I think that this is the first time that I've played the sequel to such a highly praised series before I played the initial entry. Don't get me wrong, I've wanted to play Crysis since the first time I watched a trailer for it, but I'm not much of a PC gamer and there's also the tiny problem of not having a PC that could run it at the time. I actually remember being yelled at by some PC guy right here on 1UP about how Crysis would never come to consoles because it was too much for their feeble parts to handle. Yeah, guess not.
Of course, this particular PC faithful can't be solely blamed for believing this; EA and Crytek went out of their way to stress how Crysis was too state-of-the-art to run on a puny console. I think had the spent the same effort actually making Crysis for consoles as opposed to saying it couldn't be done, they would have had a multi-platform hit on their hands. Of course, in the end the profitability of consoles won the day and earlier this year Crysis 2 hit Xbox360 and PS3 day and date with PC. I was pretty excited to finally get to play a Crysis game and was really impressed with Crysis 2. But I always felt a little disappointed that Crysis 2 lacked the openness of the first game and was very pleased when I heard that Crytek was porting the first game to consoles as a Games-on Demand title.
The the first thing that is obviously different from the PC version are the controls, which feel pretty much identical to Crysis 2 on console, which is a good thing. But I was really happy to see the ability "wheel" from the PC version of Crysis gone and replaced by the simple layout of Crysis 2. Right bumper is cloak, left bumper is armor, click on the thumbstick to sprint, and then holding down the A and X buttons to activate the "power" versions of jumping and throwing objects. Overall the controls feel really good and make the game better, not worse.
As far as the graphics go, I honestly can't say if they look better or worse on console vs PC. There were a couple of times where they looked worse, like when it shows the plane flying in at the beginning, the island and the starry sky in the background look kind of, off. And there were some other things that were weird like one time as one of the helicoptors flew by it was literally bouncing up and down as it flew through the sky. But then there are times when it looks better, like when your walking through the jungle and the rays of light are shimmering through the tree branches, it's a very nice effect. But Crysis is known for it's graphics and Crysis on Xbox360 doesn't disappoint. It's a beautiful game and easily stands up with any other game out there.
The story was good, but I wouldn't call it great because I wasn't on the edge of my seat waiting for what was going to happen next, but I was aware of what was going on. It definitely got much better and far more interesting in the latter parts of the game. I thought that maybe I would be finding out more about the happenings in Crysis 2 by playing the first game, but that really wasn't the case. The only character in Crysis that's in the second game is Prophet, who happens to be absent for most of Crysis anyway. If anything playing through the first game left me with more questions than answers. Fortunately I'm almost 100% positive that there will be a Crysis 3 so hopefully everything comes together in the third game.
The gameplay really is the meat and potatoes of the Crysis series. The nano suit enhances your natural abilities allowing you to run faster, jump higher, take more damage, have super human strength, and become invisible. All of these abilities are dictated by an energy gauge that recharges after it's been depleted. Directly underneath said energy bar is your life bar, which also recharges. Managing your suit's energy, your health bar, and your suit's armor ability during firefights becomes a beautiful ballet of gameplay. The ability to pick up, hold, and throw most objects in the game adds an extra layer of enjoyment to the game. And not just objects, creatues as well. You can pick up chickens, frogs, tortoises, and pretty much any creature you can get close enough to catch. Also, taking out enemies by throwing boat engines at them never gets old.
If the nano suit is your best toy, then the island is your sand box. Allowing you to move about freely and approach objectives however you choose. Do you want to drive a humvee into the enemy encampment, guns blazing? Or do you want to approach from the water in one of the enemies armed boats? Maybe you'll just go in on foot, using your cloak to take out enemies one-by-one. Rarely did I approach a situation the same way twice in a row. The island is littered with vehicles like armed humvees, pick-up trucks, troop tansport trucks, armed boats, and even tanks. Finding a high perch and picking guys off from a distance with the precision rifle is great fun.
Which brings me to the weapons. There's definitely more variety in the weapons in Crysis 2, but that's to be expected with a sequel. The weapon list in Crysis pretty much checks off all the boxes for your standard fps. Assault rifles, shotgun, pistol, smg, sniper, rocket launcher, grenades, you get the idea. But there are a few surprises toward the end that add a little spice to your arsenal. With that said, the guns are still a lot of fun to use and variety is added to them by way of the weapon customization screen. Just hold down the back button at any time and Nomad (your character) will raise his weapon up showing spots on the weapon where you can add or change attachments such as suppressors, flashlights, grenade launchers, and optics.
Crysis was easily worth the $19.99 price tag and I'm looking forward to going back and getting some more achievements from it. If you played and enjoyed Crysis 2, then Crysis is a no-brainer at twenty bucks, you won't be disappointed.
I also wrote a blog about Crysis 2 a few months back, you can check it out here.
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