So I've got $20 burning a hole in my pocket, and I see that Xbox Live is selling both the original Crysis & Crysis 2 for $19.99 a pop. I've been curious about the series ever since they first came out & garnered the reputation of making one's graphics card cry. As I am what one might charitably call a "n00b" when it comes to FPSes (i.e., the only one I've ever played all the way through was the original Halo; I tried Gears of War but was put off by everything being shades of brown/grey/red and what I consider to be stupid grenade mechanics), I'm a little uncertain about which direction I should take. Don't get me wrong, I love me a little run-and-gun (see: Borderlands), and Oblivion & Skyrim have engendered in me a deep-seated adoration of sneaking about & shivving the ones you love, so the play-as-you-like game style being advertised by the series appeals to me greatly. Here's the big question--which one should I go with? Should I take 'em in order, or does it matter? Which one plays better/is more fun?
Crysis 1 or 2?
- Thread starter TimeLord75
- Start date
All the Crytek games suffer from the same flaw. It's tons of fun when they give you a bunch of human opponents and a sandbox from which to stalk them... only to go off the rails once the sci-fi stuff starts up.
Crysis 1 offers up the bigger sandbox, although you'll find yourself cursing it when you're forced to commute to the next mission in the world's most explodable car.
Crysis 2 goes for smaller arenas, which I actually like more, and pretty much every level allows for brute force, sniper, and stealth approaches.
Both are great fun in the early levels (ever since Far Cry, I've re-played the early missions over and over), but you're likely to be stealthing your way past the aliens because they're not much fun to fight. The first Crysis less so since the damn things fly.
Crysis 1 offers up the bigger sandbox, although you'll find yourself cursing it when you're forced to commute to the next mission in the world's most explodable car.
Crysis 2 goes for smaller arenas, which I actually like more, and pretty much every level allows for brute force, sniper, and stealth approaches.
Both are great fun in the early levels (ever since Far Cry, I've re-played the early missions over and over), but you're likely to be stealthing your way past the aliens because they're not much fun to fight. The first Crysis less so since the damn things fly.
Crysis has less overall structure, because it plants you in a big empty sandbox and tells you to make your way to the next objectives but lets you proceed from whatever direction you like. I believe the Xbox version uses the same engine as Crysis 2, so I doubt there will really be any differences in gameplay aside from the first being on an island and the second being in a city.
Personally, I liked 2 more. It didn't have as many terrible vehicles sections, it added more vertical movement through the areas, and it didn't feel like the "open world" was a lie because it was... well, empty. But I'm not the biggest fan of open worlds in games to begin with. I appreciate interconnected large areas with room to explore more than just a free sandbox.
So, assuming the mechanics are the same between both games (because the engine switch between the PC versions of Crysis and Crysis 2 actually rather significantly tweaked the gun feel and the power of the nanosuit, and I don't have any frame of reference for the console version of the first), I guess it comes down to whether you want a tropical environment or a city environment. Because the story is pants in both of them, and you don't really need to know what happened in the first to know what's going on in the second.
Personally, I liked 2 more. It didn't have as many terrible vehicles sections, it added more vertical movement through the areas, and it didn't feel like the "open world" was a lie because it was... well, empty. But I'm not the biggest fan of open worlds in games to begin with. I appreciate interconnected large areas with room to explore more than just a free sandbox.
So, assuming the mechanics are the same between both games (because the engine switch between the PC versions of Crysis and Crysis 2 actually rather significantly tweaked the gun feel and the power of the nanosuit, and I don't have any frame of reference for the console version of the first), I guess it comes down to whether you want a tropical environment or a city environment. Because the story is pants in both of them, and you don't really need to know what happened in the first to know what's going on in the second.
I'd recommend the second game over the first any day.
Better paced, better controls and doesn't make you commute across big empty maps all the time. Also, the story, while not exactly better than the first game, at least takes a back seat.
Oh, and don't worry about skipping the first game. I can fill you in on all the story details you need to know. Here they are: Aliens have turned up. That is all.
Better paced, better controls and doesn't make you commute across big empty maps all the time. Also, the story, while not exactly better than the first game, at least takes a back seat.
Oh, and don't worry about skipping the first game. I can fill you in on all the story details you need to know. Here they are: Aliens have turned up. That is all.
Opted to pick up Crysis 2. Soon as I have a day free to play, I'll check it out. Thanks for the input, everyone!
Haven't played 2 yet(i have it, but I haven't gotten to it yet). I enjoyed one, though it gets a lot less fun once the aliens show up, and then you have to fly a helicopter in a game that's really not designed to let you fly a helicopter(so it's less fun then "I hate you, helicopter. I hate you so much").
On a personal note, the whole section on the Aircraft Carrier made me want to cry, mostly because I've actually worked on an Aircraft Carrier and it's fairly obvious that the Research Crytek did for that section was looking at a photo of one. Apparently it was really too much of a bother to spend an hour on wikipedia doing some basic fact checking.
On a personal note, the whole section on the Aircraft Carrier made me want to cry, mostly because I've actually worked on an Aircraft Carrier and it's fairly obvious that the Research Crytek did for that section was looking at a photo of one. Apparently it was really too much of a bother to spend an hour on wikipedia doing some basic fact checking.
Crysis 1 is really enjoyable up into about the half way point then is just a slow descent into boring slog. Not played the other games in the series so I can't comment on them.
Wait, you mentioned that you were playing on XBox 360 right? Definitely Crysis 2.
If you were on PC I would've recommended Crysis 1 in a heartbeat. The game is so mind-explodingly beautiful even by today's comparisions, gameplay is focused on open and non-linear worlds through lush jungles and tropical beaches. I still consider it the pinnacle of aesthetics - isn't that why we play Crysis games? The gameplay itself is slightly better than average, I would probably rank Crysis 2 as having very slightly better gameplay.
For me Crysis 1 has a million times the replay value of Crysis 2, every now and then I boot it up to run around the huge environments making things explode and killing Koreans (or aliens). The best thing is that you can save the game anywhere, anytime.
If you were on PC I would've recommended Crysis 1 in a heartbeat. The game is so mind-explodingly beautiful even by today's comparisions, gameplay is focused on open and non-linear worlds through lush jungles and tropical beaches. I still consider it the pinnacle of aesthetics - isn't that why we play Crysis games? The gameplay itself is slightly better than average, I would probably rank Crysis 2 as having very slightly better gameplay.
For me Crysis 1 has a million times the replay value of Crysis 2, every now and then I boot it up to run around the huge environments making things explode and killing Koreans (or aliens). The best thing is that you can save the game anywhere, anytime.
This thread didn't go how I expected at all...
My general experiences were that Crysis 1 was much, much more fun than Crysis 2, excepting towards the end when you're only fighting aliens, but even that wasn't totally bad.
Mostly, Crysis 2 suffers from 'streamlining syndrome', wherein they remove half of your freedom so that the player can focus on a story which isn't good enough to warrant it. Sure, I enjoyed Crysis 2 - and it certainly was more 'polished' and consistent. But it just wasn't as fun.
Crysis 1 is actually prettier, if you ask me (graphics are better in several ways, though Crysis 2 beats it out in a few ways, though Crysis 2's horrible motion blur made me want to kill puppies it was so obnoxious). But above all it gives you a bunch of tools, a huge open sandbox, and says 'Get to it!', and you do and it's great.
Crysis 2 gives you a small environment with about 2-3 paths you can take, with 2 options for tactics (stealth or brute force). It wasn't nearly as satisfying as driving a car into a house to kill that one final soldier.
My general experiences were that Crysis 1 was much, much more fun than Crysis 2, excepting towards the end when you're only fighting aliens, but even that wasn't totally bad.
Mostly, Crysis 2 suffers from 'streamlining syndrome', wherein they remove half of your freedom so that the player can focus on a story which isn't good enough to warrant it. Sure, I enjoyed Crysis 2 - and it certainly was more 'polished' and consistent. But it just wasn't as fun.
Crysis 1 is actually prettier, if you ask me (graphics are better in several ways, though Crysis 2 beats it out in a few ways, though Crysis 2's horrible motion blur made me want to kill puppies it was so obnoxious). But above all it gives you a bunch of tools, a huge open sandbox, and says 'Get to it!', and you do and it's great.
Crysis 2 gives you a small environment with about 2-3 paths you can take, with 2 options for tactics (stealth or brute force). It wasn't nearly as satisfying as driving a car into a house to kill that one final soldier.
1 was definitely better, 2 was nice but on rails the entire time.
Isn't that because they toned down the engine to make it doable on the consoles? I believe it's the same reason it was much less sandboxy. He's playing it on xbox anyway so it doesn't matter actually.
Not to mention the freedom Crysis 1 gives you lets you set up so many fun moments.
It was stuff like, using the speed mode underwater, you could fling yourself out of water and into unaware enemies - it was particularly fun to launch yourself onto boats and steal them that way.
Or even simpler things, like being able to pretend you're Donkey Kong and beating the entire game by throwing barrels at people (not quite possible, but a fair chunk of it).
It was stuff like, using the speed mode underwater, you could fling yourself out of water and into unaware enemies - it was particularly fun to launch yourself onto boats and steal them that way.
Or even simpler things, like being able to pretend you're Donkey Kong and beating the entire game by throwing barrels at people (not quite possible, but a fair chunk of it).
My understanding is that is what happened, yes.Auron said:
Holy mixed opinions Batman! I was going to buy one of the Crysis games as well so thanks for the thread. I'm probably just going to go with the first, because from my experience, the first usually is more original and does more things really well.
The first is my favorite, on PC anyways. Honestly 5 years later its still not really matched in graphics/physics. Some games might have one element better but as a whole its still a technical marvel. Plus the shear amount of stuff you can do is limitless, shooting tires out causing hummer to wreck off the road, knocking down houses onto enemies, trees splinter and fall, bushes are shredded by gunfire. The battlefield quickly descends into smoke and particle effects
its the only game that I felt in a actual world. When you clear an outpost/after an engagement Buildings are rubble, cars are smoking and in varying states of decay, vegetation is everywhere it literally looks like two hulks just had a rumble.
Idk how it is on 360 though, my copy is modded to hell so I probably couldn't even remember exactly what the base game plays like.
EDIT: Literally if you can think it up you can do it. Nothing like throwing rocks through a window to KO a guy, or Speed mode straight out of water 30 ft into the air to land on an enemy craft, drive a hummer off a cliff bail out at last second watch as it destroys a shack an enemy is in. Your super strong, invisible, insanely fast (in 1) the whole environment is manipulable, and you have an assortment of mines, c4, grenades and weapons. Attach c4 to a patroling vehicle watch it become a car bomb when i gets where you want. Stealth past a group place mines decloak and watch the carnage. Sometimes it gets a bit directionless but I have a blast.
its the only game that I felt in a actual world. When you clear an outpost/after an engagement Buildings are rubble, cars are smoking and in varying states of decay, vegetation is everywhere it literally looks like two hulks just had a rumble.
Idk how it is on 360 though, my copy is modded to hell so I probably couldn't even remember exactly what the base game plays like.
EDIT: Literally if you can think it up you can do it. Nothing like throwing rocks through a window to KO a guy, or Speed mode straight out of water 30 ft into the air to land on an enemy craft, drive a hummer off a cliff bail out at last second watch as it destroys a shack an enemy is in. Your super strong, invisible, insanely fast (in 1) the whole environment is manipulable, and you have an assortment of mines, c4, grenades and weapons. Attach c4 to a patroling vehicle watch it become a car bomb when i gets where you want. Stealth past a group place mines decloak and watch the carnage. Sometimes it gets a bit directionless but I have a blast.
The first game's story is way, way less prevalent than the second's. Not to mention far less stupid.Zhukov said:
OT: The first is a million fucking times better. The suit is actually a super-suit, the implementation of physics is a lot better, and you actually get the feeling that you're coming up with plans yourself, not sticking on a visor-mode and following directions like a chump.
I remember scrambling cross-country in Crysis being hunted by a helicopter, with barely any ammo and having to pass through a bunch of Korean checkpoints. It took me forever, and it was fucking great. Crysis 2, I dunno, they make a few buildings fall down. And don't worry, you'll never miss them, because they make you look at them.
I can't say what differences there are in the 360 version, however, to when it was originally released. If the suit is as neutered as it is in the second then... well, still go for the first.
Oh, and the second uses respawning enemies until you cross certain thresholds, which rather stumps the "play how you want" angle.