Forget the tropical, sunny and beachy islands of the original Crysis, the new game is set in a desolate New York city in the middle of a futuristic war! And it’s not just the setting that’s changed- it has a completely new type of gameplay, with many upgrades and perks.
The original Crysis, which was only available for the PC, prided itself on its absolutely stunning graphics when it was released in 2007. And even today its graphics are superior to many new games! It really was a revolutionary game, and ahead of its time. It was later expanded with an extra chapter called Crysis: Warhead which again was exclusive to the PC. That expansion included an amazing campaign with visuals that were stunning! So Crysis 2 had a lot to live up to and improve upon… but has it managed it?
To start with the completely different climate change from the original game offers a completely new combat experience. In the original game there were lots of open space battles and fights in small villages. In Crysis 2, we are in the heart of a gritty urban environment- New York! This means battles in the streets, subway fights and melees inside buildings.
If you haven’t played Crysis before then you’ll need to know that the game revolves around this special and top secret “nanosuit” which offers superhuman abilities to the player. The special abilities the suit offers are:
- the ability to jump really high.
-to sprint extra fast,
-super strength to kick vehicles and unleash a powerful melee attack,
-a stealth/ invisibility mode and
-an armour mode.
In the previous Crysis game you had to select between 4 different suit settings which were “Strength, Armour, Stealth and Speed” but in Crysis 2 the “Nanosuit 2.0” offers a different approach to these perks.
What’s new in Crysis 2?
- Platform: Unlike the original Crysis, Crysis 2 is available on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 as well as PC.
- Nanosuit 2.0: Crysis two you can now basically activate either Stealth or Armour mode when you want, the Speed and Strength abilities are basically now always activated so you do not have to switch suit modes in order to do a super jump. It makes the game much easier to play and less confusing which definitely helps. The use of all these special powers requires energy however so you cannot use the invisibility for example forever! All the special abilities drain suit energy so make sure you find a quiet area to wait for it to replenish when you can.
- Modules: Through upgrades, the Nanosuit may also be equipped with passive power and tactical modules. These modules do not need any additional power and are always active once installed. In order to purchase new modules you need to collect Nano Catalyst from dead alien bodies. It adds a new collective element to the game with useful bonuses.
- Others: New weapons, a revamped HUD, power slides, collectibles , Nanovision and the Nanosuit Showroom.
Performance:
As with the original Crysis, if you are playing the game on the PC you are going to need a pretty beefy PC to experience the beauty of the game since it is very power hungry But that is to be expected with such graphics! Obviously on the PC you can lower the settings till you get a smooth outcome and still experience the amazing gameplay without such stunning visuals.
Performance issues have arisen with the console versions on Crysis with users experiencing in-game lag and frame rate Issues. The non-PC community are not happy! I have also noticed these issues when playing the game on the consoles. The game just doesn’t feel smooth as other games out there today. The average frame rate for the two consoles is around and below 30fps, which really is fairly low for a modern video game and leaves the game feeling a bit slow and sluggish which is a shame since it can be really apparent at times! In high combat parts of the game the frame rate can drop even lower to produce real graphical lag which in a sense ruins the game because it can make combat frustrating.
But with time you will get used to the lower frame rates and it won’t be as obvious as when you start the game so it is definitely not a reason to turn away from the game. The low frame rates are a result of the amazing visuals in the game and the visuals definitely make up for the lower frame rates since they really will make you go “wow”.
Gameplay:
With all the different types of suit features there are numerous ways to approach a fight and you can decide how you do it. The game allows you the freedom to approach a battle how you want without being spoon fed about where to stand and who to shoot first etc. It really is a gameplay experience unlike any other which allows you to use new and awesome tactical approaches!
The campaign is amazing, the special effects and visuals are like no other game and you could easily play it through multiple times and not get bored because you can combat the enemy in so many different ways.
Conclusion:
You have to play this game. Everyone should experience what it is like because you can’t judge it properly until you’ve played it. The visuals will blow you away and the gameplay will be something you haven’t experienced before (in a good way). However for console gamers the low frame rate may deter you at first but with time you will get used to it and come to really like the game. It would be nice if there was the ability to lower the settings on the consoles for players who want a smoother experience. Personally my platform of choice for Crysis 2 would be the PC since there is a demo available for the game and there is not for the PS3 or Xbox 360 so you can try it before you decide to buy it. At the end of the day though, Crysis 2 offers hours of fun with its amazing campaign and online multiplayer experience complemented wonderfully by its visuals no matter what platform you decide to play on.