Far Cry 2 (PS3)

As the late '80s poet Axl Rose once sagely said, "Welcome to the jungle, we've got fun and games."
10/24/2008 4:43 PM | 0 Comments | Page 2 of 4

Like the zebra moment, what happens between missions is arguably more interesting than what happens during missions.

Sitting on a nearby hilltop while crouching in the weeds as I scouted out an enemy encampment with my monocular was exciting. The monocular turned green whenever I located an item of interest, like an explosive barrel or a weapons cache. Whenever I'd gathered enough intel, it was time for me to plan out my invasion of said encampment.

I'd typically begin a mission by thinning out the enemy ranks via a sniper rifle, ideally tagging a few of those explosive barrels to cause confusion. It's worth noting that fire spreads in the game. Starting a fire is a good way to literally smoke out enemies. It will spread from building to building, from tree to tree. Even vehicles in the game can catch fire, and will eventually explode. One perfectly viable tactic: driving a burning jeep towards an encampment, but leaping to safety (triangle button) before it enters the encampment. Once inside, it's only a matter of time before the driver-less jeep explodes, causing chaos and setting fire to the surroundings.

Once an encampment had been softened up a bit, I'd then typically switch to a close-range weapon like the shotgun, then enter the village and clean out any stragglers.

If this sounds fun, that's because it is fun. And things get even more interesting via Far Cry 2's Buddy system. You'll inevitably rescue Buddies during these missions. You can develop virtual relationships with these Buddies. They'll offer tactical advice, giving you alternate ways to accomplish a mission, and they'll sometimes even accompany you on missions, doing their best to help keep enemies at bay while you achieve your objectives.

In theory, I like the Buddy system. Getting cell phone calls from Buddies mid-mission, or finding a Buddy lingering around in a Safe House (the little shacks scattered throughout the game world where you can rest, swap out weapons, regain health, and save your game) -- that goes a long way towards making the game feel less like a lonely, solo experience. It's something I'm oddly always conscious of in a game, the degree of loneliness I feel.

In practice, the Buddy system doesn't work so well. Early on in the game, my Buddy got into trouble. I rescued him; I hovered above his writhing, shot-up body, and hit a button to share some of my health with him. In an interesting twist, the game also allows you to do something far more inhumane: You can simply pull out your pistol and off your buddy, saving all of your health for yourself.

The second time my Buddy went down -- I followed the puff of blue I'm-in-trouble smoke to locate him -- a nearby enemy was shooting at me, and in the confusion, I hit the wrong button and shot my Buddy, inadvertently sending him to Buddy Heaven where he could run and play with his other Buddies in verdant fields.