Crysis (PC) Review

By being a part of the elite Raptor team, Nomad is one of those lucky jarheads who get to wear an ultra-high-tech nanosuit - in essence, a piece of armour that turns him into a one-man army. The mission? Stop North Korean from getting its hands on "something" that has been found in a jungle. In other words, this is Far Cry all over again. To be honest, though, Crysis, like it's "predecessor," isn't that engrossing, as nothing that happens here ever makes a connection you.

It's not the simplicity of it all, as a game doesn't need to be Deus Ex to impress with its world and/or storyline - it's more because of the subpar execution. The cardboard characters die and no one cares, the dialogue is 'Military FPS Writing 101,' and, as for the big surprise near the third act of the game, it's so predictable that there's no worth in trying to keep this review spoiler free - hint: the invaders are not from around…

…But it's the gameplay that matters the most, and yet, while this fares a lot better on that particular front, it's still sort of disappointing. The biggest problem is its actual introduction; an "in-game" segment that has the protagonist pulling off all sorts of crazy stunts. Through his nanosuit, the hero grabs Koreans and throws them towards others, deflects bullets, jumps over a jeep and suits on a gas canister that's placed behind it, only to make it explode. While all these can be done… the intro is a lie.

At any given time, Nomad can switch between the various modes of his suit; maximum strength, speed, armour, and a Predator-like cloaking mode. The problem is that these haven't been implemented in the best way possible. On one hand, the developer has made the right choice by not letting you become Superman, on the other one, though, these powers either get very few chances to really shine, or simply last for only a couple of seconds - apart from the stupefyingly helpful stealth ability, which is easy (and recommended) to abuse.

That's not to say that it's all bad. This is an enjoyable shooter, but it's also one where its true potential has been thrown out of the window. And then there's the whole open world thingy… or the illusion of it. While the freedom offered is not as "fake" as in Far Cry, Crysis is not as non-linear as it claims to be. Yes, it's possible to approach a base from multiple paths, but it will all feel kind of same-y. In fact, aside from some very specific parts, the rest of this journey is strangely linear for a world with very few obstacles and barriers.

…And then come the later levels, and it all goes downhill. What started as a semi-tactical FPS, quickly mutates into an extremely monotonous, straight up rail-shooter, with little strategy involved other than aiming correctly, or using the correct weapon for the occasion. Oh, and let's not forget the obligatory vehicle-ride stages, which, to be perfectly honest, should involve a skip button.

What's that? The fantastic visuals haven't been mentioned yet? Well, that's because they aren't something special. Yup, you've read that correctly. Crysis truly has a powerful graphic engine. Even after all these years, the jungle that everything takes place is just a few steps from looking 100% real. The thing is that, apart from the photorealism of it all, it's not the colors used which count, but the picture that's painted with them.

In other words, this has the common disease of many a high-budget triple-A title: the horsepower is high, the artistic quality is low, thus it will all lose its charm after a while. And the cherry on top? 10 years later, and bugs still persist, and while they rarely ruin a play-through, they can be annoying from time to time. Technical issues aside, however, it's the gameplay that suffers the most. Crysis is just decent, when it could be awesome.