Because you have no choice. The vanilla 1.00 disc version is a relic. The patch is required for stability.
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.
Released in early 2009, this 47MB executable file didn't just tweak weapon damage or fix a clipping issue. It reached into the very soul of the game and pulled out its heart. To this day, the question “Should I install Patch 1.04?” is enough to start a fistfight in a veteran gaming forum. Far Cry 2 Patch 1.04 Pc Download
But do not play vanilla 1.04.
The malaria wasn't a bug; it was a timer. The guard posts weren't lazy design; they were the Vietnam-era "uncharted territory" feeling. The weapon jamming wasn't RNG cruelty; it was the reason you treasured a pristine AK-47 from a dead assassin. Because you have no choice
In doing so, they neutered a masterpiece.
It was devastating. It was immersive. It was also, according to thousands of forum posts, "soul-crushing." But the patch also kept the game alive
But here is the secret that only the 2008 veterans know: The annoyance was the point.