TheFar Cryseries is easily one of Ubisoft’s most popular franchises, with this first-person action-adventure series being full to the brim with some of the best games ever made.Far Cry 3sparked the trend of this franchise to featuredastardly antagonistsand explosive open-world action. With the release ofFar Cry 6around the corner, players can’t wait to see the steps Ubisoft will take to improve upon this established formula.
RELATED:Far Cry: The Most Iconic Lines
However, one thing to keep in mind when it comes to theFar Cryseries is a substantial number of fans lament the changes that have impacted the series over time. While this issue is subjective, there’s no denying the fact that theFar Cryseries has discarded a large number of tropes to evolve as a franchise.
8Linear Level Design
The firstFar Crytitlefeatured levels that were quite open-ended, with multiple paths that could be taken to tackle any encounter. However, these levels still followed a linear structure, which was especially evident during the indoor sections.
The latestFar Crytitles, on the other hand, don’t feature any sort of linear gameplay barring a few select levels. The open-world sandbox structure means that players can progress through the game at their own pace.
7Challenging Enemy Encounters
One thing that was consistent in the firstFar Crytitle was the extreme challenge ofdealing with enemies. Stealth was pretty much mandatory during shootouts against a large group of enemies, since the player could easily get gunned down from range if they were spotted in an open environment.
This isn’t the case in laterFar Crygames, where players can blast through outposts and enemy encounters without having to worry about being shot from what feels like miles away. It’s a great way to play the game…although some would still prefer a fairly tactical approach regardless.
6Environmental Diseases
Far Cry 2had a rather unique mechanic that is yet to be explored in any other title in the series. The player had to constantly avoid getting malaria in the African landscape, by taking a pill every half an hour.
RELATEDFar Cry 5: Best Skills, Ranked
This was a fairly interesting experimental mechanic, so it’s a shame that later games in the series didn’t really build upon this mechanic. It might be nothing more than a pipe dream, but one can’t help but wonderwhetherFar Cry 6will bring this mechanic back.
5A Physical Map
Far Cry 2had a massive emphasis on realism that could be seen in each and every aspect of its game design. The fact that the player took out a map and looked at it in real-time was definitely one element indicative of Ubisoft’s approach when it came to developing this title.
Later titles in theFar Cryseriesdiscarded this real-time map and replaced it with a simple digital one that could be opened at any time without any repercussions. It might be a small change, but some fans of the second game definitely miss the urgency and immersion that came with checking out a map in real-time.
4Weapons Degrading Over Time
Another mechanic thatFar Cry 2integrated into the game for the sake of realism was weapon degradation. Weapons inFar Cry 2could either jam or break completely if the player didn’t take care of them at regular intervals.
This isn’t the case in later games in the series, which prioritize fun action set-pieces over realistic tactical encounters. While most players would prefer the former as it allows them to shoot everything around them at a moment’s notice, some gamers miss the realism that came with the concept of weapon degradation. Perhaps this mechanic could see a comeback inFar Cry 6.
3Playing As A Fixed Protagonist
This constant aspect of theFar Cryseries didn’t change until the fifth installment. For the first several games, players had no choice when it came to selecting the character they could play with. Instead, they had to play as Jason Brody,Ajay Ghale, or any other character that the game’s writers had chosen as the main protagonist.
RELATED:Best Far Cry 3 Mods And How To Install Them
This wasn’t the case inFar Cry 5, where players had the opportunity to customize various aspects of the main character. While it didn’t really matter since the player never really got the opportunity to look at their character, the game featured moments where the camera would zoom out to show what the protagonist was up to. It’s clear that Ubisoft is going to make custom characters the norm in theFar Cryseries from now on.
2Enemies Behaving Differently According To The Weather
Far Cry 2is easily one of the most complex games Ubisoft has made. The realistic nature of their systems has been discussed before, but perhaps the most mind-blowing inclusion in this title is the fact that enemy AI actually changes based on the weather.
At night, enemies are more alert but take longer to see the player. Meanwhile, enemies crowd together under the shade during the mornings to get some respite from the African heat but can spot players easily too. Later games in the series feature simpler enemy AI in comparison toFar Cry 2, which is quite a shame.
1Realistic Fire Systems
One of the coolest parts ofFar Cry 2was the way in which fire interacted with the game’s elements. The manner in which fire spread was extremely realistic, with the speed and distance covered by a blaze being governed by the humidity and flammability of the objects around it.
This realistic fire propagation system was only present inFar Cry 2and has been absent ever since. It’s a shame, since many players would have been thrilled to see these advanced systems developed even further.
