Crysis 2

I've never been much of a Crytek guy, I've found their tech impressive but the games behind them less impressive, the original Crysis gave people a different feel to the shooter genre but was always overshadowed by its stellar visuals. Crysis 2 reverses what once was, the setting while a bit generic is one of the most immersive settings out there but it's in it's gameplay that Crysis 2 truly shines, With loose ties to the first game this game is a beast all on its own. 
 
 

Set in 2033 it begins with news footage of a large alien invasion or outbreak in Manhattan, behind this are an alien race called the Seph, which are responsible behind the incident from the first Crysis. You are Alcatraz, one of the soul survivors and entrusted with the nano suit 2.0 to stop this invasion because you're truly the last line of defense. The story and the characters within the world weren't all that memorable and for the whole alien invasion attack you think they could have pulled out a more impactful story, Story isn't the reason to play this lengthy game through though. Its in it's gameplay mechanics that could prove limitless variety for whichever situation you see fit, there's Stealth, Speed, Strength but it's how you maneuver around the environments while wielding the tools of the nano suit that make it something great. 
 
 
 
The gameplay is really the noteworthy thing to mention in Crysis 2, the majority of the world around you is destructible and the way they put you into the first person perspective and make you feel like you're in a high tech nano suit is something you just have to feel to understand. The slide, high jump, kick, climb, cover mechanics are all scratching the surface on whats possible whenever you go into each battle with your tactical visor planning out the best possible assault. The three suit powers pretty much work as you'd expect but theres just something so satisfying about sneaking up behind a guy whilst invisible, twisting his neck and then turning invisible to make your escape like you weren't even there to begin with. The AI reacts in some pretty clever ways but they can also be brain dead at points, from running in circles to repeating one continuous walking cycle back and forth. Its an area along with the voice acting that could've used more polish throughout. The voice acting is downright laughable at some points but I guess it isn't as bad as if the bad voice acting went with an incredible story, it tries too hard to convey its serious tones but fails to achieve it, that is what makes this whole alien invasion setting so impactful has nothing to do with what regular games who focus on story would rely on. 
 

 
This being a Crytek game where would it stand if the visuals weren't incredible, The fact that they were able to fit something like this on the consoles is very impressive, they hold up and hold up very well, minus some framerate issues. I played the PC version and while there are barebones settings on what you can do with the graphics it doesn't stop the game from looking spectacular from each setting you are alowed to fiddle around with. Every part of the presentation of this game is near flawless, and the soundtrack from Hans Zimmer does an incredible job at making each battle feel impactful and purposeful. Its a game that needs to be seen to be believed in some spots. 
  

Crytek has always been stellar when it comes to their technology and they use every chance they get to show off their latest graphics. This for me, they focused on what mattered built upon what the original Crysis started, it's gameplay. The constraint to smaller locations didn't dumb down the experience whatsoever, if anything it gave more freedom on what to do, and they gave you the right toys to mess around in this wonderfully realized world. The story being mostly forgettable but everything else makes up for it, it's a good showing on Crytek and i'm glad to see that they broke from the jungle mold, you've got my full attention now Crytek, just work on your story and VO a bit better next time. At least thats my opinion anyway. 
 
Until next time. 
-Blood