifle I have access to, ditto best LMG and a last weapon bespoke to the mission - often the recurve bow or a missile launcher.

I've never played any Far Cry games. I might give it a go. Which one should I start with?

I put away the grenade launcher and LMG for the last couple of posts as it was becoming boringly easy. New fun is killing everyone on a jeep with a HMG turret, driving it into the base and using the HMG to hose it down.

3, I reckon.  It's probably the best story and you'll know from playing it whether or not you'll enjoy the franchise.

Then 4 for the tweaks to the gameplay and for the script & voice acting of Pagan Min.

Radio towers are becoming annoyingly difficult to climb. I've actually died more times from misjudged leaps than from combat (well maybe. I lost count).

The story in FC3 thus far (and I'm about 80% through, no hurry to complete), or at least the way it's presented, is its weakest element. A lot weaker than Dead Island I & II (and they were no great shakes), slight improvement over Call of Juarez Gunslinger (execrable). The things that make it all worthwhile IMO are the superb open world (stunning), environmental effects in said world (ditto), vehicles, combat (really good bots), animals, hunting tha' animals, being mauled by tha' animals, and watching the animals run amok (or just graze peacefully). Weapons, weapons and crafting systems are *pretty good* and adequate for gameplay, I've had better. It all adds up to a great game flawed, but not ruined by a weak (ludicrous, frankly) story.

If you think the story in FC3 is risible, I can't wait for you to have a pop at 4, Primal or 5...

Cool, thanks. When I've got some free time (don't get much of that at the mo) I'll have a look at FC3.

All their bases are belong to me.  (woot)
Last one I shot down a helicopter with the assault rifle.

Now I have to go back to the story.

I sure hope storming the big-ass prison is part of the story.

Ah. It's not a prison, it's a "fortress" http://ca.ign.com/wikis/far-cry-3/All_In

Was FC3 the first one with a 'stop all bases are belong to you' button in the options menu?  It's always worth one or two pops.  Keeps the love alive.