Like many of you I anticipate E3 i comb through all the previews, first looks, and trailers to find out what I'll be blowing my hard earned cash on. One of these trailers caught my eye, it was Far Cry 3, I was impressed by the voice acting and the character Voss, who appears to be one of the story's antagonists. I was so pumped I started reminiscing on my experiences with the franchise;  setting booby traps, using my feral instincts to punch a man 30 feet into air and hang-gliding down a beautiful tropic coast only to machine gun down 5 unsuspecting mercenaries. Then I realized I never played Far Cry 2, this would soon be rectified.

Now I know the game came out in 2008 and so I decided to look at what people thought of the game as I waited for Amazon to deliver my copy, to say the least it was a mixed bag, some people bemoaned the amount a travel between missions, others did not appreciate the realistic tone the game set, i.e. aggressive A.I., guns jamming, and symptoms of the characters malaria creating the need to find medicine periodically. Well I’m here to tell you this is one unbelievable game with a depth that kept me glued to my couch for an entire weekend (so far). I enjoy the game so much because it suits to my style of play, which is methodical and exploratory. Both of which are rewarded in Far Cry 2. I’m only 6 hours in the game, but I’ve enjoyed how I’m given the freedom to approach objectives anyway I want for example I saw on my map there was a guard post up ahead as i sneaked through the brush adjacent to the road I saw headlights approaching, I ran a few yards from the road equipped my RPG and BOOM! The fiery patrol jeep and its two occupants sailed into the evening sky as the charred shell landed on its roof. Taking out the vehicle meant I could now take out the guard post minus firepower from the Jeep’s turret. Continuing through the cover provided by the brush, trees and tall grass, I survey the camp and determine there are 6 guards i need to deal with; two are sitting together smoking and trading stories, while the other four are patrolling the perimeter. I pull out my recently purchased silencer Marakov and shoot one patrolling guard in the head, I quickly lob a grenade by the two guards sitting and pull out my assault rifle and shot a flammable barrel which explodes and engulfs another guard in flames. Controlled chaos ensues, the two remaining guards are terrified they yell at each other to take cover but it’s too late, with my assault rifle drawn I take out the mercs in quick succession and the guard post is mine... for now.  

This is just one example of the addicting gameplay found in Far Cry 2. Yes there are some drawbacks, I’ve had my gun jam in the middle of a fire fight (mind you, stick to your own guns and this will be a none issue) and travel between destinations can be tedious, but for me these are what make Far Cry 2 a different breed of game. I don’t mind the travel because it gives me a chance to take in the lush world Crytek created, with so much painstaking detail it’s easy to get lost in the environment as i make my way to the next objective. I for one have grown to love this game as welcomed break from the mindless run and gun of the current FPS’s out there. Looking forward to playing more and honing my tactics for the release of Far Cry 3. Any of you out there in the closet? Come out and show your love for Far Cry 2 let me know about some of your favorite moments our what kind of tactics you use.  

I wish the enemies weren't so perceptive. Every time I spend 10 minutes scoping out a camp and getting into the feel of hunting these guys, it gets ruined by some guard spotting me from 30 yards away through a bush at nighttime. It's like the game is encouraging you to just play it like every other FPS.

The thing that entirely killed Far Cry 2 for me was driving between missions and getting attacked by dudes hiding in a bush 2 kilometers away where you can't even see them but they can and they never miss even when you're going at 60 km/h and you don't feel like dealing with those assholes at all, especially not when they have the drop on you and driving towards them would probably be even more suicidal than just trying to get to the next mission.

I liked it but the crystal hunting was kind of annoying. I wish you could find crystals by searching the pockets of dead enemies.

@sixghost I definitely ran into that scenario where some guy spotted me before i saw him. I've found that once i got close to a camp I had to be the aggressor. blow something up divert attention to the explosion then start picking off guys. If I stay to the outer edges of a camp/guard post my chances of going undetected increased. 
 
@Jack I drive off road almost never on it and turn the lights off. It takes longer but decreases my chances of being ambushed. I know that's not everyone's style of play, but it works.

Yeah, I really enjoyed the game too. I've considered playing through it again, but I dumped a ton of hours into it the first time. I don't know if I'm ready for that again. I just remember the positive aspects more than the negative.

Well, I've just started playing the game, but I'm loving it. I'm finding it to be a beautiful game that's lots of fun to explore. 
 
I'm surprised at how negative some people have been about the game. Sure, it's not Far Cry 1 and the malaria thing is incredibly annoying, but overall, it seems like a highly enjoyable game so far.

I agree man.  I picked it up during the steam sale when it was 5 bucks.  Best damn 5 bucks I've spent all month.  I absolutely love it, I'm sucked into world and I plan my tactics for every patrol, camp and compound I encounter.  The game looks still beautiful and I enjoy experiencing the details that make up the world. 
  
@rame said:

@Jack I drive off road almost never on it and turn the lights off. It takes longer but decreases my chances of being ambushed. I know that's not everyone's style of play, but it works.

Far Cry 2 is about patience, it's about finding the right weapon for the right situation and knowing your environment. 
I started this game with the guns blazing approach and constantly found myself in 3 feet of shit. I later came back to it with a new mindset and was blown away. 
 
I hate it when people say "you're not playing it right...." but this is the only game I know where this applies.

respawning camps pissed me off to no end... the awful dialogue and plot... every single car on the road attacks you... the game was way too repetitive for me.  And this comes from someone who was one of the biggest fanboys around while waiting for FC2 to come out...  
 
I was so disappointed....  yet I'm still holding out a little hope for number 3

I liked it, but holy hell do I hate the rare bug that causes your buddy to be labelled 'mercy killed' after s/he saves you when there are no enemies around. I fell down a cliff, buddy revived me, I thought he was okay, but I looked at my journal and he was considered 'mercy killed'. By the time I realize what had happened, I already overwrote my save file.

Regardless, there is much fun to be had, especially if you like sniping. Eliminating an entire checkpoint from a range so far away none of their weapons can hit you is great.

Thing which killed Far Cry 2 for me was the fact that it was too long with very little changes. If it had no second 'act' as it were and had a slightly bigger, more densely packed first area. It would've been so much better

Thing which killed Far Cry 2 for me was the fact that it was too long with very little changes. If it had no second 'act' as it were and had a slightly bigger, more densely packed first area. It would've been so much better

The problem with the second act was that you had to start practically from scratch, since the shape of the terrain and introduction of those fucking mortars made you into a beginner. Also, I could do without the guard posts spawning all the time, give me SOME break.

Still, it was quite fun overall.

Has this game been fixed?

Despite all the fake realism, the enemies were ridiculous bullet sponges and the AI was turned up to 10 all the time completely breaking the game. It felt like a poor mans Stalker when I played it a few years ago. I just picked it up on a steam sale, i'm hoping its been patched or I can mod it or something to make it playable.

My only real complaints were how quickly an entire checkpoint of enemies would respawn and the fact that a bug ate my only save about halfway through. Other than that, it was probably one of the top 5 FPS experiences I've had.

I only remember hating those fucking mortars

I haven't gotten to the mortars yet, but I see that I will soon have the option to purchase them so I anticipate unleashing hell on A.I. soon enough. I give as good as I take. :-)

Mortars are fun.  In the second map with the huge central lake, I set up my mortars and took out camps from my boat.  Hilarious.  
 
Aside from the magic t-shirts that protect these guys from a dozen bullets, I really like Far Cry 2.  I'm looking forward to the third.  Nice blog.