Ubisoft let mxdwn go hands-on with a demo of the recently revealed Far Cray 4 in a 15 minute demo at E3. The demo ran on a PS4 with 30 fps and did experience some long load times. Still, the experience was fresh and deserving of a new entry in the series.

Frantic and fun are the best words to describe the demo shown off at E3. Animations are fluid and texture detail only add to the satisfaction of the breathing world Ubisoft has created.

Three options are presented for the player: sneak, ride or fly. Sneak is the obvious choice for a player who enjoys a quieter play style. A crossbow, silenced sniper rifle and throwing knives are for the players choosing.

The ride option starts the player next to the an elephant and a variety of heavy weapons. An elephant is going to an important weapon for players to choose. Elephants can also lend the player a ride and act a a shield during a firefight.

A fly option is the less discrete choice and places the player in a helicopter equipped with a grenade launcher. The sneak option was chosen for the demo by mxdwn’s Kerwin Tsang.

The Himalayan mountain setting shows well with draw distances. The game’s environment looks incredible and mountains off into the horizon are gorgeous. And there is a bit of jaw drop when each mountain top appears to be reachable. Kerwin’s demo time started off by a cliff and was able to climb it using a grappling hook.

The entire demo took place at an outpost, so the demo was confined to one specific area. Outpost are now five to six times larger than the ones in Far Cry 3. Opportunities for exploration, common in the Far Cry games, are looking to be pushed further for this entry.

Kerwin headed into the outpost and walked around the forest area. At one point he climbed up a boulder and picked off enemies behind a bush. Buildings on the mountains were filled with enemies. He took out a few without struggle until they were aware of his presence. More troops were called in.

Not only did more enemies rush Kerwin, but a helicopter joined in the firefight. Missiles from the helicopter made it a difficult enemy to handle. As with many shooters, sniping or using a grenade launcher are effective methods in destroying it.

Enemy AI is improved from Far Cry 3 and the NPCs acted as a team in trying to kill Kerwin. All of them focused on shooting at one area they thought Kerwin was fighting from.

As mentioned before, the elephant is for players to ride on and Kerwin experimented with one he found. Picking off enemies from a higher place is a standout benefit when using the animal. Although the higher ground is an advantage, aiming is affected because the elephant rocks players back and forth.

Beyond this minor gripe, players have the option of striping while riding an elephant. This allows you to defeat enemies and charge into large doors of outpost.  If a player does not take note of the NPCs, they can kill the elephant.

Far Cry 3 is expected to be released on November 18 of this year for PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One and PS4. Check out the video for an E3 gameplay trailer.