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 4 of 4
What's Hot: The first true open-world first-person shooter; Intriguing buddy system; Ridiculously lengthy single-player experience (40 to 50 hours, at the very least) + huge multiplayer game world = a ton of value for your money.
What's Not: Annoying mid-mission AI ambushes; Game makes you work too damn hard for new weapons; Trying to read the map while driving = fender bender.
Scott Jones
Status: Coffee makes me feel 4-percent sexier.
For consumers who are light in the wallet these days,
Far Cry 2 is absolutely one of the year's best gaming bargains. You could ostensibly play this and nothing else well into 2009. I only wish that, overall, I cared more about the people and places in
Far Cry 2 on a moment-to-moment basis. The game's narrative is obviously the weak link here; it's messy and vague and confusing; none of the characters distinguish themselves as memorable.
No matter. The world of
Far Cry 2 is so convincing and beautifully articulated, right down to the last zebra, that I was more than happy to tell my own story here. I imagine the locals singing songs about a boogie man who lingers on nearby hilltops, and watches them from a distance, and causes their barrels filled with fuel to mysteriously explode. A creature who, when they least expect it, sends a burning, driver-less jeep speeding into their villages. A cold-hearted man who, they say, has a tendency to kill even his own Buddies in battle.
Now that's a story for you.
This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.
