E32014: Far Cry 4’s villain, gameplay, release detailed

For E3 update number two, the next shiny to catch the distant hollerings of my attention is Far Cry 4. We have the introduction of that stylish and controversial (at least to the conclusion-jumping internet folk) main villain, a look at some gameplay and co-op action, and a release date.

E32014: Far Cry 4's villain, gameplay, release detailed

But first, a bloody selfie.

So first up is a reveal of the new bad guy. His name is Pagan Min, who has styled himself the ruler of the fictional country of Kyrat, in the Himalayas. Some of the internet already know him as that “white” man in a pink suit, sitting on a broken statute surrounded by a rather bloody scene, with his hand resting atop the head of another man of supposedly-indigenous-to-the-region ethnicity. The internet ‘sploded on that scene with cries of “omg teh man is rascist wtf Ubi how can villain man be acual bad” (sic), until Ubisoft clarified things and made the racism go away by telling us he’s not white or the player character. There are lots of thoughts and arguments on that whole debacle, the Internet will provide with but a little Googling and I think I’ve given enough indication of my thoughts on that matter already, so moving on… Pagan’s official YouTube reveal-video bio reads that he’s “a man known as much for his sense of style and charisma as his cruelty and calculated brutality. Pagan Min remains as unpredictable and quirky as it gets. The self-appointed ruler of Kyrat escaped from his underworld roots and has set his sights on the failed state of Kyrat.” So there you have it. The villain being praised by some as a really good villain because he’s actually a terrible person (shocker), now with more background:

Besides pink-suit-guy, the reveal video also shows that Kyrat is a pretty militarised place with armed-guard checkpoints, paper-checking and civil tensions running high. So, fairly standard fair for videogame political landscapes. I thought the cheeky monkey was a nice touch, too. It’s also very hilly and vertical, as this other gameplay video shows:

I like the new ability to kick stuff and that double-bolt crossbow looks pretty sweet. The mountainous region should provide a nice change from the tropics of Far Cry 3, I lol’d at the little vehicle used as a getaway car, and the inter-vehicle leaping and takedowns should be a lot of fun. Finally, the co-op thing of being able to invite a friend right into your game and then go and wreak havoc together could be excellent (I’m unlikely to ever know, what with my budget gaming habits and avoidance of new releases because I’m tired of broken new releases…).

And last but not least, the release date is set as 18 November 2014. I have no idea whether that’s worldwide or not, but I bloody well hope so because in this age of digital distribution there’s no reason it shouldn’t be. :D

Will you clear your calendar for Mr. Min?

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