Great atmosphere, a lot to do. Worth the money.
Graphics/Detail:
The environment was rendered using actual landscape in Africa.Sounds and terrain are represented in great detail. The bark on the trees, the sound of the different foliage as you walk through it, the animals that walk the plains and the beautiful sky totally put you into the game. You can be in the thick jungle, on a dirt road with the sunlight barely peeking through the trees, then come out into an opening with mesas, water and grass, a totally different landscape than what you were in. You can't help but want to just go wherever you can see just to look at it.At dusk, to watch the sun fall as it emits a glow across the sky, onto the terrain, makes you feel like your actually there in real time, and I swear as I walked through some barren areas during the day, I can imagine what it would be like to be stranded in the immense heat. Everything in the game has been designed to detail so buildings and towns have a different look and feel, and in no way does any of it look cookie cutter. Even trash and debris are placed to give realism of the plight in some areas and to give you the presence that "this area is/was, occupied"
Gameplay:
The controls are easy to understand and easy to use. The aiming controls are good for analog sticks and won't frustrate. On a side note, I would prefer aiming tweaks for accelration and turn speed as well. A lot of these shooters impliment acceleration in the turn speed, so when using analog sticks, the aiming will either be a little twitchy or a little aggravating when trying to snipe someone who's on the move or aim fast at multiple targets. This doesn't take away from the game however as the aiming works good enough.
The enemy AI is is smart and will flank you. They will aggressively attack by running from cover to cover to get an advantage, or hop into Jeeps with mounted guns and come after you.The harder the difficulty the more aggressive they are. At times, the enemy would hide themslves in brush or behind cover, as you would in the game, so it's a real cat and mouse at times.
Yes, as you have heard, there is a lot of travelling to be done. Some people are complaining because they state it's too excessive and a pain. I, for one, don't mind it at all. Because of the scenery, it's a nice break from the action to drive from one location to the next. It also helps you become accustomed to the locations because of the vast and different landscapes and hidden and unmarked roads. Also there are hidden briefcases of diamonds and tapes scattered throughout the entire game, so it's in your best interest to explore and go off the beaten path. If you want to travel faster, you can take a bus to the intended location and travel from there.
One thing that's a little annoying about the game are the road checkpoints. They will be located on your map.There are a few within an area, but the game isn't littered with an overwhelming amount. To officially complete them, you have to scout them at least once.If you need to raid them for anything that's useful or have to drive through them because you can't drive around them, you will have to clear the hostiles. After you leave that spot and return, they will repopulate again,almost immediately. It's a minor annoyance because you may have to travel the same area a few times in a row becasue of the mission or the need to go to a safe house or buy a new weaopn. It's fun to blow stuff up and take down the enemy, but they could have reserved the respawn for, let's say. a 12-24 hour period. All in all, it's tolerable.
During the game you will acquire friends that will help you in missions and help you at the time of need. This adds some decision making in the game as you can forgo using them and just do the mission on your own, and not obtain friend status with each one you meet as well. Because they are loyal to you, you also can lose them as friends if they die.Along with this, you are in need to be in touch with the Underground, as they have the much needed malaria pills that keep from dying. During the game you will become sick and need to take them to regain full awareness.
There are main missions and a lot of side missions as well, so there's plenty to keep you busy. With the diamonds you earn from missions in the briefcases, you will be managing your weapon purchases, storage containers, weapon upgrades, and repair manuals for vehicles and weapons.
There are some great lighting effects throughout the game. Between the fires, explosions, and environment, it's always something to look at.
Sound:
A real great job here. The ambiotic events are all around you; rustilng of foliage from walking and wind, animals footsteps, birds, people talking and calling you out from cover and the tribal beat that plays in the background. Explosions and weapons are done very well also. Really nice and clean sound.
I can see some people mark this a lower score because it can be repetitive. Your shooting, driving, raiding,and blowing things up. You have to remember it's a shooter/adventure game, and not meant to be anything else, so just take it in and enjoy. I felt the overall contents, atmosphere, environment and sound, made this game a highly reccomended title.