I've been spending my days playing "Far Cry" lately, and it's a lovely game.
Don't give me wrong, HL2 is still the best game ever, but I just wish that HL2 combines can have the AI of Far Cry mercs. Those mercs in Far Cry are scarily smart sometimes, and it really makes the gameplay more challenging and fun.
But the ambience of Far Cry still looks somewhat cartoonish compared to HL2. No other game has the cinematic feel of HL2, especially the outside environment (i.e. the Water Hazard section).
Wouldn't it be nice for a FPS game to have the best of both worlds? Perhaps Valve should take a hint and spend more research in improving their AI?