Crysis 3 (PC)

Game Info

Crytek’s series first began its quest for perfect visuals back in 2007 with the original Crysis. The jungle setting was dripping with detail and fans enjoyed its somewhat open-world elements. Crysis 2 took the series forward visually but at the cost of smaller level design which fans were not too happy with. So developers Crytek have decided to find a sweet spot by combining the jungle with New York to make an overgrown, post apocalyptic-looking city with large and small areas combined, aonce again pushing its visual fidelity to the extremes. It sounds good on paper, but have Crytek managed to deliver what fans have been hoping for?

The short answer is yes. To put it bluntly Crysis 3 is a time machine into the future of what games on next-gen systems will look like, the bonus is that you can play it right now. The amount detail and the quality of effects in Crysis 3 is staggering, it is gaming eye candy in its purest form. These high resolution textures and amazing lighting effects all come at a price though and it is one you will pay for in performance. I wanted to experience this upper tier of gaming serenity so I cranked all graphics settings to Ultra and on restarting the game was greeted with some of the most beautiful gaming environments I have ever seen on a PC.

Beautiful visuals go hand in hand with great sound, and I am happy to report the sound is on the same level of quality as its visuals. Weapons sound visceral and intense, and explosions will shake rooms and anger neighbors  So in terms of its visuals and sound it deserves top marks. When you take Crysis 3 down to the gameplay however, this is where things are perhaps not as pretty.

The biggest problem with Crysis 3 is, surprisingly, the Nano suit that your character Prophet wears. It is simply overpowered. Entering Cloak mode renders Prophet completely invisible but to the point where an enemy would have to walk into you to detect you. This makes getting out of any tight situation too easy, simply activate your cloak and smile and wave as you walk away from any fire fight. The cloak can also be upgraded to last even longer and that just makes the game even easier, unless you’re hoping to complete a completely stealth playthrough. The converse is true as well, the Armor mode can be upgraded to true bullet-sponge levels as well. Unfortunately it might be lacking in challenge but where it drops the ball in difficulty it makes this up in pure enjoyment.

Crysis 3 achieves its high fun factor thanks to its very well thought-out level design and Prophet’s state-of-the-art bow, a tool that you will fall in love with. Prophet’s bow can best be described as a hunter’s dream. This piece of futuristic tech will be your first choice when dealing with enemies. Your bow brings some interesting gameplay elements in to the mix thanks to all the unique ammo you get for it. See a patrol of soldiers walking through a river? Quickly select the electrified bolt for a satisfying multi kill. There are various bolt tips for all types of situations and creeping around planning your next bow attack makes you feel like a futuristic Rambo (without the PTSD).

Weapons can be modified in real-time, as seen previously in the series, and Prophet can upgrade the strength of his Nanosuit as well as make many other modifications to it. All the upgrades will help you make short work of the  5 to 6 hour campaign which sadly features a bit of a weak story.

You start off being rescued from containment by Psycho, who was last seen in the original Crysis. Psycho is now without his Nanosuit and is looking a little rough around the edges.You soon make your way to New York which is overgrown and resembles the I am Legend motion picture. It’s not long then before you join up with the rest of Psycho’s allies in a fight against CELL, who have engineered an everlasting power source, with some deadly alternative motives planned. The story comes off as generic and you wont care much about CELL’s motives as much as you will about your next headshot with an exploding bolt tip. Crysis 3‘s campaign is all about gorgeous visuals and playing a little hide and seek, but this all changes a little when you take the action online.

The online multiplayer comes with a lot of content such as 12 big maps and eight different game modes to take on with friends and strangers alike. There are the usual unlocks to be found through racking up kills and some unique modes are present thanks to the Nanosuit such as the Predator-inspired Hunter mode. Visuals have been turned down about for the online action but that’s to be expected.

Crysis 3 has a great online experience overall and when you combine that with its gorgeous-looking campaign and exciting bow gameplay it leaves you with a warm tingly feeling inside. Crytek can be proud of what they have done with Crysis 3, not only for pushing their visual technology but making an exciting and worthy end to a fantastic trilogy.