The original Far Cry on Xbox 360 was met with mixed reaction as it adopted the original tale of Jack Carver, the lead character of Far Cry and fused it with an all new story that would provide more hours of entertainment for those into the "animalistic" single player adventure. The inclusion of super animal instincts and the reason for the game’s new moniker meant that players looking for a realistic jungle romp were presented with a game which blended seeming reality with a strong fantasy element, which thus was the cause of the division.
Let’s not get too involved with Far Cry 2’s single player, because as you are probably aware, the game now takes place in Africa where a new hero is unleashed onto the wilderness. Gone are the super predator like powers, and instead we’re left with an overall more distinctive game steeped in realism and a definitive graphical overhaul that will literally set your world on fire.
The main focus on the single player experience is on freedom, and with a huge changing landscape to explore, you are able to take on various factions and militia whilst meandering through a gripping, diverse cinematic storyline. The freedom granted has been a feature of the series (more so the PC incarnations) but not to the extent that Far Cry 2 offers. With the option to tackle objectives during the day or night (which changes the enemy AI) or to approach missions by any means you see fit, creates a tense and enthralling gameplay experience which will undoubtedly mean gamers’ experiences will be different to each other. I’m sure we’ll hear plenty of war stories of how, certain missions were approached, and it’s this that will most prominently make Far Cry 2’s single player experience a departure from the corridor shooters we’ve come to expect from Xbox 360, and shooters in general of this generation.
Far Cry Instincts included a multiplayer mode that offered the standard elements that you’d expect from this game type, although some new modes that allowed teams to be super powered mutants with the other team being left heavily tooled up, but ultimately weak against claws and leaping ferocity; provided some fun but like the rest of the game at the time, had limited appeal. A map editor was also available and despite its simplicity was a neat inclusion for gamers willing to spend the time messing around with props and landscape tools.
Far Cry 2’s multiplayer on the other hand, most certainly goes above and beyond expectation, and when compared to Far Cry Instincts, which launched in the Xbox 360’s first year, the two games couldn’t be further apart. Today we got the chance to play some of the multiplayer and have a direct look at the map making that will no doubt be the talk of the town when it releases on the 21st of this month (US) and the 24th (Europe).
The Basics:
Far Cry 2’s multiplayer will ship with the standard modes that you’ll love and are familiar with, so this includes Team Death Match and Death Match modes. Like any other game, you’ll be able to choose between the less competitive Player Matches, where hosts can set their own rules and decide what’s going to happen in their own self contained paradise. The Ranked matches will follow a set formula and won’t be changeable but it’s here where players will need to spend the most time if they want to make rank and level up their online persona (more about that later).
There are two other modes that ship with the game and these are variations on popular game types like Capture the Flag and VIP. The first of these is the appropriately named Capture the Diamond which replaces flags with diamonds believe it or not. The goal here is to simply grab the opposing team’s diamond and bring it back to your own base to score points. However, you won’t be able to score a point if your own diamond has been taken by the enemy. It’s capture the flag, within the styling of Far Cry 2. So if you or your team are familiar with the defensive/offensive strategy the game demands, then you’ll be comfortable playing here. I did find much amusement hearing the sound of your leader giving you updates on how well or badly your team is doing during rounds and is a neat inclusion, although I fear that after a while you may want to dive for the mute (although I’m not sure if there will be a text based alternative).
The more interesting of these additional game modes is Uprising, which presents a more tactical game. The basic premise here is each team is assigned a team leader who must then be escorted to various capture points on the map; although when I say escorted, he doesn’t have to be, because he has the same offensive capabilities as everyone else. The unique quality of the team leader is that he is the only member who can capture the points on the map. In the map we played, there were three points marked A,B and C. The way to win this mode is when all three points are captured by the same team you are then able to head for the opposing team leader and take him out for the win. It sounds simple enough in practice, but the reality is such that those teams who split up and try and wing it, are going to lose and quite badly against teams who work well in a pack and move with their team leader. Capturing points is a case of standing close to the points and waiting for a timer to countdown. Naturally, the opposing team can recapture the points for themselves, so you can imagine that there’s going to be a defensive/offensive tug of war going on as both teams vie for supremacy of the Capture Points. It’s an interesting mode and depending on the map and the players involved makes a welcome inclusion to the three other modes that are more familiar turf.
The Addictive Qualities
In an age where most if not all first person shooters ship with a multiplayer component, it comes as no surprise that Far Cry 2’s multiplayer offers similar antics that gamers will be familiar with. I think with online multiplayer games, there’s a real sense of community and longevity that stretches far beyond the realms of a single player campaign no matter how engrossing and diverse they are. The story always remains the same. For those gamers connected to Xbox Live, there’s always a steady stream of loud mouthed or mild mannered partners and enemies to engage with. And, rather than just repeat match after match for bragging rights, we have a system where gamers who play more can gain additional benefits to their characters. Naturally this tends to make a gaming upper class for those who invest the time to unlock various goodies, but with a positive match making system which prevents newcomers getting schooled by the vets means that things tend to remain fairly balanced.
Far Cry 2’s multiplayer offers the same perks that you would expect and to keep players slugging away for hours, days, weeks and months – perhaps even years. There are several classes on offer which provide you with a distinct set of skills and weaponry; these include Commando – who specialises in assault. Sharpshooter – who is great at long range sniping. Guerrilla – is a close quarters specialist and is great with the old boomstick. Rebel – is akin to your demolitions specialist. Gunner - who is adept at using heavy weapons and last but not least Saboteur – who specialises in stealth, based play and can use silenced weaponry amongst other things. You can change class between rounds and in the Player Match set up you can really experiment without fear of gaining XP that affects your overall main character. For ranked matches, you’ll gain XP that not only allows you to level up your character with special diamond levels, but you’ll also gain weapons abilities too.
There are three levels for characters to obtain with each level offering better weapons load-outs. Once you’ve been promoted you can assign the diamond into a slot and take advantage of the newly acquired gear. If you’re not happy with your current class, then at the cost of one diamond, you can change class – remembering that these strict rules only apply to the Ranked Matches. To gain all three diamonds, will take some considerable play time and so this is a big pull for gamers looking to best their comrades. Naturally there will be the related achievements on offer to provide further incentive to keep on blasting away into the wee hours. That’s before forgetting that you have work the next day, and your boss isn’t going to be too happy with you turning up looking like you’ve spent the night on speed at an all night rave.
Another component to the multiplayer is the weapons proficiency where there are three characteristics that level up the more you use them. These are Operation Manual, Maintenance and Bandolier which relates to how effective you are at using the equipment your class of character is given. Weapons that are old and used for long rounds, can actually start to wear down, and on occasion actually jam up on you. So getting these additional skills up is going to be crucial for gameplay.
Far Cry – Another World.
As already mentioned Far Cry Instincts shipped with a map maker which offered gamers the chance to create their own play spaces and share them with others. Far Cry 2 continues this and offers gamers the chance to really go to town in creating a fully interactive living breathing environment. The game ships with 14 maps as standard, but then allows for user created uploads. We’ve added several videos that out line the nature of this mode, but seeing it first hand and seeing what sort of detail you’ll be able to mess around with really hit home that this is going to be something rather special. I could quite easily see gamers getting lost in creating their own worlds just for the fun of it because it offers such diversity.
You can deform terrain, change the texture detail on surfaces, add water, create canyons, add hundreds of props and generally make a world to call your own, What really wowed me was the fact that the physics are all persistent and act accordingly, including the impressive fire dynamics that we’ve seen in the single player. The wind can be set, and as you would expect, the wind has a profound effect on the direction and movement of any fire hazard.
An interesting feature and one that I’m deeply in love with is the fact that you can set the time of day or night for your created works; this is an excellent feature, but what makes it more compelling is the fact that you can set it so that time passes as you play. Which means a map could start out in early evening, and end up in the thick of night – it can be set so that 1 hour real time is 6 hours game time. This is really going to add an extra layer of depth to the gameplay and with maps being easily uploaded for sharing; other players can experience your creations with ease. Map making is not for everyone, and takes a certain type of individual to sit there and create intricate works of art over a number of hours, yet the tools available are easy enough for beginners to have a stab and creating something truly remarkable within a very short space of time. This is certainly one feature that is worth keeping an eye out for because user created content most certainly allows for distinct and diverse design that not even the developers think of.
A far cry from its predecessor.
Far Cry 2’s multiplayer is going to be an excellent addition to the Xbox Live range of shooters, and after playing the game, it’s clear to see that its inclusion here is not some tacked on affair, but something that has been developed in a way to captivate and entice gamers. For me the controls are very fluid now and compared to Far Cry Instincts, offers a much more adaptive and accessible playing experience – gone is the oversensitive nightmare that was in the previous game. There are six controller configurations and things like auto aim on/off, crosshairs on/off and the use of iron sights to help aim more accurately adds just gives the game a more natural and well thought out playing experience.
What I was very impressed with, was the healing, which is similar to Battlefield Bad Company, where if you’ve taken damage, and survive, if you’re quick enough, pressing LB will allow you to whip out a knife or finger or whatever is to hand, and perform some home surgery on yourself, thus replenishing your health fully – this is actually an animation and is pretty amusing to see bullets being prized out of wound with a well placed finger! What’s more, you can also heal downed team mates by pressing Y when next to them, although if you are downed and feel like help isn’t coming, you can choose to re-spawn a little quicker by using the “give –up” option.
The intricate nature of the maps means that there are plenty of spots to hide in to heal yourself, or snipe from if you’re that type of player. There are also things like water which can slow you down considerably but make for excellent escape from fire, which can spread and catch the unsuspecting unawares. There is a sprint button (click in the left thumb-stick) which can help get to a location quickly, or help you evade incoming fire; but there are also vehicles you can use to get from A to B in a more hurried manner. I really liked the difference in gameplay where there was water on the map and it was night time, making for a stealthier playing environment because it was harder to see enemies.
My only gripe with the build that we played, and I was told that some tweaking is certainly still taking place for the final build, is that some of the grenade weapons were a little too over powered and could easily become the “noob” weapon that will anger and elate gamers across Xbox Live. Other than this, I could not see any fault with the game at all, as it appears to be something that is extremely well thought out and realized. I for one can’t wait to get my hands on the final build and you should feel the same way, because as far as I can tell from actually playing the game, Far Cry 2’s multiplayer is going to be something special.
Preview By: Robert Cram
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