The first Far Cry game was something of a blank slate. Created by Crytek, the studio that would go on to make the Crysis series and Hunt: Showdown, 2004’s Far Cry was more of a proof of concept than anything else. Far Cry 2, the sequel from Ubisoft Montreal, ended up a much more confident game when it launched in 2008, outlining a future identity for the long-running action series while also establishing a grimy anti-war vision of its own that none of the subsequent entries have quite been able to match. If you’ve missed playing it and are curious to try it for yourself to see what we mean, now’s a great time. Far Cry 2 is currently on sale for the price of a cup of coffee over on GOG.
Far Cry 2 is most notable for being an intentionally harsh experience, emphasizing the brutality and hopelessness of a fictional African civil war that the player, as a foreign mercenary, has found themselves caught up in. It does this, most notably, by including features typically found in realism-inclined simulation games, forcing the player to deal with issues like contracting disease or using guns liable to jam in the middle of a firefight.
From Far Cry 3 onward, the series would sand down the edges of the second instalment, resulting in games that were easier to digest but much less fascinating as a result. The sandbox worlds, free-flowing combat design, and memorable villains have remained, but none of the games after Far Cry 2 execute on as singular a vision nearly as well.
Luckily, it’s also available for extremely cheap. Far Cry 2: Fortune’s Edition is 70% off on GOG right now, which makes it just $2.20 USD / £2.59. Grab a copy right here before the discount ends on March 16.
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