Yep we know we are late again with our game reviews, but we can't stop playing this game long enough to write about it. But now that we have finally finished Crysis we will bring you are thoughts.
Storyline
It’s difficult to mention the storyline in any depth because we will give away most of the excitement and suspense. However you are part of a special tactical unit - who are in possession of the latest technology (your Nanosuit) - and the game starts in a typical rescue style fashion and then turns into something totally different. Just think of Predator/Aliens story lines and you can kind of get the gist of things.
Graphics
We thought we would mention the graphics straight off because by now you will know the game has some of the best graphics ever made, but for mere mortals with lower spec computers you will need to tone down the settings quite a lot. However you will be pleased to hear that you don't need a mega spec PC in order for the game to still look good.
We managed to run the game for most parts at 1280 x 1024 at medium detail on our P4 3.2Ghz machine with 2GB Ram and an older 7800GTX card. Though we are running XP (Vista needs even more power to run properly) and we did have to tone down to the lower settings half-way through the game - when things started to chug.
A colleague even got the game to run on an old ATI X800 card at 1024 x 768 on low settings - so there is hope for people with old cards.
However to appreciate Crysis in all its beauty you will need at least an 8800GT card we recks.
When you up the graphics to beyond medium everything looks amazing, trees blow in the breeze, the shadows on the ground look realistic. When you fire your weapons the leaves blow off and you can even shoot down trees to.
There are also some nice little touches, such as the butterfly that moves past you just after you have taken half the jungle down in a hugh fire fight and small crabs that litter the beaches.
Most of the levels are played outdoors to begin with and the sheer scale of the maps is immense.
Gameplay
The gameplay is what makes Crysis so good, after the graphics have worn off it was important Crytek got this right and they have in very large doses.
Unlike recent FPS games, Crysis will take you more than a few days to complete - even on normal mode - this is because of the sheer vastness of the levels.
You are given objectives such as rescue a hostage or knock out a radar station, but it’s the exploring that makes the difference, you can go off and create your own sub-mission in true Arnie style if you want.
Plus even though the levels are big you are never left for long before you get into a scrap, so there is always something going on to keep you entertained. The large scale maps are helped by your mini-map as well, which always shows where your objectives and enemies are. A pair of handy binoculars can also be used to gage enemy whereabouts before approaching hostile situations.
Your special Nanosuit also comes to the fore when deciding how you play the game.
With this suit you can go into Predator mode where you can cloak to your environments surroundings, so as you approach a compound you can either cloak and go stealth or use maximum strength and kick the enemies ass - the choice is yours (but the technology only lasts in bursts so you need to plan when best to use it). We will mention more about the suit later on.
AI
Another aspect of Crysis that is impressive is the AI of your enemies, they are not stupid enough to stand still when you start firing at them. They will search for cover and even call in re-enforcements to help.
Also your firing accuracy needs to be spot on, as we wasted a full clip on some bad guys because we did not aim for the vulnerable spots in their armour. So don't expect to go commando in this game unless you have the skills to match your bravery.
Also what helps is that any enemies that shoot you will light up in red, so at least you have some advantage over the bad guys to some extent.
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