Far Cry 4

Far Cry 4 excels because it provides the depth that so many other shooters lack.

Far Cry 4 is Far Cry 3 dialled up to eleven, with more animals, activities, missions and abilities. And while throwing more stuff at the player isn’t the perfect recipe for success, I was happy to play a richer, larger version of one of my favourite games in recent years.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Far Cry 4, although it's really an extension of Far Cry 3 with a more exotic location but a weaker story. Open world shooter fans should enjoy their trip to Kyrat.

It’s a little safe, overall -- its competitive multiplayer stands out as a gamble that paid off -- in that it has many familiar elements from Far Cry 3 transplanted to an amazing new place, but those elements are incredibly empowering and rewarding.

Even without bringing huge innovations to the table, Far Cry 4 delivers a great and very polished gameplay experience coupled with lush and spectacular environments. Too bad for the forgettable main characters and the unexciting story, something we missed from the previous game in the series. It's a very funny and advised game nonetheless.

It can sometimes feel a little bit like Far Cry 3.5 rather than Far Cry 4, but it's a fun and enjoyable experience nevertheless, particularly so with another player. [Issue#119, p.60]

It's a fine sequel but plays it a little too safe for our liking. [Issue#257, p.70]

The story might be pale and the characters are bland and boring, but it is easy to forgive since it is so damn fun to free Kyrat. It does not matter if you prefer to sneak around and hide in bushes and trees, or just charge into an enemy camp on an elephants back. Far Cry 4 will not be a classic that people will talk about years to come, but it will entertain you greatly while it lasts.

Full of an overwhelming amount of stuff to do this is insane value for money and pretty to boot. Still, we can't help but feel a shake-up is needed for Far Cry 5 to prevent series fatigue.

Far Cry 4 is a great game that just feels like a lot more of the same.

Mechanically, Far Cry 4 is an excellent shooter. It adds further polish to the open-world and action of its predecessor with even more involved and dynamic gameplay, and is loaded with rewarding side content on top of featuring a huge game world you'll spend hours exploring. The narrative isn't quite as solid, and falls through in several places with some aggravating characters and a lack of context to drive your actions.

More a transition than an actual evolution of the concept, Far Cry 4 is still a thrilling adventure. But we were expecting a bit more innovation, besides a cooperative option and a few elephants.

Most of what's great about Far Cry 4 is emergent in a way that doesn't need to be attached to a story or locale, so in most of the ways that matter, Far Cry 4 is more of Far Cry 3. But the little additions and co-op play do make meaningful differences, and on its own terms, Far Cry 4 is a great time.