Crysis 2 Limited Edition

The original Crysis was so far ahead of its time, few computers could run the game upon its release in 2007. For the lucky few with state-of-the-art gaming PCs at the time, the game’s expansive environments and the player’s special abilities provided a nonlinear experience unlike any other game in the first-person shooter genre. Crysis 2 improves on the original with refined controls, fantastic presentation and some of the best visuals of its generation. The best part is that you don’t need a ludicrously expensive PC to play it.

Crysis 2 begins three years after the previous game and introduces Alcatraz, a Marine sent to bring order to a disease-ridden New York City on the eve of an alien invasion. After an explosion wipes out his squad, the solider is mistaken for Prophet, the protagonist of the original Crysis. While unconscious, Prophet puts the one-of-a-kind cybernetic, skin-tight Nanosuit on Alcatraz. Alcatraz must run from his own military outfit that mistakes him for Prophet.

In a genre that has recently been constrained to corridors and linear paths, the massive scale of New York City is a welcome change of scenery. The cityscape is more than a backdrop in Crysis 2 — it’s a playground for the wearer of the Nanosuit to explore. With the ability to cloak, leap to great heights, fall 20 stories with minimal damage and double running speed, the Nanosuit allows the wearer freedom to explore the huge battlegrounds. The first game’s world was open to a fault. When things worked out, it was amazing. Most of the time, the nonlinear design led to frustration and confusion stemming from the lack of direction. Crysis 2 addresses these issues by containing the environment to areas slightly larger than those found in Halo: Reach, with the additional verticality of skyscrapers, hillsides and rubble. At every new expanse, the player is presented with two to four options on how to handle a situation. Thankfully, you won’t have to pick just one option most of the time, because the finely tuned controls let the player smoothly transition from one to the other.

From spinning helicopter blades to towering, alien behemoths, the visuals of Crysis 2 are breathtaking. The game’s story is cliched, but there are moments when the visuals and storytelling combine to provide a powerful moment, such as a scene where a family runs to board the squad’s jeep, only to be crushed in the debris of a skyscraper falling and crushing them. Occasionally buggy AI issues with dialogue clipping out and repetitive enemy and level design prevent Crysis 2 from realizing its full potential. The game controls well on both console and PC, but console players will have to put up with inferior lighting effects and a lower frame rate. This is problematic in the multiplayer mode, where the difference between spotting a camouflaged player and death is a matter of seconds.

By merging innovative technology with sophisticated design, developer Crytek has created a flawed gem that suggests first-person shooters don’t have to be limited in scope and complexity in order to attain crossover appeal.