YouTuber Crowbcat has released a shocking video that shows all the details Far Cry 5 has lost that make Far Cry 2, from 10 years ago, a more immersive game.
See below for all the details Far Cry 5 has lost that Far Cry 2 does better!
Check out our full review of Far Cry 5 on PC!
Here's the list of every shocking detail in the video that Far Cry 2 does better than Far Cry 5:
- Bullet Penetration - bullets go through walls and boards in Far Cry 2, they don't in Far Cry 5.
- Rocket Physics - shooting a rocket in the air in Far Cry 2 will eventually see it fall to Earth, and if you aim right up it will hit you. In Far Cry 5, the rocket just goes straight and disappears.
- Fire Spread - fire spreads and covers a far wider area in Far Cry 2 and leaves trees blackened and burnt, whereas in FC5 it eventually fizzles out for no reason and trees/shrubs are mostly unharmed.
- Rocket Fire - rockets in Far Cry 5 fire cleanly with no excess heat. In Far Cry 2 they are more realistic, creating a flame-blast out back that can set fire to dry grass.
- Dying Enemies Behave More Believably - in Far Cry 5 injured enemies fall to the ground and eventually just die. In Far Cry 2 they will struggle and try to defend themselves with a pistol, or will drag themselves out of the way to slump against cover. Some will even pretend to be dead, and shoot you if you get too close.
- Intelligent Enemy Healing and Animation - if an enemy is injured in Far Cry 5, another will run to them and the injured one will be healed completely without fuss, and they'll gladly get themselves killed doing this. In Far Cry 2, there is a full healing animation for enemies, and more impressively enemies will not heal if in your sights and will actually carry their injured comrades to cover before they heal them.
- Realistic Shrubs, Trees and Grass - in Far Cry 5 shrubs and trees either won't move, or they'll just fall apart instantly. In Far Cry 2, shrubs will move as you move through them, individual branches can be shot off, trees can be felled, leaves can be blown off, and more. Also in Far Cry 5 grass will not react to being driven across, but in Far Cry 2 you'll clearly see scorch marks if you drive across grass with a jeep.
- Improved Enemy AI - In Far Cry 5, enemies will poorly attempt to avoid your car. In Far Cry 2, they'll dive out the way. If you shoot a driver in Far Cry 5 the car will crash, but in Far Cry 2 the passenger will take command.
- Better Car Explosions and Damage- While the car explosions in Far Cry 5 are a bit weedy and sometimes won't kill nearby enemies, in Far Cry 2 they properly explode, sending the vehicle into the air. Also, hitting things in Far Cry 2 will actually damage your car.
- Better Body Physics - explosions in Far Cry 5 will evaporate bodes, but in Far Cry 2 they'll fly off more satisfyingly.
- Scenery Destruction - there is very little environment destruction in Far Cry 5, but in Far Cry 2 things break apart, lights can be shot, and most structures will react in some way to an explosion or a car crashing into them. Glass, for example in cars, will have individual bullet holes in Far Cry 2, whereas in Far Cry 5 it'll just shatter.
- Better Light Rays - the lighting system in Far Cry 5, even on the PC version, is pretty messed up and unimpressive. For example looking at the sun from behind a tree will not create appropriate shadows or light rays. The thing is, Far Cry 2 had this technology 10 years ago, so this is actually a graphical effect that the game from 2008 does better than the one from 2018.
- Dying, Getting Injured, and Healing Are More Horrific - in Far Cry 5 dying is a simple ragdoll, injuries don't do anything, and healing is a simple bandage. In previous games including and especially Far Cry 2, drowning will see players fighting for their life, and healing requires players to snap broken bones back in position, dig bullets out with a knife and pull pieces of shrapnel from their bodies. Disturbing, but even Far Cry 4 had all this, so why did you take it out Ubisoft?
- There's an Animation for Picking Up Guns in Far Cry 2, but not 5.
- Ammo Won't React If You Shoot It in Far Cry 5, but it'll explode in Far Cry 2.
- Dynamic Weather Effects - Far Cry 5 doesn't have any weather effects, and clouds don't move. Far Cry 2 does. Clouds will move across the sky, as will stars and the sun, and it'll cast dynamic shadows. And while it's not in the video, there's rain too in Far Cry 2.
- More Realistic Map - It is debatable whether this one is better or not. There's a proper Ubisoft-style map page in Far Cry 5 with every detail you zoom and scroll across, but in Far Cry 2 your character pulls out a more realistic map with a compass. It's more immersive, but not necessarily better. The current version is more accessible, we'll say.
- Idle Animations - Far Cry 2 has character idle animations, Far Cry 5 doesn't. Games are always better with idle animations, and often highlights the difference between a studio that cares about attention to detail and a studio that doesn't, in our opinion.
- Guns Get Dirty, Jam and even Break in Far Cry 2, they don't in Far Cry 5.
- Similarly, Vehicles get Realistically Dirty and Damaged in Far Cry 2, they don't in Far Cry 5.
- Reviving Companions is Traumatic - in Far Cry 5 you can down and revive companions with no fuss whatsoever, an infinite amount of times. In Far Cry 2 however, you have to revive companions with your own medical syringes, and do it too many times and they might die anyway. Or, you can put them out of their misery with a pistol and a rather shocking animation...
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None of this necessary means Far Cry 2 is a better game than Far Cry 5, and Far Cry 5 is definitely the more accessible and overall fun shooter, but it's certainly sacrificed a lot of realism and - more especially - attention to detail to get to that point. Was it worth it? Well, that's up to you to decide.
There's no excuse for not having idle animations however.
