Nov 19 2008
Far Cry 2 - Nothing like the original!
Far Cry 2 is a new game that has come out for nearly all of the consoles (aside from the Wii, I believe) and involves an open ended game world where the user is in control of sandbox style gameplay.
The only real link between the original game and Far Cry 2 is in the title itself. Nowhere in the game will you be informed of the original game, and none of the characters from it’s predecessor are present. That being said, the game itself is actually pretty good.
Far Cry 2 took a new look on the traditional gameplay of FPS’s. This is an actual open ended game world where you can walk/drive/boat just about anywhere you want. Interestingly enough, this can allow the approach to your missions come out different each time.
On certain main mission you can take along an NPC buddy, which is actually helpful, as opposed to some games that offer AI support. The enemies are smart as well. Ducking for cover, firing when you come out into the open, and losing you if they didn’t see you move from a previous hiding spot.
The gameworld itself is amazingly detailed. Blowing up a gas can will do an assortment of things from alerting enemies, to blowing up other flamable objects in the area, to starting an open wild fire across the sahvanna desert. Yes, grass/trees and just about anything else flammable will light up like a holiday tree in this game.
Unlike a lot of games, sometimes you really will have to find a safehouse, or hide out, for just enough time to rip fragments of glass out of your arms and suture up, or digging into your leg with a knife to pop out a bullet.
You will also get choices throughout the game, one of the more memorable ones being whether or not to save a fallen NPC comrade, or to put them out of their misery while they plead for life in the grass below you.
Overall, being a completely separate game with nothing to do with the original, Far Cry 2 comes out ahead. It also includes a multiplayer mode with achievement awards, trophies, and a ranking system, a few things that give it more replayability.
The graphics are beautiful, even coming out good on consoles (as it was expected to be much worse not being able to crank up the graphic settings). The sound is amazing, whizzing bullets, soundful wildlife, and swaying trees in the distance.
The gameplay is pretty solid, which is a big killer in my case, but this one seemed to flow smoothly.
Getting from one mission to the next can sometimes be mundane, as you must travel great distances to get from A to B. The vehicles in the game do tend to cut down on this, yet it is still something that seems like it takes too long. One thinks that they could have put in a helicopter transport, or something, if you’re hanging out in an open field walking to your next destination.
Overall it’s a worthwhile game, with some replay value. If you are a fan of the original, and even if you aren’t, it might be worth renting at your local video store and giving it a shot before you buy.
Im about 23% through this game… and so far I havent heard anything about dual wielding guns. Is that a faked screenshot? I also have never seen any helicoptors… maybe that is later in the game?
Cant you tell thats the first farcry??
no dual wielding + heli’s in the second
“Matt”
I’m pretty sure that the screenshot is face OR it is form the first game… you say that you are 23% in the game… well im 23% as well and have you ever seen that the houses are that “clean” and the forest that tropic?