GO GET 'EM TIGER! The best FAR CRY game YOU (PROBABLY) NEVER PLAYED IS: PRIMAL

Released in early 2016 after a gluttony of successful but fairly similar Far Crys, I think Ubisoft's underrated FAR CRY PRIMAL deserves another look.

MatthewPhillips

November 17, 2020 12:22 PM

Last weekend, I came across a rare soundtrack in the wild — FAR CRY PRIMAL's OST on vinyl, still sealed — and it made me want to revisit one of my favourite games in the FAR CRY series.

MY SOUNDTRACK (file it under "F" for "FUCKING AWESOME")

SOUNDTRACK ON VINYL

Fittingly, the FAR CRY PRIMAL soundtrack features a lot of percussive instruments and real-life sounds, and it was composed by BAFTA award winner Jason Graves.

Jason gave each tribe a distinctive vibe: from the Wenja's haunting ram's horn to the screaming death whistles of the Izilia tribe.

COVER

BACK COVER

EYE OF THE TIGER, BABY!

PRIMAL is best played in "SURVIVOR MODE":

NO minimap
LESS resources
IF YOU DIE, you dead for good
MORE DEADLY NPCs and ANIMALS
FAST TRAVEL uses up precious resources
NIGHTIME is your worst nightmare

My Far Cry PS4 Collection

PS4 FAR CRY COLLECTION

MY PRIMAL LAPEL PIN

(I literally wear my love for this game on my jacket).

LAPEL PIN

PRIMAL WIKI:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far_Cry_Primal

Shacknews gave Primal a "6 out of 10" back in Feb 2016, but this was before the "SURVIVOR MODE" was patched in (AKA the best way to play the game).

I would give FAR CRY PRIMAL a 7.5 to 8 (out of 10) depending on how much you enjoy the Far Cry "formula", and if you play it in "SURVIVOR MODE".

From The Chatty

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MatthewPhillips

 reply
November 17, 2020 12:22 PM

GO GET 'EM TIGER: The best FAR CRY game YOU (PROBABLY) NEVER PLAYED IS: PRIMAL

Read more: GO GET 'EM TIGER! The best FAR CRY game YOU (PROBABLY) NEVER PLAYED IS: PRIMAL
- MatthewPhillips
  
   reply
  November 17, 2020 12:25 PM
  
  Sorry I am still figuring out teh Cortex and messing up my "OP" post. That OP should have read:
  
  Released in early 2016 after a gluttony of successful but fairly similar Far Crys, I think Ubisoft's underrated FAR CRY PRIMAL deserves another look.
- mrazzino
  
   reply
  November 17, 2020 12:45 PM
  
  I wonder if I already own this. That's the sad state of my PC game library. I own so much stuff that I've never played.
  - MatthewPhillips
    
     reply
    November 17, 2020 12:46 PM
    
    If I owned it on PC I’d definitely replay it that way.
  - senor135
    
     reply
    November 17, 2020 12:57 PM
    
    same. i think we're all there together really
  - mrazzino
    
     reply
    November 17, 2020 4:01 PM
    
    Turns out I own every iteration except 4 and Primal, so I guess I just skipped that iteration
    - Schnapple
      
       reply
      November 18, 2020 6:11 AM
      
      Primal seemed to me like one of those games where they announce it, and then later you’re surprised to learn it got released months ago.
      
      I was in the gift shop of the National Videogame Museum in Frisco and they had the Far Cry Primal soundtrack on vinyl and I thought that was the weirdest thing.
      - MatthewPhillips
        
         reply
        November 18, 2020 6:25 AM
        
        Well it IS a terrific soundtrack for a video game; read my OP article :)
  - Borrowed Ladder
    
     reply
    November 18, 2020 3:00 AM
    
    They removed coop which has always been the best part of the Far Cry games :(
- Dravenport
  
   reply
  November 17, 2020 12:52 PM
  
  loved it, never finished it tho
  - MatthewPhillips
    
     reply
    November 17, 2020 12:54 PM
    
    Not sure how far you got, but the final boss is quite challenging!
    - Dravenport
      
       reply
      November 17, 2020 12:59 PM
      
      not that far. not sure why i just kept losing interest.
- ThomW
  
   reply
  November 17, 2020 12:54 PM
  
  I'm not sure why you think people should revisit it then gave it a 6. Not a very enthusiastic score. haha
  - MatthewPhillips
    
     reply
    November 17, 2020 12:56 PM
    
    Oh shit I should clarify those: When I post the scores they are the SHACKNEWS scores, not MINE! HA! I link to the Shacknews review underneath the score. I will edit that to make it clear that it's not my score, thanks!
- baconisgod
  
   reply
  November 17, 2020 12:58 PM
  
  I couldn't make it all the way through it :/
  - chungathebunga
    
     reply
    November 17, 2020 1:05 PM
    
    It was by far the worst out of all of the Far Crys. Super boring combat and not engaging.
    - MatthewPhillips
      
       reply
      November 17, 2020 1:07 PM
      
      FWIW I couldn't get into Blood Dragon. That's the only major Far Cry I've never finished, including the early console versions when Ubisoft first bought the rights to the series and did "Far Cry Instincts", etc.
      - [deleted] 39885873
        
         reply
        November 17, 2020 3:52 PM
        
        [deleted]
        
        shirif
        
         reply
        November 17, 2020 5:00 PM
        
        It's ok to be wrong
      - AxeMan808
        
         reply
        November 17, 2020 3:54 PM
        
        OOOOOH! That's what I thought this article was about, Instincts. Primal is the one between 4 and 5 that copy/pasted those geography chunks.
        Survival mode sounds rough! Like Dead Island nighttimes.
        
        MatthewPhillips
        
         reply
        November 17, 2020 3:59 PM
        
        Instincts was a bit trashy, but the map creation tools were super fun!
      - shirif
        
         reply
        November 17, 2020 4:59 PM
        
        Blood Dragon was amazing
        
        MatthewPhillips
        
         reply
        November 17, 2020 6:27 PM
        
        Eh it could have BIEHN better.
- CyCo_PL
  
   reply
  November 17, 2020 1:06 PM
  
  Game was a lot better than what people gave it credit for IMO... whenever I play Horizon Zero Dawn I feel like FC:Primal actually did some stuff better. I haven't tried survivor mode yet though.
  - MatthewPhillips
    
     reply
    November 17, 2020 1:08 PM
    
    I've heard that new game AC: Valhalla has a settlement that you keep coming back to and upgrade.
    
    Far Cry Primal did this too.
    
    That's one thing I've always felt kind of lacking in Far Cry games (other than Primal). You never really have a "home base".
- pieman
  
   reply
  November 17, 2020 3:38 PM
  
  I loved it, stealth attacking camps with my fluffy sabre toothed friend and eagle was brilliant.
  
  With a bit more polish it could have been a GOTY contender.
  - MatthewPhillips
    
     reply
    November 17, 2020 3:58 PM
    
    Yes I agree! World traversal on a sabretooth beast was pretty fun too; like being on a hovercraft with claws.
- Tripps
  
   reply
  November 17, 2020 3:43 PM
  
  I enjoyed Primal, maybe one of my favorite FC games.
- CptPlankton
  
   reply
  November 17, 2020 3:46 PM
  
  Still haven't gotten around to this one, not sure why I skipped it tbh
- atom519
  
   reply
  November 17, 2020 3:50 PM
  
  I think RDR2 ruined this game for me, as the wildlife AI and such just seemed awful in comparison.
  - baconisgod
    
     reply
    November 17, 2020 3:51 PM
    
    Not sure if you played FC5 but they did an amazing job with the animals in that one.
    - AxeMan808
      
       reply
      November 17, 2020 3:56 PM
      
      Yeah, it gets to near A-Life (Stalker) levels sometimes, when three wolves chase two antelopes into a group of Rebels who are shooting at an eagle and then a group of Baddies pull up in a truck and start shooting and a wolf kills a guy.
      - baconisgod
        
         reply
        November 17, 2020 4:01 PM
        
        I have no idea what you are referring to in this post - Far Cry 4 or something? What's A-Life?
        
        Sapiens
        
         reply
        November 17, 2020 4:23 PM
        
        The animal AI engine in the Stalker series
        
        Sapiens
        
         reply
        November 17, 2020 4:24 PM
        
        Sorry it's the general AI system, it's not limited to animals
        
        baconisgod
        
         reply
        November 17, 2020 4:57 PM
        
        Got it, I never played Stalker.
    - MagicWishMonkey
      
       reply
      November 18, 2020 4:14 AM
      
      Hahah I loved that one. I remember flying along a mountain ridge one time and looking down to see a guy frantically trying to run away from a bear, he made it a good 50 yards before being caught.
      
      Such a great game.
- anotherheadcrab
  
   reply
  November 17, 2020 4:18 PM
  
  Great article but the correct answer is Blood Dragon.
  - [deleted] 92559685
    
     reply
    November 17, 2020 4:30 PM
    
    [deleted]
  - m0nkz
    
     reply
    November 17, 2020 4:48 PM
    
    Yes! I loved that game so much.
  - shirif
    
     reply
    November 17, 2020 5:00 PM
    
    Yes
  - abrasion
    
     reply
    November 17, 2020 6:53 PM
    
    Far Cry 2
    - AxeMan808
      
       reply
      November 17, 2020 7:36 PM
      
      I was thinking about the ingame map just the other day.
    - MatthewPhillips
      
       reply
      November 18, 2020 4:37 AM
      
      But a lot of people played Far Cry 2.
  - Mad Brahmin Disease
    
     reply
    November 18, 2020 4:36 AM
    
    This.
- MacemanInTW
  
   reply
  November 18, 2020 4:20 AM
  
  It was one of my favorites