We’re gonna try something different this time around. I don’t want to give you my impressions on Far Cry 5 because a) It’s been awhile since I played it and b) That’d be boring. Instead I’m gonna do something a little different.

State of the Union, just like in politics, is going to be an address of the state of a title. In this case, I’ll be talking about Far Cry 5. Using my extensive internet library, I’ll talk about the lead up to the game, the release of the game, and where the game stands. I think it’s gonna be fun, and since this is the first of its kind, this might be rough. Let’s do it!

The Lead-Up

We all knew Far Cry 5 was coming; it was just a matter of when. Ubisoft answered our questions on May 26, 2017 with a bunch of teasers, a release of the game’s box art, and of course this trailer.

 

A ton of information was released as soon as the game was announced on the game’s website: detailing new characters, a co-op experience, and who the bad dudes were. We were finally coming back home too, with the game being set in the fictional Hope County, Montana. Big moves only friends. I believe it also drew some controversy for it’s box art, content, and how it eerily made people feel it was a reflection of the United States presidency. (fact check: it did draw a ton of different levels of controversy and discussion). GG’s Ubisoft.

Back on topic though; how was Ubisoft going to make this one different? By the release of Far Cry Primal, fans pretty much understood the formula: big open world, not a lot of meaningful content, well developed bad guy, etc. Could Ubisoft make this entry just as good, if not, dare say better than the legendary Far Cry 3?

The Release

The release date for Far Cry 5 was pegged for February 27, 2018, until Ubi pushed it back one month. How did it turn out?

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic (XONE) 82/100[32] (PS4) 81/100[33] (PC) 78/100[34] Review scores Publication Score Destructoid 7.5/10[35] Edge 6/10[36] EGM 7.5/10[37] Game Informer 7.5/10[38] Game Revolution 3.5/5[39] GamesRadar+ [40] Giant Bomb [41] IGN 8.9/10[43] Polygon 6.5/10[44] I’m sorry I had to use Wikipedia for this.

I guess the reviews were mostly positive. A lot of the criticism focused on the game’s story and and characters, although the sales numbers were very high for the title.

Post Release

Prior to the release, a lot of cool content was revealed if you purchased the Season Pass *rolls eyes*.

For some reason, this season pass reminded me a lot of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s Season Pass content, and I do not know why. The real eye opener was the rerelease of Far Cry 3, the unanimous favorite in this series.

You can play the game in co-op with one other person, which made for some fun moments with my friends and myself. You can hire civilians in the world to help you fight… and yeah. Unfortunately, this game didn’t hook me. Something that confused me to no end is the fact that in Far Cry 3 and 4 your character had a voice. In Far Cry 5, your character doesn’t… I understand that you can choose either male or female characters, but we’ve seen other games that give you voice actors regardless of the gender. It just frustrated me.

Back to the gameplay though. I think I’m Far Cry’ed (Cried?) out. Since the release of 3, the series has had consistently strong antagonists and gameplay, but the formula hasn’t evolved. It’s still open world full of nonsense, but it just feels empty. I’ve never accepted or used the “empty” excuse when it comes to this series, but this time it really hit me. I don’t know maybe it’s just me.

I think the future of this series is up in the air. Despite the sales being pretty top notch, the verdict is what’s most important. Ubisoft did take a break in between releases, but look at how much more improved Assassin’s Creed came out versus how this came out. Maybe I’m being harsh. I’m just disappointed that this series feels like it’s falling off when it has the formula for success.

What do you think about Far Cry 5? Is there hope for the franchise moving forward or is this the literal definition of insanity? I’ll be on Twitch playing Far Cry 3 Classic Edition at some point soon. Let me know what ya’ll think!