Peter McCoy
Dec 4th, 2012, 10:01:08 PM
Anybody else played this yet?
I got it on Saturday and have been loving every second of it.
To sum it up - Skyrim set in the real world with guns and modern-day pirates.
Without spoiling the plot, you're stuck on Rook Island and have to work with the native people to fight and eventually repel the pirates who are basically slave traders and arms dealers.
There are many facets of gameplay that you can dip in and out of at your leisure. In some ways its like a scaled down version of Just Cause 2. Your map is initially obscured so in order to reveal it you need to find and scale a number of radio transmission towers and turn off the signal the pirates use. This then reveals the surrounding area as well as allowing the local friendly traders to bring in new weapons for purchase. Each tower is slightly different and involves climbing and jumping your way to the top. Your map will be filled in for the area around the tower and a cool Assassins Creed-style circling of the tower will point out a few key locations such as beach huts, camps, docks etc.
With the map filled in, you have a number of choices. As well as the main story missions, you can take on Rakyat challenges which unlock skill points, there are recon or supply run missions to attempt, more towers to find, as well as various collectibles to seek out. But the islands are dangerous as long as pirates control the territory. So one task at hand is to take out their camps by eliminating the pirates stationed at each one. But if you gfo in all guns blazing you'll quickly become overwhelmed as the bad guys will call for reinforcements. So by seeking out a vantage point you can scope the area out, pinpointing enemy locations who then remain highlighted on your hud. You can then proceed into the outpost to shut down the alarm, preventing reinforcements from arriving. Then take out the pirates however you like and the camp is yours, taken over by the natives who are helping you, and the area is a little safer.
I say a little safer because this is, after all, a tropical group of islands. The beaches, jungles, ruins and waters are teeming with deadly animal life just waiting to take a bite out of your leg. And the diversity of both animals and situations is astounding. For example, I was proceeding through the jungle when I heard an engine. I ran to the edge of the treeline and saw two pirates on the roadside. One stood guard while the other worked away trying to fix their jeep. While I made short work of the pirates, I immediately heard a half hiss/growl from behind me. I turned around and at first saw nothing. But then a low dark shape moved towards me through the grass on the other side of the road. It was a fucking Komodo Dragon! I aimed down my sights at it only to shit myself once more as I saw - out of the corner of my eye - another one! Clever girl! So I jumped on top of the jeep out of harms way and dispatched them. I then jumped down to harvest their hides when a third one scuttled towards me from amid the grass! It waited! This single encounter is what hooked me!
Since then I've had to deal with rapid wild dogs scaring off my quarry whilst deer hunting, hid from tigers stalking tapirs, and almost been drowned by a crocodile when swimming away from a pirate ambush. Also, I've had fun luring pirate patrols into a quick death at the jaws of a coiled snake. I haven't even begun to explore the coastline yet so Bull Sharks, Moray Eels and Great Whites await me there. But its a lot of fun watching Birds of Paradise jump around doing their funny dances.
The wildlife serves as a source of progression since you can skin the animals you kill. To begin with, a single weapon can be carried. Craft a holster from a certain hide allows a second gun to be equipped. $1000 too limiting? Craft a bigger wallet with some other hide. Need more inventory space - a bigger rucksack is on the cards if you've taken the time to hunt the appropriate animal. Each new item requires a different animal hide to craft. I believe the next holster to grant me a third weapon choice requires that I go shark fishing. Oh joy!
The game mechanics are to be expected. Shooting is fine, ironsights and scopes are there if you need them. Various attachments can be bought and equipped such as silencers, scopes, bigger mags, night vision etc. Driving the various cars and jeeps is okay but not brilliant - like Far Cry 2 to be honest. Nothing game breaking but not exactly Gran Turismo either! Boats are the same, and the hang glider is awesome! What a view!
I love how the world interacts with itself! If you suddenly see deer running away, you have to ask yourself the question: something must have startled them. If it wasn't you, what- OH SHIT A TIGER! RUN! Or if you were close to a pirate outpost, turn that threat into an advantage by luring the tiger into the camp and see how well it can tear the pirates apart and do your dirty work for you!
I'm tempted to make a video for Youtube showing how one gameplay element leads to another - the cycle of scaling a tower, revealing the area, locating an outpost, needing more firepower and thus hunting for hide to craft your gear in preparation for the assault, planning your approach, reconnoitering the area, returning to a safehouse before seeing what the next story mission is - unless you wanna do it all again and again. Like Skyrim, the main story will be there when you are ready for it. It won't force you to move on.
I got it on Saturday and have been loving every second of it.
To sum it up - Skyrim set in the real world with guns and modern-day pirates.
Without spoiling the plot, you're stuck on Rook Island and have to work with the native people to fight and eventually repel the pirates who are basically slave traders and arms dealers.
There are many facets of gameplay that you can dip in and out of at your leisure. In some ways its like a scaled down version of Just Cause 2. Your map is initially obscured so in order to reveal it you need to find and scale a number of radio transmission towers and turn off the signal the pirates use. This then reveals the surrounding area as well as allowing the local friendly traders to bring in new weapons for purchase. Each tower is slightly different and involves climbing and jumping your way to the top. Your map will be filled in for the area around the tower and a cool Assassins Creed-style circling of the tower will point out a few key locations such as beach huts, camps, docks etc.
With the map filled in, you have a number of choices. As well as the main story missions, you can take on Rakyat challenges which unlock skill points, there are recon or supply run missions to attempt, more towers to find, as well as various collectibles to seek out. But the islands are dangerous as long as pirates control the territory. So one task at hand is to take out their camps by eliminating the pirates stationed at each one. But if you gfo in all guns blazing you'll quickly become overwhelmed as the bad guys will call for reinforcements. So by seeking out a vantage point you can scope the area out, pinpointing enemy locations who then remain highlighted on your hud. You can then proceed into the outpost to shut down the alarm, preventing reinforcements from arriving. Then take out the pirates however you like and the camp is yours, taken over by the natives who are helping you, and the area is a little safer.
I say a little safer because this is, after all, a tropical group of islands. The beaches, jungles, ruins and waters are teeming with deadly animal life just waiting to take a bite out of your leg. And the diversity of both animals and situations is astounding. For example, I was proceeding through the jungle when I heard an engine. I ran to the edge of the treeline and saw two pirates on the roadside. One stood guard while the other worked away trying to fix their jeep. While I made short work of the pirates, I immediately heard a half hiss/growl from behind me. I turned around and at first saw nothing. But then a low dark shape moved towards me through the grass on the other side of the road. It was a fucking Komodo Dragon! I aimed down my sights at it only to shit myself once more as I saw - out of the corner of my eye - another one! Clever girl! So I jumped on top of the jeep out of harms way and dispatched them. I then jumped down to harvest their hides when a third one scuttled towards me from amid the grass! It waited! This single encounter is what hooked me!
Since then I've had to deal with rapid wild dogs scaring off my quarry whilst deer hunting, hid from tigers stalking tapirs, and almost been drowned by a crocodile when swimming away from a pirate ambush. Also, I've had fun luring pirate patrols into a quick death at the jaws of a coiled snake. I haven't even begun to explore the coastline yet so Bull Sharks, Moray Eels and Great Whites await me there. But its a lot of fun watching Birds of Paradise jump around doing their funny dances.
The wildlife serves as a source of progression since you can skin the animals you kill. To begin with, a single weapon can be carried. Craft a holster from a certain hide allows a second gun to be equipped. $1000 too limiting? Craft a bigger wallet with some other hide. Need more inventory space - a bigger rucksack is on the cards if you've taken the time to hunt the appropriate animal. Each new item requires a different animal hide to craft. I believe the next holster to grant me a third weapon choice requires that I go shark fishing. Oh joy!
The game mechanics are to be expected. Shooting is fine, ironsights and scopes are there if you need them. Various attachments can be bought and equipped such as silencers, scopes, bigger mags, night vision etc. Driving the various cars and jeeps is okay but not brilliant - like Far Cry 2 to be honest. Nothing game breaking but not exactly Gran Turismo either! Boats are the same, and the hang glider is awesome! What a view!
I love how the world interacts with itself! If you suddenly see deer running away, you have to ask yourself the question: something must have startled them. If it wasn't you, what- OH SHIT A TIGER! RUN! Or if you were close to a pirate outpost, turn that threat into an advantage by luring the tiger into the camp and see how well it can tear the pirates apart and do your dirty work for you!
I'm tempted to make a video for Youtube showing how one gameplay element leads to another - the cycle of scaling a tower, revealing the area, locating an outpost, needing more firepower and thus hunting for hide to craft your gear in preparation for the assault, planning your approach, reconnoitering the area, returning to a safehouse before seeing what the next story mission is - unless you wanna do it all again and again. Like Skyrim, the main story will be there when you are ready for it. It won't force you to move on.