Crysis 2
Publisher: EA
Developer: Crytec

Crysis 2 follows on from 2007’s PC only phenomenon Crysis which was limited to PC’s due to the massive amount of processing power the original game needed. So seeing as Crysis was best known for its unparalleled visuals it seems only fitting we should start by asking how does a game like Crysis 2 which has been specifically designed to run well on consoles compare with its power mad predecessor? The only answer is brilliantly, it is easily the best game visually on any console and isn’t shy in showing off, from the waterfront to the city streets of New York and even Central Park every vista has been given real depth and feels so immersive thanks to the stunning attention to detail which Crytec seem to specialize in. and witnessing New York crumble and fall around you as you progress through the career just looks amazing and helps to demonstrate just how vital it is you win this war and halt the spread of the alien threat before they wipe all traces of mankind from the earth.



Crysis 2 has one of the longest single player career’s of recent times spanning 19 missions and with an average play time of 10 – 12 hours on normal difficulty it will certainly have long enough to draw you into Crysis’s mad little universe by the time the end credits roll. The Nanosuit is what really makes this game stand out and somewhat steals the show. The basic abilities are there from the first game allowing you to switch into Maximum Armour mode where you can take more damage and Stealth mode which makes you more or less invisible. sprint and Strength also return this time as a joint ability called power however these are passively active and do not need to be turned off. Choosing the best time to use these abilities is important as they run off the same Power meter so you have to keep one eye on the meter, otherwise, you’ll be caught in the middle of a fight with very little defence left.



You may not be able to call the main Story original (the lone hero out to save the human race from an alien invasion) but you can certainly say it is well written. The whole time I was playing I found the story to be engaging and entertaining with plenty of amazing and at times breathtaking set pieces. This is mostly down to the fact that they have hired a professional writer Richard Morgan and it clearly shows through unlike Crysis which while it did have a good story there just didn’t seem to be very much of it used in the game.



While the single player is like a 3 course meal on its own that doesn’t mean you lose out on the multiplayer content either as there is plenty to do online as well. Featuring 6 different game types including free for all and team death match. Crash site which is a point capture / defence mode, Capture the relay (flag) mode, Assault in which a team of Nanosuit operatives armed with only pistols must upload from terminals spread cross the map which are defended by the opposing team of un-armoured soldiers carrying automatic weapons. And finally extraction where one team defends while the other team try to carry 2 canisters to their extraction point. The maps are also brilliantly done as well mostly adapted from levels of the game they really allow you to take advantage of your Nanosuit whether it is climbing across the roofs of buildings or sneaking through dark corridors there is always an advantage to be had.



One of the most unique things about Crysis 2’s multiplayer is also one of its biggest weaknesses and that is the levelling up system used to reward you for your style of play. The interesting thing about it is that all your XP goes towards levelling up your rank however your three armour abilities rank up individually with XP you earn from using them which is a nice concept with one drawback all new players start the game with the lowest level Nanosuit which feels massively underpowered and can leave you feeling very frustrated. This I fear will put some people of the multiplayer before they ever really get a chance to experience just how good it is.



The achievements are for the most part the usual run of the mill complete this objective or that mission and the ever-present complete single player on hardest difficulty (which some people have pointed out isn’t that hard as you can just use your stealth ability to sneak past the majority of the game). There are however a few interesting achievements like the Dedication achievement for playing online 6 months after your first game, there are also a few for the online multiplayer though these should be easy enough to get and while trying to get the max multiplayer rank achievement. All in all this should be a relatively easy game to 1000 though some of the multiplayer achievements mean this will take quite a bit of time playing online and at least 6 months



To summarise I would have to say it is easily the best looking game released on the 360 and also has one of the best single player career’s I’ve seen in a long time. The game feels solid and flawless throughout and will defiantly keep you coming back for more. The multiplayer might seem a little hard to get on with a first however once you rank up your suit abilities it transforms to become a fun and addictive experience.

Score 9.5/10