By Jim Scott
DNAinfo Senior Editor
"Crysis 2" portrays a futuristic Manhattan torn to shreds by disease and war in the most delightfully entertaining way possible.
The game opens with mock television footage chronicling the spread of an incurable disease dubbed the "Manhattan Virus." Naturally, panic ensues as the deadly outbreak overtakes the city in the year 2023.
Just when things seem like they couldn't get any worse, they do. An alien race called the Ceph invades the city and engages in a ferocious battle with the U.S. Military and contracted soldiers from a paramilitary group called C.E.L.L.
The action begins when your character is deployed in a submarine to Battery Park, which has been destroyed by warfare and filled with quarantine tents set up by the government.
You play as a Force Recon Marine, codenamed Alcatrez, who inherits the powerful Nanosuit 2.0 from a super soldier named Profit, a holdover character from the original "Crysis" on PC.
It's evident the game designers at Crytek did their homework when it comes to recreating the Big Apple. While working your way through Battery Park you'll come across familiar landmarks, something that happens throughout the game. Off in the distance sits a battered Statue of Liberty which, as one game character puts it, has seen better days.
"We did a lot of location scouting. We walked around the streets of New York and took lots of photos," Crytek developer Nathan Camarillo said. "We wanted the gaming experience to be more than a landmark tour of New York. We wanted compelling gaming spaces."
And compelling gaming spaces is exactly what you get. The first "Crysis" was set in the jungle of a fictional island. This time around Crytek puts gamers into the middle of one of the most revered cities in the world, something that gives the game much more weight.
"We needed a place people would want to protect and save for themselves," Camarillo said.
Your journey takes you from the rooftops of Wall Street, into the subways, across crumbling bridges and to iconic landmarks like City Hall, Grand Central Station and Central Park. At one point you drive a tank up the FDR drive near the Lower East Side, something every New Yorker caught in Manhattan traffic has probably dreamed about.
"Crysis 2," which was built with the Cyrtek 3 game engine, does a masterful job of portraying Manhattan under siege with a realistic visual style. The Xbox 360 version I played brilliantly used light to set the mood and illuminate the battle field.
Manhattan may be the visual star, but the Nanosuit worn by Alcatrez is the straw that stirs the drink in "Crysis 2." The suit is a powerful weapon that could turn the tide of the war against the Ceph and solve the mystery of the Manhattan Virus.
The Nanosuit 2.0 gives Alcatrez the ability to use power, armor and stealth to observe, evade and eliminate his enemies.
"Unique powers of the Nanosuit is what separates it from other shooters," Camarillo said.
Game play is set up by Crytek to allow you to observe the enemy first, plan ahead and take advantage of tactical opportunities.
Alcatraz can sprint, jump extraordinarily high, slide and pull himself up on ledges to avoid capture. With a quick touch of the left shoulder button you can power up his armor and go running into battle with guns blazing. Or, if precision is more your style, you can fire up Alcatrez's stealth suit and ambush the enemy while cloaked.
There's about 10 to 15 hours of single player action and at least 50 hours worth of fun to be had in in an engaging, fast-paced multi-player game mode. Using the powers of the Nanosuit against your buddies online is rewarding to say the least.
There are some minor bugs in "Crysis 2" and the AI in the first few hours can be puzzling, but none of this detracts from the game's overall enjoyment.
"Crysis 2" is a thrilling romp through the war torn streets of Manhattan. The power of the Nanosuit, immersive gameplay and a catastrophically beautiful New York City setting make it a game to be played and remembered.
SCORE: 4½ out of 5 Big Apples
"Crysis 2" was released in stores on March 22 and is available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. It's rated "M" for mature.
