Originally a PC-only game, Crysis set high expectations for future games in the series by providing a flexible empowering experience. As hyped as the original game was, playing it is not a prerequisite for enjoying Crysis 2. None of those revisions, however, disrupt the creative gameplay moments or lush environment design that made so many people fall in love with Crysis.
Plot holes notwithstanding, Crysis 2 tells an interesting (if uneven) story that doesn't talk down to you. The biggest change from Crysis to Crysis 2 are the controls; more specifically the tailoring of every action in the game to craft a simpler, console-friendly setup. The previous game implemented a control wheel to let you quickly switch between the parameters of Stealth, Power, Speed, and Armor in your Nanosuit -- a powerful piece of combat armor designed to help you develop your own play style and creatively dispatch enemies. Unlike most titles in the genre that funnel you down a rabbit hole of close-quarters, scripted combat experiences, Crysis 2 frames everything in an action movie-style lens while still encouraging you to play the game your own way. In Crysis 2 enemies are dumped into an urban playground, and pretty much any way you want to engage them is a viable choice.
This illusion doesn't hold up well indoors or in some of the more linear parts of the game, but when Crysis 2 opens up there's this process of discovery that's truly impressive. I played through levels multiple times and still found new pathways and tactical options I hadn't noticed before.
Crysis 2 Xbox 360
If you have played video games over the last few years, then you have probably heard the line �Can it run Crysis?� The original Crysis was something of a graphics vampire, and only the strongest (computers) survived�or at least only the strongest were able to run the game at its full potential. The story of Crysis 2 serves as both an introduction to the series, as well as a direct continuation of the original game�because let�s face it, the majority of people playing the console version of this game won�t have a clue what the story is about, except that you are in New York and there are aliens that need a whuppin�. New York City is ablaze. You begin Crysis 2 as a U.S. Marine: codename Alcatraz. In the original game, Prophet was captured and presumed dead, but later returned with a connection to the aliens that allowed him to understand them better than anyone else. The emphasis is on the look and play of the game, and it shows. The gamecan last between 12 and 15 hours depending on how you play�which leads to another brilliant feature of the Crysis series.
Human enemies have fairly good squad AI. Aliens are a different matter. Even the larger and slower alien enemies are oppressive with their relentlessness and massive damage absorption.
Crysis 2 Multiplayer
Multiplayer in Crysis 2 brings the host of nanosuit abilities along for the ride. This time around, Crysis 2 has six multiplayer modes rather than just two. Finally, Extraction mode places �ticks� around the map. Crysis 2 features a gameplay mechanic that Crytek has dubbed a �choreographed sandbox�. The nanosuit isn�t just a cheap way to explain high-jumps and tough skin, but is really more the central character of the Crysis 2 story than Alcatraz himself. The nanosuit has three modes: power, stealth, and armor. Power is actually a combination of the strength and speed modes from the original Crysis and is the default mode of the nanosuit. All multiplayer modes can be up to six on six, a drastic reduction from the 16 on 16 provided by the original Crysis. The original Crysis was a PC exclusive known more for pushing gaming rigs to their limits than the great gameplay and story it featured, but it wasn�t lacking in those departments, either. Crysis 2 brings this dystopic New York City to life with vivid graphics. In terms of value, Crysis 2 has a very long single-player campaign that will run most gamers 10-15 hours depending on your skill level and the approach you take to it. Unfortunately, Crysis 2 doesn�t offer a co-op multiplayer, which is a real shame. Crysis 2 also doesn�t feature a split-screen. It does, however, triple the number of multiplayer modes from the previous Crysis, a big improvement. Armor mode is accessed by pressing the LB button. Increasing armor, longer lasting stealth, tracing enemy bullets, and proximity alerts are all possible upgrades you can take.
The hook of the Crysis series is the nanosuit that you wear, which gives you certain abilities. You can also upgrade your suit throughout the game by picking up alien material off the corpses of fallen alien enemies. It makes switching weapons fun and natural.
If your normal style in FPS-type games is to move slowly and utilize stealth, you will have your moments, but there are also times when you will need to run at the enemy and attack head on. I�ll put this simply, just so there is no ambiguity�Crysis 2 is the best-looking game ever made for consoles. The game looks stunning, but beyond that, the most impressive thing is the level of detail. Time plays a big part in the game, and you will find yourself moving through New York at various times of day. Perhaps the most impressive thing about the game is that throughout the relatively lengthy campaign, Crysis 2 just keeps looking awesome. It is almost like there is a court order somewhere that requires all games, especially FPS games to feature a multiplayer, and Crysis 2 is no different. The online section offers six game modes over 12 maps, with several upgrades, modifiers and levels to gain experience through.
The experience system is familiar to anyone that has played online FPS games. The game modes are: Team Instant Action, a team deathmatch mode; Instant Action, a free-for-all; Crash Site, a game similar to headquarters in Call of Duty, where an alien pod lands and you need to hold the territory to gain points; Capture the Relay, essentially capture the flag; Extraction, a round-based game where one team defends and the other attempts to capture �ticks� and bring them back to their base, which in turn gives them a nanosuit boost; Assault, another round-based game where one team attempts to break in to the defending team�s base and download information, while the other team is a special assault class that tries to stop them.
The game types are all fun and familiar, but it will require patience, as the games are unlocked by progressing to certain levels. In general the games are fun and fast paced, but like with the game, it takes a while to get to the point where you can experience the things you may want.
The multiplayer modes move as well as the game, and the inclusion of the suit powers�which use more energy than in the campaign to make it fair�create some incredibly original fights. The games themselves are well balanced, but the leveling system is a bit off. Most of the game types are even locked until mid-level ranks, which is odd. It might help it keep the game fresh and encourage the longevity of the game though. For all its beauty, there are a few flaws with Crysis 2. With a game this beautiful, I hate pointing out the flaws. Sadly, the game just has glitches. I doubt this would even be noticeable in another game, but it stands out in Crysis 2.
Despite the slow starting story and the handful of glitches, the staggering beauty and well-balanced gameplay make the single-player campaign among the most technically sophisticated games of this generation of consoles. It is without question the best-looking game on any console, and it is just fun to play. There are a few things to dislike about this game, but they are few, and compared to the excellence of the game, minor. Crysis 2 is a game worth playing, and one that will make a lasting impression.
Crysis 2 (PS3 version)
Crysis 2 bears the weight of heavy expectations on its shoulders. PC gamers want a new system-crushing game to show off their hardware, and console players were promised the "best-looking game ever." Thankfully, Crysis 2 sidesteps the excessive simplification of recent shooters with Nanosuited grace. Crysis 2 is the kind of game that speaks in superlatives -- and even when it stumbles, it's quick to recover, always pushing forward to another amazing moment.
Crysis 2 has to live up to a high standard. Then the alien invasion begins, and things fall apart. Crysis 2 never says), you arrive amidst devastation and chaos, sporting Crysis' trademark Nanosuit -- a semi-living suit of combat armor with advanced AI.
The Nanosuit is the lens through which you view Crysis 2, and it adds a great sense of cohesiveness to the game. Your suit's AI identifies strategic points of interest if you choose, allowing you to mark tactical points or elements, like weapon caches and enemy locations. Crysis 2's enemy AI is smart, yet believable. The free-wheeling weapon customization from the original Crysis has returned, which allowed you to modify weapons with scopes, silencers, undercarriage attachments and such, and it's been joined by Nanosuit upgrades. This makes up for Crysis 2's smaller playground.
Crysis 2 does an excellent job of portraying a city under siege without indulging in constant action-film cutaways. The few occasions when the game stops to consider how the average citizen might be affected by an alien invasion lend humanity to your militaristic actions.
If you appreciated Crysis as a technical benchmark, as well as an excellent shooter, you might be surprised by Crysis 2's more modest menu options. Furthermore, the game does not support DirectX 11, so you won't see the advanced lighting techniques here that you see in games like Metro 2033 and Dirt 2. Crysis 2 looks stunning, runs smoothly on even modest systems, and suffers from few obvious bugs and glitches.
You play as a marine known as Alcatraz, and like Nomad in the original game, you are outfitted with a nanosuit. You receive this suit in dramatic fashion from the original game's Prophet, and the nature of this technology figures heavily into the story. Someone wants that suit. The aliens come in a few varieties. For example, you can improve your suit's energy regeneration, or you can unlock a fun ground-pound ability. The suit works a bit differently than it did in the original Crysis. For instance, you no longer activate power mode to jump to higher levels; you just hold down the jump key. Rather than activate speed mode, you sprint.
Compared to most shooters, however, Crysis 2 still offers plenty of room to maneuver. You can activate armor mode and go in guns blazing, though Crysis 2 is not a bunny-hopping, run-and-gun shooter; the heavier your weapon, the slower your movement. There are a few on-rails/turret sequences, but Crysis 2 is longer than most modern shooters--10 hours or so--and individual levels span multiple fronts. Crysis 2 rewards you with experience and levels as you play, but unlike the console versions of the game, you get access to all six modes from the get-go. Rounding out the online options are two assault-and-defend modes: Assault and Extraction.
These game types all grant a good dose of action, though it is much different from the expansive Power Struggle matches that defined the original. Nevertheless, Crysis 2 differentiates itself from other shooters with the same nanosuit abilities as in the single-player campaign. You can cloak yourself for short periods of time and take your opponents by surprise; escape a sticky situation by leaping to higher ground; and improve your defenses by activating armor mode. On the vertical Skyline map, for example, jumping to higher ground is a great way to gain an advantage over a pursuing enemy. According to the game, only playing in ranked servers is supposed to earn you experience and other rewards, but as of this review, playing unranked games has earned us experience points. Gaining experience is important because it forms the core of Crysis 2's elaborate system of unlocks.
While you can choose from one of a few premade classes, the game allows you (in most modes) to create your own class by selecting from a variety of weapons and suit modules. For example, you might earn a module upgrade by killing 150 enemies while in armor mode. Less impressive is the way these antagonists are awkwardly woven into Crysis 2�s story. As the game opens, New York City has already been decimated by a Ceph bio-weapon virus. Crysis was a superb game, and it wasn't so just because of the astounding technology that brought it to life. Having just replayed that game, it�s so disappointing that Crysis 2 isn�t a game where I can pick up a chicken and punch it a quarter mile down the block, or take a joyride on a boat on a whim. Crysis 2�s devastated Big Apple does benefit from CryEngine 3�s gorgeous lighting, textures and particle effects.
Crysis 2 might not maintain its predecessor�s open design, but it does live up to its reputation as the highest-fidelity gaming experience anywhere�and this time without necessarily bringing your PC to its knees. Of course, playing Crysis 2 for its story would be like buying fireworks to read the warning label. Back to that thing you�re using throughout the entire game�the Nanosuit. Using your skin feels easier than it did in Crysis. I do like that Crysis 2 lets me unlock and customize the Nanosuit through the campaign by harvesting a resource from killed Ceph. I�ve left Crysis 2�s most pleasant surprise for last: its unambitious-but-excellent multiplayer. It borrows Call of Duty�s template of unlockable weapons and profile progression (play to earn more guns, attachments and perk-like Nanosuit modules) but retains its own identity by giving every player a super-suit in most modes. In practice, giving every player a Nanosuit cloak encourages brutal mind games, trickery, surprise and creative play, even in the context of standard multiplayer modes.
This game may look and play best on PC, but the cross-platform development has definitely had an impact. Specifically, it�s disappointing to see that Crysis 2 makes some absolutely baffling technical omissions. Why can�t I pick what level of anti-aliasing or shadow quality I want in PC gaming�s most beautiful game? You may have trouble paying attention to the story, though, given Crysis 2's constant sensory assault. This is the best-looking console game to date. It eschews the dark, hyper-filtered visual style of games like Killzone and Gears of War for beautiful, ubiquitous light. Light isn't directed in Crysis 2, it cascades -- over buildings, through trees and glass, reflecting and bouncing around levels in a way you haven't seen in a game before. The soundtrack complements this well, and Crysis 2 features loud, clear, aggressive positional audio for those with 5.1 setups. PC players in particular are in for a treat - Crysis 2 is easily in the running for best looking game on the platform. This isn't a big surprise, given Crysis's history. However, that the game runs so well across such a wide variety of systems shocked me. Expect greatly improved performance on the same hardware in comparison to Crysis and Crysis: Warhead. In this case, PC players benefit from Crysis 2's journey to consoles.
So, where does Crysis 2 stumble? Of course, there's no quick-saving, even in the PC version of the game. Crysis 2's experience is often such a well integrated whole that watching the game's facade fall for a moment hurts when it happens. Crytek are lucky that the game picks itself back up again so well that these are minor complaints.
For those looking beyond the campaign, Crysis 2 offers the de riguer persistent multiplayer experience. While Crysis 2's progression resembles Black Ops and its forbears, its moment to moment play remains purely Crysis. Every player has access to the standard Nanosuit abilities, and the superhuman showdowns can be unpredictable fun.
Sniper fire, cloaks, and Nanovision rule the field, and cut down on the Nanosuit physicality and traversal that make Crysis 2 feel different from other online shooters. It's difficult to say whether a strong, long-term community will rally around the game.
Despite those complaints, Crysis 2 succeeds. While Crysis 2 loses its footing during a few odd moments, Crytek more than delivers on the promise of their previous games.
Crysis 2 looks superb, though perhaps not as groundbreaking as you might expect from the sequel to one of the best-looking games ever created.
Crysis 2 rewards you with experience and levels as you play; you unlock the most intriguing modes only after many hours.
While you can choose from one of a few premade classes, Crysis 2 allows you (in most modes) to create your own class by selecting from a variety of weapons and suit modules. For example, you might earn a module upgrade by killing 150 enemies while in armor mode. Crysis was a superb game, and it wasn't so just because of the astounding technology that brought it to life. Unlike Killzone or Call Of Duty, Crysis 2 doesn�t just place its enemies ahead, it scatters them around in small �action bubbles�, allowing the player to choose how to best confront the situation. Much of the game is either spent under cloak and dagger, taking out the enemy forces with deadly melee kills or headshots with sniped weapons, or with armour activated for direct attacks followed by quick retreats while your suit recharges. The AI can impressively navigate these obstacle courses, including the alien Ceph which sport a more humanoid form than the squid-like Naked Aliens of the first game. By grounding its alien enemies with two legs Crytek has provided a more challenging foe to fight against. It�s a pity that the constant confrontations with these alien enemies form the bulk of action towards the latter half of the game, as it swings Crysis 2�s focus away from stealth and towards the more action-orientated play enabled by the Nanosuit�s armour. Impressive, given that the game clocks in at around ten or more hours depending on your play style.
If you play first-person shooters on your PC, the very mention of the original Crysis brings to mind lush jungle beauty brought to life by a graphics engine so impressive and flexible that it remains the visual benchmark to which all other PC games are held. Crysis 2 does an excellent job of portraying a city under siege without indulging in constant action-film cutaways. The few occasions when the game stops to consider how the average citizen might be affected by an alien invasion lend humanity to your militaristic actions. You play as a marine known as Alcatraz, and like Nomad in the original game, you are outfitted with a nanosuit. You can also activate a mode that boosts your armor. You receive this suit in dramatic fashion from the original game's Prophet, and the nature of this technology figures heavily into the story. Someone wants that suit.
Crysis 2 offers a nice challenge, particularly in its second half; some of those aliens soak up a lot of bullets before going down. For example, you can improve your suit's energy regeneration, or you can unlock a fun ground-pound ability. The suit works a bit differently than it did in the original Crysis. For instance, you no longer activate power mode to jump to higher levels; you just hold down the jump button. Rather than activate speed mode, you sprint.
Compared to most shooters, however, Crysis 2 still offers plenty of room to maneuver. As you enter the larger areas--often from a rooftop above--the game encourages you to use your suit to scan the environment. You can activate armor mode and go in guns blazing, though Crysis 2 is not a bunny-hopping, run-and-gun shooter; the heavier your weapon, the slower your movement. There are a few on-rails/turret sequences, but Crysis 2 is longer than most modern shooters--10 hours or so--and individual levels span multiple fronts. The star of the show in Crysis 2 is the Nanosuit 2. The overall presentation of the game comes a close second to the gameplay. Whether playing the single player offering or the robust multiplayer modes, the Nanosuit 2 takes the cake. Crysis 2 is so far away from your traditional point and shoot affair, that it's almost unfair to lump the game in with the Call of Dutys, Battlefields, and Halos of the gaming world. It's not because the game can't give those esteemed titles a run for their monies, but because Crysis 2 is so different in the gameplay department. While most first person shooters have you running through a virtual shooting gallery, Crysis 2 breaks this mold with the Nanosuit 2. Mismanagement of your suit's energy supply is almost always a fast track to your demise, especially in the multiplayer mode of the game. The suit functions are nearly identical in the online and single player modes of the game. Special features can be added in the campain from collecting alien tissue samples and then unlocked from an in-game menu. You'll need to earn XP to unlock the options in the multiplayer portion of the game, but there is a high level of suit customization there as well. The invisibility mode is used as a stealth mechanic to sneak up on enemies and get the jump on them. The armor mode can be used in equally fun ways. It allows you to stand your ground against an onslaught that would kill you instantly in either the single player or multiplayer modes. The suit conveys a sense of power, and I can't think of a game that does empowerment quite as well as Crysis 2. The single player campaign does an awesome job of mixing up the enemies that are thrown at you throughout the game. There's definitely a balance of power that Crytek nailed between the different enemies.
The single player probably showcases the best of it when it comes to Crysis 2. The campaign portion in Crysis 2 is vital to the overall experience in the game, and you can tell that this wasn't a rush job. Personally I'm the type of player that likes the action of a game, so Crysis 2 fits me well. In that time, you don't learn that much from the game other than how to operate the suit. There are many reasons to enjoy the multiplayer in Crysis 2. This also carries over to the longer range weapons as well. The single player enemy AI can be a bit tricky at times. Losing your suit's energy and dropping cloak would result in enemies opening fire on you from across the map, whether behind cover or not. There are a few interesting game mechanics which make Crysis 2 unique, and the game sports visuals that set it above and beyond the competition.
However not managing the nanosuit�s energy properly will at times leave you naked and incredibly vulnerable. As I said Crysis 2 is as much a tactical game as it is a shooter.
All the areas you travel through will present you with multiple tactical options, these range from stealth to flanking options and offer a variety to the games play. While it offers some nice variety at times I felt like there was an enormous number of enemies and I would find myself playing the same section multiple times. The controls of Crysis 2 are very well laid out for a console, yet they do vary from the normal FPS button scheme due to the addition of nanosuit controls. Multiplayer offers up some of the most addicting FPS action I�ve played in awhile. The customization of your nanosuit and weapons offer some nice variety and the slew of dog tag unlocks keeps you playing. Crysis 2 multiplayer also offers up some interesting gameplay that other multiplayer shooters don�t. The customizing also makes Crysis 2 multiplayer special. The way upgrades work is as you level and gain kills you�ll be granted various unlock points. These points fall into different categories such as weapon unlocks, which give you more guns, nanosuit unlocks, and weapon attachment upgrades. Online offers 6 game modes, my favorite is Crash Site. As you level you�ll unlock the different modes, and it�s also nice that each mode has modifiers, like classic which takes out the nanosuit and makes the game a more normal FPS, or fast rounds, which lowers the intermission time and keeps the game moving at a quick pace.
This really is a beautiful looking game. Crysis 2 is a great first person shooter. The various game systems bring some much needed flavor to a very competitive gaming genre. The game systems do make the game very unique and the way you�ll use the nanosuit gives you some neat tricks to defeat enemies. But the games visuals will be the big draw for many gamers. Crysis 2 is by far one of the best looking games out there. If you are an FPS fan Crysis 2 should be in your gaming library.
The original Crysis, other than being a great game is an amazing tool to judge how good your gaming PC is. It is one of the best looking games this generation if not the best looking ever.
Crysis 2 begins a bit abruptly. After finishing the original Crysis a couple of weeks back I thought the story will pick up straight after the events of the first game, but that is not the case. In fact the events in Crysis 2 take place a bit more ahead in time, 3 years to be precise, where a couple of soldiers are attacked by an alien ship, almost killing the main protagonist of the game, Alcatraz. Much of the game revolves around extracting a certain Doctor Nathan Gould who is supposed to have information on combating the Cephaloids, the aliens who were behind the incident that took place during the original Crysis. The C.E.L.L. apparently wants Alcatraz dead, so the player basically has two enemies in the game, the aliens and the C.E.L.L. Much of the gameplay in Crysis 2 obviously revolves around the Nanosuit 2. Some of the elements like maximum armor and cloak from the first game return in the sequel. The game also introduces Tactical Option which gives you a great view to analyze and plan your battle strategies. Basically your Nanosuit can be upgraded in to four different modules namely: Armor, Stealth, Power and Strategic. The original Crysis was applauded for the inclusion of some really challenging enemies with life like artificial intelligence. The Ceph as they are called in the game, are better trained in shooting and are pretty tough to take them out. The Stalkers are the most irritating foes you will face in the game. The game lacks a good final boss fight, which was such a treat in Crysis and Crysis Warhead (Red Hunter and Ceph Warrior).
There are a good number of guns and ammunition to be found in the game. Just like in the original Crysis, the player can carry grenades and C4 for an effective way of taking out some of the enemies.
Level design is one of the biggest pros in the game. Crytek have developed a fairly open ended world, though in my opinion Crysis was a bit bigger. Real time destruction, devastating earthquakes and building coming crashing down will be something that you have to get yourself acquainted while playing Crysis 2. Your character, Alcatraz, unlike Nomad from Crysis does not speak at all but thankfully the people around him have done their job decently, especially Crynet Director Hargreave and Gould who were pretty powerful characters in the game. The multiplayer experience is pretty vast in Crysis 2. There are numerous gameplay modes that one can choose from and eventhough they have been done before in previous first person shooter games, the ability of the players to use the Nanosuit makes them unique. Next up is the Crash site where players have to gather alien pods before the enemy gets to it first. To finish it off, Extraction gives the chance to the player to collect Nanosuit bio ticks from enemy locations. All these modes help you earn experience points which can then be used to unlock new weapons and nanosuit upgrades. Overall the multiplayer is pretty simple and straightforward and at the same time enjoyable due to inclusion of Nanosuit abilities.
Crysis 2 is a pretty long game and playing at normal difficulty will take about twelve to fifteen hours provided you are interested in collecting all the dog tags and flashbacks that the game throws at you. But the game lacks the Crysis feel due to a broken story and a boring protagonist. But if you look at the overall package, a solid multiplayer, the amazing Nanosuit and the best visuals that the world has seen, Crysis 2 is game that is worth the hype.
Crysis 2 Review (Video)
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