Far Cry 2 has its annoying quirks, no doubt. But they can be solved via patch – the quality of fights, atmosphere, graphics and gameplay still reaches a very high level.

I'm unable to go back to straight and simple first-person shooters. Far Cry 2 hasn't just exceeded my expectations, it's blown them away. [Holiday 2008, p.58]

By adopting a laissez faire attitude to player discretion, Ubisoft has crafted a brilliant follow-up.

After playing Far Cry 2, I'm simply unable to go back to straight and simple first-person shooters. This game has executed my expectations. [Nov 2008, p.62]

Far Cry 2 is not a game for everybody, neither is it perfect. It requires time, patience and dedication; some will be frustrated with the long car trips - avoidable - while others will struggle with the excessive freedom. Nevertheless the little objections that can be made disappear compared to its virtues. This video game is technically impeccable, it offers a very interesting multiplayer mode, and is equipped with a campaign that should appear in the dictionary under the words intensity and immersion.

Sumptuously realised, stuffed with action and pushed along by an engaging plot. Far Cry 2 is how shooters should be made. [Dec 2008, p.86]

A remarkable array of physical effects that weren't just pretty but actually relevant to the gameplay itself, stunning graphics and a story written also by the player instead of the developer alone: Far Cry 2 truly did impress me. Only the constant respawning of outposts had me grinding my teeth.

Far Cry 2 is phenomenal fun and brings new meaning to the term open world. It has surpassed my expectations and without a doubt Ubisoft Montreal have taken an uncut diamond and worked it into a nearly flawless gem.

Nothing but brilliant. But we're already looking to the future. Our minds are already spinning at what Ubisoft Montreal might come up with for the inevitable "Far Cry 3."

Unusual in that a first person shooter shows you the fictitious African country where real crimes against the civil population are fought in the name of profit. An intense experience in all aspects. [Nov 2008]

It's a shame that more wasn't done with the story, as the shallow characters and lack of moral depth sits in stark contrast to the hard work spent on some of the most impressive game technology we've ever seen.

There's nothing like it around, and even with its flaws, it's a game you certainly grow to love. [Dec 2008, p.56]

More importantly, it has nowhere near as many bugs as something like "S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl," a title that bears many similarities. Add to the roughly 25 hour single-player campaign a remarkably easy-to-use map creation tool and a full multiplayer suite, and you've got one of the most complete overall gaming packages of the year, as well as one of the most ambitious.

Far Cry 2 is far from perfect, but the gorgeous African landscapes and thrilling gun-fights make up for the annoying enemy camps with their constantly spawning occupants. Ubisoft delivers an immersive First-Person-Shooter, which is easily on a level with Call of Duty 4.

Since the game is fairly open-ended as to how you play it and which side you choose, you could easily play this game all the way through a few times before you ever started feeling tired of it.

The action is high-quality, free-roaming stuff, and the game earns major points for its smart way of dealing with getting shot up, patched up, and bailed out. The story does keep you on a leash and your objectives tend to repeat without too much variation, but if you enjoy this line of work, Far Cry 2's dangerous African landscape is a great place to be a merc.

You want to freely drive through Africa, set the savannah on fire and run over zebras with your car, Far Cry 2 is the right choice.

It has its shortcomings, but it still makes its mark as one of the best releases of the year, at this point. The graphics and setting alone make it a real stand-out, and I like the fact that Ubisoft tried to go after something a bit more unique in a genre that is known for rampant replication.

Although you can't say the same for the plot, Far Cry 2's first-person action squeezes every last drop of potential out of the unique African setting.

Far Cry 2 scores right in the core area of first-person-shooters: action. Players who like some logic and a good story even in a first-person-shooter will have their problems with Far Cry 2. Ubisoft's Africa is beautiful, but life in all its glory is missing most of the time. Travelling takes a long time and you are forced to make absurd detours because of mountains and valleys. Far Cry 2 can be reproached with a lot of things, but once the Savannah is burning they are forgotten, at least temporarily, because fighting the APF and UFLL is so much fun.

Combat is thrilling – each weapon packing a solid, vicious blast; movement suggesting heft and momentum. [Dec 2008, p.80]

Far Cry 2 isn't able to deliver on its expectations, but is still a high quality shooter with lots of freedom and one of the most beautiful settings ever. The developers could have been more creative with the mission structure though.

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).

I would say that Far Cry 2 is a well put together game that will be giving players hours of gaming fun for along while.

Visually impressive and ambitious but ultimately falls short of the hype. Attempts very hard to immerse you in a realistic sandbox world but fails to be anything but a simple, repetitive shooter. Driving across beautiful but lifeless world while fighting infinitely respawning enemies to complete unimaginative missions for people who all try to kill you can be summed up as beautiful but disappointing.

Far Cry 2 looks and sounds great (voice acting aside), but it has some gameplay mechanics that make progression through the game world a frustrating task.

If you plot a graph of genius times faltering game design, Far Cry 2 sits firmly in the top right. [Issue#13, p.50]

Some games grow on you the more you play them, as you get used to the little idiosyncrasies and learn to appreciate the finer points. Far Cry 2 is at the opposite end of the spectrum, a game that makes it harder and harder for you to like it by placing more and more junk between you and its best features.

A mixed bag that redeems itself just enough to be worth playing, Far Cry 2 serves as a valuable experiment in open-world first-person shooter game design, but one that is not quite up to par with what developers like Crytek and GSC have accomplished.

It falters in just enough places to make you think before you hand over your money.

If you can bear some of the repetition in between missions, the missions themselves are a blast. The environment is among the most compelling ever put on a screen this year. And multiplayer is strong. Far Cry 2 may not live up to its full potential, but there's a lot here to enjoy regardless.

So long as you only play the game in small bursts, Far Cry 2 is an interesting experience.