It explains my radio silence for the last week.
It's fucking amazing. It's set in a barely disguised pseudo-Cuba: the evil dictator is even called Castillo, though he's not portrayed as a communist, but as an old-fashioned right wing dictator.
The gameworld is *vast*. There's what is essentially a training island, which seems big; but when you hit the mainland, it's deeply impressive. It's even more beautifully realised than before, with day and weather cycles producing incredible sunsets and storms. Presumably because there's a lot of it, they've really worked on the sea, with nice visual dodges for waves lapping on the beach and breaking on the breakwaters. I've spent a lot of time autodriving to locations, just for the pleasure of the drive.
The towns and cities feel a bit empty, but I suspect if you stick too many AI NPCs into a limited space then weird shit will ensue.
It noticeably embraces LGBTQ+, looking like a deliberate slap in the chops for the GamerGate homophobes. There are gay & lesbian characters, a central trans character, and other characters who are written & voiced camp & queeny without descending into caricature.
I'm working my way through sidequests & treasure chests as I always do, building up my XP and arsenal before finishing the main quest, which I think will involve open war in the capital city. The weapons choices are fun; especially the ridiculous scrap-engineered weapons made by Juan, the revolutionary tech genius.
£50 seemed really fierce to buy it on day of release, but I've already played 76 hours and I'm nowhere near the end of the game. And when I finish it, I suspect I may just spark it up all over again.
Well I have say it sounds pretty much as I expected: moar Fry Cry, bigger, better, faster etc. Which is no bad thing. Way out of spec for my pc though :-( . Still playing in my FC5 sandbox, probably north of 10-hours/week. I should check my stats ...
2024 hours played :-O
372 in Arcade (looks like it's been ditched for 6)
180 outposts captured (maybe they include Arcade outposts?)
107,000 NPC kills
51,000 headshots
536 takedowns
4166 hostages rescued
Not listed: GFH & FFH revived, helis shot down, trucks blowed up ... surely several 100s/1000s
Some stats look wrong. 30 fish caught? I only remember maybe 3? Not a fan of the fishing.