Heart of darkness: Ubisoft’s Far Cry 2 puts players in the middle of two sides immersed in a brutal civil war

Preview: Cliff Caswell

FAR Cry’s original outing on the latest generation of consoles holds a special place in Soldier’s video games hall of fame for two very different reasons.

On one count, the title showed the very best of the first-person shooter genre, pitting players against a vast army of mercenaries with little more than their wits to survive. It was one of the most played games ever to arrive at the magazine.

On the other hand, Far Cry’s awesomly addictive qualities sucked up many hours of the day and night, putting the reviewer’s relationships with family and friends under considerable strain and attracting only half-joking threats of divorce.

Now it seems that the same reviewer could yet find himself in front of his console and in a similar predicament with the sequel, which is due to be released in the autumn.

And, having been given an exclusive preview of the game, Soldier can say with confidence that it looks even more impressive than the original.

In the first game, Far Cry: Instincts, players took on the character of Jack Carver, a former US Navy Seal who, after finding himself marooned on a tropical island, is pursued by a heavily-armed gang of mercenaries.

He is captured by his foes and subjected to an unusual experiment which results in him developing some impressive animal-like fighting and tracking abilities.

Far Cry 2, however, marks a significant departure from Instincts, dispensing with both Carver and the island and putting players in an all-new setting in sub-Saharan Africa.

Immersed in a richly detailed landscape, players assume the role of a mercenary who is tasked with locating an arms dealer fuelling a civil war by selling weapons to both sides.

“This dealer is called the Jackal and he has been profiting from this conflict, but, ultimately, he is not the end boss,” said Clint Hocking, creative director on the title at Ubisoft’s Montreal studio. “The guys involved in the fighting are constantly at each other’s throats, and the whole conflict is being perpetuated by parties unknown and unnamed.

“Unlike Far Cry: Instincts, there are no mystical qualities or super-powers in this game – it is realistic and we have done a huge amount of work developing the characters that appear in the story.”

Hocking’s claims are certainly supported by the latest example of the game, which captures the dominant scenery of savannah grasslands in outstanding detail. Ubisoft’s artists visited southern Africa to see the flora and fauna for themselves.

The environment is fully dynamic – day turns to night over a four-hour period while some extraordinary weather effects add a further dimension to an enormous playing area of 50 square kilometres.

Players have the opportunity to prosecute missions in any way they see fit in this open environment, building their own story depending on who they meet and choose as allies during the game.

“There is always the potential for chaos in Far Cry 2 and there is a great deal of value in exploring,” explained Hocking. “You have to make decisions based on who you care about and they are making decisions about whether you should live or die.

“The player assumes a character that they can build themselves on and the relationships they forge will either pay off or backfire.”

And judging from the demo version, relationships certainly have the potential to backfire in spectacular fashion.

Combat in the Far Cry world has an explosive quality, which allows players to enter into all-out gun battles or use cover – including the darkness of night – to stealthily dispose of opponents.

They can also use the weather to their advantage, starting fires that will spread according to the wind direction, and make home-made bombs to batter enemy checkpoints.

All in all, Far Cry 2 looks to be a huge improvement on an impressive original. Family life may be under threat again.