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In the aftermath of BioShock, Halo 3, and Call Of Duty 4, some gamers want more from their first-person shooters than just running and gunning. But while Far Cry 2 isn’t a revolution, it does bring a new approach to the genre that should satisfy shooter fans looking for something more. Shooter fans looking for all-out action or a true Far Cry sequel, however, might want to look elsewhere.

The Way The Wind Blows

The basic idea behind Far Cry 2 is that you’re tasked with killing The Jackal, an arms dealer playing both sides in the war-torn African nation of Mwanzo. Since he’s not listed in the phone book, you have to explore the fifty square kilometers of Mwanzo to find him. Which won’t be easy, since the game employs an open-world structure; imagine finding one guy in Liberty City. Or, more accurately, San Esperito, the banana republic from the similarly (albeit sillier) open-world shooter Just Cause.

Good thing the local militias are friendly, and are willing to help you…provided, of course, you run errands for them. Most of which, of course, involve shooting up the place, though there are some where you’re just a glorified delivery man…who shoots up the place.

It’s also good, given how big and open Mwanzo is, that you’ve got a great map and a GPS system, both handheld and installed in every vehicle. And because they appear in the game as if you’re holding them, you can drive (or walk, or boat) like your dad used to: with the map open in front of you. They even have magical directional signs at intersections that turn from white to red or blue if it’s the way you should go to.

Another wrinkle this adds to the FPS genre is the buddy system. You often run into the characters you didn’t chose to be. Rather than holding it against you, they can help you out, giving you side gigs as well as counter-mission to the one you’re doing. Not that this game needs more missions, since there are 33 Main Story ones, a dozen Buddy Missions, 40 Side Missions, missions to get Malaria pills, guard posts to be scouted, and hundreds of diamonds that, once found, can be used to buy weapons, upgrades, and other goods. Which is good, since weapons in Mwanzo, especially ones taken from people you’ve killed, will occasionally jam up.

The game also expands the typical use of fire in shooters. While there’s the usual compliment of exploding red barrels, Molotov cocktails, and flame throwers, they play a larger part in this game because Mwanzo is rich with dry grass, flammable trees, and wooden structures, so fires spread quickly. Which means you can go all Beavis on people, and not only use flames to toast bad guys, but also to force them out from behind cover.

Though if you’re neither a pyromaniac nor Rambo, you can also just buy a sniper rifle and pick people off like they’re bottles in a shooting gallery, or sneak up behind them with your machete like you’re Jason and they’re horny teenagers. All of which helps this very long game from becoming redundant.

Even the game’s multiplayer puts some new spins on old favorites. Besides Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and a Capture The Flag variation with diamonds instead of flags, there’s Uprising, a team-based capture-point game, but one in which only the team’s captains can do the capturing, and once you’ve taken control of all three points, you still have to take out the other team’s leader to win. There’s also an easy-to-use map creator, with options and modifiers that dwarf those in Halo 3’s Forge mode, just in case the fourteen included maps aren’t enough. Unfortunately, it’s all kind of moot, since you move at such a sluggish pace in multiplayer — well, except when you’re sprinting, in which case you can’t shoot — that it feels rather lethargic.

It’s A Far Cry From The World We Thought We’d Inherit

As good as Far Cry 2 may be, though, for fans of the original, this is a sequel in name only. For starters, the game isn’t set on a tropical island that’s so beautiful it might lull you into a sense of false security. Granted, Far Cry 2’s African locale, with its grassy plains and hilly forests, give it a different feel as well, but because its not Club Med-like, it’s just not as striking when you’re suddenly attacked.

Ironically, being distracted would’ve helped this game, as your enemies, while competent, aren’t anything an experienced gunman can’t handle. There are also plenty of ammo and heath boosts to be found, while taking a nap in one of the many safe houses you’ve liberated will restore your health as well. Even if you do go down, you’re not always out, since one of your buddies might conveniently show up to drag you to safety. The catch is that health packs have to be injected, which means there’s a couple seconds there when you’re vulnerable. And it’s even worse if you’re badly injured, since you first have to perform self-triage and then hit health again to be fully healed.

Action junkies might also get bored having to drive from one fire-fight to the next, as they often kill the momentum when you’re itching for a fight. Unless, of course, you’re ambushed on the way or attacked at a checkpoint, in which case you might get killed…and have to make the drive all over again. Some might also call shenanigans on how enemies in an area aren’t always visible when you first arrive, and instead randomly spawn mid- or post-battle, sometimes even behind you or in areas you’ve already cleared out.

Far Cry 2 also gets rid of the sci-fi elements of the original. Which isn’t a big deal — some might even call it an improvement (though not me) — but since they were such a big part of the original, not having them here makes this feel like a different game.

There’s also some technical sloppiness that wasn’t present in the polished original. Not only are there long load times, but when you’re driving along at a good clip, the game can’t always keep up. As a result, the land sometimes isn’t drawn in time, and you find yourself driving off the world and into a Roger Dean-looking land of floating structures. Thankfully, you can just stop close to the edge (sorry) and wait for the game to catch up.

The Ebb And Flow Of Tidal Fortune

Technical issues aside, Far Cry 2 is an epic (and epic-ly long) take on the first-person shooter. The setting, open word, and side quests make it feel more like a more action-oriented Grand Theft Auto, or a less ridiculous Just Cause, than the original. Which, admittedly, will annoy fans of the original (present company included). But for those who hated that game, don’t want another straight shooter, or even just liked Just Cause (present company included), Far Cry 2 is an ambitious and ultimately satisfying F.P.S. that really does offer something more.

Review By: Paul Semel