A suitably tightened up sequel...but lacking some of the Crysis flavour.
Crysis 2 nicely tightens the suit and its skills - with armour and stealth replacing the lean functions (relegated to context sensitive mouse function) and strength and speed just upgrades to jump/punch/run...nothing ever gets underutilised. Some might call that "consolisation"...but I don't think so. The original Crysis never fully realised the potential of the nanosuit and needed the simplification it has received.
Similarly, the game is just as tight - while Crysis could be played very slowly and patiently, C2 is more intense, even if the same level of patience is required.
The visuals and setting are excellent, and really make it feel like a post-apocalyptic New York - you won't be destroying much...but then you don't take out engineered concrete structures like a tin shack in a jungle.
The only thing I really miss from Crysis are the flying aliens - they were a nice change from the usual FPS fare of "soldier who looks a bit funny", and flying around gave them a degree of menace and gave them an edge over you. Another minor complaint is that the plot has been sold out for the console crowd - for a sequel there's very little feeling that the events of Crysis were important beyond "Here's a special suit!" and "Here be aliens!".
But enough of "Why it's not Crysis". Crysis stands tall on its own merits - it's a well thought out FPS with a structured plot and balanced weapons. You have to carefully select what you're carrying around with you - no longer are the weapons so general purpose with the attachments - only certain weapons can be silenced, for example, and come with their own set of disadvantages.
The AI does have its stupid moments, at one point I had them blowing each other up with grenades, but generally they behave as you'd expect for soldiers attempting to hunt a sometime-invisible super soldier - they get into search patterns and patrol key areas.
The music adds atmosphere - there is plenty of variety to up the emotional relationship to what you're doing - if Crysis felt like a military documentary, Crysis 2 feels like the pounding action thriller you'd expect.
In summary, this is not a "consolised" game, although there are concessions to the console players who are jumping on the bandwagon (plus the checkpoints, unfortunately). This is an action-packed game with a lot of options on how you can approach it. It's more limited compared to Crysis, but short of another jungle, any environment is going to have its limits. The city brings its own set of challenges as the arrow-straight streets of New York do not have thick, lush jungle to disappear into - you have to choose your moment carefully and take it.
This is a worthy sequel to a game that has been put on a pedestal by PC gamers. It has its minor issues, but it is an excellent game.