Crysis 2

 

Last month I post a review about the original Crysis, and I promised you about having to put a review on Crysis : Warhead also, but something came up and I had to skipped it to our newest series, Crysis 2, the continuity of the futuristic nanosuits technology. We know all about these nanosuits, am I right? We’ve played Crysis before and we had custom ourselves with the suit. Having to cloak ourselves around the Langshin island, jump high and then change our armor drastically into hard rock and anti bullet kind of thing. Crysis gives us only an option to choose the power we want, but Crysis 2 is a little bit different in the system. Not entirely, but I’ll give you the details later.

So, the world of Crysis 2 lies in the urban area of New York, like in the trailers, alien invasion has occurred, why, and what happens to the humans? Gone? Killed? These are the questions I’ve been hoping to find out, but when you started the game, a cutscene of several news pops up and trying to tell us something. It’s kind of havoc, but nice opening I may say. From what I gain from the cutscene is that the world was infected by some freaking dangerous virus that seriously deforming humans into something else, freakezoids? Well, I don’t know exactly at that time, and after the cutscene is finished, we ended up on FPS sight of a man named Alcatraz. Waking up without knowing anything about this guy Alcatraz and of course, everything around him, we cloud ourselves inside a USS submarine to be sent to the coast of New York to help our dying friends in the nanosuits regimen. To be made a story, the submarine was attacked by some big alien dropship and we panicking to stay alive, as of that many died and some survive. Thanks to a familiar face, Prophet, our captain in the first Crysis, help us and get us to safety, which in the side of things, he was infected, saying about ending a mission and give a hell of a fine suit to us. And after that he killed himself! And I was like ‘WTF’! He just given us this freaking damn huge mission to a marine like me? Well, before that Crytek had told us, an answer comes later. Lol

Favorable scene from a ledge. 

To say the least, that’s the prologue of this game, while in details, again, we have to say many thanks to Crytek for given us the chance to hold those big freaking weapons and cool suit. Crytek have put a lot of effort in their graphic details as well as sounds, for I’ve heard in my 5.1 stereo, a clear freaking sound. The graphics are way darker than the previous titles because it’s an apocalyptic New York, but none like Metro 2033, lighter than that. The work of an art as the cutscenes play through the in-game sequence, where an animation pops-up in television, radio or any objects that we could use or pushed aside. It’s an old idea, but Crytek improvise without having a cold shoulder to let the graphics go to waste. Thumbs up!

Running through the checkpoints.

Like I said earlier, Crytek gives us an advantage on how we gonna use our nanosuits specialty. A cool combination system of the nanosuits abilities let us create a new set of strategy that the original Crysis couldn’t. A nice variety like cloak yourself while using armor as a sub ability to the cloak to protect ourselves from big fall (not bullets ok!) or combining armor with power ability to send enemies flying while protect yourselves from enemy bullets. Or would you use cloak and speed at the same time to optimize the pace between you and strategic points without being detected. Another thing is, Crytek gives the advantage to set our strategy first by give us a pure idea on how to use our visor. (the red visor with all those AI talking stuff that rebooting our system in the original Crysis? Yeah that one…) it pinpoints and marks everything that we wish it to mark, a cool system to help us. By using all of these new things, I really think that Crytek had proven to us that they will go further into the future to share with us the idea they create. And what I’ve seen, the combinations of the abilities is well organized and smooth to the touch because all I can say is after the entire thing I’ve done in the game, ‘WTF, did I just do that?’

Other than that, we know that we are surrounded by masses of aliens, but The Prophet, is also shrouded with military conspiracies and so, Alcatraz got to be chased by the military as well. A pain in the ass? Well, that’s Crytek for you. But after a series of event, alien came up and start to kill you, and after you finished, the system of your suit get infected by the alien DNA. Oh now I’m infected? Talk about Déjà vu. But the system tries to break the DNA, how? The hell should I know, the only thing is that the suits are powering up and recognize every bits of detail that the alien offers, instantaneously forging a new type of DNA that cures the infected area. The suits acts like an antibody to our body. Understand now? (Its biology). The suit will put us into a state of shocked where then we can use the alien DNA to customize our suits to be more powerful than your average nanosuits. Nice! (New perks!) 

Seriously intense graphics!!

Other than that, the weapon system in Crysis 2, is also improved by Crytek. To make things better, Crytek, put all of the last Crysis weapons, and a new sort of gun selections. Who knew, we could have a revolver codenamed ‘Hammer’ to be deadly close up as well as ranged. Super mini gatling gun, swarmer rockets, and the old repulsor codenamed Gauss Rifle, change entirely how you play the game. It’s cool that we can still have the chance to mod the gun we have. Crytek keeps the weapon mod wheel intact just like the original Crysis. Put it either holding a ranged gun, combat style gun, or stealthy, it’s all there.

Give me some love!!!!

That’s about the in-game scenes, while I really want to talk about is, the graphic details that they, Crytek enhances. This is not as shiny as the paradise island in Crysis, like I said earlier, a devastated New York. An endless journey through underground subways, dark alleys, fresh infected clouds, and swimming under a port bridge, all of this scene is thoroughly scale and criticize to every bit of small detail. When you play on High graphics, the details were mesmerizing as if, ‘this is freaking damn New York!’ It is right? I’m dumb fold. Haha... Walk through the park at the last scene is quite unique, how can a park float up high in the sky? (Here’s a hint, alien technology). Such an immense power of idea Crytek let us see. The greenery and the cars, rocks falling out of the sky, damn, I’m again truly in awe! With all the sounds ringing, the buzzing, alarmed me every time I heard some unfamiliar noise. The soundtracks are quite intense in combat while soothing for the after effects.

I could never imagine how in the world, could a game like this, cannot be on top of other franchises because it just did the unimaginable. There’s always of impossible become possible. Crytek have once again proved us that they have what it takes to fly up high in the gaming industry. 

Benchmark for Crysis 2. Proven to score higher than the original Crysis.
Need more power, visit the gaming rig section.

 

Overall, the game is stunning, wonderful, out of words in graphics. While the gameplay is quite okay, the story is thoroughly accounted for as answers are looping across New York City, and it’s quite depressing to learn it twisted. But it came out in the end, a fine conclusion, dark and emphasizing alien technologies for us to be amazed with. The best freaking game I’ve ever played so far in 2011. May the others as well I guess.

Presentation                  : 9.0

Graphics                      : 10

Sound                          : 9.5

Gameplay                     : 9.0 

Appeal                         : 9.0

Overall Score                : 9.3