Legions of Cry-fans and hardcore PC gamers have been holding their collective breaths while shoving extra RAM into their uber rigs. The second coming not only lives up to the hype, but also comes out with a truly terrific, addictive action game that takes FPS gaming to the next level, both graphically and gameplay wise.


Crysis was the pinnacle of technical awesomeness, but it needed an insane machine to run at its full glory, and even today, three years after its launch, it  brings all but the most expensive of graphic cards money can buy to its knees. The CryEngine bought the island the battleground in Crysis to life, with lush foliage, great lighting effects,stunning details and visuals never seen before in an FPS. Not to mention, the exhilaration and excitement of kicking ass in a state-of-the-art nanoSuit that gives you super strength, speed and cloaking abilities.

Crysis 2 now takes place in a New York, ravaged by both warring government factions and the Ceph, the alien invaders. You play a marine named Alcatraz, who after a series of events finds himself in a NanoSuit that once belonged to a man named Prophet. On top of that, he is being targeted by the greedy corporations that would love to get their hands on the NanoSuit, and on the other hand there's that alien invasion to take care of.

The CryEngine 3 is capable of creating some of the best visuals to date in a game. Crysis 2 ran at a flawless framerate on the Very High setting on a very moderately specced machine. Crysis would grind to the dust at the same settings. The war torn New York is incredibly detailed, with its towering and crumbling skyscrapers. Littered streets, with walls of photos and letters of loved ones lost. Flyovers and roads torn apart, everything in a beautiful mess of twisted concrete and metal. Crysis 2 is a cinematic journey, where as you walk, huge skyscrapers explode and fall, massive buildings just topple over, gargantuan alien spacecraft careen by as you jump across rooftops.

A note on the console versions. CryEngine 3 runs flawlessly on both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. While all the three versions look and play the same. The PC version undoubtedly sports the best graphics with a lot of added effects for those with the extra GPU power. Yet the console versions are no slouches. CryTek has done a great job of creating an even experience on all three platforms, and yet keeping it real and special for the PC gaming Cry-fan, who wants to see his card churn out some serious eye candy.


The NanoSuit 2 this time around is not as heavily powered as before, CryTek has streamlined its usage through the game. Earlier you had to engage speed, strength and cloak manually, this time, Speed automatically kicks in as you sprint, Strength engages as you melee enemies or rip miniguns off tanks or power jump. You must manually engage between Maximum Armour mode and Maximum Stealth mode, depending on the situation. All of these consume power, so you need to keep watching your energy gauge. This adds a layer of strategy to the proceedings, forcing you to plan out your attacks.

Each level is massive and broken up into various sandbox encounters, much like Batman: Arkham Asylum. You can choose various ways to tackle each encounter, either snipe your way out, or sneak your way without harming a fly, or just switch to Maximum Armour, grab a minigun and get the party started. There’s something addictive about using the NanoSuit’s powers, mixing and matching fighting styles to just see what happens. It’s like being the Predator, only better. Sneaking up on unsuspecting Ceph and human alike, slitting their throats and then cloaking just before their buddies catch gives a gleeful high. Crysis 2 levels range from power-packed to creepy and atmospheric, as you get out of the open area into the close confines of a sewer line or an abandoned building. The level of detail packed into each scene is astounding.


The character models look great, especially the facial features. There isn't a huge range of character models, sometimes you see the same infected man in a suit, or street hobo. The CELL soldiers all look the same, and there’s a bunch of marines that look a bit different. However, the NPC characters loom large, and those who play major roles are infused with personality. The aliens are well designed, especially the enormous ones. A lot of the boss battles in Crysis 2 are memorable, and involve a lot of forward thinking and planning. Your environment is your greatest ally, use it to your advantage.

Crysis 2 takes you through a storm of emotions, a cinematic experience through a story filled with twists and turns, with Spielberg-like moments of awe. A lot of the story is told through the eyes of Prophet, who displays an astounding level of humanity, and resilience against overwhelming odds. As the story unfolds, many moments that feel a lot like Cloverfield. The game draws you in, never letting go until the very end. Along the way, you are treated to some of the most memorable gaming moments.

While the game might have some astounding visuals as well as some tight gameplay, there are a few things holding it back. One are the minor technical flaws, the other is the truly terrible enemy AI, which can be aptly described as bungling. Sometimes the enemies show brilliant sparks of intelligence by actually hunting you down, or searching you out, but sometimes they just meander about, right into your sights.

The sound design is exceptional, with truly atmospheric music. In quiet sequences, the soundscapes are alive, with distant gunfire echoing through the metropolis in ruins. The babbling of the soldiers around you, the wind... The music score cascades from electronic to sweeping operas to sync with the highs and lows of the story.

The multiplayer aspects we covered a while back, when we talked about the demo. Not much has changed, except for a lot more maps, as well as a RPG-like levelling up system. Multiplayer in a NanoSuit 2 is extremely addictive.

Crysis 2 has got everything, the long dramatic campaign, the stellar multiplayer experience, with graphics to give your eyes a million orgasms. An aural, visual treat you would keep on your machine, replay again and again to show off to your friends. Definitely one of the strongest contenders for Game of the Year.

Via: Technoholik