Far Cry 2 preview- a safari never to forget

When I heard that a sequel to Far Cry was in the pipeline my mind immediately conjured up images or tropical islands, mutants and palm trees. Imagine my surprise when I heard that the location for Far Cry 2 (FC2) was not a Pacific island but a small patch of Africa, typically it is quite a fraught patch and is rumoured to be 50 square Kilometres in “real terms”.

The Story Line

The story is also different, gone are the mutants and their handlers, replaced in favour of a more complicated and ultimately more believable story of an assassination in the middle of a warzone. In short, you are sent to a failed African state to assassinate an arms dealer who is prolonging the civil war there. A rebel movement split into two factions characterizes the conflict, blood diamonds and foreign mercenaries employed by both sides are also factors- sound familiar?

Gameplay

But the realism doesn’t stop there. FC2 has a reputation factor added into the gameplay meaning that you start off neutral to all factions and this changes as you take certain actions in the game. There are also several NPC characters which you will meet at key points in the game, each no doubt possessing specific skills which will help you advance. The importance of these NPCs is ramped up significantly by the fact that, once they are dead, they are permanently out of the game. FC2 also promises not just to be another slugfest as the health and damage systems have also been tweaked to encourage more tactical gameplay. Yes, yes I know that “encourage more tactical gameplay” is a tired phrase but FC2 may actually not give you a choice in the matter. You see, the player starts out being infected, not with some genetically engineered virus, but malaria. In fact, just about everyone has it and you will gradually get well as you progress through the game thus increasing your health and the amount of enemies you can take on at once. Details are vague on how this will be achieved but NPCs and certain crops grown on the countryside are a factor.

Visual Effects

Visually, FC2 also promises to be groundbreaking. It utilises a completely new engine, dubbed Dunia, which means earth in several languages. Word on the net has it that the Dunia engine will make unprecedented use of DirectX 9 and 10 as well as multi-core processors. It goes without saying then that you will need a beast of a PC or go and buy yourself an Xbox or Playstation 3 to fully appreciate the game, never mind run it- the game is touted to be released on all three platforms.

But what brought on this departure from the virused paradise that was Far Cry? One telling detail is the fact the original makers of FC, Crytek, are no longer part of the development. They, no doubt had their hands full developing Cryisis.

Release date

FC2 is due out in September 2008

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Filed Under Featured Reviews, Games, Gaming