Review - Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons

Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons

Starbreeze Studios

Windows (Reviewed), XBLA, PSN

Adventure

XBLA - August 7, 2013
Steam/PSN - September 3, 2013

The Preamble

In my final stand of gaming before I start my new job next week, I impulse purchased this game as I've been hearing great things from the day it came out, and the Steam Halloween Sale made it a no-brainer.

Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons does some really neat things, namely the cramming of two control schemes, for two different players, onto a single controller. This effectively allows a single person to take part in a combined single player and co-op experience simultaneously.

It was the first time I had ever heard of such an experiment, and with that my curiosity wouldn't allow me to wait any longer to pick this one up.

The Overview

Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons brings us a unique story of two brothers embarking on a journey to save their father from a sickness that is slowly toiling away at his livelihood. The game is unique in that you control both brothers simultaneously, with a single controller. Each joystick controls the movement of each brother, while each trigger acts as the action button for its corresponding brother. It's a little disorienting at first, but after a while you become more and more accustomed to it, and it starts to feel right.

Outside of the unique control scheme, the gameplay is fairly straight forward. You make your way across the land, solving puzzles, avoiding dangers, and interacting with people and creatures in the world. The game has a very atmospheric feel to it. It reminds me a bit of Shadow of the Colossus in that there is no dialogue, just mumblings, which results in a much more subtle storytelling experience. You pay much more attention to the body language and facial expressions of the characters, coming up with your own version of what exactly is going on, and how the characters really feel. Marry this with the control scheme, which instills a new sort of dependency, or bond, between your hands, much like the bond between two brothers, and you've got yourself one unique gaming experience.

The Good

• First and foremost, the dual-entity control scheme is a truly innovative approach to the gaming scene in general. I've never encountered anything like it before, and for that alone, I have to give props to Starbreeze for stepping out on a limb and trying something new. Not only that, it works!

• I mentioned this in the overview, but the storytelling techniques are subtle, but effective. The pacing, the music, the character expression, and lack of dialogue all come together in a way that makes for a neat, touching experience.

• Gameplay wise, Brothers manages to do a surprsing amount with very few mechanics. Of course, the controls make for an engaging experience when you're just trying to get from A to B, since even that can be challenging. But outside of that, the developers showed some real creativity when it comes to puzzle design and the way in which they drive you to make the brothers work together to achieve what's necessary.

• Aside from the ultimate goal of reaching your destination so you can help your father, there are other things to encounter along the way, and these end up being some of the coolest parts of the game. I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say that when you play this game, take some time to explore around before you beeline to the next area, you won't regret it.

The Bad

• While I dug the challenging nature of the control scheme, nothing else in the game really challenged me. I think in adding some difficulty to the gameplay, a lot could be gained with a game like this. That being said, I'm sure this game was somewhat of an experiment for Starbreeze, I just hope in their next iteration, they can ramp things up a bit, difficulty-wise.

• It's short! There was a reason I waited until this went on sale to buy it, and that's because paying $15 bucks for an experience that's roughly 2-3 hours long, without much replay value, is too much. If they could have tacked on some stuff, it would have been great.

The Conclusion

All in all, I feel like Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons is a spectacular prototype of something that has real potential. I really dug the experience, but it's just such a small bite. I hope that Starbreeze recognizes that this was a successful step, and that they'll ramp this up to the next level in a future iteration. That being said, if you can get your hands on this for less than $10, I would absolutely recommend picking it up if the idea sounds intriguing to you. I am confident you won't regret it.

Some Gameplay

Review - Grand Theft Auto V

Grand Theft Auto V

Rockstar

Xbox 360, Playstation 3 (reviewed)

Action, Adventure, Open World

September 17, 2013

The Preamble

Grand Theft Auto releases have been making a big splash for years now. I remember waiting in line with my friend's parents (my parents wouldn't let me get it :P) back when I was a teenager to pick up Grand Theft Auto III, and the mind blowing moment of diving into Liberty City for the first time. My friends and I would stay up to the wee hours of the night, getting up to 5 stars and trying to escape police, searching for the coolest car in the city, and of course, needlessly turning innocent civilians into roadkill.

It's been 12 years since Rockstar wow'ed us with this landmark release.

This is what GTA has been for years, and it continues to be that today, but with so much more. With each release the game worlds and narrative strategies evolve, making for something bigger and better than the previous game. This release is no different as far as massive hype goes, in fact, it has turned out to be the highest grossing media release of all time. It's funny how that works out: The most controversial franchise of our generation is also the biggest money maker the industry has ever seen.

In the first 24 hours, GTA V sales amounted to 800 million dollars. After 3 days, they had breached a billion.

All of that aside, Rockstar has yet again brought a truly impressive beast to the table with Grand Theft Auto V. All of the things you loved about past GTA titles is back, but it's been improved, and paired with a plethora of new activities in a region that is the biggest we've ever seen in a GTA game. Perhaps the most noteworthy is the new and unique narrative approach that has been presented, where you are given dynamic control over three different main characters. And to put a cherry on top, we are also given the most comprehensive and polished approach to GTA multiplayer we've seen yet.

The Overview

The game begins in North Yankton, where two of the three characters you play are pulling off a bank heist. This is where you get an introduction to the mechanics of the game, but it also sets the stage for the real story, which takes place in Los Santos, ten years later.

The characters you take control of are Michael, Trevor, and Franklin. It's hard to give too much detail here without giving things away, but I will say that each character has their own distinct personality and mini-story arc, as well as a master arc which intertwines the three characters stories. The magic here lies not within the individual stories, but in how each of them cross paths, allowing you to play from multiple perspectives, while progressing the overall story.

Gameplay wise, we are given a smattering of just about every game type you can think of. The bread and butter of course is third person, cover based shooter mechanics. But in addition to this, you are given, essentially, a racing (both car and boat) game, flight simulator, tennis game, golf game, as well as tons of other stuff. 

The Good

• The multi-pronged storytelling approach Rockstar took with this game is unprecedented in an open world game like this. Switching between fending off the cops, setting an explosive to open the bank vault, and manning the helicopter to escape, all while working toward the common goal of pulling off a bank robbery is a truly special experience to behold. It didn't take long for this mechanic to win me over in a big way.

• Heists! What an awesome construct to have in GTA, especially when you're playing three different characters. There are planning, preparation, hiring, and execution phases, and they are all a blast. Going through these steps to pull off a grand crime, especially when the payout is massive, is super fun and satisfying.

• Rockstar has an eye for detail that is unmatched. From the character animations, to the dialogue, to the dynamic weather in the environment, the world feels like it is a real living and breathing entity.

• As far back as I can remember, Rockstar has superb dialogue in their games, and GTA V is no different. Each cutscene is a treat to observe and the characters that you meet throughout the story are always unique and amusing in their own way. The characters and dialogue truly stand out in this game.

• While I personally don't feel the map compares to Skyrim's, like some say, Los Santos is immense in this game. It's completely open to you as soon as you get past the initial heist mission, and as I mentioned before, it is chock full of things to do. Driving, flying, parachuting, property purchasing, scuba diving, and more. There's no shortage of stuff to do in the massive open world Rockstar provides in this release.

• While I had some issues with picture quality on my monitor, it didn't stop me from being awe struck by the visuals in this game. From the skyscrapers in the city, to the mountains in the wild, to the depths of the ocean, the visuals are truly a sight to behold in this game. More so than any GTA title that has come about before.

• I haven't had a chance to spend too much time with this yet, but the GTA Online feature seems to be something Rockstar spent a lot of time on, and has consequently made a fun, unique multiplayer experience in Los Santos. There are skill progressions, gang mechanics, property acquisitions, heists, and more to enjoy with your friends online. This is something I plan on spending more time with, and perhaps will have another write-up on.

The Bad

• I'm not saying I'm in love with Niko Bellic, but I liked him more than any of the characters you play in GTA V. That's not to say that they don't make for a good story, but on a personal level, Michael, Franklin, and especially Trevor are all pretty despicable. If it isn't from being a ruthless asshole, it's from being a pathetic coward. Of course I don't expect characters in GTA to be saints (no pun intended :P), but it would be nice if they had at least some admirable qualities from time to time.

• Grand Theft Auto games always push the limits of censorship and GTA V is no exception. Minor spoiler here, but there is a mission where, as Trevor, you needlessly torture someone in a overly brutal fashion. While I understand that this kind of thing is more a satirical commentary on the uselessness of torture, putting the player in the shoes of the torturer is pretty ham handed. To me, this felt like it was a little too far, but it begs the question, how far is too far?

• I mentioned this earlier, and maybe I've just grown too accustomed to PC graphics, but the console graphics really let me down here. I think it was partly due to the monitor I was playing on, but the textures looks pretty horrible to me, and hardly did the game justice on a visual level. Only a few hours into the game, as much as I was enjoying it, I couldn't help but wish they had waited to release this on next generation hardware.

• Along the same lines as the above criticism, if Rockstar couldn't wait to release on next gen systems, then at the very least release it on PC! It is baffling how much better GTA IV looked and played on PC vs. console, not to mention the amazing mods that have come out for the game. I really wish Rockstar would give it's PC audience some love and actually release their games on PC in a timely manner and not wait years like they typically do.

The Conclusion

Is GTA V the game of the year? Probably for some, but not for me. That being said, is it an impressive feat of gaming? Absolutely. Any fan of the GTA franchise, or open world games in general, will be thrilled with this game. Rockstar does some really neat things in this game, things that haven't been done in other games, and for that I praise them. For those gamers out there that want to have their eyes opened to a new approach to storytelling and open world gaming, I couldn't recommend this game enough, but fair warning, make sure you have a strong stomach, because Rockstar doesn't pull any punches in this one.

Review - Dust: An Elysian Tail

Dust: An Elysian Tail

Humble Hearts

PC (reviewed), Xbox Live Arcade

Action, Adventure, RPG, Platformer

August 15, 2012 (XBLA)
May 24, 2013 (PC)

The Preamble

Here's one I left off of my "I'm Back!" post. Which is strange since it's actually the one I finished most recently. At any rate, after so much shooting (Last of Us, Metro: Last Light, Saints Row: The Third) I needed some RPG goodness, and why not throw some platforming in there.

Dust: An Elysian Tale is an action-RPG, originally released back in August 2012 as a Xbox Live Arcade exclusive. I heard loads of good things at the time, but for one reason or another, didn't get a chance to play. Luckily, the developers have been hard at work porting it to PC, which was released in May of this year.

The Overview

Dust: An Elysian Tail takes place in a world called Falana, inhabited by a plethora of anthropomorphic animals and monsters. You awake as Dust, a blue animal (fox?) out in the middle of the forest, accompanied by a living, floating sword, as well as a small wombat by the name of Fidget. Dust has no recollection of who he is, how he got here, and what his purpose is. So, of course, your quest leads you along that path of self discovery and unraveling of the past.

It's not a bad story, but it's nothing extraordinary. The mix of the strange anthropomorphic creatures and, at times, obnoxious voice acting, makes for a fairly cringe worthy storytelling experience. On the upside, the combat is pretty fun, at least for a while. And the developers kept it kid friendly, so gamers of all ages will be able to safely enjoy the game.

As for the game itself, Dust is a mix of action RPG, beat-em-up, and metroidvania all clumped up into a single game. While the RPG elements lack a bit, and the combat can get old after a while, it's still a well made game in a lot of respects.

The Good

• The game is really beautiful. Vibrant colors and fluid animations make for one of the more aesthetically pleasing indie experiences I've had in quite some time.

• There's a surprising amount of content. I spent 15 hours with the game and didn't really even near 100% completion. There's a lot to explore, and many hidden treasures to find.

• While the voices got on my nerves a bit, the writing and voicing overall is well done. It's not the most compelling or unpredictable of stories, but it's also not bad. Assuming it's aimed at a somewhat younger audience, which I think it is, I was impressed by the story arc.

The Bad

• While the gameplay elements that are present are good, there simply isn't enough here to keep you interested for the entire game. You learn a few abilities initially that end up being your bread and butter for the entire game. 

• While new abilities are unlocked throughout the game, they are purely used for accessing different areas of the map (e.g. sliding, climbing walls, etc). There isn't a single modification to the combat mechanics after the first 30 minutes of the game, making combat extremely repetitive.

• The RPG elements are very weak. Outside of the levels and stats, there's no skill progression and loot is extremely basic. If they could have added some combat skills to learn as you go, it would have improved this game a ton. I mentioned above that there's a lot of exploration and treasure to find, which is true, but the treasure is almost entirely gold and food (to restore health), which makes the hunt far less interesting. Where are the phat lootz!?

This is about the extent of character customization.

• I allude to it in The Good, but the voice acting leaves something to be desired, to say the least. Some of the voices are fine, but others are annoying almost at a Claptrap level. This is a good example of a time to go the Nintendo route, and make the characters mumble, with accompanied text for the player to read.

Fidget... One of the most obnoxious characters I've encountered in a while.

The Conclusion

If you're looking for a game with exceptional art, Dust is a game you should check out. If you're looking for a unique action RPG experience, that will keep you engaged for the entire game, I would look elsewhere. The game has a ton of potential, but falls flat in too many aspects. Hopefully we'll see some improvement if sequel comes along.

Review - The Walking Dead: 400 Days

The Walking Dead: 400 Days

Telltale Games

PC, OS X, PS3, Xbox 360, iOS, PS Vita, Ouya

Survival, Horror, Adventure

July 3, 2013

The Preamble

I just want to start out by saying I think The Walking Dead series that came out last year from Telltale Games was not only one of the best games I played last year, but one of the best games I've played period.

Before playing The Walking Dead, I don't think I'd ever played a game that affected me so much. Not only is the writing immaculate, resulting in awesomely relatable characters, but the tough choices I was forced to make and the consequences I had to endure went so far as to conjure up a gaming experience unlike any I had ever encountered.

So, obviously, I'm super pumped for Season 2 coming out, which is said to be released before the end of 2013. But until then, Telltale has decided to whet our pallet a bit, and ease us into the next season with a transition episode, 400 Days. And it goes without saying, the choices you make in 400 Days will affect your story in Season 2 (along with the choices you made in Season 1).

The Overview

The Walking Dead begins with the story of a zombie outbreak, which you witness from the point of view of Lee. Season 2 is proposed to start 400 days after this initial outbreak, and this transition episode is meant to give us a smattering of what's going on during this period.

You play through five mini-stories, each from the perspective of new characters, more or less independent of one another (there is some cross-over with the stories, though). You can play the mini-stories in any order you please, and each one has it's own unique decisions that you'll have to make that will shape your version of the story. 

To go into any more detail with the story would be a disservice to the game, and the experience you'll get when playing it, so I'll leave it at that.

The Good

• 400 Days is a great showcase of non-linear story telling. The Walking Dead did this itself a bit, but in this transition episode it's front and center. While each character has their own story, you can begin to see how they will become intertwined, and how choices for one character may end up affecting another character in a significant way.

• One of the big hooks of The Walking Dead was how relatable the characters were, allowing you to see things from their point of view, sympathize with them, and make decisions based on what you think that character would really do. 400 Days carries the torch nicely in this respect, with great writing and voice acting.

• Honestly, the episode is short (1-2 hours), so there's not a whole lot else to say here except that, for the most part, 400 Days is more of the same. While that may sound lame, for those that have already played through The Walking Dead, you know it's the best praise I could give.

The Bad

• Difficult decisions for the sake of having difficult decisions. I said it myself, one of my favorite things about The Walking Dead was the plethora of tough decisions you had to make, most of which had a significant shock factor to them. Similarly, in 400 Days, there are tough decisions for each character to make, and the shock factor is there, but I wonder if they aren't forcing it a bit too much. There doesn't need to be a horrifying decision to make every 15 minutes, only if it makes sense. For the most part it does make sense in 400 Days, but I started getting the feeling that some of these decisions were somewhat contrived. This is less of a knock on the game, and more of a realization of a fear, which is that Telltale will try to force what people like so much about the first season into the next, rather than let it come naturally.

The Conclusion

The Walking Dead: 400 Days sets out to give us a launchpad from Season 1 to Season 2, and in my opinion, does a damn good job of it. I was already pumped for Season 2, and playing through 400 Days pumps me up even more. If you were a fan of The Walking Dead, pick this up and play it, I guarantee you will like it (and it's only $5!). If you haven't played The Walking Dead... you shouldn't be reading this, you should be playing The Walking Dead! (But seriously, thanks for reading =D)

Review - Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider

Crystal Dynamics

Windows (reviewed), PS3, Xbox 360

Action-Adventure, Survival, Platformer

March 5, 2013




The Preamble

My introduction to the Tomb Raider games was on the original Playstation, fighting bears and doing cartwheels through massive caves and tombs. I played the first two Tomb Raider games when I was young and absolutely loved them. Since then, I've dabbled with some of the interim Tomb Raider games (Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light), but wasn't sucked in like I had been what I was younger.

I wasn't able to get around to playing the game until now due to the number of big releases during March. But I've finally gotten around to it, and since I waited, I was able to get the game for just about $15. This just goes to show, unless you really need to play a game at release, you're likely much better off waiting for a month or two after the release date to pick up PC games, you can often save a ton of cash.

The Overview

Crystal Dynamics has taken the reins in bringing us a brand new reboot of this classic series keeping the same name as the original: Tomb Raider. A lot has changed since our busty friend was raiding tombs back in 1996. The 2013 Tomb Raider gives us a different look at Lara Croft, as a person, and how she stumbled into this tomb raiding life.

The game begins on an exploratory vessel, the Endurance, where Lara and a group of colleagues are in search of the lost kingdom of Yamatai. After much deliberation with her crew, Lara convinces the group that they should head toward the Dragon's Triangle. As they venture into this mysterious place, they are thrown into a violent storm by unexpected weather, forcing them to crash land on a stray island in the triangle.

This is where the real adventure begins. Lara must find her lost comrades, survive the tumultuous island, and find a way home. You'll utilize Lara's innate survival skills, climbing expertise, and weapon handling to accomplish this task, all the while uncovering the secret that the island holds within.

The Good

• A Lara Croft you care about. While Lara's story arc doesn't provide a whole lot of realism, with the help of spectacular graphics fidelity and voice acting, we're able to see and relate to a much more human Lara Croft than we saw in previous games.

• The graphics are spectacular. Crystal Dynamics' Crystal Engine is downright beautiful. Lara and the environments with all the different particle effects look spectacular. Like BioShock Infinite or Far Cry 3, this was yet another game where I was constantly snapping screenshots for desktop wallpapers. The first thing that popped into my mind every time I started this game up was: "God damn, this looks great."

• A big part of what makes the graphics shine so much are the masterfully executed animations. Lara's movement is as fluid as can be. You can literally see the effect of every change in the environment on her actions. This type of polish and precision with characters and environment animation definitely makes this title shine.

• The voice acting is flawless. The voice acting for Lara is done by Camilla Luddington. While this beauty doesn't resemble a cart wheeling, rock climbing, bow wielding badass like Lara in real life (to me, at least), she does a great job of voicing her character.

Complete and utter badass.

Voice of... complete and utter badass?!

            

• Crystal Dynamics did a great job with the environment and set pieces in this game. Walking out into a brand new area of the map and seeing a great landscape of old structures and ruins to scale and explore is a great feeling. You will definitely appreciate the level design in this game.

• What's a Tomb Raider game without Lara's signature double pistols?? Well, those pistols aren't as prevalent in this iteration of the series, but with the addition of the bow, combat is better than ever. Bow and arrows seem to be extremely popular now for some reason (Far Cry 3, Crysis 3) and Tomb Raider aims to carry that torch a little further. They accomplish it with flying colors in this release. While the double pistols and various other firepower is available for Lara to use throughout the game, the bow is by far the most satisfying, and makes every combat experience a joy to jump into.

• As I mentioned before, the environments are massive and very well designed. There are often times numerous paths to an objective, and the openness of the areas make for a great feeling of true exploration. While most of the exploration isn't necessary unless you want to find the plethora of collectibles that are made available to you, traversing the environment alone is enough fun to compel you to explore every inch of the map.

• So what about the actual tombs?! Well, they're awesome. Just like the large, open areas of the game, the more confined tombs that contain intricate puzzles are an absolute blast to figure out. I just wish there were more of them!

• Minimal HUD and intuitive controls. Tomb Raider properly introduces you to controls by flashing the button indicators on your screen at first, but after a while, they disappear. While this may sound annoying, it's actually not. Less 'gamey' stuff on the screen makes for a far more immersive experience, and you are trained in such a way that the first button you go for in these situations is more often than not, the correct button. Great design in this respect!

The Bad

• What happened to hunting?? In the first mission, you are introduced to your bow by being tasked to take down some deer that are roaming the area. Outside of a couple scripted wolf encounters, you are basically never threatened by an animal again. One of my favorite parts of the old Tomb Raider games is having to deal with bears, moutain lions, cougars, and the like. Unfortunately, there is far more human killing than animal killing in this game.

• Tomb Raider has been transformed more into a third person shooter than a puzzle platformer. While the combat, especially with a bow, is really well done in this game, there's an awful lot of it for a Tomb Raider title. While combat sort of took the back burner in a lot of former titles, for better or worse, it's much more in the forefront in this release. This is fine with me, except for the fact that I was craving more puzzle content (see below).
• The puzzle tombs were great, but there needs to be more of them. These were one of my favorite parts of the game, but there were not nearly enough of them in this release. I remember there being countless platforming puzzles in prior Tomb Raider releases and in this game you can probably count all of the puzzle tombs on your two hands.

The Verdict

Tomb Raider is one of the best games that I've played this year. If I had to pick a GOTY right now, it would be a tough pick between BioShock Infinite and Tomb Raider. Even with it's flaws, this reboot is a must play for any fan of the franchise, or even the third person/platforming genre in general.

To set the hook even further, the price of picking up Tomb Raider on PC has dropped significantly since release. Keep an eye on Steam sales and sites like Green Man Gaming for amazing deals (in the past week I've seen it on sale for less than $20!).

All in all, if you want to see one of the more impressive games of this generation, do yourself a favor and pick up this game!

Review - Far Cry 3

Far Cry 3

Ubisoft Montreal

Dunia Engine 2

Windows (reviewed), XBOX 360, PS3

FPS, Action-Adventure, RPG

December 4, 2012

The Preamble

I’d never played a Far Cry title before Far Cry 3, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I knew the gist of it: Open world, tropical island setting, first person shooter. Far Cry 3 is certainly all of these things, but it’s also so much more...

The Overview

You play as Jason Brody, stereotypical rich frat boy who’s out vacationing in Southeast Asia somewhere with a bunch of friends. After taking a skydiving trip and landing on seemingly deserted island, the vacation comes to an end when a band of pirates kidnaps the group and holds them hostage. You manage to escape, but your buddies aren’t as fortunate, some are killed, and some are whisked away to other parts of the island. With the help of the local natives, you unlock your Rakyat powers, which give you the strength to defeat the pirates and rescue your friends.

The Good

• The open world aspect of the game is really well done. It achieves the feeling of being able to go anywhere, and supplies you with two giant islands to explore. While I feel like there could have been some improvements in the exploration rewards (see The Bad), the ability to tackle situations in the game from any angle you can imagine is really satisfying and adds a nice diversity to the plethora of enemy outposts that you can take over throughout the game.
  
  
  

  

  I can't even fit everything on the screen!

• Hunting! I don’t think I’ve come across a game that makes hunting as amusing as it is in Far Cry 3. Red Dead Redemption makes a pretty good attempt, and the hunting/skinning/crafting system is very similar but far more satisfying in FC3. I think the key here is that you, as the player, not only are hunting animals but you also feel hunted as you venture throughout the jungle. The first time I came across a stream out in the middle of the jungle, I stopped to gawk at the beautiful water and all of a sudden, a massive crocodile jumps out of the water and takes me down to the ground. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. The developers do a great job of making you feel genuinely threatened and vulnerable while wandering the jungle; you never know what’s going to jump out at you.
  

  

  Oftentimes you'll see your enemies get taken down by wildlife as well.

• Crafting! What are you going to do with all those animal carcasses and skins? Craft stuff of course! There’s a pretty robust crafting system in the game that requires you to hunt animals and gather herbs in order to make inventory bags, ammo pouches, healing potions, etc. While I hated the interface, the system itself was well designed, and compelled you to go hunt more than you probably would otherwise.
• The game is beautiful. Like BioShock Infinite and Skyrim, I was constantly stopping to just enjoy the sights, taking screenshots left and right. The game uses the Dunia 2 Engine, an evolved form of the engine used for Far Cry 2, and it is really, really nice. This is one of those games where if you have a powerful machine, it pays off.
  
  
  

  

  
  
• The FPS combat mechanics, while not doing anything especially different, are solid and fun. The wide array of weaponry at your disposal and cool stealth-melee attacks that you can put skill points into are extremely satisfying to utilize.
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
• Yet another FPS that employs some RPG elements that are actually quite good! This makes the game almost feel a little Skyrim-ish. There are 3 skill trees, each having its own theme. It’s not terribly important which one you decide on first as you will get more than enough points to get nearly every skill, especially if you’re going the completionist route. But the choices are nice, and they provide a nice sense of progression as you play through the main story.
• Insane antagonist. I could take or leave most of the characters in Far Cry 3, but the antagonist, Vaas, is really well done. He’s got sort of a Tuco vibe, making him extremely unpredictable, and downright frightening to encounter. The times where I was face to face with Vaas are some of the most memorable times in the game.
  
  

• The story is actually pretty good. It’s not great, I’ll admit, but the voice acting is on point, and while there is a fair amount of supernatural mumbo jumbo involved in Jason’s acquisition of strength, you get a pretty good feel for the character developing and getting used to the situation that he’s been thrust into. It was good enough to keep me compelled until the end, and I think most people would feel the same way.
  

  The Bad
• I wish the loot crates that are all over the islands had some useful stuff in them. Instead, you get money and vendor trash to acquire more money. Never any crafting material, weapons, nothing. Hunting for loot is a big draw of exploring for me, so without this, I was less inclined to explore after a while.
• The UI is clunky and obnoxious, at least on the PC. It really doesn’t affect the enjoyment of the game too much, but it was a minor annoyance for me.
  
  

The Verdict

This is a great game that I would highly recommend to any FPS-RPG fan. Diversified, fun FPS combat, tons of exploration, RPG skill progression, beautiful setting, fairly compelling story; I would go as far as to say that this game comes close to being perfect. I'll be looking forward to seeing the next game in the series!

The Extras

Here are some videos of various gameplay from my playthrough. Mostly just messing around, but it will give you a good idea of what to expect from the game.