Posted on November 2, 2008 - by Jordan H

Far Cry 2

Well, it’s been a great week off for me, and what better way to end it than to get a fantastic new game! As usual, here’s a review…

Far Cry 2 is a game set in a fictional un-named African country, with a stunning varied landscape and a storyline which can go in many different ways. It comes from Ubisoft Montreal, the same guys who brought us Assassins Creed and Rainbow Six, both great games in their own right.

The open world is truly endless, original and varied. I’ve been through savannah, jungle and a whole lot more and that’s just the beginning. The realism of the game is much more than any other. For example, if you pick up an old gun off the floor and use it a lot, it’ll get jammed. You can unjam it and continue using it. However if you keep using it, you risk it blowing up in your hands.

You can also set off forest fires, which is pretty funny. Blow up a car, use a flamethrower or throw a molotov into trees and before long you’ll have a fire burning, and spreading rapidly too!

I remember reading an issue of Official Xbox Mag a few months back where they described the story of the game by saying ‘Imagine the sort of hard choices Niko Bellic made in GTA IV, only with grander implications‘. Danny and I have both started story mode, and both thrust into storylines with different people, different missions, and inevitably different outcomes. However, the general heading of the storyline follows the prontagonist’s hunt for an arms dealer called The Jackal, who’s causing chaos around the country.

One of my first missions involved heading to a Slaughter House to rescue a friend held captive. As I approached, I was advised on taking a hidden path up to an ideal vantage point. There I could get out and scout the camp, using a monocular, which would point out positions of mounted guns, ammo boxes and health on my map. Using that information, I then went and took out the guards out the front by shooting an explosive barrel (those explosions are woah!) and then using my molotov cocktail to take out those hiding inside. Job done.

I also got some time to try out the multiplayer. There are fourteen maps which come with the game, and you can choose between ranked and player matches. In addition, maps created with the map editor (see below) can be used in a custom game with both. There are four gametypes which come with the game, Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, Capture the Diamond (just like Capture the Flag), and Uprising, where there are three checkpoints the team must visit. These game modes play well, and in the time I’ve been playing I had a lot of fun.

However, the best part of the game for me was the map editor. It is so easy to use, yet so powerful (just take a look at what people have made!). I made two maps today, and downloaded a ton from the special section within the game’s menus. They included a map which replicated the D-Day landings (a lot of snipering on this map!), a shopping mall (loads of backrooms), and even a replica of a Donkey Kong level! I’m looking forward to seeing what the community can create over the next few months and to have some fun myself with creating some cool things with the map editor.

I could honestly talk about this game all night, but I do need some sleep so I can play tomorrow This is one of the best games I have ever played and I fully recommend it.