Far Cry® 2: Fortune's Edition

I've lost count of the number of times I've played this... Amazing backstory, full of little details (most of the mercenaries are South African and speak Afrikaans!), the diamonds, the rival factions, the malaria. The setting could be in any of a number of African countries, the issues are real. You can go in guns blazing or take the stealth approach, guns rust and become unreliable, and it's a great mix of open world play and storyline. One more small example - I love watching how the mercs react to my character as I build up my reputation... from being aggressive when I'm an unknown they become more respectful, and towards the end, when they know I'm in the firefight they get very scared. Yes there is some driving to do but that's part of the enjoyment, and long distances can be crossed instantly by using the bus (again, a very African touch - those old buses are a lifeline in remote areas). And I'm always a sucker for upgrades. I think the whole game is exceptionally well thought out and executed - for gamers who like a little real-world detail and minimal arcade, this is a must-have.

It gives you almost complete freedom in a very large map with quite varied terrain. It gives you complete freedom to choose your play style. It gives you fellow mercenaries to cultivate friendships with. It gives you complete freedom to play as a silent assassin, a principled mercenary, or an all out bloodthirsty killer. And then it ruins it with completely insane respawn rates, indistinguishable factions and a horrible ending. You play as a mercenary sent to assassinate an arms dealer. You end up working for one of two factions vying for control of a small African country. The first problem pops up right here. It's practically impossible to tell the two factions apart. They're completely forgettable, and there is absolutely no consequence to taking missions from both sides. Once you get through the opening tutorial, you have almost complete freedom to take whatever jobs you want and can perform the jobs in any way you like. Take out a convoy? Snipe the driver, throw a grenade, set up an IED, drive up along side in your own vehicle, stand in front of them with a belt fed machine gun. Choice is yours. The two problems are that the respawn rate is insane. If you kill all the guards at an outpost, travel out of sight, turn around and come back, the place is completely restaffed with guards. This makes getting around the map a bit frustrating. The second problem is that despite a large number of silenced weapons it is almost impossible to actually be stealthy throughout a mission. Almost every job turns into a blood bath. The final--and to me--most unforgivable sin is the ending. Much of the game is spent cultivating relationships with other mercenaries, and it doesn't matter how good or bad you are. It doesn't matter how many missions you've completed with a buddy, the ending never changes and feels completely "out of character." The final ending tries to be edgy in a kind of "Blood Diamond" way but ultimately falls a bit flat. All of the freedom you've had along the way evaporates. So close to being awesome that it's frustrating.

Great game!

Far Cry 2 is one of my favourite games of all time, just behind the STALKER series, which I hope will be coming to GOG soon so that more people can enjoy its strange beauty. Some people say that this game is boring, but like all open-world games it comes down to how you play. If I were to traipse through Morrowind or Skyrim killing everything with the same spell or weapon, it would get pretty lame. In Far Cry 2, you've got to take the initiative to make your own fun and challenge yourself — and when you do, the game will reward you. It's true that there are many other problematic design decisions in the game, but if you like thinking about games as a medium and not just playing them for fun, then you will probably love Far Cry 2 as I do. Even the flaws in this game strengthen and support its central theme. For what that central theme is, I leave it to the player to decide.

This is one of the few games that i have played that actually allows you to do just about whatever you want and go almost anywhere from the start.