An African Safari? Guns, Ammo, And Baddies Included.
While at first I was extremely angry that they were calling this a "Far Cry" Sequel, I still pre-ordered it and pretty happy I did. Sure it isn't a sequel in ANY way (unless The Jackal is actually Jack Carver, but the game never says he is...) but if you think of this game as, oh, say "African FPS Numero Uno" Then this is an extremely excellent game. I own this on the Xbox 360 and PC and I'm sure the PS3 version isn't that different (I don't even think the graphics were improved much more on that version if I remember correctly) and I honestly think the PC version is better if you want mods which extend your enjoyment and if you really like the 360 controls you just plug your controller in and Bingo! It works! :) Ok, so GRAPHICS are a 9.4 out of 10 because they are the best so far until CryEngine2 comes out with Crysis 2, but the only bad thing with graphics is View Distance. As with almost any other SANDBOX game, view distance is a problem. Vehicles, Objects, etc. disappear when playing in Multiplayer on User Made maps, but Single Player just has vehicles and environmental objects (bushes, grass, etc.) sometimes are not showing up. It's minor, but odd when you see a friend driving on air through an obstacle course. The gameplay is a 8.0 out of 10 thanks to repetitive missions and AI that seems to be extremely hard to hide from (get the Camo Suit ASAP!). Sound is a 9.5 out of 10, because at times the gun sounds didn't give me that "Whoa that sounded AWESOME" thought. Like the Missile Launcher (not the RPG, that sounded great) had just a, well, like a small "whoosh" sound. The explosions were amazing though, both sound-wise and by graphics. Which by the way, fire realistically moves with the wind and spreads. Very nice addition to the game I must say. The Replayability is quite high, with Multiplayer and a very easy to use map editor (though the PC version makes you leave the game and go into the "Start, Programs, Ubisoft, Far Cry 2, Map Editor" area which on the 360 all you do is click on Map Community in the main menu and select Start Editor. One gripe I have is that the multiplayer didn't have a Predator mode like Far Cry Instincts had (which was the best MP mode other than playing a real zombie mode, like if you could make spawn points for zombie AI and then survive with your friends. THAT would have been amazing.) So I wish Far Cry 2 had atleast some sort of zombie mode, but unfortunately it's the basic "Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Diamond (which is just Capture the Flag), and Uprising, in which each team has a captain that scores points for the team. What makes the game nice, like I've stated before, is that the Map Editor allows millions, if not billions...no infinite ideas to be created. Theme Parks with Log Flumes and Rollercoasters, Race Tracks, maps from movies like Terminator, Maps from other games, fun maps to mess around in with friends, etc. make up for no zombie mode or Co-op. All in all I would have to give Ubisoft a round of applause and give this wonderful game a 9.5 out of 10, because, while there ARE flaws, the greatness outweighs the badness. If you miss out on this game, you need to know that you are missing out on the best FPS of the past 2 years. Yes, even the Halo series (other than the first one) can't beat this badass game that will rock your socks and even with repetitive missions make each minute different than the last! *EDIT: Nevermind what I said about the view distance problem! Sure on MPRead full review
