It's hard to believe that the Far Cry series started ten years ago with a tropical island and a story about mutants. As a series, it's travelled a long way since then, from the more serious overto

Fantastic characterisation; Visually incredible; Will make you feel guilty; and thus care; like no other game

Open-world exploration could be more enticing; Missed co-op opportunity; Map revealing towers are getting old now

The best part of Far Cry 3 was the game's massive tropical setting and the sense of total freedom. The snow-capped mountainous landscape of Kyrat delivers the same thrill, but also layers it on top of a treacherous terrain filled with dizzying cliffs and unpredictable topography.

Far Cry 4 offers an amazing environment to traverse and explore; It features ultra-satisfying first-person-shooter gameplay along with new vehicles and equipment; And yes, you can ride elephants

The main character is underwhelming and it has a nearly identical game structure to Far Cry 3; including cookie-cutter enemy design and archetypes

This is probably the best that Far Cry has ever been. And that's saying something.

The scale of the environment is stunning to behold and interactive with; Consistent surprises mean it's impossible to ease into a predictable routine

Competitive multiplayer is functional and nothing more; Disappointing, Some missions are overly linear, at odds with expansiveness elsewhere

It may not bring many new ideas to the table but this is a hugely enjoyable open world shooter, with the best co-op options in the genre.

Fantastic open world environment that's a pleasure to explore, especially with the great vehicles and fun weapons; Excellent co-op and interesting story branching

Very similar structure and features to Far Cry 3; None of the characters are sympathetic and some may cause offence; Hunting certainly will if you love animals

High in the Himalayas.

+ A great villain; + A large world with plenty to do; + Personable experience with great characters

- Slow first half; - Long treks

Diversity is one of Far Cry 4's strongest assets, and it overwhelms the mostly disappointing story with countless opportunities for free-form adventure and fun. Visual variety, tons of distinct side-quests, and a dense world with plenty of options always gave me something I wanted to do, and its...

Amazing; gorgeous world; Combat variety; Strong side-quests/economy; Versatile PvP combat

Some terrible characters

But there's a reason Ubisoft pared back Far Cry 4's story - it knew it was never going to be the main attraction. Far Cry 4 does all the things that its predecessor did and more - more weapons, more vehicles, more modes, more ground to cover - so if all you're looking for is a big old wide open...

I've spent the last minute tagging everyone in the outpost. I've scouted out the alarms, I've found a tiger trapped in a cage. I've got a full complement of arrows -- fire, explosive and the regular pointy kind -- and I'm all set to stealthily dismantle the outpost.

This game caused me to have a horrible accident and miss the day at work.

freaking elephants; freaking tigers

will cause sick leave; paid dlc

Far Cry 4 is a stunning iteration in the series that manages to bring forth great gameplay, superb visuals, and a pretty good story with a fabulous villain. While the competitive multiplayer may not feel all that great and there are some lackluster story missions, overall you'll have a great time...

Huge open world; Absolutely gorgeous visuals; Entertaining side quests; Plenty of activities

Some story missions are tedious; Competitive multiplayer isn't that entertaining; Not enough screen time for Pagan Min