Difficulty:

Easy

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Innovative"

If your PC can support Crysis' technical requirements, this is the best test you can run for all future video games. It must be said that Crytek have designed their portfolio around being a long term benchmark for others, not simply releasing everyday titles to be played and forgotten about, as is usually the case with most shooters on the market.


The very essence of Crysis, much like its predecessor FarCry is its free roaming environments and thus the ability to accomplish your missions in a number of different ways. What makes this entry so unique however, is the nano suit, a futuristic armor that grants your character special abilities via internal energy. At any time you can activate these, ranging from maximum defence, super strength, fast speed and cloak.

Using each in relevant situations and with combination can be the key to victory. As well as this, you can customize your weapons wherever with various modifications like silencers, scopes, laser pointers and ammunitions. Overall, the level of strategy in these ideas alone make Crysis a fresh experience.

In the single player campaign you'll cover the entire island fighting two very different kinds of enemies, including some lush locations and fun mini games. Specific missions will require you to drive vehicles like jeeps, tanks, helicopters and the like. There are many scripted instances too, ensuring the action never stops for long. You'll constantly be rushed along, and will barely get a chance to stop and take it easy.

Nothing about gameplay is straightforward, there are many aspects of combat to take into consideration. For starters, the enemy's AI is more challenging than you'd expect, with the possibility of co-ordinating attacks or flanking from behind. There's also physics to account for, like destructible buildings or gun accuracy.


As if the gameplay isn't revolutionary enough, Crysis' graphics engine breaks new ground in regards to what modern hardware is capable of. Making use of Direct X 10 technology, and the latest GPU advancements, this is truly the best looking video game to date. In all honesty, most consumers won't be able to run this on highest settings for a long time, with the specs required still not mainstream. Regardless, the game still looks great on medium.

Character models and populated environments are among the best you'll see anywhere, all detailed and alive. Special effects such as motion blur, cloaking, explosions and injury are amazingly well done, and present many exciting moments. The few cinematics are so realistic it sometimes feels more like a hollywood movie than a game cutscene, and this goes down to Crysis' remarkable production values.


Where audio is concerned, once again you won't be disappointed by the neverending amount of fitting sound effects. From ambient noises of the world around you to action packed engagements filled with various weapon fire, shouting orders of the enemy and your nano suit's voice feedback, there is never a dull moment. Although music is largely absent, you won't notice with all the fighting going on.


Single player is over rather quickly, even if it is packed with content. However, the developers designed levels in such a way as to offer more than one approach to any given situation. Utilizing different tactics such as stealth, assault or a hybrid can lead you in another direction or provide a completely unique experience overall.

Thankfully Crysis does include a multiplayer capability, and it features two separate modes, power struggle and instant action. The team based maps have an exclusive style of play that works out really well and encourages both strategy and organization to achieve victory.


Anyone who enjoys a FPS or action adventure role will find something they like in Crysis. In fact, its easy to recommend this game to just about everyone, as it is a great example and will probably set the standard for the future. If a shooter can show us anything, its how much a single title can change a platform, and Crytek have certainly done their part for serious PC gaming.