Far Cry 2 - a Joyride Through the Stinking Jungle Heat

So let me start by saying that this is the first Far Cry game I've ever played so I don't know how much it relates to the others, however I have to say that the story doesn't have much depth. The story line is pretty generic and open-ended, which I guess is what is needed to make a sandbox jungle FPS game. You're basically dropped into some African-like country with a mission to assassinate a single arms dealer, the catch is that you have malaria and don't know where he's at. The objective of the game is to track him down and survive your sickness. This doesn't make for a super interesting storyline but does open the game up for a lot of exploring and gun running.

The missions in the game are pretty standard (at least the ones I've played so far), I haven't played any yet that I was like "wow, that was awesome". You have the run of the mill missions like assassinations, retrieving stuff, attacking installations, etc. I've only played the first "Act" so far, so there will probably be more variety of missions later. So far, the missions have been more of a bi-line to the gameplay which is where this game shines.

The Combat

So what makes Far Cry fun? The short answer is the combat and the graphics. By completing missions you get diamonds which is the currency for the game. You can use the diamonds to buy weapons and upgrades which are then available from your safe-houses. The opponents in the game are unscripted so their actions are really random. It's pretty funny when they try to ramp you in their safari vehicles while revving their engines and flying towards you while simultaneously crashing into a boulder. The opponents are very good shots which makes the aim assistance necessary. The only problem that I can see with the combat is that the enemy always seems to know where you are as soon as the combat begins.

The weapons are so much fun in the game. I've never played a game before that allowed for setting grass fields on fire with a flamethrower, flares, or molotov cocktails. The pyromania aspects of the game are great, but the physics are even better. I thought it was great the first time I shot the grenade launcher. The explosion blew up behind a tree which sent some shrubs flying while shaking the earth and sending the leaves falling and blowing in the wind.

The World and Navigation

Another great thing about the game is the navigation and maps. There is a full night and day cycle and you can open up the maps and GPS to figure out where you are while moving. You can scout objects in advance and find missions all from the map in real time. While driving around through the jungle, roads signs will highlight with your objective's color so you know where to drive. The only problem with the world is that missions are very spread out, making you go 20 miles back and forth to pick up small objectives. This isn't bad most of the time, but I wish they would have condensed some of the places like mercenary bar, the arms dealer, and the safe-houses so that managing inventory and upgrades is better. This game could really go for a saving system where and whenever you want.

Overall

So for the most part, Far Cry 2 proves to be a fun and interactive FPS but nothing super ground breaking. I think some of the inventory and saving systems could be improved and condensed, but these are just minor gripes. Overall, I've had a lot of fun playing Far Cry 2 and looking forward to finishing it. If you are still on the fence about buying the game, I would say pick up a copy when they drop the price like I did. You'll have fun with the real-time physics, loads of weapons, and exploration. Don't get lost out there in that stinky jungle!