Aloha fellow readers! We have a new contributor to this blog, his name is Subhadip, and I’ve asked him to write because he is an “iLLGamer” and he can really bring in some perspective. Please welcome him.
Crysis 2 has been out for almost two months now, and since we loved Crysis 1 so much, we had to do a review on Crysis 2, and who else can do it better than Subhadip. Taking a trip down memory lane, I remember, my Asus A8Js laptop was seriously underpowered when Crysis launched. I couldn’t even manage to run it on low settings. Subhadip, had specifically upgraded his already-monster rig with a brand new NVidia 8800 GT, just at the time of its launch. He finished Crysis, and he was kind enough to allow me to finish the game on his rig. Both of us hold the game at the highest standards, not just for its graphics, but for its really intense gameplay. So here we go, for the Crysis 2 review (PC).
Gameplay
If you are tired of the barrage of run-and-gun corridor shooters (such as the Call of Duty series) or cover-and-gun shooters (most Unreal Engine 3 games), Crysis 2 offers several breaths of fresh air. Run-and-gun tactics are simply not going to work for Crysis 2, even on normal difficulties. At the center of it all is, of course, the Nanosuit 2.0, streamlined from the original Nanosuit from Crysis. Set pieces require considerable planning to navigate through, switching between the nanosuit’s modes on-the-fly. The stealth mode seems a bit imbalanced, i.e. it lasts too long. However, it is helpful in battling the aliens, whose heads are heavily protected. Their weak spots, tentacle-y bits normally found at the back of their heads, which is the new headshot. The AI is excellent when it is working. On a couple of occasions, the AI broke down to the level of a farce, but to be fair, these bugs will likely be squashed in patches, if they haven’t already been.
As evident from the tactical visor, Crysis 2 is simply not as open as Crysis; there aren’t as many options or possibilities, and it feels a lot more linear. This has a lot to do with the setting: cramped urban spaces versus open tropical forests. However, it is still far from a linear corridor shooter.
Narrative
If there’s one area where Crysis 2 fails to break free of first-person shooter clichés, it is the narrative. Formulaic characters, contrived plot twists, a heavily fragmented narrative—it is all there. However, Crysis 2’s narrative does have its strong points. Despite everything, it kept me intrigued all the way through. The Nanosuit 2.0 is cleverly integrated as an interesting narrative device, leading to a rather cool ending. Without spoiling too much, it plays on a valid loophole to personal persistence theories. There are a lot of unanswered questions and ambiguity, which will surely be dealt with in Crysis 3. While this can intrigue some, it can often frustrate others.
It is the pace where Crysis 2 differentiates itself from the slew of first-person shooters. Crysis 2 is a long game, and is much more calculated in its pacing. There’s no attempt to maintain a relentlessly high tempo, as in most FPS. Instead, there are peaks and troughs, climaxes and drops—more like a TV mini-series than a 90-minute action movie. It is a bold move that could alienate gamers looking for instant gratification.
Visuals
There’s no two ways about it: CryEngine 3 is in a league of its own. Crysis 2 is easily the best-looking game on the consoles, but on the PC, it truly shines. The lighting is especially remarkable. However, it isn’t the quantum leap that Crysis was. Affected by the (unfair) criticism of Crysis’ heavy hardware requirements, Crytek has chosen to play it safe with Crysis 2’s default presets. Even the highest setting trades AA for an edge blur, which adds a diffusion filter effect. While some may argue this suits the urban setting, many will prefer the sharp, clean visuals of Crysis. The upside is that remarkably, pretty much every mainstream rig will be able to handle Crysis 2 at good visual settings. For folks with high-end hardware, luckily, there are several tweaking GUIs available (these settings should have been available within the game’s menu) to take Crysis 2’s visuals well beyond the default highest setting. Also, Crytek has chosen to release the game as DX9-only, with a DX11 patch coming soon, hopefully unlocking the fourth highest quality preset. Crysis 2 is visually stunning on stock presets; it is sometimes hard to believe there is even more potential with tweaks and the upcoming DX11 patch!
Design
Crysis 2’s visual prowess is not just about technique, but also some formidable world design. The beauty of it is that it feels spectacular, awe-inspiring, but it always feels grounded, just like New York. At every corner, at every step, there’s a tremendous amount of depth and detail—clues to the story, the city, the time, etc. Crysis 2 is a game that really rewards attentive gamers, much like GTA IV. This sets up an incredible atmosphere, one of the strongest points of Crysis 2.
Relative to the otherwise superb visual design, the alien character designs are disappointing. Gone are the floating aliens from Crysis, replaced by human-like bipeds. Most of the standard aliens look very similar to each other – which adds to the chaos to an extent, but after a while just gets repetitive. The aliens are simply not as interesting as they were in Crysis.
Sound
Crysis 2’s sound design is just as rich and detailed as its visual design and contributes just as much to the atmosphere. From gentle breezes to leaking water pipes to alien reverbs in the distance, Crysis 2 boasts a wide soundstage. The voice acting is mostly solid, with some uneven performances.
The OST is absolutely fantastic. An eclectic mix of electronic and orchestral compositions makes for a truly memorable soundtrack that lingers long after the game finishes. Hans Zimmer pitches in with one of the most iconic main themes in gaming. It is unique, wild, and strangely addictive, inspired by and arguably outdoing his own work on Inception. Crysis 2 is worth the play-through for the soundtrack alone!
Verdict
Crysis 2 is a spectacular first-person shooter that takes considerable risks and substantially differentiates itself from the crowd of first-person shooters. It’s a worthy sequel, but it doesn’t quite achieve the lofty heights that Crysis did in 2007. It promises to be an even better game on the PC, with bug fixes and DX11 patch incoming. Finally, play Crysis 2 on the PC; it feels like a different game from the consoles!
Good review there. Gives an idea about the your opinion without giving away too much of the game away. Well done.
As for Crysis 2, the 5-odd hours I spent gave me the impression that it felt more like a continuation of Warhead’s design rather than Crysis’.Crysis 2’s linear sections largely resemble Warhead’s levels rather than the open-ended levels of Crysis(except it’s final two hours which again were linear).
I do admit though that it is a good shooter and since it will definitely earn points for being unique atleast on the console market where CoD clones currently dominate.
I can understand the sacrifices Crytek has made in creating Crysis 2 as more accessible to the console crowd but I wish that in future they do implement a more open-ended design. If Crysis was ever known for something besides it’s technical superiority and Nanosuit it was the open-ended levels.
The lack of quick-save is a rare exception for a PC game which makes me feel more than ever that Crysis 2 was made with consoles as high priority.
I said earlier I’d like to see open-ended levels in future Crysis but that would present problem on a console interface. Console shooters are built on the checkpoint system.Their level design revolves around that.
Certain PC shooters like Far Cry and Crysis would have been misfits on consoles because a large part of fun in such open-ended shooters is the ability to do a trial-and-error. Is there a patrol there? Or should I take the other route? You need to make such decisions and quicksaving often makes it easier to reload back to such points at player’s convenience.
With console’s checkpoints it is very difficult to implement such a design.
So in a WAY, and I don’t mean to disapprove of consoles in any way but to clear away the certain shortcoming of consoles, Crysis 2 had to a sacrifice — it’s open-ended freedom.
And I doubt Crysis 2 is as big a technical achievement as Crysis 1 was. Sure it is still beautiful but it still appears a bit “lo-def” even on higher settings. Even small things like vending machine’s buttons are low-res pixels.So yep, not as technically path-breaking as Crysis.
If there’s going to be anything technically path-breaking this year Skyrim’s probably going to be that.
True that. They actually were at a loss with Crysis initially, until they eventually had to release it on the consoles to sell more, which is when they finally broke even. But thats capitalism, and how many ‘mega super duper great’ projects have we seen fall apart because of similar reasons….in the end, even if a great project doesnt make money, its considered a bad strategy, poor civilization.
But yes, Skyrim, just the word shivers me timbers!
I am ready to forgive Crytek for “selling out” respectably. Atleast they made a game that still is respectable and not something like BioWare’s crap-awful Dragon Age II. >_>
I agree that a balance between accessibility and innovation is to be met by the mainstream developers. Crytek have met the standards with Crysis 2 and it’s credit to their talent that they did.
I can’t remember just how many times I’ve watched the Skyrim trailer. It still gives me goosebumps at the point where the Dovahkiin gives that roar when facing the dragon. Man…fighting dragons in first-person….it’s going to be unreal! :D
Thanks for your kind comments, Ansh. Yes, Crysis 2 is definitely much more linear than Crysis. But the crumbling New York environment is itself much more linear than the wide open tropical forests from Crysis. Personally, I didn’t have a problem with the lack of a quick save, but I can understand how it can be a major issue. I do hope in the future a patch will enable quicksave on the PC. I am sure the engine is capable of it – just like it is capable of DX11 effects. It is a shame that PC users have to wait for these advanced features, and the launch does seem a bit rushed.
As for the graphics – I think you are referring to the diffusion effect due to the edge AA used at all settings. If you would rather prefer a clean and sharp look, use the “Crysis 2 Advanced Graphics Options” tool and use MSAA instead. But really, this should have been an option in the in-game menu – perhaps another consequence of “consolization”.
The only engine that can match CryEngine 3 in the near future, on a technical level, has to be Frostbite 3. Of course, Skyrim is highly anticipated too!
I got confused which one was your comment so pardon me there.
I think it doesn’t matter whether it is New York or tropical jungles. Yes it is easier to imagine providing freedom in a jungle. But open-endedness could have been achieved in Crysis 2 as well, it’s just that there were conflicting notions to what and how they should develop the PC and console versions without making either one seem inferior. PC allows open-ended design with the ease of saving with quicksave. Crysis 1 without quicksave would be unimaginable atleast for me.
I haven’t given the multiplayer modes a try yet. How are they? Anything special?
Really nice post man! :)