Crysis 2 Multiplayer Preview

The multiplayer demo for Crysis 2 was recently released, giving gamers a great look at what’s to come. The demo showcases 2 maps, 2 game modes, 4 classes, and a whole lot of fun.

The two game modes that are shown are both team based. The first mode is Team Instant Action, a standard 6 vs. 6 team deathmatch. The winner is decided by the team that reaches 50 kills first, or who has the most kills after ten minutes. The second mode is Crash Site. In this mode an alien ship flies by and drops of a pod at a pre-set location (there are many of these locations in one map, and they are chosen in a random order). The two teams must then race to the crashed pod earning points for as long as they can maintain control of the pod. However before the ship returns the previous pod has to disappear. The pod achieves this by turning unstable, and exploding, giving players a small chance to flee from the blast.

The 2 maps are quite varied giving gamers to test out the weapons, and nanosuit in a variety of different terrain. The first map Skyline, is situated on a rooftop garden in New York. This doesn’t give you to much room to manouver, and any mistakes near the edge could cost you your life. Skyline also features an interior section, that is even more confined, making frag grenades an extremely useful weapon. The many perches of Skyline also offer great vantage points, but there is often no cover, so snipers be wary. The second map Pier 17 is much larger, and also brings water into the equation. The abandoned mall, and ruined shipyard are perfect spots for firefights, as well as good vantage points. The large open space between the two buildings can easily become a bloodbath if you wander out uncloaked, or without armor.  The capsized boats, and water provide unique opportunities to combine stealth techniques. Cloaking yourself underwater makes you extremely hard to spot, and if no one sees you surface you can get to some nice shots on your enemies.

The four available classes include, assault, scout, sniper, and gunner. Assault class soldiers, are equipped with an assault rifle, pistol, and frag grenades. the scout class gets automatic shotguns, flashbangs, and a suppressed pistol, snipers are outfitted with sniper rifles, flashbangs, and pistols, and gunners have the same load out as assault class, except the assault rifle is replaced with a medium-sized machine gun. At rank 5 you gain the ability to customize your own class, and the more you level up the more customization options you have.

In game support bonuses for kill streaks are also showcased. Among the most used are Maximum Radar, which shows enemy locations on the map, Orbital Strike, in which a space cannon blasts gamma rays at the targeted area, and Ceph Strike, where a hacked alien gunship flies in to lay waste to the opposing team.

The demo has a  rank cap of 10, and each of the secondary stats (stealth, armor, and power) cap at 3. This won’t be something you’ll be able to accomplish quickly, making gamers come back for more.

The new stealth cloak is a great addition to the gameplay. It slows down the fast-paced FPS and allows you to pull of stealth kills Assassin’s Creed style, or snipe someone from out in the open. Of course your not completely invisible, and your heat signature will still show up in Nanovision. Enhancing your armor is also another way you can use your energy, or you can divert it to running, jumping and sliding across the map at a blistering pace.

Graphically the game is superb, and the speed effects are wonderful, and they have to be, the walking speed in Crysis 2 is far closer to running than walking. However the speed is necessary, and people who play FPSs with a more natural walking speed will eventually get used to it.

Although this demo offers no insight into the plot of the main game, it does give gamers a taste of what’s to come in the full game, so be fast, be strong, be invisible, be the weapon, and be patient. You will be able to get the full Crysis 2 experience on the 22nd of March.

Here are some in game screens from the PC demo. The blur was hard to avoid due to the speed of the gameplay.

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