AT, I understand exactly what you mean. I played both demos of farcry and also loved it enough to make the purchase. I have made it all the way through the game, so if you need hints just let me know.
hmmm, I just had a thought, use the farcry engine to create "Space Empires: Ground Assult" hmm, yet another thing to add to my 2-Do list
Cheers!
P.S. The only other game purchase I made this year is Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic. I highly reccoment this one too.