Far Cry 2 (2008) (VG)

Writers:

Armand Constantine (game writer)
Susan O'Connor (game writer)

Release Date:

21 October 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action

Plot:

Choosing from nine different mercenary characters, you arrive in Africa in search of a notorious weapons dealer known only as 'The Jackal'...

Plot Keywords:

Mercenary | Weapons Dealer | Africa | Exploration | Blood

Cast

Spike Adamson
Bayo Akinfemi
Abdul Ayoola
Karim Babin
Sean Baek	...	Xian-Yong Bai
Sean Bayak
Tyrone Benskin
Paul Berner
Julian Casey
Tony Daniels
Carlos Diaz
Dusan Dukic
Onyekachi Ejim
Von Flores
Richard Harold
Dwayne Hill
Marcel Jeannin
Lawrence Joffe
Don Jordan
Daniel Kash
Jon-Paul Khouri
Tristan D. Lalla	...	Agent B
Cyrus Lane
Andy Marshall
Daniel Matmor
Luzuko Nkgeto
Justin Phillips
Chantal Quesnel
Terrence Scammell		(as Terrence Seammell)
Kwasi Songui
Natalie Tanous
Jeff Teravainen
Sugith Varughese
Craig Warnock
Francisca Zentilli
Phakamani Zikalala

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:MA

Company:

Ubisoft Montreal Studios

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Hector Vorhees holds his phone normally while speaking on it, even though he has a hands-free device constantly plugged in his ear and clipped on his shirt.

Quotes:

Addi Mbantuwe: Seth Uniya is the worst kind of man in this world. He himself does not kill, but teaches others how to make roadside bombs. The world does not need men such as he, I am sure you will agree. The man thinks he is safe because he is a teacher. I seriously doubt he will survive the week. That is because *you* are on the job. You are going to walk in there like a big man and take him out. The UFLL can be very generous. Good money always.

Movie Connections:

References Beyond Good & Evil (2003) (VG)

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Missing...

Fans of the FPS genre of gaming will probably have mixed feelings towards this game. In many respects, Far Cry 2 shows the true potential available to users of the current generation of console platforms, but at the same time, many of the functions break no new ground, and serve no great purpose.

The game is mission-based, a la Grand Theft Auto, allowing the player to roam 50 square kilometres of land, ranging from Vietnamesque jungle, to the African savanna, and everything in-between. The player travels across the war-torn countryside on assassination missions, convoy-interceptions, and underground networking assistance. Vehicles include Jeeps, trucks, gun-wagons, buggies, 4WD vehicles, hang-gliders, and swamp boats. There is always more than one way to get somewhere, which adds to the depth of the game, and detracts from the boredom of repetition so inherent in the latest Grand Theft Auto installment. The downside to this way of playing the game is that the gamer has to do an incredible amount of travelling, and for a first-person-shooter, this can grate immensely.

Currency in the game comes in the form of rough diamonds, which the gamer receives for accepting missions, but the gamer can also use trackers to find hidden diamonds. The gamer uses the diamonds to unlock weapons from arms dealers for use on future missions. The range of weaponry is incredible, and the varied use of multiple weapons can change the required approach to an enemy outpost (ie sneaking using silenced weapons and remote explosives, rather than going in with all guns blazing).

On the groundbreaking side of things, hearing enemies communicating with one another adds realism and depth to the people the gamer needs to kill, which causes further immersion into the game. Fire can be started, but not controlled, and the science of it seems realistic enough to put a smile on anyone's face. Add to this the buddy system, where people whose lives you save end up saving yours, and you'll see that Far Cry 2 certainly offers something new to the seasoned gamer.

As already mentioned, the mission-based large-map way of completing the game may impress some, but it is fully understandable why other gamers, who played the first Far Cry may be disappointed, and may see this as a nod to GTA.

By far the most disappointing aspect of this game is the online mode. It is not a terrible addition to the game, but once a gamer has played the Halo series online, or indeed the immaculate Call of Duty 4, it becomes obvious that the developers threw the online mode together, with seemingly no interest in maintaining an online fanbase.

Overall, Far Cry 2 breaks new ground in realism (watching fire spread is a joy to behold), but at the same time it is clear that the developers have taken ideas (not necessarily good ones) from other titles, in an attempt to please the masses. Whether the ideas work or not is merely a matter of opinion. The gamer can expect a lot of travelling, almost endless carnage, and online play fit for few.