CrysisA suit for every occasion
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9/10
Ben hughes @potatoes351 |
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DEV: CRYTEK
PUB: EA
RELEASE DATE: 05/11/2011
FORMAT: PS3 & Xbox360
This review is of the 2011 console version
Crysis was dropped in November 2007 for the PC, as a result it began the first PC genocide regime, making processors, graphics cards and RAM drives clunk, groan and just begin to melt under the pressure of having to run such a high demanding game. However the game was met with a critical success despite the need for space age computers to run it and eventually got itself a sequel in 2010 as well as a 2008 expansion pack that were both met with near equal praise.
However there was one thing Crysis fans all over the world were crying out for, and that was a console release of the original game so they could experience all the game had to offer and not have to get a new mortgage because they had to splash out on a supercomputer. Luckily that time has come, but is it as good as the PC version?
Crysis takes place in the year 2020. You are part of Raptor Team, a special forces team made up of five 'super-soldiers'. Though they are technically still human they wear a 5 billion dollar suit called the Nanosuit. The Nanosuit can adapt to situations to give the wearer the best tactical advantage there is, it does this through giving the wearer super speed, super strength, near unbreakable armour and the ability to turn invisible for short periods of time. You are flown in to the remote island of Lingshan where you have received distress signals from an archaeological team, in which they highlight that they are under attack by North Korean forces. You are there because they have found something, something that your government is very interested in however what it is you are not told. When you parachute out of your drop plane you are scattered from the rest of your squad, you must regroup with them, take down the invading KPA forces and find out what everyone is so interested in, which by the way is aliens living in the central mountainous area of the island.
The story to Crysis is very sub-standard. It has been told before a million times and nearly all of them have been better told versions. The problem doesn't lie with the story though, its the way Crysis chooses to tell it. The game never leaves its first person viewpoint from the character Nomad, Nomad is a largely boring and very unexplored character surrounded by a great supporting cast of his fellow team mates. Though some are killed off very early on in the game they still provide a more interesting character than Nomad. The game also never really explains why any of this is happening, this is explained due to the fact that because neither the KPA or the US forces know how the aliens operate or how to deal with them but it just comes off as making the US army look like a bunch of testosterone fuelled gun nuts because all they want to do is nuke the place. Also the game doesn’t really end properly, you fight the final boss and then the credits roll, you get no closure or have no idea as to what happens to the characters after this point. Now I would let that slide if Crysis 2 or Warhead had explained what happens after the end of the game, but they don’t meaning that there is a large hole in the plotline that needs to be filled.
PUB: EA
RELEASE DATE: 05/11/2011
FORMAT: PS3 & Xbox360
This review is of the 2011 console version
Crysis was dropped in November 2007 for the PC, as a result it began the first PC genocide regime, making processors, graphics cards and RAM drives clunk, groan and just begin to melt under the pressure of having to run such a high demanding game. However the game was met with a critical success despite the need for space age computers to run it and eventually got itself a sequel in 2010 as well as a 2008 expansion pack that were both met with near equal praise.
However there was one thing Crysis fans all over the world were crying out for, and that was a console release of the original game so they could experience all the game had to offer and not have to get a new mortgage because they had to splash out on a supercomputer. Luckily that time has come, but is it as good as the PC version?
Crysis takes place in the year 2020. You are part of Raptor Team, a special forces team made up of five 'super-soldiers'. Though they are technically still human they wear a 5 billion dollar suit called the Nanosuit. The Nanosuit can adapt to situations to give the wearer the best tactical advantage there is, it does this through giving the wearer super speed, super strength, near unbreakable armour and the ability to turn invisible for short periods of time. You are flown in to the remote island of Lingshan where you have received distress signals from an archaeological team, in which they highlight that they are under attack by North Korean forces. You are there because they have found something, something that your government is very interested in however what it is you are not told. When you parachute out of your drop plane you are scattered from the rest of your squad, you must regroup with them, take down the invading KPA forces and find out what everyone is so interested in, which by the way is aliens living in the central mountainous area of the island.
The story to Crysis is very sub-standard. It has been told before a million times and nearly all of them have been better told versions. The problem doesn't lie with the story though, its the way Crysis chooses to tell it. The game never leaves its first person viewpoint from the character Nomad, Nomad is a largely boring and very unexplored character surrounded by a great supporting cast of his fellow team mates. Though some are killed off very early on in the game they still provide a more interesting character than Nomad. The game also never really explains why any of this is happening, this is explained due to the fact that because neither the KPA or the US forces know how the aliens operate or how to deal with them but it just comes off as making the US army look like a bunch of testosterone fuelled gun nuts because all they want to do is nuke the place. Also the game doesn’t really end properly, you fight the final boss and then the credits roll, you get no closure or have no idea as to what happens to the characters after this point. Now I would let that slide if Crysis 2 or Warhead had explained what happens after the end of the game, but they don’t meaning that there is a large hole in the plotline that needs to be filled.
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Crysis's gameplay is among the finest in the genre. Though the game does look and mostly play like every other FPS before it, it has something tucked up its sleeve. The Nanosuit becomes the games most important weapon and gameplay element. How you choose to use the suit's powers can directly affect how you play the game and how much you will enjoy the game. For example you could activate armour mode and run into an enemy encampment guns blazing. The likleyhood is that you will completely wipe out the camp if you use the environment to your advantage. Alternatively you could switch on the stealth mode and completely sneak past the camp or stealthily kill all the patrolling guards in the area before raiding the place for ammo and weapons. However you will need to use all of the suits abilities to get past firefights, you cant just stealth kill everyone or expect your armour to last forever which is where the speed and strength suit powers come in. You could sprint round enemies to shoot them in the back, grab one of the still living KPA soldiers and use him as a meatshield to quickly dispose of the rest in eyeline, throw the soldier at some incoming reinforcements to throw them off guard then rip into them with your assault rife whilst activating armour before sneaking off in stealth mode before the next wave of reinforcements arrive. The game encourages that you use everything at your disposal to get the job done and it mighty good fun when you use the suit to its full capacity.
Of course Crytek had to give the game some challenge in using the suit otherwise you would literally be a walking tank. You are given a suit energy bar that will deplete the more suit powers you use. For instance sprinting will rapidly drain the energy and so will stealth however armour only drains when you are hit by bullets and strength only drains when you super jump or throw things meaning you have to use each power tactically because if you get into a sticky situation you are guaranteed to need one of the suit powers to get you out of that situation. Crysis gives you a lot to think about at any one time, this is not a game to play when you just want to sit back and play a dumb shooter, extreme tactical analysis is needed to get you through just one minor fight and once you get into the latter stages of the game your brain will be screaming out for a rest from having to think so much.
Crysis's gunplay is utterly fantastic. You are given the usual assortment of assault rifles, shotguns, SMG's and sniper rifles but each gun serves a purpose. You cant use a sniper rifle in close quarters combat and you cant shoot a guy from miles away with an assault rifle. Shotguns have very limited range but provide an almost guaranteed instant kill if you are close enough and SMG's are extremely powerful at medium range yet chew up ammo faster than any other gun in the game. You are also given access to heavy weapons such as miniguns, rocket launchers, C4 and a mini-nuke launcher however these are only necessary when vehicles come onto the playing field. Speaking of vehicles you are given access to Jeeps, Tanks and Boats as Nomad however the KPA can also use Helicopters to track you down from the sky, the vehicles aren’t all that common but they only make the combat so much more fun, luckily the vehicles are easy to use and are very well balanced meaning that they don’t break up the flow of gameplay too much.
The game is semi-linear, you are given a large area in which to do your mission in however it is always an A to B job. Do not think that the game is free roam because you will be severely disappointed if you do, it is merely a linear shooter with large environments in which have many routes through the level.
Of course Crytek had to give the game some challenge in using the suit otherwise you would literally be a walking tank. You are given a suit energy bar that will deplete the more suit powers you use. For instance sprinting will rapidly drain the energy and so will stealth however armour only drains when you are hit by bullets and strength only drains when you super jump or throw things meaning you have to use each power tactically because if you get into a sticky situation you are guaranteed to need one of the suit powers to get you out of that situation. Crysis gives you a lot to think about at any one time, this is not a game to play when you just want to sit back and play a dumb shooter, extreme tactical analysis is needed to get you through just one minor fight and once you get into the latter stages of the game your brain will be screaming out for a rest from having to think so much.
Crysis's gunplay is utterly fantastic. You are given the usual assortment of assault rifles, shotguns, SMG's and sniper rifles but each gun serves a purpose. You cant use a sniper rifle in close quarters combat and you cant shoot a guy from miles away with an assault rifle. Shotguns have very limited range but provide an almost guaranteed instant kill if you are close enough and SMG's are extremely powerful at medium range yet chew up ammo faster than any other gun in the game. You are also given access to heavy weapons such as miniguns, rocket launchers, C4 and a mini-nuke launcher however these are only necessary when vehicles come onto the playing field. Speaking of vehicles you are given access to Jeeps, Tanks and Boats as Nomad however the KPA can also use Helicopters to track you down from the sky, the vehicles aren’t all that common but they only make the combat so much more fun, luckily the vehicles are easy to use and are very well balanced meaning that they don’t break up the flow of gameplay too much.
The game is semi-linear, you are given a large area in which to do your mission in however it is always an A to B job. Do not think that the game is free roam because you will be severely disappointed if you do, it is merely a linear shooter with large environments in which have many routes through the level.
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The KPA are extremely intelligent and fun to fight, they will take cover behind walls and regularly use methods to flush you out of hiding spots. They also have short term memory meaning if you pop out of cloak, cause a distraction and go back in again they will always return to the place they saw you uncloak to investigate after checking out the distraction which gives them a real intelligent quality. The aliens aren’t nearly as fun to fight but they do the job for the final few missions.
Now onto the bit you have all been waiting for, the graphics. Now seeing as this is a review of the 2011 console release the results may be different on the 2007 PC version. Crysis is perhaps the best looking game ever made, despite being a remake of a 2007 game it still whoops the likes of Battlefield 3 for best looking game. The game uses light to its advantage, admittedly in the darker areas of the game it doesn't look as great but when the sun comes out and washes the screen in light is is perhaps the most beautiful thing you can see on a TV screen. Water reflects the entire world, even you and the environment is almost completely destructible, with the ability to knock down trees, move rocks and blow up entire buildings Crysis is the most visually stunning game around.
The game is textured too, everything looks unique and extremely detailed, this is where it surpasses its sequels in terms of visual quality. Everything in Crysis 1 is so much more detailed than in Crysis 2 or 3, yes the sequels are more polished and 'realistic' in terms of what you can and cant destroy, and a more realistic colour palette but Crysis 1 excels in detailing giving the game a much more precise look, rather than having objects blend in with each other because they are un-detailed or share the same texture. Character models in Crysis are the best in the business, Half-Life 2 wins on facial animation but the overall models and the lifelikeness of them is hands down the best in any game to date.
Crysis's sound design is good but not great. Loud sections of the game are distorted and sometimes there is an odd glitch in which the song stops playing midway through a musical score and will restart it. But this stuff isn’t as bad as in its sequels and wont bust your nice speakers. The game also comes with 3D functionality giving the game a great deal more depth of field but it does seem do decrease the games graphical standard minorly.
Crysis 1 is the best out of the 3 main games due to many factors. The gameplay is the best in this game compared to the other two due to some fantastic level design and how the Nanosuit complements it. The presentation is also the best in this title with the best graphics in the series and a better mixed soundtrack. Crysis is one of the games that will take years to show its age technologically and is easily one of the best FPS's ever made due to how fun to play it is. Though the game does have its problems such as a weak final 3 missions, some quirky A.I in places and sound design problems these can be overlooked because of how great the overall product is.
Crysis is a game every FPS fan should play whether it be on PC or console. However if you are PC player make sure you can run the game on some of the highest settings to truly get a sense of what the game has to offer you. The original and still the best Crysis game to date.
Now onto the bit you have all been waiting for, the graphics. Now seeing as this is a review of the 2011 console release the results may be different on the 2007 PC version. Crysis is perhaps the best looking game ever made, despite being a remake of a 2007 game it still whoops the likes of Battlefield 3 for best looking game. The game uses light to its advantage, admittedly in the darker areas of the game it doesn't look as great but when the sun comes out and washes the screen in light is is perhaps the most beautiful thing you can see on a TV screen. Water reflects the entire world, even you and the environment is almost completely destructible, with the ability to knock down trees, move rocks and blow up entire buildings Crysis is the most visually stunning game around.
The game is textured too, everything looks unique and extremely detailed, this is where it surpasses its sequels in terms of visual quality. Everything in Crysis 1 is so much more detailed than in Crysis 2 or 3, yes the sequels are more polished and 'realistic' in terms of what you can and cant destroy, and a more realistic colour palette but Crysis 1 excels in detailing giving the game a much more precise look, rather than having objects blend in with each other because they are un-detailed or share the same texture. Character models in Crysis are the best in the business, Half-Life 2 wins on facial animation but the overall models and the lifelikeness of them is hands down the best in any game to date.
Crysis's sound design is good but not great. Loud sections of the game are distorted and sometimes there is an odd glitch in which the song stops playing midway through a musical score and will restart it. But this stuff isn’t as bad as in its sequels and wont bust your nice speakers. The game also comes with 3D functionality giving the game a great deal more depth of field but it does seem do decrease the games graphical standard minorly.
Crysis 1 is the best out of the 3 main games due to many factors. The gameplay is the best in this game compared to the other two due to some fantastic level design and how the Nanosuit complements it. The presentation is also the best in this title with the best graphics in the series and a better mixed soundtrack. Crysis is one of the games that will take years to show its age technologically and is easily one of the best FPS's ever made due to how fun to play it is. Though the game does have its problems such as a weak final 3 missions, some quirky A.I in places and sound design problems these can be overlooked because of how great the overall product is.
Crysis is a game every FPS fan should play whether it be on PC or console. However if you are PC player make sure you can run the game on some of the highest settings to truly get a sense of what the game has to offer you. The original and still the best Crysis game to date.
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+Graphical standard
+Amazing gameplay +Awesome level design -Sound design -Last 3 levels -Poorly told story |
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