Far Cry 2 Ships

Yes, Far Cry 2 has shipped. Another highly anticipated game, like Spore, but in this case a first-person shooter. And like Spore, you're going to be saddled with SecuROM DRM. However, they seem to have learned their lesson by watching the criticism EA took over Spore; here are the DRM details:

You have 5 activations on 3 separate PCs.

• Uninstalling the game "refunds" an activation. This process is called "revoke", so as long as you complete proper uninstall you will be able to install the game an unlimited number of times on 3 systems.

• You can upgrade your computer as many time as you want (using our revoke system)

• Ubisoft is committed to the support of our games, and additional activations can be provided.

• Ubisoft is committed to the long term support of our games: you’ll always be able to play Far Cry 2.

Not as bad as what Spore started with, right? Still, we hate SecuROM. In their press release, Tony Key, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Ubisoft said:

"From the beginning, we've set out to create a truly dynamic, open-world experience in Far Cry 2. Our team has focused on pulling players into the realistic African landscape to allow them to fully immerse themselves in the game's riveting conflict. We're confident that we've created not only one of the most remarkable shooters in recent years, but also one of the year's best games."

The game shipped Tuesday for the Xbox 360, the PS3 computer entertainment system, and the PC. Far Cry 2 has an ESRB of "M" for Mature (in case you couldn't guess) with an MSRP of $59.99 for the Xbox 360 and PS3 and at $49.99 for Windows PC (see, PC gaming gets you $10). For those not in the know, Far Cry 2 was developed by Ubisoft Canada, not Crytek, developers of Far Cry (drat!). And the storyline is as follows:

Caught between two rival factions in war-torn Africa, you are sent to take out "The Jackal," a mysterious character who has rekindled the conflict between the warlords, jeopardizing thousands of lives. In order to fulfil your mission you will have to play the factions against each other, identify and exploit your their weaknesses, and neutralize their superior numbers and firepower with surprise, subversion, cunning and, of course, brute force.

System requirements are below, but realistically ... stick to recommended or higher if you really want to play the game the way it should be played.


In case you're wondering, there's only one review at Amazon.com right now, it's a 1 out of 5 and it's because of ... you guessed it, DRM.