Seneste anmeldelser af ShelLuser

Disclaimer: I'm still somewhat new to Arma 3 (learning the ropes slowly but steadily) but despite the fact that I still have a lot to learn this game became one of my favourites almost the same day I tried it out at first. But although I maybe new to the game I've become familiar enough to fully understand why this is such a great thing to buy. Even though we're talking about an expansion pack which is almost just as expensive as the game itself.


The most important part of this expansion pack is the new map of Tanoa: an island group located within the South Pacific. So why all this excitement about a "simple" map you may wonder (which I can especially imagine to happen if you're not fully familiar with Arma 3 yet)? Because an official Arma 3 map is so much more than just a simple area to play a game in.

See, in a game like Arma 3 it doesn't really matter how big or dense a map is. What is important is that the map contains enough features which you can use to set up a nice scenario. And boy does Tanoa deliver! Beaches with plenty of vegetation, villages and even larger cities with plenty of buildings. Speaking of which: we're not just talking about static props which are only used for scenery purposes. Most buildings can be interacted with: there are doors to open, rooms to explore, sometimes there are even multiple floors in one building!

That's what this is all about: providing you with a playground which can be fully used up to the smallest detail. Just skimming over the map already gives me a lot of ideas for scenarios to work out. For example: because there are multiple islands I could easily imagine an allied base on one of the bigger islands which is used to supply an invasion force which is preparing on one of the smaller ones. Once you're taken to the invasion force (by helicopter of course) you can get to help them carry out an invasion of the main island.


This is actually a bit of a love/hate thing for me. Because even if you don't own the Apex expansion pack just yet you can still access all its contents (apart from Tanoa) within the Eden editor. That always bothered me a little bit because even though there are clear markers to indicate that something is part of a specific DLC it's easy to overlook those when you're busy setting something up.

And it becomes plain out annoying if you set up a scenario without any errors, then go test it only to be greeted with errors telling you that you cannot access the vehicle you just placed and customized because you don't own the DLC! So why the heck could I still select, place and customize it? That always felt like a cheap tactic to me.


This DLC seriously has a lot to offer and in my opinion there's also plenty to enjoy for solo players as well. I suppose the only possible downside is that the included scenarios are part of a bigger storyline so I can well imagine that you'll get a better experience if you play through all the available campaigns in order.

But that's also where the Eden editor comes into play. Even if you don't have much experience with the other maps such as Altis and Stratis then it will still become fully clear why this map can be so inviting for all sorts of things by just exploring it within the editor (which is what I'm currently doing).

So yeah, thanks for reading. I highly recommend this, especially if you plan on becoming more serious with Arma 3.

A must buy for RTS fans!

I still remember picking up the very first Command & Conquer game on impulse (from my first paycheck) not knowing what it was exactly. And it seriously sparked my interest in the RTS genre. Please note: I'm hardly an expert. I prefer single player scenarios and I'm also not that good at it. But I do know how to have fun :)

Fast forward to today and I'm still playing with the Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War series whereas I somewhat forgot about C&C (I'm only mentioning it out of respect for Westwoods massive accomplishments, without them we might not have had the RTS concept as we do now).


My main problem with regular RTS titles is that it usually evolves around either a campaign or (online) multiplayer. That's it. So what to do if all you want is to have some fun outside the campaign? Well, you probably can't.

Dawn of War does that a lot better by providing a campaign (which can be played for multiple races) as well as a skirmish mode. And it is that mode I'm so hooked on right now: a total free for all game against the AI (or other players in online if you want to). And you're in full control. Easy, normal or (extra) hard? No problem! Winning when you managed to conquer a part of the map or only after you totally obliterated an enemy by destroying their HQ? No problem!

Best of all: this opens up the full potential of the game right away, whereas a campaign usually starts you off with several limits in order to slowly progress through the campaign.


This is probably what I like best about this game... the major differences between playing as Space Marines, Orks or Chaos (or any other races, see below). Sure, there are many similarities: build specific structures for infantry and machinery (vehicles), build listening outposts to fortify captured strategic points, etc. But the troops themselves have many different abilities. Orks work in numbers which is why you can quickly expand certain units, allowing them to overwhelm. Whereas Space Marines rely on strength and strategy. And Chaos? Yah, well, that's just creepy ;)


I highly recommend looking up the gameplay on Youtube to see if you like the idea of capturing points and relics vs. mining for resources to build up your base. But if you do, and Steam has one of its many sales, then I highly recommend to grab all the DLC as well if you can. That gives you new campaigns and even more races which you can use in your skirmish games!

Examples being the Imperial Guard (which is a personal favourite of mine), The Necrons, The Tau Empire and even the Sisters of Battle are something else indeed!


Last but not least: for a game this old it sure gives you a lot of gorgeous eye candy! Space Marines rely on orbiting space ships to provide them with the supplies they need. Managed to build an chapel? Then your units will be launched from space towards the surface of the planet. Ergo: you don't only see a bar filling up, you'll also see a shuttle coming down which contains your troops.

Orks just build their structures from whatever garbage they can find. As such you can expect your Orks to bring out their hammers and tools to start constructing whatever it is you're building themselves. It is really fun to watch!

And Chaos? Yah, well, errr.... They use their twisted and corrupted magic to spawn their structures and troops straight from the depths of the abyss itself, and it shows!

Details, for sure, but still very enjoyable details which - for me - really manage to set the atmosphere of this game.

I can highly recommend this!

This game is FUN! As someone who actually works with a visual programming environment (look up Max/MSP if you're curious) and who has a good dose of experience with programming in general I really admire this game. Because it can actually teach you some very basic programming mechanics (basically: solving logic puzzles) and I honestly think it has all the potential to be both fun and a bit educational.

I'm sure the game won't be perfect and it'll have a few flaws, but meh. It's fun. Besides: cats!

Editorial / disclaimer

I should not be writing this review because at the time of writing I'm still but a n00b, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. But sometimes you get a game and you just want to shout how awesome it actually is. And then you suddenly notice that the game you're ranting about is already six years old. What the heck have I been doing all those years?! (oh wait, my bad: playing on my PS3, let's move on ;))


I started my more serious gaming on a C64. I'm not going to bore you with (too much) talk about ancient stuff, but one of the games I really enjoyed was Strike Fleet. A naval 'simulator' where you had a certain task to perform (for example: protect a convoy) and then... that was it. There were scenarios where you'd be doing nothing for 30 minutes or such, after which a vague boat would show up, notice you, and steer off. Mission completed!

My friends hated this game but I loved it. The thing is: combat isn't always about firing your guns until you run out of ammo and then trying to pick up more ammo so that you can fire even more. It's also about the atmosphere, the experience, and most of all: the strategy.

With the right strategy, timing, and patience even a single man can wreck havoc to an army.

And for me (please be sure to read the disclaimer above!) that is what Arma 3 is all about. Sometimes you're doing nothing more but... nothing :) But your efforts still add to a bigger picture, while you may feel to have been wasting your time, the higher ups will know that thanks to your efforts your area can be deemed cleared and thus free of hostiles.

Do note: I'm not referring to an actual Arma 3 scenario, I'm merely trying to describe what this game is all about. A game like this isn't about running around and shooting everything you see. Don't expect a nice HUD to tell you everything you need to know about your status, don't expect nice red dots to indicate the enemies and most definitely don't expect to be able and defeat a tank if all you got is a handgun. Also don't expect to still have a chance at beating a scenario if you made one mistake after another....

But do expect one heck of a combat experience. This game, seriously, is awesome.

Says the n00b ;) thanks for reading!

For someone who played (still does) Yu-Gi-Oh 'Power of Chaos' this game wil be a major let down. If you check the product page and descriptions you'll quickly think that this game will bring you back to the atmosphere of the Anime series, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The problem (for me at least) is that this game seriously lacks atmosphere. Fights are merely a bunch of numbers flying over your screen, a small sound effect comes with it at best, but that's it. Flying numbers are not what Yu-Gi-Oh was all about! It was about 3D monsters going at it, tension building between duelists and of course the cool animations when monsters attacked each other. But nothing of that comes to life here.

I'm sure that this game will most likely appeal to players who actually played the card game itself, I assume as much because you'd be dealing with numbers and stats. throughout the duel anyway. But for those of us who are mostly familiar with the Anime and who expect a bit of "eye candy" to spice up the duel... it seriously fails to live up to any of that.

I honestly prefer playing the old DOS game "Power of Chaos" over this one.

I really wanted to like this game and recommend it but unfortunately I can't. Which saddens me because this game does so many things right! The initial setup for example really managed to set the atmosphere and put me in a dueling mood. It briefly mentioned some of the key characters as well as the people who voiced them (which I really appreciated!) and it also gave you a good glimpse in some of the cards. So far so good.

The problem though, and which ruined the fun for me, is the terrible AI. It's either completely stupid and doesn't even try to defend itself properly or it's massively overpowered and crushes you with very conveniently drawn cards.

Look: if you only have 600 life points left and your opponent has 1 card with 1300 attack points on the field (in attack position) then you don't put a monster with 600 attack points on field... also in attack position! That is plain out stupid and it makes no sense.

For me it completely ruined the game. Of course it also doesn't help that all the speech is very static and repetitive as well.

In my opinion you're better off buying a decent Yu-Gi-Oh game instead.

This is probably one of the best, if not the best, RPG games ever made. A bold statement, I'm well aware. But this game does so many things right that it's really hard not to be impressed with it. And let's be honest: this is a game which is now 7 years old and it's still going strong. Surely that means something....

So why do I think this game is so immensely superior within the field of RPG's?


No, I'm not talking about the open world here. If you played RPG's before you'll be familiar with the starting process: design your character, name it, choose things such as race and gender and then... choose what they should "be" and set up their stats accordingly. A warrior will need strength and stamina, a magician or wizard will need intelligence and a thief would need dexterity. All nice and well, but what if you don't know what you want to play as?

I think many of us have been here before: you chose to be a warrior because of its general stats and it might make the game easier to get into. And then you learn about all those cool spells but.... not for you! Your warrior character is too dumb so you don't get to have any fun. Maybe you could use one of your followers? Basically you had to set up some stats and those then determine your gameplay. But since you didn't know the gameplay up front you may end up disappointed. Time to start over?

That works a little bit different in Skyrim: your stats don't control your gameplay, but your gameplay determines your stats.

Meaning: if you wield a sword for a long period of time you'll gain more experience with one handed fighting, which is a specific skill. Managed to block and bash your way through enemies using a shield? Then you'll gain more blocking experience. Magic? Sure, you won't be able to cast high end spells "just like that" but some low level spells, maybe from a spellbook? No problem. And you guessed it: this would raise your spellcasting abilities (there's more to magic than that, but for the sake of a simple review let's stick with this for now).

So during an upgrade you will get to spend one (or more) skill points. You can use those to enhance some of the skills you've been using. Remember me mentioning blocking? If you gained enough XP you might be able to increase your skill which would result in your shield blocking more damage than before. That sword you were wielding? With enough one handed experience you can unlock more options, like one which will make your attacks inflict more damage. You don't obtain special skills from boring numbers, you gain them from actually doing things which will account for training.

And this applies to almost everything. From shooting a bow to sneaking. From casting magic spells to stealing. Even skills such as smithing (make your own weapons and armor), speech (bartering) and enchanting. Just play the game as you want to play and your experience (and expertise) will grow which will unlock more cool abilities. A warrior who knows how to shoot a bow and cast some powerful spells? Not a problem.


This is not official terminology so allow me to explain... When you first start you obviously don't have the best gear in the game. Your armor is probably average at best and same applies to your weapons. So how do we get better gear to enhance our gameplay? Simple: you need to do missions which will obviously reward you and you can use those rewards to get better stuff. Heck: you may even find good stuff during such a mission.

But there's also the problem: the reason we want some better stuff is to get a better chance with those missions. But you need to do missions before you get better stuff. But we want better stuff to do the missions, which you only get after doing a mission. As such: a paradox of some sort.

You probably guessed it: Skyrim doesn't work that way. So you learn about this dungeon which should contain some solid information about the recent dragon attacks. This is the mission you'd undertake to get some good rewards. But what if we want better stuff first? Simple: there's a mine nearby Riverwood. If you looked around Whiterun and talked to some folks then you probably been taught how to craft and enhance weapons and armor. So why not ignore the mission for now and instead hop over to that mine and see if you can dig up some metal ores? You should be able to use those in the forge you already know about and then use all that stuff to craft (or enhance) your current gear.

So by undertaking such an effort you're basically doing an (unofficial!) mission. One which will bring its own share of rewards and discoveries. Of course you're not doing an official quest: you're only trying to make things easier on yourself :)

It's not only about freedom in the sense of an open world, but even with the missions and their rewards. Most open world games don't do this: they only unlock stuff after certain missions. Well, not Skyrim! Fun fact: you could even ignore the main quest entirely and solely focus on making your character much better at first.


During your first walk to Riverwood, and later Whiterun, you'll come across some native animals. It varies of course but I'm sure you're going to encounter a wolf and/or a crab. At this point in the game they may even give you a hard time. So what would happen if you leveled up and have become much stronger? Do the wolves suddenly get replaced by alpha wolves or something weird?

Nope! And I think it's brilliant and really makes sense! So: if you go to this area later on in the game and come across these animals you may get attacked by them again. Only this time they won't be a match for your power and skills, some may even be slain in one hit.

This is so much better than those games which raise the difficulty of your enemies no matter what.

Why? Think about it: how would a small village such as Riverwood be able to exist if it were surrounded by monsters which only (very) high skilled warriors could defeat? You probably know the Riverwood trader (and if not: the town has a trader, you should look him up sometime). But how is he going to get his supplies when only the strongest of warriors would be able to pass through the surrounding woods? Wouldn't it be fair to say that if you had those kind of beasts surrounding your town then everyone with a bit of common sense would steer clear from the whole area as best as they can? So much for trading!

So if the local trader doesn't have anything to trade, then where are the town folks going to get their food from? Whiterun you say? How? Surely a simple townsman won't be able to survive the woods anymore, and surely the Jarl won't sent out his best detachments only to guard a trading convoy?

Skyrim has a sense of realism. And I think it's really good for the gameplay.

• Truly open world gameplay: you decide what to do and when to do it.
  
• Total freedom: your stats don't determine your skills, your actions do.
  
• Total roleplay: just because you started doing evil stuff doesn't mean that the only things you manage to say are also only evil from here on.
  
• Beautiful sceneries and environment.

There are also some cons... I don't necessarily like the default graphics for the player characters (my elven maiden looked like a hag at first :( ) and there are some nasty and weird bugs in the game. But that's what mods are for. And no: you can pick up plenty of mods totally free of charge. Straight from the main menu! No need to pay.

I would also have mentioned the awesome DLC but it seems my review is getting too long ;)

So here you have it, I highly recommend this game. This is a true classic.

Disclaimer: The main reason I'm writing this review is because of the increased negative reviews this period (According to Steam; early January 2019). Although I do agree with some of the critical comments I also believe that plenty of players are picturing things way too negatively. There's more to this game than some realize...


Don't get me wrong: the story mode is definitely enjoyable, you'll be taken into an adventure and see how easy it can be to fall into the darker regions of society. Unfortunately though there are three stories rolled into one and as a result the game is lacking some severe character development. Think about it: there are three stories to tell within the length of a regular game play. That simply doesn't work too well, some things feel seriously enforced and don't always add up where storyline is concerned. But... it probably doesn't help that I'm also an invested GTA IV player and that I know where the idea of having three main characters came from. In my opinion GTA IV did it better ;)

But the main problem with the story mode is that it's trying to tell a story but due to the somewhat rushed method it also feels rushed and doesn't always leave you with that sense of satisfaction you should be getting after having accomplished something. One of the main reasons is that there's little to accomplish. After all: all three main characters are already established within the city, so from a storyline point of view there's usually nothing more to achieve.

Unfortunately it also doesn't help that R* didn't bother to add anything which could account for that. Although you can buy properties which should give you new random missions to do the problem is that they're so expensive that you'll never be able to make enough money during the single player campaign. That doesn't help at all for getting that satisfying feel of accomplishing something. The main reason for this also doesn't help: you won't get paid for most major missions ("heists") because you're basically trying to raise funds in order to get something done... for other involved parties. And the three main protagonists just see it through and let it happen without doing anything about it. See, all those missions usually require plenty of shooting, and ammo isn't free. So the little money you do make will probably be spend on ammo, better weapons and protection (body armor).

Basically it boils down to the open world being truly amazing. But the missions and the way they've been set up often not so much. Lineair, bad AI and often predictable.


For me GTAO provides everything which GTA story mode (single player) is lacking: a chance to truly accomplish something and get some satisfaction out of the game. The main problem though is that GTAO is a non-forgiving environment and if you make a (costly) mistake and put your money into stuff which doesn't pay out then you might end up having a hard time. In other words: if you spend all your money on getting every car in the game then you obviously won't have enough left to invest in things which could help you to make even more money. Which you're going to need if you also want to upgrade those cars as well...

But in all fairness it also doesn't help that once again R* doesn't put much attention into storyline and gameplay and are basically only pushing their own agendas forward. A good example of that can be seen if you're new to the game: you get constantly bombarded with plees to buy into high end equipment which you really won't be able to afford for a long period to come. But strangely enough you won't get any calls about the availability of missions which can help you progress further into the game. I've been playing for 70 or so hours now and I've only got 1 call from Gerald (for a contact mission) and got 1 car repo request from Simeon. That's plain out bad for the new player experience!

And about those modders and hackers?

Question... You spend hours on filling up a warehouse and finally managed to reach a value of around one million GTA$. This is going to seriously push you up the ladder and will help you to buy all those cool things you've been aiming for. Unfortunately during the delivery mission you get attacked by one or more other player(s) and they destroy your cargo with ease. Goodbye investments, goodbye 1 million GTA$... all gone "just like that". So is that other player simply really good in playing the game, just a plain out jerk or was this too easy for them so he obviously had to be a hacker?

I'm heavily invested in this game. Up to a point where I also roleplay. When my (female) avatar finds herself in a mission which requires to go on a boat she'll hop into her swimsuit. I can't tell you how many times players accused me of being a hacker merely because I changed my clothes during missions. Even though this is a fully legitimate option provided by the game itself! It gets worse... You can eat snacks and items during missions which can help you restore health. Now, this doesn't happen very often anymore, but I've also been often accused of being a cheater simply because I used snacks to boost my health in order to complete a mission (when other players die during a contact mission they get to spectate the others, it wouldn't be the first time where I was the last one left and managed to finish the mission on my own).

Of course that's not saying that there aren't any problems. But it's also hardly as bad as some people want to make you believe. Especially because there's plenty which you can do yourself to avoid issues. For example: see (or hear) people talk about hacks in your session? Then why not do the smart thing and find yourself another session to play in? Or maybe you don't enjoy multiplayer at all? Well, there are also plenty of solutions for that. The so called 'public solo sessions' if you want to do CEO missions or the down to earth friends or invite -only sessions.


Yes, if you want to earn some good cash you're going to have to work for it. But if you use some strategy and can have some patience then it really doesn't have to be as bad as some players claim. I haven't timed myself yet, but I can roughly make around 150 - 200k per hour. Let's do this safe and say 1,5 hours. So if you play for 1,5 hour every evening you will have gained yourself 1 million at the end of the week. And that's without using any of the more enhanced ways of making money; such as the import/export business (stealing & selling cars), coke business (= best paying MC business) and fully utilizing the bunker (weapon selling). At the time of writing I'm working hard to get a vehicle warehouse for the import/export missions.


Seriously... in a way I sometimes compare GTA 5 to Minecraft. Yes, I know i'm crazy ;) But it's true: in the overall it all boils down to you making your own game. Devise your own strategies, plan your own route in earning some solid cash. And do try to have some fun while doing that!

And if you don't succeed on your own try making friends. There are good ones out there, trust me on that!

(edit: did several edits to fix typoes and other nasty stuff)

Disclaimer: But mostly for newer players!

I think it's fair to say that this DLC, one of the first we had to pay for, is a little controversial to say the least. Many players bought it only to end up being heavily disappointed, resulting in plenty of bad and negative criticism. Ask a veteran player about this DLC and they'll probably tell you that it's a scam, not worth it, a money grab, etc.

Now, in all honesty they're not completely wrong because this DLC is most definitely not for everyone. If you're a seasoned player who is already well established in Los Santos (read: you got an high end apartment, a CEO office, several vehicles, maybe even some warehouses) then this DLC is most definitely not for you.

But... if you're a new player who is just starting out, or if you only have a home (maybe a garage) but no CEO office or anything like that, then this pack can honestly be the best thing that ever happened to you.

In all fairness though: I highly recommend waiting for a Steam sale before grabbing this, although I do think it's worth the money either way; this game is simply awesome.


See, the one thing way too many players seem to overlook (or plain out ignore) is the word starter; this pack is meant for those who don't have much in the online game just yet.

The apartment

You'll get a low-end apartment in Northern part of Los Santos. I'll be honest: one of the first things I did was get rid of this and exchange it for another (mid-range) apartment. The problem with this apartment is that it only has a 2 vehicle garage, and that can become annoying.

On the top side though you'll be in a neighborhood where plenty of Ballers (SUV's) spawn, and those are extremely useful to sell at LS customs (bag you 9k). Which, another pro, is also reasonably close by.

The 10 car garage

This one is located near the airfield and although it's pretty far away from your apartment the location itself is actually quite good. See; there are 2 easy ways into the airport, the highway and the "parallel way" as I like to call it. The one which goes past the LS customs near the airfield. The good thing about the garage is that you can basically drive straight on, over the (small) fence and you'll be in your garage in no time.

So if you're getting chased by another player then it's easy to take shelter there.

Here's what I mean:

https://i.imgur.com/NUXnArx.jpg

Don't let the double road fool you: you can simply drive over and you're right in front of your garage.

The counterfeit money business

Although this isn't the best business it's not a bad start. The resupply missions are generally quite easy, and the best part about this business is that once you learn more about the area you'll notice that it's actually somewhat directly connected to the city. The road parallel to the highway is easy to find (I can do it without GPS) and once you're on that road it's very easy to get to your money operation.

I also illustrated that, take a look at this:

https://i.imgur.com/pBHgfgR.jpg

The bunker

Sure, it's the bunker that's the furthest away from the town which makes it somewhat annoying to do missions because you're going to have to drive a long way. Still... I've done delivery missions where I had to drop my cargo in the mountains to the right of Mesa (almost from one corner of the map to the other) and I still had time to spare.

And this bunker also has an advantage: there's an airfield (for Pegasus vehicles) right around the corner.

Meaning? Simple really: when I start my online session I first drive to my garage, grab a Baller and sell it for 9k. Then I drive up to my counterfeit business to check the stocks and to resupply. After I've done that I drive up to the bunker and also resupply (these days I steal money supplies but I'm buying bunker supplies to make it a little easier on me). At this time I'm a CEO, so... I call Pegasus to deliver my Frogger (which is one of the free vehicles of the DLC), I go out the bunker and can pretty much run over to the chopper (I don't, but I could) and then I start a sight seer mission. Once I've done the mission one in-game day has passed so I can then fly over to my garage to sell another Baller.

After that I'm usually going to do some gang attacks or contact missions (whatever I feel like doing). So a bit of grinding.

The vehicles

Yeah, these aren't top notch and to make it worse you also won't get any refunds if you try to sell one of those vehicles. Even so there is definitely some good stuff here. The armed Dune FAV is good for a new player because it has a weapon mounted with infinite ammo. You can even easily hop from the driver seat into the passenger seat to operate the weapon (which isn't optimal, but still doable).

The Frogger is awesome for CEO missions and can even help you out with deliveries. At a later stage in my game session I usually fly around a bit and often you have to go to a place on the map to start a delivery mission. If you still have your chopper near you then you're going to save yourself a lot of time. Sure, it'll cost you $200 to get the vehicle from Pegasus, but unlike earlier versions of the game the vehicle can now stay in place, even if you're on the other side of the map. That can save you some money in the longer run.

Turismo R is a dated supercar, but still a lot of fun to drive. You probably won't get too far in races, but then again; who knows. There are plenty of races out there which require skill and not just brute horsepower.

Coquette classic. Not the best but it looks pretty slick (or so I think). And it's free, so why not try to enjoy it? Sure, this maybe an issue of taste, but oh well ;)

I'm not too keen about the rest of the vehicles, but I do like the Omnis. I just don't use it very often because one of the first things I did was get my favorite car(s) from my PS3 sessions (I usually drive a Carbonizer).

The weapons

The marksman rifle is awesome because it gives you access to a sniper rifle very early in the game, and for free! I also highly recommend the grenade launcher and the compact rifle. No, they're not the best and you probably will soon stop using them in favor of other (more powerful) weapons. But still... they can come in handy!


... or just have some fun I suppose.

But yeah, if you plan on making some serious money then you don't have to start heavy grinding just to get started (you know: robbing stores and doing contact missions only). Thanks to your CEO office, bunker and counterfeit cash business you can start right away to invest time and turn that into money!

And then do some heavy grinding to get even better stuff ;)

I highly recommend aiming for a Buzzard as your first new vehicle. Once you got a Buzzard you'll hardly use the Frogger anymore. And it even opens up new missions. Head hunter can be a very problematic mission if you only have a car (and a Frogger) but using a Buzzard makes that easier.

I mentioned earlier that I started to buy bunker supplies because the missions began to annoy me. With a Buzzard that's going to become less of a problem because... need to destroy vans? Just fly over, destroy what you need, swoop down to grab the supplies and fly back to your business.

Did I mention that this DLC also includes 1 million GTA$? That's also going to help in reaching a goal (like the Buzzard) much quicker.

I highly recommend this; but... for new(er) players only.

Disclaimer: Far Cry 2 was the very first game I bought after I got my PS3 so it's obviously a bit special to me. As such some bias maybe in effect here ;)

Far Cry 2 ("FC2") is a Front Person Shooter ("FPS") which places you as a mercenary in the heart of an African country. Your goal is to eliminate a dangerous arms dealer known as 'The Jackal'. The country you're in is on the verge of a civil war between the APR and UFLL factions which both strive to rule the land, and unsurprisingly enough you're caught right in between.

What makes Far Cry 2 so special to me, even after all these years, is its "no nonsense" approach (as I like to call it) and its sense for realism. Seriously: in some scenarios this game can even outperform Grand Theft Auto 5 as I'll explain in a few moments.


It's what somewhat frustrated me at first and which I really came to love and respect after I became familiar with some other FPS titles. FC2 provides you with a world to enjoy and then leaves it all up to you to decide how you're going to do so. Not only that: don't expect any fancy fast travel options. Sure, there is a bus transport system which you can use to quickly reach a certain area, but as one would expect it won't drop you off right next to your designated mission objectives. You're going to have to do some traveling to reach your destinations, and be warned because the country you're in isn't a friendly one: people shoot first and ask questions later.

The best help you'll get is from your map which will show you where you need to go, as well as several road signs which will match the color of the missions you have active (red: main storyline mission, blue: a "buddy" objective, yellow: a mission for the underground).

And there's more bad news: although enemies will drop weapons which you can pick up and use you'll have to be careful because weapons degrade over time which can cause them to jam. Not very practical when you're in a firefight ;) Also don't expect any useful blips on your map to recognize enemies; doing recon is also something the game will leave up to you.


What I enjoy most about FC2 is the sense of realism and it's immense feel for atmosphere. You'll get a good dose of this as soon as you start the game for the first time: the main menu (and all other option screens) look like a book (or manifest) which you're reading. And the African music playing in the background only strengthens this feeling.

However, this showcases itself in many more ways. For example: if you park a car somewhere and then go to a location somewhat further away then the chances are very high that this car will still be there when you come back at a later time. This is what I hinted at earlier: if you try to do this in GTA with a random (not owned) car then it'll despawn the very moment you reached the next block of buildings. Not in FC2.

But there's so much more... Start a fire and it will quickly spread. If you then lure some enemies out you might even be able to trap them within that fire. And speaking of enemies... there isn't a "good" or "bad" way to deal with them, just your way. Either use stealth (like a sniper rifle), ambush them (by killing them with your machete) or maybe you prefer to go in with guns ablazin'. If you do decide to use stealth then try to listen in on some conversations between enemies, you'll often hear them talking about you. If you make a habit of killing people with a flamethrower and you gained some more reputation within the game then that is going to leave an impression, something which some enemies will be discussing amongst themselves if they suspect that you might be coming for them.


I'm not going into pro's vs. con's in this review because this has become a rather dated game, and possible cons are in my opinion easily made up for with the low price for which you can pick it up these days, especially during a Steam sale.

Instead I'm rating this with an 8.5 out of 10. If you're into FPS games and can also enjoy a good storyline then this game can easily satisfy. Just keep well in mind that you won't get any handholding: don't expect easy fast travel options, instead you're going to have to do some extensive driving or use the (somewhat limited) bus network to get around.

(edit): Always making & fixing dumb typoes.