Crysis 2

Last updated

Crysis 2
Crysis 2 cover.png
Developer(s) Crytek [lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)
Director(s) Cevat Yerli
Producer(s)
  • Tony Davis
  • Peter Horzapfel
  • Erik Staub
Designer(s) Sten Hübler
Programmer(s) Markus Mohr
Writer(s) Richard K. Morgan
Composer(s)
Series Crysis
Engine CryEngine 3
Platform(s)
Release
  • NA: March 22, 2011
  • AU: March 24, 2011
  • EU: March 25, 2011
Remastered
  • WW: October 15, 2021
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Crysis 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek, published by Electronic Arts and released in North America, Australia and Europe in March 2011 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Officially announced on June 1, 2009, the game is the second main installment of the Crysis series, and a sequel to the 2007 video game Crysis , and its expansion Crysis Warhead . [1] The story was written by Richard Morgan, [2] while Peter Watts was consulted and wrote a novel adaptation of the game. [3] It was the first game to showcase the CryEngine 3 game engine and the first game using the engine to be released on consoles. A sequel, Crysis 3 , was released in 2013. A remastered version, titled Crysis 2 Remastered and following in the steps of Crysis Remastered , was released in 2021 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, also bundled as part of the Crysis Remastered Trilogy compilation.

Contents

Gameplay

Crysis 2 is a first-person shooter. The player assumes the role of a Force Recon Marine called Alcatraz. Similar to its predecessor, it provides freedom to customize weaponry and abilities. Crytek wanted to avoid making another game set in a true jungle environment (as were Far Cry and Crysis ); New York City has been dubbed an "urban jungle". The urban atmosphere offers new options with relation to progressing and planning attacks. Players are able to navigate between floors and buildings, as well as a destroyed cityscape.

Campaign

The player assumes the control of a Force Recon Marine named "Alcatraz", who gains ownership of the Nanosuit 2.0 from Army Delta Force officer Laurence "Prophet" Barnes, who returns from the original Crysis . CryNet Systems has been hunting Prophet to retrieve the suit, inadvertently pursuing Alcatraz, believing he is Prophet. The aliens seen in the original game have undergone a major redesigning, abandoning the ancient, tentacled exosuits seen in the first game for high-tech humanoid armored war machines that stalk Alcatraz through the ravaged New York City. Crytek stated prior to release that their intention was to surpass the original game graphically [4] and gameplay-wise while also having lower system requirements and also supporting true stereoscopic 3D. [5]

The new Nanosuit supports new and upgraded features. Suit functionality has been streamlined; multiple modes can easily be used simultaneously whenever the user wishes. The first suit's Strength and Speed Modes have been combined into the new Power Mode, the suit binoculars function has been upgraded with an advanced Tactical mode, the Cloaking Device has been modified to allow increased sensory input and silent melee stealth kills and has been renamed to Stealth Mode, while the Armor Mode has been left more or less as is, with the exception of slightly restricted agility and an ever-decreasing energy level.

Synopsis

Characters and setting

Crysis 2 takes place in 2023, [6] three years after the events of the first game, in a war-torn New York City [7] which has since been evacuated due to alien infestation. The game begins with news footage of a large outbreak of the "Manhattan" virus, a gruesome disease that causes complete cellular breakdown; civil unrest; and panic about an alien invasion by the Ceph, the tentacled, squid-like alien race behind the incident of the previous game, Crysis. Due to the breakdown in social order within New York City, Manhattan is placed under martial law, and under contract from the US Department of Defense, soldiers from Crynet Enforcement & Local Logistics (or simply "CELL"), a private military contractor run by the Crynet Corporation, police the chaos.

Plot

On August 23, 2023, a United States Marine Corps Force Recon unit is deployed into New York City to extract former Crynet employee Doctor Nathan Gould, who may have vital information on combating the Ceph, the alien race that is trying to destroy humanity. However, the Ceph sink the submarine transporting the unit, killing everyone but Force Recon Marine "Alcatraz", who is left mortally wounded. Delta Force Major Laurence "Prophet" Barnes saves Alcatraz and kills himself to allow his Nanosuit to assimilate and revive Alcatraz. In a recording, Prophet reveals that he had been infected by the Manhattan virus, and asks Alcatraz to continue his work against the Ceph. Believing Alcatraz is Prophet, Gould contacts Alcatraz and asks him to meet up at Gould's lab. CELL forces, led by Commander Dominic Lockhart, attack Alcatraz, believing him to be Prophet.

On his way to Gould's laboratory, Alcatraz collects tissue samples from the Ceph, which cause strange reactions within his Nanosuit. Alcatraz meets with Gould, who becomes aware of Prophet's death, and explains that the suit has been rewriting its own code after absorbing the Ceph's tissue. He speculates that the suit is creating an antibody for the Manhattan virus, and they decide to scan more samples at a Crynet base on Wall Street. The scans are cut short when CELL forces led by Lockhart and Lieutenant Tara Strickland ambush them.

As they attempt to transfer Alcatraz to their headquarters, the Ceph attack the CELL personnel. Additionally, a massive alien spire rises from the underground, releasing a spore-based bioweapon that kills most CELL troops in the area. Alcatraz's nanosuit further adapts the spores, but malfunctions, and is rebooted remotely by Crynet director and Hargreave-Rasch Biotechnologies co-founder Jacob Hargreave. Hargreave contacts Alcatraz, claiming to have knowledge of the Ceph, and to have designed the Nanosuit based on stolen Ceph technology to be used as a defense against the aliens. Hargreave directs Alcatraz to another Ceph spire to conduct an experiment for him.

On the way, Hargreave reveals to Alcatraz that the Manhattan virus had been spread by the Ceph, to clear out the entire human population from Earth. The Manhattan virus would cause all infected humans to melt down into a liquidated mass, which could then be stored and disposed of. Upon reaching the alien spire, Alcatraz attempts to interface the Nanosuit's systems with the aliens' technology, but fails. Meanwhile, the US Department of Defense rescinds CELL's authority over Manhattan and deploys Marines in their place under the command of Colonel Sherman Barclay. The American forces order an air strike on the city's flood barrier, in an attempt to drown the aliens out of lower Manhattan. Washed away by the resulting wave of water, Alcatraz is found in Madison Square Park by a squad led by Alcatraz's squadmate Chino, who survived the submarine's destruction. The Marines enlist his aid in evacuating civilians to Grand Central Terminal, the city's primary evacuation point.

Hargreave asks Alcatraz to take a detour to the Hargreave-Rasch building, to find a stabilizing agent to facilitate the Nanosuit's analyzing process. Ceph interference causes this to fail, with Hargreave telling Alcatraz to help evacuation efforts at Grand Central. At the terminal, Alcatraz is reunited with Gould, who had somehow escaped Strickland. Grand Central is overrun by Ceph forces, but Alcatraz holds them off long enough for the evacuation to succeed, and he escapes the building.

Alcatraz is tasked with defending another evacuation point at Times Square, and this time manages to repurpose the alien spores to be lethal to the Ceph, destroying all Ceph in the area. With the evacuation complete, Gould instructs Alcatraz to head to Roosevelt Island, to infiltrate a Crynet complex named "The Prism", where Hargreave resides. Alcatraz foils Lockhart's attempts to ambush him, and kills him in the process. However, he is then betrayed and captured by Hargreave, who wants the Nanosuit for himself, to continue the mission in person. Hargreave attempts to remove the Nanosuit from Alcatraz's body, but the Nanosuit resists its removal, having assimilated with Alcatraz. Alcatraz is then rescued by Strickland, who reveals herself to be an undercover CIA operative responsible for Alcatraz's deployment. Strickland instructs Alcatraz to capture Hargreave.

In Hargreave's private office, Alcatraz discovers Hargreave's body in a vegetative state stored in a cryonic chamber. Hargreave reveals to Alcatraz that he had been communicating with him through an advanced computer system, having been injured in an encounter with the Ceph at Tunguska. Hargreave gives Alcatraz a Nanosuit upgrade, allowing it to fully interface with the Ceph, as the Ceph invade the island. Hargreave triggers the self-destruct system of the complex, and orders the remaining CELL forces to aid Alcatraz's exfiltration. Alcatraz escapes the complex, and reunites with Gould, Strickland and Chino on the shores of Manhattan.

Alcatraz is notified by Barclay that STRATCOM has just authorized a tactical nuclear strike on Manhattan Island. Thus, Alcatraz has a short period of time to end the conflict with the Ceph before the missile is launched. Alcatraz and his comrades make their way toward the center of the alien infestation, and spot a massive alien "litho-ship" rising out of the ground beneath Central Park. Alcatraz assaults the floating section of Central Park, and makes his way to the alien spire at its center, which serves as a dispersal point for the alien spores. Alcatraz successfully turns the spire's bio-weapon against the Ceph, causing the death of all the Ceph in the city.

After some days, the city begins to recover with the help of Gould, Strickland, and the US military. Alcatraz, while unconscious, communicates with Prophet, whose memories, experiences, and personality had been stored in the suit. Prophet tells Alcatraz that, while the mission in New York is a success, the Ceph, who had been present on Earth since prehistoric times, had built constructs globally. The Nanosuit then assimilates Prophet's memories into Alcatraz. The Nanosuit then receives a broadcast from Karl Rasch, the other founder of Hargreave-Rasch Biotechnologies, asking for his name. Alcatraz replies: "They call me Prophet.".

Development

Crysis 2 was announced at E3 2009 on June 1, 2009, and was in development from 2007. Crysis 2 is the sequel to 2007's Crysis which was lauded for its impressive visuals. German-based studio Crytek, which developed the first game, is the lead developer of the sequel, along with help from Crytek UK, formerly Free Radical. It is the first game using the new engine CryEngine 3. The Microsoft Windows version is built on DirectX 9, with an optional DirectX 11 add-on. [8] Crytek looked to surpass the original Crysis, which was still a benchmark of PC graphical performance in 2011. [9]

Crysis 2 did not use EA's online pass system. [10] On April 14, 2014, Crytek announced that the multiplayer mode for Microsoft Windows will be unplayable after GameSpy switches off its servers on May 30, 2014. [11]

Leaked beta

A beta version of the game dated from January was leaked on multiple torrent sites on February 11, 2011. [12] [13] Online reports indicated that the leaked beta is a partially functioning developer's build compiled on January 13, 2011. [14] The leaked version included the entire single-player campaign and multiplayer component, but contained numerous bugs, was plagued by frequent crashes, and was only partially completed with many placeholders and textures missing and was limited to DirectX 9, rather than the DirectX 11 which was expected in the retail game. [15] Crytek released a statement saying they were "deeply disappointed" in piracy, which "continues to damage the PC packaged goods market." [16] Some reviewers remarked that Crytek's statement was strange, considering that no PC demo of the game had been released yet, and moreover, the source of the leaked beta was almost certainly an internal employee (rather than pirates). [17] On February 14, 2011, Crytek released a statement by Cevat Yerli that stated that despite their disappointment caused by the leak incident, Crytek is overwhelmed with the support they have received and they can assure the community that PC gaming is very important to them now and in the future. [18] [19]

Crytek producer Nathan Camarillo called the Crysis 2 game leak a "really ugly version" that the studio did not want people to see:

Piracy is a real concern. The PS3 has been cracked now as well and people are downloading PS3 games and 360 games are being downloaded so that's a threat to just the industry in general. For us specifically, it was a very traumatic experience because we're really excited about the game and the quality that we were able to get into it and what we were able to accomplish... We're at the end and we're really excited about where we're at and your game gets leaked. And it's not even that the final version of the game gets leaked, you know? People are like 'It's 40/45 days before launch, Crysis is leaked' but that build was already from the middle of January. With 250 people working on a project, thousands of bugs get fixed in a heartbeat. So that version is like a really ugly version that we don't want anyone to see... All this stuff starts going up in pieces and even if someone downloads it and plays it themselves they might make a bad decision based on the fact that there are so many bugs in it. 'Oh, there are so many bugs in the game I wanted to play. It's so buggy, I'm not gonna buy it now.' [20]

In the beginning of 2012, PC Gamer reported that Crysis 2 was the most pirated PC game of 2011 with 3.9 million downloads. [21]

Marketing and release

Retail versions

On August 17, 2010, EA announced that there would be two special editions of the game. [22] The Limited Edition of Crysis 2 is available at the same price as the regular game, but in limited quantities. It comes with bonus experience points to "immediately boost the player up to Rank 5, giving access to all the preset class loadouts", [23] a digital camo weapon skin for the SCAR, the "Hologram Decoy" attachment for the SCAR, and unique in-game platinum dog tags. The Indian Version, on pre-order, also includes the Threat Tracer Suit Module (Early Access), and, on buying from the EA store, a gold dog tag and desert camo for SCAR. [24] The Nano Edition of Crysis 2, which was only available through pre-order, includes the Limited Edition copy of the game in a Steelbook case, an 11" statue of Alcatraz posed on top of a New York City taxi, an art book, and a Nanosuit backpack "modeled after the in-game super suit." The Nanosuit backpack is large enough to accommodate a 17" laptop. [25] As of September 26, 2010, the Nano Edition was made available for pre-order on the EA website for a $149.95 price tag but was sold out before March 2011. After the game's launch, those who preordered the Nano Edition had their shipment delayed. EA gave the affected customers a 75% off coupon and later a free digital copy of Crysis 2 Limited Edition as compensation.

In May 2012, Crysis 2: Maximum Edition was released for Microsoft Windows. It included the game and previously released DLC, including nine additional multiplayer maps and new game modes for them, two new weapons (FY71 Assault Rifle and M18 Smoke Grenades), the Scar weapon skin, a Scar hologram decoy to attach to the player's weapon, platinum dog tags, and access to bonus XP through custom and preset classes. Also included is the high resolution texture pack. [26]

Multiplayer demo

EA and Crytek launched a multiplayer demo of Crysis 2 on January 25, 2011. Crytek announced that the demo would only be available until February 4, 2011. The demo was on the Xbox 360, for Gold members to download, although on January 27, Crytek confirmed that there would be a multiplayer demo for Microsoft Windows. [27] The demo featured the maps Skyline and Pier 17, as well as two multiplayer game modes to play: Team Instant Action and Crash Site. Team Instant Action puts two teams against one another in a team deathmatch style, while Crash Site has players defending alien drop pods like control points. [28] Within hours of its release, thousands of complaints were reported after numbers of players were met with disconnects from games, crashing during loading and, oddly, a temperamental incompatibility with the Xbox Wireless WiFi adaptor. Crytek issued a statement telling players it was aware of "technical issues" with the Xbox multiplayer demo of Crysis 2, and managed to fix most of the issues in time for the PC demo. [29] Some bugs still exist as of the current trial build but are mostly if not entirely visual and do not noticeably affect game play.

Speaking at an EA event to PlayStation Universe, Crysis 2 producer Nathan Camarillo said that a PlayStation 3 version was possible, also stating there would be no difference in quality between the PlayStation 3 version of Crysis 2 and the Xbox 360 one, which had seen a pre-release demo. [30] Crytek released the first footage of Crysis 2 running on PlayStation 3 on February 24, 2011. [31] [32]

The second Crysis 2 multiplayer demo was released on March 1, 2011, on both Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360. [33] Among bug fixes from the first beta, the map 'Pier 17' was added to the Xbox version and extended to the PC version. PC gamers have commented on Xbox 360 remnants in the PC demo version, such as the prompt to "press start to begin" [34] or to "adjust your TV settings" when configuring the game brightness. It has also been reported that the PC version would not be released with support for DirectX 11, which will instead be implemented with a patch "later on". [35] On April 8, 2011, Crytek announced – still without marking delivery date – that a DirectX 11 patch was being worked on. [36]

On March 15, 2011, a multiplayer demo was released on the PlayStation Network, featuring both of the maps featured on the Xbox 360 version of the demo, being 'Pier 17' and 'Skyline'. On March 18, it was removed from the Store and the servers were shut down due to server connection delays. [37]

Crysis 2 Remastered

A remastered version, following in the steps of Crysis Remastered , was announced on May 21, 2021. [38] It was released for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows on October 15, 2021, both as a bundle with Crysis Remastered and Crysis 3 Remastered , titled Crysis Remastered Trilogy, and separately. [39] This version of the game was co-developed with Saber Interactive and is self-published by Crytek.

Downloadable content

The first post-launch downloadable content (DLC) package, titled Crysis 2: Retaliation, was announced on May 10, 2011. Retaliation features four new multiplayer maps - Park Avenue, Transit, Shipyard, and Compound. It was released on May 18, 2011, for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. [40] On June 14, 2011, a second map pack entitled Decimation was released for the Xbox 360 and PC. It included five new maps (5th Avenue, Chasm, Plaza, Prism, and Apartments) as well as two new weapons (FY71 Assault Rifle and the Smoke Grenade). Decimation was released onto the PlayStation 3 platform on June 28 in North America and June 29 in Europe.

Soundtrack

Crysis 2 (Original Videogame Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by
Borislav Slavov, Tilman Sillescu, Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe
ReleasedMarch 22, 2011 (2011-03-22)(Digital)
April 26, 2011 (2011-04-26)(Audio CD)
Genre Video game soundtrack
Length36:24(Digital)
49:04 (Disc 1)
48:20 (Disc 2)
Label E.A.R.S. (Digital)
La-La Land Records (Audio CD)
Crysis 2: Be Fast!
Soundtrack album by
Borislav Slavov, Tilman Sillescu, Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe
ReleasedApril 26, 2011 (2011-04-26)
Genre Video game soundtrack
Length29:12
Label E.A.R.S.
Crysis 2: Be the Weapon!
Soundtrack album by
Borislav Slavov, Tilman Sillescu, Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe
ReleasedJune 7, 2011 (2011-06-07)
Genre Video game soundtrack
Length35:06
Label E.A.R.S.

The Crysis 2 Original Soundtrack was composed by Borislav Slavov and Tilman Sillescu with the help of Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe. A new rendition of the song entitled "New York, New York" by B.o.B was used in the launch trailer.

There have been four official releases of the soundtrack. Three albums are available in digital form (via iTunes and Amazon): The Original Videogame Soundtrack, [41] released on the game's launch date, with 15 tracks; Be Fast!, [42] released on April 26, 2011, with 16 tracks; and Be the Weapon!, [43] released on June 7, 2011, with 17 tracks. The most complete version, consisting of two CDs and 46 tracks, was released on April 26, 2011, under La-La Land Records. [44]

Crysis 2: Original Videogame Soundtrack (Digital Release) (36:24)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Crysis 2 Intro"Zimmer, Balfe3:11
2."Insertion"Zimmer, Balfe3:30
3."Battery Park"Slavov2:45
4."New York Aftermath"Slavov2:47
5."No Escape"Sillescu2:34
6."Close Encounter"Sillescu2:02
7."SOS New York"Slavov2:07
8."Chase"Slavov2:28
9."Under Assault"Sillescu2:02
10."Crynet, Shoot Him Down!"Slavov2:09
11."Sneak and Shoot"Slavov3:47
12."One Way In"Slavov1:23
13."Gate Keepers"Slavov2:21
14."Rampage"Sillescu1:56
15."Invaders"Zimmer, Balfe1:31
Crysis 2: Be Fast! (29:12)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Nano-Catalyst"Zimmer, Balfe0:49
2."Nanosuit 2 - Crynet Systems"Slavov3:30
3."Rising Spear"Slavov2:45
4."Dead Man Walking"Sillescu2:47
5."Contamination"Slavov2:34
6."Sinister Breed"Sillescu2:02
7."Where Is The Exit"Slavov2:07
8."Dystopian Nightmare"Sillescu2:28
9."Catastrophic Beauty"Sillescu2:02
10."Semper Fi"Sillescu2:09
11."Flooded Streets - Aquarium"Slavov3:47
12."In Obscurum"Sillescu1:23
13."Devastation"Sillescu2:21
14."Shadowzone"Sillescu1:56
15."Alien Suite"Slavov1:31
16."Unsafe Haven"Sillescu1:31
Crysis 2: Be the Weapon! (35:06)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Under Siege"Zimmer, Balfe0:52
2."Terminal Escape"Slavov1:00
3."Under the Clock"Sillescu1:51
4."Morituri"Sillescu2:21
5."Intersection"Sillescu1:34
6."Times Square Evacuation"Slavov2:01
7."Burning Night"Slavov1:30
8."Resolution (Reprise)"Slavov2:06
9."Eye of the Storm"Slavov2:26
10."Prophet Journey"Zimmer, Balfe2:18
11."New York"Slavov2:36
12."Our Only Hope"Slavov4:35
13."Out of the Ashes"Sillescu2:01
14."Alien Logo"Sillescu0:43
15."The End of the Beginning"Slavov2:01
16."Walk in the Park"Sillescu2:02
17."Epilogue"Zimmer, Balfe3:17
Crysis 2: Original Videogame Soundtrack (Disc 1) (49:04)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Crysis 2 - Intro"Zimmer, Balfe3:09
2."Insertion"Zimmer, Balfe3:38
3."Battery Park"Slavov3:32
4."New York Aftermath"Slavov2:44
5."No Escape"Sillescu2:30
6."Close Encounter"Sillescu2:00
7."SOS New York"Slavov2:05
8."Chase"Slavov2:26
9."Under Assault"Sillescu2:00
10."Crynet, Shoot Him Down!"Slavov2:07
11."Sneak and Shoot"Slavov3:34
12."Gate Keepers"Slavov2:19
13."Rampage"Sillescu1:54
14."Nanosuit 2 - Crynet Systems"Slavov1:17
15."Rising Spear"Slavov1:12
16."Dead Man Walking"Sillescu2:05
17."Contamination"Slavov2:24
18."Sinister Breed"Sillescu2:02
19."Dystopian Nightmares"Sillescu2:06
20."Catastrophic Beauty"Sillescu2:02
21."Semper Fi"Sillescu1:57
Crysis 2: Original Videogame Soundtrack (Disc 2) (48:20)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Flooded Streets - Aquarium"Slavov1:25
2."In Obscurum"Sillescu2:19
3."Devastation"Sillescu1:39
4."Shadowzone"Sillescu2:27
5."Alien Suite"Slavov2:06
6."Unsafe Haven"Sillescu1:56
7."Terminal Escape"Slavov0:59
8."Under the Clock"Sillescu1:51
9."Morituri"Sillescu2:19
10."Intersection"Sillescu1:33
11."Times Square - Evacuation"Slavov1:59
12."Burning Night"Slavov1:32
13."Resolution (reprise)"Slavov2:06
14."Eye of the Storm"Slavov2:27
15."New York"Slavov2:37
16."Our Only Hope"Slavov4:35
17."Out of the Ashes"Sillescu1:59
18."Alien Logo"Sillescu0:44
19."The End of the Beginning"Slavov2:01
20."Walk in the Park"Sillescu2:01
21."Epilogue"Zimmer, Balfe3:18
22."One Way In"Slavov1:21
23."Nano-Catalyst"Zimmer, Balfe0:49
24."Invaders"Zimmer, Balfe1:27
25."Under Siege"Zimmer, Balfe0:50

Reception

Crysis 2 received positive reviews from critics. The reviewers praised various graphical attributes as well as the empowering Nanosuit, but criticized the linearity of the gameplay in contrast to its open world predecessors, Crysis and Crysis Warhead , as well as Crytek's acclaimed debut title Far Cry . Review aggregator website Metacritic rated the PC version 86/100, [45] the Xbox 360 version 84/100, [47] and the PlayStation 3 version 85/100. [46]

One early review of Crysis 2 was published by Official Xbox Magazine , which gave the game a 9/10. According to the magazine, it was the multiplayer that tipped the balance. It describes the online experience as "some of the most exciting, angry and satisfying action you'll ever have". The sheer spectacle of the single player campaign also left OXM impressed, and the magazine said the game's Nanosuit "is both massively empowering and intelligently balanced by the need to manage its energy levels". [57]

Gamereactor reviewed all versions simultaneously and awarded the game a 9/10, noting that "its design is an exciting contrast to the jungles of the original, and New York is filled with destroyed landmarks, ruined neighbourhoods and the beauty of disaster that Cevat talked about. The amount of detail is insane, and the effects are incredible." On the other hand, the reviewers criticized the story, noting "the dialogue often feels over the top and the characters feel flat and uninteresting. Crytek have clearly been inspired by Half-Life 2 , but they never even come close to Valve's league despite their high ambitions." They concluded that "it would simply be a shame not to call this the best action game so far this year." [58]

A review for the PlayStation 3 version only was published by Official PlayStation Magazine , which gave the game an 8/10. OPM calls Crysis 2 "excellent - technically strong, visually outstanding and full of welcome fresh ideas." OPM's main gripes are with the shooter's "bungled" opening section, and their view that it takes several hours of "persisting" through "a thorny, poorly signposted and indifferent shooter" until Crysis 2 really kicks off. "Developer Crytek has a deserved reputation for pushing gaming hardware to the brink, and its debut work on PS3 is first-rate," it says. "It doesn't just look good, it looks different. The Manhattan mix of crooked concrete spires and green urban spaces is refreshing after the relentless dark khaki backgrounds of Call of Duty and Medal of Honor ." [59]

The Telegraph considered that the game heavily borrowed from the Call of Duty shooters, being much more scripted and linear than Crysis , calling the game a "walled in" experience. [60] The Telegraph also criticized the enemies' "utterly atrocious" AI, "problematic" sound, and "uninspiring" multiplayer. [61]

GameZone gave the game an 8.5/10, stating "With plenty of in-game collectibles in both the multiplayer and single-player modes, as well as solid multiplayer gameplay options, players will find plenty of bang for their buck, and the stunning power of the CryEngine needs to be seen to be believed." [62]

During the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Crysis 2 for "Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering". [63]

Unlike the original Crysis, which allowed the user to extensively change various graphical settings, Crysis 2 at launch provided fewer options. However, advanced settings and DirectX 11 features were added in patch 1.8 [64] along with high resolution textures. [65] The high-res texture upgrade can be used in either DX9 mode or DX11 mode (the graphics card must have 768 MB or more video memory), but can only be enabled on 64-bit operating systems. [66] [67] Due to an unresolved bug in Crysis 2, DirectX 11 mode does not function properly on Windows 8.

As of June 30, 2011, over 3 million copies of the game have been sold across all platforms, which is less than Crysis on PC only. [68]

In April 2012 it was awarded with the Deutscher Computerspielpreis in the category Best German Game. [69]

Criticism

The game was heavily criticized for its misuse of tesselation that resulted in the game unjustifiably favoring NVIDIA GPUs. [70] [71] [72]

Sequel

A sequel titled Crysis 3 was released on February 19, 2013, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

Notes

  1. Additional work by Crytek UK. The remastered version co-developed with Saber Interactive.

Related Research Articles

<i>Duke Nukem Forever</i> 2011 video game

Duke Nukem Forever is a 2011 first-person shooter game developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K for Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Mac OS X. It is the fourth main installment in the Duke Nukem series and the sequel to Duke Nukem 3D (1996). Players control Duke Nukem as he comes out of retirement to battle an alien invasion. Like its predecessor, Duke Nukem Forever features pop culture references, toilet humor, and adult content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crytek</span> German video game and software company

Crytek GmbH is a German video game developer and software developer based in Frankfurt. Founded by the Yerli brothers in Coburg in 1999 and moved to Frankfurt in 2006, Crytek operates additional studios in Kyiv, Ukraine and Istanbul, Turkey. Its former studios included Crytek Black Sea in Sofia, Bulgaria, Crytek UK in Nottingham, and Crytek USA in Austin, Texas. Crytek is best known for developing the first instalment of the Far Cry series, the Crysis series, and the open world nature of their games which showcase the company's CryEngine. As of August 2024, Crytek is the largest game developer in Germany with 405 employees.

<i>Far Cry</i> (video game) 2004 video game

Far Cry is a 2004 first-person shooter game developed by Crytek and published by Ubisoft. It is the first installment in the Far Cry franchise. Set on a mysterious tropical archipelago, the game follows Jack Carver, a former American special operations forces operative, as he searches for journalist Valerie Constantine, who accompanied him to the islands but went missing after their boat was destroyed by mercenaries. As Jack explores the islands, he begins to discover the horrific genetic experiments being conducted on the local wildlife and must confront the mad scientist behind them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CryEngine</span> Game engine by Crytek

CryEngine is a game engine designed by the German game developer Crytek. It has been used in all of their titles with the initial version being used in Far Cry, and continues to be updated to support new consoles and hardware for their games. It has also been used for many third-party games under Crytek's licensing scheme, including Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 and SNOW. Warhorse Studios uses a modified version of the engine for their medieval RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Ubisoft maintains an in-house, heavily modified version of CryEngine from the original Far Cry called the Dunia Engine, which is used in their later iterations of the Far Cry series. The Dunia engine would in turn be further modified and used in games such as The Crew 2.

<i>TimeSplitters</i> Video game series

TimeSplitters is a series of first-person shooter video games developed by Free Radical Design. The games are often considered spiritual successors to the Nintendo 64 titles GoldenEye 007 (1997) and Perfect Dark (2000), due to overlapping elements in gameplay, design, and development team. Each game features a time travelling element in which players battle across a diverse number of locations and periods in history.

<i>Crysis</i> (video game) 2007 video game

Crysis is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows and released in November 2007. It is the first game in the Crysis series. A standalone expansion entitled Crysis Warhead was released in 2008, following similar events as Crysis but from a different narrative perspective. At the time Crysis was released, and years thereafter, it has been praised for its milestones in graphical design.

<i>Castle Crashers</i> 2008 2D hack-and-slash video game developed by The Behemoth

Castle Crashers is a 2D side-scrolling hack-and-slash video game developed by The Behemoth. The Xbox 360 version was released on August 27, 2008, via Xbox Live Arcade as part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. The PlayStation 3 version was released in North America on August 31, 2010, and November 3, 2010, in Europe via the PlayStation Network. A Microsoft Windows and MacOS version, exclusive to Steam, was released on September 26, 2012. The game is set in a fictional medieval universe in which a dark wizard steals a mystical crystal and captures four princesses. Four knights are charged by the king to rescue the princesses, recover the crystal, and bring the wizard to justice. The game includes music created by members of Newgrounds.

<i>Red Faction: Guerrilla</i> 2009 video game

Red Faction: Guerrilla is a third-person shooter video game developed by Volition and published by THQ. It was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in June 2009 and for Windows in September 2009. The game is the third installment in the Red Faction series. A remastered version titled Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered with improved graphics was released worldwide on July 3, 2018, for the PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One, and on July 2, 2019, for the Nintendo Switch.

<i>Section 8</i> (video game) 2009 first-person shooter video game

Section 8 is a first-person shooter video game developed by TimeGate Studios and published by SouthPeak Games. It utilizes the Unreal Engine 3 and was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released in September 2009 for Xbox 360 and PC, and for the PlayStation 3 on March 25 in North America and April 15, 2010, in the PAL region.

<i>Lost Planet 2</i> 2010 third-person shooter video game

Lost Planet 2 is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom and Beeline Interactive, Inc. The game is the sequel to Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, taking place ten years after the events of the first game, on the same planet. The game was developed for BlackBerry, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. Originally set to be released in early 2010, Capcom delayed the game's consoles release to May 11, 2010 in North America and Europe, May 13 in Australia and May 20 for Japan, while the BlackBerry version was released worldwide on April 28 and the Microsoft Windows version was released in October that year. The title sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide.

<i>Crysis 3</i> 2013 video game

Crysis 3 is a 2013 first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek and published by Electronic Arts. It is the third installment in the Crysis series, and a sequel to the 2011 video game Crysis 2. The multiplayer portion of the game was developed by Crytek UK. Crysis 3's story, which serves to end the Crysis trilogy, revolves around a Nanosuit holder named Prophet and his quest for revenge against the Alpha Ceph, the leader of the Ceph alien race. Gameplay revolves around the use of the Nanosuit, which grants players a variety of abilities such as invisibility. New features introduced in Crysis 3 include a new Nanosuit ability called "Rip & Throw", a compound bow and hacking, which allows players to hack into enemies' equipment, drones, and security defenses.

<i>Burnout Paradise</i> 2008 open world racing video game

Burnout Paradise is a 2008 racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. It was also released on the PlayStation Store and via Xbox Live Marketplace's Games on Demand. It was later added to the libraries of Greatest Hits and Platinum Hits titles and was made backward compatible with the Xbox One in November 2016. It is the first game in the Burnout series to be released on Microsoft Windows.

<i>Crysis Warhead</i> 2008 video game

Crysis Warhead is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek Budapest and published by Electronic Arts. Crysis Warhead is a stand-alone expansion game and does not require the installation of the original Crysis to play.

<i>MechWarrior: Living Legends</i> 2009 video game

Mechwarrior: Living Legends is a free, fan-created multiplayer-only game based in the BattleTech universe - originally a total-conversion mod for Crysis, it's since become stand-alone - running on Crysis Wars, and using CryEngine 2 as its engine. It's one of the few mods based on the BattleTech universe to have been sanctioned by Microsoft—who currently owns the rights to the Mechwarrior video-game franchise—and additionally received pre-SDK support and sanctioning directly from Crytek, producers of the games' engine. On December 26, 2009, an open beta was released via BitTorrent and other distribution methods. Because the project changes the play-style and feel of the game it is originally based on so completely as to be unrecognizable in comparison, it is billed as a "full-conversion" mod, since little to no trace of the original game's art or play-style exists any longer within MW:LL. It was created by American developer Wandering Samurai Studios.

<i>Battlefield: Bad Company 2</i> 2010 video game

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, iOS, Android and Kindle Fire systems. It is a direct sequel to Battlefield: Bad Company and is part of the Battlefield game series. It was released worldwide in March 2010. The iOS port was released on the App Store on December 16, 2010. The Android and Kindle Fire versions were released in June 2012.

Crysis is a first-person shooter video game series created by Crytek. The series revolves around a group of military protagonists with "nanosuits", technologically advanced suits of armor that give them enhanced physical strength, speed, defense, and cloaking abilities. The protagonists face off against hostile North Korean soldiers, heavily armed mercenaries, and a race of technologically advanced aliens known as the Ceph, who arrived on Earth millions of years ago and have recently been awakened. The series consists of three main installments, a standalone spinoff of the first game with a separate multiplayer title, and a compilation. A fourth game, under the working title of Crysis 4, was announced by Crytek on January 26, 2022.

Lost Planet is a video game series of third-person shooters published by Capcom. The series follows a number of protagonists on E.D.N III, a planet in the process of an ice age, as they survive and fight the environment, various alien creatures and those planning to colonize the planet.

<i>Bulletstorm</i> 2011 first-person shooter game

Bulletstorm is a 2011 first-person shooter game developed by People Can Fly and Epic Games and published by Electronic Arts (EA). The video game is distinguished by its system of rewarding players with "skillpoints" for performing increasingly creative kills. Bulletstorm does not have any competitive multiplayer modes, preferring instead to include cooperative online play and score attack modes. Set in the 26th century, the game's story follows Grayson Hunt, a space pirate and former black ops soldier who gets shot down on a war-torn planet while trying to exact revenge on General Sarrano, his former commander who tricked him and his men into committing war crimes and assassinating innocents.

Warface: Clutch is a free-to-play online first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek Kiev, co-produced by Crytek Seoul, and published by My.com. The full version of the game was released on 21 October 2013 as playable in North America and Europe. The game was developed with Crytek's in-house CryEngine 3. Warface: Clutch centers around online firefights in player versus player (PvP) matches, with microtransactions allowing players to purchase weapons, equipment, and cosmetic gear. The Xbox 360 port, which was developed by Crytek UK, was discontinued in February 2015. The console version of the game was relaunched for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2018 and on the Nintendo Switch in 2020. Members of the game's development team split from Crytek Kiev in February 2019 to form a new development studio, Blackwood Games, who will handle future development duties for Warface: Clutch. A tactical shooter spin-off game named Warface: Breakout was released on 26 May 2020 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

<i>Ryse: Son of Rome</i> 2013 video game

Ryse: Son of Rome is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Crytek and published by Microsoft Studios. Set in an alternate version of Ancient Rome, Ryse follows the life of the Roman centurion Marius Titus as he becomes one of the leaders in the Roman Legion. Gameplay revolves around Marius using his sword to strike enemies and shield to deflect attacks. Execution sequences are featured in the game, which are quick-time events that serve as an extension to combat. The game features a cooperative multiplayer mode, which tasks players to fight against waves of enemies in maps that are changing dynamically.

References

  1. "InCrysis Interview with Cevat Yerli". InCrysis. November 15, 2007. Archived from the original on November 16, 2007. Retrieved November 16, 2007.
  2. Matt Peckham (April 9, 2010). "Crysis 2 Written by 'Altered Carbon' Author Richard Morgan". InCrysis. Archived from the original on March 2, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  3. "Peter Watts works on CRYSIS novel". December 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
  4. "A game-changing session" . Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  5. "Crysis 2 Supports 3D Singleplayer, Multiplayer". Tom's Hardware. June 14, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  6. Garner, A (May 21, 2011). "Crysis 2 Review". VGamer News. Archived from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
  7. "Crynet systems". January 20, 2010. Archived from the original on January 16, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  8. "Crysis 2 news and updates". Crytek. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
  9. "Crysis 2 (video game)". GiantBomb. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  10. "Crysis 2 won't use EA's Online Pass, Crytek confirms". CVG. March 7, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  11. Phillips, Tom (April 14, 2014). "GameSpy servers to shut down next month". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  12. David Hinkle (February 12, 2011). "Crysis 2 build including multiplayer reportedly leaked". Joystiq. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  13. "Crysis 2 Leaked". Electronic Arts. February 11, 2011. Archived from the original on February 15, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  14. Leaked Crysis 2 Beta Hits Torrent Sites. eXophase.com (February 11, 2011). Retrieved on 2011-03-08.
  15. Crysis 2 PC & Multiplayer Master Key Leaks 39 Days Prior To Release - Voodoo Extreme. Ve3d.ign.com. Retrieved on March 8, 2011.
  16. "Crysis 2 Leaked, Creators 'Deeply Disappointed'". Kotaku. February 11, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
  17. "Crytek et EA se lamentent du leak de Crysis 2". NoFrag. February 12, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2011. As usual, Crytek adopt the Calimero attitude, lamenting on the expected bad sells of the game on the PC platform, a platform for which they forgot to release a Demo (Comme d'habitude, Crytek adopte l'attitude Caliméro, se plaignant dès à présent des futures mauvaises ventes du jeu sur PC, une plate-forme sur laquelle ils ont oublié de sortir une démo de leur jeu)
  18. Cevat Yerli: PC gaming is very important to us and will always be important to Crytek in the future. Dasreviews.com (February 14, 2011). Retrieved on 2011-03-08.
  19. "Crysis 2 PC Demo Released". Archived from the original on March 3, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  20. "Crysis 2 game leak is 'a really ugly version'". CVG. February 21, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
  21. Senior, Tom (January 3, 2012). "Crysis 2 most pirated PC game of 2011". PC Gamer. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  22. "EA and Crytek Unveil Two Special Editions for Crysis 2". August 17, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  23. "Crysis 2 Nano Edition Is Big, Official, For 'The Ultimate Crysis Fan'". August 17, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  24. "EA Store India". Archived from the original on March 3, 2011.
  25. "Crysis 2 - Nano Edition". Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  26. "Crysis 2|Crysis 2 Maximum Edition Details|EA Help". Help.ea.com. May 23, 2012. Archived from the original on July 1, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  27. "PC Crysis 2 multiplayer demo inbound". GameSpot. January 28, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  28. "Multiplayer Demo Announcement". January 21, 2011. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  29. "Crytek working on Crysis 2 demo 'technical issues'". CAG. January 26, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  30. "PS3 players 'can probably hope for' Crysis 2 demo". CVG. February 18, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2011.
  31. "First Crysis 2 PS3 video appears, multiplayer beta coming soon". VG247. February 24, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  32. "New Crysis 2 multiplayer demo hitting 360 and PC March 1, PS3 version 'coming soon'". CVG. February 25, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
  33. "Crysis 2 Multiplayer Demo Goes Multiplatform on March 1". MyCrysis. February 25, 2011. Archived from the original on February 28, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  34. Nicholas Deleon (March 1, 2011). "Press Start To Begin: Crysis 2 Multi-Player Demo Now Available". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on March 5, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  35. Andreas Dimestam (March 1, 2011). "Crysis 2 endast DX9 – DX11 kommer "senare"". SweClockers.com. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
  36. Cry-Tom (April 8, 2011). "DX11 Patch Announced for Crysis 2!". mycrysis.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  37. Electronic Arts (March 17, 2011). "PlayStation 3 Demo Ending Soon". EA.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2011.
  38. "Crysis 2 Remastered Was Just Confirmed by Crytek". WCCFTech. May 21, 2021.
  39. Bankhurst, Adam (June 1, 2021). "Crysis Remastered Trilogy Announced for Fall 2021". IGN .
  40. Crysis 2 'Retaliation' map pack arrives next week - first trailer
  41. "Crysis 2 Original Videogame Soundtrack". VGMdb. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  42. "Crysis 2 Original Videogame Soundtrack: Be Fast!". VGMdb. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  43. "Crysis 2 Original Videogame Soundtrack: Be the Weapon!". VGMdb. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
  44. "Crysis 2 Original Videogame Soundtrack". VGMdb. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  45. 1 2 "Crysis 2 for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  46. 1 2 "Crysis 2 for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  47. 1 2 "Crysis 2 for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  48. "Crysis 2 Review Eurogamer". Eurogamer . March 22, 2011.
  49. "Crysis 2 Review Game Informer". Game Informer . Archived from the original on March 25, 2011.
  50. "Crysis 2 Review GamePro".
  51. "Crysis 2 Review GameSpot". March 25, 2011.
  52. "Crysis 2 Review GameSpy".
  53. "Crysis 2 Review IGN". March 23, 2011.
  54. "Crysis 2 Review Official Xbox Magazine".
  55. "Crysis 2 PC Gamer". PC Gamer . March 22, 2011.
  56. "Crysis 2 Review X-Play". Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  57. "Crysis 2 review - 9/10 in OXM". CVG. March 7, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  58. "Crysis 2 review - 9/10 from Gamereactor". March 16, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  59. "Crysis 2 review - 8/10 in Official PlayStation Mag". CVG. March 14, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  60. "Crysis 2 review". The Telegraph. March 22, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2011. Crysis 2 borrows more from the Call of Duty school of shooters than it does from its predecessor(...)It's soon clear that playing as Alcatraz, Crysis 2's protagonist, is designed to be a cinematic, often scripted experience
  61. "Crysis 2 review". The Telegraph. March 22, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2011. But it's massively uninspiring stuff. If you haven't played any popular FPS title in the last five years, and you don't own any of them either, then Crysis 2's multiplayer mode is as good an FPS multiplayer to get into as any. But if you have, and you're already invested in another game, then this carbon copy
  62. Archived May 31, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  63. "2012 Awards Category Details Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  64. "Patch 1.8 now live". Crytek. May 25, 2011. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2011.
  65. "Crysis 2 DirectX 11 Patch Announced!". Crytek. April 8, 2011. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2011. We would like to announce that there will be a DX11 patch released for Crysis 2. We are working to get the best out of DX11. Patch 1.9.0.0 has been confirmed for release on June 27th, which will be required to make the High-Res Texture and DX11 packs work. The DX11 Ultra Upgrade Pack adds "hardware tessellation, parallax occlusion mapping, and several upgrades for shadows, water, particles, depth of field, and motion blur."
  66. "MyCrysis Forums - Crysis 2 PC Patch 1.9 FAQ + Known Issues". Mycrysis.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  67. "has moved!" (PDF). Mycrysis.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  68. "Electronic Arts Reports Q1 FY12 Financial Results (NASDAQ:ERTS)". Electronic Arts. July 26, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  69. "Winners 2012: German Computer Game Award". April 26, 2012. Archived from the original on April 30, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  70. Hruska, Joel (August 17, 2011). "In-depth Analysis of DX11 Crysis Shows Highly Questionable Tessellation Usage". Hothardware.com. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  71. Wasson, Scott (August 16, 2011). "Crysis 2 tessellation: too much of a good thing?". The Tech Report. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  72. Williams, Rob. "Crysis 2 DX11: Where Tessellation Becomes Overkill – Techgage". techgage.com. Retrieved July 21, 2024.