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Far Cry 2

EMAIL PRINT pc

5.4 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 34 critic reviews
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Based on 615 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

Genre(s): First-Person Shooter

Players: 16

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: October 21, 2008

Summary

Caught between two rival factions in war-torn Africa, you are sent to take out "The Jackal," a mysterious character who has rekindled the conflict between the warlords, jeopardizing thousands of lives. In order to fulfil your mission you will have to play the factions against each other, identify and exploit your their weaknesses, and neutralize their superior numbers and firepower with surprise, subversion, cunning and, of course, brute force. Real-time story telling, systemic auto-healing, minimal in-game interface are just few of the features that make you feel the tension of being alone against barbarous warlords that threaten thousands of innocent lives. Choose from a wide range of weapons to make your way to your primary target. Meet the fight head-on with your machine-gun, go berserk with your machete or make stealth kills as a Sniper. If you feel that the atmosphere is not warm enough, light up your flamethrower and let your enemies and everything around them feel the heat. [Ubisoft]

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GAMES: Far Cry

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What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

PC PowerPlay

The unique setting, brilliant AI and palpable atmosphere, make Far Cry 2 a quintessential PC gaming experience. [Dec 2008, p.63]

100

Cynamite

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.

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PC Gamer UK

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]

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PC Gamer

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]

Cheat Code Central

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

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3DJuegos

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.

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PC Format

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]

Gamers.at

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.

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VideoGamer

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."

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PC Zone UK

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

Jolt Online Gaming UK

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.

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LEVEL (Czech Republic)

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]

Boomtown

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.

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PC Games (Germany)

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.

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IGN

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.

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Game Chronicles

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.

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GameTrailers

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.

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Computer Games Online RO

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.

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2404.org

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.

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GameSpot

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.

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GameStar

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.

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G4 TV

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).

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Edge Magazine

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

Gamer.nl

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.

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ImpulseGamer

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.

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YouGamers

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.

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Worth Playing

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.

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DarkZero

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

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Game Over Online

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.

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GameCritics

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.

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Total PC Gaming

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

GameSpy

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.

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GamingExcellence

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

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Absolute Games

In 2007, Ubisoft sent to Africa a whole team of Far Cry 2 developers so they could record sounds, take pictures and soak in the spirit of "Heart of Darkness". Judging by the promotional videos, the guys had the time of their lives. It's a pity that the game fails to convey even the tiniest fracture of their emotions.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 5.4 (out of 10) based on 615 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Tyler gave it a7:
Man, let me tell you, when i first started playing this game i thought it was a PIECE OF CRAP. But, since i had bought it off steam, i wanted my money's worth. I found that once you raise the difficulty to the last 2 levels, there are more AI enemies, and they are smarter, and if you decide to ignore the cars altogether, nd use boats to travel the rivers if need be, then the game gets exponentially more fun, because; one, there werent enough anemies to make things interesting in the lower level difficulties, plus they were stupid. and two; cars take away 70% of the gameplay, which is exploration, and make it feel like doom 3 outdoors because you're stuck seeing the same roads over and over again. So, once you raise the difficulty, and ignore the cars the game is worth an 8.5/10. but i gave it a 7, because you should have to ignore certain gameplay aspects for a game to be fun

Matt M gave it a10:
Awesome game. I lived in Africa for 18 years and spent a good deal of time in the bush......this allows me to roam through very well portrayed landscape. A short coming would be that there should have been the big 5... and adding danger to the roaming. Gunfights were great and I loved the story. Scenery was awesome.

Aidan . gave it a9:
Great game, EASY to play and get the hang on. Point, shoot and on to the next mission.

Nicolaj N gave it a9:
Far Cry 2 is a good game, but there are to mutch driving in the game. its a little stupid that it takes so long time, just to get to a mission. but still, its a greate game, with an awsome graphic engine

ZeeKat gave it a3:
This game managed to put me off completely in a few hours. Game has looks, but instanly respawning enemies and magically appearing enemy jeeps are complete fun breakers. Hours of driving around and killing the same people all over again is no fun. Don't forget sophisticated storyline which basically means whole Africa wants to kill you on sight. I love the nonlinear gameplay and open world, but this one sucks a lot. Far Cry brand should be left in Crytek's hands I guess.

Gavan gave it a3:
Its not a dire game so much as incredibly frustrating that so much that could have been there is just left out. And for no reason. How much effort would it have taken to have included a story, not even a good one, just any form. Or some characters. Or a few decent set pieces. The game amounts to driving (a lot) shooting some mercenaries and driving some more. repeat that for as long as it takes you to get bored. The critics reviews are a joke as almost all of them ignore the serious and deep flaws in the game. Very few balanced reviews to be found of this game.

Kaiser gave it a9:
I haven't even finished the game yet but I believe that I can say this is a GOOD game. I love the open world combat and the nonlinear gameplay. No matter what anyone says, I like it.

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Far Cry 2

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