Introduction

Mariyana Vasileva March 31, 2009

You have probably heard about the nonlinear gameplay and you kind of understand what this concept means. Some games offer mostly linear adventures. Usually have got more dynamics but practically the entire gameplay is predetermined and you have to follow strictly the game rules and missions. Other titles, with more nonlinear adventures, could offer you a whole world to explore, as well as an independent game, but dynamics are mostly up to you. If you heard phrases like open-world and a sandbox gameplay, you probably know that they mean: a free-roaming detailed and vast game world, where you can go everywhere, where you can ignore most of your game missions, and where you have to expect the unexpectedly. The concept open-ended on the other hand, describes a game with few alternative endings. On top of that, there are various kinds of open-endness and open-worldness. If you just want to read about Far Cry 2, please bear with me just a little bit longer.

For instance, the Sims and the Sims 2 have a detailed but not large world with unexpected behavior of the characters. Once, my sim refused to go work twice and he has been fired. Then the gas cooker exploded and he not survived in the fire but this another story. In Mass Effect the player has his own strategy plus a chance to go on many planets in the Milky Way. But some of them are accessible only after the successful end of specific missions, which to some extent suggests a somewhat linear gameplay. On their hand, in Crysis and Crysis Warhead we can become lost in their enormous and detailed worlds, offering both nonlinear, and sometimes very linear gameplay. And last but not least, there are the Stalkers – Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky. These games are strikingly large with their 30 km2 and with the freedom to have the missions which you decide. They put the player in realistic economy relations with the characters there. And you can do everything to everyone. The only thing that spoiled a bit my illusion for a unlimited and free game world was the inability to destroy buildings or others objects.

But where stands Far Cry 2 in this spectrum of games? Are 50 km2 enough to classify this modern game as open-world? Let's find out.

Africa! The latest first-person shooter from Ubisoft will take you exactly there. You probably have heard about the game Far Cry, created by Crytek but this one here is entirely a product of Ubisoft Montreal. The hearsay that Far Cry 2 will be an extension of Far Cry was quickly swept away with the release of the game. In fact, while both games are set in wild and vast outdoor environments, they differ from each other in the plot, the place of the action, and the characters.

	Page 1 of 5	Far Cry 2 characters and missions