I cannot say that I had high expectations for this one, especially after the horrendous Crysis Remastered that was, in some aspects, even worse than the original. Moreover, the continuous omission of the multiplayer part still hurts my poor heart… Nevertheless, to my pleasant surprise, Crysis 2 Remastered is a superior version that is worth playing to relive this first-person shooter experience in its new audiovisual coat that makes it seem more polished, bringing all the sweet details you would expect. But, just like with the first instalment, the price tag for the original owners still leaves a bittersweet taste in my mouth.

Anyway, some years ago, I considered Crysis 2 to be an improvement narrative-wise while being a step-back gameplay-wise. My younger self just could not accept the new changes—now I am torn, though! Even though I still love its plot the most, I started enjoying its gameplay more and perhaps appreciating its additions, even if some are not up to my liking.

So, let us delve into it!

This time around, you happen to be in the city of New York, which is under a strict lockdown due to the awakening of the ancient alien species. While the army is busy fighting them, mercenaries from a private military contractor C.E.L.L. roam the streets, purging everything that stands in their way. Thus, it is up to you to get rid of these threats! Naturally, one lonely man would not stand a chance against these overwhelming odds, so that is when a powerful Nanosuit that enhances your abilities comes to play—simply put, you are a living weapon. And perhaps the best hope the human race currently has.

While such a premise does not sound very original, its focus on numerous people having their own agendas, even during the ongoing alien invasion, makes it more intriguing to follow. That is why I adore its narrative, as it is no longer about the battle between “good” and “evil”; a lot is going on behind the curtains, and even these unearthly visitors have their reasonings. Hence, as you progress, you discover more and more layers of this mess. Now, I would not call it a masterpiece of storytelling. The themes are not that fleshed out, but I still fancy how it at least tries to make you think about the morals behind others’ behaviour in this conflict, mainly because their actions influence the lives of the city’s survivors.
https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2889643352
Consequently, this sudden replacement of the environment from the lovely and peaceful beaches of tropical islands to this concrete jungle naturally brings various gameplay changes. And while Crysis 2 implements them well, I would say it could push them more. For example, a lot of encounters have more of a vertical nature now, forcing you to fight foes at every corner and floor; however, the levels became more linear, especially when compared to its predecessor. Thus, despite providing you with new solid opportunities on how to approach the situations, it also takes other options, ones I was used to, away from you. That is a bit strange and ambivalent take which is still enjoyable for what it is, but I feel the loss.

Still, such a shift allows for new joyful advantages. Like, a bunch of cars scattered around can serve as a temporary defensive position as well as a timed bomb—or you can even kick them at others. There are naturally many more various objects lying around, presenting you with possibilities one would expect from its environment. The enhanced mobility of the Nanosuit goes hand to hand with it, allowing you to perform higher jumps, quickly grab ledges or do swift slides—all of that makes both movement and combat more fun, as it allows for better positioning. Therefore, being agile is crucial for survival, especially on higher difficulties. Yet, when you get into it and obliterate some enemies in the process, it feels incredibly satisfying. Sadly, there is still that one weird mechanic that I cannot fully wrap my head around. That would be the automatic depletion of the suit’s power while running; before, you had the option to choose a Speed mode and become faster, yet that is suddenly not possible. It seems strange that “upgraded” abilities devolved like that, but given how our software tends to do so, it is perhaps not that unrealistic for it to happen in this universe, as well…
https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2889652064
While that can be a bit annoying at times, the rest makes up for it—and the combat only gets better! Not only because of the abovementioned features but also due to the new weaponry and abilities. By upgrading the suit, you can lean either towards the stealthy or action side; however, combining both makes you more versatile, and doing so made the journey more entertaining for me. Yet, even with a stealthy approach, you have to act fast because foes tend to check on each other via radio, so once someone does not respond, they start investigating. Thus, even a tiny error can turn the situation into a frenetic shootout, adding to the chaos, and I loved that!
https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2889653762
Nevertheless, even with such powerful equipment, enemies can make your time difficult; soldiers might use electrified pellets, and aliens can unleash energy bursts to disrupt your Nanosuit’s energy. Then, our unearthly friends are also more aggressive, often engaging in melee, as well. That makes encounters with them different, sweetly changing the pace and making the playthrough feel fresh. But I still miss their octopus-y design from its predecessor, where they looked strangely, and it seemed more iconic for the franchise. Anyway, you will find yourself more often in the middle of the fight between the said two factions, which makes it more hectic in a good way.

And that is all portrayed via an updated audiovisual spectacle! Even though Crysis 2 was already beautiful enough, it had some limitations due to being ported on dated consoles back in the day. To name some: certain textures looked way worse, and a thirty-frames-per-second lock plagued various animations. Due to issues like that, this instalment always felt the most problematic in this regard, as the rest of the series seems to be more polished and coherent with their looks (except for that previous atrocious “remaster”!). That and much more got improved, and the new lighting makes certain scenes more realistic. Hence, it is an enhancement, one that brings a bit of fresh air to this experience as a whole.

So, that is why I am fine with recommending Crysis 2 Remastered because, at its core, it is an enjoyable first-person shooter that actually got proper care now, unlike its predecessor. It is still worth playing even after the years, but the current price tag – especially for the owners of the original game – seems way too much for me, so better wait for a sale, as it will always be there for you anyway.

PC Specs and Performance

I played it with an i5 8300H, GTX 1060 6GB, and 16GB RAM, at high settings, at 40-60 frames per second, at 1920x1080 resolution. There were a few frame drops here and there, mostly in larger encounters, but nothing that would negatively hinder the experience.

Acknowledgement

This game was provided for review purposes by the developers. Thank you!

Curator links

Wanna read more reviews from me and my colleagues? Then check out IndieGems.
If you are interested purely in my thoughts, then check out Blue Lips and their Quips!

[h1][b][i]”Oh, look! Yet another remaster!”[/i][/b][/h1] I cannot say that I had high expectations for this one, especially after the horrendous [url=https://steamproxy.net/id/1AviaRa1/recommended/1715130/]Crysis Remastered[/url] that was, in some aspects, even worse than the original. Moreover, the continuous omission of the multiplayer part still hurts my poor heart… Nevertheless, to my pleasant surprise, [i]Crysis 2 Remastered[/i] is a superior version that is worth playing to relive this first-person shooter experience in its new audiovisual coat that makes it seem more polished, bringing all the sweet details you would expect. But, just like with the first instalment, the price tag for the original owners still leaves a bittersweet taste in my mouth. Anyway, some years ago, I considered [i]Crysis 2[/i] to be an improvement narrative-wise while being a step-back gameplay-wise. My younger self just could not accept the new changes—now I am torn, though! Even though I still love its plot the most, I started enjoying its gameplay more and perhaps appreciating its additions, even if some are not up to my liking. So, let us delve into it! This time around, you happen to be in the city of New York, which is under a strict lockdown due to the awakening of the ancient alien species. While the army is busy fighting them, mercenaries from a private military contractor C.E.L.L. roam the streets, purging everything that stands in their way. Thus, it is up to you to get rid of these threats! Naturally, one lonely man would not stand a chance against these overwhelming odds, so that is when a powerful Nanosuit that enhances your abilities comes to play—simply put, you are a living weapon. And perhaps the best hope the human race currently has. While such a premise does not sound very original, its focus on numerous people having their own agendas, even during the ongoing alien invasion, makes it more intriguing to follow. That is why I adore its narrative, as it is no longer about the battle between “good” and “evil”; a lot is going on behind the curtains, and even these unearthly visitors have their reasonings. Hence, as you progress, you discover more and more layers of this mess. Now, I would not call it a masterpiece of storytelling. The themes are not that fleshed out, but I still fancy how it at least tries to make you think about the morals behind others’ behaviour in this conflict, mainly because their actions influence the lives of the city’s survivors. https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2889643352 Consequently, this sudden replacement of the environment from the lovely and peaceful beaches of tropical islands to this concrete jungle naturally brings various gameplay changes. And while [i]Crysis 2[/i] implements them well, I would say it could push them more. For example, a lot of encounters have more of a vertical nature now, forcing you to fight foes at every corner and floor; however, the levels became more linear, especially when compared to its predecessor. Thus, despite providing you with new solid opportunities on how to approach the situations, it also takes other options, ones I was used to, away from you. That is a bit strange and ambivalent take which is still enjoyable for what it is, but I feel the loss. Still, such a shift allows for new joyful advantages. Like, a bunch of cars scattered around can serve as a temporary defensive position as well as a timed bomb—or you can even kick them at others. There are naturally many more various objects lying around, presenting you with possibilities one would expect from its environment. The enhanced mobility of the Nanosuit goes hand to hand with it, allowing you to perform higher jumps, quickly grab ledges or do swift slides—all of that makes both movement and combat more fun, as it allows for better positioning. Therefore, being agile is crucial for survival, especially on higher difficulties. Yet, when you get into it and obliterate some enemies in the process, it feels incredibly satisfying. Sadly, there is still that one weird mechanic that I cannot fully wrap my head around. That would be the automatic depletion of the suit’s power while running; before, you had the option to choose a Speed mode and become faster, yet that is suddenly not possible. It seems strange that “upgraded” abilities devolved like that, but given how our software tends to do so, it is perhaps not that unrealistic for it to happen in this universe, as well… https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2889652064 While that can be a bit annoying at times, the rest makes up for it—and the combat only gets better! Not only because of the abovementioned features but also due to the new weaponry and abilities. By upgrading the suit, you can lean either towards the stealthy or action side; however, combining both makes you more versatile, and doing so made the journey more entertaining for me. Yet, even with a stealthy approach, you have to act fast because foes tend to check on each other via radio, so once someone does not respond, they start investigating. Thus, even a tiny error can turn the situation into a frenetic shootout, adding to the chaos, and I loved that! https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2889653762 Nevertheless, even with such powerful equipment, enemies can make your time difficult; soldiers might use electrified pellets, and aliens can unleash energy bursts to disrupt your Nanosuit’s energy. Then, our unearthly friends are also more aggressive, often engaging in melee, as well. That makes encounters with them different, sweetly changing the pace and making the playthrough feel fresh. But I still miss their octopus-y design from its predecessor, where they looked strangely, and it seemed more iconic for the franchise. Anyway, you will find yourself more often in the middle of the fight between the said two factions, which makes it more hectic in a good way. And that is all portrayed via an updated audiovisual spectacle! Even though [i]Crysis 2[/i] was already beautiful enough, it had some limitations due to being ported on dated consoles back in the day. To name some: certain textures looked way worse, and a thirty-frames-per-second lock plagued various animations. Due to issues like that, this instalment always felt the most problematic in this regard, as the rest of the series seems to be more polished and coherent with their looks (except for that previous atrocious “remaster”!). That and much more got improved, and the new lighting makes certain scenes more realistic. Hence, it is an enhancement, one that brings a bit of fresh air to this experience as a whole. So, that is why I am fine with recommending [i]Crysis 2 Remastered[/i] because, at its core, it is an enjoyable first-person shooter that actually got proper care now, unlike its predecessor. It is still worth playing even after the years, but the current price tag – especially for the owners of the original game – seems way too much for me, so better wait for a sale, as it will always be there for you anyway. [b]PC Specs and Performance[/b][quote]I played it with an [b]i5 8300H[/b], [b]GTX 1060 6GB[/b], and [b]16GB RAM[/b], at high settings, at [b]40-60[/b] frames per second, at [b]1920x1080[/b] resolution. There were a few frame drops here and there, mostly in larger encounters, but nothing that would negatively hinder the experience.[/quote] [b]Acknowledgement[/b][quote]This game was provided for review purposes by the developers. Thank you![/quote] [b]Curator links[/b][quote]Wanna read more reviews from me and my colleagues? Then check out [url=https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/curator/32732116/]IndieGems[/url]. If you are interested purely in my thoughts, then check out [url=https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/curator/41545671/]Blue Lips and their Quips[/url]![/quote]