Despite hating both of the demos, losing a ton of respect for Crytek over their lack of support for the community that made them famous, and not seeing much of anything that impressed me in videos released by those who grabbed the leaked beta, I decided to pick up a copy of Crysis 2 anyway. Why? Because opinions on this one have been so divided that I had to play it for myself.

And, to be honest, I’m glad that I did. It’s a solid shooter. I know that may come as a surprise given how much I’ve crapped on the game over the past few months but that’s just how it goes sometimes. I was proven wrong.

Yes, it’s far more linear than the first game. Yes, the story is paper thin. No, it doesn’t bring anything new to the table in the way of gameplay. (In fact, this game has serious problems with A.I. in places and it has some rather glaring continuity issues.)

However, what this game lacks in originality it more than makes up for in “polish”. Believe me – neither the demo nor footage taken from the leaked beta do this game justice. It’s one of, if not the most gorgeous console games available. It sounds rather spectacular, too.

Now, I know what some of you are going to say: graphics and sound don’t make the game. And you’re right. They don’t. What makes this game is that Crytek basically improved on a model that they know works. They even fixed the multiplayer problems that plagued their demos, which was downright surprising to me.

I’m going to have to say that this one is worth buying. Maybe not at a full $60 but once it’s at a lower price point, shooter fans should definitely consider it.