Crysis

[Leisher]

You've heard all the hype about Crysis right? "Best looking game ever" is what you've probably heard. Well, it's true. Actually, almost everything you've heard is true.

Crysis is a bad ass, beautiful game that excels in creating a world that you will feel is alive. For every mistake Crytek made in Far Cry, in terms of immersion, they made up for it here. Then about 2/3 of the way through the game they remind you why they're not at the top of the mountain...yet.

Crysis puts you in the shoes of Lt. Jake "Nomad" Dunn as you are dropped onto an island near North Korea where some strange shyte has been taking place. You and your team of high tech assault suit wearing commandos get separated during your descent and that leaves you on your own against the North Koreans.

First of all, let's discuss the suit. It's awesome. This suit brings to the FPS world the same thoughts of "This changes the way games are played" that you also get from Valve's Gravity Gun and Portal gun. As a guy who jumps in without reading manuals, as I started out playing the first level of Crysis, I was playing it as I'd play any FPS. I was doing just fine too until I reached a section of beach with multiple soldiers and two jeeps with mounted .50 cals. That's when I started toying with the suit's abilities. The cool part is that the acclimation of the suit's abilities continued through the levels. I'm not sure if that was by design or just a natural learning curve, but it added a lot to my experience.

So what can the suit do? Well, the most used feature will be it's invisibility. Remember the invisibility mode the alien used in Predator? Same thing exactly, right down to the sparks of electricity. There's a super strength mode during which you are the Hulk with the abilities to jump higher and farther. I didn't use that mode as much, but I've heard that picking bad guys up and flinging them like the Hulk is cool. There's also get a super speed mode, which I didn't find very useful. Finally, the default mode is shields. All of these modes are powered via a standard "100 health/energy bar" that constantly replenishes itself. So you can't be invisible for long, run fast forever, etc. Lots of playtesting had to have been done to perfect the timing of this suit's abilities and I think they did a great job.

Outside of the suit, you get to play with tons of weapons and they're all standard real world stuff...with an exception or two. One of the weapons is straight out of a certain movie with bugs, but you don't really get to use it much and it's nowhere near as cool as you'd think. The other exotic is fun. It might just be because when you get it, you'll be pretty used to kicking ass, or maybe it's because at that moment the storyline is in HIGH SPEED, or maybe it's just fun to shoot shyte. I don't know, I just know I liked it.

The level design is very good and damn near Valve levels at certain moments in the game. They're smart, linear without being linear, and just fantastic in terms of detail. It's funny, but when the game starts, it looks gorgeous, but nothing blows you away in terms of level design. However, after you get used to the suit, they ratchet up the difficulty and start introducing other units to work with and better settings to let that suit strut its stuff.

Like I said, the first 2/3 of the game starts out mild and then grows to awesome...then disaster strikes. It's odd because even without hearing reviews before playing it, one can tell it's coming while playing. You're doing all this cool stuff in great, realistic settings and then out of nowhere it's getting silly. It's not a spoiler since it's been reported everywhere else, but you suddenly find yourself in zero gravity on board an alien ship. The reports on this area of the game are very, very true. It sucks.

There you are running around photo realistic levels for hours using real world weapons against a real world opponent in real world settings and in real world ways and then BAM! you're in a very cartoony alien ship in zero gravity fighting everything you've learned about movement so far and rejects from The Abyss.

Bye bye immersion.

Things get better once you get out, and in fact, some of the game's best moments occur at this stage in the game, but I have a serious, serious problem with the design here. I think they fucked up big time. The problem is that I cannot discuss it without providing major spoilers, thus I'll discuss this item in a spoiler thread.

Anyway, the final portion of the game is fun because of the fast paced plot at that point and the setting. What kills it, again, is the stupid alien stuff. Particularly the finale...

Overall, Crysis is a must play for any FPS fan. The graphics are unbelievable, the suit is a new innovation in gameplay, the levels are fun, the story is decent, etc. I look forward to what Crytek does to top themselves here.

8 out of 10.

[Troy]

Bought and DLed this last night off Steam. Amazing game, instantly made me feel like the new PC upgrade was 100% worth it. High settings on a wide screen 22 inch, breathtaking.

Two cool "holy shit this game is cool" moments, from last night (started playing on hard, love that there is an even harder difficulty I can try after the first play through)

1) I stealth around a large patrol and to infiltrate a village where a spy is being held. I try a frontal assault on one of the side entrances, sniping the guys on the MGs and making my way forward.

Then I get hit from behind as the patrol I stealthed by moves to respond to the sound and flares. I engage them, and finish them off, meanwhile some assholes in the base get the MGs back up and I dive behind a tree and take cover to recover my health and energy. In about 5 second I notice that the tree is splintering, and then it proceeds to fall on me, killing me. Awesome.

2) Next I go the other way into the base, through the side jungle trail, quickly and quietly... blowing up the gas tanks like the LT told me to do. Inside the village I stealthy kill a few guys and then I attract too much attention and get into a nice big Firefight. The HUD gives me a warning as a grenade flies near my feet. Quick change to suit quickness, and a quick dive into the nearby building.... BOOM the grenades goes off blowing out the walls, which in turn blows out the roof, which proceeds to cave in and smash me to death. Double Awesome.



Edited By Troy on 1228590185

[Malcolm]

I'm trying to remember the last FP-anything game I played seriously. Thief II? Maybe?

Ah well, new system estimate is only a month away. Might just say fuck it w\ the monitor & get a wall-mountable flatscreen.

We got a definitive "Games You Must Play" thread anywhere? I assume Crysis goes on there? Last time I kept up to date on that shyte, Clin-ton was in office.