Crysis 2 Review

Game:  Crysis 2
Year (s):  2011
Company:  dev.  Crytek
            pub.  EA (Electronic Arts)
Engine:  CryEngine 3
Type:  First-Person Shooter

Price (as of February 12, 2012)

Regular price on Steam:  Not Currently Available
Lowest Buy-It-Now on eBay (new, with shipping):  ~20

Game Time: another 10-12 hour game

Obligatory Trailer:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZCxdMiw_lI


Plot

Crysis 2 takes place three years after Crysis.  The invaders (called The Ceph, short for cephalopods) have unleashed a plague that ravishes Earth's population.  Initially, you are just another grunt sent to the front in New York City.  Early on, Prophet, from the first game, gives you his nanosuit.  You then fight the military (who mistakes you for Prophet), the CELL mercenary group, and The Ceph as you battle your way through the city trying to save the day.  There are many fantastical story elements, but little to explain what happened in the gap between the two games.  The main character isn't the player, but the nanosuit.


Origin

This game was initially available on Steam.  Months later, EA launched their own digital-download service, name Origin.  High-profile newer releases are now only available for download on Origin, though most titles are on available on both Origin and Steam.  For now, EA is trying to find out if Origin is viable.  Those that buy a retail copy of Crysis 2 can play offline (the single-player campaign) without having to install either Origin or Steam. 


CryEngine 3

This is the best looking game I have ever played.  I ran it on extreme (the second-highest settings) in 2D.  I also had options to run the game in DirectX 11 instead of DirectX 9, and (if I had a more powerful machines) to download and run with high-resolution textures.  Looking better than everything else wasn't good enough: the game is the first I know of that can also be played in 3D, for the rare few that have monitors to support it. 

Branches realistically blow, creating moving shadows, which I may have shot at once or twice.  On a large scale, Crysis 2 has entire bridges and buildings toppling.

This is Crytek's first cross-platform game.


Combat

Similar weapons and minor weapon modification return, and the player is still limited to just a couple of guns.  The interface has changed, but the nanosuit retains all it's speed, strength, stealth, and armor capabilities.  Killing Ceph allows you to collect samples.  These samples can be used to augment your preferred suit abilities. 

This is the first game Crytek has made that is not in a tropical jungle.  Gameplay is still open-ended, but buildings creature corridors more akin to the genre's roots.  Crysis 2 points out some of the flanking, amoo dump, and other approaches to the player in the course of the campaign.  Combat can still be challenging, but it's never quite as intense as in the first. 


Audio

Hans Zimmer did some of the music.  He's a big name in film scores, and you might recognize his sound in The Pirates of the Caribbean series, The Dark Knight, and The Lion King.  Hans has written over 100 scores.  The name might not be as familiar as John Williams, but Zimmer is right up at the top of his field. 


Collectibles

The obsessive-compulsive player can collect all sorts of souvenirs, dog tags, and car keys scattered throughout the game.  These items serve no purpose.  Players can also find emails, which are not essential but do add a little bit to the story. 


Expansions / DLC / Sequels

There are currently two DLCs, both of which are simply map packs for multiplayer. 

The plot for Crysis 3 has been written, but there is no information about development or release date.  



Final Thoughts

With 3.9 million illegal downloads, Crysis 2 was the most pirated game of 2011.  It's also sold over three million copies.  With the best graphics and highest-quality musical score, this feels at times like you're watching a Michael Bay film.  While the plot is so-so, the combat is fantastic.  This is a good, unparalleled game.