Ever since Ubisoft bought the Far Cry franchise from Crytek, they seem to be taking it in a different, much darker direction, which is especially evident in this new Far Cry 2 E3 trailer. What was once a shooter set in a tropical paradise and resembling a bad 80’s action movie is now a dark and gritty open-world action title taking place in a war-torn African state. And the player is thrown right in the middle of the corrupt warlords that rule there, forced to play one side against the other by any and all means necessary.

One thing that seems to have moved in the same direction as the original game however is the quality and variety in gameplay. The player still has the choice to go through the game whichever way he finds best, but thanks to the open-world environment, has even more choice in the matter. Below is some gameplay footage where the developers (attempt to) show how to play the game in a stealthier way, at night, under the cover of darkness. And it’s looking mighty good, but hopefully nightvision goggles won’t be too big of a rarity in Africa.

[See also: Far Cry 2 gallery]