I've just finished my second playthrough of Far Cry 4 and loved loved loved it. I played Far Cry 3 through again prior to 4, and now I'm replaying Far Cry Primal. It's been years since I touched these games so it's great to be in these worlds again, escaping from this crappy world of ours. Here are a few screenshots of gorgeous Far Cry 4:
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Would you believe I installed a 2005 game I've had since then ON WINDOWS 10 and it installed without a hitch. Try doing that with old series like Thief, Tomb Raider, Splinter Cell or even the original Deus Ex which I have. No way. So I was at the same time chuffed and peed off lol. The game is Wild Tangent's FATE. Here's a Steam link if interested: FATE I'm having so much fun playing this!
Ok have to stop here. Time to go down into that dungeon!
Response to an elderly gamer (83) on youtube who consistently keeps dying after doing whole dungeons because she doesn't save her game (on a video in which her follower got stuck): "This is why saving is so important WHEN YOU HAVE A FOLLOWER. Because when (not if) something happens to your follower when eg: 1.they get in the way of an arrow and die (it's happened in my case numerous times) or 2. they get stuck like here or 3. you're relying on them to fight for you and you die, you're done for. When they die, the "resurrect" cheat brings them back without your added apparel/weapons you've improved by smithing or found for them. Don't trust Autosave (it could be way back in your travels), always get in the habit of pressing Esc to Manual Save and keep an eye on the red bar, and you can also save mid-fight in time for running away or potions." (Her reply? "No kidding.") Yet she keeps not saving and then dying. Each to their own if you love dying and don't care for progression and keeping all the goodies you found or prefer to work your butt off getting somewhere for no reason other than dying.  Screenshot © Rightasrain Studios Skyrim Special Edition gameplay August 17 2019 SotTR brings up mixed feelings. I go into an area and think I'm sure I've been here before. I'm in the Yaaxil pit and it reminds me of the Geothermal Caverns in Rise of the Tomb Raider. The Mountain Temple reminds me of the Path of the Deathless area in Rise. Maps have been reused and upgraded but a confident gamer knows the tricks. The water-run of Tomb Raider 2013 is repeated as a mudslide run (REALLY devs?). The Yaaxil have the same clicking sound as the clickers in The Last of Us. (FYI I have played all the Tomb Raider games. Screenshots are of my own gameplay. I play on pc.) PROS: Lovely scenery and architecture and objects and collectibles. Interesting fmv's and character dialogue. Save system has improved, does not carry Lara back to base camp but often back where you last were. Tombs are hard but a nice change. If only they'd added these particular ones earlier in the trilogy. Game is clever in using mud to conceal Lara.  CONS: (VERY glitchy: Lara gets caught on objects, jumps are not guaranteed, rope arrows do not always latch on, W + Multiple Space clambers up walls to ledges often don't execute therefore you think you can't go that way) The map: * Quests are difficult to follow via the map * The basecamp map does not show collectibles, the while-out-in-the-world map does show collectibles. So I ended up looking for where exactly the collectible was, memorising it, and then travelling to that spot via the basecamp, where I couldn't see on the map where the item was. * Can't see missions and map at same time at base camps * Waypoints cannot be used just anywhere, only where the map allows Not open world, extremely linear Areas close behind you so you have to go forward Areas close in front of you during combat but are opened once ALL enemies are dead, so you can't come and go and be clever in combat Lara is forced to wear certain outfits for certain quests, even though they have no benefits like endurance or protection from damage added Lots of quest givers look the same All the boys in Paititi look the same Have to stand in front of people to talk to them If Lara has her back to you, tips are hidden "behind" her so you can't read them For some of the jumps you're not controlling Lara eg mudslide, the game takes over Many scramble moves were not possible One scramble move up a wall required W+A which I only discovered how to do via online, the only jump of its kind in the game Most shootouts feel like a losing battle. If enemies discover you while you’re trying to sneak past them, you’re usually forced to scramble to a new hiding place or die Lara crouches and gets her knife out when there's nothing threatening around, making her hard to control No enemies to shoot from a distance even though you can hear them, they don't appear til you get closer Why doesn't TAB close as well as open the map? F to talk, why not E which is already "interact"? Lara repeats herself when in a new area and using Q The sound of pressing Q every time you want to see objects and waypoints is super annoying Can't use weapon in tunnels (a repeat of previous games) Grapple is difficult to master causing Lara to lose the rope and die Trial of the Serpent "gotta be a way to burn that barrier" but of course Lara can't use her fire arrows Why are throwables found on the fly? I want them in my inventory! Is this so I can't get an advantage in the game, so I can't use my own intelligence as to when it would be a good idea to murder someone with MY well-thought-out plan?  SUMMARY: The game is pretentious in a way - you can see the devs' thinking behind events, their making it tougher and frustrating for gamers just to show off their "expertise" eg obstacles, video clips where control is taken away, runs in earthquakes, mud slides, tsunamis - "oh this is a good idea, let's do this even though it's so obvious and contrived'. I've had to look up, like many others to our frustration, youtube videos on how to solve some tombs. The game well and truly lags in story midway. I've decided to not buy another TR game until I've well and truly researched it. Not planning to complete at the moment. You? Play it if you're prepared to be bored here and there and find yourself thinking "Is this the Tomb Raider I loved?" Last thought, shouted: IMAGINE IF LARA CROFT ENDED UP IN AN OPEN WORLD GAME!!!   Absolutely loving this game. Another fave Far Cry for me, I've played them all except number one. Two drove me crazy getting malaria so gave that a big miss after a while lol.
I have one bugbear. Whenever I load up a throwable, my weapon disappears and I have to unsheath it. Otherwise, I'm enjoying myself immensely and often LOL from the sheer (usual) chaos and craziness. Recommended ❤ The SPIRIT OWL Use the WASD keys to control the owl - W for forward and up, S forward and down (pitch) and A left, D right (yaw). This way you can easily avoid obstacles. The mouse is only for camera view - move it to see around you. Slide your mouse slightly up to go upwards more, slightly backwards to go downwards. When your owl's flying it tells you on-screen how to select and drop bombs. Do a test run while you're in a camp without enemies. When the owl sees an enemy a left mouse icon will appear so use it to make the owl kill enemies from the air, very silent! BASE CAMP When you first start the game and have established where base camp is, talk to people there to upgrade Takkar's, Sayla's, Tansay's huts and don't start out in the world fighting too early. You won't be strong enough and building these huts gives you the skills of the owner so you become stronger. Use your Reward Stash to start building these huts, the contents are not just for your own use. On your travels in the world, pick ingredients, kill to skin animals for fat and hide and meat (for your tamed companion animal later in the game). All this collecting resources is worth it in the long run when you will have what you need already when quests are given. SKILLS Unlock Skills using K whenever possible. Especially under Survival Skills / the Primitive Takedown because then you can creep up behind enemies, use F and kill them without even having to fight. That will help you a lot. Take it all gradually. It is difficult to find anything about the owl's controls online, hence this post. Hope this helps.  Rightasrain Studios Far Cry Primal gameplay August 12 2018 People not akin with this fact, need to have a taste: GAME MUSIC IS AMAZING!! YOU LOVE RACHMANINOFF? WAGNER? TCHAIKOVSKY? Then.... ....try listening to some of the most wonderful game music of all time, written by greats like Jeremy Soule (Skyrim), Inon Zur (Fallout 4), Hans Zimmer (Crysis 2), Gustavo Santaolalla (The Last of Us), Greg Edmonson (Uncharted). All games I have played. The many tracks of eg Skyrim composed by Jeremy Soule are beautiful beyond words. Look for "The Streets of Whiterun" soundtrack on youtube. This music plays every time you enter the city of Whiterun in the game or wander the surrounding district of Whiterun Hold. Escapism at its truest best. Here are these game theme soundtracks. You won't be disappointed. I got Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt with DLCs for Christmas! Much awesomeness! Hard to get into and learn at first but with consistent gameplay (read: daily!) I am now flowing along, except for occasional lag due to overheating (weather is atrociously hot here in Australia at this time of year) and high game specs on a lower end computer. Ah well I plod along - I can get anything to work for me. Reminds me of riding old nags in my young years and turning them into prancing steeds just through sheer willpower and telling them who's boss! Here is a collection of my gameplay screenshots: |
"There's gotta be a way out of this dungeon!" 
"What fresh hell is this!" - gamer friend playing Rise of the Tomb Raider I'm a 69 year young Aussie gamer and computer nerd. The Nerdess to be exact.
I write stuff about games.
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