Crysis 2. Anyone buy it and currently playing it?

[TechBoyJK]

These reviews make me wonder if any of the reviewers actually played the game, and how much they were paid to double the actual scores. This game is extremely disappointing compared to Crysis and Crysis Wars.

I pre-ordered this game last year and will be returning my copy tomorrow.

So you got the game today and have played through it already? Or you are just going by reviews and will return it un-opened? Yes, all of these reviewers played the game. I read the most of the reviews and they have videos, etc. Not sure where you are getting at and why you'd want to return it. logic fail?

 

[brandonb]

Show me 1 DX11 game that looks a lot better compared to when it defaults to running in DX9 or DX10 codepath? BF:BC2? No. Dirt 2? No. I can't think of any. It's almost a given that in DX11 there will be some 64 billion tessellation depth courtesy of NV, and with it probably a 30%-50%+ performance hit over DX9. If anything, DX11 has been the biggest disappointment of all outside of Civ5 and BattleForge which actually run faster in DX11 mode. I would much rather Crytek bring out a Very High texture resolution pack over DX11 anyday.

Your choice, buy the game, I will not buy any more DX9 apps again. This isn't 2005 anymore.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Your choice, buy the game, I will not buy any more DX9 apps again. This isn't 2005 anymore.

LOL CE3 does support DX11. It's just that nvidia made a huge investment into Crytek to advance nVidia specific tesselation and other DX11 features in the game. Crytek had to rewrite much of their DX11 implementation, for the better (at least for those with nvidia hardware), and that's why there is a delay in DX11 release.

 

[CrystalBay]

Steam is taking care of me right now, 12-15 hours of SP is cool.

 

[superccs]

I never got the Crysis 2 MP demo to work... sooo not sure if I will pick it up.

 

[duragezic]

So do I buy it er what?

 

[sigurros81]

These reviews make me wonder if any of the reviewers actually played the game, and how much they were paid to double the actual scores. This game is extremely disappointing compared to Crysis and Crysis Wars.

I pre-ordered this game last year and will be returning my copy tomorrow.

After installing the game and playing it right, since I trust that you are an objective and judicial individual when expressing your criticism of a video game?

 

[Termie]

Ars review of xbox version: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/03/the-fall-of-new-york-ars-reviews-crysis-2.ars. They definitely do not take money to write reviews.

I'll buy the game...when it's $30 or under. I'm leaning towards the PC version for KB/mouse controls, but I might buy it for xbox unless reviews say that the PC visuals are actually better. Most reviews are saying it's the best looking console game ever.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Not buying this game.

Those reviews are suspicious, how much has EA invested in review market? Something is fishy..

 

[Powermoloch]

i'll wait till it hits the $10 bargain bin

 

[duragezic]

This thread was created around the same time as yours but got the replies:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2152133

I'm reading great reviews of it. The critic reviews are nearly all excellent, and the user reviews mostly excellent as well, other than brought down by a few whiners.

Which is very surprising to me. I didn't think it would flop by any means, but I thought overall the MP demo didn't get a very good reception (I thought it was good though) yet most all reviews say the MP is awesome.

I'm leaning towards buying it but I'd like to hear some thoughts by ATers who have it.

 

[sigurros81]

I'm getting the vibe that if a game gets good reviews, it's because reviewers got bought out by the publisher, if a game gets crappy reviews, then it's just crap. Pretty much a lose/lose situation when dealing with the looney so-called "hardcore" gamers.

Games that I've purchased in the past year.

-BFBC2: Love it, still play it, it got good reviews
-SC2: Love it, still play it to hell, it also got good reviews
-Black Ops: Fun game, don't play it as much, didn't regret getting it, it got good reviews
-New Vegas: Love it, it also got great reviews
-ME2: Great game, a bit overhyped with all the positive reviews, but still enjoyed it.

Point is, don't really need to buy into this whole dumbass conspiracy theory about reviewers being bought out. Generally when a game gets good reviews, chances are, it's actually good.

 

[duragezic]

Oh yeah I'm thinking it is a good game, probably worth of a 80-90/100. I don't think I've bought any games that got good reviews that wasn't good. Well, other than Black Ops, simply because it crashes constantly even after all the patches and was a waste of $60. :\ And heck, MW2 on PC got bad reviews due to a lot of whiners and it's good.

edit: It's funny, it seems one of the biggest complaints is lack of DX11. From what I've seen, a minority even have DX11 capable systems and I heard that while it does offer some new features, it comes with a big performance hit. Plus its coming in a patch right? Why is it such a big deal then? And heck, if that's such a huge problem to people, it's amazing the forums aren't filled with "OMG the draconian DRM".

 

[TechBoyJK]

Crytek is a company that's very knowledgeable in graphic tech. If DX11 wasn't a priority, I think that speaks more about dx11 than it does CryTek.

 

[nitromullet]

I might just have to get this. I thoroughly enjoyed the first 2/3 of Crysis, and I think Crytek really improved gameplay significantly with Crysis Warhead. Based on reviews it sounds like the Crysis 2 campaign is not only good, but it's actually a decent length as well.

Edit: my only reservation is that I still have games I picked up during the Steam holiday sale that I haven't played - Mafia2 DLC, Amnesia Dark Descent, FEAR2, and Transformers - War for Cybertron. Plus, I'm leveling a nelf druid in WoW, so I have plenty of games to keep me busy. /shrug

...ya know, Steam needs a notify option for when games on your wishlist hit a certain price point.

 

[brandonb]

Crytek is a company that's very knowledgeable in graphic tech. If DX11 wasn't a priority, I think that speaks more about dx11 than it does CryTek.

Except for the fact it was made for consoles which doesn't support DX11... So obviously their focus is going to be the lowest common denominator. In the case of PC and XBOX, that means their DX9 implementation. They obviously do not care much about DX11, as they can still release it as DX9 to get PC sales, but obviously do not anticipate many sales there. Just see their whining about piracy on the PC and you can see why they would not bother to focus on the PC (DX11)... Think about it a sec. They care more about the dollar than their graphics.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

definitely going to wait for a steam sale, maybe this christmas or next

one of the best parts about Crysis was using your super armor nano suit to totally mess with other human enemies and feel like some sort of super hero, but from the reviews it sounds like you're mostly fighting aliens and that they even nerfed the suit's abilities so that its at best a side step instead of an improvement

 

[BD2003]

FWIW, I already beat it on the PS3. So putting aside anything about graphics, its still one damn fine game. Its still got that pseudo-open world crysis feel to it, although a bit toned down from crysis 1 - even though you are still funneled through a fairly linear path, it opens up wide enough to give you some options how to progress.

I wont say it hasnt been consolized, because its fairly obvious that it has been - the primary change being the scenery. Its just a hell of a lot easier to render buildings and walls than a jungle. But they have done a great job recreating lower manhattan, and I'm sure a high end PC will do a hell of a better job doing so than a console.

My main issue with it is that the story is just downright impenetrable - even on my second playthrough I still dont know WTF is going on. But the game itself is well designed enough that you probably wont care. Also, if youre at all touchy about imagery reminiscent of sept 11th, this is not the game for you. All the destruction of the lower east side makes for a great video game and all, they definitely straddle the line of tastefulness a few times.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Except for the fact it was made for consoles which doesn't support DX11... So obviously their focus is going to be the lowest common denominator. In the case of PC and XBOX, that means their DX9 implementation. They obviously do not care much about DX11, as they can still release it as DX9 to get PC sales, but obviously do not anticipate many sales there. Just see their whining about piracy on the PC and you can see why they would not bother to focus on the PC (DX11)... Think about it a sec. They care more about the dollar than their graphics.

I'm not sure you fully understand what you are talking about.

You really need to look into how CE3 works.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Crytek is a company that's very knowledgeable in graphic tech. If DX11 wasn't a priority, I think that speaks more about dx11 than it does CryTek.

and the fact that you're saying this just goes to show you bought into their strategy hook-line-and-sinker

they got their feet wet with Far Cry

then they proceed to wow us with Crysis' graphics through a rather inelegant brute-force strategy

now we get people like you who assume anything they do is going to be industry leading with noble intentions in regard to graphics because of one game

fact of the matter here is that DX11 wasn't a priority for a release to this game for 3 reasons:

1. after gaining significant notoriety for their graphical prowess with Crysis, they simply don't have to try as hard to raise the bar, if raise it at all. By establishing a reputation for industry leading graphics they don't have to do it all over again, they already have that foot in the door

2. they took that notoriety and brought it to focus on the consoles where they're likely to sell twice as many units than they are for the PC, given that neither console supports DX11 or couldn't even dream of running such a graphically advanced game it would be incredibly dumb for them as a business to entertain DX11 as a priority

3. nVidia specifically gave them money later into the development of the game to rework their DX11 implementation with the obvious intention to have it favor their hardware in some fashion

 

[zerocool84]

I'm not sure you fully understand what you are talking about.

You really need to look into how CE3 works.

I played the demo, they obviously made it for consoles.

 

[BigDH01]

Oh yeah I'm thinking it is a good game, probably worth of a 80-90/100. I don't think I've bought any games that got good reviews that wasn't good. Well, other than Black Ops, simply because it crashes constantly even after all the patches and was a waste of $60. :\ And heck, MW2 on PC got bad reviews due to a lot of whiners and it's good.

Then there is Civ5. There was clearly a disconnect there between game reviews and the actual game. I don't know if reviewers are "bought out," but I definitely think there is some "grade inflation" happening.

edit: It's funny, it seems one of the biggest complaints is lack of DX11. From what I've seen, a minority even have DX11 capable systems and I heard that while it does offer some new features, it comes with a big performance hit. Plus its coming in a patch right? Why is it such a big deal then? And heck, if that's such a huge problem to people, it's amazing the forums aren't filled with "OMG the draconian DRM".

I think this really boils down to the fact that people realize that a DX11 patch isn't really going to do much. It might add some neat features here or there, but nothing that drastically changes gameplay. For better or worse, the graphics of all new games (at least of the FPS genre) are going to be intrinsically tied to the performance of obsolete GPUs of current gen console hardware. IMO, the only reason to buy the latest round of video cards is to support GPU development and the hope that your new card will have equivalent performance of whatever is going to be in the xbox720 or ps4. That is pretty much the only way you're going to see a real return on your investment.

 

[Regs]

Your choice, buy the game, I will not buy any more DX9 apps again. This isn't 2005 anymore.

DX11 is more of a marketing gimmick anyway. Software vendors continue to work with hardware vendors from both camps to improve on their functionality and capabilities all the time. Who gives a rats ass about what Microsoft calls DX11? They're the same company that produced the Xbox, remember?

You should read up the articles some time in the video section of anandtech over the last few years.

 

[duragezic]

Ah, well I guess people just want something to really put their systems to a test, but I just want a good game with good graphics. And heck, when a game does really push it like Crysis did, it was met by some as being a supposedly inefficient game.

Well, I've been checking here and other forums for hours and I've hardly seen much talk about it from people who have actually been playing it. So it kind of makes me think everyone is playing it?

So I freed up some HD space and pulled the trigger on it. There has been a number of positive reviews from critics and players, and I trust Crytek for the most part as Crysis and Warhead were excellent.

Got the LE bonus content, and Steam is chugging along at 800-1200 kbps.

 

[greenhawk]

Crytek has a partnership with nVidia that has caused them to have to backtrack on how DX11 is implemented in Crysis 2. You can thank nVidia for throwing enough cash at Crytek to make them rewrite their dx11 implementation.

I personally side on the where nVidia paid to delay the game so their GPU release would not be overshadowed by gamers asking "A faster card, but what needs it?".