Gameplay
If you’ve played STALKER, you’ve already had a taste of Far Cry 2’s formula. At its outset, the game feels a little more linear than you’d expect based on marketing. However, you’ll soon realize that the linearity exists solely for the purpose of a short tutorial section. After about 30 minutes of play, you’re literally sent out the door, told to find a job, and informed that you have one objective.
The environments are gritty and realistic
That objective is to find and kill The Jackal, a notorious arms dealer and drug trafficker. At this point, what you do in this massive sandbox is entirely up to you. It feels like STALKER on steroids.
I discovered that exploration yields positive results as diamonds stashed throughout the world can be exchanged for new equipment. There are also safe houses to fight for, enemy encampments to blow up, and country-side to explore. In Far Cry 2, you can do it all in a seamless game world free of loading screens.
Combat also happens to feel very intense and “punchy” with weapons that have both a powerful feel and sound to them. The intensity is amplified by the open-world run and gun sessions occasionally deterred by the raging brush fires. Guns also happen to randomly jam (or explode!) as they age, meaning you’ll have to keep your weapons in good shape or risk being caught with your pants down mid-fight.
If you go down in a fight, however, it’s not immediately game over. In an impressive sequence, your body falls to the ground and you black out. There is a series lucid moments where you are patched up and given to fight again. I won’t spoil it with details, but it is a very impressive and intense sequence that adds a lot to the realism of the struggle.
Digging a bullet out of my hand
Speaking of patching yourself up, you have to literally heal yourself for critical wounds. Sometimes you use a knife to wedge a bullet out of your leg, or pliers to pull shrapnel from your wrist. I’ve used matches to cauterize a wound. I’ve even snapped my dislocated elbow back into place. These are incredible sequences but most definitely not for the squeamish.
Final Thoughts
I’ve had a blast in my short time with Far Cry 2. Give it a shot if you’re looking for an action-filled shooter with a new spin on an old and often-tired genre. While the game does not compete with the impressive graphical standards set by Crysis, it makes up for its shortcomings with raw and compelling gameplay.
Now if you’ll excuse me, there are Africans in desperate need of liberation. The jungles are beautiful… But deadly.
Pages: 1 2
Articles RSS