Running in high resolution and high framerate, Far Cry 2’s visuals still holds up well years after its release. It’s an Ubisoft game, and their distinctive lighting is everywhere. Playing the game in 4K/60fps with all the settings turned up, for a ten-year old game, Far Cry 2 looks fantastic.

Where Far Cry 2 really shines graphically is in the early morning hours of the game, or at dusk, when the sun is either rising or setting. The lighting bathes everything in almost a sort of golden mist, and it makes the African vistas look incredible. The lighting in Far Cry 2 is some of the best I’ve seen in a video game.

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The texture work on the rocks looks detailed running in high resolution. The greenery and foliage look good still. Overall, Ubisoft did a great job of recreating the African wilderness in a video game. Even though the landscapes never change much, the game never gets boring to look at.

The color palette scheme is a lot of brown wilderness mixed with green trees and foliage. In some areas that are more desert, you get the yellow/gold of the sand. Sometimes you even get a waterfall. There was some pop-in in the far distance occasionally, but it wasn’t too distracting.

There are animals running around at times too. You’ll run into zebras, antelope, and other creatures when you’re walking and driving. Usually they run away when you get close, but I’ve come close to hitting them while driving on occasion.

The character models still hold up as well. The facial features of NPCs don’t look zombified or inhuman. If you’re watching a camp from far out through a monocular or rifle scope, you can watch them smoke or drink water as they wait around.

Even though there isn’t a lot of visual variety throughout the course of the game, Far Cry 2’s world isn’t a place I’ve gotten tired of. It has a distinctive look and feel to it that keeps me coming back. Overall, Ubisoft did a fantastic job with its look and feel.

The game doesn’t impress graphically as much during the nighttime portions of the game, since the lighting and the texture work aren’t as pronounced. Plus, Far Cry 5 just came out which looks significantly better – but for a game that came out in 2008, Far Cry 2 can still turn heads.