Crysis 2 Box Art

The original Crysis set an industry standard for video gaming on computers, and whether or not your gaming machine could handle its complex visuals said something about you.  And, of course, your computer.

So when the sequel was announced for consoles, many gamers quickly grew concerned that something would be compromised along the way.  Where the first was a standard, would the second become that of a joke?

First Person Shooters are typically only considered solid successes if they have the words 'Halo' or 'Call of Duty' in front of them these days.  The range of diversity among them is lackluster, to say the least, and Crysis had served as a shining example of the term unique.

Thankfully, Crysis 2 meets the standard put forth by the original and continues to elevate first person shooters to a whole new level.  If you have been looking for a breath of fresh air from the likes of Halo or the Call of Duty series, Crysis 2 is exactly what you're looking for.

The game begins with a squad of marines taking to an infected New York City to help poisoned civilians escape.  Aliens have set to conquer Earth and as a member of this squad, you are these humans only hope for survival.

Except things quickly go wrong and instead of being a squad set for rescuing, your team is quickly taken out.  Prophet, from the original game, appears and saves your body from the wreckage.  Back at his headquarters, Prophet places you in the nanosuit and takes his own destroyed life. 

Wearing the nanosuit, you're quickly recognized as Prophet and as such you must fight your way through military forces who believe you to be a threat.  Your suit enables you to do many great things humans can't, while also preserving your life at the same time.  The suit allows you to run faster, jump further, and calculate tactical advantages when approaching dangerous situations.  Gameplay is heightened by the fact that you can collect nano samples which are used to unlock further suit abilities (such as faster camouflage rates).

These unique abilities help to enhance the single player aspect that much further, allowing the player to ultimately decide the way in which he would like to complete missions.  All of these subtle abilities and gameplay options create the world of Crysis 2 in such a unique manner that gamers can't help but be drawn in.

Crysis 2 is all about the experience, an experience which the players create as they progress within the confines of the game.  That alone makes the game standout among a busy crowd of boring first person shooters.


Graphics

One of the beautiful aspects of the original game was its breathtaking visuals.  Buildings being destroyed, Earth in ruins, and a world of disorder elevated the playing experience to something fans were unfamiliar with. 

Crysis 2, for consoles, is easily one of the best looking first person shooters out there.  While the frame rate can lag in certain aspects, you have to judge the product as a whole.  The realism involved in destroyed buildings, lakes, armor, and wreckage is something one can't take their eye away from, building the relationship between the gamer and the experience.

While games will always 'look' better on a computer (depending on that machine's graphics qualities, of course), Crysis 2 does an amazing job of stuffing a whole lot of impressive visuals within the small space of a single disc.  The game appears as anything but standard, and is certainly a welcome addition to any gamers library. 

It seemed incredibly easy to lose oneself inside of the universe depicted here in Crysis 2.  The world seems incredibly realistic and that is mostly thanks to the stunning visuals.  While playing, there is never a doubt that you on an a destroyed Earth, fighting back against the alien race that destroyed it.  War is everywhere you look and you can't help but stop and stare at its beauty.

Controls

The controls to Crysis 2 take a bit of getting adjusted to, but once settle feel as nature as can be.  They do seem quite standard for a FPS, but the team behind Crysis 2 have done a solid job of letting a console controller do as much as a regular keyboard.  With a little cheating, of course.

The two biggest functions of your nanosuit, camouflage and armor, are easily triggered by the right bumper and left bumper, respectively.  Grenades can be found by double tapping the Y button the 360 (which feels odd at first, admittedly).  Additional uses of the suit (visor, etc) can be used by pushing different directions on the d-pad.

The only thing that felts a little clunky was the addition of picking up crates, plants, or other mobile objects by clicking down on the right thumbstick or by pushing X (on the 360).  These moves are obviously handled differently on a pc and it shows a bit here.

Still, the game handles quite well with a controller over a keyboard.  For those hardcore console gamers out there, you'll enjoy the experience.  Fans of pc gaming will most likely hate the way in which the controller is optimize.


Overall

The single player campaign lasts for roughly 10 hours, maybe less depending on the difficulty setting you choose.  During the campaign, you will be hardpressed not to get sucked into the world of Crysis and enjoy every single minute of it.  The artificial intelligence of the soldiers seems lackluster, but once the alien race begins to attack you on a consistant level, you will find yourself fighting some of the toughest enemies you've ever faced.

Multiplayer is designed for teamwork, and fans of Gears of War or team modes in Call of Duty will certainly find a lot to enjoy here as well.  It doesn't feel completely tacked on, but from our time with the game it certainly didn't feel dedicated either.  The real experience is the single player campaign and it alone is well worth the price.

Crysis 2 lands during a time in which first person shooters are all the rage, yet are all nearly identical.  Every company out there is trying to beat Call of Duty, while Crysis strays from the path completely and instead focuses on bringing a unique and entertaining experience to each gamer.  There is a whole world here of developed destruction and chaos and we'd be lying if we said we didn't enjoy every single minute of it.

Crysis 2 is well worth your hard-earned cash and will stand out among your console collection as one of your best.  If you're a fan of first person shooters, we really can't recommend it enough.
 

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