I want to stress right now, this is basically just a 40+ hour DLC for Far Cry 3. Not much in way of story, essentially it’s just the same old kill wave after wave of enemies whilst protecting incompetent villagers and capturing bases using any sniper rifle means possible.
So if you decide to tackle the game via the normal route of running through Pagan Min’s house, slicing enemies necks with no prior experience and declaring a war against a person you know nothing of, then your about to waste said 40 hours of your life. Best thing to do is wait around and unlock the 10 minute secret ending, which tells the backstory much better than the rest of the game does, and actually the ending I wanted.
So after leaving Pagan Min’s mansion, your get caught up fighting in a war, that is fractured within itself as you are picking sides between two leaders within the army your fighting for. Seeing as neither of themselves have actually proven themselves and all they ever do is bitch about each other, here’s an idea, why don’t I become the leader, get them two a room as the tension would die with a good shag, and lead the country by only conducting peace talks with my adoptive father, who’s intentions are actually there and correct, and hopefully save the entire country from anymore bloodshed. That sure is an idea eh, sure seems easier than murdering people in cold blood.
The world is set in the Alps, and though the mountain scenery is nice to look upon, it’s a pain to trek and vehicles are rubbishing at climbing up them, wasting much of our time zigzagging up them. You’ll be committing to memory the spawn points for the miniature helicopters in the game, the buzzers. As much as they are a nice addition to the series, they are vital to get around, especially when going after all the collectables. One vehicle I thoroughly enjoyed, which again is new to the series was the hovercraft. To be able to seamlessly traverse water and land makes missions more exhilarating and good fun. Weapons aren’t anything to write home about, using pretty much the standard arsenal of grenade launcher, sniper rifle, crossbow and assault rifle to storm outposts.
The graphics have been slightly more bumped up, with plenty of light shafts, but in my minds eye, the islands of Far Cry 3 were just as beautiful and rich in details, which they probably actually were. I’m pretty sure that both games were created in the same engine, so not much as been changed, and to be honest, why would Ubisoft change anything when they are onto the winning formula.
The only problem I really have with the series now, is that since having played Blood Dragon, I just can’t go back. They should make the main series about some 80’s throwback rather than being part of some poverty-stricken militia. Video games are about experiencing unrealistic fantasy worlds, and whilst Far Cry 4 throws us back into the real world, showing us the on going suffering that unfortunate people are going through due to corrupt governments, Blood Dragon allowed us to kick the ass out of laser firing T-rex, eat your heart out Jurassic Park. As of typing this, there is no news of a Blood Dragon sequel, Ubisoft have said they are working on something different, which I’m sure I’ll play, but I really just want to play with more grenade tipped arrows and laser assault rifles, and I know many people who also want the same. I thought that games were finally heading towards where they belonged, but it looks like this is no longer the case :'(
