Why Far Cry 2 Is Still the Series' Best Game - IGN (2024)

The first time I felt bad killing someone in Far Cry 2, it was a death I didn’t see coming. I’d seen plenty of unpredictable, often hilarious things happen as a result of my violent actions -- I once shot a driver who then rolled his truck into a zebra, over a bridge, and into a river. Moments like this get more out of hand in Far Cry 3 and Far Cry 4.But when remembering my truly definitive Far Cry moments, and when asking myself which Far Cry game is best, I always think about Marty Alencar, the friend I murdered.

Marty was my first and best Buddy in Far Cry 2’s Africa. He was the man I rescued from a fiery plane crash. The guy who always brought me back to life when I took too many bullets, put a gun in my hand, and stood by my side until everyone around me died.

What Far Cry 3 and Far Cry 4 both lack is human emergence.

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Far Cry 4’s Guns for Hire system operates on a similar idea to Far Cry 2’s Buddy System, allowing you to summon an ally instantly to fight alongside you. But they’re nameless henchmen, expendable fodder I used to deliberately detonate landmines and send to certain death for the sake of distraction. I never cared about any of them. I used them.

Compare this to Far Cry 2, where I relied on Marty, approaching him every time I stepped out the door, knowing he’d tell me he had my back, knowing it was true. Marty was a good man, always ready with another option when a mission wasn’t going to benefit me as much as it could. Yes, these “character traits” fed into the gameplay structure and story missions of Far Cry 2, but it convinced me that Marty Alencar was more than a Buddy -- he was a friend.

Marty dragged me out of the line of fire and into the bushes when a random group of guys jumped me on the road. Stupid. You never take the road. A gunner on the back of a truck mowed me down while I fell into my own misplaced Molotov flames. Marty hands me a pistol and opens fire. I find a couple grenades, knock the truck around, and finish the job. When it’s all done, I hear Marty screaming for help. I can’t see him.

By the time I find his blue smoke streaming out of the woods, he’s grunting incoherently. I kneel down, jab a regenerative needle into his stomach, and wait for him to head home. He doesn’t get up. He’s still wounded, so I put another needle in him. Nothing, but he slows down, and his eyes roll upward. One more needle. Marty’s head hits the ground, and he stops squirming.

I overdosed my best friend.

Far Cry 3 and Far Cry 4 have more environmental and systemic variables than Far Cry 2. It’s natural. They’re iterative improvements that add more to the memorable-moment formula Far Cry 2 improved on over the original. But what Far Cry 3 and Far Cry 4 both lack is human emergence. Both have crazier stories about tiger attacks, flaming wildlife, and extreme wingsuiting -- but neither have the possibility of an unscripted human, heartfelt encounter like the death of Marty Alencar. Far Cry 2's opportunity for this kind of chaos is everywhere.

Because that moment carried weight, because it had a narrative leading up to its occurrence, I never, ever reloaded a save in Far Cry 2. I didn’t quick-save, and I didn’t start over for the sake of convenience. Marty became part of Far Cry 2’s story as a result -- it felt like a major plot point that shouldn’t be undone.

Far Cry 3 ends with an interactive do-it-or-don’t murder decision. It determines which final cutscene you see, but has no lasting effect on your experience throughout the rest of your journey in the Rook Islands. In Far Cry 4, you can choose to kill friends or enemies, or let it ride and see where their journeys take them through Kyrat. Far Cry 4 gets close, but both lack the genuine, emotional impact of fighting with, for, and eventually against those you called friends, in a truly lasting way.

Though it’s my favorite first-person shooter ever, I’m the first to admit that Far Cry 2 fails in many ways -- particularly in inviting players to enjoy its punishing world. But in sacrificing forgiveness, it creates a relentlessness that actually affects me. Far Cry 2’s sequels unquestionably improve on gameplay structure, character progression, and presentation. Some would argue this is because they removed some of Far Cry 2’s more challenging systems.

I always remember my times in Africa most, drowning in lakes when I’m suddenly stricken by malaria, dying because a shotgun shell jams the firing chamber, and losing hundreds of dollars when a sniper rifle explodes in my hands. But nothing stands out more among those scenes, or any other Far Cry game, than the unscripted, human moments of Far Cry 2. Marty Alencar is one of my many unexpected, substantial stories -- and it’s this special, weighty stuff the series has been missing since.

Mitch Dyer is an Editor at IGN. He hosts IGN Arena, a podcast about MOBAs, and is trying to read more. Here's his reading list. Talk to Mitch about books, Dota 2, and other stuff on Twitter at @MitchyD and subscribe to MitchyD on Twitch.