Crysis 2

Lore & Background

Crysis 2 takes place in 2023, three years after the events of the first game, in a war-torn New York City evacuated due to alien infestation. The player assumes the role of Force Recon Marine Alcatraz, who gains ownership of the Nanosuit 2.0 from Delta Force officer Laurence 'Prophet' Barnes. The story was written by Richard Morgan, while Peter Watts was consulted and wrote a novel adaptation. The game features a redesigned alien race, the Ceph, now appearing as high-tech humanoid armored war machines.

Reader's Guide

Crysis 2 is significant as the first console release using CryEngine 3, demonstrating that the engine could scale to lower system requirements while supporting stereoscopic 3D. Its urban setting in New York City marked a departure from the jungle environments of earlier Crytek games. The game's narrative, involving a viral outbreak and private military contractor CELL, expanded the series' lore. A sequel, Crysis 3, was released in 2013. A remastered version, Crysis 2 Remastered, was released in 2021 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, also bundled as part of the Crysis Remastered Trilogy.

Did You Know?

• Crysis 2 was officially announced on June 1, 2009.
• The game's story was written by Richard Morgan, with Peter Watts consulted and writing a novel adaptation.
• It was the first game to showcase the CryEngine 3 game engine and the first using that engine on consoles.