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Game of the Month: Far Cry 2 |
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With so many AAA games dropping at this time of the year, picking a game of the month is harder than getting games’ publishers to release their titles on time. This month, after long deliberation, the honours go to Far Cry 2.
Critics of the original Far Cry fear not – the science fiction theme and characters have been dropped in favour of a Central African war zone where paramilitary factions are slugging it out for absolute control.
At the centre of this is an arms dealer called The Jackal, and it is this nefarious warmonger – making huge profits from selling arms to both sides of the conflict – that you’re tasked with dispatching. Training is seamlessly integrated into the action, so no time is wasted idly shooting bottles off a wall.
Players are thrust straight into a land ravaged by the hand of civil war. Shanty towns are devoid of civilian populations; only mercenaries and roving bands of militia seek solace in the unforgiving landscape.
It’s impossible not to be impressed with what Crytek has created here. Lush jungle locations are spectacularly detailed. Shadows, foliage and water effects breath life into a vast and explorable sandbox game with day/night cycles.
Combat is brutal. Gunfights are vicious, panic stricken affairs with superb enemy AI ensuring a foe versed in tactical nous. The sense of being hunted in the undergrowth is terrifying and unless you score a skull shot, your opponents are rather difficult to stop.
Guns jam in the heat of battle and bullets have to be frantically prised out of players’ limbs with a knife to restore health.
And to top all of this, you’re battling with the restricting effects of malaria!
While not without its faults (the save system is a little frustrating at times, and only having a limited supply of anti-Malaria pills is annoying), Far Cry 2 is a potent shooter set in a hostile yet beautifully crafted environment.
Just make sure you keep your finger on the trigger.
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