Crysis 2

Crysis 2

Set three years after the original Crysis, an ambushed Marine named Alcatraz dons the famous Nanosuit and fights his way through an obliterated New York City to stop the alien invasion.

Overview

Crysis 2 was announced on June 1st of 2009, and was in development since 2007. Crysis 2 is the sequel to 2007's Crysis which was lauded for its impressive visuals. German based studio Crytek GmbH, developers of the first game, was the lead developer of the sequel along with help from Crytek UK, formerly Free Radical. It is the first game using the new CryENGINE3 engine.

The game is also available in stereoscopic 3D on all platforms.

Plot

New York isn't doing too well.
New York isn't doing too well.

The year is 2023, three years after the events of the original Crysis, and humanity is losing the fight against the Ceph aliens awakened on Lingshen Island. Major cities across the world including London and Rio de Janeiro have been destroyed, and an alien virus is sweeping across Manhattan. Martial law has been declared, and the Crynet Enforcement & Local Logistics force (C.E.L.L.) is trying to control what's left of New York..

A former Crynet doctor, Nathan Gould, is trapped on Long Island, and a Marine unit is sent in to retrieve him, though they are quickly ambushed by the Ceph. One marine, named Alcatraz, barely survives, rescued by Prophet, the squad leader from the first game. Prophet has been infected with the alien virus, however, and he gives Alcatraz his powerful Nanosuit before committing suicide. The Nanosuit, while making Alcatraz unbelievably powerful, is also the only thing keeping him alive, and regularly shows Alcatraz Prophet's memories.

Not knowing Prophet is dead, C.E.L.L. hunts Alcatraz and the Nanosuit, believing Prophet is inside and branding him a biohazard. Alcatraz receives instructions and directions from Dr. Gould via radio, though Dr. Gould is also not aware that it is not Prophet in the suit. After retrieving some alien tissue samples, which upgrade the suit, Alcatraz finds Dr. Gould, who is dismayed to discover that Prophet is dead. But Gould realizes that the Nanosuit, after contacting the alien tissue, may contain what's needed to stop the Manhattan Virus. Alcatraz and Gould are ambushed by C.E.L.L. forces, led by Commander Lockhart and Tara Strickland (the Major from the original Crysis' daughter), but a Ceph attack releases a bio-weapon into the area, killing most of the C.E.L.L soldiers and nearly destroying Alcatraz.

Alcatraz's Nanosuit gets a reboot from Jacob Hargreave, the inventor of the Nanosuit, who speaks to Alcatraz from an unknown location. Hargreave seems to have a great deal of knowledge about the Ceph, and guides Alcatraz to a massive alien spire to try and network with the alien's communication systems. The plan fails, and Marines are sent in by the Pentagon to destroy Manhattan's flood barrier and flush out the aliens, nearly drowning Alcatraz.

Alcatraz is rescued by a group of Marines that includes his former squadmate Chino (seen briefly in the introduction to the game), and Alcatraz assists the Marines in evacuating civilians from Manhattan. Meanwhile, the Nanosuit is rewriting its code, via the alien tissue samples, to be able to talk to the alien's technology.

Another alien spire rises high into the air out of Times Square, and Alcatraz is now able to enter and interface, reprogramming the spores and killing all Ceph nearby. Alcatraz heads to Roosevelt Island to find Hargreave, killing Commander Lockhart along the way. He finds Hargreave, who is revealed to be nearly 200 years old and living suspended in life-sustaining liquid, aware for many years that the Ceph were going to invade. He has Alcatraz captured and attempts to remove the Nanosuit, but the suit resists and Alcatraz is rescued by Tara Strickland, who explains that she is an undercover CIA agent. Hargreave knows the Ceph are about to invade Roosevelt Island, and gives Alcatraz a final suit upgrade before destroying the island and himself.

Alcatraz, Stickland, and Gould learn that the Pentagon has authorized a nuclear strike on Manhattan. Meanwhile, a Ceph ship long buried beneath Central Park rises from the ground, lifting most of the park high into the sky. Alcatraz gains access to the ship and fights his way to the spire at the ship's core. He releases the spire's spore bio-weapon over all of New York City, killing all remaining Ceph and averting the nuclear strike.

The memories of Prophet, stored in the suit, inform Alcatraz that the Ceph have buildings beneath major cities all over the world and that more work is yet to come. Prophet's memories are finally fully combined with those of Alcatraz, and when asked for his name via radio by Karl Ernst Rasch, co-founder of the Hargreave-Reach corporation, Alcatraz responds, "They call me Prophet."

Gameplay

Missions

  1. In at the Deep End
  2. Second Chance
  3. Sudden Impact
  4. Road Rage
  5. Lab Rat
  6. Gate Keepers
  7. Dead Man Walking
  8. Seat of Power
  9. Dark Heart
  10. Semper Fi or Die
  11. Corporate Collapse
  12. Train to Catch
  13. Unsafe Haven
  14. Terminus
  15. Power Out
  16. Eye of the Storm
  17. Masks Off
  18. Out of the Ashes
  19. A walk in the Park

Nanosuit 2.0

Nanosuit 2.0
Nanosuit 2.0

The suit powers from the original return with the addition of a tactical mode that gives detailed information about enemy weaknesses, data about the environment, and a boost to the audio of nearby enemy conversations. Suit modifiers themed around the different suit powers include X-ray vision, directional bullet trails, and bullet deflection.The suit's enhanced parkour abilities also introduces more verticality.

The updated Nanosuit now has two Primary and two Secondary modes, which work in tandem:

Primary Modes - When activated, these modes drain the suit's power and provide temporary boosts.

  • Armor - Diverts all damage to the suit, depleting shield power in lieu of user health.
  • Stealth - Drains all the suit's power to cloak the user and silence all movement sounds.

Secondary Modes - These modes are passive and turned on at all times. They can be activated simultaneously with the primary modes.

  • Tactical - Replacing the binoculars from the first game, the tactical mode highlights all objects of interest in the world (like enemy targets, weapons, ammo etc.).
  • Power - Drains the suit's energy to perform feats like power jump, power slide or power sprint.
  • Nanovision - Allows the user to track hidden enemies and to see in dim-lit environments.

Upgrading the Nanosuit

Throughout the game, Alcatraz collects Nano Catalyst from the Ceph he kills, which the player can use on buying upgrades for the suit.

Tactical Upgrades

  • Threat Tracker - Allows the player to see the route of incoming projectiles.
  • Proximity Alarm - Gives the player a audible warning when a enemy is near.
  • Cloak Tracker - Allows the player to see cloaked enemies.

Armor Upgrades

  • Armour Enhance - Armor mode drains energy slower.
  • Nano Recharge - When not using a suit mode, energy and health recharge faster.
  • Deflection - Deflects many enemy bullets, allowing for more hits before health loss.

Power Upgrades

  • Mobility Enhance - Increases ledge grab speed and slows running and jumping energy drain.
  • Air Friction - Gives the player better control when falling.
  • Air Stomp - Gives the player a powerful ground pound ability.

Stealth Upgrades

  • Covert Ops - Softens the sound of the player's footsteps.
  • Tracker - Highlights enemy paths.
  • Stealth Enhance - Allows the player to enter and leave stealth much faster. Heavily reduces drain of power in stealth mode.

Each enemy drops a different amount of Nano Catalyst:

Alien Tick - 20 Catalyst

Alien Grunt - 100 Catalyst

Alien Grunt Commander - 300 Catalyst

Ceph Devastator - 500 Catalyst

Ceph Pinger - 2,000 Catalyst

Ceph Stalker - 5,000 Catalyst

Note: Upgrades collected in first playthrough along with collected catalyst are carried over to future playthroughs.

Multiplayer Modes

Crash Site

Ceph drop pods are periodically launched by overhead dropships. Two teams must race to each pod and defend it from the opposing team. Points are earned by guarding the pods wherever they land.

Team Instant Action

Crysis 2's standard team deathmatch mode. Defeat as many foes as possible with the powers of the Nanosuit while minimizing player deaths.

Extraction

One team is on offense, trying to obtain two bio-ticks that will give boost to stealth and armor and will then try to reach a helicopter extraction point. The defenders must stop them.

Assault

One team is on offense, trying to download critical data from five different data-posts and are clad in Nano suits but have limited weaponry. The defenders must stop them, and get superior weapons but no Nano suit. Four rounds with teams switching sides after each one.

Capture the Relay

A Capture the Flag spin-off mode where two teams vie for control over two data relays. Matches usually span around ten minutes and requires three capture points to win.

Instant Action

A basic free-for-all deathmatch mode. The player with most kills by the end of the round wins.

Multiplayer Ranks

  • Level 1 - Cadet
  • Level 2 - Cadet II
  • Level 3 - Cadet III
  • Level 4 - Recruit I
  • Level 5 - Recruit II
  • Level 6 - Recruit III
  • Level 7 - Private I
  • Level 8 - Private II
  • Level 9 - Private III
  • Level 10 - Trooper I
  • Level 11 - Trooper II
  • Level 12 - Trooper III
  • Level 13 - Private First Class I
  • Level 14 - Private First Class II
  • Level 15 - Private First Class III
  • Level 16 - Specialist I
  • Level 17 - Specialist II
  • Level 18 - Specialist III
  • Level 19 - Ranger I
  • Level 20 - Ranger II
  • Level 21 - Ranger III
  • Level 22 - Guard I
  • Level 23 - Guard II
  • Level 24 - Guard III
  • Level 25 - Operative I
  • Level 26 - Operative II
  • Level 27 - Operative III
  • Level 28 - Corporal I
  • Level 29 - Corporal II
  • Level 30 - Corporal III
  • Level 31 - Sergeant I
  • Level 32 - Sergeant II
  • Level 33 - Sergeant III
  • Level 34 - Veteran I
  • Level 35 - Veteran II
  • Level 36 - Veteran III
  • Level 37 - Major I
  • Level 38 - Major II
  • Level 39 - Major III
  • Level 40 - Enforcer I
  • Level 41 - Enforcer II
  • Level 42 - Enforcer III
  • Level 43 - Colonel I
  • Level 44 - Colonel II
  • Level 45 - Colonel III
  • Level 46 - General I
  • Level 47 - General II
  • Level 48 - General III
  • Level 49 - Group Commander
  • Level 50 - Force Commander

Soundtrack

Crysis 2 OST Cover.
Crysis 2 OST Cover.

The soundtrack was composed Borislav Slavov, with the main theme being written by Hans Zimmer.

Tracklist

  1. Insertion - 03:10
  2. Battery Park - 03:26
  3. New York - 02:44
  4. Aftermath: No Escape - 02:31
  5. Close Encounter - 02:00
  6. SOS New York - 02:05
  7. Chase - 02:28
  8. Under Assault - 02:01
  9. Crynet: Shoot Him Down! - 02:07
  10. Sneak and Shoot - 03:45
  11. Gate Keepers - 02:18
  12. Rampage - 01:54
  13. Nanosuit 2 - 01:13
  14. Rising Spear - 01:18
  15. Dead Man Walking - 02:04
  16. Contamination - 02:24
  17. Sinister Breed - 02:02
  18. Where Is The Exit? - 01:17
  19. Dystopian Nightmares - 02:06
  20. Catastrophic Beauty - 02:04
  21. Semper Fi - 01:58
  22. Flooded Streets - 01:32
  23. Aquarium In Obscurum - 02:20
  24. Devastation - 01:39
  25. Shadowzone - 02:27
  26. Alien Suite - 02:05
  27. Unsafe Haven - 01:55
  28. Terminal Escape - 00:57
  29. Under the Clock - 01:51
  30. Morituri - 02:23
  31. Intersection - 01:32
  32. Times Square Evacuation - 01:58
  33. Burning Night - 01:27
  34. Resolution (Reprise) - 02:05
  35. Eye of the Storm - 02:28
  36. New York Theme - 02:36
  37. Our Only Hope - 02:04
  38. Out of the Ashes - 01:59
  39. Alien Logo - 00:44
  40. The End of the Beginning - 02:01
  41. Walk in the Park - 02:01
  42. Epilogue - 03:17

Limited and Nano Editions

PC Nano Edition.
PC Nano Edition.

The Limited Edition of Crysis 2 was released at the same price as the regular version and is a part of EA's Project 10 Dollar. It included bonus experience points in multiplayer, early access to the "SCAR Hologram Decoy," a "SCAR Weapon Skin," and an in-game Platinum Dog Tags that displays multiplayer rank and stats.

The Nano Edition cost $149.99 at launch and includes the Limited Edition of the game, a steel case, an 11 inch statue of the main character on top of a NYC taxi, and an art book, all contained inside a backpack designed to look like the nanosuit.

PC System Requirements

MinimumRecommended
  • Operating System: XP / Vista / Windows 7
  • Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2Ghz, AMD Athlon 64 x2 2Ghz or better
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM (3GB in Windows Vista)
  • HDD Space: 9 GB
  • DVD ROM: 8x
  • Graphics Card: NVIDIA 8800 GT 512MB Ram or ATI 3850 512 MB or better
  • DirectX: 9.0c
  • Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible
  • Peripherals: Keyboard and mouse or Microsoft Xbox 360 controller for Windows
  • Operating System: XP / Vista / Windows 7
  • Processor: A dual core processor 2.6 GHz or above
  • RAM Memory: 3 GB (4 GB in Windows Vista / 7)
  • HDD Space: 9 GB
  • DVD ROM: 8x
  • Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 280 GTX or Radeon HD 4870 X2 or better
  • DirectX: 11
  • Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible
  • Peripherals: Keyboard and mouse or Microsoft Xbox 360 controller for Windows