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#7 - Far Cry: New Dawn - 2019 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)įar Cry: New Dawn was the first direct sequel in the Far Cry series, taking place seventeen years after - spoilers, I guess - the nuclear collapse is seen in Far Cry 5’s Hope County where nature, and roving gangs of Highwaymen, have reclaimed the land. That level of gameplay freedom was fairly uncommon in the FPS genre at the time and went on to define the core of what the Far Cry franchise has become known for since. You can go in loud with grenades and stolen trucks or stealth your way through enemy base camps, taking down waves of soldiers along the way. The first Far Cry is a fairly linear, level-based game by Far Cry standards, but it’s still got plenty of player agency.
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Sure, there are still plenty of dimly lit corridors and sci-fi stuff to be found here - the game centers around taking down not only soldiers, but also genetically modified mutant monsters, after all - but players will still scale mountains, fly hang gliders, and swim seas.
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After years of dimly lit corridors and labyrinthine sci-fi settings dominated the first person shooter space, the original Far Cry dared to drag the genre out into the sunshine for a wide open romp across a dangerous tropical island.
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