Crysis 2 review

Crysis 2 has a lot to live up to. The original game had truly ground-breaking visuals, so expectations would always be high for the sequel. In many ways, developer Crytek has succeeded; Crysis 2 looks absolutely stunning. Textures are pin-sharp, lighting effects border on the photo-realistic and the amount of incidental detail is almost unbelievable.

In other areas, it’s clear to see how the simultaneous development for consoles has hampered the PC release of the game. There’s currently only support for DirectX 9 and there are almost no options to configure the visual settings. Gamers looking to push their brand new graphics cards will be disappointed, as this game is nowhere near as hardware-intensive as the original. A DirectX 11 patch is rumoured to be coming soon, but nothing has been confirmed by the developer.

Ceph weapons drain your Nanosuit energy reserves much faster than conventional bullets

Graphics aren’t everything, of course. Beyond its visuals, Crysis 2 has all the hallmarks of a blockbuster action title. The game takes place a decade in the future, where New York is in big trouble. An unknown virus has infected its inhabitants and no-one can find the cure, but that’s just the start. The Ceph, humanoid aliens with a mysterious ulterior motive, are tearing the city apart. This might seem like insurmountable odds, but players have one significant advantage over their enemies: the Nanosuit.

A multi-billion dollar masterpiece of modern technology, the Nanosuit bestows almost super-human powers on the person that wears it. As well as providing its users with super-strength, agility and speed, the suit can turn them practically invisible in a split-second. Crytek seems to have realised that the Nanosuit was what made the original Crysis so fun to play, so it now forms an integral part of the overall storyline and is far more streamlined to use than in the previous game.

The Q and E keys activate the suit’s power armour and cloak abilities, which makes it much easier to switch between the two in a gunfight than using the old radial menu wheel. The suit’s energy reserves drain quickly as you use each ability, so balancing them becomes key to survival. In spite of the massive advantage they give you over your enemies, you can’t wade into combat head-on and always come out alive; enemies are always quick to outflank and swarm you. Using the cloak, it’s possible to sneak past many open conflicts, but you’ll miss out on many of the game’s unique weapons by doing so.

The near future setting has allowed the development team to add some much-needed variety to the huge arsenal of available weaponry. Each can be customised with a range of attachments on the fly; if stealth tactics aren’t an option, you can remove your silencer and attach an under-slung shotgun for more firepower. Your suit can also be upgraded using resources scavenged from alien enemies. All your unlocked weapons and suit abilities carry over to the next time you play through the game, allowing for different play styles that weren’t possible the first time around.

Nanosuit upgrades such as bullet tracing give you a huge advantage on the battlefield

There’s so much to take in over the course of the campaign that it almost requires a second play-through to appreciate the numerous explosive set-pieces strewn through each level. The further you progress, the more Manhattan slowly falls apart around you. Buildings collapse, highways disintegrate and landmarks are blown to pieces. In places, the effects are breath-taking; fighting amongst the wrecked pieces of the Statue of Liberty is certainly a highlight. The whole game isn’t particularly long, taking around six hours on average to complete, but there’s plenty of further replay value to be had by finding all the hidden collectibles.

Unsurprisingly, the multiplayer side of the game takes plenty of cues from the Call of Duty series. There are ranks to earn, weapons and attachments to unlock and challenges to beat. What makes it stand out from the ever-increasing crowd of modern military shooters is the Nanosuit. Players have access to all the abilities from the single player campaign, including stealth and armour. This creates completely different styles of play to other games, letting snipers stay invisible until the last second or power up for a direct assault. The best players will combine abilities to stay top of the scoreboard; switching from cloak to armour at the last second in order to survive an attack or get that stealth kill can be immensely satisfying.

Compared to the original game, in some respects Crysis 2 feels like a step back; the tight hallways, subway systems and streets of New York aren’t as ripe for exploration as the original’s Philippine jungle, at times feeling very constrictive. However, this is easily forgiven because the overall experience is still incredibly cinematic. It might not be as jaw-dropping as the first game, but Crysis 2 is an explosive rollercoaster ride that easily bests anything else we’ve played this year.