The incredible storytelling, online experience, and gorgeous graphics make this the best Crysis game yet.
The storytelling elements in Crysis 2 rival any other FPS on the market. The idea of an alien invasion on one of the United States' greatest cities is frightening, and Crytek successfully created a virtual world that legitimately engaged me. The storyline is incredibly emotional, and throughout the campaign, I felt like I was really in the shoes of the silent protagonist Alcatraz.
The campaign blends aspects of strategy and action flawlessly. The new, smarter AI forced me to really think about what my next move was. Luckily, the adaptability of the previous nanosuit is enhanced for Crysis 2, featuring only three modes: armor, power and stealth. Rather than the old click wheel to change suit modes, the new interface requires the push of a designated key to engage any modes. Because of the new nanosuit mechanics, such as stealth kills, sliding and ledgegrabs, I was given the feeling that I was really in control of exactly what I wanted to do for the first time in a game. I can easily interact and manipulate a virtual environment to best my opponents.
The online multiplayer blends some of the best aspects of other first person shooters with the unique nanosuit mechanics. It is very enjoyable, and because of the nanosuit and environments, Crysis 2 multiplayer gave me an experience that truly felt unique in today's swarm of FP shooters. The negative aspect of the multiplayer is actually finding a game. The matchmaking service has made it difficult to quickly find and join a game. The server browser also appears to have some bugs. For instance, when I selected North American servers only, it filtered out all servers, even ones with US in the name! Once you're playing however, the matchmaking quirks are easily overlooked because of the games unique gameplay mechanics.
The graphics are gorgeous, something that all PC gamers have come to expect from Crytek. The enhanced engine will allow many gamers to play at extremely high settings and experience very, very few lapses in framerate. This game makes great use of lighting effects, ambient occlusion and motion blur. Even without using stereoscopic 3D, there were a few moments in the game where I literally felt like I was falling through the sky when I jumped out of a building and air stomped an enemy. There are several moments when Crysis 2 feels like virtual reality. The graphics compliment the story to make it my favorite first person shooter on the market today.
Unfortunately, many PC players like myself were not happy with the lack of visual settings. There are no advanced settings for tweaking anti-aliasing, texture filtering etc.
However, due to the complaints I have a feeling that a patch might be released correcting this issue.
In conclusion:
~Pros:
- Engaging Story
- Replayable Campaign
- Unrivaled visuals
~Cons:
- Lack of visual options
- Multiplayer bugs
I give Crysis 2 a solid 9. Maximum game.