A fantastic game that is set in Africa during a civil war. I played this game for the first time years ago on PlayStation 3 back when it released in 2008 and enjoyed it but did not really understand it.

After playing it again this month I can say that it is one of the richest video games in terms of using context to describe a real-world problem that I have played in recent memory. Minuscule details such as derelict buses, region-correct weapons, and uncut diamonds being used as currency provide a legitimacy that other video games may fail to realize.

The environment is barren, actions are inconsequential and almost meaningless, and the world within the game is an uncaring force. From used weapons being shipped forward from previous conflicts, to having to unjam said weapons due to age, wear and the climate in which you find yourself in.

Far Cry 2 paints a picture of an impersonal universe. The brutality and combat in the game is not made to make you feel powerful or like a god amongst men, but instead opts to display just how weak we all are to unforeseen/external forces. Guns degrade over time no matter how new they are, wounds force you to pull shards of glass, metal and shells from your skin.

Just as games such as Bioshock look into the depths of human determinism versus free will, Far Cry 2 explores the depths of mortality, morality, importance, survival and ultimately nihilism. Death is not something that you readily bring to the table with every encounter, but instead it is something that lurks beneath the surface of your skin. At any moment death awaits whichever mercenary you choose, with the world essentially not caring either way. The wind in the desert still blows, the rain in the forest still pummels the ground, and the conflict between men continues.

SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING AND THEMES AHEAD

In the end, none of the choices you make in the game really has any bearing. Every action that you carry out for the APR or UFLL is just more Western fuel into a tactless war machine. Even though that you were originally sent on a mission to assassinate an arms dealer in the region, the game places you at the mercy of both him, and the world that you find yourself in. The choice from Ubisoft Montreal to have your actions mean so little while working for all sides is a bold choice, but one that pays off. It fits the overarching theme of the absurdity, uncaring brutality and falsely Western-ascribed "properness" associated with war.

To close, I am going to quote the very first Jackal tape that you receive, as I feel as though that it captures what the world in Far Cry 2 is aiming to portray (spoilers):

"You can't break a man the way you break a dog or a horse. The harder you beat a man, the taller he stands. To break a man's will, to break his spirit, you have to break his mind. Men have this idea that we can fight with dignity, that there is a proper way to kill someone. It's absurd. It's an aesthetic. We need it to endure the bloody horror of murder. You must destroy that idea. Show them what a messy, terrible thing it is to kill a man, and then show them that you relish in it. Shoot to wound, then execute the wounded. Burn them. Take them in close combat. Destroy their preconceptions of what a man is, and you become their personal monster. When they fear you, you become stronger, you become better. But let's never forget: It's a display. It's a posture, like a lion's roar or a gorilla thumping at his chest. If you lose yourself in the display, if you succumb to the horror, then you become the monster. You become reduced. Not more than a man, but less, and it can be fatal." – The Jackal/00. Infamy

A fantastic game that is set in Africa during a civil war. I played this game for the first time years ago on PlayStation 3 back when it released in 2008 and enjoyed it but did not really understand it. After playing it again this month I can say that it is one of the richest video games in terms of using context to describe a real-world problem that I have played in recent memory. Minuscule details such as derelict buses, region-correct weapons, and uncut diamonds being used as currency provide a legitimacy that other video games may fail to realize. The environment is barren, actions are inconsequential and almost meaningless, and the world within the game is an uncaring force. From used weapons being shipped forward from previous conflicts, to having to unjam said weapons due to age, wear and the climate in which you find yourself in. Far Cry 2 paints a picture of an impersonal universe. The brutality and combat in the game is not made to make you feel powerful or like a god amongst men, but instead opts to display just how weak we all are to unforeseen/external forces. Guns degrade over time no matter how new they are, wounds force you to pull shards of glass, metal and shells from your skin. Just as games such as Bioshock look into the depths of human determinism versus free will, Far Cry 2 explores the depths of mortality, morality, importance, survival and ultimately nihilism. Death is not something that you readily bring to the table with every encounter, but instead it is something that lurks beneath the surface of your skin. At any moment death awaits whichever mercenary you choose, with the world essentially not caring either way. The wind in the desert still blows, the rain in the forest still pummels the ground, and the conflict between men continues. [b] SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING AND THEMES AHEAD [/b] [spoiler] In the end, none of the choices you make in the game really has any bearing. Every action that you carry out for the APR or UFLL is just more Western fuel into a tactless war machine. Even though that you were originally sent on a mission to assassinate an arms dealer in the region, the game places you at the mercy of both him, and the world that you find yourself in. The choice from Ubisoft Montreal to have your actions mean so little while working for all sides is a bold choice, but one that pays off. It fits the overarching theme of the absurdity, uncaring brutality and falsely Western-ascribed "properness" associated with war. [/spoiler] To close, I am going to quote the very first Jackal tape that you receive, as I feel as though that it captures what the world in Far Cry 2 is aiming to portray (spoilers): [spoiler] "You can't break a man the way you break a dog or a horse. The harder you beat a man, the taller he stands. To break a man's will, to break his spirit, you have to break his mind. Men have this idea that we can fight with dignity, that there is a proper way to kill someone. It's absurd. It's an aesthetic. We need it to endure the bloody horror of murder. You must destroy that idea. Show them what a messy, terrible thing it is to kill a man, and then show them that you relish in it. Shoot to wound, then execute the wounded. Burn them. Take them in close combat. Destroy their preconceptions of what a man is, and you become their personal monster. When they fear you, you become stronger, you become better. But let's never forget: It's a display. It's a posture, like a lion's roar or a gorilla thumping at his chest. If you lose yourself in the display, if you succumb to the horror, then you become the monster. You become reduced. Not more than a man, but less, and it can be fatal." – The Jackal/00. Infamy [/spoiler]