Everything in Crysis 2 revolves around the Nanosuit. A secret military project it grants the user superhuman powers and provides both tactical and medical support. Armor, invisibility, super strenght, and Nanovision (a combination of solar and night vision) round out the list of your abilities, and for the most part you are given free range over how you use them on the battlefield.
This is what sets Crysis apart from other shooters. While still linear in progression, there is a lot more freedom in how you tackle situations than in most games. Maybe you’ll choose to go in gun blazing, armor at its max as bullets ricochet off like water drops, or perhaps take a more stealthy support and sneak through the water ducks behind enemy lines. Experimentation is encouraged by way of a helpful visor reminiscent of Metroid Prime, which highlights enemies, weapons, and different points to begin your assault. When everything is working right Crysis 2 can be an incredibly rewarding and exhilarating experience where each fight becomes its own puzzle for you to unravel. The real problem then is that these moments are few and far between.
For starters every feature of the suit is tied into an energy gauge. When you use one, the meter depletes leaving you completely exposed and unable to cloak or use armor. While clearly designed to keep the game from becoming too easy, it also does a fantastic job of taking away from the feeling of being a super soldier developer Crytek tries so hard to create. Getting stuck in a firefight without the suit’s abilities is a common occurrence that almost always results in a very quick death. Even passive abilities such as grabbing enemies and sprinting are tied into the bar, which means you are pretty much helpless once it runs out. This became increasingly frustrating and greatly lessened my enjoyment of the game. A good idea in theory perhaps, but the execution needs a lot of work.
The other big issue are the enormous amount of bugs. Most of this is the enemy AI which is almost comically bad. Nearly completely oblivious to you when cloaked you can go straight up to two guards. kill the one, and leave the other mere inches away entirely unaware. Cloak out while in an enemy’s line of sight however and all of a sudden every living being knows where you are. Cloaking then acts as something of an on/off switch for enemy fire, grinding to a halt the second you turn it on. And then you have the moments when they simply break, getting stuck on geometry, running in endless circles, and all around being complete fools that are almost more fun to watch than to shoot. But the truth is that shooting them just isn’t very fun. When everyone acts like a broken robot it’s hard to feel satisfied when you outsmart them.
The narrative also left me wanting, hitting every cliche in the book and topping things off with some abysmal writing and voice acting. The interesting premise and opening scene where you, Alcatraz a soldier on his death, are given the suit and along with it the memories of its previous owner, is quickly swept aside in an endless stream of betrayals, convoluted twists, and an inability to ever explain what is really going on. I lost count of the number of times you lose consciousness, only to awake with your allies once again swapped and your motives changed. The writing is overly simplistic and juvenile, and is perhaps the worst offender in terms of story. I don’t think I’ve ever heard “man” said in so many consecutive sentences before, and if I ever have to suffer through such idiocy again it will be too soon. Finally there is the lackluster voice acting that never could hit the right emotional tone or bring any life to the script, but I suppose you can only do so much when given so little.
But if there is one thing everyone is wanting and expecting from Crysis 2 it’s another benchmark graphical showcase, and in that regard it does not disappoint. The level of detail in each scene is astounding, with the lighting effects in particular standing even higher above the rest. Seeing the sun breaking through the dilapidated buildings of New York is awe inspiring, and though I won’t spoil them the later half of the game is filled with some of the most impressive set pieces I have ever seen in a game bar none. Few games can match the visuals found in Crysis 2 even years after its release, and the fact this is running on current gen hardware is even more impressive.
Sound design is equally well done, with deafening explosions and gunfire creating an immensely immersive experience. The great score also grabbed me right from the opening menu setting the tone for the game and adding to the overall epic feel. But with how amazing everything looks and sounds, it isn’t completely flawless. Pop in, frame rate stutters, and audio glitches all stand out for their ability to muddy things up and are ugly blemishes on the near perfect audio-visual presentation. But even with the minor gripes it would be hard not to be impressed once you see and hear it.
The Verdict
Undeniably beautiful, Crysis 2 has a lot of good ideas but does a poor job bringing them together. The bevy of bugs and glitches, most notably the terrible enemy AI took almost all the satisfaction out of firefights, with a few rare instances where the game actually worked as it was intended to only further showing how good it could have been. Instead we are left with a below average shooter wrapped in an extremely pretty package, but one that can’t hide the dull and lifeless game underneath. It’s hard to dislike something that throws so much eye candy at you, but in this case beauty is only skin deep.
Final Opinion - 2/5 Mediocre
Note, this review is of the Xbox 360 version of the game and does not necessarily reflect the quality of the PC or Playstation 3 versions.
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