Joystiq Editor Christopher Grant played Ubisoft's Far Cry 2 at the Ubidays event in San Francisco. His impressions were very positive. He compared the simulation-based, open-world-set gameplay to that of Grand Theft Auto IV.

As we've heard before, Far Cry 2's world is 50 square kilometers in size. Apparently, though, not all of that space will be accessible from the git-go. After a few starter missions, the user gains access to about half of the world. The entire map won't be available until almost halfway through the story. Don't fret that limitation on your freedom, though. Far Cry 2's emergent style of gameplay offers a lot of flexibility to the player. Grant noted that the journalists present at the exhibit played through the demo in several different ways.

Joystiq's preview also contains information about the game's immersive death system, the gameplay applications of fire, and real-time flora growth. Though Far Cry 2 is also headed for consoles, Ubisoft Montreal's creative director asserted that he endeavors "to make Ubisoft a top-tier PC game."