Crytek CEO and co-founder Cevat Yerli has revealed some new Crysis 2 story elements in G4TV's E3 2010 video interview. We already know that Crysis 2 is a reboot of the franchise with some continuity of Crysis and that the story happens three years after the events in Crysis 1. Crysis 2 will introduce a new cast and some oldtimers from Crysis will reappear, with Prophet being one of them, but, in Cevat's words, the fictions are decoupled.  
 
In 2023, having been buried deep inside the earth, the aliens are awakening underneath New York and everywhere in the world causing worldwide martial law situations. This explains the huge alien spikes coming from below the streets and causing massive destruction, as seen in the gameplay clips and in the 3D trailer.  
 
We will be playing as a soldier named Alcatraz who inherits Nanosuit 2.0 to become a supersoldier with the main objective to save New York: save New York, save the rest of the world. Some unofficial reports have stated that Alcatraz actually hijacks Nanosuit 2.0 and Crynet Systems, dominant technology provider to all the top military powers, goes after the player in an effort to retrieve the suit.  
 
That was all that Cevat was willing to reveal at this stage. After this information, one can't help noticing that the story of Crysis 2 bears a striking resemblance to War of the Worlds.

AG: For many gamers this will be their first exposure to the Crysis series. Taking that into account, is the sequel serving as sort of a fresh start for the franchise?
 
NC: We are looking at Crysis 2 as a reboot of the franchise. Not so much in the story, as there will be some narrative continuity between the first and second game, but it'll definitely serve as a jumping in point for new players. The story is a continuation to some extent, but you won't need to know what happened in Crysis in order to get into it.  
 
We're not completely changing things in, say, the way the Grand Theft Auto titles change from game to game, but aside from core ideas, like the Nanosuit, you're getting a fresh start. If you like a shooter that offers these awesomee powers, systemic gameplay, and a path that's not heavily scripted, you'll enjoy Crysis 2. And if you have not played the first game, we think the sequel may inspire you to go back and check it out.

Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek, the developer behind Crysis 2, wants the newest demo of his studio's game to demonstrate all the ways the franchise has changed since the original Crysis. And change it has: the days of fighting stupid alien enemies or having to manage a large number of suit powers are gone. Gone also are the gigantic jungle environments that became synonymous with the original, replaced instead by partially destroyed city levels that Yerli calls "Orchestrated Sandboxes."
 
In layman's terms Orchestrated Sandboxes translate into smaller, more linear stages that guide the player in the direction the game wants you to go. Still, the world of Crysis 2 is by no means tiny -- and compared to other guided shooters it's actually quite large -- it's just noticeably smaller than it's predecessors. What you have in Crysis 2 are a series of arenas more on par with the Halo franchise -- a number of environments that still have a singular exit, but that are playgrounds that you can exploit in a number of ways.
 
 
To exploit the environment Crysis 2 sees the return of the franchise's signature Nanosuit. However, if you fell in love with the somewhat large number of suit options in the original, prepare to be surprised: this time around the Nanosuit's been streamlined, with all the powers being combined into two modes that cater to stealth and aggressive players. If you're in a situation that calls for more armor and higher strength you hit one button and you're suddenly receiving both powers (unlike the original, where strength and armor were separate). Alternatively, if you want to be a more tactical warrior, you can activate a stealth mode that makes you temporarily invisible.  
 
But while I'm sure PC purists will cry foul at the simplification of the Nanosuit, one thing everyone should enjoy is the enhanced enemy A.I. Fighting against a series of new alien opponents, Yerli filled me in on how various enemy types will come at you in different ways. For instance a Predator-looking alien that commonly attacked me in the demo always comes in pairs, and attacks in a hit-and-run fashion. Here's the catch, though: if you give chase to the one that runs it's partner will jump at you, forcing you to reconsider pursuit lest you fall into an enemy trap. While this was only an example of one coordinated A.I. behavior, I was told that other enemy types will challenge the player in other unexpected ways.  
 
When the enemies start behaving in ways that surprise it's up to you to adapt and surprise them right back -- and Crysis 2 gives you the tools to do so. If you run up to cover your character will now dynamically aim over it, or lean from it just like he could on the PC. And if you have your strength suit power equipped it sometimes gets even better: many items in the environment are interactive, meaning that your character can kick them across the world, giving himself what is essentially mobile cover, or changing them into mobile bombs if you take the initiative and attach some explosives to them. A high strength suit kick is also useful for taking out enemies who get close to one of the cities many abandoned cars, as you can kick them into enemies and kill them outright.  
 
One thing that was missing from the Crysis 2 demo I played was the alien's signature ice weapons, but Yerli assures me that they have more announcements coming for how the aliens will affect the world around them. Not that I'll be surprised if they just outright abandon the ice element of the original, as Yerli admits that Crysis 2 is more a reboot of the franchise than a straight up sequel. Oh well, you can call it a sequel, you can call it a reboot, but I'll just call it like I see it -- entertaining to play.

In our Crysis launch party chat in November 15th, 2007, Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli stated that "The game is designed as a trilogy, so you have two more installments to come and the ending is planned deliberately.". But, it now looks like that might not be the case anymore.  
 
Crytek has recently talked in some interviews about Crysis 2 being a reboot of the series and now, in an interview with Computer & Video Games, David DeMartini, head of EA Partners, answered with a 'yes' on questions about whether the Crysis saga might continue after part three. DeMartini said that independent game developer Crytek continues to have a strong and loyal relationship with publisher Electronic Arts and the EA Partners program and that there will definitely be a Crysis 3, 4 and 5.  
 
So, in light of this information, this is pretty big news for Crysis fans since it really seems now that Crysis 2 will be a new start for the Crysis series.

It helps that Nathan Camarillo, executive producer on Crysis 2, teases us with a little insight into what's in store for the city - it won't be New York as you know it for the entire game. If you played Crysis on the PC, you'll remember a pivotal moment where the entire tropical island became frozen.
 
Camarillo promises a similarly dramatic change to the environment in Crysis 2. Were we to speculate, we'd point to the large amount of vegetation visible in many of these screenshots - could the alien presence in New York City be promoting plant growth? Are we going to see nature and the urban jungle collide? Camarillo refuses to reveal any more.
 
As a final tantalising detail, Camarillo told us to expect a more focused, class-based multiplayer than the PC original and that, in both single and multiplayer, we'll be able to tailor the Nanosuit to our own specific play styles.

During a one-hour Electronic Arts Studio Showcase event EA Partners boss David DeMartini announced that we'll be getting our first look on the multiplayer portion of Crysis 2 at Germany's biggest gaming show gamescom, in Cologne. Gamescom will keep its doors open for business from August 18-22. There is also a possibility that we'll get to see a sneak peek on Crysis 2 MP on August 17th during EA's gamescom press conference.  
 
Nathan Camarillo, executive producer on Crysis 2, revealed in a recent Official Xbox Magazine preview that we should expect a more focused, class-based multiplayer than the PC original.  
 
The multiplayer portion is developed by Crytek Nottingham who were known as Free Radical Design before the Crytek acquisition. The studio was famous for series such as TimeSplitters.

A special 'Nano' edition of Crytek's upcoming multi-platform FPS sequel has been outed.
 
The rather pricey special edition was briefly listed on Swedish online retailer Webhallen.com
 
It includes a nano-suit backpack with a metallic spine mimicking the nano-suite from the game, a seven inch statue of Prophet, a 176-page art book, SCAR hologram, Waffenskin SCAR camouflage, unlockable ranks and items, and a special steelbook case.
 
According to the eagle-eyes at PlayFront.de, the Nano Edition was listed for $199, which is around £130.
 
Crytek recently said Crysis 2 has the 'most intelligent FPS enemies ever', the game is currently scheduled for an Autumn 2010 release, check out this intense gameplay trailer for more on the game.

Crytek has claimed that the enemy AI in Crysis 2 is the most sophisticated in video game history.
 
Speaking exclusively to CVG, Crytek boss Cervat Yerli said the title boasted "thinking, fair" foes - which is good news for those who want their enemies smart, but not Skynet smart.
 
OXM man Ryan King reported that the FPS was the best-looking title he'd ever seen on 360 earlier this year. Since then, Crytek has revealed that the game will be playable in full 3D on 360, PS3 and PC when it is released at the tail-end of this year.
 
We have the most advanced AI system in a game," Yerli told CVG. "We think that Crysis 2 has the most advanced AI for both humans and aliens you've ever seen.  
 
"They will be showing tactical co-ordination, they will be more challenging but not unfair - they will be truly intelligent, thinking, fair enemies.
 
"I think from that perspective our gameplay experience will be very unique because on one hand you have a world that allows freedom, on the second hand a hero that allows freedom - but also an enemy that adapts to freedom and provides you constant challenge no matter what you do."
 
A Crysis 2 Nano edition was outed earlier this month. It includes a nano-suit backpack - but will cost you in excess of £100.

Cervat Yerli, CEO of Crytek, has told OXM that console gamers 'don't respect development'.
 
Talking at the Crysis 2 premiere in New York, Cervat Yerli illustrated the difference between PC gamers and console gamers with the following example:
 
"I simplified it for our guys by saying there is one difference between the PC gamer and console gamer. I said the single most important difference is a PC gamer forgives you for about a minute. A console gamer gives you two seconds. It sucks or it fails and you're either the top or a flop. They don't respect any value you put into your development, either it works or it doesn't work."
 
He goes on to explain how this pressure has ultimately made Crysis 2 a better game - look out for the full interview on OXM soon. Do you agree with him?

We’re not sure if the simplified powers of the nano suit are a result of streamlining for the sake of trimming redundancy, or whether it’s to fit into the idea of being console-friendly, but we think it works.  
 
On the one hand, we miss the fun minigame of swapping rapidly between suit powers in the original Crysis, but the dumbed-down version doesn’t feel like it’s missing much. For instance, with strength/speed now being the default, you don’t have to swap to make one super-jump. Instead, you just super-jump all the time, which is definitely more fun.  
 
On the other hand, with no true speed ability, your sprint doesn’t have that blinding fast rush that sprinting in the original Crysis brought.