Whalp, curiosity got the better of me so I started in on 5. First off it had to install a ton of D3d and dotnet whatnots (alarmingly a "Windows 8.1 update"), then it rebooted into a blank screen. After a hard reset I was finally able to launch the actual game.

The intro logo video was choppy, though nice to see it's a product of my hometown, at least partly (Toronto/Montreal).

In video options, it was preset to all lowest on 1280x800 (on my hd1080p display) except for the AA. I dialed that down a notch, which showed up right away in the 3D-engine rendered darkened church scene as odd highlight glitches, but at least without stuttering -- my rig is barely up to this monstah.

The opening sequence followed the familiar canonical FC escape path, and I have to say I liked this start better than those of 3 and 4, partly because I all ready knew what to expect, partly because it was just a better job all around (practice makes perfect I suppose), and the story is based on some kind of reality I can directly relate to. The night forest, busted-up cabin shootout and wild pickup chase scenes are perfect, and thus far I really like the guns. The rednecks are armed to the teeth like most rural Americans, stupidly brazen, aren't bullet-sponges, and can be dropped by one or two hits anywhere in their bodies.

 

It's a great ride - enjoy it - but was, and so far is, a one-time play. This may have to do with my relationship with the narrative (don't seek gameplay spoilers as I think they may do what they say on the tin).

The angling sub-game is a genuine pleasure and a welcome time-out from the action.

Thanks for the heads up. If the replay possibilities seem too boring, I'll check out some of the user maps which look like they could be fun (and some were made by ubi's own level designers).

On the technical side, I was able to boost the resolution to 1366x768 and max AA without penalty, except the AA makes it blurry, so I'll dial that back. No stuttering so far. I was hoping to enable full 1920 res by dropping the fps to 30, but the only choices are 50 or 60.

I captured the wee island in the middle of things without any difficulty, and got the briefing on the different areas of the sandbox (basically Seed's family of inbreds -- the compound bow completes the "Deliverance" vibe). I also got an overachiever helper dude, who kind of spoiled the last fight by running on ahead and killing everyone before I got there. The terrain looks like I imagine Vancouver Island -- never been, but seen some pics and movies shot there.

Got the doggy. This is too easy!

Spent yesterday evening crashing around in the puckerbrush, got caught up in a couple of missions: go retrieve so and so's bulletproof, crashproof pickup, find a stash of supplies without being electrocuted (failed at both), got killed about 20 times, learned how to fly a plane, learned I needed a parachute, killed about 50 rednecks...

Oh yeah, got attacked by a wolverine, which is like the honey badger of FC5, and bears in FC5 are as hard to kill as rhinos in 4. Still only got one main weapon, one side-arm, and a baseball bat.

Sounds about par for the course. Yes, I noticed too that bears were sods in FC5.  I never got good at flying: but (thank goodness) it's either possible to flook the flying-dependent missions or the game just gives up on you after a bunch of fails and pretends you've bossed it for the sake of a happy household. 

There are some genuinely funny missions in and amongst - not the sledgehammer slapstick of the Prairie Oyster Harvest, but other stuff. And may I direct your attention, once again, to the fishing?

Haven't tried the fishing yet though there's been opportunities galore. I did unexpectedly kill a bear with three arrows in the face while it was charging me, but mostly try to stay out of their way. I just did the help Grace in the bell tower mission, which was pretty tough, but had to bail on the follow-on mission where you get captured, sprung, and have to capture then defend a mortar after three fails. Later for that one.

And now I find myself assaulting Falls End, a pretty little town overrun with 'peggies' (hipster slang for jesus freaks wif guns). Gotta say FC5 has the best combat AI scripting I've seen since Ghost Recon, and that wasn't open world. Bitchin' hard. Vast improvement over FC3&4 in that department.

The algorithms do show a little bit in the sieges, as is often the case.

Got me one of those badass pickups from so-and-so's super-sekrit shed topped with razor wire (who would notice something like that?). I dunno if I will drive around in it since I like creeping through the edge of the forest taking potshots at vehicles a whole lot better. I'm finding earning points for more holsters and ammo bags, and $$$ for more/better weapons is frustratingly slow, though my maigre loadout certainly makes for some interesting combat. I'm spending all my money on body armor, can't even afford medkits, and there's no fallback except slow healing.

Hmmm. Guess I gotta go on a hunting binge

...with the aid of the pooch and the compound bow, I killed some bears and wolves, got kitted up with a Dirty Harry sidearm and a silencer for the sniper rifle, liberated the airport and Seed's ranch in short order.

Are you using the guns for hire regularly as well as the fangs? Their AI isn't at all bad - in fact, it can be a little too good in spots.

The one I got near the start was such an overachiever he'd run on ahead and kill everybody before I could make it to the party (me being all sneaky and cautious). I like the dog better. Still haven't worked out the sequence of "g"s to make 'em do stuff. Sticking the suppressor on the sniper rifle has made a world of difference. A bit disappointed with the .44 magnum revolver though, not doing the job as anticipated. FC5 does have the D50, that might make a more effective sidearm (it's freaking deadly in 3)

During a prodigious, 6-hour (cumulative) weekend FC5 binge, I drank deeply from the well of unhinged, open-world rampage. Then of course, I hit the inevitable FC universe turd in the punchbowl -- the mission(s) on rails you really hate, but can't avoid. Two of them.

One in crazy-assed brother Jacob's realm, where recovering some subcretinous hick's stolen humvee so incensed brother Jacob that he sent his hunters to kidnap me back to his private shooting gallery, providing me with an opportunity to prove my mettle as a...midway shooting gallery rube. Over and overzzzzzzzzzz.

Soon tiring of this pointless and un-gratifying minigame 'mission', I esc-quit and restarted the game, in order to fast-travel anywhere but here. Three times. Fourth time, by going back to the starting point Ranger's station, I managed to give kidnappers and the minigame the slip.

Now I was in 'henbane' country, crawling with henbane-addled zombies, super-soldiers, and shape-shifting critters -- I suspect henbane is a metaphor for oxycontin (hillbilly heroin), but whatever.

So far so good, none of Jacob's squad about and I resumed my rampage apace. Yeehaw.

Capturing a henbane brewery was unfortunately (and perhaps predictably, in hindsight) OTT for sister Faith, for she then sent her best, armored-up LMG guys to hose me down with 'bliss bullets' and...wait for it...kidnap me.

And so I found myself press-ganged into a new mission, 'waking up' in captivity, dreading what tedious and degradingly repetitive chore I may be called upon to perform by Ubi's genius game designers.

Edit: Hmm, ok, at least I figured out the work-around https://steamcommunity.com/app/552520/discussions/0/1697169163399220556/

There's a fair bit more of that to come, I'm afraid.

So I gather. I did manage to do the escape Seed's torture camp in only about 6 tries (thankfully the script doesn't vary) then resumed hiking about and killing. Slowly working my way up the points ladder towards the third holster, but managing to hold my own with the suppressed sniper rifle, and the dirty harry six (a decent shotgun substitute on animals, zombies and VIPs, but requires better aim).

I didn't want to spoiler it, but for me the not infrequent captures, cut scenes and contrived getaways significantly breaks the flow of the game. And why, having caught you, the Seed possie doesn't just kill you is beyond any rational explanation.

For the number of times I've already died, I reckon Seed Inc. decided 'killing' me would be pretty pointless.

Once I got the hang of it, the kidnap-to-forced-missions weren't that bad apart from the tedious cut scenes, which are skippable. I went back to the white mountains for the shooting gallery one and managed to get through it on the 3rd try, jumped down a rabbit hole and wound up in the arms of the honky bow dudes, or whatever that crazy survivalist militia call themselves. Still haven't figured out the silver bars thing but I read somewhere they can be found in safes, which I haven't tried to crack yet.

Safes are a great resource and are often housed in bunkers and store-rooms with lots of other good shit and collectibles.