CRYSIS 2 - Know that this game is AWESOME, but far from perfect. And read why I'm very worried about future games.
If you're reading this, you're in the club. Now....First Person Shooters are made...by design...to immerse the player into the game world. If after playing a FPS game for just a few moments you don't feel totally "inside" the game, that's an indication that you're in for dissapointment. Crysis 2 absolutely totally immerses the player and after some time with the game, you are entranced in a Crysis coma and need assistance to just come back into the real world.
The tutorial level at the start of the game does a poor job, with explaining most everything. The enclosed game guide booklet doesn't help much either. Missing are understandable instructions on weapon inventory management as mapped to the D-pad, details on weapon and suit leveling, and control options. I was half-way through the game before I discoverd where to find the C-4 that I kept picking up.
But you do learn and once the controls are second nature to you, all parts of gameplay flow effortlessly..
There are some glitches with freakish sound segments throughout the game and enemy A.I. that can sometimes faulter, to the point of ridiculous action but it's nothing that will cause you to slow down for a second.
Another glitch was when I arrived at the beginning of the last level and could not arm myself with any weapons, nor did my visor function. I was just kind of "naked". Once I got killed and the checkpoint reloaded, all was back to normal (#7).
HOWEVER...all of this does not stop the flow. It's all noticeable, but frankly you're so busy comtemplating your method of attack while oogling the gorgeous graphics that you just don't care about these shortcomings. Then when you play through an absolutely phenominal action set piece, everything feels just right. I have played through a hundred FPS titles, and NONE of them have the feeling of this game. As a side note, the fire-fight, gun battle audio is the absolute best ever in any video game. To prove this...here's what you do: Cook a grenade just right and throw it underneath a car parked in the parking garage in the "Corporate Collapse" chapter, while Cell soldiers are behind that car using it for cover. That is a moment of blissful carnage. And at the end of that same chapter, there is a huge Mech Boss that takes some real work to take down. There are multiple ways to tackle that mech, and finding out a way that works gives you a wonderful feel of accomplishment. And the sound....Whoa.
And then there's the ending....which I will leave to your discovery...but is it ever worth getting to the end.
I'll be playing this game again, looking for more dog-tags and emails. But if I don't find any, it won't matter. I will still be totally immersed into saving New York City.
I am seriously worried about playing games in the future....because they will never measure up in quality with Crysis 2 and I will be in for a let-down for sure.