Far Cry 2

(untitled review)

When I played the first FarCry on Xbox I was literally blown away, I found the game so immersive and fun that I just couldn’t put it down. I even got the 360 release when it came out and was impressed even more.

Now we have a “sequel”. There is no reference to the first game at all except that an ideal paradise is being torn to pieces by opposing factions. You can also complete objectives in the manner that you want.

The game is free roam, it can be compared to the like of Mercenaries but I won’t go so low as this game is a completely different breed. The AI is smarter, I have been playing on Hardcore to give myself a bit of a challenge and have found the AI to be acceptable. More so than most games I have played this gen. Guards can spot you from a distance and when they find you they will hunt you down until either you kill them or they kill you.

Graphics are pleasing on every platform; you will not be let down with any of the versions. The landscape, environments are all great to look at which makes it a shame when a merc than has a shotgun pointed in your general direction. To add realistic touches to the game a team of devs took a 12 day trip to Kenya for an intense camping trip. I have lived in Africa numerous times and even recognised one of the bird calls. I will probably be one of the few that will truly appreciate what the guys did to give us this experience.

Another thing that hit home for me was the Malaria aspect of the game. Your character is infected and you have to do errands for meds. As I have been sick in Africa (again...many times) I could once again feel for the person, I even began feeling sick myself at the memories. Some people find this whole thing annoying but it adds an extra layer and a challenge to stay on top off the illness.

Healing is a bit more sophisticated in this game. You have a set of health bars and if they are completely drained then it won’t replenish. If you get hit by a bullet you will have to perform a quick surgery to get the bullet out. If you don’t then your health continues to drain.

Enemy weapons are no longer your best pal. Think you can use that shotgun? Well if it’s all rusty then think again, it’s going to jam on you. It’s much safer to purchase guns with the pay you earn from missions than rely on enemy hardware. Once you buy a gun you will find it in your armoury for future use. More guns can be unlocked by helping out arms dealers. You’ll also complete story missions and other side missions to get malaria meds.

Buddies are a fun new aspect. As you help people out you’ll get friends who will help you out. If you get taken down then your buddy will rescue you and try to get you out of danger. Careful, once they die they don’t come back and that can affect the game.
You have the ability to forward time in your safe house by resting up. This allows you to conduct sneaky raids at night. Nothing like stalking a lone guard with your machete in the dark.

If you have been waiting for an action game for some time then I would say this is more than worth it. It’s a step forward for the genre with its realistic setting, smarter than most AI, weapon variety, and freedom to complete missions not only how but also when you please. We may have seen aspects of this in third person games but this is the first time an FPS has seen this much detail.