Grab a bow, join thrilling hunt in ‘Crysis 3’
By Robert Workman | GamerHub.TV (MCT)
When Crytek introduced the first “Crysis” years ago for PC (before eventually moving to consoles, which the developer stated it was “too powerful” for so long ago), it stood out more as a technical showpiece than a deep, involving shooter, though the powerhouse abilities that you were introduced to did make it more fun to play than expected. Then “Crysis 2” rolled around, and despite improvements in the environment and much more focused abilities, some folks felt it was dragging when it came to telling a compelling story. Granted, knocking someone into the middle of next week with a well-charged melee made up for it.
Now here we are, with the third chapter of the series, and it almost seems like Crytek understood where things went wrong the last time around. “Crysis 3” is a much more balanced game, not only making processes with your suit better refined this time around (finally — sprinting won’t drain your suit’s power!), but also ironing out the story so that something better is being told this time around. Especially when you pick up the technical bow.
The story focuses on Prophet, who’s been held in captivity years following the events of “Crysis 2.” He’s rescued by none other than Psycho, a soldier who held his own in “Crysis Warhead” a few years back. He explains that an evil corporation has overtaken New York, turning it into an alien research facility where all hell has broken loose. And even though Prophet could be the killer weapon in turning the tide, it turns out the old soldier has his own agenda to fulfill. An alien hiding beneath the surface of Manhattan, the Alpha Ceph, could be the catalyst to the end of the world — something that Prophet needs to make sure doesn’t happen.
What’s remarkable about “Crysis 3” is how you can pretty much play your way throughout the game. Sure, you have to move quadrant by quadrant to make progress, but the ability to either armor up and go gung-ho on enemy forces, or cloak yourself and do it all sneaky style, remains a treat. Some missions even give you the option of completing them out of order, having you deal with tougher enemies first before engaging in a search-and-destroy for smaller fry. Having such options is pretty cool, and only very rarely do they skimp, such as making your way through a tall field without your Nanosuit capabilities (due to a scrambler hidden somewhere within it — amidst alien hunters.)
The gameplay is nothing short of terrific, as you really feel like you’re behind the wheel of a super-powered suit, capable of smashing anything before you and performing superhuman feats that would probably leave the likes of Master Chief exhausted. And the technical bow is a superb weapon, one that lets you shoot arrows at enemies for particular, quick kills, then pick your ammunition back up — provided you aren’t detected by his friends. Though the AI can be questionable at times (“Hey, there’s a dead body here!” and seconds later, “Maybe we should go check in the area he died and get killed ourselves instead of coming as a group”), the game is a playground for you to get your dirty work done.
Powering up and weapon customization is a huge plus, too, as you can unlock new abilities over the course of the game, turning yourself into a real killer later on down the road. Being able to customize your weapon on the fly is nice, too, especially if the situation calls for a silencer or picking off an enemy from afar. And then there’s hacking, which lets you take over turrets utilizing a simple button-pressing mini-game. It never felt so good taking out enemies with their own weaponry.
Though the graphics aren’t nearly as good as the PC front (running “Crysis 3” on a high-end model really brings out the best in the CryEngine 3 technology), “Crysis 3” looks pretty good on the PlayStation 3 and 360, with beautiful environments, neat little effects that bring out the most in the game (check out the water), and good animations. Sometimes slowdown can be an issue, but in all, it’s a powerhouse delight to look at. The visor is a superb feature in the game as well, letting you pinpoint enemies for better accuracy.
The sound isn’t bad either, with a great musical score that eclipses that of “Crysis 2” and decent voicework, along with weapon effects that tie in with the visual impact they deliver. The voice prompts for your Nanosuit are repetitive (how many times must we be notified that the cloak is engaged?), but typical for a game such as this.
There are times, however, that the game feels like it’s run a bit out of creative gas. Toward the end, the level design is a bit less compelling than its start, though you’re still motivated to finish ’er up. And the multiplayer almost seems like it was rushed, between less-than-detailed maps and occasional collision detection hiccups. Nevertheless, if you have a few friends in tow, Hunter mode — which pits stealthy stalkers against soldiers — is worth a look.
“Crysis 3” turns a nice corner for the series, after it skidded a little bit with “Crysis 2.” The graphics are far better this time around (again, PC emerges victorious over consoles) and the gameplay has really opened up to let you do what you want, no matter what style of play you prefer. This one is well worth hunting down — especially with that bow. It’s just too sweet picking off someone with an arrow to the head.
CRYSIS 3
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: First-person shooter
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
