by CRYSIS 2: BENCHMARK EDITION. Or so I’m told. I dunno, I’m about 6 years late to the scene, so I guess it’s not really a benchmark anymore if I can run this with max settings.
I think Garterbelt said it best. “You know how there are times when you go see a movie and think, ‘I don’t care what that’s about. I just want to see something blow up for Christ’s sake and mind my own business. Is that so wrong?'” That pretty much sums up my experience with Crysis 2.
Apparently there’s some kind of plot in Crysis 2. According to Lepcis, this one actually isn’t as good as the original Crysis. Apparently this is an FPS. But I don’t care! Maybe I was just in a good mood for it, or maybe this game has some merit (or maybe a little bit of both) but I just wanted a game filled with adrenaline that let me run around and shoot stuff with explosions. Crysis 2 did not fail to deliver. In a way, it was like walking into a Michael Bay movie–something that is inherently dumb if you stop and think about it but if you’re in the presence of mind (or lack of presence of mind) to just turn your brain off and enjoy the shinies, it’s pretty enjoyable. Also, ever since watching The Stand as a kid, I’ve loved stories about the end of the world resulting from super-viruses that turn people into decaying sacks of walking flesh. Don’t ask me why, but there’s just something appealing about it. As it happens, Crysis 2 is a story about the end of the world (or at least New York) brought about by a super-virus that turns people into decaying walking sacks of flesh. So I might be a bit biased.
Mechanically speaking, it is “just another FPS,” but I submit that this is okay for a couple reasons. It’s not the pretty graphics, the smooth movements or “but they did a really good job,” that makes this forgivable. DOOM accomplished this exact same thing but… Lepcis and I both feel (extremely contrarily to popular opinion) that the new DOOM game is not that great. The reason I’m okay with Crysis is twofold; theming and mechanical balance. “OH BOI MY HEALTH REGENS?!?” Well, yes, but similar to Deus Ex: Human Revolution, there’s a reason–you’re wearing a super suit that integrates itself into you on a biological level. Yes, it’s unoriginal and overly saturated within the market, but the difference is that this isn’t supposed to be taken seriously, or rather the setting of the game isn’t hyper-realism such as LA Noire, COD, etc. This makes the theming of the game easier to believe and not feel quite as much as a cheap power fantasy. It’s still a power fantasy, but it doesn’t feel like it’s trying to be pretentious about it. Secondly, you don’t die in one hit. Enemies don’t die in one hit. Mechanically speaking, there’s plenty of room to make mistakes, learn from them and adjust accordingly while playing the game. I’m a big fan of this.
Speaking of power, you’ve got plenty of it–but I think that’s the point. The game makes the clear distinction that you are in a special suit. The other guys aren’t. You’re the one they call “prophet,” the others aren’t. Heck, you aren’t even the real prophet, you’re just some guy who has his suit, which is fantastic because it precisely mirrors the player’s experience. You as the player have essentially been dropped into a game where you are suddenly a super soldier. You as the character in the game have been dropped into a war zone where you are suddenly a super soldier. The synchronization in mood is near-seamless.
With access to gun, gun and more gun, two buttons that can make you invisible and invincible for a time respectively and an endless army of conspiracy-theory straw-soldiers for you to mow your way through, Crysis 2 just seems like a fun way to burn off some gaming energy. Whether or not it will maintain this level of adrenaline through to the end will remain to be seen, but until then I’m placing it in Tier 1. I mean, I “power kicked” an outhouse. Is there really anything better?
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