During an elaborate Crysis 2 reveal, detailed in the latest issue of Edge magazine, Crytek unveiled fresh details about the franchise's move from the rainforest to the urban jungle and its new and improved Nanosuit 2.

Set three years after the first game, placing it 13 years from now, the sequel moves the fight for Earth to a new island: Manhattan. But this isn’t like the New York you’ve seen in the movies or other games, according to Crytek president Cevat Yerli.

“I Am Legend and The Day After Tomorrow were unique and both ‘owned’ a version of New York,” he told us. “Ours, likewise, is in harmony with the Nanosuit. In Crysis, we changed that island in ways the player didn’t expect. Expect bigger here. It’ll be a New York City like none in games or cinema.”

Executive producer Nathan Camarillo said: “Destruction and scarring of the environment: they’re universal themes that have been around forever. Our take will be unique.

“It was a large island in Crysis but you weren’t interested in every square inch. There were large expanses, funnels and action spaces, and we’re doing the same with New York. It’s a comparable size,” added Camarillo, noting that the action will span “three storeys up and down”.

“You’re not interested in the 55th floor of each building, but we want you to feel you’re surrounded. You have this freedom to explore these small pockets and go really deep on details, but seeing all of New York isn’t necessarily that exciting, and it’s not great for pacing or telling the kind of story we want. It’s a constrained freedom.”

A live demo we saw showcased the finer points of Nanosuit 2. Tactical mode heightens your acuity to the point of hearing gravel move gently beneath the feet, or the conversations of distant enemies. Strength, meanwhile, hears you bound along with lead boots, the toughened Nanosuit turning incoming bullets into muffled thumps. Then there’s the suite of modifiers that extend the game’s arsenal, now themed around different suit powers. Directional bullet trails, X-ray vision and bullet deflection were all mentioned.

“We know what was good about Crysis, what we needed to improve and what was fun about the game, and we can build on a core we no longer have to find,” said Camarillo. “We can have those signature moments that only Crytek can do in realtime – those five big things you’ll remember forever.”

For our full account of Crysis 2, pick up a copy of E212, which is with subscribers now and will be on UK newsagents' shelves on February 16.