Fry Cry 2 buddy system

So in the new Far Cry 2 game, it is being stated that if you have an NPC running with you and they die then you lose the ability to explore whatever content or side quests or gear that NPC might have made available to you. Logically that makes sense but given how stupid most companions are in a game, is this really a good idea? You might pay $60 for this game but only get $30 of its content unless you go play on super easy mode. But I hope none of you are that much of a pussy.