Ubisoft began its 2014 E3 press conference with the opening cinematic to Far Cry 4 , a lengthy, sweary introduction to the sharp-dressed, short-tempered villain known as Pagan Min. The cinematic represents the first five minutes of the game, according to Ubisoft.

I like to think that Pagan Min, despite obviously being a Max Zorin-esque lunatic, has a light-hearted side. Maybe he even makes up little songs as he goes about his business. "I have to shoot these guys and stab this dude, get blood on my shoes and emote melodramatically, then I'll threaten gramps and get back in my helicopter while we listen to some Clash and 'tear shit up!' but first - let me take a selfie."

And you know what? I'm impressed. Without getting into the racial angle or the fact that Far Cry 4 looks to be, at its core, just another go at Far Cry 3 (and Far Cry 2) with next-gen visuals, I'm happy to say that I like what I see. Open world, megalomaniac villain, lots of violence—that's not a bad place to start. Maybe cut back on the f-bombs a bit, though.

Far Cry 4, in case you haven't been paying attention, comes out on November 18.