A fantastic sci fi FPS on it's own right.
The first thing into it, it doesn't really feel too different from other FPS's, though the first thing I noticed is that the powers you get are not just a gimmick. You need them to survive the onslaught of enemies in the game. They are a necessity.
The game play is very fun and innovative on how there are plenty of ways to tackle each situation. I found myself not just going guns blazing all the time. I found each situation there are different ways to go about it. It has a non linear approach that most current FPS's like Call Of Duty and Halo seem to lack.
The difficulty. It's honestly not too hard once you get the hang of it. In the beginning I felt it was nearly merciless. Yet once you get used to things, I found it got much easier and the combat is very very solid. It encourages the player to do different tactics to tackle the objectives. I personally hate stealth games and hate using them in games, but this is one that I actually used it quite a bit to tackle certain objectives. It says a lot about a games design.
Despite being a bit hard in the beginning and a very solid challenge, the only real gripe is the AI can be spotty. It's not terrible by any means but there were times I felt the enemy should of killed me when they didn't. Or my AI team mates were just acting odd.
The graphics are beautiful. Nothing to complain about. My PC isn't that top of the line but it ran everything nicely on medium graphics settings and everything really wowed me. The art design is also fantastic and unlike current shooters, it has a more colorful palate which is a nice change of pace.
I felt the story was pretty convoluted. Though it did remind me of a few things, such as H.G. Wells's War Of The Worlds and the movie Battle: Los Angeles. It seemed to take inspiration from many great alien invasion movies, books and other games. Though I didn't care much for the story, half the time I felt it was just there to throw you into the action but it's not really a complaint. Could of been better but I'm fine with how it rolled out. One thing the story did right was a few unexpected plot twists.
The sound is fantastic. Everything sounds authentic and the voice acting is top notch. The characters voices were very believable and the performances were nearly flawless. I couldn't of picked a better cast.
All and all Crysis 2 is a great game. It has plenty of variety, action and suspense to keep you pressing on. It's about 8 hours long for the first play through which is refreshing compared to other FPS's which are less than five hours long. All and all even if you're not a FPS fan, check this one out.
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 10/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Story: 7/10
Final Score: 9/10