It was devastating. It was immersive. It was also, according to thousands of forum posts, "soul-crushing."
The patch notes read like a surrender document: “Buddies can no longer be killed.” Far Cry 2 Patch 1.04 Pc Download
That is the real Far Cry 2.
In doing so, they neutered a masterpiece. It was devastating
But the patch also kept the game alive. Without 1.04’s technical fixes, the game would be unplayable on modern systems. It is the poison and the antidote. according to thousands of forum posts