| Far
Cry was certainly a far cry from the standard first person shooter
(FPS) and stunned everyone when it released - seemingly out of the blue. It portrayed
an open world environment and left to accomplish the objectives in an array of
ways and is perhaps one of the best shooters to ever have landed on the PC. Then
there followed the ruckus and consequent split of Crytek and Ubisoft, with Ubisoft
getting the Far Cry name and Crytek keeping the Cryengine. Chasing
‘the Jackal’
Far Cry 2 is set in a fictional African state, the
basis for the plot being simple. Two main factions are vying for control of the
region - the United Front for Liberation and Labour (UFLL) and the Alliance for
Popular Resistance (APR). You're a mercenary working for a client and your task
is to take out a notorious arms dealer known as ‘The Jackal’. He quickly proves
to be a vague figure, so you'll need to begin working for various martial factions
that the Jackal has equipped so you can trace the supply line back to your target.
It’s as simple as that. You are given plenty of autonomy to find and kill your
rival but the game map for this country is so big, about fifty square kilometers
split into two maps, that you will need to aid people in order for them to help
you complete your task. The game begins
with you taking a ride in a taxi on a beautiful journey to the local hotel. The
harsh contrast of nature and rickety hovels sets the mood for a menacing, if rather
adult game. This isn’t a lovely country by any means and uncut diamonds are the
local currency, attracting the lowest of the low to the war torn region in search
of a hefty payoff for a despicable job well done.  |
Battle
zone here
When you finally take control of your character, you are thrown
into a battle that sadly for you has erupted outside your hotel. This is fundamentally
the training mission. After a short fire-fight you meet and save the first of
your buddies in the game. Buddies are people who you befriend, who can offer a
helping hand when you are about to die by dragging you away from most of the danger
to give you time to heal yourself, quite often in a rather dreadful way. They
also throw missions your way, usually helping you with your main task in the process.
Safe houses are the places that you will meet your buddies most of the time and
can be activated by killing any guards hanging around outside. You will find both
safe houses and friends very handy and should always keep track of where you need
to run if in trouble. And trouble will find you, on innumerable occasions, many
of which are absolutely random and catch you off guard, really adding to the air
of danger in the game. One of the main
features of Far Cry 2 is freedom of choice; the freedom to choose which
mission to take, when to take it and how to go about completing it. The further
into this fictional African country you venture, the more you’ll find yourself
switching tactics from a sniper to using Molotov cocktails to start a brush fire.
It’s a pyromaniac’s delight and even ammunition heaps detonate like fireworks,
killing anybody foolish enough to venture near ‘em.
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Blood
and Diamonds
Although disappointing for a single-player campaign that could
easily exhaust more than 30 hours of your time, any shortcomings in the plot are
mostly pardonable thanks to Far Cry 2's overall structure. The game is
structured in a way that provides a daunting amount of freedom to explore, earn
currency, and inflict havoc on the game's landscape. It's all set up in a manner
typical of sandbox action games. Pulling out your map reveals a compilation of
icons that indicate available missions and points of interest that you can rove
toward at your own convenience. Among these are dozens of side missions that you
can take on, with various forms of rewards. Delivering transfer papers to trapped
refugees earns you malaria medication, destroying rival convoys for gun merchants
unlocks new weapons for purchase, and performing assassinations for mysterious
voices at the other end of your cell phone rewards you with diamonds. You can
also rough up militias stationed in small camps and turn their dwellings into
your own safe houses. The side missions can feel a bit monotonous when played
through in quick sequence, but they offer a great change of tempo when scattered
throughout the main narrative. But what's most smart is how their differing rewards
blend together so wonderfully with your needs in progressing through the story:
Malaria pills keep your HP and stamina up, diamonds buy you new weapons and ability
upgrades, and safe houses provide temporary shelter to stock up and save your
game. The graphical detail are far-off
from being diminished in any way because of the scale of the area is bursting
with little details and great animation. The sound is so immersive and supportive,
especially if you have surround sound. Pinpointing an enemy by ear is a breeze,
as is the sound whizzing past your ears as you scoot along in a small boat. The
physics are also notable, with grenades throwing up leaves and clouds of dust
whilst sending out a visible shock wave that affects all of the vegetation in
its radius. The plants also react realistically if you try to walk through them
and can even be destroyed by a machete or gunfire. The countryside, as pleasing
as it is with its dazzling sunsets and sunrises, has more than its fair share
of danger.  |
The
mechanics behind the gunplay in Far Cry 2 are concrete and might remind
you a little of the Medal of Honor games. You have to work for your upgrades too,
from weapon accuracy, reliability, or ammo storage, and they do make a difference.
You can purchase them at gun shops, which are also another source of missions,
health packs and save points. You should also only use your enemy’s weapons if
you really have to because if the weapons look rather old and used, then they
might jam or blow up in your face. Not the best thing to happen during a scorching
gun battle in the middle of a rope bridge overhanging a canyon when you have no-where
to run, believe me. It is extremely easy to find yourself overrun if you don’t
pay attention to what’s going on around you and not so easy to run away. They
won’t falter to shoot you in the back and they know how to shoot straight. Some
of you may feel differently, but when thrown into such a big area, not sure about
where you should be and having very inaccurate, unreliable weapons to start you
off, you may feel a little beleaguered. Persevere though and you will have many,
many great adrenaline packed experiences. The
multiplayer maps are very typical, taking the most from the game world and while
you won’t find them very heavily populated, nonetheless, a pleasant change from
the single player experience. The game
is not without its flaws. Nothing too dramatic for the most part but it can get
a little repetitive in places and some of the actors talk so fast you will be
glad for the subtitles. The frame rate is generally very good and scales well
but does judder a little on occasion in DX10 and runs more smoothly in DX9 with
little loss of visual flair. These few little niggles don’t even come near to
stopping your fun. And that’s what
it all boils down too. Far Cry 2 is exceptionally fun and redefines the
term open world. It has surpassed my expectations and without a doubt Ubisoft
Montreal have taken an uncut diamond and worked it into a nearly flawless gem. connect@animationxpress.com |
