The Crysis of the title refers to the outbreak of a virulent disease that has turned the majority of the inhabitants of New York City into gibbering, mindless wrecks. The army has moved in to take control of the city, which has simultaneously been over run a mysterious alien race called The Ceph. As a lone agent, mankind's last hope against the alien invaders, you find yourself dropped into Manhattan with instructions to drive them back from whence they came. Thankfully you are equipped with the Nanosuit 2.0, a supreme piece of technology bequeathed to you by its former owner. You must learn to utilise every aspect of its tech to successfully make your way through the dangers ahead.
To begin with the game is a somewhat confusing experience, especially for those expecting the standard FPS fare. The first few levels are spent getting to know the suit, your environment and the best way to approach each area. For a while, the game actually comes across as fairly boring. There’s not a whole lot of action and there are no aliens to be found. Instead, the first few levels of the game are spent only dealing with human assailants; apparently the army are not privy to your mission and see you as a threat rather than an ally. You must overcome them before you can think of taking on the Ceph and these initial levels do not really give you a true flavour of what lies in store. They do, however, serve as a useful and extended training mission while you get to learn how to utilise your suit effectively.
The primary ability you will learn to implement is the suit’s tactical HUD. On entering a new level, you will be prompted to access the suit’s visor, which will then give you several tactical options for how to approach the level. It usually presents you with several options such as stealth, flanking or sniping, as well the location of weapons and ammo and also the location of enemy soldiers. You also have access to a cloaking device that provides invisibility from enemy soldiers at a distance and even up close if you are quiet enough. Using it drains your suit’s energy and the faster you move, the faster it drains. Getting caught out in the open while cloaked will almost immediately drain all your suit’s energy and result in a quick death. This means that slow, careful progress is usually the key to success. The secondary ability is the armour mode, which provides you with an extra shield against enemy attacks. There’s also the nanovision mode, which is essentially an infrared mode and can be used at the same time as the stealth mode for the full Predator experience.
Your understanding of the suit’s abilities and the best way to use them becomes more apparent with each new level and by the time the Ceph make their first fleeting appearance you will be ready for them. They may look like the standard alien invaders and even though their tech and machines bring to mind the invaders from the Resistance games, they do have a character of their own. They are also not suicidal drones, desperate to be your cannon fodder; instead they often approach and attack in intelligent ways, not afraid to wait you out when you try and lure them into a trap. Their intelligence in combat recalls the slick attack patterns of the enemies in Half-Life 2 and there are in fact many similarities between the two. Both games also have a genuinely engaging storyline that isn’t bogged down in endless cut-scenes and a special mention should go to the inter-level updates here that manage to keep you posted on everything that’s going on and what lies ahead in 30 seconds or less. Other developers should take a leaf out of Crytek’s book in the future.
Despite its overt similarities to Valve’s masterpiece and lesser FPS’s, the game that Crysis 2 really evokes is Metal Gear Solid, especially in the levels without an alien presence. There are soldiers with patrol patterns and a limited field of view; ledges to hang from and sewers to crawl through to escape their gaze; and even a map overlay in the bottom left hand corner of the screen that displays their movements. Moreover, careful planning is required for progression and stealth is almost always the best means of getting through each level unscathed. However, freedom is the key here and despite the tactical advice you are given, players are free to approach each new level as they see fit. There are myriad ways of progressing through each environment and discovering a new way after several unsuccessful attempts is very rewarding. And it is likely that you will need to try different approaches and strategies for each level because the game can be pretty tough at times, more so because of the occasionally brutal checkpoints. The game is thankfully engaging enough to overcome this and it is very rare for frustration to set in when there are so many options available.
Despite the game’s stealth leanings, it is sometimes possible to go for a head-on attack, although this tactic is far more useful against the Ceph in the later levels. By this stage, the game has become something more akin to a cross between Call of Duty and Halo where brutal, full-on firefights are far more likely. There’s also the option to commandeer vehicles at various stages: sometimes this is necessary; sometimes it is completely down to individual player choice. They don’t really play a large part in the game mechanics but all vehicles handle as well as they need to.
As expected from a developer with such a reputation for pushing graphical boundaries, the game looks fantastic. New York City is replicated in all its (destroyed) glory with skyscrapers dominating the horizon and the view far above your head. They are not just eye-candy either; several levels require entrance in and out of the many buildings surrounding you and even though it is still a tightly scripted experience, the illusion of complete freedom is palpable. There are a few glitches to be found throughout the game such as enemies disappearing into scenery but these really are few and far between and in no way detract from the overall experience. In fact, the size and scope of the game has to be applauded on every level. Not only does it push the graphical limits of consoles in a tightly scripted and enthralling manner, it also provides more value for money than any recent FPS blockbuster. This is a huge game and one the will require dedication to see to the end.
Crysis 2 is not a game for everyone and those weaned on a constant diet of extended combat and repetitive set pieces may not give it the chance it deserves to grow on you. Once players have come to terms with the subtleties of the nanosuit, the tactics necessary for success and the freeform nature of many of the levels, the game begins to grip and never lets go. Trying to find the optimal route through each new level stops being a chore and instead becomes an exciting challenge. The game grows and develops in perfect synchronicity with the player’s skills and awareness of how to approach each new challenge. The end result is something new for those jaded by the current crop: Crytek have developed the thinking man’s FPS.
Pros: A unique and engaging take on the FPS genre
Graphically superb
Story development is incredibly well implemented
Cons: Occasional graphical glitches
May well be too nuanced for some
Format: PS3
Players: 1 (online multiplayer mode also available)
Developer: Crytek
Score: 8/10