PC Gamer - UK (2022-02)

My memory was of walks, and views, and special

one-off moments. Once I climbed a mountain and found a

deserted village that belonged to a people largely

untouched by the imperial West. Arriving before the

mission it was designed for felt like I was rounding a

corner in the Jordanian rocks and seeing Petra for the

first time. At the very top of this climb, I found a hang-

glider. I soared and wheeled through the blue sky, seeing

the lush landscape below and the deserts beyond, the

animals scattering before me. I was a bird. It was over in

seconds and when it was done, it was done. They weren’t

marked on the map, and I never found another.

WOULD NOT RECOMMEND

Now I’m getting stuck in chokepoints, pursued by

unfeasibly speedy jeeps by mercs with X-ray vision and

unerring marksmanship. Anything I’m driving stops after

being shot, meaning I can’t outrun anyone. It’s possible to

avoid trouble by going round obstacles, but it requires a

patience that I don’t seem to possess anymore. I’ve been

spoiled by the Rook Islands and Kyrat. My daughter and I

played Far Cry 5 together, and often stopped killing

cultists to enjoy the sports and the views. It was always an

easy option, even with deadly wildlife.

Laboa-Sako, the northern part of the UAC, is definitely

less appealing than the south, where after a lot of grind I

go on to find many of the small wonders I’m looking for.

But even on the periphery of the desert where the

metaphorical diamonds are, it’s a lot like going on holiday

to somewhere you loved as a child, but now... It’s smaller,

browner, less full of potential than you remember. The

beaches smaller, the arcades short of games, each one less

thrilling than it was but ten times the price. There are still

small beauties to find, but if you’ve been to Vegas,

Prestatyn seems tiny, because it is.

But I see my animals, managing not to hit them all

with my car. I see some sunsets and some amazing vistas.

I get rained on, a lot, which spoils the pictures, but that’s

holidays for you. And I find my ancient village, but it’s full

of ex-pat monsters with mortars. I suppose, at least in this

game, if I shot someone in the head, they’ll die, unlike the

less considerate soldiers of Yara.

And that’s the rub. This time, I’m on vacation, but for

someone on safari, I’m spending a lot of time machete-ing

people to death. It’s all necessary self-defence, of course,

but I might as well be using a gun. So, accepting that rules

are made to be broken, I grind and arm myself with the

M-79 Grenade Launcher...

START OF DARKNESS

The sub-text of Far Cry 2, such as it is, retreads Joseph

Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, or more precisely Coppola’s

Apocalypse Now. The assassin travels through a ravaged

world in search of the one most responsible for it,

inevitably adopting the same methods, and in doing so,

is infected by the same sickness, literally and figuratively.

Opinion is sharply divided as to whether Conrad’s

masterwork is a vicious takedown of

European colonialism, or a deeply

othering piece of racism, with the

smarter money being on both. The

concept was better served by Spec

Ops: The Line, but it remains the de

facto theme of the Far Cry series,

with wildly contrasting success and

states of dissonance.

The first-time round, I became

very good at it all, slipping unnoticed

from place to place and playing both

sides against each other. Slowly, these

mercenaries began to talk of me with

fear in their voices. And I was a

monster. I would shoot someone in

the leg so his cries would attract his

friends to my headshot party. This

was okay, because everyone was a

Western, colonial interloper with no

business in the UAC except

exploitation and greed. Finally, I tired

TREAD LIGHTLY

A few of the animals I accidentally killed

RED-FRONTED GAZELLE

(EUDORCAS RUFIFRONS)

Related to Thomson’s gazelle,

second fastest animal on Earth.

Unfortunately for this subject, it’s

still slower than a Jeep.

GREVY’S ZEBRA

(EQUUS GREVYI)

Also known as the imperial

zebra. Considered endangered,

especially when it runs in front of

a moving dune buggy.

SUDAN BUFFALO

(SYNCERUS CAFFER

BRACHYCEROS)

A subspecies of the African

buffalo that gores and kills more

than 200 people every year.

This was basically self-defence.

AFRIKANER MERCENARY

(HOMO SAPIENS)

I guess all roads lead to the

corpses of mercenaries

eventually, but, I can explain,

really! This one was only

tangentially involved.

PERSONAL ADVENTURES IN GAMES

DIARY

Great... I just have to

kill everyone

underneath first.