North vs. South

[fragger]

Which island do you prefer, north or south?

Environmentally I prefer the north island for its terrain, its lush jungles and its scenery - it's more the typical ideal of a tropical paradise. If I saw postcards of some of those areas I'd want to go there for holidays (without the pirates, natch). The south island is much more denuded of foliage and has a lot of black volcanic beach sand, which looks nowhere near as pretty as the white stuff (when I lived in Fiji there was a beach right across the road from our flat and it too had that black sand, looks like soil but feels like sand, albeit a bit coarser and clumpier). Aesthetically the north island wins it for me.

Gameplay-wise it's a bit more of a toss-up. The privateers are better armed and equipped than the pirates and generally give you a more challenging fight, and if you cause them to set off an outpost alarm you may even have helicopter gunships to deal with. However, you can move freely among them and pick your battles when it suits you. The north island of course is where you start and has the bigger fun factor in terms of getting yourself equipped via hunting and collecting, has the better main missions and more of them. So it's something of a trade-off.

All in all, I prefer the north island. How about you guys?

[JRD]

I'm with you fragger... the north island is where the beauty is. Both the aestethical beauty of the white sandy beaches and the beauty that lies in the beginning of the game where you have to explore, hunt, craft, loot... and kill!  >:D

The south island is more sterile and deprived of vegetation. Even though the privateers are more chalenging, the fact that you have the uniform just makes it less interesting as the challenge will not surprise you unless you do something they can see. There's more danger and adventure in the north. By the time you reach the south you'll have all weapons and almost all skills so it's pretty much getting the job with Hoyt done.

[PZ]

Aesthetically definitely the north, but game play for me is more fun in the south specifically because of the lack of vegetation, plus the fact that there are more than enough high points for your sniper hide.  I also like the heavies and the different weapons they carry, especially the flamethrower.  I hit his fuel tank on one guy and through the camera I could see the spray of escaping fuel - what cool detail! However, I've not explored enough of the nooks and crannys on either island to form an absolute opinion.  I'm trying to do more of the collectibles so that I visit more interesting areas.

One of my favorite activities in the game is to liberate the outposts, and as part of that activity I always try to find the farthest point that I can effectively shoot from.  This is easy on South Island, but can be a challenge because of all the trees and other vegetation on North Island.

[Binnatics]

For me, like you guys, the Northern island is number one. Because of aesthetics and because I like the pirate better than the privateers. I do agree on PZ's statement that the best outposts are in the south (high positions, sniping, heavy resistance) but I still prefer the north. It's more alive to me, more dark and dangerous. And the mountain is priceless ;)

[Art Blade]

the fact that you have the uniform

you don't after finishing the main story.


OT: I like the airport of the South. That's where I mostly spend spare time. With uniform it is fun on end to start a fight by trying to increase your maximum takedown body count of personnel before the remaining mercs go on full alert  :-D Else (without suit) I hang out at The Compound and try to kill all of 'em  :-()

[mandru]

Is the privateer recruit uniform supposed to give anonymity when I travel back to the Northern island?  It never has for me.

[fragger]

No, it never does, neither during the game proper nor after it. Apparently the pirates hate the privateers so much that if one turns up on their island, he's fair game :-()

[Art Blade]

More than once did I witness "merc wars" between mercs and pirates, in the South.