Choosing the Best Game of 2011 is Quite a Crysis!

2011 has been a pretty good year for video games in general. There are a bunch of great games scheduled for release this holiday season, and I am on track to have spent more money this year than any year in my life on gaming. Even though a few games scheduled for holiday releases could possibly change my mind, my favorite game of the year is Crysis 2.



Before Crysis was even conceived of as a console shooter, I was partial to the title's graphics and hype. The nanosuit looks cooler than anything going, and the hi def screen shots from the original Crysis looked beautiful. I had a Crysis screensaver 2 years ago, so it wasn't hard for the sales clerk at gamestop to talk me in to pre-ordering Crytek's first entry on consoles. At the time I had never played much first person shooter games, and had just recently started playing 3rd person shooters. The viewpoint makes me dizzy, and I had never gotten past the skill curve to enjoy multiplayer. The clerk said it had an over the shoulder vantage point, and had I known it was FPS I probably wouldn't be writing this today. I am grateful that the kid didn't know what he was talking about because since I played Crysis 2 I have went back and played every other FPS title that came out in the last year. After playing the much hyped Call of Duty: Black Ops and Halo: Reach, I could honestly say that Crysis 2 is a superior game in most aspects. The game lacked an overall polish, which can probably be attributed to running on Crytek's brand new CryEngine 3.



Crysis 2 is based on an Alien invasion in the near future. Your primary opponents are the Ceph, and C.E.L.L. agents who are like SWAT. Alcatraz, the character you play as has control of the nanosuit, which is basically the main character in the game. The nanosuit has an array of abilities that allow you to play the game in a fashion that suits you. There is a stealth mode for invisibility, and armor mode to make you tougher, and a power mode that lets you sprint about quickly, launch yourself great distances and slide several feet while aiming. Since the game is open world you can traverse the levels any way you choose, however using your visor gives you suggestions for meeting each objective the way the developers intended. When you map out these courses, the gameplay takes on a whole other level of action rarely seen in any form of media. The frenetic pace and devastating arsenal truly make the battles feel overwhelming, while the nanosuit reminds you that you are the one in control.



The soundtrack was composed by Hans Zimmer, and I don't think it could have been any better. A dark, heavy, electronic inspiration is apparent throughout, and it truly gives you the feeling of a technological takeover. There are some problems with the sound effects of people dying when there is no one around in multiplayer (I've heard it referred to as moaning ghosts), as well as some problems with volume level, but Zimmer's soundtrack more than makes up for it. As for the graphics, I mean it is Crysis. The graphics are everything you would expect from a franchise that set the gold standard in gaming, even though the console hardware has to run them at a dumbed down level. I did feel like the viewpoint was a little close to the ground at times, but Alcatraz may just be shorter than average. Without spoiling any key plot points, I think the story relies too much on the role of the nanosuit. There are several gripping cinematic sequences, and a gameplay mechanic where your objective is continuously changing due to sudden disasters is more surprising than annoying. The campaign is great all the way through, and Crysis 2 has delivered on it's promise not to be a clone of the hundred other first person rail shooters on the market today.



The nanosuit's powers translate well into multiplayer. Stealth and armor mode eliminate camping. Newer players try to camp in corners to replenish their power meter, but this makes the ripe pickings for more experienced players, and the sniper rifles are useless. The level designs coupled with the stealth ability make Instant Action matches a spectacle full of shots to the back and Mexican standoffs. There is never a dull moment, but it can be frustrating if you get your kills stolen several times in a row. Multiplayer does suffer from game crippling lag and bad matchmaking sometimes, but overall it wasn't enough to deter me from maxing out my Reboots at 5, and staying near the top of all the leader boards for the first 2 months. There was very little incentive to continue playing after the first reboot, which kept the replay value from being as high as it could have.



Many Crysis 2 fans were jaded by the problems, and the community quickly dwindled. The first Reboot (Prestige) reset your kills score, and players who play for rankings did not care for that much. I effectively ended my stint in multiplayer when the first map packs came out. My main complaint was the lack of community support from the staff. It was apparent that EA did not give this project a very big budget, however the community managers and developers would not address any of the problems, and would often report fixes that were not implemented. If you have heard bad reports on this game, don't let that deter you from picking up a copy and making the decision for yourself. Any first person shooter would have been a hard sell to me, but I am a believer now.