The Gamers Arms

As has practically become our own meme, we know that this is a game that continues to divide the forum straight down the middle - you either love it or hate it with basically no grey area between the two.

Thought I'd start a discussion on it again after reading an interesting column on PCG. The writer certainly doesn't claim that it's perfect (I don't think even those of us who really liked it would claim it's without flaws), but at the same time makes the argument that it had a huge influence on open world games by doing things that hadn't been done before:

There are games like Doom that forever change their genres. Then there are games that don’t necessarily come to mind on a day-to-day basis, but which constantly re-enter the conversation when developers get together and talk. Far Cry 2 is a real developer's game: an imperfect gem to be sure, but one that changed the industry by changing how people thought about games.

https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/far-cry-2s-d ... ars-later/

I really enjoyed it at the time. For me the flaws, the fast-talking NPCs, the respawning outposts etc couldn't spoil the sense of place and freedom the game gave you, the sense that anything goes - you're given an objective and then how you pursue it is entirely up to you. Things like the diamond tracker rather that a slew of collectibles icons littering the map - which itself was a literal map your character held up to peruse, all added to it.

I think it's a mark of the impact it had that 10 years after its release people - us included - are still talking about it. Love it or hate it, you can't forget it.

Fuck malaria, though

Can't argue with that, similar sentiments expressed here.

https://www.polygon.com/2018/10/21/1798 ... permadeath

Further interesting points there.

And also interesting to see the debate in the comment section as furious as whenever the game is brought up on the forum

Has there ever been a game to polarise players as much as FC2?

I don't think there would be too many tweaks required to turn it into something most would recognise as a modern classic - greater length of time before outposts respawn, re-record the NPC dialogues, make the patrol AI a bit less aggressive... I wouldn't even lose the malaria necessarily, but maybe integrate a search for a cure into the storyline perhaps. These would easily elevate it above anything the franchise has done since, imo.

I remember enjoying it quite a bit when it came out, though also that it got a bit tiring with all the respawning, but from what I can remember I did for the most part really enjoy the whole game and it was only after FarCry 3 came out and I could see what they really improved upon that I really recognised how many things were wrong with FC2. That said I do agree that it was quite a step-change at the time and so I can totally forgive the mistakes they made when they were really changing things up - they're never going to get it perfect first time.

Hated it. It needed another 6 months or more in development.

Cane And Rinse just did a two hour podcast on this game, it's quite interesting.

Jez wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 23, 2018 9:15 pm

Hated it. It needed another 6 months or more in development.

Yup, this.

The article linked in the OP was interesting, and I suppose there were some unique things that it added. The healing on the fly, the environmental stuff (well, dry grass catching fire anyhow).

But the list of shit things leaves it for dead.

I could go on, but I have, at endless length in endless PW threads where it was discussed. I think my feelings are known, so I will simply say that it was a pile of shit.

Surprise!

I thought you were in the fanatical love camp for some reason

I mainly had Snowy in mind when starting this thread

I was surprised he hadn't contributed yet, but I thought he was probably waiting for the rage to subside

You are more correct than you think Sly

My initial reaction was an incandescent fury that such sick filth was being mentioned in these hallowed pages.