Crysis 2
Producer: Electronic Arts
Release Date: March 22, 2011
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, Microsoft Windows
Rating: Mature
Genre: First-Person Shooter
COOL UNDER FIRE
Written by Mike Lowther
Since its original release, Crysis has been the benchmark of high-powered graphical gaming in the PC world. Its impressively enhanced visuals have amazingly produced the popular phrase, “Can your computer handle Crysis?” My answer has always been “no,” mainly because I’m a console gamer, and forced to run Crysisthrough medium settings on my Dell Dimension desktop with a few modifications. Just the thought of pouring a thousand bones into a mechanical box to play a game disgusts me, hence another reason why console gaming has been my preferred product of play. But when EA made a statement of Crysis 2 coming to console, I felt a jingle in my pants. Let’s rock.
I’ll tackle a first-person shooter if it sides to my liking. Unfortunately, the majority of them are cliché sci-fi shooters typically missing the mark in either graphics and/or gameplay. It’s a vicious world, but some games are able to bleed through. Developer Crytek has been resourceful as to building their very own game engine, coincidentally naming it CryEngine, which they use in their titles. CryEngine 3 shows off magnificent visuals, impressive motion blur and depth of field, and interactive and destructible environments. Though we’re looking at new technology, a core asset of gaming still involves gameplay – and we need that gameplay. Far Cry was an open-ended game created by Crytek that let you walk anywhere, kill anyone, and hop into any vehicle. But I’ve always found the control system of Crytek’s games to be bastardly bulky and rigorous to understand everything that’s going on. Oftentimes, I’ve felt robbed while being outnumbered by enemies in their games, even on a normal difficulty. Crysis 2 has made advancement in this department.
The world of Crysis 2 simply revolves around your suit. It has special functions that let us use armor enhancing capabilities, which are best used when taking lots of damage or performing high-level jumps. There’s a stealth cloak you can use that makes you partially invisible, but enemies can catch it if you hang around in front of their face too long. There’s an energy meter that constantly recharges after use, so keep an eye on it when using your suit powers. The HUD provides us with ammunition and energy usage data, and goes into further menus giving us options to modify weapons. Since the suit we’re wearing is part man-made, and part alien, there are special pick-ups called Nano Catalysts. Collect these to modify your suit to have better recharge times and stealth enhancements.
Crysis 2‘s level design is pretty damn immersive. With real locations like the intersection of Wall Street and Nassau, being a part of the destruction of the NYSE building isn’t such a bad sight. You can pick up just about anything in the game, but I don’t know how much use you can possibly get from a potted plant or soda can. Maybe to trick out enemies? I don’t know, since the in-game tutorial hasn’t provided much depth into using them. If they were going for a Metal Gear approach, they clearly missed the mark. The visual scenes between gameplay aren’t very amusing, and I could do without them. The pacing of the game is pretty constant, and you can plan your methods of attack by using your suit’s sensors throughout different parts of the level’s area. This comes in very handy for snipers and grenade-happy explosion enthusiasts.
I was expecting a little more solidified gameplay execution, but overall I feel pretty satisfied. I was really banking on a more expansive world this time around, but the battle between enemies can be quite fun, and the use of the HUD can become very addicting. I feel the combat is very even between the player and enemies, and weapon choice is varied. But as expected, graphics are definitely this game’s field; variants such as detailed water swells, film grain and destructive elements take the cake. Crysis 2‘s graphical department continues to raise the standard in first-person gaming, and succeeds with a huge step into the console world.