On the one hand, Ubisoft had a clear cut disaster on their hands this year with the launch of Assassin's Creed: Unity. But while the Brotherhood may have been floundering in mediocrity, the Far Cry series was getting the red carpet treatment in its fourth iteration and has dethroned every single run-and-gun affair from this year. And when you consider that Far Cry 4 lets you take control of an elephant and use it to storm an enemy base, it's hard to argue. The fictional nation of Kyrat, located somewhere within the snowy Himalayas, is one of the most exciting open worlds in recent memory. Everything comes across as completely credible, feeling like it absolutely belongs in this living world. Something as simple as a rhino grazing along a river bank, then charging your doomed vehicle, it binds the whole game together to the point where you never know what's going to happen when you load the game. Far Cry 4's greatest strength lies within the minute-to-minute gameplay, where the insanely satisfying gunplay becomes the key. That simple feeling of firing off an assault rifle is so small, but it just sells the whole thing. There's real weight to the guns, allowing them to come off as legitimate weapons instead of a video game mechanic. You'll get into a ton of variety as Far Cry 4 goes along, from the outstanding fun of liberating enemy outposts all the way to diving through Kyrat in your epic wing suit. Far Cry 4 is the ultimate video game take on "something for everyone", as you'll more than likely find something to do that strikes your fancy. It all mixes into a perfect storm that allows Far Cry 4 to be an easy choice for the best shooter of 2014. But now it's your turn. Hit that comment section and let us know which shooter was your favourite, and which ones you'll be playing into 2015.
