Far Cry 3 gets all the plaudits, but in hindsight, it marks a regrettable turning point in Ubisoft's outdoors FPS series – if the bloatedness, wackiness, and directionlessness of Far Cry 6 finally proved too much for people, it all started with FC3, a game of contradictory ideas and empty, junk 'content.' After a rough couple of years, thanks to Assassin's Creed Shadows, Ubisoft's fortunes might finally be turning around, but I still sense that the studio's best days are in the past. Released 17 years ago, Far Cry 2, easily the greatest game in the series, and one of Ubi's finest works is yours for less than $3.
Part Far Cry 2 has a terrific sense of purpose and meaning. It's an aesthetic and mechanical whole, the washed-out, grainy, and occasionally crummy visuals matching perfectly with the slow-paced, tough, and clunky combat. There's no glory here, no spectacle. Gunfights are labored and ugly. Weapons develop rust and fall apart in your hands. Everyone you work for has some kind of murky, venal agenda. Your own character is a self-serving mercenary, indifferent to the broader context of the civil war, interested only in getting paid.
Today, sandbox games – the idea is that you can do whatever you like, however you like, and define the tone and story for yourself. Far Cry 2 is more confident. It has something to say – it has specific ways that it wants to entertain and provoke you – and even its most freeform elements all contribute to a coherent vision. You can go off-piste and spend several hours on side missions. You're able to upgrade your character and your weapons, and customize an approach that suits you. But everything orbits a solid, well-defined, central narrative and style. Even when you're doing what you want, it feels like you're contributing to this bigger, brutal picture.
If you haven't played it before, Far Cry 2 is currently available for just $2.49 / £2.14. It is flawed – the fact that enemies respawn at vehicle checkpoints means the pace is compromised, and the combat can become annoying rather than intense – but Far Cry 2 remains one of the greatest shooters of all time. You can get it here.
Otherwise, try some of the PC games on their way to you.
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