Far Cry 6 (2021)

I slightly prefered Far Cry 5 to this one but they are more or less the same game, just with different skins. The plot is alright, and you actually see a decent amount of Giancarlo Esposito as the star villain. Many of the side characters are annoying though, especially Bicho. The dialog almost reaches Borderlands levels of cringe. The one pleasant surprise was the Stranger Things crossover, that mission came out of nowhere. Full playthrough below:

All far cry games since FC3 seem bad to me at the start (first 10%-15%) but I start to like them once I get used to the ways of the game and I start appreciating things like stealth liberation of outposts, good weapons, the progression system and challenges like animal hunting. I like the progression system so much that I used to spend hours liberating towers, unlocking new weapons, hunting animals for skins and upgrading ammo pouches. That is what made far cry special. But FC6 does not really have any of these. Ubisoft has taken the franchise in completely different direction.

This one started off badly as the previous ones then I started liking it but then I realized that it lacks everything that makes a far cry game a far cry game.

Cons:

The rating system, though not as bad as in AC origins, makes combat unsatisfying. No matter how good your weapon is, if the enemy's rating is far higher than yours, a single headshot cannot take them out. The skill tree has been replaced with supremo mods. These mods need supremo bonds which are a pain to find.

The rapid progression in skills and weapon power we have in other far cry games is absent/ineffective, again this is impaired by the rating system. Even a rocket launcher cannot kill enemies!

There are a lot of characters and we have to interact with them an awful lot of times during missions. Even interacting with characters is tedious as it has to be done from the front and at a certain angle. These make the game less immersive and ruin the fun.

Animal hunting has no real rewards and can be ignored from a story point of view.

What made FC1 a great game was the ability to kill enemies from afar, this feature was a given until FC5 but unfortunately in this game, on several occasions, the enemies don't even load when you are far away.

Goal marker does not show up on HUD until you are very close.

A couple of missions are just celebrations and partying which seem forced, these were just unbearable to get through.

Animals and other characters block your path all too often.

There are too many types of collectibles. Even after completing the game, I did not need to know which one does what.

Less opportunities for fast travel.

Bad weapons

Checkpoint system is bad. In the middle of a mission, there are only temporary checkpoints which don't work when you exit and reload. So you have to complete a mission in one sitting.

Enemies spawn ad infinitum unless you remove cameras or alarms

Grenade launcher frequently misses target

Weapon stores are as good as useless

Pros:

Great graphics

Tightly woven story

Restricted airspace and taking out radars was a good feature

You have access to all unlocked weapons at all times

This is so different from a typical far cry game that I think Ubisoft is actively trying to change the game's DNA. After playing FC5 and Watch Dogs: Legion, I thought Ubisoft was at least on its way up but this game tells a different story.

Overall I feel this was a wasted opportunity for the franchise and Ubisoft.

I wish I had found Boom Boom before Oluso. Boom Boom is a solid choice for stealth missions but I had pretty much taken over every military compound before I rescued him. And even if I had a few left to take down, Oluso is usually the best choice.

Some other late game observations:

• Once the most useful or essential collectables and busywork is behind you, the game opens up mechanically and is quite fun.
• The AI is still as dumb as it was at the start. Saw a soldier driving a truck drive clean over a soldier on horseback. The truck driver jumped out of the truck fully alerted, acting like they were looking everywhere for the killer.
• I do like Dani. She’s an enjoyable protagonist who feels a lot more compelling than previous Far Cry protagonists.
• There’s still a lot of bloat and side-missions that I feel safe in my decision to ignore without real consequence. Upgrades to my ride are contingent on racing side content, but there doesn’t really seem to be any tangible point to working toward those upgrades as a goal. With so many better ways to get around I barely remember to call for my ride. I’ve basically completely ignored hunting and fishing, as all of the resources obtained from both can be found elsewhere. Where every previous Far Cry relied on a direct relationship between hunting and upgrades, Far Cry 6 makes it redundant save for meals that provide temporary buffs. It’s a nice change because I don’t have to hunt, but it does contribute to the overall feeling the game is packed to the gills full or pointless content.
• It’s a pretty buggy game, even after more than a year out in the wild. Everything from not being able to call or command amigos at random intervals, to glitchy NPC behaviour and wonky spawn bugs, it screams typical broken Ubisoft game.
• One time I blew up brewing kettle and instantly became drunk from swallowing a bunch of beer. I love how game devs think drugs work in their worlds.
• Special Ops missions are really fun, once. The first time you complete one it’s interesting and a little tense. Any subsequent runs are just tedious and repetitive. I suppose it might be fun in co-op, but since I’m playing alone I don’t see the point of repeating them.

Far Cry 6 is really hitting home the fact that I am over the Ubi open world formula. There is a core to the game that I find some enjoyment in. If you strip a lot of the excess (treasure hunts, supply drops, bandido missions, racing, base building, fishing, other random colllectable hunting, etc.) out of the game you’re left with the core loop at the heart of all Far Cry games, the infiltration and takeover of various bases and checkpoints until you flip the balance of power in your favour. I enjoy that core because I enjoy the mechanics of these games’ combat and stealth. But that core hasn’t really changed since Far Cry 2 and especially Far Cry 3. Sure they’ve tacked on companions and switched up how things like hunting and crafting works but the essence of the game remains the same. And as much as I get a bit of joy from that, it does feel like I’m treading familiar ground. And then if we consider all the excess I mentioned before we are left with a game that I actively dislike a large percentage of the time.

What makes things worse is that, somehow, the AI in the game has gotten worse. And if it hasn’t, perceptually it feels worse. The AI is excruciatingly stupid. I’ve witnessed enemies run circles around me, trying to find me while I’m standing in plain sight. Other times they call air strikes in on a rabbit. AI drivers running themselves off the road, or into each other. One time a truck driver drove into a Castillo billboard, clinching a checkpoint win for me. I had cleared out the soldiers and there was no remaining action going on in the checkpoint. This random driver just decided to drive off-road and right into a billboard.

AI soldiers regularly exhibit the most bizarre behaviour. If they discover evidence that I’ve killed one of them, instead of systematically hunting me down like they would in most games with light stealth elements, they start behaving erratically. Most of the time they start running around, usually darting in unpredictable patterns, jumping through windows or over barriers, stopping for a moment to look around and then returning to darting around. They never seem to be looking for me, they just seem programmed to move erratically so the player will have a hard time tracking them through a scoped weapon.

In another weird example of strange behaviour and wonky programming, one time I saw three soldiers standing outside a truck, one of them miming repairs. I decided to steal the truck and drive it to a drop off point. I came back and the three soldiers were still acting as if the truck was there. I watched them for a few seconds and they suddenly exploaded. I walked over to loot their corpses given the opportunity presented itself, and seconds later all three of them were up again attacking me.

All of these moments are fairly entertaining and chuckle worthy, but they often make for unenjoyable mechanical experiences. The game feels considerably worse than prior Ubisoft games in that respect. Thus, even when I’m engaging the core aspects that I enjoy the game is often a let down.

I’ll keep playing, mostly because I like my ghost kitty, but I do think this marks the end of the line for my relationship with Ubisoft games. I had already stopped purchasing them new to avoid sending actual dollars to Ubisoft in the wake of multiple allegations of abuse within the company, willing only to play the occasional Ubisoft game when I stumbled across a used copy. But I think I’m done even bothering with the used copies. Maybe I’ll eat these words and have a change of heart later on, but I really don’t derive enough pleasure from their games anymore to justify continuing to play them.

Playing Far Cry 6 thanks to the free weekend. It’s been a long time since I played a new Far Cry game, after considerable burnout playing several Ubisoft games in one year back around the time Far Cry: Primal was released. Primal was the last game in the series I played, and I think I still have a copy of Far Cry 5 sitting in a drawer complete with wrapping. Needless to say I was over them for quite some time and didn’t really have plans to play Far Cry 6. So along comes a free weekend and I will admit it’s grabbed me a bit. Enough that I’ll probably hunt down a used copy on disc to continue playing.

Also, confirming that Spanish language is the way to go, I just wish they had made it the default and matched the lips to the dialogue.

Excellent story, excellent gameplay, excellent graphics. I entered with expectations low after reading a variety of user reviews. I'm not sure why many found this game unenjoyable; for me, it was the most engaging far cry game yet, and really ranks up there among the best complete campaign gaming experiences I've had in the last couple of years.

This game follows the same Ubisoft open world formula as many others. Those who have found this game style unenenjoyable are wise to skip this series entry as well. It does make meaningful improvements to the Far Cry template, though, so those on the fence or who found previous entries just a bit too repetitive may be pleasantly surprised by this title.

Where it shines:

• The main campaign is engaging, with just the right amount of injected empathy for the bad guys (and just the right amount of backpedaling and questioning who the "bad guy" really is).
• NPCs and side quests were funny, engaging, and dynamic. Voice acting and writing were quite nice. I was especially fond of Rosa and her "Hey Mambo Yarano" performance 😂
• The free mini-stories were delightful.
• The amigos are wonderful. Extra points for boom boom, a nod to Boomer from FC5.
• The weapons and upgrade system were fairly balanced and rewarding.
• Horses as a means of transportation was really well implemented.

A couple of things keeping it from 5 stars:

• The online connection to far cry servers was evidently unstable for the entire 6 weeks or so that I played this game. This issue may be unique to xbox. It is a problem because the player cannot interact with Lola nor access any dlc content (even the free dlc packages, such as Danny Trejo bike, Vaquiero Ride, Rambo, Stranger Things stories)/ubisoft connect rewards (roosters, cosmetics, gear) while offline. Attempting to manually reconnect halts all gameplay for about a minute and never once actually accomplished anything. It seems the only fix is either play and wait and hope and watch indefinitely, or force close and relaunch the game.
• Unfortunately the music as an environmental asset was carried over from the last game. The primary role of music in this game is to support the location, to add to the story of a local environment, coming from stereos, vehicles, and loud speakers. This is in contrast to most games where music primarily supports the campaign story, the progression and mood of the scene and the main character, creating a vibe, an emotion. I find the environment music annoying, and the first thing I did upon entering any vehicle was turning the radio off. The local music often contrasted poorly with the mood of the mission or recent story progression.
• I may be in the minority here, but I miss the alt-reality piece from the other games. I loved all aspects of Shangri-La in FC4. The drug adventures not as much, but they were still a welcome deviation from the main environment. Bliss world and the cloudy drugged dungeons of fc5, though not perfect, were also helpful breaks from objectives that otherwise could feel monotonous. I was disappointed not to have some sort of alt-world in this game.
• why oh why must I go into the final stronghold with none of the weapons or gear that I've worked to build up? And why oh why is it all magically returned (along with a full new set of guards, alarms, and reinforcements) after the climax cutscene? No good explanation. Just the game trying to be challenging without creatively justifying it.

Nice to have FSR and can play that in 4k on Linux ^^ It's a Far Cry, 60 hours of holidays on a Cuba like island. The map design is very beautifull, has same has RDR2, every place are not répétitive, all interiors are different, now it's like ASCreed, walking and whisteling is enough, ...

But even if map is big and with a lot of variations, WHY IS THERE ONLY 5 fucking AI ennemy faces ? xD No face generator ? Just hairs or something ! It's not clones isn't it ? And also, only 5 vehicules... BUT ! 15446 weapons ! You will use only 4 of them lol.

That's a Far Cry... But it's fun.

This action-packed and very fun game has everything you want in a good Far Cry session.

Open world, outposts, backstabbing machete kills, checkpoints, nifty guns, grappling hooks - and the theme of taking down one supreme overlord that rules over all (Far Cry 4, Far Cry 5, Far Cry New Dawn...)

I absolutely LOVE that I get to fight against Gus Fring and his son (man, I feel sorry for the son). That's a Breaking Bad reference - watch it if you haven't yet, weirdo.

I also LOVE the small details that make the game differ from other Far Cry games - for example, our character singing along to the radio (and not knowing all the words). I also really liked the overarching tropical Latino theme of the game - AWESOME music to vibe to as you're driving along.

I also LOVE the fact that, in this game, you actually get to know your character properly. I picked the female Dani Rojas, and I thought she was a really cool character to play. I liked the quirky personality of the characters - Juan was the best. Also liked that funny Radio Libertad guy.

I felt like the NPCs were a little smarter in this Far Cry game - which is a refreshing change from some of the other Far Cry games.

I also LOVED the animal sidekicks. The crocodile Guapo, the cute disabled puppy Chorizo and the weird ass chicken thing.

Some things about the game still bother me (just a little). Sometimes it felt like I was crossing off a checklist of missions - something probably unavoidable in the Far Cry archetype. Revolutions don't work that way... And also the unrealistic idea of doing missions and taking down massive swathes of soldiers all by myself (it just doesn't happen...). But I guess that's why love we Far Cry, right?

Also - the ending? A bit predictable. Was hoping for some juicy twist.

Other than that - great Far Cry game to sit down and play. Awesome installment.

Right game, right time. I had a ton of fun just doing the Ubisoft checklist. Go here pick up this item, get a reward, rinse, repeat. By the end I was severely overpowered and loved it... even when I hit 5 Star wanted levels and had elite squads hunting me I could just Rambo my way through them all.

Loved all the weird animal sidekicks.

Story and characters were serviceable. Definitely not enough face time with the villains to make me really hate them. Ending seemed like it was going interesting places but then took a turn into cliche-ville. Would have loved to see the young son of the main villain take up the mantle after you kill his father, then you have to kill him to end the tyranny.... but the game takes the easy route and has the villain do it for you.

I know people like to hate on the Ubisoft open world formula but I enjoy them every couple years as a simple distraction.

Did you know that I hate Far Cry 5? If you do, maybe its because I say it here ever few weeks. That is why I'm surprised about how much I enjoyed this FC6 DLC starring the villain of that game.

Maybe its because he admitted to be wrong about everything? XD

Anyway, here are my impressions in spanish.

I'm still not done with Far Cry 6. There should be free DLC crossover with Netflix's Stranger Things in the following months.

I just played the free Rambo crossover event and, to my absolute surprise, it was really fun!

I'm kind of a closeted Rambo fan. I love the first four movies and the novel (the fifth movie is absolute trash, and not good trash like 3 and 4) and it was a blast hearing all the quotes and incredibly precise references to the merchandise.

This game triggers some aspect of my lizard brain that just enjoys that basic loop. Run to that spot on the map, grab all the resources regardless of whether I need them, run to the next spot. It is like the same thing that happens in Castlevania when I keep smashing the candles even though I have full hearts.

The rest of the game is fun too, though typical Far Cry stuff. The broad breath of weapons and equipment lets me play both extremes, super stealth soldier or utter carnage guy, all within the same 30 second period. The backpacks with super power on a cooldown is a fun mechanic with quite a bit of variety.

I much prefer the protagonist with a personality versus Far Cry 5's dull character. Giancarlo Esposito does a fine job and I have no problem with him. Not nearly enough screen time as villain's in prior games, which is a bit unfortunate.

All in all a much needed escapist game.

I'm not a big fan of the setting, I hated Just Cause 3 and this feels like Ubisoft's attempt at that. But it's better than JC3 even if the similarities are there. I like the characters, but it feels like there's way too little interaction with the big bad Anton. You see him in a cutscene for every third of the game you complete, and a couple more times, but that's it. I wanted way more stuff with him.

The gameplay is severely cut back from Far Cry 5 I think, with less stuff to do and more of the same liberate outpost stuff that was in the earlier games like 3 and 4. Since enemies die with one headshot and the most common enemy outpost has 4 enemies, you could literally just run in there, pop them all with 4 bullets and see the liberation cutscene. Don't even bother with alarms or stuff, just kill them all in a matter of seconds. This constant liberating stuff is soooo repetitive, even if it's a staple of the Far Cry games.

There's a ton of small annoying nitpicky stuff I could go through like the fact that you have to zoom in like 5 times on the map to see chests everytime you open it. There's also some glitches, but not a single crash so that's good. Performance was great as well.

7/10