By Austin Norville ’15
THE ROUNDUP

“Far Cry 4” – Ubisoft – for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC

9 out of 10

“Far Cry 4” by Ubisoft is the newest addition to the critically acclaimed first person shooter franchise, “Far Cry.”

Coming off their huge success with “Far Cry 3,” which revolutionized the first person shooter and open world games, there was a lot of pressure on Ubisoft to create a game that could exceed that success.

And they succeed with this title, to an extent. It does at times feel like an updated “Far Cry 3” with similar looking environments and mechanics. But it is still exceptional nonetheless.

The story starts us off in the Country of Kyrat, a small rural country in the Himalayas. You play as Ajay Ghale the son of Ishwari and Mohan Ghale.

Ajay is coming into the country where he was born from the United States to fulfill his mother’s dying wish to have her ashes spread in Lakshmana, an unknown area in Kyrat.

When Ajay lands in Kyrat he must be smuggled in by revolutionaries who are fighting in a civil war against the Kyrat government.

When the bus that Ajay is being smuggled in is stopped and shot at by government police, the player is introduced to the extravagant and prideful antagonist of the game, Pagan Minn.

Minn stepped out of his helicopter in a pink suit to welcome Ajay into the country and says he had been waiting for Ajay to visit.

This is where the game starts.

Minn is the self-appointed ruler of Kyrat and is very upset that his authority is shaken as the revolutionary group called “The Golden Path” is fighting against his rule.

We soon come to find out that Ajay’s father is the creator of “The Golden Path” and when he died his  mother escaped the country with Ajay in her arms to the United States.

Minn also informs Ajay that he and Ajay’s mother were in love at one point and there was most likely a love triangle among them and Ajay’s father.

When you escape Minn’s palace with members of “The Golden Path” you are taken to a village and begin your quest to take down Minn’s rule.

Gameplay mainly consists of a first person perspective shooting guns at your opponent. But as you gain more items and abilities the ways you can kill enemies becomes more numerous.

The world is beautifully built and full of life. There are numerous wildlife from cougars and bears to wolves, which all have important and different uses when you hunt these animals. Or you can lure in the animals with meat to attack unsuspecting enemies.

Or you can hunt the animals to uses their coats to upgrade your item pouch or to build another holster to be able to carry another weapon.

When you find elephants early in the game, you learn that you can ride them and have them attack enemies.

Another fantastic things about “Far Cry 4” is all of the side missions that are available. The game never seems to end even long after the credits of the main story roll. There is no chance to be bored with how much there is to do in the open world that is Kyrat.

Side missions could include liberating a village or shutting down radio towers that transmit Minn’s propaganda.

The visuals in the game are brilliant and the next gen graphics shine through in this title. It helps build an atmosphere and culture, that although is made up for the game, feels and looks like it could be in Nepal.

The mountains of the Himalayas look fantastic and grand as they do in real life.

All around “Far Cry 4” does not add anything substantial to the series, but still is game design at its highest caliber and I can’t wait to see what else Ubisoft adds to this great franchise.