I've lived in Southern Africa all my life, so Far Cry 2 holds a special place in my games collection. I owned the retail version when it first released, and it provided countless hours of entertainment in my high-school years. The below are my overall impressions after playing the Steam version again.

• Highly impressive graphics, especially for its time.
  I have toured a lot of Namibia and South Africa specifically. The developers did a fantastic job conveying the look and some of the subtle feel of certain landscapes you can find in real-life. It's definitely not perfect, but it's the closest depiction of my part of the world that I've ever played, visually and audibly.
  
• Well optimized game engine.
  At the time of release, all my friends and I had trouble trying to run this anywhere near full graphics, but that was to be expected. At the time of writing (2017), even typical office computers don't have much trouble running the game anymore. Chances are you'll be able to play with a great framerate on a mid-end or even low-end PC.
  
• Core gameplay to the Far Cry sequels.
  If you're a fan of specifically Far Cry 3 and 4, there's lots for you to love here. It's not as polished as the later sequels, but there's enough to support the game on its own.
  
• Fun weapons!
  There are a good few weapons to mess around with. Most are unlocked the more you play the game. Each gun has a satisfying kick to it, even when the recoil isn't strong. It feels like it's doing proper damage. The explosives and grenade launchers are especially visceral, when combined with the cloud of leaves, branches and dust that goes flying after an explosion.
  
• Enormous game world.
  It's clear the developers made an effort to vary the look and feel of the different locations, so it rarely feels too similar when exploring over longer distances.
  
• Afrikaans?!
  I've never heard one of my home languages spoken in a game before, and I love hearing some of the NPCs rattle it off =D Jy maak seker 'n grap, ek moet weer herlaai? Ek glo dit nie!
  
• A comprehensive map editor!
  If you have friends that also play, you can build basic or complex multiplayer maps with the included editor. This was the source of a LOT of chaotic fun with my high-school friends at the time.

• Repetitive gameplay.
  The core elements of Far Cry 3 and 4 are apparent, but feel like a hollow shell in comparison. Most missions feel almost exactly identical to the other. I personally enjoy some of the repetitive elements, as it makes for a predictable, yet relaxing thing to do in my down-time.
  
• Uncompelling story.
  There's this interplay between two waring factions, but it proves meaningless in any practical sense.EVERY NPC you meet outside of a hub-town is an enemy, so there's no point in observing which faction you happen to be attacking.
  
• Limited AI capabilities.
  In rarer cases, NPCs accidentally kill each other, or blow themselves up when trying to blow you up. This starts happening more often when the enemy vehicles start sporting grenade launchers later in the game.
  
• Lack of practical STEALTH MECHANICS.
  This point annoys me the most. There's a camouflage upgrade you can buy, but it's hard to gauge how effective it is. You can't go prone, so you only ever stand or crouch in the foliage. Sometimes enemies have a hard time spotting you, but randomly it's like they suddenly have telescopic infrared vision, and spot you far away in thick grass or jungle. There are only three silenced weapons in the game, and counterintuitively, the pistol is the most effective due to its pin-point accuracy.
  Here's a neat trick: Aim at an enemy's head through your sniper rifle, then quickly switch to your silenced pistol, and shoot. You can get a headshot from like a kilometer away with your pistol. I really wish this gameplay element was more refined.
  
• Weapon degradation!
  This is also an annoying gameplay element. It would have been far more bearable if all your weapons didn't degrade so fast. Specifically, the silent dart rifle literally only fires about a dozen rounds before it corrodes and explodes. The .50 cal sniper rifle feels almost as fragile. Durability upgrades are available for all guns, but don't seem to help significantly enough.
  
• The "buddy" NPCs and their associated missions provide little to no reward.
  One buddy can serve as "rescue-ready", saving you from a firefight that would have otherwise killed you, but they don't provide any other sort of bonus like weapons or diamonds, which are the in-game currency used to buy things. Another aspect to the game that I wish meant more.
  
• Small gripe:
  Together with Jeep, Toyota should have also had a sponsorship with Ubisoft at the time. Personally, I see way more Toyotas in this part of the world than Jeeps. Some fourth-generation Toyota Hiluxes would fit into this gameworld perfectly.
  
• Small gripe:
  On bolt-action rifles, the bolt handle should be on the right-hand side of the receiver D: They're all on the left in this game, and I just find it distracting :P

Despite the harsher criticism above, I still tremendously enjoy playing Far Cry 2, and can safely recommend the game. I feel it stands up well to the test of time, and proves for a fun little adventure to dive into in your spare time.

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