Far Cry 2- DHG's Favorite Games!- The Death of Kings

Far Cry 2 (2008) was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by.... Ubisoft

Out of all possible ratings: Terrible, Bad, Average, Good, Great....

My rating, based upon my playthrough experience, is: Good!

Far Cry 2 was a polarizing game. The debate still rages as to which Far Cry is the best in the series, but I feel the winner is Far Cry 2. No other game in the series gives the level of depth this one does. You play as a mercenary, a gun for hire, sent to do one job: Kill the Jackal, an arms dealer. From the moment you set foot in Africa things go very bad; you contract malaria, become injured in a firefight between the two warring factions in the Unnamed African Country's civil war (UAC from now on), and you wind up face to face with the man you are supposed to kill, and he lets you live. Why?

This game sets a very desperate tone and plays to it in every aspect of the gameplay and narrative; whether it's the unethical and downright disgusting missions you partake on, how you acquire new weapons and earn currency (blood diamonds), listening to the Jackal tapes scattered about, or the game's music. Few other games manage to pull off making the player feel the sheer volume of isolation and desperation in a foreign land as this one, and no Far Cry has pulled it off since. Don't get me started on Woke Cry 6, er Far Cry 6....

Many games try to politic about wars and ethics, so often it's nauseating and too often fail to make a point, an impact that leaves an impression on the player, like Woke Cry 6. Far Cry 2 gets into the depth of hell that is war, the uncertainty, the ambiguity, the human suffering, and profiteering, the opportunism, and the fact that there are rarely ever any good guys on either side, just people with different ideals that will be proven right by history or despised altogether. The game also does a good job in showing that people aren't who you think they are. People you fought beside may betray you given the opportunity and people that you deemed as your enemy may offer a hand.

On to the rating breakdown:

Graphics: Amazing! The Dunia Engine used still looks great to this day on nearly every level minus some odd faces, which was normal for 2008. You will be in awe as you travel the UAC and see it's various biomes and wildlife. The god rays shining through the trees and canopy looks amazing and beautiful, a stark contrast to the dark horrors of war you experience whilst making your war through the UAC. A perfect juxtaposition.

Controls: Serviceable, they work. This largely depends on what platform you play on. On pc, I managed to have a very enjoyable playthrough using a self-modified Steam layout (In Steam's Big Picture mode, go to game- controller layout- browse configs- look for the one with DHG on it) whilst on console you will spam the aim assist a lot. Either way works and the control layout is simple. You could not play for weeks and remember the layout. Or you could play with a M&K if it suits you.

Gameplay: This is where it took the most hits by other critics. They complained about the frequent firefights at checkpoints and the long distances you had to go to reach objectives on some occasions. The checkpoint critique is well deserved. You clear one out, drive 100 meters and the enemies respawn. The enemies should be cleared out for a few in game hours. Driving long distances to reach objectives, however, is normal in open world games and the fast travel system is well done, so this point is null. Per the gameplay itself, it's a shooter with lots of fun guns and stuff to burn. So set Africa ablaze! Another mention is the weapon degradation system, which makes for some very interesting, unpredictable moments. Once I tried to assassinate a well-guarded target with a mortar, and it fell apart on me when I shot it.

Sound: Ranges from ok (voice acting) to great (gun sounds and explosions). This is one of those games that pays attention to detail, you will hear sounds of nature when exploring, drawing you deeper in.

Music: Some of the best. They nailed the musical score in this game. When playing through the game I was often in awe of how good the musical score was, especially in places like the title menu. Simply amazing!

Story: No spoilers. Nothing is as it seems, and no one can be trusted. You are alone and are surrounded by hostiles in a foreign land, the UAC.

Stability/bugs: This is where I criticize the game the most. On console it's much better, but on PC the game has many more bugs, some that can potentially stop progression. I managed to get past these bugs by reloading old games, so SAVE FREQUENTLY and under multiple files!

Opinions: GIVE US A REMAKE OF FAR CRY 2!!!!!!!! This was without a doubt the best game in the series IMO.

Far Cry 2 is available on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

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DHG played Far Cry 2 on PC

Part 25