Meet George. He's a resident of Far Cry 5's Hope County and a former minor league baseball player. With his hometown in the grip of a murderous death cult, George is naturally deeply concerned about his missing baseball card collection, and asks you—the one person capable of defeating the thousands of lunatics engaging in bloodshed, kidnapping, and torture—to find it for him.

And I will, George, I will. In a minute. But first, how about we play a little ball? After all, you're standing in the batter's box at home plate on a baseball diamond, holding a baseball bat. You point out to left field from time to time, calling your shot like Babe Ruth (or Tom Berenger imitating Babe Ruth). You even put the bat on your shoulder and take some cuts while you're standing there. 

And what's this? Sitting on the pitcher's mound is a baseball glove with a ball in it. Surely, Far Cry 5, which has not only given me my own baseball bat but the ability to throw everything from rocks to cans to grenades to shovels to hunks of meat, wants me to throw you a few pitches. Let's do that right now!

Only, I can't. I can't pick up the glove or the ball. I walk over them repeatedly, which is the time-honored way of picking things up in games. I punch and kick them, but unlike most objects in the game, they don't budge an inch. I know it won't work, but I set a remote explosive under them and attempt to blow them free of the earth. Nothing happens.

George is still standing in the batter's box, looking for all the world like he wants me to pitch one in. I can throw rocks—you can do that to distract guards—so I try that, zipping them in over the plate. George gets distracted and stops swinging to look around at what the noise might have been. It's becoming clear why he never went pro.

I try to time my rock-throwing with his swing, thinking maybe if he's already swinging and his bat connects with the rock it'll, I don't know, unlock the actual ball? Give me a hidden achievement? Clearly, I'm desperate here, because Ubisoft isn't exactly shy about telling you with prompts and icons exactly what you need to do in the game to accomplish whatever it is you want to do.

Well, I want to play baseball, so I try it anyway. Repeatedly. I don't think George's bat ever connects with the ball, but it's at least some dim facsimile of pitching.

Okay, then. I'll complete George's mission by collecting his nine baseball cards, and see if that changes anything. I visit a shop, buy a map they have that for some reason shows the location of each of the nine missing cards (kind of a weird retail item), and spend a night fast-traveling and helicoptering around the mountains, until I've got all of George's cards.

George is happy to have his precious collectibles back, and after a couple attacks by angry skunks, he returns to home plate and I once again wander around on the mound, trying to pick up the glove and ball. I still can't.

What else might work? I return to the shop and buy an aluminum baseball bat, along with hundreds of in-game dollars worth of skins, including a prestige skin, for both it and the wooden bat I already own. I try standing at the plate and swinging my bats, thinking maybe George will go out to the mound and pepper some pitches in. But he just remains at the plate, apart from when I accidentally hit him with one of my swings, at which point he attacks me. I punch him to the ground, revive him, and we're back where we started.

Desperate, I drive a truck onto the mound and fling cans through the broken windshield over the plate. Nothin'. I search the park for some kind of baseball sign-up sheet I can activate to alert the game to the fact that I want to play ball. I pitch hunks of meat, attracting bears and wolves which I then save George from. I angrily set a sign reading 'Welcome Baseball Fans" on fire with a molotov cocktail. I run the bases. I bash the glove and ball with my various bats. Apart from breaking a lot of wooden bats, nothing is accomplished. I even throw some of my bats over the plate.

Okay, I give up. If someone out there knows if and how you can play baseball in Far Cry 5, please let me know, because I feel like Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams, tearfully asking his ghost-daddy to play a game of catch, except in this version his dad is is like "Nah."

Players are searching for Bigfoot in Far Cry 5, but so far all Chris has found are wolves, bears and angry bison. Sonny Evans, the creator of the PUBG replay system nature documentary series, has thrown himself into the wilderness with an Attenborough-esque take on Hope County. 

Here's the premier episode of Far Cry Geographic:

Having recorded similar tongue-in-cheek shorts in Battlefield 1, GTA 5 and Fortnite, Evans describes Far Cry 5's world as "gorgeous" and a "pleasure" to record in.  

"You can easily get rid of all HUD and and there are sliders to decrease or increase FOV, if you zoom it right in you'll get that cinematic feel," he tells me of his process. "I did this all in the actual story mode, but if you really want to go all out you can create your own maps and sets in the creator mode. I fiddled around with it a little bit and it's actually perfect to create certain cinematics (you can place down buildings, shrubbery, NPC's and much more)."

In doing so, Evans makes the job look easier. But this is often far from the case. 

"In story mode, it's quite hard because there are cultists who want you dead and of course the wildlife who aren't very reasonable either," adds Evans. "I've been pounced by cougars, mauled by bears and actually sprayed on by a skunk... near enough simultaneously while trying to get the perfect shot. It made it so much fun though—the unpredictability of the game is its strongest point in my opinion."

Perhaps Evans' next expedition will uncover sasquatch in flesh. Well, assuming that grizzly's recently bereaved family doesn't catch up with him first.  

I've finished Far Cry 5's story missions—you can read my review here—but naturally there's still plenty to do in the open world of Hope County, Montana. While checking out a prepper stash in the northern region today, I found a cabin with a locked door and a note on it. A note mentioning a Sasquatch.

It wouldn't be a stretch for Ubisoft to have hidden Bigfoot in Far Cry 5: there was DLC for Far Cry 4 called Valley of the Yetis. And while I haven't found Far Cry 5's Bigfoot yet, I'll detail below what I have found. If you want to discover it all for yourself, consider this a spoiler warning.

The cabin I found is located in the Whitetail Mountains, directly west of Clagett Bay. If you can find Stone Ridge Chalet, and move west from there across the road, you'll find the cabin. Pinned to the locked door is a note that mentions finding 'proof of that squatch' and kicks off a prepper mission called 'Gone Squatchin.'

You're directed to follow the trail to the north to find Dicky, the owner of the cabin, and along the way there's blood. Lots of blood. Pools of blood. There's also some grappling points to scale up to the peak Dicky is on—I could have just taken my chopper but I was in a climbing mood. At the top, you'll find Dicky, sadly dead, the key to the cabin just inches from his outstretched hand, a dead deer that may have been dragged up the trail, and a small cave containing a few human skeletons.

There are a couple things here telling me this isn't the squatch's cave. First, it's tiny. I could barely squeeze in while crouching, and I guess I sort of always imagined that if Bigfoot did live in a cave it would be one with more headroom. And also, more stuff. Sasquatch stuff.

The other thing is a dead wolf is lying at the entrance to the cave. Now, possibly Bigfoot killed a deer, dragged it to the cave, killed a wolf, and killed Dicky. But I'm more likely to think that a wolf killed the deer and then attacked Dicky, and Dicky and the wolf were both mortally wounded. If there is a 'squatch in Far Cry 5, I don't think this cave is his home.

Returning to Dicky's cabin with his key, I found both his stash and his research on Bigfoot sightings in Hope County in the form of a giant map.

There's also a plaster cast of a Sasquatch footprint on the table:

The map does line up with your personal Hope County map, and you can see Dicky's map has a lot of notes on it: locations of Bigfoot sightings, news clippings, photos with red string leading to spots on the map, marks that seem to track Bigfoot's movements, locations of activity, question marks, and lots of Xs.

There are a number of spots to investigate, so I got in my chopper and flew to one marked with an asterisk, which also has a red string leading to it from a photo and a newsclipping about a sighting. I got to the spot, and while Bigfoot didn't rush out and greet me, it was hard to not notice it's the site of a small crop circle:

I landed nearby, got out, walked over, and was immediately attacked by a wolverine. Of course. Unsure of how one summons a Bigfoot to a crop circle, I threw some bait into the center of it, but that only summoned a bear. I tried a few more times in various spots, but only attracted more bears and wolverines. At one point I heard an explosion, but it was just a couple of angry bison who had apparently rammed my parked helicopter. Ah, Far Cry 5.

I visited another spot on the map (with a fresh chopper) where some Bigfoot footprints were supposedly once found, but didn't find anything of interest there.

That's the extent of my investigation so far, but I plan to keep looking for Bigfoot, and we're sure some of you will too. Reddit is on the case, naturally, so we can assume it won't be long until he's found. We'll update this post with any further clues or progress we come across.

While exploring the big, chaotic world of Far Cry 5, you should keep your eyes peeled for more than just murderous cultists and bloodthirsty turkeys. Scattered around the map there are a number of hidden little references to other games, including earlier entries in the Far Cry series, as well as a few nods to movies and books.

Below we've collected what we and others have found so far. There's sure to be more out there. Here are the Far Cry 5 Easter eggs we're aware of.

Firewatch in Far Cry

There's a fire tower on the starting island you'll likely run into. Listen to the answering machine at the top and you'll hear the panicked monologue of someone talking to a "Henry". It doesn't get any more detailed than that, but because the player-protagonist of Campo Santo's Firewatch is named Henry, and his job is all about watching for fires in a lookout tower much like this one, it's hard not to read it as an overt reference. I just hope those two made out OK in Montana. 

Blood Dragon lives on, sort of

Guy Marvel is a director desperate to make his next hit film, Blood Dragon 3. You'll find him in the Herbane River region just east of the Hope County Jail on the ramshackle set of his film, cursing at his two underpaid employees. Help him out and you'll run through a series of missions that pays homage to the beloved Far Cry spin-off Blood Dragon—and at the end you get to hear him poke fun at critics of the series (like ourselves). While we'd much rather have another playful standalone game like Blood Dragon, the missions are a fun way to remember what once was. Oh, and you get a rad outfit out of the deal. 

Just say no for a secret ending

VIDEO: Far Cry 5's secret ending, also available on YouTube

You can avoid the primary conflict of Far Cry 5 entirely, just by refusing to cuff Joseph Seed in the opening moments of the game. Wait long enough, and the scene above plays out. It's nothing special, but the blunt, unceremonious ending is a funny way to deny the Seeds' prophecy altogether. 

Ray Bradbury has a farm

There's a callout to late author and screenwriter Ray Bradbury, best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and science-fiction classic The Martian Chronicles. Aptly enough, near Bradbury Farm is a crop circle, which in the real world are thought to be made by alien visitors with nothing better to do or by pranksters with boards tied to their feet with nothing better to do. Either way, a side-mission found in Holland Valley will shed some light on what's going on.

We all float down here

Reddit user Siilkkiapina93 found this lonely red balloon hanging out next to a drainage pipe, a subtle (and very spooky) reference to the clown monster from IT, who hangs out in sewers and haunts the local kids. He'd have to change his motto from "We all float down here," for Far Cry 5 though. Commenter EclecticDarkness knows what we want with their suggestion: "Infinite shovels are down here."

Shovels are the best. I'd leap into that pipe without a second thought. 

The definition of insanity

I'll never forget the first time a bad guy gave an impassioned speech directly in my first-person camera face. Now, I can carry that memory with me wherever I drive in Far Cry 5 with my little Vaas bobblehead. You might remember him from Far Cry 3 as the dude that went on big rants about insanity and such. Everyone should have access to the guy by default, too. When selecting a car to drive from your garage, right click to customize it and equip the "Hawaiian Bobblehead." Oh Ubisoft, so coy. We'd recognize that hairdo anywhere.

Far Cry Primal is canon

Oros, the location of Far Cry Primal, wasn't some jaunt into alt-history, and this Far Cry 5 Easter egg proves it, as much as a fake book found in a fake place can prove another fake place is real. On bookshelves in a number of locations, you'll find a book titled Oros: A Mesolithic Paradise. In the fiction of Far Cry, at least, Oros and Primal are canon.

Malaria is bad

Another book, found on the floor of the prison in the Henbane River region, notes something that everyone who played Far Cry 2 has been thinking since 2004: malaria sucks. The disease, which you're stricken with for the duration of the Far Cry 2, was annoying, so much so that a book has been written about it. (Malaria is of course much worse than just annoying in the real world, responsible for about a half-million deaths every year.) Also, it made it hard to shoot bad guys.

Hurk's old Far Cry shit

Ah, good old Hurk. A character in Far Cry 3, a playable co-op character in Far Cry 4, he's now a companion in Far Cry 5. He lives with his cranky right-wing dad while attempting to be a bit more progressive himself, and behind Hurk's home in the Whitetail Mountains you'll find some boxes where he's packed up the things he's collected on his travels through the Far Cry-erverse, everything from 'Rook Island shit' to 'Kyrat shit' to, somehow, 'Oros shit.' He does get around. I kicked all the boxes but there was nothing inside, sadly.

PUBG's frying pan

While monkeying around near Raptor Peak with James in co-op, we came across what appears to be a reference to PUBG's famous bullet-proof frying pan. It didn't appear to save this NPC, however. We suppose it could also be a reference to Left 4 Dead 2, which also featured a frying pan weapon, but PUBG seems a bit more likely. Or, who knows, maybe this unlucky guy just got fragged while making some eggs. He didn't leave a note.

Davenport Farm

VIDEO: James gets owned by Ubisoft

James here. Far Cry 5 and I have a strange history, all starting with a fun letter I wrote to Ubisoft asking them to put my dad in the game. Nothing really came of it, but a few months later I got to play a new slice of Far Cry 5, in which I stumbled upon Davenport Farm, a possible homage to the piece (it's my last name). It's still intact in the final release and you can go investigate for yourself, but the video above should get you up to speed.

Alex Jones wouldn't like bliss

At a cabin near the southern edge of the map, you can find this note complaining that the bliss in the water is making all the animals gay. While it sounds like the ramblings of an isolated redneck, a reasonable guess, it's actually a reference to the wacky, out-of-touch host of Infowars' talk show, Alex Jones. The guy rants about all sorts of nonsense, but one of his most infamous monologues was about how chemicals in tap water are turning "the frickin' frogs gay."

The Legend of Zelda

It's definitely difficult to make out, considering the darkened room you wake up in early in the game, but down in Dutch's bunker (and in a few other locations) there's a Post-It Note reading "It's dangerous to go alone. Take this." We can only assume it's in reference to shovels, which as we noted above, are awesome.

Far Cry 5’s microtransactions aren’t a huge pain in the ass, a major relief after the year of the lootbox. Silver bars are its premium currency, used to purchase prestige items like guns, vehicles, skins, and outfits. Two bits of good news: those items are almost all available for purchase using the in-game money you earn, and there are hidden stashes of silver bars all over Hope County.

We’re still looking for them all and will update this post as we do, but here’s all the silver bar locations we’ve found so far. (The trend seems to put them at outposts, so be sure you're prepped to fight before making a dash for the cash.) You should be able to nab a prestige item or two with the total earnings from the locations below. Just don't be like me and blow most of them on the fanciest slingshot skin. (Do it.) 

Before heading out make sure to have remote explosives handy, though we recommend saving your supplies by using the repair tool or the lock-picking perk to open the safes. 

The F.A.N.G. Center

Just head to the gift shop and look in the corner. The safe is right there. 

King's Hot Springs Hotel

Head to the side of the hotel where the scaffolding leads to the roof. Instead of heading directly through the open window, sidle along the roof awning to get to the door on the small balcony. You'll find the safe with silver bars inside. 

Nolan's Fly Shop

Not all silver bars are locked away in safes. At Nolan's Fly Shop, head to the shed behind the store and bash in the boarded up door. You'll find the silver bars sitting on a table inside. 

The Seed Ranch

The safe is located in the hangar behind a chainlink fence and some stacked boxes. Just climb over to find the safe and some other goodies. 

Fall's End

Head to the garage on the main road through town and enter the lobby. The safe is right next to the vending machine. 

PIN-KO Station

Finding this safe first requires finding the keys to the PIN-KO armory. They're in plain view on one of the upper floors of the tallest building on site. Take those keys to the armory, a closet in the back of the smallest building near the site entrance. 

Hope County Jail

Keep heading straight past the weapon vendor then turn left to face the Arcade. The safe is on the right wall of the same room. 

Whitetail Park Ranger Station

After a perfect liberation, head into the cabin behind the sign at the entrance to the station. The safe containing the silver bars is inside.

In a break from the regular format, Samuel and Phil have both played new, recently released PC games. Sam goes head to head with an unspecified cult in Far Cry 5, Phil chunders on a friend in Sea of Thieves, and both have a rant about why, yes, Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is very difficult thank you very much.

Download: Episode 62: Honkin’ On Watermelon. You can also subscribe on iTunes or keep up with new releases using our RSS feed.   

Discussed: Far Cry 5, Sea of Thieves, Warhammer: Vermintide 2

Starring: Samuel Roberts, Phil Savage

The PC Gamer UK Podcast is a weekly podcast about PC gaming. Thoughts? Feedback? Requests? Tweet us @PCGamerPod, or email letters@pcgamer.com. This week’s music is from Far Cry 3.

While you're mulling over gun purchases in Far Cry 5, standing at one of the many retail counters and scrolling through racks of pistols and shotguns, take a moment to consider that you don't really need a rocket launcher or SMG to get things done. The humble shovel, once assumed to be a tool just for digging or clonking people over the head, is far more useful than it appears.

In fact, it's more like a javelin. Besides giving people exciting new hood ornaments (you're welcome) you can also nail enemies to trees with a throw of your trusty shovel.

Over on reddit, the shovel has garnered a bit of a fan club—one could perhaps call it a cult—with players comparing their STPM (shovels thrown per minute) and making Who Would Win memes featuring the smiling and ever-so-useful gardening tool:

One Steam user has even condensed the game down into a review strictly based around shovel-related pros and cons, which are all pros, because there are simply no drawbacks to using Far Cry 5's shovel:

As for me, I've mostly been hunting with it. Well, maybe it's not technically hunting. Toss a hunk of meat on the ground in Far Cry 5 and some hungry creature will appear as if by magic from the nearest bush and make a beeline for the food, which isn't really how nature works. 

Of course, this isn't really how shovels work, either.

You can carry nine shovels with you at all times, and retrieve them after you've thrown them, so you'll never be without a bunch of shovels to sling at man and beast alike.

There are a few animals that aren't quite so easy to hunt as the easily bamboozled dumbwolf seen above. Below, I take on the symbol of America, a bald eagle, with a shovel. Several shovels, actually. Like America itself, it doesn't give up, but like a guy with a shovel, I keep digging in. Make sure you have your sound on you can hear the final, patriotic clonk.

It claws at me after my first miss, then dodges the second throw, smartly retreating when it realizes I mean business. On it's third pass, it screeches down at me right out of the sun. Clever bastard.

I love the shovel so much that I get a bit concerned when I see someone else using one. Shovels are my trademark, lady, not yours, and why are you using it to dig, anyway? Shovels can do so much more than that. Don't you want a killer STPM? Won't you consider accepting the power of shovels into your heart?

Okay, that made me feel a bit bad, so I help her up and leave what she was doing, which I think might have been burying a loved one. Sorry, Miss. I see now that my actions may have been a bit callous in this challenging time. May the shovel guide you.

It's possible I may have gone a bit shovel crazy, but in a game with religious cults, dive-bombing eagles, and guys who don't seem to mind having a handful of shovels embedded in the grill of their cars, who's really going to notice?