Out of all the first-person shooters we've seen at E3 this year, and there are at least a hundred of them, none is a cinematic as Crysis 2. Much has been made of the quality of Crysis 2's visuals - and they are truly amazing - but what really impresses is the way that Crytek's astonishing engine is just a means to an ends for the developer, and that ends is to tell a stonking sci-fi story in an unbelievably dynamic way.

We saw two sections of the PC game demoed on what must have been a 100-inch TV and the effect was quite amazing. In one section, we were shown a stealthy approach to the action (coined 'predator' by Crytek's demo guy) where the Nano Suit used optical camoflage and the demoer moved undetected through an explosive pitch battle against the human and alien forces. It was explained that the player could opt for a 'warrior' approach and take on the aliens head-on if he so chooses. The idea is that the Nano Suit can be customised with abilities to suit the play style.

But anyway, the objective was to bring down a building in an attempt to halt the forward advance of the aliens. The building in question had been rigged with explosives but the soldier with the trigger had been killed, leaving the detonator high up in a half-destroyed office block. Go get the detonator, pull the trigger, bring down the building. Got it.

Within the Nano Suit, you are able to paint enemy targets and this permanately outlines them on your HUD - the advantage being able to keep track of them whether attacking them or trying to remain undetected. The Nano Suit also gives you superhuman strength and jumping abilities. In one amazing bit of improvised fighting, sticky grenades were attached to a taxi cab, and then the taxi cab was kicked off a bridge onto one particularly nasty-looking alien, taxi cab go boom, alien dude dies in a massive explosion. Awesome.

The highlight of the demo, however, was its climax. Upon reaching the detonator, our hero is surprised by a large alien beastie who throws him out of a high window onto the pavement down below. Luckily he keeps hold of the detonator and, pulling the trigger, brings down the building on top of the alien guy. It was a real jaw-dropping moment and was just one example of how Crytek are telling its story through amazing set pieces.

So it looks like Crysis 2 will be many things - a graphical feast, a brilliant strategic shooter and, judging on this evidence, a lesson in dynamic storytelling of the highest order. We cannot wait to play it ourselves.