Crysis 2.

Game review

Crysis 2 – game review

PS3/360/PC; £49.99/£39.99; cert 16+; Crytek/EA

4

Crysis 2 ... stealth fighter

I confess, as a diehard PC fan, I had my doubts about Crysis 2 – particularly in the compromises (both technical and gameplay) required to drag this intelligent, open-plan game to other formats. However, although some ambitions have been tempered, this is still a hugely daring and different FPS, whichever platform you play it on.

Let's start with the graphics, because some forums have been noting the PS3 version lags behind the 360 (and naturally the PC) version in both screen resolution and frame rate. Having only had a brief time with the 360 version, I can say that whatever difference there was, it was not easy to spot and the proprietary CryEngine 3 can comfortably hold its own with any FPS around. Compared to the photo-realistic textures of Killzone 3, it does occasionally look a little washed out, and the brightness settings may need some adjusting on your TV. However, the water and lighting effects are stunning and, combined with the destructible scenery, ensures that almost every vista; from ravaged bullet-ridden streets to panoramic horizons, are dripping with natural light and shade.
In terms of gameplay, as with the original, the generous single player campaign can be approached in three different ways. If you want to sneak around, you switch your nano suit to Stealth mode, whilst Armour mode allows you to charge in all guns blazing and Strength powers up your speed and jumps. All three use energy, which is the only real restriction on how you approach your task of liberating New York from alien invasion, but the ability to instantly swap between modes takes Crysis 2 to a level of tactical flexibility that most FPSs can only dream about.
EA took serious flack over the recent PS3 multiplayer demo, particularly with connection and frame rate problems. PS3 servers were still intermittent at the time of writing, but what I can attest to are 12 richly detailed maps and six online modes, unlocked as you gain experience and including the usual Deathmatch and capture the flag variants. In play, Crysis 2 multiplayer harks back to the twitch-reactions of Quake Arena rather than Call of Duty's more methodical squad-based approach. The key difference is the nano suit, combined with a huge supply of upgrades that allow you to unlock new weapon or suit abilities as you level up. Balancing so many different abilities may yet take some work by the developers, but even now the shock induced by one rival power-jumping into your midst while two more blink out of sight in mid strafe is quite unlike anything else around.
So far, so good. But Crysis 2 on this platform has a few niggles that collectively make a difference to the final score. For a start, neither of the two controller layouts felt particularly comfortable – particularly mapping Fire to the L/R1 buttons rather than the more comfortable/conventional L/R2. Also, compared to the open-plan nature of the original, Crysis 2 is decidedly more linear. It may focus attention on the action, but it's a pity the total freedom of Far Cry, compromised for the original Crysis, continues to be constrained here. There are technical glitches too; some (such as occasionally dodgy enemy AI) that can be patched, others (this was the first game to crash my PS3 repeatedly) that add to the suspicion that Crytek is still far from mastering Sony's hardware. Crysis 2 is an impressive beast – but maybe you need to see it on a PC to appreciate just how impressive.