Terrific retrospective of Far Cry 2 and its wide influence on game design for its 15th (!) anniversary: https://www.theringer.com/video-games/2023/10/20/23924419/far-cry-2-15th-anniversary-clint-hocking-ubisoft-open-world-fps
The Subversive Genius of ‘Far Cry 2,’ 15 Years Later

In 2008, Ubisoft’s trailblazing open-world first-person shooter started conversations about video games that still haven’t subsided

The Ringer