Farcry 2 (PS3)

I threw Farcry 2 back in the mailbox like I threw F.E.A.R. 2 back in the mailbox: angry at a game ending glitch.  At least this time I wasn't on spawned on the wrong side of the wall.  Instead I pressed triangle to talk to someone then the camera just slowly slowly slowly started approaching the NPC.  It was kind of funny and kind of intensely boring.

FC2 has a heck of a lot of problems.  In every cutscene/non-player controlled segment you have a body.  You have a body when you press L2 to pull a bullet out of your body, or stab a needle into your arm to regain health, or to pop a pill because the plot says your malaria is affecting you RIGHT NOW.  However in your day to actions you have no body.  back up against the corner of a room, aim down, get depressed. 

It also implies from the opening that there's some real world negotiation/bribing/arguing in your trecks across Africa.  The reality is to quote a man, "To shoot or not to shoot, and not shooting gets you shot so that's not even a real option."  Every checkpoint will open fire as you approach it.  A big corridor filled world where you reach out and touch someone with your gun.  No dialog choices, no manipulation.  If you see someone they are going to shoot you, otherwise you can't shoot them.  You sure as hell can spin your camera body in circles as they tell you what to do.

Also an early early objective has you use a computer in the middle of nowhere to buy a gun, then go next door where magically you can pick up the gun, which magically spawns in the bar next door people in the bar, where there previously weren't.

The environments are unusually constrictive considering the place you are.  There's no "climbing" element, and about my favorite thing I wish for in games is to be some place high, see my goal then walk to my goal.  There are plenty of GIANT ROCKS around, but they are walls. 

At least in the Legend of Zelda I can cut the grass.  Also the game gave me a little cheevo prompt everytime I "got a safehouse "found a suitcase with diamonds" "checked out a checkpoint".

I could probably have wrung more dumb fun out of the game if the out of body experience didn't really really bother me, and the enemy AI from 1999.