With so many shooters being on the market, it seems like the Far Cry series is often one of the more overlooked at times.  Far Cry 2 removes the super abilities gamers came to know in the previous version, and focus more on core mechanics and celebrating the inner pyromaniac in gamers.

Far Cry 2 takes place in a fictional Central African nation which you soon discover is in the middle of a civil war.  As the campaign unfolds, you’ll find yourself doing work for the two factions at war, the United Front for Liberation and Alliance for Popular Resistance, ultimately working your way to find the one man who did you wrong, The Jackal.

Regardless of whether or not you’re engaged in conflict in Far Cry 2, you can’t help but notice how gorgeous the environment is.  There’s nothing quite like setting random fires out in the safari, or blowing something up just because you can.

Where Far Cry 2 shines would be the simple fact that you can approach each mission and situation you choose from a variety of ways.  The game allows you to set up above a camp to pick off the main threats with a sniper, rush in Rambo style with your rocket launch and assault rifle, or mix in any combination of weapons you choose.

The game features one of my favorite features, which essentially is real-time healing.  As you look back over the years as real-time weapon loading has become a standard in shooters, I honestly hope that real-time healing does as well.  While it may be gruesome, watching your character pull bullets out of their skin, or bandage up their arm is extremely cool.

In the event that you fail to heal yourself in time, or you end up passing out on the battlefield, you’ll be rescued by one of your buddies that you encounter throughout the story.  It honestly doesn’t matter if you’re out in the middle of the safari and you haven’t talked to them in a few hours, they’ll find you and save you.

In order to keep from dying, you’ll want to engage in side missions and hits on weapon convoys in order to gain access to more weapons to make the journey either.  You can, however, complete the game with the weapons you start out with, but it’s incredibly frustrating to do so.  You’ll want to invest in the weapons you can buy, as the ones you acquire from your enemies are prone to jam and lock up on you.

Using the map and GPS that you’re conveniently provided with, you’ll often notice a green indicator on the GPS that blinks and sometimes stays fully lit.  The indicator lets you know when you’re pointed at a diamond, by staying lit, or blinking more rapidly to let you know when you’re in a close vicinity of the diamond.

When you’re finished with campaign, or just possibly needing a break from it, you’ll easily want to try multiplayer.  The multiplayer isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s easily one of the more enjoyable for gamers.  Most of the maps are well done, and there are quite a few that are sniper heavens, but the action flows well on the maps and the ability to upgrade guns based on how often you use them is rather rewarding.

Included in multiplayer is one of the most detailed map editors that you’ll ever find on a console.  If you have the time and patience, you can create some truly brilliant maps.  The map community is something that will keep the hardcore fans of the Far Cry series coming back to the title again and again.

Far Cry 2 is a sleeper title, and with the slew of shooters on the market, it’s sad that it doesn’t get more attention.  If you’re looking for a lot of replay value in a title this holiday season, be sure to grab Far Cry 2 as there’s enough singleplayer & multiplayer content to satisfy just about any gamer.

For more reviews and verdicts on Far Cry 2, be sure to check out TestFreaks.com!