Crysis 3
Reviewed By Stephen Pastic
Mention the Crysis series, and typically it is not long before discussion shifts to the graphical quality of said games. With the release of Crysis 3, it seems Crytek are not likely to change that particular talking point, but there is more to this title than just a pretty face.
For the uninitiated, Crysis 3 puts players in the shoes of "Prophet" - a soldier who has been outfitted with a highly technologically advanced nanosuit. Said nanosuit grants players various combat abilities such as environmental scanning, invisibility and additional armor, as well as enhancing Prophet's natural abilities such as jumping and sprinting. These features will all prove to be useful against both the Ceph (an alien species intent on dominating Earth), and those in the employ of CELL (a large company with some dubious ethics).
As far as the narrative thrust of Crysis 3 goes, there are some moments which almost threaten to become genuinely interesting, but for the most part the story is pretty forgettable. Furthermore, there are a couple of scenes which seem a little ridiculous given their context, including one where a character does his best Emperor Palpatine impression with little rhyme nor reason.
Collectible data files are also littered throughout the game, which serve to flesh out much of the behind the scenes events. One particular subset of these collectible files takes the form of mock advertisements for CELL, and these seem to be trying their hardest to channel some bizarre deadpan humour, which neither fits nor is likely to cause any chuckles - they just feel really out of place when they pop up.
Let's get this part out of the way quickly: Crysis 3 looks absolutely beautiful. Aside from the quality of the visuals themselves, the game's setting of an overgrown New York urban jungle provides some of the most interesting areas to have ever existed in the series. Occasionally, this choice of locale also has an effect on gameplay - I recall one particular segment where players temporarily lose the additional abilities of their suit, and have to monitor the nearby tall grass for signs of movement whilst being stalked by Ceph. In addition, the facial animation is some of the best I have ever seen outside of L.A. Noire - there will be times that you cannot help but notice just how "right" certain characters facial movements appear.
Crysis 3 in some ways is the antithesis to the modern "corridor shooter". Players will often make their way towards an open area filled with enemies, and then have to decide how to make their way through. Whilst the option is there to simply go in guns blazing, everything about Crysis 3 feels like the game wants you to play it in a more sneaky manner. Combining use of the cloaking ability, close range stealth kills, and the new hunting bow is often more than enough to get through an area without so much as revealing your prescience. The hunting bow in particular makes Crysis 3 feel a much stealthier affair than Crysis 2, as players can now take out enemies at long range whilst staying cloaked.
Players use of the nano suit abilities is limited by an energy meter, (which automatically replenishes after several seconds of non use) so players will have to pick their moments as to when to activate certain functions. Weapons picked up by the player can also be customised in many different ways - from scopes, to silencers, and even to alternate ammunition, you are bound to find some permutations of weaponry to suit your playstyle. A simple suit upgrade system is also present; by collecting somewhat 'hidden' nano upgrade packs, players can choose to augment particular features of their nano suit. Whilst none of these upgrades are game changers in and of themselves, certain combinations of active upgrades will certainly make progress easier.
On the multiplayer side of things, Crysis 3 is pretty much standard FPS fare (aside from the surprisingly entertaining new addition in "Hunter" mode) - however, there is something about pulling off a beautiful kill in Crysis multiplayer that manages to get its hooks into me. I'm not sure I will ever tire of running out from behind a corner and putting a bullet in an opponent's head whilst sliding on my back - its the moments like this that Crysis just feels right.
Whilst everything works well for the most part, Crysis as a series has always had something of a consistent frustration for me. The very design of the game seems to be a little schizophrenic - whilst I understand that limiting the players use of the nano suit is necessary for any kind of challenge, it feels like the rapid depletion of the suit's energy meter actively stops players from pulling off some seriously sweet moves - sweet moves which the very layout of many areas seems to suggest are possible.
To take one particular recurring dynamic, simply moving whilst cloaked drains players reserves within seconds, let alone adding any other movement or abilities to the mix. Many a time I had weighed up my combat options in a given area, and whilst the potential was seemingly there to chain together 4 or 5 kills in rapid succession, I knew only too well that attempting such an approach would leave me out in the open like a sitting duck after the first kill. Never before have I played a series which so frequently leaves me with a feeling of "you're playing it wrong".
Aside from this, the campaign is relatively short and most players will polish it off within 8 hours. Having said that, Crysis 3 is much more amenable to repeat playthroughs than many FPS titles just by virtue of the freedom given to players in any given combat setting (as well as gathering collectibles for the completionist crowd).
Crysis 3 is a solid title with the occasional flash of brilliance when everything falls into place. If the idea of a more "open" FPS title appeals to you over the multitude of samey corridor shooters on the market, Crysis 3 is definitely one of the better options available.
Game: Crysis 3
System: PS3
Developer/Co-Developer: Crytek
Publisher: Electronic Arts
