> I don't like mopping up sub-quests after completing the main storyline, so I try to get through them early.
Always bugs me when games place too much urgency on the primary mission, to the extent of making you feel guilty to spend ten minutes helping a farmer.
Far Cry generally don't do that. If anything, it's too easy to lose the plot. And the plot kinda sorta doesn't actually matter anyway, which is good, because it's stupid.
“Michael Jackson fan groups to sue accusers for ‘sullying his memory’”
I have an inkling about that, based on the premise of "New Dawn". I was put off by the marketing, with the crazy Fortnite -ish neon color scheme (which already blights some of the guns in 5), but the trailer makes it look like more of a 3/4/5 re-skin, complete with tedious villains*.
I'm eyeing the 'Nam DLC for 5.
*the characters are actually pretty interesting, it's all the cut scenes and phony fights in lala land that makes 'em tiresome.
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The Vietnam DLC is fun. Short, but fun and with good reasons to replay.
I always like the fantastic bits of FC, whether it's hallucinatory quests or alternative worlds, and I think New Dawn may have some of that vibe throughout, so I'm looking forward to it. I'm just a bit too mean to pay full-game price for what is, in essence, a DLC itself.
"We all have flaws, and mine is being wicked." James Thurber, The Thirteen Clocks 1951
I find the fantastic bits in FC (notably 4, and to a far lesser extent 5) are kind of interesting, but waaay overdone as central story elements. Having used aplenty from the supermarket of pharma, the virtual experience doesn't really cut it for me.
What I like about 5 moreso than 3 and 4, and I think this is also why you like 4 (as you mentioned), is that it is grounded in a reality I can directly relate to, having grown up and substantially lived in rural (both Northern and Southern) Usian communities. 5 quite accurately models rural Americana, the mix of down-to-earth charm with firearms-and-religion psychosis. And the landscape is spot on, it's like a hike in the wilderness without the fresh air and exercise.
“Reactions of shock to … are starting to populate Twitter.’”
Yes, the druggy bits are a bit like what people who hadn't done hallucinogens would do if they were imagining what trips were like, which may well be the case. (side note: VR is much more like hallucination or dream than flat games. Somebody should be designing VR digital trip simulations at the moment - I'm sure there would be huge market for it). I still enjoy them (the FC levels), though, for their randomness.
Interesting point about engaging with FC5 more strongly through familiarity. I designed a couple of games for heritage trusts based around their properties - Belsay Hall in Northumberland and Knaresborough Castle - and before that I commissioned my Art Gallery, Cartwright Hall , to be made into an Unreal Tournament map. It was always very odd, playing these places in-game and then walking through the actual architecture - some kind of uncanny valley thing going on.
I attended the Yorkshire Games Conference a few weeks ago and a level designer from Hitman 2 was showing how meticulously they were designing levels on real locations.
"We all have flaws, and mine is being wicked." James Thurber, The Thirteen Clocks 1951
I'm not sure which drug(s) 5 models, though I suspect opioids -- 4 is deffo shrooms/acid/mescaline type stuff. It simulates some of the visual effects pretty good. What a virtual simulation can't do is superimpose your own memories, imaginings, fears &ct. on the observed world, which to me is how hallucinations and dreams work. So it very quickly degrades from 'gee, this is neat' to 'meh, another stupid computer trick'. Maybe it's more vivid in VR, I dunno. Straight up open world games definitely influence how I look at the real world with the uncanny valley thing. Best recent (2019) movie I've seen about that is Serenity -- just naming it is actually a spoiler!
Edit: Nam's aboard.
“Reactions of shock to … are starting to populate Twitter.’”
Thanks for the heads up about the discount on FC5: New Dawn. I supplemented that with an additional 20% discount claimed with some Ubi-point things I didn't know existed until Pere Ubi told me in very timely fashion that they were about to expire. I ended up paying 13 and a bit quid for it, which seemed fair.
Life then promptly changed in turbo gear in a deliberate conspiracy to prevent me from getting so much as a sniff at the credits, so first impressions will have to wait until this evening.
"We all have flaws, and mine is being wicked." James Thurber, The Thirteen Clocks 1951
I started up the 'Nam DLC and thus finding the world underpopulated with, you know enemies as I stumble around in the jungle, which kind of resembles a golf course that hasn't been mowed in a couple of weeks, with some trees and big-ass rocks. Anyhoo there are a bunch of 'side-missions' available in a menu, so I suppose the onus is on me to go find the action. On the bright side, returning to FC5 I find the gun locker has been restocked with some nice 'Nam-era toys, including a pretty decent M16. I did my time in the Jacob shooting gallery (BOORING!!!) and now happily back open-worlding in the White Mountains, where the terrain is breathtaking.
“Reactions of shock to … are starting to populate Twitter.’”
Made it through the swap out the brainwashing video in the torture hotel/blow up the "only you" boom boxes/kill Jacob boss fight. Halfway through the "only you" bit, I realized it was conventional FC combat with extra enemy spawning and graphical silliness, so that made it better. The boss fight was pretty rote and pretty meh (I actually killed him with two .50 pistol rounds from a distance of about 15-feet). I didn't mind so much because this was after a glorious round of assorted open-world roaming and the less tedious (not go cart, not shooting gallery) mini-missions.
“Reactions of shock to … are starting to populate Twitter.’”
I've already noticed similar in a couple of spots, will check the hotel. Pretty sure it also happens in 3 & 4. Feature.
Just remembered, when I finished the torture tape mission and before it segued into the "only you" battle, there were still cultists about, and no triumphalist resistance dudes rolled in. So not a base cap per se. Mind you, this was at 1:30am.
“Reactions of shock to … are starting to populate Twitter.’”
OK, I'm all confused about where this torture lodge is. I thought it might be Elk something lodge, but that is an already captured base with no cultists left around, and it has decidedly different landscaping (and a giant elk statue). Anyway I did John last night. The airplane flying was pretty much a fiasco from start to finish, but I managed to eject and parachute to finish him on the ground. It feels pretty close to the story end now with all regions liberated, but my progress is only showing ~53% completion (true I skipped all the dumber side shows). Still got the showdown with Joseph and whatever follows to do. Gotta say the last few cut scenes are better than average for FC.
Edit: Found it. Abandoned, no cultists,
“Reactions of shock to … are starting to populate Twitter.’”
Finished it. I picked the "resist" option which led to a fairly spectacular, if bleak ending (in a bunker with a crazy person forever and ever, amen). Maybe next go I'll try "walk away" & see how that goes.
Anyway, before that an odd thing happened: while I was going back to check out the torture lodge, the cult chopper convoy hoves into view. I started switching out my assault rifle ammo to AP to have a pop at it, when a seaplane comes along and shoots them all down (unbidden by me), the mission success banner pops up and I 'earn' 800 bucks for nothing.
As manthorp rightly pointed out, there's not much to do after the regions are liberated, so after cleaning up some stray side missions, I went for my appointment with destiny.
After that, the "game+" option is presented and you get to replay the game with all your dosh and weapons. So I started that on "hard," which thus far, ain't very. Noticing a lot more about the story though. On this playthrough I might try leaving one base in each region in order to carry on with the open world random firefights, which present some of the best part of the game.
I think 5 is my favorite of the series, though I will be playing 4 again at some point RSN. Also still got the Nam DLC which I barely started.
“Reactions of shock to … are starting to populate Twitter.’”
Playing on after the nuclear apocalypse seems a bit silly, especially in a gameworld that's clearly pre-apocalyptic. It's not as if there is a non-apocalyptic ending, after all.
I flunked the final dogfight with John - my flying is and always has been dreadful - but I bossed it anyway. As far as I could tell his plane just screamed out of the sky without cause and crashed. I assume it's written-in to avoid frustrating bad players like me.
I'm glad to see that the end hasn't put you off replaying - as I said before, I've not been tempted.
I've installed New Dawn and watched the intro, but I haven't had time to start playing yet - maybe this evening, if I'm spared.
"We all have flaws, and mine is being wicked." James Thurber, The Thirteen Clocks 1951