Great execution but doesn't stick the landing.
Crysis 2 is fast action, first person shooter with large history of games that push video game presentation behind it. However, unlike the previous games (Crysis and Far Cry 2), Crytek decides to sacrifice open world game play for more focused and enjoyable experience.
Crysis 2 takes place in New York city and in the year 2023. You play as Alcatraz, a man that is rescued by Prophet, one of the main characters of the original Crysis game. The main factions of New York are the paramilitary company Cell and the alien species known as the Ceph. The Ceph have launched a plague in New York and it is your job to find the cure and stop them. You then become into possession of the nanosuit and you are told to finish what Prophet originally started. Alcatraz doesn’t speak but is more then willing to do what any NPC tells him to do. This make story moments very awkward and create a lot of detachment for from the story. I often found myself asking why was I doing something and simply taking orders from every. Nothing about the named characters is appealing and the story itself comes off rather dumb. The story also has a Half life inspired environmental story, where it is laid out through collectibles and transmissions. The story has a few twists and while some are interesting, they do not add any excitement to the story.
The game play of Crysis 2 is one of the strongest selling points of the game. The Nanosuit you have offers you four key abilities to tackle each encounter you meet. You can also chain said abilities into what can only be described as Predator like moments. The abilities are speed, strength, armor and invisible. You gather enhancements to your suit and can upgrade them as you see fit. The game has a difficult learning curve at the start but once you learn how to manage your nanosuits energy levels it becomes fun.The enemy encounters are varied and consist of stealth, defense, sabotage, rail shooting and bosses. A majority of the game encounters are designed very well and allow you creative flexibility on how you want to tackle them .The environments are usually large and have a lot of verticality. Whether you want to go guns blazing while taking cover or use guerrilla warfare, Crysis 2 empowers several different play styles. The only problem I found was that this also means you can avoid combat all together in some sections of the game.
The controls of Crysis 2 are responsive and fluid. The game features solid shooting that feels good and a very well done first person cover system. There are a large set of weapons at your disposal and each one can be customized on the fly, provided that you found a modified version first. The enemies themselves can be a hit or miss. Human enemies can be incredibly tactical and force you out of cover or they also have the ability to be as clueless as Charlie Sheen in a session at the Betty Ford clinic. The alien A.I is much more aggressive but feel weaker then the human enemies. The game does a little hand holding in the beginning but fails to inform you about more subtle actions of game play. Overall the game feels fun and much more focused then it’s predecessor but I don’t recommend trying to rush through the game or fatigue may hit you.
Saying Crysis 2 is beautiful is a damn understatement. From the moment you see the game you will be amazed by how good everything looks. Elements like water, fire, smoke and light really steal the show. Environment texture can sometimes feel weak but overall the game has some of the best visuals out there. The U.I of the game looks slick and does it’s best to not take you out of the game. Human enemies have a decent variety but the Ceph do not. The guns and any animation they use look unbelievably realistic and help make the shooting feel very satisfying. The set pieces are big blockbuster moments that hold up well where the combat can be hit by frame rate issues. The A.I can also have a few hiccups and geometry will occasionally be floating for no reason. These moments don’t happen enough to stop this game from looking good. The audio is score is really well done and weapons sound very good. The voice acting comes off mostly weak and often offers hokey dialogue.
Crysis 2’s multiplayer is solid but not very interesting. It has the industry standard of a progression system with load outs and perks. There are 7 maps ripped from the story mission and re tuned a bit. The only major change from multiplayer is the amount of energy you suit can use. I was quite disappointed with the beta but the multiplayer feels a lot stronger and has a good variety of game modes. If anything the Multiplayer feels faster then Halo but slower then Call of duty but it won’t make anyone feel compelled to play it for very long.
Ultimately Crysis 2 is a very solid game that has a lack luster story and a few technical issues that hold it back from greatness. The single player feels fun enough to play once or twice and the multiplayer feel like a good diversion. I beat the game in 8 hours and felt pleased with my purchase and itching to play it more.
