Far Cry 2 – Initial Impressions

Far Cry 2 – An Exercise in Overachieving Mediocrity

I will start this semi-review with a caveat, I did not finish Far Cry 2.  While Far Cry 2 is a very competent shooter, there seemed to be way too much working against me ever beginning to enjoy it.  Whether it was the lack of a quick travel feature, the random battles, or having malaria, there were things in this game that seemed to work against everything the game excels at.

First and foremost I have to say that Far Cry 2 is one of the most gorgeous games I have ever seen on my Xbox 360.  The vistas are absolutely jaw dropping and at times can feel alive when you’re in the dense jungle and surrounded by the sounds of the native fauna.  The only problem is you actually don’t get to encounter many of the animals firsthand.  I’ve seen a water buffalo, deer, a couple chickens, and a poorly placed zebra that I fiercely ran over last night.How could they waste the opportunity to have a lion chase the player for a mile or so just before you turn around with your machete drawn in hopes of taking down the beast…just another drawback chalked up to poor execution.

I do like the “buddy” system in the game which allows you to meet other mercenaries and have them help you with the different tasks you’re given throughout the game.  Unfortunately other than them coming to your rescue or offering you different ways to tackle a situation there’s really no other use for them.  It would have been a bit more beneficial to allow you some control over these guys so that you could tackle situations with some strategy rather than running in guns blazing hoping that your team mate doesn’t get taken out by a stray bullet.

Overall, I can’t pinpoint anything that is all that bad with the game.  You’ll learn quickly that the best way to attack situations is from afar, then play clean up while up close, and repeat ad nauseum.  So while you’ll be completely equipped to beat the game right off the bat but there really isn’t anything to compel you to do so.

Tagged as: Far Cry, Far Cry 2, Games, Video game, xbox 360