Natural jungles and their urban counterparts are obviously fundamentally different, but the inclusion of a number of linear, narrow sections-sewers, parking structures, office buildings, elevators, and two linear turret-firing vehicle battles-inhibits the freedom the Nanosuit's superhuman mobility provides. Having just replayed that game, it's so disappointing that Crysis 2 isn't a game where I can pick up a chicken and punch it a quarter mile down the block, or take a joyride on a boat on a whim. New York promotes much less of the exploration, emergence and casual application of inhuman power that the tropical island did in the original Crysis. I died three times here as I experimented with unsuccessful, terrifically fun techniques: the “Reverse Depth Charge,” where I swam deep underwater with enemy-illuminating Nanovision active, then surfaced to lob a grenade or C4 stealthy rooftop sniping and a reckless dash for a mounted turret-I hopped on and mowed down three soldiers, then ripped the gun off its bipod, leapt off the rooftop, and bagged four more kills before my Nanosuit couldn't deflect any more bullets.īy comparison, some of the urban streets and close-quarters combat areas that act as the connective tissue between these scenes are underwhelming.
REVIEW CRYSIS 2 PC SERIES
I entered through a windowsill ledge overlooking a series of small warehouses that extend into the water, connected by plank bridges lined with fuel barrels that tempt like ripe fruit. My favorite is a midtown dock occupied by CELL. I love how giving you this vantage creates dozens of moments where you're meant to cloak up, survey your options, and hash out a plan of action which usually goes wonderfully awry.
When you enter one, it's usually from above-through a windowsill or over a rooftop. The heart of the game is its setpieces-a series of open, mini-ecosystems that stage combat with carefully placed enemy patrols, ammo caches, backdoors, and urban debris to fight around. Of course, playing Crysis 2 for its story would be like buying fireworks to read the warning label. It also undermines the sense of commando empowerment your suit supplies when your orders come from four different characters over the course of the game. It's distracting that your focus as a hero is split between several interchangeable threats-the virus, the Ceph, CELL, evacuating New York or the Nanosuit's mysterious creator who chimes in later on. Why they'd want to do that is never made clear. The Ceph are ravaging NYC with snaking obelisks that release spores while CELL is clashing with US Marines and trying to capture or kill you-the only hope for humanity. Then the focus immediately shifts and the virus is almost completely forgotten. Any citizens that didn't evacuate became gory hosts to the crippling disease, and the first few levels are spent sprinting across town to retrieve a scientist working to combat the outbreak. As the game opens, New York City has already been decimated by a Ceph bio-weapon virus. Less impressive is the way these antagonists are awkwardly woven into Crysis 2's story. That doesn't make them less entertaining per se-they're just more likely to overwhelm you with sheer force and durability than unexpected maneuvers. They do feel somehow a little less fluid and dastardly than the creative Koreans of Crysis. The Ceph are better-their hand-to-hand Assault units and rifle-wielding Grunts occasionally hop across chasms to reach you or escape hulking Devastators might fire an energy missile to flush you out after you've just cloaked.
Both factions are more about being challenging and fun to shoot than unpredictably intelligent. Crysis 2's opposing force comes in two forms: human mercs working for the Crynet corporation (the creators of the Nanosuit) called CELL, and the Ceph, a race of invading invertebrates in robotic exoskeletons. The game provokes these on-the-fly decisions with bad guys that are durable and alert. It gives rise to moments like that last-ditch super-leap, applying timely cloaking to stealthily leapfrog between cover to execute a flank, or activating armor so you'll survive a point-blank barrel detonation that wipes out every enemy around you. Crysis 2 is at its best when it puts you in situations where you need to pivot and make creative use of your billion-dollar tactical tuxedo-the Nanosuit-to stay alive.