I liked it but it still has problems. Other than what people have pointed out - getting into a fight near a road and being swarmed, all your helpers and how they ended was.. I don't know why they thought it was a good idea, how grass hides enemies from you but not vice versa and the concept of a two map area, that was unnecessary. It's not as bad as what people make out but it's not best in the series
Poll: Is Far Cry 2 a Cult Classic now?
- Thread starter B-Cell_v1legacy
- Start date
FC2 was certainly flawed (quite possibly because development shifted from PC exclusive to memory-starved consoles), but it still ended up better than most shooters even to this day in retrospect, even on those same old consoles. One of its more annoying issues of checkpoint respawns could be largely circumvented by going off road or stealth. I had good fun playing it on release way back then, and I also started a play through last fall on Infamous difficulty to revisit it. It's brutally fun, especially with the different tactical options and fire propagation that can lead to some pretty emergent gameplay. You also really have to think about surviving every gun fight and plan a course of action, knowing which weapons to use in a given situation, etc. Sometimes the best things can happen from random improvisation.
One of these days I'll get back to it; probably before I start any other more recent shooters.
One of these days I'll get back to it; probably before I start any other more recent shooters.
A very bare minimum story, and it's definitely a game from the early 2000s. Then again, the story was shallow even by the standards of the time. It was a tech demo of what hardware could do on the PC, so I won't fault FC1 for that. The same thing would eventually happen with Crysis.Seth Carter said:
Oh, and I meant to say Krieger and his private army, not Crowe. Simple typo.
Meh.
It's an improvement on FC 1, the "Getting shot across impossible distances through obscuring grasses by people with sub-machine guns" simulator. It's fairly pretty- remarkably so for games of the time, though I'd argue you could say the same of all the Far Cry games that follow.
It's also shallow and repetitive, and takes agency from the player in ways that are truly galling and run in extreme thematic contrast to the amount of freedom it gives in approaching combat situations. Want to only run missions for one side? Nope- you're just going to figure out that's impossible when they abruptly stop offering missions. Actually go after the Jackal like you were first tasked to do? Nope- you're going to get cold-cocked every time you encounter him (hello, epic Cut-Scene Incompetence) right up until you're told you're on his side now and have to accept a suicide mission from him. Bag up your conflict diamonds and leave the country for some place that might actually be able to treat your malaria, like a smart little mercenary? Yeah, right. Not even on the table.
Yeah, you get blind-sided in cut-scenes in FC3 and 4 as well. But at least it's en route to killing the guy who does it to you, or at least having the option to do so. For me, FC3 is the pinnacle of the series to date (though I haven't gotten to try FC5 yet.) FC2 was a stepping stone to getting there. It did some things right, but a some of it bored me to tears, and even the developers quite readily admit that some of the design choices were bad ones.
Faced between hunting tigers, hang-gliding, and exploring caves in FC3 or trying to ram through another damn respawning guard station in FC2, I'd choose the former every time. Playing FC3 was fun. Getting through FC2 was a chore.
It's an improvement on FC 1, the "Getting shot across impossible distances through obscuring grasses by people with sub-machine guns" simulator. It's fairly pretty- remarkably so for games of the time, though I'd argue you could say the same of all the Far Cry games that follow.
It's also shallow and repetitive, and takes agency from the player in ways that are truly galling and run in extreme thematic contrast to the amount of freedom it gives in approaching combat situations. Want to only run missions for one side? Nope- you're just going to figure out that's impossible when they abruptly stop offering missions. Actually go after the Jackal like you were first tasked to do? Nope- you're going to get cold-cocked every time you encounter him (hello, epic Cut-Scene Incompetence) right up until you're told you're on his side now and have to accept a suicide mission from him. Bag up your conflict diamonds and leave the country for some place that might actually be able to treat your malaria, like a smart little mercenary? Yeah, right. Not even on the table.
Yeah, you get blind-sided in cut-scenes in FC3 and 4 as well. But at least it's en route to killing the guy who does it to you, or at least having the option to do so. For me, FC3 is the pinnacle of the series to date (though I haven't gotten to try FC5 yet.) FC2 was a stepping stone to getting there. It did some things right, but a some of it bored me to tears, and even the developers quite readily admit that some of the design choices were bad ones.
Faced between hunting tigers, hang-gliding, and exploring caves in FC3 or trying to ram through another damn respawning guard station in FC2, I'd choose the former every time. Playing FC3 was fun. Getting through FC2 was a chore.
Here I was, ready to discuss the merits of Far Cry 2 and why I think it's underappreciated... and then I saw it's a B-Cell thread.
No, I don't think it's a cult classic by any stretch. It was received well and sold well, and was the starting point for the mega-franchise the series is now. It's since then been met with criticism, and rightfully so, but I still think it's a great game.
- The setting is still rather unique among shooters. It's a rare case that doesn't involve extensive military conflict with escalating explosions. Even more exceptional is its atmosphere, where everything is collapsing, decrepit, worn out and dirty. The people are ruthless, amoral, opportunistic, or just desperately trying to get out. It conveys a sense of danger and hopelessness in a way I've seen few games manage. And yes, the weapon degradation adds to that atmosphere. It makes perfect sense in the story, and it's even given a proper reason as opposed to just being an out-of-universe gameplay mechanic.
- The graphics hold up amazingly for a 10 year old game. I'm serious when I say the lighting still takes my breath away, especially during the sunsets. I'm still impressed how you can literally see the shadows of every single leaf and branch.
- The weapons are some of the most satisfying in gaming history. The AS50 sniper rifle sounds like a goddamn cannon going off, and surprising convoys with the IEDs never gets old. The game also makes the player work for these weapons. In Far Cry 3 I'd gotten all the guns I'd ever need probably halfway through the game, which meant any wealth I gathered from then on was meaningless. Needing the amount of diamonds for the weapons makes them feel precious and earned. And the only silenced sniper rifle is acquired only at the second half, and it can make like 10-15 shots before breaking, meaning no clearing entire outposts without being spotted at all *COUGH* FAR CRY 3 *COUGH*
- The UI is simply brilliant. For no other game would I even bring this up, but the information is conveyed in such an unintrusive manner that it does an amazing job to immerse the player.
But of course there's the bad stuff like hyper-aggressive and unbalanced AI, shallow open world with little incentive for exploration beyond finding diamonds, the basically nonexistent story, the barely functional stealth with no way of telling where enemies are, the game being essentially twice as long as it needs to be and malaria adding an unnecessary level of RNG into the mix and stretching out the playtime by forcing you to do those stupid medicine runs.
No, I don't think it's a cult classic by any stretch. It was received well and sold well, and was the starting point for the mega-franchise the series is now. It's since then been met with criticism, and rightfully so, but I still think it's a great game.
- The setting is still rather unique among shooters. It's a rare case that doesn't involve extensive military conflict with escalating explosions. Even more exceptional is its atmosphere, where everything is collapsing, decrepit, worn out and dirty. The people are ruthless, amoral, opportunistic, or just desperately trying to get out. It conveys a sense of danger and hopelessness in a way I've seen few games manage. And yes, the weapon degradation adds to that atmosphere. It makes perfect sense in the story, and it's even given a proper reason as opposed to just being an out-of-universe gameplay mechanic.
- The graphics hold up amazingly for a 10 year old game. I'm serious when I say the lighting still takes my breath away, especially during the sunsets. I'm still impressed how you can literally see the shadows of every single leaf and branch.
- The weapons are some of the most satisfying in gaming history. The AS50 sniper rifle sounds like a goddamn cannon going off, and surprising convoys with the IEDs never gets old. The game also makes the player work for these weapons. In Far Cry 3 I'd gotten all the guns I'd ever need probably halfway through the game, which meant any wealth I gathered from then on was meaningless. Needing the amount of diamonds for the weapons makes them feel precious and earned. And the only silenced sniper rifle is acquired only at the second half, and it can make like 10-15 shots before breaking, meaning no clearing entire outposts without being spotted at all *COUGH* FAR CRY 3 *COUGH*
- The UI is simply brilliant. For no other game would I even bring this up, but the information is conveyed in such an unintrusive manner that it does an amazing job to immerse the player.
But of course there's the bad stuff like hyper-aggressive and unbalanced AI, shallow open world with little incentive for exploration beyond finding diamonds, the basically nonexistent story, the barely functional stealth with no way of telling where enemies are, the game being essentially twice as long as it needs to be and malaria adding an unnecessary level of RNG into the mix and stretching out the playtime by forcing you to do those stupid medicine runs.
Most of what I've seen is people saying Far Cry 2 not as bad as a lot of people make it out to be and the game does have some good aspects, but saying "It's not that bad" is not exactly the same as "It's good" or even "It's so bad it's good".
Maybe I'm wrong and there really is a lot of renewed and positive interest in Far Cry 2, enough to warrant being called a cult classic, but I've noticed little of it.
Maybe I'm wrong and there really is a lot of renewed and positive interest in Far Cry 2, enough to warrant being called a cult classic, but I've noticed little of it.
Reversed Ejection Ports?Major_Tom said:
Also which Jam Animations was dumb because the one I can think of was the M16-like rifle where he just pressed a button and the stuck bullet flew out on its own.
I wonder what is that button for on those M16/M4 Rifles:
Yeah, all of the ejection ports are on the wrong side of their respective guns. This is especially stupid with bolt-action rifles where it would be incredibly awkward to work the bolt or with bullpup rifles where the spent casing would hit you in the head. I don't know why some games do that, it's driving me insane.Samtemdo8 said:
I know there were some "slap the gun util it fixes itself" or "pull the charging handle slightly harder this time". I remember the game's article on IMFDB at the time mostly consisted of the editor making fun of animations, it was hilarious.Samtemdo8 said:
That's forward assist. It's used to push the bolt forward an lock it if you have a particularly stubborn round that won't chamber. But many people think it's better to just eject that round instead of forcing it in.Samtemdo8 said:
It is the forward assist. Pushing it will force the bolt all the way forward, as there are times (especially with dirty weapons) when it might stop before securely loading a round into the chamber. If that happens, the weapon won't fire. At that point you are supposed to push the forward assist and it will push the round all the way forward. From what I understand, in practice most shooters just pull the charging handle, as that will give the bolt another chance to slide into place correctly and will let you get rid of a potentially faulty round. Pulling the charging handle is also the go-to first maneuver for any unexpected jam, so the button very rarely gets used.Samtemdo8 said:
You're all wrong. The only Far Cry game that comes anywhere close to being a "cult classic" is Blood Dragon.
if we're regarding the well-received and appreciated at the time Far Cry 2 as a 'cult classic,' then I'd like to nominate the underappreciated hidden gem of a film Jurassic Park for this cult status please. And the mortally underexposed talent of indie darling band Led Zeppelin if one would be so kind
hmm...mayhaps the sentient Tetris entity speaks sense or at least sense on this scale of comparisonTopazFusion said:
I liked the game a lot, more than most people here it seems, but I'm not sure I'd call it a cult classic. It sure had problems, yes, but I overcame them fairly quickly in the game.
Like others have said, malaria symptoms just means you have to get on with the story, and weapon jamming I only had happen to me maybe twice at the most. I didn't mind it too much, because it's not like you're limited to a 2 weapon loadout or anything. I like having to switch up my style once in a while, because the weapons weren't doing that great.
Some of the dialogue delivery was a bit dull, but the biggest issue I had was respawning checkpoints, and enemies coming out of nowhere to mow you down. After you got better at it, it was a simpler affair to dispatch them or at least get past, but still annoying as hell. They should respawn at least through milestones in the story, not every damn 5 minutes or however quick it was.
I remember the game looking great for its time, and immersion was on a whole other level. I loved fixing up the vehicles, pulling sticks and bullets out of yourself, and the feel of the hot, sweaty African jungles and deserts. But it's been *years* since I last played, so it could be rose-colored glasses to an extent.
Like others have said, malaria symptoms just means you have to get on with the story, and weapon jamming I only had happen to me maybe twice at the most. I didn't mind it too much, because it's not like you're limited to a 2 weapon loadout or anything. I like having to switch up my style once in a while, because the weapons weren't doing that great.
Some of the dialogue delivery was a bit dull, but the biggest issue I had was respawning checkpoints, and enemies coming out of nowhere to mow you down. After you got better at it, it was a simpler affair to dispatch them or at least get past, but still annoying as hell. They should respawn at least through milestones in the story, not every damn 5 minutes or however quick it was.
I remember the game looking great for its time, and immersion was on a whole other level. I loved fixing up the vehicles, pulling sticks and bullets out of yourself, and the feel of the hot, sweaty African jungles and deserts. But it's been *years* since I last played, so it could be rose-colored glasses to an extent.
Ah, Blood Dragon is CLASSIC, cult or otherwise. I hope that the FarCry 5 DLC is standalone and can recapture the magic of Blood Dragon.CaitSeith said:TopazFusion said:
We don't often agree, though I've never vocalized it, but we do on this. Far Cry 2 is definitely my favorite one. I spent the most time in it's world by a long shot.B-Cell said:
Just a friendly reminder - this isn't actually on the Wild West and the CC still applies.
Also the Far Cry 5 endings are garbage.
Also the Far Cry 5 endings are garbage.
I like to apply wikipedia's definition to cult classics. "Cult [classics] are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, an elaborate subculture that engage in repeated viewings, quoting dialogue, and audience participation."TopazFusion said:
I think a lot more people than you think played BD or else they wouldn't be going crazy with these expansions, so I don't think it's really a cult classic so much as just a good game. And let's be honest. You only play BD for the funny story/character dialogue. The gameplay is almost a cut-and-paste of FC3.
That shit is annoying, which is why Dylan's Realism Mod is one of the more popular mods for FC2 as it retools weapon degradation and lowers the malaria flare ups in addition to fixing a lot of the unpatched bugs. There's also a mod worth grabbing that adds widescreen, DX10 support, and fixes rendering issues to make the game play nice with modern hardware. It ain't perfect, but the fan made content makes it better than the vanilla release.Rip Van Rabbit said: