When I first heard the news that Far Cry 2 wouldn't take place in the
Caribbean I went through all phases of grief: shock, denial,
bargaining, anger, depression, guilt (well, maybe not guilt),
acceptance and hope. Let's face it, the setting made the first game
memorable, because the genetic experiment gone awry story was as
original as butter on toast. Hearing it would take place in Africa
actually gave me something to hope for. Africa is largely untapped
material in video games. I couldn't wait to see how Ubisoft Montreal
would use its multicultural "expertise" this time around.
The final outcome is somewhat diluted. Though the game has glimmers of
greatness, it falls flat as soon as your character gets into the thick
of things. Far Cry 2 is a mindless, repetitive action romp sprinkled
with touches of originality. The game is fun in general, unfortunately
it missed a great opportunity to make something more of itself. It
hacks through its first few minutes of substance like a
machete-wielding bushwhacker offering players nothing more than an
elaborate shooting gallery with movable targets on an African backdrop.
THE RIDE THAT NEVER WILL BE
After selecting the look of your character's arms… the game starts with
a taxi ride to a hotel. A talkative cab driver gives you a free tour of
the region. You can immediately smell war in the air. We see
processions of villagers heading for safer grounds, militia convoys
hustling, brushfires raging and checkpoints keeping drivers on edge,
all this while propaganda spouts on the radio -- a great first five
minutes. You get the impression the game will be epic in every aspect.
Unfortunately, reality sets in fast. Far Cry 2 is a run of the mill
shooter with marginal depth. After the first plot-driven gunfight the
promise of substance vanishes like a hare bolting into tallgrass.
Your character is taken in by one of the two militias (APR or UFLL) and
told to kill some poor saps in a nearby camp. A brief tutorial explains
how to fix vehicles and use the map. Ten minutes into the game and we
are ready for the first mission, which in essence could also have been
the last since they all look alike. It's all about killing people. It
doesn't matter who they are; if it walks on two legs, it deserves a
bullet to the head, at least in the game's rationale.
One problem though: there is no rationale. Anybody you meet is a "bad
guy". Why? Because this is an African country during unrest, silly…
Before this topic derails, let me clarify that Ubisoft made sure to add
plenty of white people. The game clearly goes out of its way to avoid
any racial backlash. Not that it matters. What matters is the loose
setup. A short ride in a taxi and the land is free of bystanders, ready
for mindless action. It seriously lacks a human touch. Emphasis should
have been put on what Africans go through when warmongers and "Lords of
War" mettle with such a rich continent. Basically, the game needs more
of the cab driver stuff. Instead, Far Cry 2 is a guilt-free playground
for Western males. Like the header says: "The ride that never will be".
PALA-POW!
Much like a GTA game, Far Cry 2 is mission-based. Players can roam
around at will doing as they please, even after accepting a mission
from various locations on the map. Sadly, there's not much to do while
free-roaming. As stated above, there are no civilians -- nothing to
interact with. Anybody you meet outside of demilitarized cities, like
Pala, is a foe. Towns only act as mission depositories and the
occasional assassination. Stepping outside city boundaries puts
everybody at risk of you putting a bullet between their eyes. Why?
Because you are the only competent warrior in the region; everybody
else is cannon fodder waiting to pass through your crosshair. It's the
closest thing to a human safari as you can get.
Your character meets "buddies" through the course of the trivial main
story that can assist you while you off mercenaries. Buddies give
alternate ways of completing missions and can help you out of a jam.
Your friends add slightly more depth to the game, especially the one
that saves your hind when you get downed in a fight (the effect is
quite realistic and deserves praise). You can even save injured buddies
by giving them meds, but that's where the profundity ends. There are
but three mission types: Kill, Destroy and Deliver, with the last two
always involving a healthy dose of the first.
As mentioned above there are "assassination" missions in cities, though
in theory only. You can lob a grenade next to your mark; if he doesn't
get injured, nobody gets their panties up in a bunch. Whack your target
in the back of the head, on the other hand, even with a silenced weapon
and no witnesses, and you get a shootout with the local militias. Huh?
AI is hit and miss. It seems Ubisoft tried to add a stealth element to
all the foliage and night cycles. And though stalking around crouched
in grass gives you cover for the most part, enemies are too quick to
realize where shots are coming from. Furthermore, opponents sometimes
behave like total dolts during shootouts, even in daytime. Players will
often spot targets crouched, ready to attack, biding their time for an
opportune shot… even mumbling to themselves… naught but five feet away.
Eh?
The common currency is diamonds. One can find them in briefcases spread
out in the wilderness with the help of a tracking device, but missions
are what mainly get you the sparkle. The rocks are used to buy a rather
impressive arsenal and upgrades. Guns picked up from downed opponents
will often jam and prove unreliable. Purchased weapons are more
dependable and look nicer.
OK, SO THE ACTION IS FUN…
You can drive or take a bus (I guess the fare is paid in diamonds?) to
your missions. In the process you come across various blood-soaked
intermissions. The region is peppered with checkpoints (shooting
gallery #1), camps (shooting gallery #2), facilities like train depots
and meat factories (shooting gallery #3) and bad guys in various
vehicles (mobile shooting gallery #4). I might be forgetting some but
you get the gist: the savannah is teeming with "bad people". After
repeating the same assignments for 10 hours, and having to pass the
aforementioned "shooting galleries" every in-game mile or so, players
begin exhibiting symptoms similar to their malaria-stricken character.
To say gameplay is shallow is an understatement.
At least the action is good. Ubisoft's Dunia engine produces crisp
fighting. Shooting is smooth and precise, save for the occasional
missed shot due to blocky collision around trees and shanties. Objects
are not badly designed; enemies simply take good cover, which requires
precise aiming to pick them off. Opponents will react differently
depending on where you hit them, accentuating the fine animation.
Downed targets sometimes manage to squirm out a few shots from the
ground if they are not properly dealt with. Wounded enemies will even
help their mates, adding another dimension to sniping. Most of the
fighting will be done from long range using sniper rifles, but some
parts require close combat. In all, loads of fun, but because of the
repetition it's only fun in short bursts.
The game clearly focuses on how you approach your targets, not what you
do to them (the latter is mundanely obvious). A few cosmetic missions
involve getting information out of characters, though getting to said
characters unfortunately always leaves heaps of rotting carcasses in
your wake. Forgive my griping, but when a game plasters the taxi part
in every trailer, one gets the impression production value will be more
elaborate, at least in-between all the fighting.
Like in the first Far Cry, vehicles play an important role. For a
developing country, it seems the locals don't care much about their
rides -- they are freely lying around in the most convenient of places.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. The maps are rather large
and require vehicles to traverse. Boats, Jeeps, dune buggies, luxury
SUV's, even hang gliders are there for the picking. Driving around is
one of the highlights of the game. Controls take some getting used to
but are particularly realistic, especially when bringing the map over
the steering while driving -- a neat feature that adds a certain
"laissez-faire" feel to the whole African experience.
NO AFRICAN SETTING IS COMPLETE WITHOUT EARTH AND FIRE
Speaking of graphics, Far Cry 2 boasts some of the prettiest open
terrain seen in a while. Although jungle areas are scarcer than in the
previous game, the savannah and desserts are exquisite, as well as the
canyons and lakes. Ubisoft also did a phenomenal job with vegetation.
Everything moves in the wind, even tree barks. Smaller plants can be
cut down with gunfire. Remember the scene in Predator when Arnold and
his gang unloaded into the jungle after Jessie Ventura got zapped, and
how the foliage was razed in the process? You can do it here too.
Even more impressive are the fires, which quite frankly produce the
most lifelike effects seen in any game to date. Together with wind it
can be used to draw out enemies or corner them. Flames spread from
grass to trees so realistically it's almost eerie.
Night and day cycles aren't just esthetic; your visibility and the
response time of enemies are affected by it. Weather changes, like
windstorms, completely alter the landscape. Graphics are truly the
immersive part of Far Cry 2.
Ubisoft cleverly plays with the First Person perspective by integrating
gameplay with graphics. When NPC characters frisk you, the game
actually shows you being frisked in first perspective. Switching from
the steering wheel to a jeep's mounted gun gives players a glimpse of
the character's body as he slides into position. Furthermore, your
character has malaria and needs to take pills every so often. Again,
graphics creep into gameplay to add more realism, especially when you
get dizzy spells before a crucial moment like taking a covert shot or
while driving. Knocking on doors, accepting mission files, taking your
medicine, looking at your map or watch, all of it enriches engagement,
which is a plus.
Sound has a distinct African feel. Ambient drum scores as well as a few
other movie-like tunes kick in when fighting. On a down side, "action"
music is initiated when your character shoots, even by accident. Tunes
could have also used more African vocals similar to the game's
astounding intro song. Furthermore, a few actors sound like they were
taken off the street and forced to read lines at gunpoint, and NPC's
exchange lines too quickly during fights. I know they are supposed to
create a sense of exhilaration, but the effect is rather comical.
As you would expect from a Montreal product, various languages and
accents are present, including Afrikaner. Enemies are often heard
communicating, adding to the realism and giving the player a tactical
advantage. Extra driving effects like clunking sounds, rocks hitting
the frame and breaks squealing also spruce things up. Africa is
literally alive with sound, from exotic birds to the brush flowing in
the wind. Oh ya, and you can hear monkeys doing their "thing" too.
Nothing beats monkeys, except hearing someone talking about monkeys in
a foreign accent, which sadly there's none of in the game.
SUMMARY
As was the case with Ubisoft Montreal's Assassin's Creed, you wish Far
Cry 2 had offered more. Action is repetitive, especially when the game
presents the title in such a profound way in the first few minutes of
gameplay. Had it added more natives and means to interact with them,
Ubisoft might have had a game of the year candidate. Instead we get a
pretty, above-average shooter with a virtually non-existent plot. As
shooters go, this one is a nice addition for fans of plug-and-play
titles. Missions are bountiful and action takes seconds to get into.
But for those wanting substance, the game will somewhat disappoint. In
solo Far Cry 2 plays a bit like in multiplayer: you get a quick action
fix with little depth content-wise.
GRAPHICS: 92
The savannah never looked better. Fire needs to be seen in action.
Awesome graphics and weather effects. First person perspective used to
the fullest.
GAMEPLAY: 80
Action puts emphasis on instinct rather than tasks because everything
revolves around shooting and blowing stuff up. Missions are repetitive
but fun.
PRODUCTION: 75
Nothing gets more human than civil war in Africa. Sadly, Far Cry 2
feels more like a playground than a crisis. Ubisoft got lazy here.
SOUND: 89
Nature is alive with sound. Heart-pumping scores set the tone, even
when they shouldn't. Various accents are nice though not perfect. Music
needs more African vocals.
LASTING APPEAL: 85
Solo mode lasts over 20 hours if one focuses on side-missions but
repetition can turn some players off. Online play extends the fun as
one would expect.
OVERALL 84
