Crysis 2 PC Review

Crysis 2 Review

While the PC version of Crysis 2 is superior to the console version both in terms of its graphical splendour (if nothing else you can get a higher resolution on the PC) and the interface of the platform, the PC version does still have issues.

The first of these is the fact that Crysis 2 on PC is tied into third-party software such as GameSpy and the EA Download Manager. GameSpy is used to orchestrate and run multiplayer matches, with players presented with a sign-in screen as soon as they start the game. The Download Manager is used to keep the game up to date and asks you to sign-in as soon as you turn on your computer.

Neither GameSpy nor EA’s Download Manager are an elegant solution to the problems they attempt to solve and we’d frankly rather be rid of them – they don’t infringe on the game experience too much, but they do bring down our opinion of the product. It’s hard to know how much you can trust this kind of software, especially when we’ve been stung in the past.


We also found ourselves continually disappointed with the multiplayer portion of Crysis 2, across all platforms. The Nanosuit 2.0 is an excellent addition to the singleplayer game and does an excellent job of elevating players above their prey, with streamlined controls letting you flit between powers easily. Not having to flick between Maximum Speed and Maximum Strength to accomplish a Maximum Jump is especially appreciated.

In multiplayer, however, the Nanosuit feels like it throws the balance of the game. Enemies will appear to shrug off otherwise fatal blows or will materialise next to you without warning, killing you before you can react. The scale of the levels doesn’t help with this either, as most of them feel too small to offset the great powers of the players.

While these niggles are frustrating though, even they can’t dim the brilliance Crysis 2 reaches with some of its bigger battles – the times when Crysis 2 doesn’t just limit you to city streets and subway stations, but gives you the chance to decide how to fight. When switching between Crysis 2 on consoles and Crysis 2 on the PC, it’s clear which platform the game was designed for first – the latter.


Yes, accommodations have been made for the console version, most notably when it comes to the graphics options, but the PC game still plays the best. It also looks the best, has the most potential and is the most fun to play. It’s also astonishing how much difference a controller can make.

When we played Crysis 2 on the consoles, we honestly could have taken or left it. Only on the PC do we feel comfortable recommending and replaying Crytek’s best game yet – and its first chance of matching technical prowess with good game design.