Zero Punctuation: Far Cry 4 - F**k Eagles

[Les]

Thinking about it, I think Far Cry 3's protagonist was so much more interesting for the same reason that Spec Ops: The Line was so intriguing.

The archetype for the protagonist's narrative in video games has been, "You are the Goody-Good, there is the Baddy-Bads, kill-maim-splode the Baddy-Bads and have fun." This evolved from necessary limitations in storytelling to accommodate limitations in the medium at one point but games have long since blown past those limitations; however we still see this narrative structure largely out of laziness, fear of the unknown and lack of clear ideas on how to do things better.

Then in comes Spec Ops: The Line, which takes the base arbitrary assumptions we all are used to making when we put in a game and press 'start' and uses them against us to further the plot and to amazing effect.

Far Cry 3 in it's own way teased and toyed with the standards of video game protagonist perspective.

You are Jason Brody.

[Jason Brody] "'sup."

You are a breathtakingly over-privileged white male douche.

[Jason Brody] "Hey man, could you put that cup with the coins down and hold my latte' for me instead? I've gotta text my smoking hot girlfriend about this sick Porsche my Dad just got me."

You are then meet Vaas.

[Vaas] "'sup."

He proceeds rub your white nose in the reality of existence outside your comfortable upper-class American bubble.

[Vaas] "Have I told joo lately joo have a preety mouth?"

[Jason Brody] "Ohnoes!"

So you stumble into the game proper, so hapless you'd start to wonder what a horror protagonist is doing in an action game.

[Jason Brody] "What did I do to deserve this?"

[Every Silent Hill Protagonist] "Take a number."

But, you grow into your new existence as Rambo-lite.

[Jason Brody] "Do I win this time?"

You're even allowed to enjoy yourself.

[Jason Brody] o/~ A we a blaze da fiyah make it bun dem... o/~ "Fuck Yeah!" *FWOOOOOOOSSH*

But then there's your buddies to remind you that this isn't healthy.

[Jason Brody] *explodes a jeep with a grenade launcher, a jeep with people in it.* "Fuck yeah, triple-score!"

[Jason's girlfriend] "The fuck is wrong with you?"

Things happen, some good, some bad, some WTF, but it all comes around to the fact that however much fun you were having you are objectively a monster.

[Jason Brody] "I was just looking at this knife and then I accidentally the entire compound. M-muh.. m-me.. me bad?"

This was enough to keep you engaged so that whenever murdering large men in kevlar long-johns with a tanto got to be tiresome you could just smile and imagine all the lovely PTSD Jason Brody was storing up.

[Jason Brody] "I Feel Happy! I Feel Happyyyyyyyyyyyy!"



But now, it looks like in Far Cry 4 we're back to, "You is the Goody-Good, them is the Baddy-Bads, hurty-maim-splode the Baddy-Bads and have Fun."

 

[Evonisia]

It's a shame that FarCry 4 seems to be just more FarCry 3. FarCry 1, 2 and 3 are quite different to a somewhat surprising degree.

I actually got tired of the Ubisoftification of FarCry 3 very quickly, so I'm not all that interested in picking up FarCry 4

 

[twaddle]

One of the most humourous reviews I've heard from Yahtzee in a long time. Bravo Mr.Crowshaw!

 

[Louzerman102]

I'm a little disappointed that Yahtzee didn't mention that the four possible rulers of the country, Pagan Min, Amita, Sabal, and the player Ajay Ghale, all of them are bad choices that damage the country and the people of Kyrat.

 

[Catfood220]

The most annoying thing with this game I found was that I cleared a base got in a car and drove off, got a little way away and got the call to come and defend the base. I cleared out the attackers, got in my car, drove off, got about the same distance again and got called back. This happened about 4 times before I thought "really, are these guys just waiting for me to drive off before they attack again?" So I walked off in an opposite direction, I half expected to find a bunch of enemies hiding behind the trees whistling nonchalantly and pretending to be doing something else.

 

[ErwinGodfrey]

I chose Sabal too, it was hard at first when you had to choose between Amita's plan of saving the intel or Sabal's of saving the operatives, but then the remaining choices were about Amita having the bright idea of trying to exploit the opium trade, which I thought was absolute madness, so Sabal was my choice by default.
.

 

[Rednog]

What if I want to play as a generic, scrotum-sewing protagonist?

So does generic guy run around the whole game with the ashes? Does he stow them somewhere? I somehow think the former could get hilarious.

He runs around the ashes the whole time, and they actually keep making a note of the fact that he has them....despite you losing your items multiple times and never actually getting them back. Hell even at one point you're stripped naked and thrown into an area, and he walks out with the ashes. You get kidnapped, drugged, and thrown in prison on top of a mountain with all your stuff gone. You end up running into a blizzard with absolutely nothing and pass out. Wake up back home, ashes next to your bed.

 

[Something Amyss]

He runs around the ashes the whole time, and they actually keep making a note of the fact that he has them....despite you losing your items multiple times and never actually getting them back. Hell even at one point you're stripped naked and thrown into an area, and he walks out with the ashes. You get kidnapped, drugged, and thrown in prison on top of a mountain with all your stuff gone. You end up running into a blizzard with absolutely nothing and pass out. Wake up back home, ashes next to your bed.

So...uhhh...where was he...Never mind, I don't need that image in my head.

 

[Batou667]

Anybody else having difficulties actually getting to the review? All I get is an infinite loop of video adverts.

 

[DataSnake]

So... bottom line "Stick with Far Cry 3 if you have to choose one out of the two"?

Personally, I'd recommend Blood Dragon. Less expensive, more fun. Also, Rex "Power" Colt is more entertaining than Jason Brody and Ajay Ghale put together.

 

[iller3]

Also everything is better with gyro-copters :3

So basically.... jet packs?

 

[Deathfish15]

Yahtzee, what's with the Escapist doing a sell out and since when? I noticed the "click" add linking it to Amazon's sell page of the game YOU JUST FLAMED INTO OBLIVION! And they're trying to sell the game and make advert money off the share link add on your site on your video?!

I can now see why Sterling left the company, as it's now becoming a complete shell of it's former self. Or is it shill?

 

[PinkiePyro]

so Yahtzee commented on having animal issues in 4 but where was he for three then I have three and I have that same issue but with monitor lizards

 

[Remus]

I'd rather call them horseradish weasels.

Or scrotum weasels. Tell me that does not strike fear in the average pedestrian male of breeding age.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

So the eagles are basically like the cliff racers from Morrowind?

 

[Thanatos2k]

The most annoying thing with this game I found was that I cleared a base got in a car and drove off, got a little way away and got the call to come and defend the base. I cleared out the attackers, got in my car, drove off, got about the same distance again and got called back. This happened about 4 times before I thought "really, are these guys just waiting for me to drive off before they attack again?" So I walked off in an opposite direction, I half expected to find a bunch of enemies hiding behind the trees whistling nonchalantly and pretending to be doing something else.

Well I mean, that's sort of realistic. Why wouldn't they wait until you leave to attack?

Though after you wipe them out the second time the mooks might get a bit hesitant to accept the mission.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

so wait for Far Cry 4: Blood Dragon 2: Jet Pack Boogaloo. Gotcha

 

[Sotanaht]

So... bottom line "Stick with Far Cry 3 if you have to choose one out of the two"?

Yeah Far Cry 3 has a much better story and feels less padded. Far Cry 4 has slightly refined gameplay mechanics and graphics, but is far less interesting overall. Also, the voice acting of NPCs in FC3 is pretty great (a lot of interesting Maori and mixed-Australian accents).

Which to me says stick to FC4.

Once you've been through the story it stops mattering, so would you rather play the game with better, more refined gameplay, or the one with the better story you already saw?

Guns are better, stealth is a little better, enemies are a little tougher and more varied, the world doesn't just completely die the moment you finish all the strongholds. There's even a side mission that has an actual honest to god bossfight for once in an FPS.

 

[Aitamen]

How did you not know you wanted more elephant riding? I feel like you missed out on Dynasty Warriors fun somewhere along the way...

 

[LordMonty]

Still bring tears to my eye as I so laugh even after all these year. Good review old man keep up the good work.