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In case you missed the previous three parts, here's the links for Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four. Welcome to Part Five of this ongoing series of every Far Cry main game in chronological order. As previously mentioned, having dedicated 21 years and thousands upon thousands of hours to this series, I have decided to write a review of my experience with each game. Bear in mind this is coming from a PC gamer. This post will focus on the fifth game in the series without revealing too much spoilers. The hilly, mountainous region of Hope County, Montana makes for great exploring, especially since the Guns For Hire are now a lot more competent, useful, and specialised than the ones from Far Cry 4 Far Cry 5 (2018) Some might consider this game Ubisoft’s pièce de résistance of the Far Cry series, and in truth, they’re not far off. While it’s impossible for me to pick the best Far Cry game, Far Cry 5 offers up many qualities that endears it to many new and existing Far Cry lovers alike. Set in Hope County, a fictional region of the American state of Montana, players assume the role of the Deputy, a new addition to the county’s rather small police force. After an arrest attempt on Joseph Seed, the game’s main antagonist, goes pear-shaped, the Deputy must team up with the resistance and rescue his crew, now prisoners of each of Seed’s three lieutenants: John, Faith, and Jacob. All three control their individual region and specialise in different forms of combat. Being able to use guns like the M60 LMG was a highlight for this gamer because it originated from the Vietnam War-era There is no set path for players to follow, although the game will offer recommendations on which region to target first. New players are strongly advised to follow suit, while those returning for their third playthrough and above should be experienced enough to source out their preferred path. What this game offers best is that there is no correct path to take, with all roads leading to the same final confrontation. I have played this game more than 10 times over, and each time I’ve experimented with different loadouts (stealth only, sniper only, avoiding heavy weapons and moving light, etc) and had equal amounts of fun. I personally found the concept of a niche brand of “civil war” pretty invigorating, as most of the resistance fighters are simply civilians protecting their land and livelihood. As the cultists respond with violence, so do the civilians. This game also brings back a more advanced version of the buddy system, termed as “Guns for Hire”. An NPC will now follow players and attack the enemies alongside them. This makes for more ways to set up ambush points: For example, players could position an NPC equipped with a rocket launcher further down the road and command them to attack the lead vehicle in an enemy convoy, while simultaneously laying down fire from another ambush point in a pincer movement. Boomer is undoubtedly a fan favourite NPC. This cute doggie will attack enemies on command, mark them out in combat, or be readily available for scritches NPC allies aren’t just limited to humans, either. One of the game’s most beloved characters is a dog named Boomer, one of three Fangs for Hire. Players will be able to interact with Boomer and pat/play with it, as well as any other dogs they come across in the region. If this doesn’t strongly compel you to give Far Cry 5 a shot, I honestly don’t know what will. Players can also now fly propeller planes, some of which come equipped with bombs and machine guns. These are seemingly modelled off the British Hawker Hurricane and Spitfire models. It does take some practice to master flying, but once players get the hang of it, laying waste to enemy cultists in a World War Two era plane seems pretty damn fun, until they return the fire with automatic weapons instead of bolt action rifles. Having a gaming setup that can run Far Cry 5 at full pelt is a must if you want to experience the full graphical beauty that awaits All in all, Far Cry 5 offers up a magnificent blend of story-telling and immersive landscape, with fast travel a lot more convenient. However, a common theme remains: Animals still want to kill you. In Part Six, I will focus on the sixth installment of the Far Cry series. ~ Fremont (Pictures from Wallpapers.com, SteamDB, Techgoondu, The ScribblingGeek, Flickr)

In case you missed the previous three parts, here's the links for Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. Welcome to Part Four of this ongoing series of every Far Cry main game in chronological order. As previously mentioned, having dedicated 21 years and thousands upon thousands of hours to this series, I have decided to write a review of my experience with each game. Bear in mind this is coming from a PC gamer. This post will focus on the fourth game in the series without revealing too much spoilers. In addition, at the time of this post, I've been replaying Far Cry 4, so all of the images in this post are my personal in-game screenshots. The Kyrati landscape is hilly and mountainous, so expect a lot of grappling and traversing on foot, unless you want to accidentally drive off a cliff. The Buzzer copter may be your best friend, but its unarmoured, leaves you horribly exposed to small arms gunfire, and if you land it on an incline, the still-rotating blades may just kill you Far Cry 4 (2014) In the span of two years, we were blessed with two of the most iconic villains of the Far Cry franchise: Far Cry 3’s Vaas Montenegro and Far Cry 4’s Pagan Min. A bloodthirsty dictator of the war-torn country of Kyrat, Min and the main character have a shared history that will soon be unravelled as players progress. Set in the fictional mountainous and Himalayan country of Kyrat, players will assume the character of Ajay Ghale, a Kyrati by birth whose mother fled with him to the U.S.A. Back to fulfil his mother’s final wish of spreading her ashes in Lakshmana, Ghale gets caught up in the still-ongoing civil war between the Golden Path resistance group and Pagan Min’s army. Trying to find a way up the mountain? Look for a coil of orange rope on the floor or grappling points in the cliff As with Far Cry 3, the game focuses on introducing players to the harsh yet captivating Kyrati landscape. New features include grappling, which is an important part of players’ exploration, as well as a buzzer, which is a one-man operated unarmed helicopter that allows the player to scale heights with ease. Another new feature now allows players to shoot with their sidearm whilst driving, meaning that drive-bys are now a thing. Fun fact: The M79 single-shot grenade launcher counts as a sidearm, so your “unarmed” buzzer is now a grenade-firing, one-man killing machine. You can only carry a maximum of 10 RPG rockets, but you can carry 50 grenade launcher rounds. Easiest decision I ever made. Who doesn't love blowing stuff up? But don’t be fooled by the beautiful landscape; Kyrat is full of wild animals that would love nothing more than to rip your throats out or stomp players into the ground. Early on my first gameplay experience, I discovered a rhino grazing and promptly discovered that three magazines of 7.62mm rounds from my AK47 did nothing more than piss it off. Only explosives and incendiaries finally stopped the four-legged beast. And after all that? The rhino skin that I needed to craft my upgrades was damaged (also a new feature in Far Cry 4). I soon found that using explosives would damage the skin, using bullets would give me one, and using bows would double my gain. Getting into vehicles does nothing to ward them off, too. Far Cry 4's rhinos are only too happy to ram head-first into cars. If you hear the tiger before you see it, better keep your head on a swivel or it'll end up in the tiger's mouth. The 87 signature weapon can be unlocked very early on (basically a sawn-off Winchester Model 1887) that not only proves to be a great deterrence to the bloodthirsty wildlife, it also takes up the mandatory sidearm slot. And as with shotguns, just point it in the general direction and the buckshot will do the rest In addition, at every turn, I had eagles soaring down from the sky and taking a hefty bite out of my health, wolf and dhole packs chasing after me as if I owed them money, and clouded leopards stealthily stalking me through the grass and launching surprise attacks. Having recently replayed this game, I can safely say that the Kyrati wildlife is genuinely out to kill you. Also, bengal tigers must have great eyesight, because even from a "safe" distance, the four-legged apex predator will turn to face me, let out a roar, and charge without hesitation. It is recommended to equip a shotgun in one of your weapon slots to fare a better chance of surviving these encounters, otherwise you might get maimed whilst en route to your objective. If you hear the screech of an eagle and/or see the eagle doing this stance, that is its attacking run. Two options: Aim down sights and blast away (better be accurate) or look for nearby cover (trees will suffice). Take it from an experienced Kyrati explorer, audio cues are a huge help in this game. Normally, players are able to hear the animals first Another new feature now allows players to ride friendly elephants that love nothing more than to flip over enemy vehicles and crush the hapless Royal Army enemy soldiers. Two Far Cry 3 fan-favourites also make a return; players will first meet Hurk early on after liberating the area around the village of Banapur, while Willis Huntley appears later on and takes on more of a “hunt with a capital C” role in this game. Far Cry 4 also makes a lot of references to Asian lore, taking inspiration from Buddhist, Hindu, and Tibetan mythology. These include mentions of the Rakshasa, the mystical realm of Shangri-La based on the Buddhist concept of Nirvana, and collectibles such as thangkas, which are Tibetan Buddhist paintings. I personally enjoyed the fresh concept that the developers decided to go with, showing that each Far Cry release is very much “its own game”. Finding the thangkas scattered around Kyrat allows the player to step into the shoes of Kalinag, a Kyrati warrior who ventured in search of the mythical land of Shangri-La. This is based off Kyrati folklore, of a story passed down from generations. As the player progresses, references will also be made to other mythical beings such as Yalung and Banashur The developers also included quite a number of references to previous Far Cry games that can be found whilst scavenging around, such as the Conflict Diamond loot item's description mentioning that it is a blood diamond from Bowa-Seko (Far Cry 2), the Gamebook loot item's description mentioning Jack Carver and Doctor Krieger (Far Cry), and the Knock-Off GPS loot item's description mentioning that it comes preloaded with a map of Rook Island (Far Cry 3). In essence, I'd strongly recommend paying attention to details and conversations in game, reading very note you come across, and exploring every inch of Kyrat so that you can unearth all these hidden gems. One well-placed mine later.. Most online reviews might refer to Far Cry 4 as a “Far Cry 3.5”, and they’re dead wrong. While Far Cry 3 somewhat petered off towards the end, Far Cry 4’s storyline and plot had me gripped and entranced till the very end. While I do acknowledge Far Cry 3’s trailblazing efforts and the fact it was a revolutionary gameplay experience for its era, Far Cry 4 also deserves its plaudits for telling its story brilliantly, with players urged to explore and find little bits of lore, thus being able to slowly piece together the mystery that is Kyrat and what Ajay Ghale’s return signifies. Well, that's the end of this writeup. I have quite a number of in-game screenshots and it would be a shame not to share most of them, so I've included them below. In Part Five, I will focus on the fifth installment of the Far Cry series. ~ Fremont (Images from Fremont Seow) ADDITIONAL SCREENSHOTS Boom boom boom boom, I want you in my room~ Ah, the return of the crocodile from Far Cry 3, although less frequent because there's not as much waterways in Kyrat as there was in the jungles of Rook Island. I'm not falling for you this time Some missions require you to venture to the Himalayas in search of ancient relics The wingsuit and parachute combo are back, baby! Although, with the amount of trees and gradual inclines, make sure you don't smash face-first into one. Sure, its fun weaving through the forest at mach speed, but all it takes is that one branch that clips your wings, and you'll be sent back to your last save point with your tail between your legs For the love of all that is holy, do not jump into bodies of water willy-nilly. I know that the ocean around Rook Island in Far Cry 3 is clear and easier to spot predators, but the murky river water in Far Cry 4 will have you in the jaws of a Demon Fish in a hot minute, especially if you parachute into the middle of a lake. Now that was a terrifying experience Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Literally though If you spot predators in close proximity or in your path, the element of surprise also works in your favour here. Facing against four nimble and agile wolves will see your health go down quicker than the front man of a Japanese banzai charge on Guadacanal Ah, the return of the Singapore-made Ultimax 100. Drum magazine LMGs are always welcome Similar to the Letters of the Lost in Far Cry 3, the letters in this game are correspondence between a British military lieutenant stationed in Kyrat to oversee the Gurkhas in the 1800s and his pregnant wife. Again, this is what makes Far Cry games so interesting: The little bits of lore and side stories interspersed throughout the main story. Exploration is highly encouraged

I first came across the inaugural Far Cry game in the now-popular series back in 2004, the year of its launch. I was eight and wandering around the “Toys & Games” section in a department store (I believe it was Takashimaya) and the cover caught my eye. I’ve always been drawn towards First-Person Shooter (FPS) games, and I thought I’d give it a try. Thus, I got my parents to buy it for me, and the second we got home, I loaded it up. Back in the day, CDs were still very much the norm, and the bulky disc casing held four. For the younger readers, this was how old-school gamers installed our new fixations: We inserted the first disc (they were labelled in numerical order), started the installation process, and waited for the prompt to insert the next disc (if the file size of the game was too large for a single disc) to continue. And if we wanted to play another game, we had to swap out the CDs. Ah, the nostalgia tax is real. Can you believe this game came out in 2004? Definite trailblazer But back to the topic at hand: As a self-confessed Far Cry aficionado with 21 years and thousands upon thousands of hours dedicated to all seven main games in the series so far, let me give you my thoughts and experiences with the gameplay mechanics, in the hopes that if you’re a gamer and you haven’t already tried Far Cry, you really should. Oh and by the way, I am primarily a PC gamer, and as such, I will not be including the three console-exclusive Far Cry games of the mid-2000s as I’ve never tried them (although I’ve seen the gameplay via YouTube videos). I’m also a “filthy casual”, so I will only be ranking the single-player experience; although this is the main reason people are drawn to it, and what the Far Cry series does best anyway. On the Research level, you get your first glimpse of the trigen, a science experience gone wrong that gave me many nightmares as a kid Far Cry (2004) Set on islands scattered in the Micronesian subregion in the Pacific, players will assume the character of Jack Carver, a former Green Beret turned boat captain, as he fights off mercenaries and hoards of various mutated monkeys called trigens (a creation of the game’s villain: Dr Krieger) in a bid to rescue his client, Valerie Constantine, who was taken by the villains and is later revealed to be a CIA agent. Players are restricted by a boundary; stray too far out of the map and the game will send invincible mercenaries to kill you off (believe me, I’ve tried). The game also incorporates weapons such as the Pancor Jackhammer shotgun and the M202A1 FLASH rocket launcher that never made it to mass production and were mostly relegated to prototypes. Although the gameplay is largely linear, discerning players will soon find that it is possible to bypass groups of enemies entirely and finish certain levels without firing a single shot. Fair warning, it does take a lot of patience, and this game is not built for stealth, but by golly does it feel good to pull it off. Man's best friend against trigens in close quarter combat is undoubtedly the Pancor Jackhammer shotgun As far as mechanics go, I’d say it does the job. Point, shoot, reload. Gameplay is pretty much linear, with checkpoints and different levels, although players can still go off exploring all that the map has to offer. Aesthetically, it still looks amazing, even today. And bear in mind this is a game that came out in 2004. In my opinion, this game has everything a casual FPS player looking for a challenge wants, plus a host of weapons that players can utilise to customise their loadout. A true cult classic and a must-try for FPS gamers. FAIR WARNING: If you’re planning to try it out on Steam, download this patch and follow the instructions to install it into the game folders before playing, unless you like being shot through thin walls. It’s a long story, but it seems Steam integrated the wrong version of the game. Some levels feature a night mode and invariably far more trigen enemies, which kept my heart rate at an all-time high Fun fact: This game was the brainchild of German video game developer Crytek, before Ubisoft took over for all subsequent Far Cry games. In Part Two, I will focus on the second game of the series. ~ Fremont (Images by PCGamer, Hexus, Reddit, and Xfire)

In case you missed the previous two parts, here's the link for Part One and the link for Part Two. Welcome to Part Three of this ongoing series of every Far Cry main game in chronological order. As previously mentioned, having dedicated 21 years and thousands upon thousands of hours to this series, I have decided to write a review of my experience with each game. Bear in mind this is coming from a PC gamer. This post will focus on the third game in the series without revealing too much spoilers. Far Cry 3 stands as a testament of time and has gained a massive cult following since its release Far Cry 3 (2012) Like the previous iteration, we had to wait another four years for a new Far Cry game, but boy did this one hit the sweet spot. You’ll generally hear raving reviews about this game, and most of it boils down to its charismatic yet wayward villain, Vaas Montenegro, and his classic line: “Did I ever tell you the definition of insanity?” Far Cry 3 brought about many features that the previous games did not and set the tone for the series: Crafting via hunting animals, fast travel, and scavenging for loot and collectibles to sell for cash, which can be used to upgrade the player’s arsenal. It did away with the harsh climate of Far Cry 2, presumably because gamers with the attention spans of goldfishes constantly moaned about the malaria effect and gun jams. This game also introduced a host of recurring characters that would return time and time again, such as Hurk and Willis Huntley. Various hunting missions to craft upgrades such as being able to carry more ammunition will be unlocked as the game progresses. Pro tip: Absolutely do not approach cassowaries IN-GAME OR IN REAL LIFE. Keep your distance and if they get alerted to your presence, make sure your weapon is loaded. In real life, if a cassowary starts showing signs of aggression and if you do not have adequate cover, start repenting for your sins Oh, and Far Cry 3 also introduces the wingsuit, which also becomes a staple of the Far Cry franchise. Want to get off this tall mountain in seconds? Players simply take a leap of faith, spread their “wings”, and soar with increasing speed towards the ground until the will to live overcomes their bravado, they hit the “C” key, and the parachute deploys. Set in the fictional tropical archipelago of Rook Islands, players assume the role of Jason Brody, an unassuming American tourist who is forced to join forces with the friendly Rakyat tribe and rescue his friends and girlfriend from the clutches of Vaas and his band of pirates. Animals can now attack the player, posing a whole different threat entirely. Remnants of the Imperial Japanese Army are littered throughout the islands, such as bunkers, gun emplacements, and the skeletal remains of soldiers. Remnants of Japan's World War Two exploits are littered throughout the island, from rusting shore battery emplacements to skeletal remains of imperial troops who never made it home Unlike the first two games in the series, Stealth is very much encouraged. Players can perform all sorts of takedown kills, and with materiels such as mines and C4, many players have found ways to liberate outposts with much panache. I have spent countless hours customising my loadouts for ultimate stealth or just full-on Rambo mode. Choices do come into play here, but as far as I can remember, ultimately, they do not have much of an effect on progress. My take is that Ubisoft shifted from decisions that affect the storyline (although there still are some major ones) to ones that the player can choose to take on to make their gameplay easier. Hunting and crafting the right animals and plants will increase ammo capacity and provide health supplements, searching for collectibles can provide players with cash that they can use to procure better weapons, and finding lost relics will offer experience points that allow players to unlock better perks and abilities. Far Cry 3 kinda gives off Tomb Raider (2013) vibes, in the sense that you're fighting a crazy cult, exploring relics from as far back as a few hundred years, discovering World War Two and modern naval wrecks, and hoping the wildlife won't kill you In essence, players really shouldn't rush this experience and instead, simply sit back and enjoy the ride. Personally, my favourite side quest is the Letters of the Lost, where players can find letters written by the Japanese garrison stationed on the island during World War Two. These give a more personal insight into the hardships faced by the hapless Japanese soldiers and why none of them ever made it off the island. Front grip, no stock, hip fire, rock and roll. Sure, you'll probably miss 90% of your shots, but at least you'll die with aura Another fun fact: Singaporean gamers will be happy to note that ST Kinetics’ very own Ultimax 100, a Singaporean-made light machine gun, makes an appearance in the game and can be used to mow down enemies, both two- and four-legged, and in some instances, aquatic (you’ll see). Although the actual variant currently in use by the Singapore Army did away with the cumbersome drum magazine, the game doesn’t, giving the player more bullets for more fun. With all that's been said, it's no surprise this game garnered the massive cult following it did. Far Cry 3 stands as a testament of time and marked the revitalisation of the game series. I'd rather wait a few years for a brilliant game worth splurging on than buy into the mess that Call of Duty has become. I mean seriously, a new game every year?! Greedy little so-and-sos. In Part Four, I will focus on the fourth installment of the Far Cry series. ~ Fremont (Images from Wallpapers.com, Reddit, Far Cry Wiki, IGN, and YouTube)

In case you missed part one, here's the link. Welcome to Part Two of this ongoing series of every Far Cry main game in chronological order. As previously mentioned, having dedicated 21 years and thousands upon thousands of hours to this series, I have decided to write a review of my experience with each game. Bear in mind this is coming from a PC gamer. This post will focus on the second game in the series without revealing too much spoilers. Far Cry 2 continues to stand the test of time with its beautiful African savannah setting Far Cry 2 (2008) How many games can you think of that are set in the African savannah and features an open-world concept? Far Cry 2 touches on the realities (maybe somewhat exaggerated) of an African civil war, with warring factions, blood diamonds, and corruption, mixing all of the aforementioned with a graphically beautiful sandbox map. The best thing I love about this game is that it poses a real challenge. Guns jam and break apart after extended usage and have to be replaced periodically. Scavenging enemy weapons only provide a temporary relief as they’re poorly maintained, in line with militiamen who usually don’t bother cleaning or oiling them. Fast travel, a key feature from Far Cry 3 onwards, isn’t widely available here. There are four bus stations that allow the player to travel to different areas of the map, but that’s as close as you can get. Players will still need to procure other means of transportation or simply leg it. Stealth, schmealth. The environment in this game is interactive, meaning that if you set something on fire, it burns. Blow up a weapons cache in the middle of an enemy camp, let the fire weed out and thin the amount of enemies you have to face, then go in guns blazing whilst they're still reeling from the aftermath. Now there's your Hollywood moment Oh, and stealth is pretty much non-existent in this game. Don’t expect to go creeping around and performing silent kills all the time. The game does offer you silenced weapons, but they’re just there to offer players the one in ten chance a stealth shot can be pulled off. In my opinion, this raises the realism, because a silenced shot is – unlike the overexaggerated Hollywood flicks – actually pretty damn loud in real life. And did I mention the main gripe I’ve seen in many reviews of the game: Malaria. The player is stricken with the illness from the start and has to periodically do side quests to get malaria pills that help keep their fever in check or risk fainting in the middle of a mission. The buddy system is well in play here, with your “best buddy” among a host of acquaintances offering you optional side missions. With a bigger map and an open world concept, Far Cry 2 also introduced the handheld map, adding to the realism of "all alone in the wilderness", with nothing but your tools and your knowhow to survive I’m the type of gamer who likes to go at my own pace and explore, and as such, I love this game a lot. I just can’t fathom the idea behind speedrunning. Far Cry 2 touches on the more poignant aspects of civil warfare, and for those who love a good plot, this is one game that won’t disappoint. Also, as an admirer of bolt action rifles, the only gripe I have with this game is that the M1903 Springfield sniper rifle’s bolt is on the left instead of the right, making for awkward movement when sliding a new bullet in the chamber. Listen, listen. First of all, the M1903 Springfield doesn't reload from the bottom. It takes a stripper clip of five rounds from the top of its bolt. When a scope is mounted, it usually requires the shooter to thumb the rounds in individually. That is the correct and proper process. Secondly, the bolt is supposed to fall on the right. The only reason it falls on the left is if it was modified for a shooter that is left handed, but the character in game is clearly right handed, as is the case with all FPS games. They had to screw up the one gun in the game I actually really loved *audible sigh* But what Far Cry 2 brings to the table is less of a linear experience and more of a choice-based concept. Players can choose to partake in the optional side missions or skip them entirely, which has an effect on the outcome of the main mission. As is befitting of a civil war, players may also be faced with tough choices, with each one offering a whole different experience. Besides encouraging “replayability”, Far Cry 2 allows players to be more immersed in the gameplay, with the knowledge that their choices now have consequences. Thankfully, Ubisoft also saw the appeal in offering players the option of how they wanted the game to pan out and incorporated this feature in all of the future Far Cry games. In Part Three, I will focus on the third installment of the Far Cry series. ~ Fremont (Images from Gamerview, YouTube, Gtorr, and GamesRadar)

When Pong was introduced in 1972, one wonders if anyone ever envisioned video games as more than just a source of entertainment. Today, the industry it is credited with establishing is worth USD$184.3bn as of 2024, and while Pong has been immortalised in museums, will we be able to say the same of modern games? Do video games even count as art worthy of sitting alongside relics and paintings? WHAT CRITICS SAY In 2005, film critic Roger Ebert gave the opinion that video games are incomparable to art forms like film and literature on the basis that there had not been a game comparable to the classics of said forms. Ironically, revered game designer Hideo Kojima, who some consider “the first video game auteur”, agreed with Ebert in a 2006 interview. He argued that in seeking to appeal to the lowest common denominator in order to achieve “100% player satisfaction” (unlike art which is always targeted at a specific audience no matter the size with a certain message), video games are not inherently art. Looking at the landscape of modern games, it is obvious where such disdain for the pro-”games are art” argument comes from. The best-selling games of all time are Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto V and Wii Sports. If we go by these critics’ definition of art, only GTA V comes remotely close by virtue of having a narrative, but even then the average player is probably prioritising criminal escapades instead of following the story. Competitive multiplayer games like first-person shooters (FPS) and multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBA), which often do not facilitate active storytelling through campaign modes and cutscenes, dominate players’ screentimes. Even with single-player role-playing games (RPGs) where developers try to lock players into a linear storyline, there is often no fixed way for players to interact with the game in the interest of creating replayability, which means players are likely to have different experiences. One player might be more interested in speedrunning (finishing a game in record time) and make different choices in dialogue options or usage of characters from someone who is new to RPGs and is likely to prioritise fun. A gamification module I took in polytechnic taught me the existence of different types of gamers, which helps explain the tendency for video game executives to maximise a game's appeal. Another issue with trying to reconcile video games as art is how best to define it. Going back to Ebert’s controversial take, a lot of people who attempted to rebut him used metrics like market impact as evidence, but like Ebert, I do not think numbers make for compelling proof of the value of art, be it games or otherwise. If popularity was all it took for something to be considered art, why do so many people make “content” and not art? THE ULTIMATE STORYTELLING MEDIUM? Here, allow me to play devil’s advocate. If art has no generally agreed definition to begin with, it is only natural that there is a case for video games having the capacity to be an art form - by examining its very nature. Look at the development team for the first Final Fantasy game, for instance. To create a game like that, it required: Programming (in this case it was solely coded by Nasir Gebelli) Game design (led by director Hironobu Sakaguchi) Illustrations (Character designs by Yoshitaka Amano, and pixel artists to translate his work into the 8-bit format of the Famicom) Sound (Music by Nobuo Uematsu and sound effects) A scriptwriter (Kenji Tarada). The latest mainline instalment in the franchise, Final Fantasy XVI, includes extra elements such as motion capture, which then requires a new skill set not found in older games. For me, it is this mixture of audio-visual presentation, writing, performance and interactivity that makes video games a potent medium for evoking emotion in ways traditional mediums could never achieve by themselves. I will say that while I have not played a whole lot of games (many classics, from Final Fantasy VII and The Witcher 3 to Portal 2 and any first-party Nintendo game, are foreign to me), I can attest to the power that video games have as an art form through my personal experiences. HALO: REACH It may not be an absolute system seller like the original Halo trilogy, but it still received critical acclaim as developer Bungie’s swan song before the franchise was acquired by Microsoft subsidiary 343 Industries (now Halo Studios). I remember getting a copy at an IT show (back in the days before e-commerce was a thing), and struggled with the single-player campaign due to my reflexes as a primary school kid brought up by a tiger mum. It was after completing PSLE that my brother and I finished the game on co-op mode. Probably the biggest meme to come out of the game in the years after was the phrase “Objective: Survive”. Given its spoiler-y nature, I will only say that after that segment came to a close, I felt a sense of loss, or more accurately grief - something I had only experienced from reading books and comics at the time. This was exacerbated by the fact that the player character, Noble Six, is designed as a self-insert for players to fulfil their fantasies of becoming a Spartan, the armoured supersoldiers that are represented by the Master Chief in pop culture. My brother and I got to choose how our Spartans looked, and saw them appear in various cutscenes. The extra level of immersion afforded by the game kept us invested, and this was still true many years later when I replayed Reach, this time through a copy of The Master Chief Collection I purchased on Steam. For the first time, I awakened to the power of video games as a storytelling medium. FINAL FANTASY XV As much as I love this game, I now present it as an example of storytelling with video games done messily. After years of development hell (most notably starting life as a spin-off, changing directors and eventually becoming a mainline entry), the game released on 29 November 2016 to mixed reception. While its audiovisual presentation was great as expected of the Final Fantasy franchise, FFXV felt like it was needlessly torn apart to become what developer Square Enix called the “Final Fantasy XV Universe”, presenting its story across mediums like the feature film Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (starring Aaron Paul, Lena Headey and Sean Bean of all people), the original net animation Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, and various games of smaller scales, including a mobile game that brings shame to both FFXV and mobile games in general. The idea was part of FFXV’s direction as “a Final Fantasy for fans and first-timers” in a bid to save a franchise in decline after a turbulent 2000s. There were also quite a number of collaborations, including the likes of Japanese fashion brand Roen, games like Assassin’s Creed Origins and, bizarrely, Nissin. The latter entails a whole side quest where our protagonist Noctis and his entourage seek “the ultimate flavour experience” and hunt for ingredients to add to their cup noodles. Noctis also gets a Cup Noodle hat (I wish I was joking). To be fair, it worked. I had been aware of the franchise for a while after seeing ads for Final Fantasy XIII-2 in copies of the now-defunct Official Xbox Magazine that I bought in secondary school, but Kingsglaive became my gateway into the franchise proper. In the months leading up to FFXV’s release and my eventual purchase of a Xbox One copy in February 2017, I binged some of the supplementary media, watched full playthroughs of FFX and FFXIII, and even tried emulating FFVI on my MacBook until I was stuck due to what I presume was a compatibility issue with my emulator. FFXV has a story with a lot of heart, enough to overcome its troubled presentation and help cement its place as one of my favourite games ever. Still, it would have been nice to put all this media entirely in a single game to do it justice. There's a reason its former identity as Final Fantasy Versus XIII lives rent-free in the minds of many fans, including myself. P.S. On a side note, check out this one-of-a-kind Audi R8 featured in Kingsglaive! NIER: AUTOMATA If there was any game that came close to proving my thesis, it would be this. Amidst the 2017 RPG renaissance (as I have dubbed it), when major releases like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Persona 5 and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 were all released within a similar timeframe, NieR: Automata stood out with its use of gameplay mechanics to tell its equally intriguing story. I did not have a PC when it first released, so I watched a walkthrough on YouTube to satiate my curiosity. When I eventually bought it on Steam about a year later, I experienced first-hand the brilliance of director Yoko Taro’s vision. The use of game mechanics to tell stories is known as ludonarrative (a blend of “ludology”, the study of games, and “narrative”). Many games fail to reach the heights of aforementioned traditional mediums due to ludonarrative dissonance, a term coined by game designer Clint Hocking to describe a situation where a game’s mechanics do not match up with the given narrative. This often happens when games rely on other mediums (most commonly cinema) to present their stories, creating a disconnect between the story depicted in cutscenes and the story players experience in gameplay. Already, many games with a story exhibit such dissonance. Players are often told “the end is nigh” and that they must rush to slay the big bad before they execute their world-ending plan, but then find themselves getting away with doing side quests, attempting to go out of bounds of the map or fishing (hot take perhaps: I’ve never liked a single fishing minigame) without any repercussions for their lack of urgency. In the case of NieR: Automata, it has been held up as an example of art that can only be presented as a video game. From the GUI (graphical user interface) being framed thematically as swappable chips installed into the playable android characters to the theory that sex and violence are two sides of the same coin manifesting in ways like the characters' differing gameplay styles (this turned out to be a very good read as a player), it’s hard to find another game like it. CLOSING THOUGHTS As with every medium, not every video game needs to be or aspires to be a game-changing (heh) classic. No one is saying Super Smash Bros or Gran Turismo is art on the level of Citizen Kane, the Mona Lisa, or To Pimp a Butterfly, but neither does it mean video games are not capable of becoming such. We already have games that demonstrate the beauty of combining different mediums for storytelling impact, and others that push the limits of this combined medium - perhaps we just need to wait for the classic to arrive. Or maybe, we were asking the wrong question all along. - Wei Feng Cover image: JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash Images: Minecraft, GTA V, Wii Sports

Title is self-explanatory, but now I need to use this alongside proof of GT Academy graduates like Lucas Ordonez and Jann Mardenborough to show my mother why all those years of playing video games weren't a waste of time!

Seremban Boy Keeps Losing in Video Game So His Dad Broke His Competitor’s Spine On January 11, a misunderstanding over a video game ended with a teenage gamer being hospitalised with broken bones. The incident happened at around 10pm at an electronic game store in Palm Mall, Seremban. Sin Chew Daily reported that the teenage victim had been playing a competitive video game against another boy. After beating the boy several times, the boy’s father approached the victim and offered him RM2 to intentionally lose and let the boy win. However, the bribe didn’t work and the teenager soon seized another victory, beating the boy once more. The father was angered and became violent, throwing a chair at the victim. He kicked the teenager several times, rallying up around four other men to come and assist the assault. A video of the event posted on Twitter showed them surrounding the visibly terrified teenager, yelling at him as passersby watched helplessly. At one point in time, a man even kicked the teenager in the head as he cowered on the floor. The assault was brutal, and the boy ended up being hospitalised as he suffered severe injuries. With bruises across his body, punctured lungs, broken ribs, and a shattered spine, the victim is currently in the ICU of Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital. Source: Sin Chew Daily Four suspects have since been arrested, as reported by The Sun. All four suspects have been in remand until today (15 Jan), said Seremban district police chief Asst Comm Thiew Hock Poh. Their case is currently being investigated under Section 148 of the Penal Code for rioting. Source: Sin Chew Daily The police are currently searching for the whereabouts of a witness, S. Munisvaran, 37, to assist in the investigation. They have advised members of the public with information on the witness and the incident to call the investigating officer, Mohammad Najeeb Mohammed Shukri at 06-6033284. What a terrible tragedy! And over such a minor issue. Violence is never the answer and we wish the victim a complete recovery.

If you are a fan of or have played the video game series Halo, then you will recognise the vehicle you see here. It is known as the Warthog (a.k.a the M12 Light Recon Vehicle) and it is like a crossover between a dune buggy and a huge truck. This real life version of the Warthog was commissioned by 343 Industries (the company that made Halo 4) and they engaged a Los Angeles based marketing company to build it. Franchise development director at 343 Industries, Frank O' Connor, mentioned that the company wanted to really build something that people could literally see, touch, reach out and enjoy. O' Connor managed to persuade the marketing department to approve his team's idea and budget. And they engaged Antenna to make the Warthog into a reality and the budget figures ran into the hundreds of thousands. Pat Devereux, chief executive of Antenna, stated that 343 Industries sent him an enormous amount of data for the Warthog. Devereux then took the data to Aria Group; who was responsible for actually building the vehicle. Aria Group is known for building numerous concept vehicles for automakers such as General Motors, Honda and Kia. The company took around six months to build the body to the exact specifications and appearance, including the fake heavy machine gun at the back. Beneath the body lie the chassis, engine and transmission from a Hummer H1. It has a 6.5-litre V8 diesel engine and a four speed automatic gearbox. The Warthog's top speed has been limited to 25 miles per hour (40km/h) and this was done for safety reasons. There are only two differences between the real life and digital versions of the Warthog. The digital Warthog has four wheel steering and this would be too costly for the company to incorporate it into the real life version. The real life version is also around twelve percent smaller than it would have been if the company had made it to a 1:1 scale. Despite this, the 7200lbs (3265kg) Warthog makes almost every other vehicle look small. The Warthog will make appearances at the Electronic Entertainment Expo and ComicCon later this year. Buyers with a huge bank account may possibly buy one as Aria Group is in talks with Microsoft to license the production of the Warthog. Image credit: David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times

[extract] I still remember the days when a cartridge is used to play a video game instead of optical discs. And some of my favourite games, such as Super Mario and Mario Kart, featured the infamous plump Italian plumber, Mario and his younger brother, Luigi. Hours of fun were spent playing these video games, either on the Super NES system or on the handheld Game Boy system. When Nintendo engaged West Coast Customs to make a working life size replica of the two Italian brother