Crysis 2

CRYSIS 2 (2011) is a thrilling sequel to the amazing first game, however this game was the first one of the series that I actually played. This game was an incredible experience, amazing graphics, intense and thrilling story. Playing the game in the Crysis nano exo suit makes for an awesome gameplay.

While an alien invasion in New York City isn't a new concept, the game mechanics and style made it an incredibly thrilling experience and not your everyday invasion story.

"Set 3 years after the original game. Fight the aliens, following the protagonist in a new type of jungle; New York, the urban jungle."

Crysis 2 is one of the best FPS around, with some of the best game graphics to boot. This game was a super exciting and memorable experience. An excellent game. Play this if you enjoy FPS games or hyper realistic sci-fi games about alien invasions.

To me Crysis 2 is one of the best games I've ever played. The storyline is a 10/10, the music is a 10/10 (I believe it won best storyline and music for a video game of the year). The main song is in fact on my music playlist as I am addicted to it - as are thousands of other fans. I only wish that you could run around the map a little bit more (it's not an open world style), it's just too specific for me. The graphics are a 10/10 just like all other Crytek games. I thoroughly enjoyed it and actually like it better than Crysis 1. It's a must play in my mind. The storyline however is quite short so don't expect to play for weeks. If your going to play it then go for PC version, it's not as resource heavy as the first Crysis and will run easily on most modern computers. So yeah...Enjoy!

Console: PS3 Genre: First person shooter with a sci-fi premise.

Setting: New York City in lockdown mode.

Story:

The aliens of the first game are now calling New York City home! You will have to fight them and also have to deal with a human, private military firm (C.E.L.L.) which has put New York City in lockdown.

Graphics:

Excellent. From memory (been a few months since I played this, I think) you do have good resolution...i.e. you can take a closer look at text or textures and it still looks realistic. So, although I'm not one to take a close look at things like walls etc, on the one or two occasions I did do this, the textures did not go blurry quickly, like would in games on the Playstation2 console, say.

General observation:

I was kind of looking forward to this game after getting my first platinum trophy on the first game in this series beforehand (I downloaded the original game on the PlayStation Network). Sadly, I got so little out of this game that the 3rd game in this series isn't really on my radar now, even though that games crossbow kind of excited me, after that weapon became such a favourite of mine in the great Bioshock first person shooter.

Good about the game: The graphics.

Bad about the game: Enemy A.I. Just really abysmal and/or laughable. Occasionally aliens will spin around on the spot like breakdancers or look like they were literally skating around in a small circle. Worse than this, the would sometimes go right pass you (i.e. they must have been able to see you) but they keep going right past you and then try to go through a rock wall...forever. Even humans in the game can act really stupidly. Apparently the game has a mechanic like that of the Metal Gear Solid series where you can distract guards by throwing objects. Perhaps due to bad programming, the developers didn't define this very well, as I had one human soldier ignore a large gas cylinder which I threw near them...which must have made one Hell of a noise...or would do, in real life. Even more stupiderer, one human private military soldier completely ignored a comrade of theirs I had recently killed...just went past it...as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. The game does get buggy after your mission to escort the Marines to safety.

* When you are in stealth mode, your controller vibrates. This wastes your precious batteries and...is just annoying.

* The game is too long. It is interminable.

* There are too many cutscenes. A pleasure of the original was just how direct it was. With this game, there's like a cliché shopping list of things 'to do'...which really takes you out of the game and is...just annoying.

* Too many stupid trophies/achievements. There are now trophies for online play. Seeing as I hardly play online at all, this pretty much takes the achievable aim of gaining platinum out of the equation. The original had a very small set of trophies and was very doable.

* If you do decide to chase trophies or achievements (like finding certain objects) you can't resume from a previous checkpoint via the in-game menu...you must quit the game and go back in. Actually, my notes on this aren't clear...I suspect that I may mean that I would have liked to have seen a cutscene again for the information it provides or whatever, but you have to quit the game and reload in order to get that again...I think that's what I mean! * I liked the option in the original game of just using your fists to punch aliens...which you don't get in this game.

* It seems that there is no ability to choose to grab or stealth kill an alien. I like the former ability but it only seems to become possible to do if you are discovered by the enemy. In other words, I would like to be able to use that ability at other points in the game.

* As with the first game, there is part of the game which has an impenetrable route to someplace else...maze like, with no apparent or understandable exit. If you love maps where you can get lost, this is for you! Conclusion: I really like the no nonsense original Crysis. This sequel is very missable.

Not being a hardcore first person shooter fan myself, I must put in a good word for Bioshock...a first person shooter for people who don't like first person shooters! It also has some sci-fi elements.

The story is a mess and I never really felt engaged with it during the game, most of the mission are: get to this checkpoint, flick this switch, etc so nothing new.

Each map section offers a number of possible ways to complete it, I mostly assassinated, silenced headshot and sniped until I was discovered (usually due to an assassination failing for no reason) and then letting rip. The other options usually left you over exposed or facing too many enemies at once.

I think if I was to replay I might try to sneak past everyone but I bought this as a shooter not a stealth game. The thing that attracted me to the game was the ability rig a level with explosives, distract a soldier, set off the explosives, kick over cars rip off a M/C gun from a jeep and let rip into the remaining enemies but this type of dynamic play wasn't really possible (or at least not worth the risk and time).

Part of the reason was the level design wasn't set up for this and the enemy AI spotted you for no reason. The balance of assassination vs the 'Tactical Options' was also pretty weak and unrewarding.

The game does look good but I did find enemies walking in walls and other glitches, the enemy AI was also nothing special and as an example they would always go and stand over a dead body so a snipers dream.

I've only briefly played the multiplayer but it feels like a poor copy of MW2 with invisibility.

It was not a bad game by any stretch, very pretty and quiet playable but no where no as interesting as Dead Space 2. It feels half way between MW2 in looks and play style and Reach in terms of being a super soldier and level design but I think both these games do these things better.

After being really impressed with the original Crysis, I was INSANELY curious to see what the next game would bring, and boy was I happy. Not only is the story more focused, tighter, and epic in scope, not only does it has the most beautiful graphics on any platform, and not only does it has the most stellar production values, but it also has the most ballsy and entertaining action set-pieces that I've ever had the pleasure of seeing and playing through.

The new hero is a Force Recon Marine known as Alcatraz, who had the unfortunate yet coincidental task of being the last hope for humanity armed with the technology of the future; the likes of which no ordinary man, albeit a soldier as ever witnessed in the history of mankind. A physically fractured soul due to injuries sustained in battle, Alcatraz is locked and loaded, but what is the true nature of his mission and what fate does it hold for mankind? The first game's story had an action/sci-fi movie-like plot that was good, even though it left a few unanswered questions concerning it's context. Now with Crysis 2, we learn who created the Nanosuit, its origins, background information about it's original protagonists, and much more. However, Crysis 2 has a lot of dark themes in it's narrative, biological warfare, civil unrest, martial law, private military forces and their morally ambiguous agendas, and identity crisis(no pun intended). It's true that some characters may be underdeveloped, but that's saved for the sequel, which I'm sure will tie up some loose ends, but the story is actually really gripping; kept my attention for the whole duration of the game.

But Crysis 2 wouldn't be a Crysis game without action set-pieces. Out of all the FPS game's I've played, the series hands down has the most exciting and entertaining of them all. From massive destruction to some horrific scenes of human suffering and decadence, no other game in this genre has conveyed post-apocalyptic alien invasion scenarios like this one; for which I was thoroughly impressed. This no doubt helped along with the games stunningly beautiful visual effects that are so cinematic, you actually feel like you're in a Hollywood blockbuster action/sci-fi film. The sandbox style of play is back, though not as prevalent as in the previous game, but you still have many options on how to attack your enemies. The level of tactical decision making is key to your success and one of the series' finest aspects.

I'm not so sure about the multi-player. I've played several sessions(this was on Xbox Live) but I'm an old-school gamer who likes action and story, and Crysis 2 fits the bill nicely. There are glitches like enemies freezing in place and some inconsistencies with sound, but it doesn't mar the game one bit. Speaking of sound, this game has the most impressive sound effects I've ever heard; from the powerful roar of the machine guns to the massive scale destruction of the urban environment, the game is a treat for the ears, especially if you have a surround sound system cranked to the max. And it also helps if you have a widescreen TV equipped with 3D. I've never seen the game in 3D, but even without 3D, the game is still impressive and a blast to play so for those of you who have a set up, get this game to truly experience what it has to offer.

I really enjoyed Crysis 2; even more than Crysis 1. Heck, I enjoy both games, but Crysis 2 story won me over, simply because it's more epic in scope. Having beaten 2, I'm more pumped than ever for Crysis 3. No other series gave me the feeling of being a bad-ass super-soldier with the feel of a big-budget blockbuster action movie!! Kudos to Crytek for delivering one of the most ballistically entertaining FPS on the market!!