Review: Crysis 2

Surrounded by catastrophic destruction, players harness the superhuman abilities of the Nanosuit to level the playing field, becoming the ultimate weapon on a mission to save New York.

Release Date: March 22, 2011
MSRP: $59.95
Also on:  Xbox 360, PC
RP-M+ for Rating Pending, Targeting a Rating of Mature or Above
Genre: First-Person Shooter 
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Crytek Studios

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The Review:
Set in 2024, the game begins with news footage of a large outbreak of the "Manhattan" virus and panic about an alien invasion by the Cephaloids, a race behind the incident of Crysis. The footage then cuts to a clip of mysterious soldiers from C.E.L.L., a private military company of Crynet, begins policing the chaos.

In New York City, a United States Marine Corps Force Recon unit is deployed into the city by submarine to extract Doctor Nathan Gould, who may have vital information on combating the alien race. However, insertion goes awry, with the Cephaloids destroying the sub, and Force Recon Marine "Alcatraz" being left as the sole survivor. Prophet saves Alcatraz, and is distressed with the situation, expecting the squad to support him. Left with no other choice, Prophet kills himself so that the nanosuit will assimilate with Alcatraz. Assuming that Alactrez is Prophet, Gould gets in contact with him and orders a number of samples to be recovered, while Alcatraz faces combat with CELL operatives, a private military company working under the interests of Crynet. Alcatraz meets up with Gould only to be met with initial hostility until the suit plays Prophet's last recorded message. Gould tells Alcatraz to recover data from the Crynet offices, but the trip ends in with an ambush by CELL forces led by Tara Strickland, daughter of U.S. Marine Corps Major Strickland from the first game.

The Nanosuit is the lens through which you view Crysis 2, and it adds a great sense of cohesiveness to the game. Once you hit the Start button, everything you see and do save for load screens occurs in first-person view. Instead of wading through weapon and power selection menus, you're presented with in medias res overlays and subtle visual effects, which indicate the Nanosuit's status. Your suit's AI identifies strategic points of interest if you choose, allowing you to mark tactical points or elements, like weapon caches and enemy locations. 

Crysis 2's enemy AI is smart, yet believable. Sure, you can set enemies up for ambushes, but carelessness often provokes massive coordinated responses that require quick thinking to deal with. Combat usually spirals out from the initial encounter randomly, and most fights unfold differently each time you play them. The suit upgrade menu is actually your hand - twitching each finger selects a different subset of upgrades, and only one of each subset can be active at once. 

This is the best-looking console game to date. It eschews the dark, hyper-filtered visual style of games like Killzone and Gears of War for beautiful, ubiquitous light. Light isn't directed in Crysis 2, it cascades over buildings, through trees and glass, reflecting and bouncing around levels in a way you haven't seen in a game before. It's a stark contrast to the constant, screen-shaking destruction of one of the world's most distinctive centers of popular culture.

Final Thoughts:
Despite those complaints, Crysis 2 succeeds. It’s a beautiful, engrossing experience that avoids the anemic, scripted playbook made law by the 500 pound shooter gorilla. It plays well, encourages creative problem-solving, and confidently delivers a series of escalating and changing encounters and scenarios that will push you to think in a way few shooters have in an era of increasingly funneled experiences. 

Rating: 4.5 = Great
Reccomendation: A must first Buy