Feb 20, 2008
Crysis – Game Review
I hear the sound of stomping feet, clapping hands, and roaring cheers of applause for the MVP of the FPS gaming world, and up in bright lights is the name “CRYSIS” shining like the sun. This must be what it’s like at the Crytek and EA all hands meetings, combined with the satisfied grins of success and awards of achievement being passed around like slices of a giant cake.
Crysis has set the bar high above the gaming baseline and this will be the PC game by which all others will be measured. That’s a pretty bold statement and I say that because its rare title that can claim such high marks on so many categories. Crysis is without a doubt a gaming triumph and I only hope we see more games of this caliber begin to compete for our almighty gaming dollar. With all that introductory praise out of the way, let’s get to it.
Graphics: STELLER!!! Absolutely unparallel visuals with mind blowing detail. When I first started, I kept running around in circles like a dog chasing its tail just to watch the leaves of the bushes I was in react to my movement. The light and shadow effects are top notch and the color is so vibrant it just feels good to look at. Even the skin and the facial features on your human friends and foes put most games to shame and the detail in the scenery is breathtaking.
Environment: This is a game that brings the richness of the environment to a new level. It’s entirely destructible, so firing off your machine gun will mow down trees, fences, or chickens in your path. Though you don’t often find the need, you may have the inclination to pick something up and throw it, and you certainly can. From bottles to newspapers to giant crates, it’s all movable and hurling something at a baddie just might help you out in a pinch.
Physics: The physics of a game are often taken for granted until you play one that really gets it right. When they are missing, it’s not blazingly obvious, but when you can feel that your actions in the game have a realistic consequence, your experience is greatly enhanced. Crysis will give you that experience from the way the baddies fall and die, to the way the environment reacts around you, the effects are brilliant. Even jumping off a cliff and diving into a river offers the fluid grace of that movement but adds a little spastic free fall to give you a hint of fear; that tiny gut wrench that makes you hope you don’t hit a rock.
Story: The story of a game is the frosting when the game play rocks and it’s the saving grace when it sucks. Here in Crysis it’s just about perfect. You’re a US special forces Op dropped in hot zone of hostile North Koreans to find and rescue a lost archeological team in the islands. You quickly come to learn that the dig was researching an alien invasion and that’s where the story really starts to spread its sci fi wings. The first level reminded me a lot of the original Predator movie with Arnold running through the jungle, with your kick ass nanosuit giving you similar cloaking abilities. Your cut scenes are character based and just detailed enough to deliver the next part of the tale without drudging you through superfluous narratives.
Senses: The sound is right on, with some awesome sound effects, particularly action effects, like bullets hitting the dirt versus the tree trunks, the richness of the waterfalls , footfalls, and machinery. Mixed in are well timed creep sounds and aural startle effects that all add up to a great soundtrack. Rumble is subtle, and well used to enhance your experience not dominate it with constant vibrating hands.
Gameplay: The suit is really genius and gives you different powers to use, like super speed or cloaking abilities. The faster you move the faster the “energy” that feeds the power runs out, but you fill up rather fast and can re-engage your powers quickly. Your shooting feels solid and realistic in FPS gaming comparison, and your given a pistol, a shotgun, and a rifle, and can switch them around with laser sighted shotguns, grenade or rocket launchers throughout the game. You continually pick ammo from dead baddies or enemy camps. Your weapons have variable attachments like silencers or sights that add welcomed complexity, and your fists even come in handy for a bit a melee combat. There are fun vehicle combats and you can speed run which removes any drudge of having to travel to far away rally points. You can run fast and jump well, and while that seems like it should be assumed, so many games have yet to get this right. The jumping is truly awesome; if it looks like you can jump it, you can jump it! My only real game play gripe is that reload and pick up ammo are both the X button, so if you try to pick up real quick and are not right on, you will start reloading and it can cost you some damage in a battle.
That’s a whole lotta lovin and I spread it on real thick for one game. So before I start to sound like a Crysis fangrrl, I will tell you that the rumors are true. This game is a gluttonous resource leech, trying to suck the life out of your system. I played on a brand new 2.66 core duo, 4 gig of ram, Vista 64bit with an XFX nividia GeForce 8800 GT with 512 at 1920*1200 and on medium it still chops under heavy fire. You can certainly play it with all the settings on high but don’t expect your sound to synch with your visuals and while it may be super stunning to run through, your high action fighting and battles are almost unplayable. But damn it’s pretty!
All my thumbs, fingers and toes are up on Crysis and even though it’s a spoiled brat and needs all of a good PC’s attention, it’s worth it…entirely.
Kiss Kiss,
interesting… thank’s for the great post