Things were going well until he actually blew the pipe, at which point a guard spotted him and in came the cavalry. He tried to fight his way out, but his weapon loadout left him at a disadvantage in a standing fight, so he was eventually taken down. However, one of his NPC buddies from earlier came to his aid, reviving him, providing him with a pistol, and taking out a few baddies before retreating back into the bush. Sadly, this pistol was old and rusty, and after a couple of clips, it began jamming rather regularly.

Weapon degradation is a major concern in Far Cry 2, as the guns you carry won’t work forever, and eventually, they’ll stop working entirely. While video games have taught you that even the most basic assault rifle will go on spitting lead forever, that simply isn’t true, and the threat of constant breakdown is enough to keep you on your toes for new guns.

At this point, our guide restarted the demo and handed the controls over to us. Since he had gone the stealth route, we decided to take the “stand and fight” approach so we opted for the “Heavy” gun configuration. This loadout, consisting of a shotgun, pistol, and flamethrower, meant that we weren’t about to concern ourselves with being quiet; the best way to get what you want is with a spray of bullets and a mighty Rambo yell. We also chose to set out during the day, because while there may be more enemies, they are also much easier to see, and a true hunter always wants to look his kill in the eyes.

We decided to forgo the pipe and head straight for the objective, figuring we’d hijack a jeep or truck and make our escape that way. Once we arrived at the radio antennae base, we wasted no time getting acquainted with the locals, and it wasn’t long before fire was erupting in all directions. When things got a little too hairy, we whipped out the flamethrower and set the brush some enemies were hiding in on fire, and eventually jumped in a vehicle to make our exit. Unfortunately, the mercenaries at the camp aren’t stupid, and they quickly gave chase in a car of their own. After putting enough holes in the engine and radiator, we were forced to abandon ship. You can actually fix cars that are damaged when not in combat, but that wasn’t an option here. Outgunned and out of health recharges (the game doesn’t use the regenerative health system so popular these days, but rather opts for syringes similar to what is seen in Battlefield: Bad Company), we eventually met our end. Sadly, the same buddy that saved our demo guide never came to our aide because we shot him back at camp just to see if all that talk about characters being gone forever was truth or just bunk. Turns out we should have just trusted the guys who made the game on this one.

Those are just two approaches to one situation, but you can rest assured there are many, many more ways to handle it. Booby trap vehicles so that when enemies give chase, you can blow them sky high; injure a baddie and pick off his friends as they come to help (healthy enemies can heal or revive allies as well). The title is incredibly open, and with a promise of a map 50 square kilometers once you’ve unlocked the whole thing, you really can go wherever you want and accomplish things in whatever manner you choose. Even though Bethesda’s own Fallout 3 is being hailed as a sort of Oblivion with guns, Far Cry 2 is right there with it. Those who are fans of open worlds, games that never play out the same way twice, and nearly limitless options would be well served to keep an eye on this one.