Crysis 2 is kind of weird for me. I had heard of the original Crysis for the PC but the game was so technologically advanced that you needed a top of the line PC rig to run the damned thing. Crysis 2 however is making the transition into being a multi-platform experience in that it will be available for the PC, PS3, and X-Box 360. Recently the multi-player beta was put on the X-Box Live marketplace for gold members. I figured I would check it out after reading some impressions from IGN and Gamespot. Of course I was a little wary going into this since most sites and blogs have commented on sluggish controls plaguing the game in the builds that they had played.
So I put the demo through its paces between last night and today (thanks snow day!). From the start the user interface is very slick. The menus are straightforward and lay out all the important information you need going in. If you're just now getting into the demo I would suggest giving the controls a once over because there's a lot you can do in this game compared to other shooters. Once you get into the game of course you're given one set class that you can use. Like with any other shooter you have to progress through and earn experience points to unlock more classes. And of course you'll get the chance to unlock your own customizable class once you have accumulated enough XP.
The basis behind the multi-player seems to be the customization options themselves. Each player has a battle suit with the ability to use a stealth cloaking system as well as boost their battle suit's armor, using the left and right bumper buttons. The rest of the button layout is your basic shooter affair; triggers are used to aim and shoot and the face buttons provide you the ability to crouch, jump, reload, and switch between weapons. The D-Pad comes in handy in selecting your grenades, changing your weapon from single shot to full auto and engaging your binoculars and infrared vision. I think that pretty much covers the basics.
As you progress through the multi-player ranks you're able to unlock more weapons, attachments for your weapons, and new enhancements for your armor. Some of these enhancements include quicker cloaking, an air stomp, and an enhanced armor mode allowing you to take increased damage. As one would assume, you're able to mix and match these to your liking with one set for each of your three battle suit enhancements, those being stealth, power, and armor.
So far the game play seems very frantic at times but I've been able to adjust my playing style to take things a bit more slowly. The result is a more methodical approach to a shooter.Considering at any moment someone could cloak and sneak up behind you it definitely takes a great amount of team work and strategy to win. In the games where teammates were actually communicating results were a lot better. Even playing in a party with one friend and the two of us watching each other's backs was infinitely better than the chaos of everyone going their own way. Then again, that could be said of any shooter.
Nonetheless, while frantic the game play seems somewhat balanced overall. The only problems I've had so far is that sometimes it seems hard to place your timing when trying to use a melee attack. Also, there seems to be some issues with hit detection. At times it seems as if there's no way to tell if you're connecting with your shots until you check out a kill-cam detailing what transpired. The controls are very responsive, unlike what was pointed out by some journalists so perhaps the system has been tweaked since that build of the game. However there still remains some issues. I fully expect EA to hammer these out after getting feedback on the demo.
In short, the multi-player experience is definitely fun. The full customization options will definitely be a hit with shooter junkies and provide some unique match ups. The graphics being powered by EA and Crytek's engine are simply amazing. Altogether it becomes a nice little package on screen. I look forward to hearing more about this title soon. Crysis 2 is expected in stores in late March.
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