Far Cry 5: 10 Things We Can't Wait To Do

You have to hand it to Ubisoft: they're stepping it up for 2017 and 2018. Granted, we can argue until the world ends as to whether all their games are too similar, too formulaic, but they're pushing a little more variety, not being afraid to change things up as shown by the transformation of the fairly disappointing Far Cry 4, into the more welcomed Far Cry: Primal.

Far Cry 5 has now a glut of E3 gameplay trailers and promo trailers, following mysterious live-action teasers that first suggested the setting of a modern day U.S. of A. Awash in violence and religious extremism, we're journeying to Montana and the fictional location of Hope County.

Best of all, there are new vehicles for players to test out. Proper helicopters for a start, plus small planes and even a tractor with meaty farming tools front-loaded for (hilarious) dicey destruction of fleeing bad guys.

AI companions include a pilot for air strikes, a sniper for overwatch, and Boomer; your faithful dog who can savage enemies and retrieve weapons. The features look cool and should add variety to the Far Cry formula in a number of successful ways. If you can't tell, I'm excited, so let's run down some awesome new things you'll be able to do.

Hope County looks gorgeous, offering everything from forests, farms, lakes and small towns.

There are also fortified compounds filled with Eden's Gate cultists ripe for the taking. Although Ubisoft maps are legendarily messy and icon-filled, there is some hope this game will be less stuffed with waypoints and markers.

Not least because Ubisoft have confirmed there'll be no mini-map and no towers that generate points of interest for you to slavishly tick off.

But that's not all. Hunting has always been a large part of the Far Cry experience. Far Cry 2 offered zebras, buffalo and gazelles on the African plains but there was no reward for running them down. Since FC3, the series has featured larger ecosystems that allowed for great dynamics in combat, and players were rewarded with better gear as they hunted and skinned various beasts.

FC5 should offer more of the same as you win back Hope County, one animal pelt-crafted ammo pouch at a time.