Mostly about my amusement

Tag: Far Cry 2 (page 1 of 1)

Games for Windows?

The moniker “Games for Windows” always makes me laugh.  When I first started playing FPS like Castle Wolfenstien and the original DOOM series it was on a 386SX PC my brother had. Windows was not even on that PC and Windows was just a shell for running DOS apps. Games for Windows? What was that, Solitaire?

The idea of making games for Windows is still funny. Windows is just too unstable to reliably play a hardware intensive application on. Some games run really well; I can play Unreal III and usually not have any problems. Other games such as Far Cry 2 randomly exit back to the desktop anywhere between 5 and 45 minutes of play.  I’ve just gotten used to pressing F5 for quick save and I don’t even think “wow, this sucks” anymore.

I’ve been conditioned by the lousy experience of these newer games. I like Far Cry 2’s game play but seriously don’t buy this game. $50 for this badly written software is not worth it; mine came bundled with my video card.

I’ve been going back and playing Far Cry 2 even though I beat it already.  The second time around, I am trying to max out my buddie missions. That was a bust, when I got to Act 2, all my upgraded safe houses were all reset. Might have had something to do with the fact that all my buddies from Act 1 were no longer around.

Now I’ve just purchased FEAR2: Project Origin.  The original game was spooky as all else. When played late at night and in the dark it was like being in a horror movie. Looking at the original games graphics, I see that visually it was not as good as current games. At the time it looked great but now compared to Unreal III and Far Cry 2, the first FEAR game looks clumsy.

I’ll install it tonight. I’m hoping that the FEAR2 game continues the horror feel but has updated graphics.  Not too updated; I do want this to feel like a continuation of the original game. Also I hope that it does not crash too often.

Far Cry 2 problems

far-cry-2

I am really getting the full value from my new EVGA GTX-260 card. The card works flawlessly. It came with Far Cry 2 and as FPSs goes, this game is top notch.  The graphics are excellent, the game play is fast and responsive, the missions and action is just right.

This game is just how I like an FPS: almost everyone is out to kill me. No team play, you just accept missions and collect points, weapons, etc. Oh, and you have malaria which adds a cool element to the game.

But Far Cry 2 does have one problem. The game keeps exiting back to the desktop without reporting a single error.

I took the above capture from the load screen; I see it a lot. I am using the 1.02 patch from Ubisoft and have looked on the Internet forums (official and unofficial ones) for a fix. Many users are reporting this, but Ubisoft’s online presence does not mention this problem at all.

This game could easily be the best FPS I have played and enjoyed, but this bug makes me want to walk away from the game. During my play I often have to hit F5 to quick save so I don’t lose my progress.

I obtained this game because it was bundled with my video card. If I plunked down $50 for it, I would seriously consider getting a refund. In the meanwhile I’ll load up Crysis and F.E.A.R. and enjoy those two games for now.

EVGA GTX-260 and Far Cry 2

One of the items I got for Christmas was an EVGA GTX-260 with 896 MB of DDR3 RAM. This is an upgrade from a pair for GeForce 7900 in SLI mode.

The game comes with Far Cry 2 which works really well since I was going to buy it anyway.  The game runs really well at 1920×1200 with all the bells and whistles turned on.  VERY COOL.

The game exiting to the Vista desktop without throwing a single error? Not so cool.

I have the latest 1.02 patch, DVD in the drive, etc.  I’ve looked online for a solution and found none.  It’s very disappointing so I press F5 often to quick save.  If I don’t quick save, I know that after 45 minutes of trekking across the map I’ll lose all my progress.