Ok, we’ve all heard the hype about Crysis; about how it is graphically gorgeous, has incredibly steep hardware requirements, ect, ect. Well, hopefully I can put to bed any misgiving and gossip you’ve heard about this game and give you the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly about it.
Basic synopsis of the game. You are 1st Lt Jake Dunn, US Army Special Forces, Delta Force. The year is 2020, and much has change, such as VTOL aircraft capable of carrying Main Battle tanks, nano-technology has been used to make an advanced battle armor capable of making soldiers stronger, faster, more survivable and even capable of limited optical camouflage (cloaking). Simply, you are Solid Snake crossed with Master Chief. You and your four-man Delta team have been deployed to the Philippines on a rescue operation to free US civilians being held hostage by a North Korean General. However, even before touch down thing start to go from bad to worse as this rescue op reveals something far deadlier than the North Korean Army.
THE GOOD
Graphically, this game is the most beautiful thing on the market, bar none. Yes, I know that is a lofty claim to make, however it is very true. For example, when you crawl through the bushes branches will bend around you, trees will break apart when shot, branches flutter under the prop wash of helicopters, bullets ricochet off of the links in a fence, and buildings literally get blown apart by explosives and cannon fire. Details like water rippling, sun filtering through the trees, smoke and mist effects give an incredible sense of realism that makes Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and even Far Cry pale in comparison.
The environments are incredibly expansive, covering kilometers upon kilometers of space, just like they would in real life. The large scale allows the player to choose how they wish to advance. Whether you want to bust in the front door, sneak around undiscovered, or drive a vehicle for a speedy assault it’s all up to you. There is no correct path, and no wrong path that will ensure certain death. Environmental freedom allows the player to do as they wish to complete the mission, limited only by your imagination. Depending on your choices you could ambush a patrolling group on enemies, sneak past well defended guard towers unseen, engage armed jeeps, helicopters, even tanks with a variety of weapons, or whatever you can think of. It’s a level of open game play very rarely seen in many games today.
THE BAD
While there is not a lot for this section, it still needs to be mentioned. First off, enemy AI can be a little wonky sometimes as I’ve seen enemy soldiers run right past me as they headed for cover, or have had them run over to investigate a fallen soldier who I sniped with a silenced weapon, only to have 5 more of their buddies to fall the same way. It’s a little thing, but they spent so much time trying to make the enemies fight well that they still have them succumb to the same tricks that have worked in first person shooters since Doom. Don’t get me wrong, in an open fire fight they flank, lay down covering fire, and fight very well, but the AI still has little quirks that can be exploited.
Secondly, the weapon selection is highly limited when compared to games like Halo, Call of Duty 4, or most FPS games on the market. You have one type of pistol, two types of assault rifle (one of which the ammo is impossible to find after you used up your only 2 mags), one shotgun, one sniper rifle, and a variety of specialty weapons that don’t show up until late in the game. To its credit you can add things such as scopes, laser sights, flashlights and other attachments to the weapons, but this is done in real time while you might be under fire, so you are better off finding a mod combination that suits you and leave it that way.
There is also the VERY steep hardware requirement. Such as the recommended video card to run it under optimal conditions is one that averages $450.00 from most major retailers. Yeah, it makes it real pretty, but holy monkeys does it ask for a lot in order to run it.
Lastly, some of the driving/flying sequences are awkward as the mouse controls are not as tight as they should be, making turning difficult at times, or you might get stuck and not be able to free the vehicle whatsoever. It’s a little thing, but they should have worked a bit more on it.
THE UGLY
Well, the most glaring one would be the excessive use of profanity in the game; it’s right up there with Predator or The Big Lebowski. After that is the level of violence, both seen and unseen. Let me explain, more than once you come across allies and enemies who have been mutilated but an unknown ‘Thing’. Trust me, it ain’t pretty. Thankfully things like blood and gore in regular combat is kept to a minimum, but they could have easily crossed that line too I think.
In conclusion, it’s a REALLY pretty game with lots of open options with game play styles, a good storyline, and very visceral combat available to the player. If you meet the hardware requirements, you probably have more money than sense… I mean, you’re a really lucky person and should probably pick this up to see what your computer can really do.
