Vulcano's assistant said:
To me that is one of the things that made Crysis look a little more realistic that the common plastic HDR fest most games have for textures.
Overall, I agree, but that method of lighting did not work out for the best in every level. Certain levels at certain TODs look quite flat. The assault mission, for instance (in the harbor), looks pretty bland during the entire sunrise with very flat lighting. Even after the sun has risen, that level still feels a bit flat.
The majority of the levels, however, are absolutely beautiful to behold.
The console lighting is definitely overdone at parts, but I still think it looks reasonably good in its own right and certainly much better than most mods.
I DO love the lighting in Crysis 2, however. Even if it is a bit over the top, it looks really good while playing.