![]() Later games have refined these techniques, with elements appearing in everything from Ubisoft’s own Assassin’s Creed, to the later Just Cause games, to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.Įven where there isn’t direct influence from sitting down and playing Far Cry 2, there are few designers who haven’t at least heard whispered tales of what it accomplished and what it showed was possible. It entertained players, but more importantly inspired an industry to widen its perspective and explore the power that open worlds truly offered. What it accomplished in the end, however, is even more impressive. It’s also unfortunate that despite all the strides taken with the open world, Far Cry 2 ultimately backtracked on an initial plan where the point of the game would be to simply track down and kill the Jackal, and you could ignore the story in favour of making a beeline for him and putting a bullet in his head. And it’s hard not to chafe at NPCs you’re working for still taking a pop at you every time you meet their patrols, or the world being a bit too static-there being no way to carve out safe spaces or even permanently deal with an outpost. The shooting isn't the best the genre has to offer. Particularly strange is the way that characters speak twice as fast as they should and without much of that human thing we call emotion. ![]() If something felt like a good tactic then it probably was, and when things went horribly wrong or right, it was usually in a way that made for an interesting story.ĭespite all this, Far Cry 2 can feel clunky today. These things made Far Cry 2 feel natural in small, vital ways.Įverything from checking a real map to the effect of a grenade (spoiler: it explodes) flowed realistically from your basic understanding of reality, with no need to think of the action in terms of hit points, levels and game mechanics. That greatly contributed to how smooth the action was, as well as the nature of Far Cry 2's basic play loops: clearing outposts, the simple act of navigating the world, and using its physics, tools and AI to prompt emergent action. It was also first and foremost a shooter, unlike RPGs like Fallout 3 or the clunky hybrid that was Stalker. Really, Far Cry 2 was to the military shooter what Deus Ex had been to sneaking around urban environments-a game that made those environments into another weapon, and gave them the weight that had been lacking from most prior open world games like 2006’s cartoony Just Cause, or GTA and its endless copycats. By the end of the game, the glitter of diamonds and chance of escape is more than enough to shatter any friendships.įar Cry 2 inspired an industry to widen its perspective and explore the power that open worlds truly offered. ![]() Throughout the game you’re regularly paired with mercenary ‘buddies’ willing to lend a hand, drag your injured corpse out of danger and offer their own objectives, but none are saints. Get injured and you'll be ‘treated’ to unpleasant examples of your wounds being patched up in the field. More directly, even standard elements like taking a bullet go a little further than most. There is only war, malaria, death and greed.Īnother legacy of Far Cry 2: one of the all-time great game trailers, thanks to perfect pairing with Massive Attack's Angel. There are no good guys in Far Cry 2, and no glorious crusade to save the war-torn country from some handy moustache-twirling dictator. You kill because that’s what you do, working for two factions who were criticised at the time for being basically the same collection of psychopathic arseholes before people realised that yes, that was the point. ![]() Instead the mission quickly descends into the kind of nihilism that wouldn’t be matched until the underrated Spec Ops: The Line. Before you can even begin the hunt, you catch malaria, end up bed-ridden, and have the Jackal himself pop round to go through your things, point out that you’ve failed miserably and won’t be paid, before wandering off with a “So long.” Few games have been quite so happy to lower the stakes to something that non-existent. The intro sets the scene with you as the world’s least prepared mercenary, visiting Africa on the hunt for a wanted weapons dealer called The Jackal. Most of the time, you’re honestly of little consequence. Most of the time, you’re honestly of little consequence.įar Cry 2's central genius is that it’s an open world that doesn’t exist to glorify you, the player.
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