Crysis 2 (Xbox 360)

Finished the Single player on Super soldier with all Achievements and played as much MP as I think I will So it's time for a Review....... First off I never played the first game on the PC so I'm not a Fanboy, but just because I never does not make me a Philistine! People have been bad mouthing consoles and say this "should remain a PC exclusive"!? Grow up Children lol

May as well start with the best part of the Game, the graphics! This lives up to it's acclaim of best looking Console game ever! Had I been asked prior to playing this I would have said FFXIII, Heavy Rain, ME2 or MGS4 but this game blows them all out of the water. It actually makes you question why more Developers don't bother to produce such amazing engines or put the effort into push the boundaries of what should be achieved for your hard earned cash.

I can't describe just how amazing the graphics are and would not be able to do it justice through the medium of written text. Believe me you need to play it just to experience its sheer greatness. From the weapon details to suits to city landscape it's just jaw dropping. The lighting of the cityscape is ultra realistic.

BUT although the visual side of the game is flawless it let's it self down in other departments. The score for this game is atmospheric and adds to the experience but for some reason the whole audio experience is painful and at parts It's physically painful! The volume levels change with out warning and become distorted (MP match loading Screen is the worst) and as a headset user audio matters to me! There is no perception of depth with SFX and you can't locate where the noises are coming from (for example a Ceph walking above you sounds like it's beside you through a wall :s)

The Single player was enjoyable and was lengthy! I say lengthy 8-10 hours but that's long these days. The game mechanics are well thought out, the HUD,Nano suit....it has a lot of nice touches. The gameplay is like a mix of a FPS version of MGS meets Splinter cell with a little bit of mirrors edge thrown in, oh and aliens but they are in the games that zombies don’t fit into lol.

The game play could have been as good as the graphics where it not for the awful AI (both friendly and Enemy) you can either pick to go guns blazing or stealthy hiding style but to be honest when the enemies are not walking in circles against an object or refusing to investigate any distraction you cause you may as well just put stealth on and walk past them. Had this game have had included the same mechanic of enemy awareness as in MGS (you know where if there are alerted they actually investigate) this could have been a true GOTY contender.

The MP is.....well it's another FPS! I like the fact that you need to collect DT's (Dog tags) from people you kill (prevents campers) in order to gain kill streak rewards but TBH there not that good. The objective based games give you more points for playing properly which makes me happy as it's so annoying on other games when people play them just for kills!? Scum!

It's a nice touch to have both stealth and Armor options in game but it's a token effort because if like me you run and gun then you have no energy for either suit options All in all it's a great game with amazing visuals but the stupid AI and lack of backstory given to you prior to you playing this title let the SP down. I know not many people care about SP anymore but I do and I see MP as an extra on top of what should be the main effort (SP) not the other way round.

Easy game for GS, got 800+ in about 20 hours MP&SP. Thanks to a deal made prior to launch (demand from Devs) this game does not include an online code so it's a MUST!!! Rent with a view to buy. If you like MP FPS then you should enjoy this.

Stevie Score 8.5/10