• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Help guys: Which Far Cry is the best in the franchise?

I'm concerned at the fact that I'm not seeing a whole lot of people saying Far Cry 2.

It was the most serious and was the closest to a real world conflict. The A.I. was the best in the franchise and some of the best in any game I've ever played. They could hear you if you walked through bushes or got to close, they had binocular vision like real humans, they talked to each other in a very realistic manner and would even carry other injured soldiers.

The weapon mechanics and jamming animations made game play super fun and immersive. You had to actually pay attention to the condition of your weapons if you didn't want to get fucked in a firefight.

Malaria was a pain in the ass but that's something that could actually happen in real life and I thought it was sick that you could actually run out of pills and had to get more from the rebel underground.

The fire mechanics, day/night cycle and real time weather were awesome. The cease fire zones were so sick and it was really scary if you accidentally or purposely started a fight inside of one. The assassination missions were really cool where you had to snipe someone who was usually in the zone too.

I consider Far Cry 2 the best FPS ever made. For me it just had everything and has never been topped. Far Cry 3 and on, are downgrades to me.
 
Far Cry 2.

It’s also the only one I’ve played, so feel free to ignore my recommendation. Everything since 2 has looked like typical Ubisoft crap. I never could finish 2 but I wanted like hell to love it. It had something special to it. Maybe just ignore my recommendation. I had to say something though.

I actually liked this game so much that I've had the same saved game on my PS3 since 2012 and never actually beat it. Because everything is so engaging and immersive that I don't even need to do the story missions to enjoy myself.
 
Haven't played them all (why would you?) but out of 2, 3, 4, I would go with 4.

If I am allowed to vote for farcry 1, made by crytek, I would go with that.

3 and 4 are a bit similar with 4 being a bit more refined and nicer. 3 isn't bad though.
 

DrJohnGalt

Banned
I liked the original. Not at all like what came after, but it was fun for what it was. Been a few years since I've played it so not sure how well it's held up. My guess is not very well, especially going back to it after playing any of the newer FC game.
I enjoyed FC2 for the setting and taking the game in a new direction. But damn it was frustrating and difficult in places.
FC3 is my favorite just for the setting and characters. I think it's one of the few games I actually went back to find all the collectibles and got 100% with.
FC Primal was fun. I enjoyed the setting and the changes they made.
FC4 wasn't too bad, but it felt like more of the same (literally a reskinned Primal map).
Everything after that was solid in terms of gameplay but uninspired.

I love playing co-op on the newer games.

It's a shame ubi has gone woke. I think we've seen them peak and start sliding into mediocrity with the last few games.
 

Patrick S.

Banned
I'm concerned at the fact that I'm not seeing a whole lot of people saying Far Cry 2.

It was the most serious and was the closest to a real world conflict. The A.I. was the best in the franchise and some of the best in any game I've ever played. They could hear you if you walked through bushes or got to close, they had binocular vision like real humans, they talked to each other in a very realistic manner and would even carry other injured soldiers.

The weapon mechanics and jamming animations made game play super fun and immersive. You had to actually pay attention to the condition of your weapons if you didn't want to get fucked in a firefight.

Malaria was a pain in the ass but that's something that could actually happen in real life and I thought it was sick that you could actually run out of pills and had to get more from the rebel underground.

The fire mechanics, day/night cycle and real time weather were awesome. The cease fire zones were so sick and it was really scary if you accidentally or purposely started a fight inside of one. The assassination missions were really cool where you had to snipe someone who was usually in the zone too.

I consider Far Cry 2 the best FPS ever made. For me it just had everything and has never been topped. Far Cry 3 and on, are downgrades to me.

In theory Far Cry 2 is the best, but the infinitely respawning patrols and checkpoints were absolute shit, and destroyed the game for me. The loop of clearing a patrol checkpoint and then turning your back on it for 10 seconds and have all the enemies respawn was incredibly dumb and killed my suspension of disbelief. I think there are mods that minimize the respawning, though.
 
Last edited:

Mossybrew

Member
In theory Far Cry 2 is the best, but the infinitely respawning patrols and checkpoints were absolute shit, and destroyed the game for me. The loop of clearing a patrol checkpoint and then turning your back on it for 10 seconds and have all the enemies respawn was incredibly dumb and killed my suspension of disbelief. I think there are mods that minimize the respawnin though.

I'd also say Far Cry 2 but personally this issue never bothered me. If not for the interwebs I'd have never thought anyone would care. So there's more dudes to shoot or drive past, big deal.
 

Senua

Member
Far_Cry_Coverart.png
 

Verchod

Member
I would say Far cry 2, but it probably feels a little dated now. So it's either 3 or 4. I think most people would say 3 because of the characters in it but maybe 4 is the better purely because it feels like a refinement of 3.
I have been playing 5 recently. I did start playing last summer but got fed up with some of the story elements in it and it irritated me. I started playing it again last week but I still don't really enjoy it so I'll probably drop it for good.

So I think I'd say Far cry 4.
 
In theory Far Cry 2 is the best, but the infinitely respawning patrols and checkpoint were absolute shit, and destroyed the game for me. The loop of clearing a patrol checkpoint and then turning your back on it for 10 seconds and have all the enemies respawn was incredibly dumb and killed my suspension of disbelief. I think there are mods that minimize the respawnin though.

Yes there are mods that you can get that fix it but I actually prefer that feature to FC3 through 5's system of clearing enemies and replacing them with friendly soldiers. It made FC2's world feel more alive to me like there were always soldiers trying to do their jobs and there was nothing you could do to stop them.
 

TexMex

Member
Do not buy the FC3 Remaster. They fucked up all of the weapon audio and ruined the game.

It isn't "all" and it may be annoying but it definitely does not "ruin the game." And someone who has never played the original may not even notice.

Also - it's three dollars.
 
For those that liked Far Cry 2, keep an eye out for Watch Dogs Legion, it’s directed by the same guy who did FC2

Thanks, i didn't know that.

I would say Far cry 2, but it probably feels a little dated now.

There's nothing quite like it, i believe it is a stimulating experience that doesn't feel derivative, so i think that regardless of its age it's a remarkable video game. Can't speak for the console version(s) which due to their nature may have aged the game quite a bit technically speaking, but it's not an issue on PC.
 
Overall 3 and 4 are pretty close from a gameplay perspective IMO. 4 got too easy once you get access to the gyro copter though.

2 is my personal favorite as it was the most "realistic". The weapons jamming mid firefight or having a malaria attack added some intensity to otherwise generic or tedious encounters. I also liked the map being live so you had to be aware of surroundings whilst looking at it and the bus stops for fast travel was something you had to plan around.
 
In theory Far Cry 2 is the best, but the infinitely respawning patrols and checkpoints were absolute shit, and destroyed the game for me. The loop of clearing a patrol checkpoint and then turning your back on it for 10 seconds and have all the enemies respawn was incredibly dumb and killed my suspension of disbelief. I think there are mods that minimize the respawning, though.


This, so much this. I borrowed the game from a friend and this just turned me off from sticking with it because combined with the weapons breaking and limited ammo (especially in the beginning) it just made it absolutely maddening. It would have been okay if they would have respawned over time but to spend almost all of your ammo or almost wearing out a weapon to have the fucking checkpoint be refilled almost instantly was a dealbreaker for me. Maybe one day I will revisit but I doubt it at this point.
 
It isn't "all" and it may be annoying but it definitely does not "ruin the game." And someone who has never played the original may not even notice.

Also - it's three dollars.

Well when the AK-47 sounds like a mini gun it's pretty game breaking. Especially since every pirate uses the AK-47 as their main assault rifle as well. It sounds like shit.
 

Bolivar687

Banned
Far Cry 3 is fun and from what I understand it set the formula for the games that came after, which I haven't played.

I'm only here to reiterate that FC2 is one of the most interesting games ever made, for reasons already given above. The reason for respawning checkpoints is to keep the player on their toes in a constantly hostile environment with limited resources. The guard posts incentivize the player to map out their attack plan, to truly explore and go off the beaten path, which is what you're supposed to do because that's where a great number of available the diamonds are placed.

The biggest difference between the two styles is that Far Cry 3 tells you to go to an exact spot on the map and then a mostly-scripted high octane sequence takes place. Far Cry 2 sends you to the opposite side of the map, fast travel can get you most of the way, but it's completely up to you how make it to the objective, which direction to come from, and your strategy as you begin from the outskirts and make your way to the heart of the mission. Stealth is doable but not viable, which makes it one of the most rewarding stealth
 

pqueue

Member
I am playing FC3 for this first time, after having played 4, Primal, 5 and ND.

The biggest issues for me from this vantage point are how clunky the back-end interface is (on PC) - the crafting menus, the information/notebooks, the map, etc. Access to and use of those are much better in the later FC games. It is really damn annoying maneuvering these in FC3.

I have no opinion on the story and villain yet, as I am only 10 hours into it at this point.
 

Bolivar687

Banned
Far Cry 2 is still unparalleled to this day.

It is obviously not a perfect game, but it has a design philosophy that is light years ahead of any other Far Cry.

This vid is a bit long, but it summarizes everything I feel about FC2:



This is one of the best video essays I've ever seen about games.
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
Does Primal have enough stuff to do? Seems like most people lament the lack of story but I think a heavily-guided story would've been a mistake.
 

Bankai

Member
Where is the poll?

I feel Far Cry 3 was amazing; everything came together in that game. New gameplay concepts, great shooting, an engaging story, great characters. Part 4 and Primal were such letdowns (same old shit over and over), but I haven't played Far Cry 5 yet. Supposed to be quite good and I like the setting.

edit: I forgot about Blood Dragon! I loved the DukeNukem-on-acid vibe that was going on there, great stuff!
 
Last edited:

Sentenza

Member
I remember absolutely despising Far Cry 2. With Assassin’s Creed is the game that kickstarted my dislike for how formulaic and bland Ubisoft became.

Far Cry 3 was... alright. Detestable main character with an obnoxious circle of friends and all that shit but at least they made an effort to add some variety to the formula and a gameplay loop that wasn’t absolutely identical from minute two to hour 100.
 

Anki

Banned
For me it was the 4th one, i really like the setting. I played the 3rd one but it was running really bad on my pc (unlike 4 which was great) so i dropped it.
 

Philfrag

Banned
For me, Far Cry has always been one of those series that I really enjoy playing but as a franchise never really leaves a lasting impression on me.

Every Far Cry game to me (apart from the first) just feels the same. I think the series has stand out moments though.

Far Cry 2 blew me away with its survivalist aspects. Guns jamming, fire spreading. The need for you to think on your toes. It truly felt to me that mainstream shooters were going in this direction at the time.

Far Cry 3 also surprised me. They finally got their formula for the series but unfortunately that never really grew into anything New. I really thought the story was going somewhere interesting. Nope, usually Ubisoft cop out.

Far Cry 4. Maybe this was my favourite one. It had everything 3 had but looked better, played better and the story was serviceable and didn’t taint the experiance for me like it did in 3.

Far Cry 5. Pretty game, world looked really nice, but it was mostly fucking meh. The act where you’re dealing with the drugs and lame visions made me realise this franchise needs to do something new. There’s also something about the gun play that Made it feel dated to me.

and now far cry 6 seems like it’s business as usual.
-Get people interested by making them feel their dealing with a serious subject matter that could lead to some dark turns and interesting writing. Wait till 6 months before release and completely change the tone to be more wacky and playful because Ubi didn’t have the stomach to follow through. Tis the Ubi way.

I respect the franchise for what it did for open world games in general. But beyond that I don’t care. I would love to see a return to some of the mechanics in far cry 2 with the improvements they’ve made to their systems since then. I just get the feeling Far cry is losing its identity especially now that Ubi has taken the model and injected it into every one of their games.
 
Top Bottom