Difficulty:

Hard

Time Spent:

40 to 100 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Instant classic"

Far cry 2 has always been a love it or hate it game. The people who love it really love it, and the people that hate it hate it just as much.

I know people who didn't like it simply because they like their FPS more linear...they like the COD being told where to go and what to go. They hate that they constantly traveling between and during missions. Blah Blah Blah.

A lot of people hate this game for the reasons I love it. When I first played this game back in 2008 is was simply amazed. Mowing down brush with your machine guns, realistic explosions, starting forest fires, wild life everywhere. I simply felt like I was in Africa.

This isn't a game you play because of the story...which wasn't all that memorable...because I don't remember it. You play this game because it gives you the feel of being a mercenary entrenched in Africa. Go anywhere, do anything..you have free will to roam and kill.

The game reminded me of another great game...Mercenaries. For those who have played mercenaries..think Mercenaries but in a FPS setting and you've got Far Cry 2.

The game is basically a sand box game that allows you to go anywhere and do anything. There are missions and factions for you to do. There are weapons to buy and upgrade. And the weapons feel realistic...right down to weapons jamming from over use, or because you picked up a weapon that was old and rusted.

There is a lot of travelling involved, but no more than you expect(or should expect) from you typical sandbox game. There are bus stations in each corner of the map and one in the middle. Bus stations allow you to quick travel between bus station to save on time. They also act as save points. So if your tired of driving simply go to the nearest bus station and it'll take you across the map. Don't worry about losing your vehicle...they're everywhere to steal.

Scattered all over Africa are Diamonds that you can find to buy weapons or upgrade them. You are also paid in Diamond for missions you complete.

During your time in Africa you can also make alliances with other mercenaries. These mercenaries can be useful. They will help you out in a pinch if you go down. They give you missions too. The this is if you go down and one shows up to help you out, make sure they don't die in the fight or don't leave them behind...you will lose favor with them. Some mercenaries have to be found to become buddies.

During some of the main missions you can choose to also do a side "buddy mission" with the main mission. You don't have too, it really just earns you more favor. This is one of the faults of Far Cry 2 though, for doing a buddy mission adds a lot of difficulty to the main mission because once you're done the main mission you have to rush to save you "buddy" who has got himself in a situation....this never varies..it happens after every main mission if you decide to do the buddy mission with it. Saving your buddy can be hard and you may or may not have to make a couple attempts.

I know some people whine that this game is hard, but really I completed the game on the hardest setting and did all the "buddy missions" with them. But I'm not gonna lie the game can be frustrating at times but it's one of those games it doesn't feel over cheap...just may have to rethink your approach or strategy on how you approach areas or situations.

My favorite tactic was to always carry an assault rifle for in close fighting, a sniper rifle to weaken enemy reserves before I went in guns a blazing, and a grenade launcher for when I was out numbered and I needed something to thin out the numbers quick.

Really use your head and loss your self to a mercenary in Africa. Drive around, kill patrols...just play the role and you'll love this game. You'll always survive if you think about how to approach something. Snipe when you have to, and blow things up when you need to.

Enough of my praise now for the few things that bothered me. Enemy AI can be a little dumb at times. The enemies look great and they do love to flank you, but their stupid behavior can sometimes shatter the realism of this game. It reminds you that it is a game.

The malaria was not really needed. It is a part of the game and can happen at bad times, but eventually you'll kind of know when to expect it. Keep in mind when your last dose was and don't start a main mission if it's been a long time between doses. Once again...THINK!!!

Another thing that bothered me is while there is wildlife everywhere(oh and how I enjoyed running over Zebras and other creatures with my jeep) none of it is really dangerous. There are no crocs in the rivers, no lions on the prowl. The animals you encounter are really none lethal. I kind of wished I'd seen the occasional croc in the rivers...it would have reminded me that I am in Africa.
I have to say as little as I played it I enjoyed the multi player as well. But that was a long time ago and it was hard to get games going then. It also had that annoying "ready" feature that requires players to select "ready" for the game to start. And too often there were players who wouldn't select "ready" just to be difficult.
I really can't praise this game enough..Those who hate this game It's hard for me to understand why they'd hate it because it's a great game. If they hate it it's not because the game is bad....because it's not. They can only hate it because it's not their cup of tea...They wouldn't like this game no matter how great it was. Some people like COD, some people like Halo, some people like Battlefield and nothing is going to change their mind.

All I can say is that if you love the idea of a sandbox FPS where you can immerse yourself in the life a mercenary in Africa, and wants a challenging (but never cheap) experience than give it a try...if you're gonna hate it hate it because it's not your thing...because it's a great game whether you hate it or not.