Crysis 2 Remastered Review - Screenshot 1 of 3
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)

After surprising us in the best possible way with a thoroughly impressive Switch port of 2007's original Crysis, Saber Interactive return with this remastered version of Crytek's second Nano-suited super soldier adventure. But can the Switch handle the stress of this big budget sequel? Well, yes it can. In fact this is a supremely impressive port that delivers the full-fat Crysis 2 experience to Nintendo's console in fine style.

Following on from the delightfully chaotic open world sandbox of its predecessor, Crysis 2 sees a shift to a much more traditional FPS blockbuster style, with action set within the rigid confines of a shattered New York City. There's far less of the wide open spaces of the first game here and a greater focus on narrative and shuttling you through the campaign's eighteen acts.

In all honesty, we're not sure we were particularly huge fans of this sequel when it first released but revisiting it now it feels as though we were definitely being a tad harsh. Yes, it drops the endlessly entertaining and hugely silly sandbox elements of the first game — the reason for our original chagrin — but what's here is still hugely entertaining and impressively flexible stuff that delivers lots of explosive set-pieces and more than enough opportunity to sit back, observe your surroundings and switch your tactics to suit your mood. Want to wade straight into battle with your armour activated? Go for it. Prefer to snipe from long-range, flank your enemies or just sneak past the lot of them and head straight to your next objective? For the most part, you're accommodated.

Crysis 2 Remastered Review - Screenshot 2 of 3
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

Crysis 2 also noticeably improves the core mechanics of the series' gameplay. There's less jank here, your suit abilities feel as though they meld with the emergent nature of the combat in a more satisfying manner, weapons feel meatier and enemy AI — although still fairly dumb when you decide to get right up into their faces — does a much better job of accounting for your attempts at strategic engagement.

There are still problems, of course. The visor tagging of individual enemies is pretty useless, tactical opportunities are far too obviously flagged up and enemies see you much too quickly when you decloak, but overall this is a big budget FPS that delivers satisfying spectacle and opportunities to get creative in fairly equal measure.

The story may still be absolute tosh, and we will always prefer fighting human foes over their slightly less interesting alien variants, but ten years down the line from its original release, this is still a pretty spectacular shooter that looks and plays fantastically well and manages to beat out plenty of more modern efforts when it comes to giving its players the choice to go mix it up how they want.

Crysis 2 Remastered Review - Screenshot 3 of 3
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

When considered as part of the Crysis Remastered Trilogy, this sequel may well be the most well-rounded of the lot in terms of its story, setting and campaign duration. Yes, it loses its multiplayer aspects here but there's still more than enough to dig into in single player over the course of its twelve hour campaign and, when taken as a standalone purchase, Crysis 2 Remastered on Switch remains worthy of an enthusiastic recommendation. This is top-notch FPS action that looks and plays incredibly well in both docked and handheld modes. Switch-owning shooter fans, rejoice!

Conclusion

Crysis 2 Remastered is a super solid port of an excellent FPS that looks and plays fantastically well on Switch. Yes, you lose out on multiplayer, but there's still a generous single player campaign to get stuck into here that does a great job of funnelling you through its blockbuster setpieces whilst ensuring you get plenty of opportunity to tool around and experiment with your crazy Nanosuit powers. Crysis 2 may well be the very best entry in Crytek's franchise, and it's absolutely one of the finest shooters currently available on Nintendo's hybrid console.