Variety is the key to understanding what Far Cry 2 is about. It's a full menu of a game, a long list of cool features, interesting twists, and surprising detail. That detail seems to permeate every facet of the game's design. Every area is richly textured and wholly different from the last. Every enemy has a totally unique appearance. Every weapon degrades and ages over time.

It is fitting that a shooter based on presenting the player with options has spawned two very different sequels. With an open world of 50 square kilometers, a branching mission-based plot powered by a GTA-like cellphone, and an engine built for cross-platform performance, Ubisoft's Far Cry sequel is a wholly different take on the concept than we saw with Crytek's Crysis.