Console: Xbox 360/ PlayStation 3/ PC
Players: Single Player / Online Multiplayer
Release Date: 24th March 2011
Developers: Crytek Frankfurt
Publishers: Electronic Arts
Genre: First person shooter
Price: €49.99*
When Crysis was first released in 2007 it was joked that no regular household computer would be powerful enough to run the game, given it’s beautiful graphics, intense gameplay and the game just being an all round badass. Luckily enough for Crysis developers and publisher, EA, some folk did have powerful enough computers and a following grew rapidly around the game that looked better than the real world! Three years after the events of Crysis (don’t worry if you didn’t play it we will recap it for you), Crysis 2 brings you once more into a world where the Earth is under threat from an invading alien force, the US military clings desperately to cover up the disaster and New York City has become the newest battleground in our survival.
If all that sounds somewhat familiar and you can hazily recall some of what happened in the first game then you can skip the next paragraph! If however you’ve no idea what we are harping on about then best to read the next few lines otherwise the rest of this review will read like double Dutch!
In 2020, the North Korean army annexes the nearby islands of Lingshan; a US archaeological team led by Dr. Rosenthal request an emergency evac stating that their discoveries are imperative to the future of all mankind. Enter Raptor Team, featuring Nomad (player controlled character), Prophet, Aztec, Psycho and Jester, a crack team of soldiers outfitted with enhanced Nanosuits that grant them enhanced speed, strength as well as offering limited protection from bullets/fire/high falls. Once on the island it becomes clear that the North Koreans are not the only threat and soon you come face to face with an alien race and have to battle your way through hordes of enemies to rescue the doctor and stop the alien invasion.
Fast forward three years later and Crysis 2 centres around a war being waged in New York City, a deadly virus has killed millions and the military is barely able to keep the fighting within the walls of the city. Inside the city a scientist, Dr. Gould believes he may have found a cure or at least the means to find a cure and a team of soldiers are sent in to extract him and the information. However the submarine you are using to infiltrate the city is attacked by the alien race, Cephaloids, you are the only one to survive, rescued by Prophet who on realising his own fate gives you his suit and then kills himself. His final words bind you to the story of the game, find and aid Dr. Gould in his research, protecting him at all costs.
Sounds easy enough? Well not really, when the Big Apple has been transformed into a deadly warzone infested with both monstrous alien forces and even more vicious human enemies. Pursued by both the alien invaders and the US military, Alcatraz operating under the codename Prophet will have to adapt to his new abilities in order to achieve his goals.
Crysis 2 is by no means a very simple game, nothing about the game is easy and that’s the main reason we enjoy it. Each stage/area is solvable by various different methods, whether you decide to complete your tasks with as little combat as possible, prefer an all out blood battle or you prefer the quick and deadly silent attacks. The controls are simple to master but utilising them efficiently is a whole different story.
Throughout the game, as in all other FPS, you will come across a wide array of weaponry, in Crysis 2 your weapons are customisable, with options to equip silencers, scopes, change mode of fire etc. With a simple tap of two buttons, you can alter the specs of your gun, dampening the blast of a shotgun or enhancing the scope on your rifle.
Ok getting into the guts of the Crysis 2, the game is a visual phenomenon playing light and astound backdrops together, with clever AI who realise they don’t actually want to die and won’t charge blindly into oncoming bullets! So there has to be something wrong with the game right? Well yeah there is and the @rcade camp has been divided – the storyline.
It has been done to death and the game lacked anything new in terms of plot! Now half of us here at the @rcade feel that this is a big negative black mark against the game and the rest of us think to hell with the storyline when a game looks this good and plays just as well then the story could be about a picnic in a field while reciting poetry, if it looks good blowing up why should you care about why you blew it up in the first place!
Ultimately this is your call dear readers, if you want something with a bit of depth then you should probably only rent Crysis 2 – the visuals are a real treat, no question about that but the game really needs to revamp its story telling. Killing aliens is great and looking cool while doing it is even better but make us CARE about why we have to kill them too!
Good Points
Amazing visuals!
Seriously… the graphics… amazing!
An FPS that combines insane violence with
Bad Points
Weak storyline
Multiplayer adds nothing new
Rating: 7/10
