Far Cry 2
Encyclopedia
Far Cry 2 is an open world
first-person shooter
developed by Ubisoft Montreal
and published by Ubisoft
. It was released on October 21, 2008
in North America and on October 23, 2008 in Europe and Australia. It was made available on Steam on October 22, 2008. Crytek
, the developers of the original game, were not involved in the development of Far Cry 2.
Ubisoft has marketed Far Cry 2 as the true sequel to Far Cry
, however the sequel has very few noticeable similarities to the original game. Instead, it features completely new characters and setting, as well as a new style of gameplay that allows the player greater freedom to explore different African landscapes such as deserts, jungles, and savannas. The game takes place in a modern-day Central Africa
n nation in a state of anarchy and civil war. The player takes control of a mercenary on a lengthy journey to locate and assassinate "The Jackal", a notorious arms dealer
. As of January 23, 2009, the game has sold 2.9 million copies.
. The game features an open-ended experience. Players are able to ally with one or multiple factions, and to progress through the game world and missions as they see fit, resulting in a nonlinear style of gameplay commonly referred to as sandbox mode that allows the story to progress at their speed and in the order they choose. Players can utilize a range of vehicles, including cars
, truck
s, boat
s and hang gliders
, to travel within the 50 km² (19.3 sq mi) gameplay area. The playing styles range from head-on assaults to stealthy infiltrations and assassinations. The game takes place in a sprawling African landscape, with terrain ranging from desert
to savanna
h to jungle
.
Various factions and vehicles are featured; enemies include human mercenaries, but sci-fi creatures such as the Trigens from Far Cry are not featured. Furthermore, the player's feral abilities introduced in Far Cry Instincts
and its expansions do not return in Far Cry 2. There is also a dynamic weather system that has a day-night cycle and different weather conditions such as storms and strong winds. The time of day also affects the behavior of AI, in terms of enemy alertness and aggressiveness; for example, an enemy might have a slightly heightened awareness at night, but be unable to see the player in hiding, while during the hot part of the day the enemies might be sitting in the shade in groups but easily spot the player from a distance.
The health bar represents the health of the protagonist that is divided into five segments, each of which automatically refills if it is not depleted and the player finds cover for a few seconds. Players carry a limited supply of syrette
s which can be used at any time to fully replenish the health bar, and are obtainable from first aid boxes located throughout the game world. When nearing death (only one health bar remaining), the character must perform first aid
on himself, for example removing bullets with pliers, or snapping twisted or broken fingers into position.
s, shotgun
s, sniper rifle
s, rocket launcher
s, handgun
s, and light machine gun
s. The game breaks these weapons down into three inventory slots, each with a specific list of weapons assigned to it:
In addition to the three selectable types of weapons, a machete
is carried at all times, and the player can also carry a number of hand grenade
s and molotov cocktail
s. All weapons in the game are "mirrored," with ejection ports, charging handles and other user-operated parts on the left side; the exception being the belt-fed machine guns which eject to the right, though this means the PK machine gun
is still mirrored. Further changes are made to some, such as the Ithaca 37
having a side ejection port.
A major gameplay feature is that these weapons degrade over time. Weapons become dirty and prone to jamming and will eventually catastrophically fail and become completely unusable. The player can purchase weapons at various gun shops, which provide an unlimited supply of the weapon in serviceable condition, along with manuals to upgrade weapon's reliability and accuracy. More weapons can be unlocked at the gun shop by completing missions involving the destruction of competitors' arms convoys for the gun shop owner. Weapons can also be picked up off of fallen enemies, but they are always in their most degraded condition and can only be used for a short period of time before jamming and ultimately breaking down completely.
by Rockwell Collins
except for the display which is a color graphics LCD where the PLGR has a mono dot matrix display) to get around, but they are automatically updated as the player travels through the environment. The player is able to tag certain objects and locations such as cars, sniper towers, ammo pickups and buildings, so that they are able to monitor them on their map. When vehicles are damaged the player must perform a short repair animation, involving the tightening of one of the bolts on the radiator (assault trucks), headers (buggy) or other interior part with a ratchet. The player also must deal with malaria
. Every 30 to 40 minutes in real time, the player must take a pill in order to combat the effects of the illness.
The Dunia Engine allows complex sequences and run-events during gameplay; the game features a day-and-night cycle, as well as tree and vegetation regeneration. A unique fire propagation mechanism, which allows a small fire to spread and eventually cause large brush fires, may be used either to the player's advantage during combat or against the player. The behavior of fire is dependent on factors such as wind speed, wind direction, rain, and vegetation type. For example, a fire may not spread as easily in a lush, moist jungle environment compared to dry, grassy plains and savannahs.
Several species of African wildlife can be encountered in the game, and are able to distract the enemy as well as make them aware of the player's presence. All the large animals in the game are grazing herbivore
s, such as zebra
s, wildebeest
, gazelle
, buffalo
, impala
, and gemsbok
. Also domestic animals such as goats and chickens can be found. However, none of the wildlife found in the game pose any direct threat to the player.
Online matches can be held for a maximum of 16 players. Four modes are available with the shipping of the game, consisting of Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Diamond (a slight variation of the standard Capture the Flag as the flags are replaced with diamonds), and Uprising. The Uprising mode provides a twist on a node-capture match by including a captain for each team. Only captains can capture the designated points across the map, and a team must assassinate the enemy captain after capturing all the points to win the round.
Multiplayer gameplay is class based, with six classes available. The Commando is the standard grunt class, with an assault rifle; the Sharpshooter specializes in long range with conventional sniper rifles; the Guerrilla excels in close combat and ambush with shotguns; the Rebel uses explosives and fire with flamethrowers and rocket launchers; the Gunner provides heavy firepower with light machine guns and rocket launchers; and the Saboteur uses stealth and silenced weapons . Each class can choose an appropriate primary weapon and a side arm, as well as explosives such as frag grenades or Molotov cocktails. Players are able to unlock more powerful weapons within each class by spending up to three "blood diamonds" on a class; the diamonds are earned through the experience points from killing other players and completing objectives. Potential upgrades for individual weapons within a class include operation manuals, maintenance manuals, and bandolier
s.
The Multiplayer has a ranking system which awards points for killing enemy players, reviving friendly players, capturing control points, and capturing diamonds.
Oliver Tambossa, Chief of Staff for the former government). Both factions have claimed to have the people's interests at heart, but both have shown ruthlessness, warmongering, greed, and a general disregard for the well-being of the people. Both sides have hired many foreign mercenaries to bolster their strength over the course of the conflict.
The recent exhaustion of the nation's diamond mines has thrown the nation into further turmoil, leaving many foreign mercenaries without payment and no way out.
The goal of the player's character is to find and assassinate the Jackal, a 52-year-old arms-dealer who has been selling weapons to both sides of the conflict. The player must accomplish this goal by whatever means necessary, even if he has to succumb to the immorality of the warring factions and the Jackal himself.
, is not featured in this game. When Ubisoft interviewed players about the original Far Cry in their research for this game, the interviewees did not find the character very memorable or likable. As a result, in the sequel the player chooses from nine different characters to play, each with a unique look and back story. All the playable characters are male, but there are a few potential buddies that are female. The playable mercenaries include Warren Clyde (American), Quarbani Singh (Mauritian), Paul Ferenc (Israeli), Xianyong Bai (Chinese), Marty Alencar (Brazilian), Frank Bilders (Northern Irish), Josip Idromeno (Albanian), Hakim Echebbi (Algerian) and Andre Hyppolite (Haitian).The non-playable characters include Flora Guillen (Cuban-Angolan), Nasreen Davar (Tajik),
and Michele Dachss(French).
The main enemy of the game is a sadistic but intelligent arms-dealer known as the Jackal, who is fueling the violence in the country. He is notorious for selling his weapons at very cheap prices and being fearless. He affirms his knowledge of will to power by quoting Frederich Nietzche's Beyond Good and Evil at the beginning of the game and having little to no remorse for all the death he has caused. Various tape recordings throughout the game reveal his thoughts and beliefs, in one of the tapes he reveals he is a humanist. It is rumored that the Jackal has cancer, and does not have very long to live. Despite all of the chances he has, the Jackal never tries killing the protagonist, and simply uses him as a tool to cause more chaos as the protagonist hunts for him. In the end, it is revealed that the Jackal is seeking redemption from his life as an arms-dealer, and wishes to cleanse the country of its war.
The two factions each have a leader and second in command. The UFLL's leader is Addi Mbantuwe and his subordinate's name is Leon Gakumba. The APR's leader is major Oliver Tambossa and his subordinate's name is Prosper Kouassi. The factions also have some kind of "lieutenants" or underbosses that the player will encounter during the game.
. The playable characters the player does not choose to play become non-player character
s who are friends of the player's character and who can be found in bars around the in-game nation. These friends are called Buddies and they can serve various roles in the game. All of the buddies offer side missions to the player, completion of which increases that buddy's standing with the player. Additionally there are a few "extra" buddies that can be found. In any playthrough the buddies that can be met is random and not all buddies will appear. The player's "Best Buddy" and "Second Best Buddy" can play additional roles.
The player's "Best Buddy" can provide the player alternate, or "subverted" ways to complete most of the main story missions. These subverted missions always require more steps than the standard mission, but they often make the final objective easier. For example, bringing a container of defoliant
to one Buddy who has access to a plane, will allow him or her to deprive the enemy of cover when the player assaults a plantation, or bringing a fuse
to a buddy that has a bomb will allow him or her to blow up a bridge, simply crushing an enemy barge beneath instead of forcing the player to assault the barge. Completing subverted missions also increases the player's standing with the best buddy and adds "upgrades" to every safe house in the region, such as vehicles parked outside, medical pickups and ammo pickups. However, the inevitable final objective of a subverted mission will always be that the player must rescue their buddy (Who by the end of the mission is heavily outnumbered by the enemy and must be rescued). The player must choose to either take on a shorter, more difficult mission, or a longer but easier mission.
The player's "Second Best Buddy" can come to the player's aid when they fall in battle if they are "rescue ready". The buddy will move them to a safer location, then revive them and help fight off the remaining enemies. The buddy then needs to recuperate and will be ready to save the player again once they are visited at a safehouse.
Buddies can be wounded or killed in battle during subverted missions, buddy rescues, and other circumstances. When a buddy dies, their death is permanent, and the player has only a limited number of possible buddies in each region. When all of the player's buddies are dead, subverted missions and buddy rescues are no longer available. When buddies are wounded in battle, they will mark their position with a smoke grenade
and cry out for help. The player can choose to render aid, or simply leave the buddy to die. If the buddy's wounds are minor enough, the player can inject them with a syrette
to fully heal them. However if the buddy's injuries are too severe, the player's only option is to euthanize
them by either overdosing
them with syrettes or looking away and shooting them in the head. Buddies usually have three "lives" where if they're shot down a third time, the player will not be able to save them. Their last words before death are usually "thank you."
The player's character lands in the northern territory of Leboa-Sako and is introduced to the harsh reality of life in the country. On the way to the town of Pala in a cab, the player character begins to suffer from the effects of malaria
and passes out. He awakes inside a hotel and finds the Jackal standing over him. With the player incapacitated by illness, the Jackal briefly offers some insight into his philosophy, quoting from Friedrich Nietzsche
's Beyond Good and Evil
about the will to power. He threatens to kill the player character, but ultimately chooses to spare his life and leaves after stabbing a machete into the wall which the player character retrieves.
Meanwhile, the ceasefire in Pala has collapsed and the UFLL and APR are engaged in open fighting. The player either passes out with malaria after managing to escape or is severely wounded before he can escape. The player is revived in the camp of one of the faction lieutenants in the area. In return for saving the player's life, the lieutenant orders the player to conduct basic errands. The player meets a journalist named Reuben Oluwagembi, who is writing a book about the conflict and the Jackal's part in it. He requests that the player find the tapes of his interview with the Jackal, scattered over the region. Once the player has acquired some malaria medicine from a priest who is helping civilians escape the violence, the player is given the freedom to choose their next mission.
In addition to the hunt for the Jackal, the player can provide the Underground with stamped travel document
s for refugee
s in exchange for anti-malarial drugs, ambush convoys of weapon shipments in order to gain access to a greater variety of weapons and equipment from arms dealers, and assassinate targets acquired by intercepting signals from various cell-phone towers
in the area.
The player is forced to work with both the UFLL and the APR in Leboa-Sako, each using the player as a deniable agent in order to avoid a full-scale war. When the player is in the faction HQ before he is taking a mission, conversations are heard between the faction leader and the mercenary leader, for example on one occasion they discuss the rumor that the Jackal has cancer and only a few months left to live. After many successful missions, a faction captain (either Prosper Kouassi or Leon Gakumba) contracts the player to assassinate the other faction's captain. Once the assassination is complete, however, the player is betrayed and ambushed by the contractor and his troops. The player escapes, but in the chaos, he is forced to choose either to defend the priest and the civilians under his care, or to aid fellow mercenaries. The player's character eventually falls in combat, and awakes in the back of a truck filled with bodies. Any buddies the player has made up to this point are now either killed or declared missing, dependent on whom the player opted to aid. He falls off of the truck onto the road and seeks shelter in the desert, finally collapsing in the following sandstorm
. The Jackal appears and takes the unconscious player to safety, but is then forced to flee when retreating troops of the other faction, now without a captain, arrive. A lieutenant from this faction offers the player a chance to redeem himself by assassinating the faction captain who betrayed the player. The player assassinates the target at a troop rally and escapes south, to the province of Bowa-Seko.
In Bowa-Seko, the player and a Buddy follows the lieutenant's orders to destabilize the area and reignite the conflict by conducting a false flag
operation in Port Selao. Following this, the two factions are now at war in the new province, opening up a variety of work from both sides. Eventually, the player is hired by one of the leaders, either Oliver Tambossa or Addi Mbantuwe, to deliver diamonds to the opposite faction, for a peace settlement between the factions. When the player arrives at the location, however, he finds the area devastated and the faction leader dead. The Jackal appears and explains that he wants the conflict to continue, since the warlords want peace only to conduct their crimes outside the world's attention. He then seizes the diamonds and knocks the player character unconscious.
The player wakes imprisoned in an old slave outpost, and discovers that he has been used as a scapegoat, blamed for murdering a faction leader and disrupting the peace settlement. The player escapes and continues his search for the Jackal. In the process, he performs a series of missions, consisting of assassinating Nick Greaves and Hector Voorhees, the new warlords of the APR and UFLL respectively. However, the player can choose to kill his contractors instead after meeting with Greaves and Voorhees. Reuben then calls the player for help, fearing that he and some other journalists are either going to get deported or shot at the airfield. The player fights off the militia and rescues the journalists.
With Reuben's help, the player finally tracks down and meets with the Jackal (at this point there is a glitch to kill The Jackal), who reveals his intentions to help the civilian population escape the war-torn country. Although he must eventually kill the Jackal, the player character agrees to help. The Jackal's plan is for the player to assassinate the two remaining faction leaders and take a case of diamonds to bribe the border guards. After finding the diamonds, however, the player must fight his fellow mercenaries and friends, as they want the diamonds for themselves to escape the country.
With both faction leaders dead and the diamonds in hand, the player meets the Jackal at a hut near the border (named 'The Heart of Darkness
'). The Jackal plans to dynamite
the valley leading to the border, in order to prevent the militia from following the evacuating civilians. However, the detonating cord
has malfunctioned, and the explosives must be short-circuited with a car battery at the site, leading to the detonator's certain death. The Jackal offers the player a choice; he can detonate the explosives, or take the diamonds and shoot himself upon leaving the country, either way ensuring the civilians' escape. The game ends with Reuben Oluwagembi witnessing the explosion, then turning to take a picture of the massed crowd of refugees crossing the border. One of the border guards is seen holding the case of diamonds.
The APR and UFLL warlords have attempted to end hostilities and establish a government but the violence continues. Reuben's story was ignored by the international press, and he is supposedly publishing it on his personal blog. The civilian population largely escaped, and NGO
s credit the low casualty rate to the work of the country's Underground. The Jackal has since disappeared, and world governments insist that he died in the conflict, although no body is ever found. In addition, the player's exact fate is unseen, though presumably the protagonist dies, either in the explosion or by the gunshot heard at the end of the game. Such actions are performed linearly without any choice on the part of the player, despite the in-game journal hinting that the protagonist might choose to kill the Jackal instead.
team, and would be released on October 23, 2008.
The game's producer, Louis-Pierre Pharand, said that the single-player game will "potentially have close to 50 hours of game play." Lead designer Clint Hocking stated that at least 100 hours are needed to experience all of the game's content.
A pre-alpha video of the game, showcasing the visuals and 13 minutes of gameplay with developer commentary, was presented in Leipzig in August 2007. The demonstration showed off the gameplay involving gunfights and driving sequences, and unique features such as first aid and physical maps were also shown. It also showcased several graphical features tying in directly with the gameplay, such as procedural breakage of vegetation and its regeneration over time, dynamic propagation of fire, and volumetric wind effects capable of breaking vegetation and spreading fire. Man-made structures were also shown to be highly destructible.
and camping out on the savannah. The game's producer, Louis-Pierre Pharand said that following the trip they realized they had gotten the design of the game "so wrong" and made several changes to "make the game feel like you were really there".
Some African wildlife are featured in the game world, but herbivores only; according to the developers, predators without careful control would have eaten all the herbivores and starved to death.
made completely from in-game pieces.
The map editor features hundreds of objects found in the single player game including vehicles, buildings, bridges and more. Fan mods for the map editor can unlock more objects. However, weapons (with the exception of mounted guns) cannot be placed on maps to support the game's class-based gameplay. Nor can people or wild animals. And you can not edit real map of the game.
The objects in the player made maps, such as buildings and structures are all just links to the objects in the game's install directories, making the map files smaller. This means that uploading and downloading maps is quick and easy. It was announced at the GC 2008 that there will be a memory space limit for each map.
The map editor uses a real-time rendered freecam view, without a heads-up display or other screen elements such as a hand-gun combination. Time-of-day can be freely chosen in the editor. Trees and grass animate in the real-time preview.
.
The Dunia engine was built specifically for Far Cry 2 by Ubisoft Montreal
development team. It delivers realistic semi-destructible environments, special effects such as dynamic fire propagation and storm effects, real-time night-and-day cycle, dynamic music
system and non-scripted enemy A.I actions.
The engine takes advantage of multi-core processors as well as multiple processors and supports DirectX 9 as well as DirectX 10.
Only 2 or 3 percent of the original CryEngine
code is re-used, according to Michiel Verheijdt, Senior Product Manager for Ubisoft Netherlands. Additionally, the engine is less hardware-demanding than CryEngine 2, the engine used in Crysis
.
Far Cry 2 also supports the amBX
technology from Philips
. With the proper hardware, this adds effects like vibrations, ambient colored lights, and fans that generate wind effects.
on May 28–29, 2008, Ubisoft revealed brand new video footage for Far Cry 2. Along with the new footage, Ubisoft displayed in-game screenshots showing off the visuals rendered by Ubisoft's Dunia Engine (see engine). A video of Ubisoft Montreal's developers talking about the upcoming game's features can be seen on G4
's website.
Additional content is available to those who pre-order it at GameStop
. Dubbed the GameStop Exclusive Pre-Order Edition, the package sells at the same price point as the regular SKU, and includes bonus missions, a fold out map and different packaging.
Limited edition Far Cry 2 t-shirt
“The Art of Far Cry 2” Art book
Collector 50 km² map
Making-of DVD, including video from the development team's trip to Africa
The United States receives a separate Limited Edition package, available exclusively for those who pre-order it at GameStop
. Dubbed the GameStop Exclusive Pre-Order Edition, the package sells at the same price point as the regular SKU, and includes the following:
It should be noted that the "bonus missions" mentioned here are not truly exclusive to GameStop pre-orders. The content, a set of missions revealing information about the previous individual sent to assassinate The Jackal, is present on all Xbox 360, PC and PS3 Far Cry 2 game discs, and can be unlocked with one of several non-unique eight-character codes. In the UK, a limited edition "steel book" edition of the game is also available with differing art work to the standard release.
, the former Lead Game Designer of Sacred. The first novel primarily tells the story of the first game, and also features the sequel's Marty Alencar as a character, as well as including a flashback scene taking place in Far Cry 2s African setting. The second novel acts as a prequel of sorts to the game, with the plot focusing on Paula, a war veteran-turned-mercenary, and her struggle in the diamond conflicts and civil war which are the focus of Far Cry 2. Both of these novels feature a character not seen in either game called Zaman, a former Asian American
CIA agent who acts as a trainer and mentor to both Paula and Jack Carver. Like the game engine, Zaman's name is of Arab
origin, and the word Zaman means 'Time' or 'Era' in the Arabic Language.
On 9 February 2009 Ubisoft announced "Hardcore" mode would be coming to Far Cry 2. A new damage model is applied with increased damage for all weapons. According to community developer Atmon,
. These two spaces are the "Train Station" and "Rueben's Office" from the game. In the Train Station, users can play a mini-game called 'Mancala' and there is a 'Newspaper Clipping' that users can read. In Rueben's Office, users can play a mini-game called 'Interactive Map', view 'Dossiers', and just added on September 24, 2009, play the mini-game 'Reuben's Report'. These spaces are only available to users of the European and North American versions of PlayStation Home. These spaces were released during the Closed Beta on October 16, 2008 for the North American version and on January 22, 2009 for the European version which was after the Open Beta launch on December 11, 2008.
On July 2, 2009, Ubisoft released a patch for Far Cry 2 that enables full game launching support. Game launching is a feature where users can set up a multi-player game in Home, and launch directly into the game from Home.
The main criticisms of the game were the long time it took to travel from one objective to another, constantly respawning enemies, the lack of information within the plot, and the not-so-compelling storyline. The IGN
review pointed out another minor issue, with the difference in the save system: the PC version allows players to save at any time, while the console versions only allow players to save at certain points.
Additionally, some reviewers noted that the focus on immersion sometimes goes too far (to the point that the game became annoying at times), and was sometimes killed by bad game-design choices and game glitches (some inconsistent textures and generic character models, magic map, instant spawning of enemies at check points, the diamond caches, the effects of malaria being overused, vehicles and firearms jamming).
Game Informer gave praise to the console save system because it gives a sense of realism to the game. While IGN criticised this, GameSpot
noted that the console version's save system gave the player more of a sense of urgency as it made death seem more consequential. GamePro
praises Far Cry 2, saying: "Its detailed presentation, feature-rich
gameplay, and palpable sense of placing players in another world yield a bar-raising effort."
In May 2009 a patch was released for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 that fixed several issues including the corrupt save game issue. In July 2009 a similar patch was released for the PC. Other bugs, such as crashes, may still occur under some circumstances, although at decreased rates. No bug fixes or patches were integrated into the Classics/Platinum rerelease of the game.
The game has issues on Windows 7 such as inability to join servers or to download custom maps.
, a single copy of the PC version of Far Cry 2 can only be installed ('activated') on five separate hardware configurations at any one time, although the uninstaller
is able to 'revoke' the installation, thus freeing up one of the hardware configuration activations (while the system is in a usable state).
As of the 1.03 patch, the activation requirement has been removed from the PC version of the game. In addition, the game disc is no longer required to be present in the drive for gameplay.
Open world
An open world is a type of video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how to approach objectives...
first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
developed by Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Montreal is a Canadian video game developer owned by French publisher Ubisoft.Ubisoft's North American studio is located in Montreal, Quebec...
and published by Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
. It was released on October 21, 2008
2008 in video gaming
Notable events of 2008 in video gaming. See also history of video games. The release dates listed in this article are the games' original release dates.-Events:...
in North America and on October 23, 2008 in Europe and Australia. It was made available on Steam on October 22, 2008. Crytek
Crytek
Crytek is a German video game company founded in 1999 by three Turkish brothers: Cevat, Avni and Faruk Yerli. Crytek's main headquarters are in Frankfurt, Germany, with five other studios in Kiev, Budapest, Nottingham, Sofia and Seoul. The company is best known for developing the game Far Cry and...
, the developers of the original game, were not involved in the development of Far Cry 2.
Ubisoft has marketed Far Cry 2 as the true sequel to Far Cry
Far Cry
Far Cry is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek Studios from Germany and published by Ubisoft on March 23, 2004, for Microsoft Windows. Far Cry sold 730,000 units within four months of release. It received positive reviews upon release...
, however the sequel has very few noticeable similarities to the original game. Instead, it features completely new characters and setting, as well as a new style of gameplay that allows the player greater freedom to explore different African landscapes such as deserts, jungles, and savannas. The game takes place in a modern-day Central Africa
Central Africa
Central Africa is a core region of the African continent which includes Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
n nation in a state of anarchy and civil war. The player takes control of a mercenary on a lengthy journey to locate and assassinate "The Jackal", a notorious arms dealer
Arms industry
The arms industry is a global industry and business which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology and equipment. It comprises government and commercial industry involved in research, development, production, and service of military material, equipment and facilities...
. As of January 23, 2009, the game has sold 2.9 million copies.
Gameplay
Far Cry 2 is a sequel to the original Far CryFar Cry
Far Cry is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek Studios from Germany and published by Ubisoft on March 23, 2004, for Microsoft Windows. Far Cry sold 730,000 units within four months of release. It received positive reviews upon release...
. The game features an open-ended experience. Players are able to ally with one or multiple factions, and to progress through the game world and missions as they see fit, resulting in a nonlinear style of gameplay commonly referred to as sandbox mode that allows the story to progress at their speed and in the order they choose. Players can utilize a range of vehicles, including cars
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
, truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
s, boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
s and hang gliders
Hang gliding
Hang gliding is an air sport in which a pilot flies a light and unmotorized foot-launchable aircraft called a hang glider ....
, to travel within the 50 km² (19.3 sq mi) gameplay area. The playing styles range from head-on assaults to stealthy infiltrations and assassinations. The game takes place in a sprawling African landscape, with terrain ranging from desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
to savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
h to jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
.
Various factions and vehicles are featured; enemies include human mercenaries, but sci-fi creatures such as the Trigens from Far Cry are not featured. Furthermore, the player's feral abilities introduced in Far Cry Instincts
Far Cry Instincts
Far Cry Instincts is a video game developed and published by Ubisoft for Xbox that was released on September 27, 2005. A remake of the original PC version, Instincts is less open-ended and more linear, due to the console's reduced processing power which prevents the full rendering of the PC...
and its expansions do not return in Far Cry 2. There is also a dynamic weather system that has a day-night cycle and different weather conditions such as storms and strong winds. The time of day also affects the behavior of AI, in terms of enemy alertness and aggressiveness; for example, an enemy might have a slightly heightened awareness at night, but be unable to see the player in hiding, while during the hot part of the day the enemies might be sitting in the shade in groups but easily spot the player from a distance.
The health bar represents the health of the protagonist that is divided into five segments, each of which automatically refills if it is not depleted and the player finds cover for a few seconds. Players carry a limited supply of syrette
Syrette
The Syrette is a device for injecting liquid through a needle. It is similar to a syringe except that it has a closed flexible tube instead of a rigid tube and piston...
s which can be used at any time to fully replenish the health bar, and are obtainable from first aid boxes located throughout the game world. When nearing death (only one health bar remaining), the character must perform first aid
First aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
on himself, for example removing bullets with pliers, or snapping twisted or broken fingers into position.
Weapons
The player also has access to a large arsenal of real world weapons, including battle rifleBattle rifle
A battle rifle is a military service rifle that fires a full power rifle cartridge, such as 7.62x51mm NATO. While the designation of battle rifle is usually given to post-World War II select fire infantry rifles such as the H&K G3, the FN FAL or the M14, this term can also apply to older military...
s, shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
s, sniper rifle
Sniper rifle
In military and law enforcement terminology, a sniper rifle is a precision-rifle used to ensure more accurate placement of bullets at longer ranges than other small arms. A typical sniper rifle is built for optimal levels of accuracy, fitted with a telescopic sight and chambered for a military...
s, rocket launcher
Shoulder-launched missile weapon
A shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-launched missile or man-portable missile is a projectile fired at a target, small enough to be carried by a single person, and fired while held on one's shoulder...
s, handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
s, and light machine gun
Light machine gun
A light machine gun is a machine gun designed to be employed by an individual soldier, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. Light machine guns are often used as squad automatic weapons.-Characteristics:...
s. The game breaks these weapons down into three inventory slots, each with a specific list of weapons assigned to it:
- Primary weapons: Heckler & Koch G3KA4, AK-47AK-47The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
, FN-FAL, AR-16, M1903 Springfield, SVD Sniper, MP5SD, MGL grenade launcherMilkor MGLThe MGL is a lightweight 40 mm semi-automatic, 6-shot grenade launcher developed and manufactured in South Africa by Milkor Ltd. The MGL was demonstrated as a concept to the South African Defence Force in 1981. The operating principle was immediately accepted and subjected to a stringent...
, Franchi SPAS-12Franchi SPAS-12The SPAS-12 is a combat shotgun that was manufactured by the Italian firearms company Franchi S.p.A. from 1979 to 2000. The SPAS-12 is a dual-mode shotgun, meaning it can be calibrated to cycle either semi-automatically or through pump-action. The SPAS-12 has sold well to military and police users...
, Daewoo USAS-12, Accuracy International AS50Accuracy International AS50The AS50 is a .50 BMG sniper/anti-materiel rifle manufactured by British firearms producer Accuracy International. The AS50 enables operators to engage targets at very long range with high accuracy using explosive or incendiary ammunition...
, Ithaca 37Ithaca 37The Ithaca 37 is a pump-action shotgun made in large numbers for the civilian, military, and police markets. It utilizes a novel combination ejection/loading port on the bottom of the gun which leaves the sides closed to the elements. In addition, the outline of the gun is clean...
, and a special SD shotgun. - Secondary: Star Model P, IMI Desert Eagle, Makarov pistol (silenced or unsilenced versions available for use), Uzi, MAC-10MAC-10The MAC-10 is a highly compact, blowback operated machine pistol developed by Gordon B. Ingram in 1964.-Design:The M-10 was built predominantly from steel stampings...
, Flare gunFlare gunA flare gun is a firearm that launches flares. It is typically used for signalling, as distress signalling, at sea or from the ground to aircraft...
, M79 grenade launcherM79 grenade launcherThe M79 grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, break-action grenade launcher that fires a 40x46mm grenade which used what the US Army called the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low, and first appeared during the Vietnam War...
, IEDsImprovised explosive deviceAn improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
and a sawn-off special shotgun. - Special: RPG-7RPG-7The RPG-7 is a widely-produced, portable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Originally the RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and now manufactured by the Bazalt company...
, recoilless rifleCarl Gustav recoilless rifleThe Carl Gustav is the common name for the 84 mm man-portable reusable multi-role recoilless rifle produced by Saab Bofors Dynamics in Sweden...
, flamethrower, mortarMortar (weapon)A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
, PK machine gunPK machine gunThe PK is a 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun designed in the Soviet Union and currently in production in Russia. The PK machine gun was introduced in the 1960s and replaced the SGM and RPD machine guns in Soviet service...
, M249 light machine gunM249 light machine gunThe M249 light machine gun , previously designated the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon , and formally written as Light Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, M249, is an American version of the Belgian FN Minimi, a light machine gun manufactured by the Belgian company FN Herstal . The M249 is manufactured in the...
, dart rifleTranquilliser gunA tranquilliser gun , capture gun, or dart gun, is a non-lethal gun used for capture via a special chemical. Tranquilliser guns shoot darts filled with tranquilliser that, when injected, temporarily sedate an animal or human, so that it may be handled safely...
, and a special CrossbowCrossbowA crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts or quarrels. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a torsion engine resembling a crossbow in appearance.Historically, crossbows played a...
In addition to the three selectable types of weapons, a machete
Machete
The machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the English language, an equivalent term is matchet, though it is less commonly known...
is carried at all times, and the player can also carry a number of hand grenade
M67 grenade
The M67 grenade is a fragmentation hand grenade used by the United States Military and Canadian Forces, where it is referred to as the C13. The M67 is a replacement for the M61 grenade used during Vietnam and the older Mk 2 "pineapple" grenade used since World War II.-Composition:The M67 Grenade...
s and molotov cocktail
Molotov cocktail
The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
s. All weapons in the game are "mirrored," with ejection ports, charging handles and other user-operated parts on the left side; the exception being the belt-fed machine guns which eject to the right, though this means the PK machine gun
PK machine gun
The PK is a 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun designed in the Soviet Union and currently in production in Russia. The PK machine gun was introduced in the 1960s and replaced the SGM and RPD machine guns in Soviet service...
is still mirrored. Further changes are made to some, such as the Ithaca 37
Ithaca 37
The Ithaca 37 is a pump-action shotgun made in large numbers for the civilian, military, and police markets. It utilizes a novel combination ejection/loading port on the bottom of the gun which leaves the sides closed to the elements. In addition, the outline of the gun is clean...
having a side ejection port.
A major gameplay feature is that these weapons degrade over time. Weapons become dirty and prone to jamming and will eventually catastrophically fail and become completely unusable. The player can purchase weapons at various gun shops, which provide an unlimited supply of the weapon in serviceable condition, along with manuals to upgrade weapon's reliability and accuracy. More weapons can be unlocked at the gun shop by completing missions involving the destruction of competitors' arms convoys for the gun shop owner. Weapons can also be picked up off of fallen enemies, but they are always in their most degraded condition and can only be used for a short period of time before jamming and ultimately breaking down completely.
Realism
The game has realistic features such as weapon degradation and the dynamic weather system. Also, the player needs to hold a physical map and use a handheld navigation system (which highly resembles a military-type GPS, the PLGR+ 96Precision Lightweight GPS Receiver
The Precision Lightweight GPS Receiver is a ruggedized, hand-held, single-frequency GPS receiver fielded by the US military...
by Rockwell Collins
Rockwell Collins
Rockwell Collins, Inc. is a large United States-based international company headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, primarily providing aviation and information technology systems and services to governmental agencies and aircraft manufacturers.- History :...
except for the display which is a color graphics LCD where the PLGR has a mono dot matrix display) to get around, but they are automatically updated as the player travels through the environment. The player is able to tag certain objects and locations such as cars, sniper towers, ammo pickups and buildings, so that they are able to monitor them on their map. When vehicles are damaged the player must perform a short repair animation, involving the tightening of one of the bolts on the radiator (assault trucks), headers (buggy) or other interior part with a ratchet. The player also must deal with malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. Every 30 to 40 minutes in real time, the player must take a pill in order to combat the effects of the illness.
The Dunia Engine allows complex sequences and run-events during gameplay; the game features a day-and-night cycle, as well as tree and vegetation regeneration. A unique fire propagation mechanism, which allows a small fire to spread and eventually cause large brush fires, may be used either to the player's advantage during combat or against the player. The behavior of fire is dependent on factors such as wind speed, wind direction, rain, and vegetation type. For example, a fire may not spread as easily in a lush, moist jungle environment compared to dry, grassy plains and savannahs.
Several species of African wildlife can be encountered in the game, and are able to distract the enemy as well as make them aware of the player's presence. All the large animals in the game are grazing herbivore
Herbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
s, such as zebra
Zebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
s, wildebeest
Wildebeest
The wildebeest , also called the gnu is an antelope of the genus Connochaetes. It is a hooved mammal...
, gazelle
Gazelle
A gazelle is any of many antelope species in the genus Gazella, or formerly considered to belong to it. Six species are included in two genera, Eudorcas and Nanger, which were formerly considered subgenera...
, buffalo
African Buffalo
The African buffalo, affalo, nyati, Mbogo or Cape buffalo is a large African bovine. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, but its ancestry remains unclear...
, impala
Impala
An impala is a medium-sized African antelope. The name impala comes from the Zulu language meaning "gazelle"...
, and gemsbok
Gemsbok
The gemsbok or gemsbuck is a large antelope in the Oryx genus. It is native to the arid regions of southern Africa, but formerly some authorities included the East African Oryx as a subspecies...
. Also domestic animals such as goats and chickens can be found. However, none of the wildlife found in the game pose any direct threat to the player.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer in Far Cry 2 attempts to include the dynamic elements of the singleplayer game (such as fire propagation) and to provide as accessible gameplay as possible so that it is available to all skill levels and so that players have specific gameplay aspects to keep in mind when designing their own maps in the map editor. It also includes a vast number of vehicles.Online matches can be held for a maximum of 16 players. Four modes are available with the shipping of the game, consisting of Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Diamond (a slight variation of the standard Capture the Flag as the flags are replaced with diamonds), and Uprising. The Uprising mode provides a twist on a node-capture match by including a captain for each team. Only captains can capture the designated points across the map, and a team must assassinate the enemy captain after capturing all the points to win the round.
Multiplayer gameplay is class based, with six classes available. The Commando is the standard grunt class, with an assault rifle; the Sharpshooter specializes in long range with conventional sniper rifles; the Guerrilla excels in close combat and ambush with shotguns; the Rebel uses explosives and fire with flamethrowers and rocket launchers; the Gunner provides heavy firepower with light machine guns and rocket launchers; and the Saboteur uses stealth and silenced weapons . Each class can choose an appropriate primary weapon and a side arm, as well as explosives such as frag grenades or Molotov cocktails. Players are able to unlock more powerful weapons within each class by spending up to three "blood diamonds" on a class; the diamonds are earned through the experience points from killing other players and completing objectives. Potential upgrades for individual weapons within a class include operation manuals, maintenance manuals, and bandolier
Bandolier
A bandolier or a bandoleer is a pocketed belt for holding ammunition. It was usually slung over the chest. In its original form, it was common issue to soldiers from the 16th to 18th centuries. This was very useful for quickly reloading a musket....
s.
The Multiplayer has a ranking system which awards points for killing enemy players, reviving friendly players, capturing control points, and capturing diamonds.
Setting
Far Cry 2 abandons the science fiction aspects of its predecessor in favor of a more realistic setting. The game takes place in late 2008 in a small, failed Central African state, currently embroiled in a civil war. The government has recently collapsed, leaving two factions vying for control. At war are the United Front for Liberation and Labour (UFLL, led by Addi Mbantuwe, a former opposition leader) and the Alliance for Popular Resistance (APR, best far led by Maj.Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Oliver Tambossa, Chief of Staff for the former government). Both factions have claimed to have the people's interests at heart, but both have shown ruthlessness, warmongering, greed, and a general disregard for the well-being of the people. Both sides have hired many foreign mercenaries to bolster their strength over the course of the conflict.
The recent exhaustion of the nation's diamond mines has thrown the nation into further turmoil, leaving many foreign mercenaries without payment and no way out.
The goal of the player's character is to find and assassinate the Jackal, a 52-year-old arms-dealer who has been selling weapons to both sides of the conflict. The player must accomplish this goal by whatever means necessary, even if he has to succumb to the immorality of the warring factions and the Jackal himself.
Characters
The protagonist of previous Far Cry games, Jack CarverFar Cry (series)
Far Cry is a franchise of first person shooter computer and video games, following the name of the first game of the series. Crysis is a conceptual sequel to Far Cry, but is not part of the Far Cry series.-Games:-Far Cry: The Movie:...
, is not featured in this game. When Ubisoft interviewed players about the original Far Cry in their research for this game, the interviewees did not find the character very memorable or likable. As a result, in the sequel the player chooses from nine different characters to play, each with a unique look and back story. All the playable characters are male, but there are a few potential buddies that are female. The playable mercenaries include Warren Clyde (American), Quarbani Singh (Mauritian), Paul Ferenc (Israeli), Xianyong Bai (Chinese), Marty Alencar (Brazilian), Frank Bilders (Northern Irish), Josip Idromeno (Albanian), Hakim Echebbi (Algerian) and Andre Hyppolite (Haitian).The non-playable characters include Flora Guillen (Cuban-Angolan), Nasreen Davar (Tajik),
and Michele Dachss(French).
The main enemy of the game is a sadistic but intelligent arms-dealer known as the Jackal, who is fueling the violence in the country. He is notorious for selling his weapons at very cheap prices and being fearless. He affirms his knowledge of will to power by quoting Frederich Nietzche's Beyond Good and Evil at the beginning of the game and having little to no remorse for all the death he has caused. Various tape recordings throughout the game reveal his thoughts and beliefs, in one of the tapes he reveals he is a humanist. It is rumored that the Jackal has cancer, and does not have very long to live. Despite all of the chances he has, the Jackal never tries killing the protagonist, and simply uses him as a tool to cause more chaos as the protagonist hunts for him. In the end, it is revealed that the Jackal is seeking redemption from his life as an arms-dealer, and wishes to cleanse the country of its war.
The two factions each have a leader and second in command. The UFLL's leader is Addi Mbantuwe and his subordinate's name is Leon Gakumba. The APR's leader is major Oliver Tambossa and his subordinate's name is Prosper Kouassi. The factions also have some kind of "lieutenants" or underbosses that the player will encounter during the game.
Friends
All of the playable characters are different types of mercenariesMercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
. The playable characters the player does not choose to play become non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s who are friends of the player's character and who can be found in bars around the in-game nation. These friends are called Buddies and they can serve various roles in the game. All of the buddies offer side missions to the player, completion of which increases that buddy's standing with the player. Additionally there are a few "extra" buddies that can be found. In any playthrough the buddies that can be met is random and not all buddies will appear. The player's "Best Buddy" and "Second Best Buddy" can play additional roles.
The player's "Best Buddy" can provide the player alternate, or "subverted" ways to complete most of the main story missions. These subverted missions always require more steps than the standard mission, but they often make the final objective easier. For example, bringing a container of defoliant
Defoliant
A defoliant is any chemical sprayed or dusted on plants to cause its leaves to fall off. A classic example of a highly toxic defoliant is Agent Orange, which the United States armed forces used abundantly to defoliate regions of Vietnam during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1970.Defoliants differ...
to one Buddy who has access to a plane, will allow him or her to deprive the enemy of cover when the player assaults a plantation, or bringing a fuse
Fuse (explosives)
In an explosive, pyrotechnic device or military munition, a fuse is the part of the device that initiates function. In common usage, the word fuse is used indiscriminately...
to a buddy that has a bomb will allow him or her to blow up a bridge, simply crushing an enemy barge beneath instead of forcing the player to assault the barge. Completing subverted missions also increases the player's standing with the best buddy and adds "upgrades" to every safe house in the region, such as vehicles parked outside, medical pickups and ammo pickups. However, the inevitable final objective of a subverted mission will always be that the player must rescue their buddy (Who by the end of the mission is heavily outnumbered by the enemy and must be rescued). The player must choose to either take on a shorter, more difficult mission, or a longer but easier mission.
The player's "Second Best Buddy" can come to the player's aid when they fall in battle if they are "rescue ready". The buddy will move them to a safer location, then revive them and help fight off the remaining enemies. The buddy then needs to recuperate and will be ready to save the player again once they are visited at a safehouse.
Buddies can be wounded or killed in battle during subverted missions, buddy rescues, and other circumstances. When a buddy dies, their death is permanent, and the player has only a limited number of possible buddies in each region. When all of the player's buddies are dead, subverted missions and buddy rescues are no longer available. When buddies are wounded in battle, they will mark their position with a smoke grenade
Smoke grenade
Smoke grenades are canister-type grenades used as ground-to-ground or ground-to-air signaling devices, target or landing zone marking devices, or as screening devices for unit movements. Smoke grenades are normally considered non-lethal, although incorrect use may cause death...
and cry out for help. The player can choose to render aid, or simply leave the buddy to die. If the buddy's wounds are minor enough, the player can inject them with a syrette
Syrette
The Syrette is a device for injecting liquid through a needle. It is similar to a syringe except that it has a closed flexible tube instead of a rigid tube and piston...
to fully heal them. However if the buddy's injuries are too severe, the player's only option is to euthanize
Voluntary euthanasia
Voluntary euthanasia refers to the practice of ending a life in a painless manner...
them by either overdosing
Drug overdose
The term drug overdose describes the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities greater than are recommended or generally practiced...
them with syrettes or looking away and shooting them in the head. Buddies usually have three "lives" where if they're shot down a third time, the player will not be able to save them. Their last words before death are usually "thank you."
Plot
The game starts off with the player given a mission to kill the famous arms dealer known as "The Jackal".The player's character lands in the northern territory of Leboa-Sako and is introduced to the harsh reality of life in the country. On the way to the town of Pala in a cab, the player character begins to suffer from the effects of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
and passes out. He awakes inside a hotel and finds the Jackal standing over him. With the player incapacitated by illness, the Jackal briefly offers some insight into his philosophy, quoting from Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...
's Beyond Good and Evil
Beyond Good and Evil
Beyond Good and Evil is a book by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, first published in 1886.It takes up and expands on the ideas of his previous work, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, but approached from a more critical, polemical direction....
about the will to power. He threatens to kill the player character, but ultimately chooses to spare his life and leaves after stabbing a machete into the wall which the player character retrieves.
Meanwhile, the ceasefire in Pala has collapsed and the UFLL and APR are engaged in open fighting. The player either passes out with malaria after managing to escape or is severely wounded before he can escape. The player is revived in the camp of one of the faction lieutenants in the area. In return for saving the player's life, the lieutenant orders the player to conduct basic errands. The player meets a journalist named Reuben Oluwagembi, who is writing a book about the conflict and the Jackal's part in it. He requests that the player find the tapes of his interview with the Jackal, scattered over the region. Once the player has acquired some malaria medicine from a priest who is helping civilians escape the violence, the player is given the freedom to choose their next mission.
In addition to the hunt for the Jackal, the player can provide the Underground with stamped travel document
Travel document
A travel document is an identity document issued by a government or international treaty organization to facilitate the movement of individuals or small groups of persons across international boundaries...
s for refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s in exchange for anti-malarial drugs, ambush convoys of weapon shipments in order to gain access to a greater variety of weapons and equipment from arms dealers, and assassinate targets acquired by intercepting signals from various cell-phone towers
Cell site
A cell site is a term used to describe a site where antennas and electronic communications equipment are placed, usually on a radio mast, tower or other high place, to create a cell in a cellular network...
in the area.
The player is forced to work with both the UFLL and the APR in Leboa-Sako, each using the player as a deniable agent in order to avoid a full-scale war. When the player is in the faction HQ before he is taking a mission, conversations are heard between the faction leader and the mercenary leader, for example on one occasion they discuss the rumor that the Jackal has cancer and only a few months left to live. After many successful missions, a faction captain (either Prosper Kouassi or Leon Gakumba) contracts the player to assassinate the other faction's captain. Once the assassination is complete, however, the player is betrayed and ambushed by the contractor and his troops. The player escapes, but in the chaos, he is forced to choose either to defend the priest and the civilians under his care, or to aid fellow mercenaries. The player's character eventually falls in combat, and awakes in the back of a truck filled with bodies. Any buddies the player has made up to this point are now either killed or declared missing, dependent on whom the player opted to aid. He falls off of the truck onto the road and seeks shelter in the desert, finally collapsing in the following sandstorm
Dust storm
A dust / sand storm is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Particles are transported by saltation and suspension, causing soil to move from one place and deposition...
. The Jackal appears and takes the unconscious player to safety, but is then forced to flee when retreating troops of the other faction, now without a captain, arrive. A lieutenant from this faction offers the player a chance to redeem himself by assassinating the faction captain who betrayed the player. The player assassinates the target at a troop rally and escapes south, to the province of Bowa-Seko.
In Bowa-Seko, the player and a Buddy follows the lieutenant's orders to destabilize the area and reignite the conflict by conducting a false flag
False flag
False flag operations are covert operations designed to deceive the public in such a way that the operations appear as though they are being carried out by other entities. The name is derived from the military concept of flying false colors; that is flying the flag of a country other than one's own...
operation in Port Selao. Following this, the two factions are now at war in the new province, opening up a variety of work from both sides. Eventually, the player is hired by one of the leaders, either Oliver Tambossa or Addi Mbantuwe, to deliver diamonds to the opposite faction, for a peace settlement between the factions. When the player arrives at the location, however, he finds the area devastated and the faction leader dead. The Jackal appears and explains that he wants the conflict to continue, since the warlords want peace only to conduct their crimes outside the world's attention. He then seizes the diamonds and knocks the player character unconscious.
The player wakes imprisoned in an old slave outpost, and discovers that he has been used as a scapegoat, blamed for murdering a faction leader and disrupting the peace settlement. The player escapes and continues his search for the Jackal. In the process, he performs a series of missions, consisting of assassinating Nick Greaves and Hector Voorhees, the new warlords of the APR and UFLL respectively. However, the player can choose to kill his contractors instead after meeting with Greaves and Voorhees. Reuben then calls the player for help, fearing that he and some other journalists are either going to get deported or shot at the airfield. The player fights off the militia and rescues the journalists.
With Reuben's help, the player finally tracks down and meets with the Jackal (at this point there is a glitch to kill The Jackal), who reveals his intentions to help the civilian population escape the war-torn country. Although he must eventually kill the Jackal, the player character agrees to help. The Jackal's plan is for the player to assassinate the two remaining faction leaders and take a case of diamonds to bribe the border guards. After finding the diamonds, however, the player must fight his fellow mercenaries and friends, as they want the diamonds for themselves to escape the country.
With both faction leaders dead and the diamonds in hand, the player meets the Jackal at a hut near the border (named 'The Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness is a novella written by Joseph Conrad. Before its 1903 publication, it appeared as a three-part series in Blackwood's Magazine. It was classified by the Modern Library website editors as one of the "100 best novels" and part of the Western canon.The story centres on Charles...
'). The Jackal plans to dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
the valley leading to the border, in order to prevent the militia from following the evacuating civilians. However, the detonating cord
Detonating cord
Detonating cord is a thin, flexible plastic tube filled with PETN . With the PETN exploding at a rate of approximately 4 miles per second, any common length of det cord appears to explode instantaneously...
has malfunctioned, and the explosives must be short-circuited with a car battery at the site, leading to the detonator's certain death. The Jackal offers the player a choice; he can detonate the explosives, or take the diamonds and shoot himself upon leaving the country, either way ensuring the civilians' escape. The game ends with Reuben Oluwagembi witnessing the explosion, then turning to take a picture of the massed crowd of refugees crossing the border. One of the border guards is seen holding the case of diamonds.
The APR and UFLL warlords have attempted to end hostilities and establish a government but the violence continues. Reuben's story was ignored by the international press, and he is supposedly publishing it on his personal blog. The civilian population largely escaped, and NGO
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s credit the low casualty rate to the work of the country's Underground. The Jackal has since disappeared, and world governments insist that he died in the conflict, although no body is ever found. In addition, the player's exact fate is unseen, though presumably the protagonist dies, either in the explosion or by the gunshot heard at the end of the game. Such actions are performed linearly without any choice on the part of the player, despite the in-game journal hinting that the protagonist might choose to kill the Jackal instead.
Development
History
The unveiling of Far Cry 2 took place on July 19, 2007 in Paris, France, by head company Ubisoft. Ubisoft stated that the game had been in development by the Ubisoft MontrealUbisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Montreal is a Canadian video game developer owned by French publisher Ubisoft.Ubisoft's North American studio is located in Montreal, Quebec...
team, and would be released on October 23, 2008.
The game's producer, Louis-Pierre Pharand, said that the single-player game will "potentially have close to 50 hours of game play." Lead designer Clint Hocking stated that at least 100 hours are needed to experience all of the game's content.
A pre-alpha video of the game, showcasing the visuals and 13 minutes of gameplay with developer commentary, was presented in Leipzig in August 2007. The demonstration showed off the gameplay involving gunfights and driving sequences, and unique features such as first aid and physical maps were also shown. It also showcased several graphical features tying in directly with the gameplay, such as procedural breakage of vegetation and its regeneration over time, dynamic propagation of fire, and volumetric wind effects capable of breaking vegetation and spreading fire. Man-made structures were also shown to be highly destructible.
Research
In July 2007, Ubisoft sent a team of the game's developers to Africa to carry out research for the game. They reportedly spent two weeks traveling around KenyaKenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and camping out on the savannah. The game's producer, Louis-Pierre Pharand said that following the trip they realized they had gotten the design of the game "so wrong" and made several changes to "make the game feel like you were really there".
Some African wildlife are featured in the game world, but herbivores only; according to the developers, predators without careful control would have eaten all the herbivores and starved to death.
Map editor
Far Cry 2s map editor has been designed specifically for ease of use. It includes features such as easily raising/lowering terrain and applying textures. A video was shown showcasing the editor, including an Eiffel TowerEiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
made completely from in-game pieces.
The map editor features hundreds of objects found in the single player game including vehicles, buildings, bridges and more. Fan mods for the map editor can unlock more objects. However, weapons (with the exception of mounted guns) cannot be placed on maps to support the game's class-based gameplay. Nor can people or wild animals. And you can not edit real map of the game.
The objects in the player made maps, such as buildings and structures are all just links to the objects in the game's install directories, making the map files smaller. This means that uploading and downloading maps is quick and easy. It was announced at the GC 2008 that there will be a memory space limit for each map.
The map editor uses a real-time rendered freecam view, without a heads-up display or other screen elements such as a hand-gun combination. Time-of-day can be freely chosen in the editor. Trees and grass animate in the real-time preview.
Engine
Ubisoft has developed a new engine specifically for Far Cry 2, called Dunia, meaning "earth" in Arabic and TurkishTurkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
.
The Dunia engine was built specifically for Far Cry 2 by Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Montreal is a Canadian video game developer owned by French publisher Ubisoft.Ubisoft's North American studio is located in Montreal, Quebec...
development team. It delivers realistic semi-destructible environments, special effects such as dynamic fire propagation and storm effects, real-time night-and-day cycle, dynamic music
Dynamic music
Dynamic music is a concept used in many video games, whereby specific events cause the background music to change. Its first uses in major video games were Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge and Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss. It has since been used in such games as Mushroom Men and Guitar Hero...
system and non-scripted enemy A.I actions.
The engine takes advantage of multi-core processors as well as multiple processors and supports DirectX 9 as well as DirectX 10.
Only 2 or 3 percent of the original CryEngine
CryENGINE
CryEngine is a game engine used for the first-person shooter computer game Far Cry. It was originally developed by Crytek as a technology demo for Nvidia and, when the company saw its potential, it was turned into a game....
code is re-used, according to Michiel Verheijdt, Senior Product Manager for Ubisoft Netherlands. Additionally, the engine is less hardware-demanding than CryEngine 2, the engine used in Crysis
Crysis
Crysis is a science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek , published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, and released in November 2007. It is the first game of a trilogy. A separate game entitled Crysis Warhead was released on September 12, 2008, and follows similar...
.
Far Cry 2 also supports the amBX
AmBX
AmBX is an internationally patent protected technology for controlling incandescent and white/coloured LED lighting and other enabled devices...
technology from Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
. With the proper hardware, this adds effects like vibrations, ambient colored lights, and fans that generate wind effects.
Ubidays 2008
During Ubisoft's Ubidays, held in Paris, FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on May 28–29, 2008, Ubisoft revealed brand new video footage for Far Cry 2. Along with the new footage, Ubisoft displayed in-game screenshots showing off the visuals rendered by Ubisoft's Dunia Engine (see engine). A video of Ubisoft Montreal's developers talking about the upcoming game's features can be seen on G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
's website.
Additional content is available to those who pre-order it at GameStop
GameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
. Dubbed the GameStop Exclusive Pre-Order Edition, the package sells at the same price point as the regular SKU, and includes bonus missions, a fold out map and different packaging.
Retail versions
To celebrate the release of Far Cry 2, Ubisoft also unveiled the Far Cry 2 Collectors’ Edition, available in certain territories outside the US, that will include:- Exclusive wooden box
- Original
The United States receives a separate Limited Edition package, available exclusively for those who pre-order it at GameStop
GameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
. Dubbed the GameStop Exclusive Pre-Order Edition, the package sells at the same price point as the regular SKU, and includes the following:
- 6 Bonus Missions with about 3 extra hours of gameplay
- A fold out map of the open world of Far Cry 2
- Exclusive game packaging
It should be noted that the "bonus missions" mentioned here are not truly exclusive to GameStop pre-orders. The content, a set of missions revealing information about the previous individual sent to assassinate The Jackal, is present on all Xbox 360, PC and PS3 Far Cry 2 game discs, and can be unlocked with one of several non-unique eight-character codes. In the UK, a limited edition "steel book" edition of the game is also available with differing art work to the standard release.
Novels
Around the time of the game's release, the second of two Far Cry novels were published in Germany, authored by Michael BhattyMichael Bhatty
Prof. Dr. Michael Bhatty is a noted computer game designer, producer and writer from Germany, responsible for the development and integration of modern story mechanics in the German game industry...
, the former Lead Game Designer of Sacred. The first novel primarily tells the story of the first game, and also features the sequel's Marty Alencar as a character, as well as including a flashback scene taking place in Far Cry 2s African setting. The second novel acts as a prequel of sorts to the game, with the plot focusing on Paula, a war veteran-turned-mercenary, and her struggle in the diamond conflicts and civil war which are the focus of Far Cry 2. Both of these novels feature a character not seen in either game called Zaman, a former Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
CIA agent who acts as a trainer and mentor to both Paula and Jack Carver. Like the game engine, Zaman's name is of Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
origin, and the word Zaman means 'Time' or 'Era' in the Arabic Language.
Downloadable content
On November 21, 2008 Ubisoft announced "Fortune's Pack" which includes three new weapons, an Exploding Crossbow, Ceremonial Shotgun, and Silenced Shotgun; vehicles, including a utility truck and ATV; and five new multiplayer maps. The Fortune's Pack is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Network although, it has also been released on PC but is no longer available on its own. It is only available with purchase of the full game.On 9 February 2009 Ubisoft announced "Hardcore" mode would be coming to Far Cry 2. A new damage model is applied with increased damage for all weapons. According to community developer Atmon,
"All weapons have been rebalanced on normal mode, and on hardcore mode. Enemy names will disappear after the spawning invincibility period is over (A shield is displayed above a player’s head for a few seconds to show that he is invincible). A new option will allow you to tweak spawning time (but not spawning rate). A new search option will be available in multiplayer to allow you to find games that are playing on hardcore mode."
PlayStation Home
Ubisoft has released two spaces for Far Cry 2 for the PlayStation 3's online community-based service, PlayStation HomePlayStation Home
PlayStation Home is a virtual 3D social gaming network developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's London Studio for the PlayStation 3 on the PlayStation Network . It is available directly from the PlayStation 3 XrossMediaBar under PlayStation Network. Membership is free, and only requires a PSN...
. These two spaces are the "Train Station" and "Rueben's Office" from the game. In the Train Station, users can play a mini-game called 'Mancala' and there is a 'Newspaper Clipping' that users can read. In Rueben's Office, users can play a mini-game called 'Interactive Map', view 'Dossiers', and just added on September 24, 2009, play the mini-game 'Reuben's Report'. These spaces are only available to users of the European and North American versions of PlayStation Home. These spaces were released during the Closed Beta on October 16, 2008 for the North American version and on January 22, 2009 for the European version which was after the Open Beta launch on December 11, 2008.
On July 2, 2009, Ubisoft released a patch for Far Cry 2 that enables full game launching support. Game launching is a feature where users can set up a multi-player game in Home, and launch directly into the game from Home.
Reception
Far Cry 2 has received positive reviews from game critics, leading to an average Metacritic score of 85%. The graphics that went into the open-world design and the African setting were generally praised. Critics also liked the intelligent enemies who actively hunt for the player, but noted that it was occasionally unresponsive. Some critics, such as Terrence Jarrad in the first Australian review of the game, praised all three aspects: "The unique setting, brilliant AI, and palpable atmosphere make Far Cry 2 a quintessential gaming experience."The main criticisms of the game were the long time it took to travel from one objective to another, constantly respawning enemies, the lack of information within the plot, and the not-so-compelling storyline. The IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
review pointed out another minor issue, with the difference in the save system: the PC version allows players to save at any time, while the console versions only allow players to save at certain points.
Additionally, some reviewers noted that the focus on immersion sometimes goes too far (to the point that the game became annoying at times), and was sometimes killed by bad game-design choices and game glitches (some inconsistent textures and generic character models, magic map, instant spawning of enemies at check points, the diamond caches, the effects of malaria being overused, vehicles and firearms jamming).
Game Informer gave praise to the console save system because it gives a sense of realism to the game. While IGN criticised this, GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
noted that the console version's save system gave the player more of a sense of urgency as it made death seem more consequential. GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
praises Far Cry 2, saying: "Its detailed presentation, feature-rich
Feature (software design)
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers defines the term feature in IEEE 829 as "A distinguishing characteristic of a software item ." - Feature-rich :...
gameplay, and palpable sense of placing players in another world yield a bar-raising effort."
Technical issues
Far Cry 2 also suffers from a number of technical problems across all platforms, such as crashes, corrupt save files, freezes, and critical mission characters disappearing from the game. In the PC version of the game, several users were able to nullify some of these technical problems (crashes at launch) by disabling audio entirely. One of the biggest issues of the game is a corrupt saves issue where all of a player's saves are corrupted thus making it impossible to finish the game.In May 2009 a patch was released for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 that fixed several issues including the corrupt save game issue. In July 2009 a similar patch was released for the PC. Other bugs, such as crashes, may still occur under some circumstances, although at decreased rates. No bug fixes or patches were integrated into the Classics/Platinum rerelease of the game.
The game has issues on Windows 7 such as inability to join servers or to download custom maps.
Digital rights management
Similar to SporeSpore (2008 video game)
Spore is a multi-genre single-player god game developed by Maxis and designed by Will Wright. The game was released for the Microsoft Windows and Macintosh operating systems in September 2008 as Spore...
, a single copy of the PC version of Far Cry 2 can only be installed ('activated') on five separate hardware configurations at any one time, although the uninstaller
Uninstaller
An uninstaller, also called a deinstaller, is a utility software designed to remove other software or parts of it from a computer. It is the opposite of an installer.-Components:...
is able to 'revoke' the installation, thus freeing up one of the hardware configuration activations (while the system is in a usable state).
As of the 1.03 patch, the activation requirement has been removed from the PC version of the game. In addition, the game disc is no longer required to be present in the drive for gameplay.