Far Cry 2

[8 December 2008]

By Ryan Smith

While it’s been called “Grand Theft Auto: Africa”, Far Cry 2 only shares the most basic of traits with the Rockstar game—it’s a sprawling open world shooter with vehicles. But what sets Far Cry 2 apart is the beautiful and distinct African world it’s set in. If Grand Theft Auto vaguely resembles a movie like Goodfellas, Far Cry 2 is Blood Diamond meets Hotel Rwanda—a somewhat terrifying look into the complicated, Machiavellian world of African politics where mercenaries and arms dealers seem to rule. It’s into this anarchic world that your character is thrust, ambushed by malaria with no friends and no weapons. You must then contend and interact with various warring factions, merchants, the church, and fellow mercenaries, as you freely roam the African countryside by car, jeep, and riverboat. Sure, the bottom line of the game is the same as most of this kind—shoot or be shot—but the atmospheric Far Cry 2 is a cut above the average first-person shooter.


Published at: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/66661-far-cry-2/