Crysis 2 - First Impressions

 
If you haven't heard of the name Crysis before, don't feel bad, a lot of people haven't. Crysis was a game that was released a few years back to the die hard PC gaming community. Why die hard? Because the machine you needed to play it at anything other than a lower quality had to be a hind end machine. As a result, not a lot of people outside of the PC community got their hands on the game. It's a shame really because the game was a technical feat, even at today's standards. While you could easily play it on a good PC today, the graphics are still amazing and a technical feat. I actually took some time over the weekend to play some of the game and get a feel for what to expect with 2. Now that 2 is out, I turn my attention to this multi platform release from the guys over at Crytek. Did they produce something that multiple facets of gamers will enjoy or is this still a PC crowd game. Read on to find out. 

Being one of the many who hasn't completed the first Crisis, I went into 2 with little knowledge about the story. From what I can tell and have read, there is this suit that was created by the government and given to elite operatives (Crysis 1). In Crysis 1 you are fighting Koreans and stumble across some sort of Alien life. That's about as much as I know and from what I'm told, that's all I really need to know since the story in 2 isn't groundbreaking and it introduces you well into the current conflict. In part 2, you take on the role of a Marine named Alcatraz who's submarine is attacked by an alien ship near the New York harbor. As the lone survivor, you meet Prophet, one of the characters who sports a nanosuit from the first game. After some choice events, you are equipped with the nanosuit and you begin your journey to find a doctor named Gould. 

And with that, the game kicks off. From the get go, you'll realize that this game isn't in it for the story. In all honesty, it's the gameplay and the graphics. On the 360, this is being hailed as the best looking game ever to grace the console. On the PC (which I played it on) I can attest that it is one of the best looking I have ever seen. Where most games take the dark and gritty approach to graphics, Crysis 2 flexes it's muscles in a different way, but shoving light into every corner, crevice, and opening in the game. The result is a dizzying effect of particles that light up the screen and cast shadows across the ground in the most realistic of ways. To be honest, it's beautiful. While I have stopped to check out graphics in other games, I haven't stopped and checked them out for as long and often as I did in Crysis 2. And don't think this is only a PC thing. From what I hear the 360 looks amazing too. The only thing you need to be aware of is that the framerate takes a hit on the 360 due to the graphics, but other reviewers are complaining too much about it. On the PC, I saw nothing of the sort. 

Ok, so we know the game looks pretty, what about the gameplay? Well, to further explain the game I guess I need to dig into what the nanosuit is exactly. Think of the nanosuit as a billion dollar weapon created by the government that is an extra skin for the wearer. In an instant you can become stronger and leap 12 feet in the air or throw grown men 50 feet in front of you. You could also stealth for a limited time and go invisible to enemies in order to sneak up behind them. Armor mode makes your skin incredibly tough and allows you to resist damage and speed allows you to sprint at dizzying speeds. All of these actions use up an energy meeter that when depleted immediately refills. Using the different powers strategically is what sets Crysis 2 apart from the other shooters on the market. You aren't just running and gunning like in a Battlefield game or Call of Duty. In Crysis, you'll find yourself bringing up your visor's HUD to scan the area for hostiles. Once you tag them, you can choose how to engage. For me, I love to stealth and get a better vantage point. From there I may charge at the enemy with speed and unload a clip into some soldiers before vanishing into a building to stealth and get another vantage point. By this time, the enemy is properly confused. So I may drop a grenade to mess up their day or sneak up behind them to perform a stealth kill. Yes, you feel this badass when you play the game and it doesn't go away. 

While you will feel like a badass through most of the game, get sloppy and it's nighty night. The game can be brutal at times if you don't think things through. If you are the type to just run through firefights all guns blazing, you may run into some issues. This isn't that type of game. The enemy AI is relentless (especially the aliens you meet) and they will team up on you. If you try to stealth and sneak away, don't be surprised when they unload a barrage of missiles to flush you out. You are going to have to think smart, play smart, and ultimately just take your time if you want to be successful. But if you abide by these rules, you'll have an awesome time playing through the single player portion of the game.  

The multiplayer portion of the game is one of the better multiplayer offerings in recent memory. The reason for this, at least in my opinion, is because of how unique it is. It's not that unique in game types or even leveling, but the gameplay is where it's set apart. Just like in the single player game, you can use all of the suit features at your command and take control of the battlefield. One problem though - the opposing team is also using suit powers and that guy who just stealthed? Yeah, he's probably behind you right now setting up for a kill. Using suit powers brings a whole new level of paranoid to the online multiplayer experience. You no longer have to worry about enemies you can see, but you also have to be on the lookout for stealthed enemies. You can use your suits heat signature mode to see stealthed enemies or you could spray and pray to bring them out of stealth. You could also turn on armor mode on the fly and take a lot more punishment than the average soldier. But everything you can do, the enemy can do as well. I found this to be a refreshing way to play the game. Throw in some sci fi atmospheres here and there, destroyed city landscapes, amazing visuals and you have a great MP experience. 

Taking cues from other successful shooters on the market, Crysis also offers a robust unlock/level up system. I played about an hour and a half or so of multiplayer yesterday so I didn't get too far in it, but I'll explain what I saw so far. You start at level 1 with only the assault class open. From there you'll play games and earn xp to level up. While earning xp, you'll also earn points that unlock icons for your gamercard like tag and you'll be able to display your own custom picture. It's nothing like CoD so don't expect a bunch of pink private parts to pop up across the web in the next few days. Weapon unlocks and item unlocks also come with experience and you are given the choice of what you want to unlock. There are also challenges that require you to do X with Y equipped and so on. It seems like enough to keep the community going, but with the large player base already entangled with CoD and Halo games on the 360, we'll have to see if they make the jump. Everything they need is here though if they do. 

So, there you have it. My first impressions on Crysis 2. From what I've played so far, I'm hooked. The game is an amazing feat - not only in the graphics department but also in gameplay. The single player, while not story heavy, will keep you occupied for a solid 12 hours I've read and all the while keeping you thoroughly infatuated with your suit powers. After completing the story (or before, whatever you choose) you have a solid multiplayer game to play as well as loads of unlockables to collect if you want to go through the single player mode again. There's a lot of game here for your buck and you could do a hell of a lot worse with your $60 bucks these days. I highly recommend Crysis 2 for whatever console you please, although PC is going to look the best, just be sure you have the machine to run it.