Last night I had the pleasure of going to one of my first ever “press only” events. On top of loading up on free jack and cokes, I also had the privilege of playing the multiplayer of Crysis 2. I’m sorry to say that the best part of the night was the free drinks and socializing with people there.
Crysis 2′s multiplayer is nothing special in any shape or form. The first Crysis had a very unique multiplayer in that it blended vehicle combat along with the combat on foot. If you actually stuck with it, you’d know that it was just straight up fun. Crysis 2′s multiplayer rips these elements right out and becomes just another face in the fast growing FPS crowd.
I only got to try out 2 maps, and while they were pretty nice to look at, the game itself offered nothing special or unique to make it stand out. While the game is set to launch with more maps, I don’t think the maps will have the feel that the ones in the original Crysis had. The first game set you in a somewhat open environment where you could use the land to your advantage — but sadly it’s not like this in Crysis 2. You’re confined to these rooftops, destroyed buildings, and corridors, forget about that nice open jungle you had before — it’s gone.
You’re given the choice of a few different classes, but you’re only going to ever use two, maybe three of the five that are offered. The sniper has no value on some of these maps because of the small spaces you have to fight, and it seems you’re in close quarters combat more than anything else. The “scout” class can be good, but the shotgun seemed to shoot all over the place no matter how accurate you thought you were. You’ll want to avoid those two classes for the most part. Then again, this was an early build so things might change.
The other classes are good and the weapons you get with them are pretty effective against opponents. I suggest just sticking with the assault class. Although, the demolitions and engineer classes were pretty effective as well. I generally stuck with assault, but did explore all of the classes. I found that just the SCAR and a nice blend of teamwork was the best and most effective way to play the game and take out the other team. Other than that, having different classes seemed kind of pointless to me.
The game still has the armor abilities that the first game had, but they are close to being worthless. Sure the armor abilities added a little something to the fight here and there, but overall they aren’t going to be a big help and you’ll probably only end up using them for fun rather than a practical use. I know I rarely used them and I still managed to keep my KPD at or above a 1.0.
The cloak was useless because when you uncloaked, you left yourself wide open for attack for about 2 seconds until the cloak was fully disengaged. It was somewhat useful for sneaking up on enemies, but if you play anyone with half a brain, the second you uncloak, they will know you’re there. It caused me to get killed several times, so it was then I decided it was useless and stopped using it — problem solved! The “maximum armor” was the only one that proved to be useful, but only when used at the right times. I generally engaged it when I was in the middle of a fire fight and I knew I was on the verge of death. It saved me quite often and is the onl
The game’s multiplayer feels very familiar and lacks anything to appeal to people who already play some of today’s shooters online. Although, it seems the final version of the game will offer gamers who stick with it rewards as they continue to play. You’ll be given unlocks and rewards later on after you’ve played for a while and this should keep the hardcore “have to play it” fans going — which is in no way a bad thing for them.
Overall if you’re looking for something to “wow” you or you want a good first person shooter to play online, I would suggest passing on Crysis 2′s multiplayer. I just hope the singleplayer delivers, because that is all that Crysis 2 will have going for it. Then again, this was an early build and things could change. We’ll just have to wait until March 22nd to find out.
Posted on September 4th, 2010 at 7:55am by Kreyg
Filed Under: Crysis 2, Main, News, PAX 2010, PS3, Reviews, Xbox 360, hands-on, hot, impressions, pc
