Graphics
Graphically speaking Far Cry 4 looks fantastic on the PS4, and I presume on the Xbox One also. However, there is a sense that developing the game for both generations has held back what could be an even more impressive show piece.
The world itself is well detailed and great thought has been put into creating a world that’s believable. Everything from the little shanties, the people and the general wilderness are chock full of little details to remind you that you’re somewhere you’ve never been before, but it all still feels that it’s on the cusp of being something more.
Gunplay looks and feels great with appropriate kickback from weapons and enemies falling to their deaths, a little too extravagantly at times but still in a believable manner.
As far as the eye can see Kyrat is a beautiful display as to what can be done when talented developers put their minds to it, they didn’t just craft a game world, they made the game world one of the central characters.
Thankfully this character doesn’t have any stutter in its speech with the frame-rate holding out for the most part, but there are a few ups and downs, though not nearly as terrible as Far Cry 3. I’m not a stickler for frame-rates and I’m often able to enjoy games that do suffer from stutters, but for the sake of an impartial review I did keep an eye out for slow downs and stutters and they were minimal, though when there’s extreme, and I mean extreme action going on then you’ll likely notice a few dips here and there, but it’s almost negligible.
That said, I can’t say the same for the last-gen versions, well, the Xbox 360 one at least. I was given the opportunity to play a couple of hours of a buddies early copy for the Xbox 360 and the frame-rate is erratic to say the least. If you’re going to play Far Cry 4, I highly suggest you opt for the PS4/Xbox One or PC editions, that’s if you’re a stickler for frame-rates. I can’t speak for the PS3 version as I’ve not seen it in action, but once I manage to procure a copy for both the Xbox 360 and PS3 there will be a separate review for those versions.
In short, Far Cry 4 looks the part of a next-gen game and plays as well as the best of them, but I can’t help but wonder what could have been done in the visuals department had Ubisoft gone for a next-gen only release for the game.
Far Cry 4 is available from November 18th and will be available on the PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. You can pre-order your copy from Amazon and get the Amazon-exclusive Blood Ruby DLC pack.
Primary version review was on the PS4. This review was carried out using a copy obtained by the review at his own expense and is not in any way affiliated with Ubisoft.
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