The objective of Far Cry 2 as a game is to get out of the way and let you experience the game world. And there is no other game world quite like this one: haunting, spectacular, meditative, explosive, violent, and serene, all at once, and all in a mere shooter.

This is one of the most amazing worlds in gaming and the fact that it's brimming with so much action and intrigue makes it that much better.

Sure, Far Cry 2 is a bit hardcore, and it's blend of breakneck shooting sequences and more meandering exploration might not be for everyone. However, if you're craving a shooter with a bit more bite than the increasingly casual competition, and one with more substance than the familiar run-and-gun fare, then you'll be hard pressed to beat this content-rich offering.

Takes it time which lets players sink deep into the game world. This makes all the difference between a good game and a great one. Far Cry 2 is the latter.

Great game and one of the best first person shooters of all time with only a few minor issues such as you will always be on the run and sometimes you must travel far distances for missions. But with plenty of weapons, vehicles, zebras, and for you pyromaniacs out there you can do some major damage with fire, there is a lot of fun to be had.

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

An amazing shooter, a real breakthrough, but the mission structure isn't up to much.

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.

A challenging and technically impresive FPS set in gorgeous but treacherous surroundings...It's one of the most engaging shooters we've played for ages. [Dec 2008, p.67]

Despite some flaws, Far Cry 2 is almost an essential purchase this holiday retail season. The only reason to excuse yourself from picking it up might be if you're just shootered-out, which frankly is an understandable possibility.

Between the open environments and multi-branching plot of its story mode and designable maps for multiplayer, there is a ton to do and be seen in Ubisoft's latest endeavor. So pack your bags and get ready for your trip to the motherland.

I really, really enjoyed Far Cry 2, and I was happy to see that it's a pretty far departure from the formula of the first title. The open world environment is absolutely beautiful at times, and the little touches in the game really help to heighten the sense that you're in a real world setting.

Far Cry 2 is a fantastic game:. The gameplay's great, the environmental execution is near-flawless, but a couple glaring mistakes keep it just shy of perfect.

Far Cry 2 is a game that thrives on the moments and experiences caused by its mechanics working in harmony and by making the player think about where they are and what they are doing. If the player can buy into the world and fiction they will have a thoroughly exciting time surviving through the twisting plot and explosive gun fights.

Far Cry 2 is this year's equivalent of Assassin's Creed... when it comes to enveloping the player in exotic sights and sounds, Ubisoft has absolutely nailed it. [Issue # 40]

And it's also through experimentation that you'll experience the magic moments you'll not find anywhere else.

Far Cry 2's gameplay is solid, and it works as both an open world game and a shooter. Its plot is light, but dense, and will make you rethink the way you look at real world conflicts like the ones represented in the game. As with most sandbox titles, there is a huge amount of content, and there is at least twenty hours of gameplay in the single player alone.

Far Cry 2 is a slog for the first few hours of gameplay, but you've got to stick with it because it soon turns into one of the most revolutionary FPS games of the decade.

Far Cry 2 is a great open-world game, giving FPS fans a great sense of freedom and tons of content to play through.

If map modding, PC-worthy tech and the ability to make your own magic happen in a game (rather than waiting for the game to reveal its tricks) sound like you, then Far Cry 2 is the only way to hang-glide this holiday season.

Far Cry 2 is without doubt one of the best FPS games currently available on the Xbox 360.

Far Cry 2 may be the surprise game of the holiday season.

Ubisoft Montreal has done it again with another ambitious game that pushes the boundaries of what we have come to expect out of our games.

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.

A superb FPS that plays out on the African continent, one of the most spectacular staging grounds to date. The graphics are exceptional and the multitude of missions and side-quests is big enough to keep you occupied for a long time. The AI are one of the smartest to date, actively using cover and flanking you realistically. Truly a sequel to Far Cry which does the original justice!

Far Cry 2 is what you might call a risky move. In a culture of playing it safe with first person shooters, Ubisoft Montreal has created a title where you have to essentially make your own fun.

Overall Far Cry 2 is a solid FPS experience despite the few shortcomings it has.

It's an experience like no other, with great potential to make your own hugely memorable story line, and for that reason alone, it comes highly recommended.

There are a number of annoying parts of Far Cry 2, but things are more than held together by both the presentation of the game, and the sheer absorbing joy of exploring the world that has been put together with so much care.

The formula still needs work in terms of enemy AI, quest structure, and giving the player more to do to fill in all that open space, but as it is, it's still a standout achievement. 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.

Either way, Far Cry 2 should be pretty close to the top of any console FPS fan's list this holiday season.

So in a nutshell, a rather large one, that is Far Cry 2; a bustling and beautiful paradise which is held back by small conflicts of repetition and control.

Far Cry 2 is a resounding success. It looks incredible, and the attention to detail is staggering. All it really needed was the added spart and thrill of a really, really good shooter underneath it all. But if you can live with the game's start/stop gunplay you're going to have some real fun playing with fire. [Jan 2009, p.78]

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.

The game successfully drives home the themes of poverty and desperation. The voice acting is also up to task, delivering solid performances throughout to keep you engrossed in the story.

Far Cry 2 is an incredibly deep game while the online component, including the ever so popular map editor, is truly a treat.

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.

The biggest disappointment is that the six character classes, experience-based upgrades, and full-featured level editor can't elevate online play past the sheer rote familiarity of deathmatch, capture the flag, and control-point variations. But even though Far Cry 2 isn't quite a sandbox-shooter masterpiece, it is a consistently fun and intensely challenging trek into the ailing heart of the dark continent.

With open-world games there often seems to be a disjointed equilibrium between gameplay and technical execution; Ubisoft Montreal, however, have done well in bringing these two elements together.

Though there are a few hiccups in the gameplay, the sheer immersion of the ultra-realistic and well-refined perspective, combined with a beautifully detailed environment and intense and unrelenting combat, make Far Cry 2 an incredibly enjoyable game.

There isn't much to complain about in Far Cry 2. As I've already raved about before, the visuals are gorgeous, the use of fire is amazing and the gunplay is viscerally satisfying.

A rough diamond. Ubisoft succeeds in making Far Cry relevant again, a few nagging design flaws notwithstanding.

Unfortunately, it's these failings that defined our experience of the game, though for anyone keen to sample a shooter that dares step into the leftfield we recommend endeavouring to get to the heart of what feels like an uncut diamond – rough-shorn but not bereft of value.

In order to truly appreciate it, you'll have to look past all the monotonous traveling and the repetitive missions and get sucked in to the immersive world that Ubisoft Montreal has created.

Even if I find the multiplayer too staid, I find the possibility of cool user-made levels (via the easy map editor) tantalizing. Like any good Grand Theft Auto, Far Cry 2's overall package makes up for any individual flaws -- enough for it to be on a short list of best FPS games this year -- and so it's fitting to summarize it as...well, GTA: Mogadishu.

A picturesque, open world environment and some simply brilliant fire physics make up for incompetent AI and a lot of repetitiveness in the missions.

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

Far Cry 2 is unforgettable rather than perfect, then; brilliant, frustrating, sombre and comical, it offers freedom within extremely curtailed limits, and strives to treat its players like adults. In the end it remains, true to its source material, a game that was born to struggle with itself.

Ambition at the expense of excellence. [Dec 2008, p.116]

And there's very little to touch it in graphical terms on a console. So if you're a graphics whore and a fan of action go right ahead, most gamers will enjoy Far Cry 2, just don't expect something as cerebral as the hype has lead you to believe.

Compared to the single player adventure, the multiplayer mode comes up short, but the 16 player firefights still offer some thrills.

Despite hitting many highs that are far beyond the ambitions of nearly every other game on the 360, Far Cry 2 is slightly hamstrung by its own ambition, some design missteps and a learning curve that rolls itself into a handy noose. Like Africa itself, it's beautiful, complex and massive. However, less methodical or patient gamers may find themselves questioning where the line between 'challenging' and 'pain in the ass' is actually drawn.

Far Cry 2 doesn't quite live up to its expectations, but its in total a great shooter with more freedom then you can chew. It scores extra points with the original setting and superb transition from real life to your tv. True, the leveld esign could have been more creative, the storyline with a little bit more depth and the thousand and one control points a little less annoying, because that's the reason why Far Cry doens't get that monster score.

Despite some of its technical issues and repetitiveness, I feel compelled to play this game until I finish the entire single-player campaign. Each mission means you work your ass off and that makes a nice change over the traditional FPS formula.

Ubisoft has managed to strike some potent emotional chords with Far Cry 2. Combined with the depth and breadth of the sweeping African environment, they may very well be enough to overcome a combat system that isn't nearly as intricate as the game world in which it is housed.

A great game that does everything a first-person shooter should. It has a great presentation, good shooting mechanics, decent AI, a long single player experience, impactful choices, an enormous multiplayer component, and some of the more memorable injury scenes ever witnessed in a videogame. The pitfalls come with the redundancy of some missions, the sparsely populated world, and awkward saving system that can often throw players miles away from objectives with nothing but a long, pointless drive to look forward to.

The combat feels haphazard, reckless. The voice acting is flat and emotionless. There is a shallower sense of progression, and far fewer opportunities to make meaningful choices. Granted, it is unfair to compare an action game and an RPG too closely. Yet with "Fallout 3" still fresh in our minds, so many of the design decisions in Far Cry 2 seemed off-balance.

Better than an excellent game, Far Cry 2 is an excellent idea of a game. Despite of its poor AI and repetitive mission design, Ubisoft's new proposal delivers a solid shooter in a beautifully rendered open-world environment that packs some fun for the not so demanding player. Although better than the previous installments in the series it just comes up short of its and ours expectations. Rental recommended.

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).

Thought it may be a sequel in title only, Far Cry 2 is a fantastic shooter worthy of finding a home in any FPS fan's library.

There's a lot to do in Far Cry 2, and if you can get a good handle on the quirks of the almost constant combat scenarios you'll run into, the weapons variety, stunning visuals, and originality of the story and setting make for a well-rounded and satisfying shooter.

Far Cry 2 is a solid game no matter which way it is examined.

It was enjoyable being given this much freedom to change the rules in an FPS, but the repetitive action quickly pulls the game from a fun activity into a chore.

Still, despite the tedious travel periods, Far Cry 2 features some truly gorgeous environments, (mostly) satisfying combat, and a lengthy, entertaining campaign. [Dec 2008, p.66]

Far Cry has some excellent ideas and high production values, but some design choices and technical problems drag it down.

Far Cry 2 is a drawn-out yet ambitious FPS that doesn't quite align its many ideas into an effective game, due to the confused nature of the open world. Nice atmosphere, though.

To summarise, love the visuals and explore the fantastic gameworld Ubisoft have created but don't expect anything ground-breaking or life-changing because this just isn't as innovative as it wants to be.

Far Cry 2 manages to lend the open world of typical RPG:s and mend it into a first person shooter. The trouble is that the game's world isn't properly adapted to the openness of the gameplay, leading to lots of tedious stretches of transportation. A somewhat silly AI and extremely tough enemies dampens what is otherwise a really competent shooter.

Stunningly beautiful and morally harrowing, but plodding in its execution.

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.

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.