Crysis
You emerge behind the outcropping of rock and sprint unseen through the dense foliage, right under the noses of a North Korean patrol. Your nanosuit winks out of stealth mode and into the visible spectrum as you chuck a grenade toward a watchtower. Trees bend back from the force of the explosion and the tower crumples forward, spilling out its screaming occupants. Soldiers cry out. Machineguns burst from all sides, bullets shredding tree trunks and rattling against corrugated metal fences. You trigger your super strength and leap ten feet high into the enemy compound, crashing through the rotted ceiling of a garage as alarms blare. Jets streak by overhead, chased by antiaircraft fire. Bomb blasts illuminate the other side of the harbor with dome-like explosions while thick smoke pours from overturned vehicles. As you trigger your stealth mode back on and glide silently toward a machinegun nest, you can't help but admire the colors of the sunset over the distant ocean...
Every couple of years a PC game comes along to push the envelope at any cost. Crysis is this year's landmark. Players are treated to one incredible vista after another, and as the game progresses, it continually ups the ante for visual spectacle. Crysis serves up dynamic gameplay in a lush environment, but it comes at a cost: you'll need a whopper of a PC to run it, and even powerful PCs will want to stick to 1024 resolution to keep a solid framerate. If your rig can handle this beast -- and if you don't mind the sometimes frustrating nature of an unscripted, open game -- then Crysis definitely delivers on its promise.
When Superheroes Attack
Despite the realistic near-future setting and familiar arms, Crysis isn't a military simulation. At its heart this is a superhero game, where the main character is armed with the latest in high-tech equipment. Your nanosuit -- the star of the show -- allows you to be invisible, to be super-fast, to be super-strong, or to be virtually bulletproof. Here's the catch: you can only use one power at a time, and they all have limited energy. Choosing which powers to use in every situation is the heart of the gameplay.
For the most part the powers are excellently balanced. Each has its drawbacks and situations where it's appropriate to use (any power, improperly used, will drain your suit's energy and shut off). The only exception is super strength, which isn't terribly useful in most scenarios. Sure, you can punch through a wall or leap over a fence, but we were really hoping to be able to do things like picking up an enemy vehicle and tossing it into a building like a toy.
Stealth, on the other hand, is absolutely essential. Gamers looking for an all-out action game may be disappointed to learn that stealth is at the core of Crysis. You are always outnumbered. Fortunately, stealth is brilliantly implemented: While standing still, your suit can stay invisible almost indefinitely. But the moment you start moving, your energy drops... fast. The gameplay that results is absolutely pulse-pounding. You'll dart from cover to cover, stealing moments wherever possible to recharge your suit. While standing still, enemies will walk right past you, unaware you're pointing a shotgun at their head.
The enemy soldier AI in Crysis may not be brilliant, but it definitely supports this style of gameplay. Soldiers don't passively wait around in small groups for you to pick them off. If there's a disturbance, they'll rush to investigate. If they find a body, they'll pull out their weapons and start fanning out to investigate the area. If you lie low, they'll eventually relax, and soon enough they'll go about their business: lounging around, smoking, taking a leak...
Even if you activate the bulletproof ability, you won't survive a direct enemy encounter very long with half a dozen guys firing assault rifles at you. So you learn to pay attention: you watch where guys are facing, you look for opportunities to pick people off, and you use dirty tricks to take them out (stealth + shotgun is a riot). Which dirty tricks you use are up to you. That's what makes the gameplay so satisfying.
Every Field is a Fortress
Much like Far Cry before it, Crysis features large open areas with enemy installations scattered about. In practice, each one plays out like a little open-ended puzzle. First, you get to a good vantage point and do some recon: by using your binoculars, you can "tag" enemy soldiers so that they will show up on your radar, along with their alert level and which direction they're facing.
After doing a little research, you can decide how to tackle the problem. Steal a truck and do an all-out assault with a mounted machine gun? Snipe the patrols from a distance? Stealth your way into the heart of the base and make hit-and-hide shotgun attacks? Or simply sneak past the base and ignore it completely? The decision is all up to you. Your choices have consequences -- soldiers might call in backup or even bring in a helicopter for support.
This style of gameplay has advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, you feel like an absolute badass. You're an invisible angel of death, silently stalking your prey, defining how you want each encounter to play out. But this kind of unscripted gameplay can also be frustrating -- unlike heavily scripted games that walk you from one set-piece battle to another, there's no guarantee that any encounter will play out in a satisfying way. Sometimes you die... a lot. Sometimes you waste a lot of time in a place that isn't interesting. You have to play Crysis with the understanding that not every encounter will have a spectacular payoff, but it's worth it when the stars align.
Immense Spectacle
In addition to the open gameplay, Crysis serves up some of the most intense spectacle ever witnessed on a PC. Sure, the jungles are beautiful and the physics of the explosions are terrific. But as the game progresses the sights take on an even grander scale. You'll be in the midst of a massive tank battle, jets will be flying overhead, helicopters will be exploding and whirling to the ground, and as if that wasn't enough, in the distance a mountain will explode. Halfway through the game U.S. forces launch an all-out assault on the island from a nearby aircraft carrier, and you've got front-row seats for every ounce of shock and awe.
The backstory of Crysis involves U.S. and North Korean forces contesting an island where a strange alien technology has been unearthed. Without giving too much away, you'll eventually explore the alien vessel from within -- in zero gravity no less -- in a series of levels that are completely disorienting. Most games would've climaxed right there, but Crysis continues beyond that to depict absolutely insanity, from aerial evacuations to tornadoes to (as seen in previews) an alien assault on an aircraft carrier. Crysis continually tops itself with sequence after sequence unlike any other game before it.
Unfortunately, the last few areas lack the open-ended freedom of the initial levels, and feel a lot more linear. Crysis loses a bit of its freshness here, but at least the first two-thirds of the game are immensely replayable.
Trouble in Paradise
Our playthrough of Crysis' single-player was immensely stable, with one exception -- a bug right at the climax of the game might cause your weapon not to lock-on to its target properly, bringing an incredible experience to an immediate crashing halt. We eventually finished the game by going back to a previous save and replaying the entire ending sequence, but it's a shame that players might encounter a showstopper at such a critical moment.
We were blown away by the visuals but we also had the hardware to handle it... sort of. Our main testing rig was an Alienware Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66MHz, with 2GB memory and a GeForce 8800 GTX. Even running as low as 1024x768, our framerate was usually solid but dipped on some intense scenes. If you want to crank the resolution beyond that you'll likely notice more slowdowns, which may disappoint a lot of hardware junkies who have otherwise killer machines. We recommend checking out the Crysis demo to see what kind of performance you can expect.
Again, it's worth noting that the open nature of Crysis means the gameplay can be hit-or-miss. Take the wrong approach to a level and you might find yourself getting killed over and over again. Even within the GameSpy headquarters our different editors all had different experiences. But if you've got a powerful enough system and the patience to work your way past some rough patches, the dynamic gameplay and spectacular visuals can lead to some of the most memorable gaming moments of 2007.
Multiplayer Goes Nuclear
Crysis features solid multiplayer, although it's a little rough around the edges. Players can opt for the deathmatch-style "Instant Action" mode, but the real heart of the online game is the "Power Struggle" game. There, two teams opt for control of a map. Capturing spawn points or weapons factories will help your team advance or bust out the big guns, but the special prototype factory building is the most important. Your goal is to capture the factory, power it up by holding power nodes scattered around the map, and use it to create uber-weapons (such as tanks with tactical nukes or alien singularity guns) that will destroy the enemy base with suitably spectacular devastation. Individual players will need to buy their own equipment, Counter-Strike-style, so you won't be able to buy things like helicopters or rocket launchers until you've proven yourself on the battlefield.
Multiplayer works great but for a few glitches. Vehicle movement is stuttery; it's far too easy to get run over by a friendly tank when you're trying to step up into the secondary turret. Only about half of the servers online are running the Punkbuster anti-cheating measures, and players seem to have discovered an unlimited nuke cheat for the non-Punkbuster servers. There's definitely a lack of polish compared with the single-player game.
But on the whole the Power-Struggle mode plays great. Tension builds as one team claws its way across the map, there's always a panicked scramble as the nuclear-armed tank rolls out of the factory, and the maps feature plenty of places for combinations of outdoor vehicular slaughter or indoor nanosuit gunfights. There may be better multiplayer PC games this year, but for Crysis the online play is just icing for the single-player cake.
Crysis pushes the envelope in the graphics department and experiments with some freewheeling gameplay. The end result may not be a perfectly polished game experience, and it might require a monster system to really appreciate, but it's hard to fault a game for pushing so far past the bleeding edge. Crysis puts some incredible things up on your PC monitor, and underneath that beauty is some enjoyable gameplay. This is definitely one of the landmark PC games of 2007.
Every couple of years a PC game comes along to push the envelope at any cost. Crysis is this year's landmark. Players are treated to one incredible vista after another, and as the game progresses, it continually ups the ante for visual spectacle. Crysis serves up dynamic gameplay in a lush environment, but it comes at a cost: you'll need a whopper of a PC to run it, and even powerful PCs will want to stick to 1024 resolution to keep a solid framerate. If your rig can handle this beast -- and if you don't mind the sometimes frustrating nature of an unscripted, open game -- then Crysis definitely delivers on its promise.
A nighttime raid. Vistas like this are common in Crysis. You'll decide how you want to cross the road and assault the fortification across the bay.
When Superheroes Attack
Despite the realistic near-future setting and familiar arms, Crysis isn't a military simulation. At its heart this is a superhero game, where the main character is armed with the latest in high-tech equipment. Your nanosuit -- the star of the show -- allows you to be invisible, to be super-fast, to be super-strong, or to be virtually bulletproof. Here's the catch: you can only use one power at a time, and they all have limited energy. Choosing which powers to use in every situation is the heart of the gameplay.
For the most part the powers are excellently balanced. Each has its drawbacks and situations where it's appropriate to use (any power, improperly used, will drain your suit's energy and shut off). The only exception is super strength, which isn't terribly useful in most scenarios. Sure, you can punch through a wall or leap over a fence, but we were really hoping to be able to do things like picking up an enemy vehicle and tossing it into a building like a toy.
Stealth, on the other hand, is absolutely essential. Gamers looking for an all-out action game may be disappointed to learn that stealth is at the core of Crysis. You are always outnumbered. Fortunately, stealth is brilliantly implemented: While standing still, your suit can stay invisible almost indefinitely. But the moment you start moving, your energy drops... fast. The gameplay that results is absolutely pulse-pounding. You'll dart from cover to cover, stealing moments wherever possible to recharge your suit. While standing still, enemies will walk right past you, unaware you're pointing a shotgun at their head.
The enemy soldier AI in Crysis may not be brilliant, but it definitely supports this style of gameplay. Soldiers don't passively wait around in small groups for you to pick them off. If there's a disturbance, they'll rush to investigate. If they find a body, they'll pull out their weapons and start fanning out to investigate the area. If you lie low, they'll eventually relax, and soon enough they'll go about their business: lounging around, smoking, taking a leak...
Even if you activate the bulletproof ability, you won't survive a direct enemy encounter very long with half a dozen guys firing assault rifles at you. So you learn to pay attention: you watch where guys are facing, you look for opportunities to pick people off, and you use dirty tricks to take them out (stealth + shotgun is a riot). Which dirty tricks you use are up to you. That's what makes the gameplay so satisfying.
These guys have no idea you're eavesdropping from just a few feet away.
Every Field is a Fortress
Much like Far Cry before it, Crysis features large open areas with enemy installations scattered about. In practice, each one plays out like a little open-ended puzzle. First, you get to a good vantage point and do some recon: by using your binoculars, you can "tag" enemy soldiers so that they will show up on your radar, along with their alert level and which direction they're facing.
After doing a little research, you can decide how to tackle the problem. Steal a truck and do an all-out assault with a mounted machine gun? Snipe the patrols from a distance? Stealth your way into the heart of the base and make hit-and-hide shotgun attacks? Or simply sneak past the base and ignore it completely? The decision is all up to you. Your choices have consequences -- soldiers might call in backup or even bring in a helicopter for support.
This style of gameplay has advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, you feel like an absolute badass. You're an invisible angel of death, silently stalking your prey, defining how you want each encounter to play out. But this kind of unscripted gameplay can also be frustrating -- unlike heavily scripted games that walk you from one set-piece battle to another, there's no guarantee that any encounter will play out in a satisfying way. Sometimes you die... a lot. Sometimes you waste a lot of time in a place that isn't interesting. You have to play Crysis with the understanding that not every encounter will have a spectacular payoff, but it's worth it when the stars align.
Immense Spectacle
In addition to the open gameplay, Crysis serves up some of the most intense spectacle ever witnessed on a PC. Sure, the jungles are beautiful and the physics of the explosions are terrific. But as the game progresses the sights take on an even grander scale. You'll be in the midst of a massive tank battle, jets will be flying overhead, helicopters will be exploding and whirling to the ground, and as if that wasn't enough, in the distance a mountain will explode. Halfway through the game U.S. forces launch an all-out assault on the island from a nearby aircraft carrier, and you've got front-row seats for every ounce of shock and awe.
The backstory of Crysis involves U.S. and North Korean forces contesting an island where a strange alien technology has been unearthed. Without giving too much away, you'll eventually explore the alien vessel from within -- in zero gravity no less -- in a series of levels that are completely disorienting. Most games would've climaxed right there, but Crysis continues beyond that to depict absolutely insanity, from aerial evacuations to tornadoes to (as seen in previews) an alien assault on an aircraft carrier. Crysis continually tops itself with sequence after sequence unlike any other game before it.
Unfortunately, the last few areas lack the open-ended freedom of the initial levels, and feel a lot more linear. Crysis loses a bit of its freshness here, but at least the first two-thirds of the game are immensely replayable.
Trouble in Paradise
Our playthrough of Crysis' single-player was immensely stable, with one exception -- a bug right at the climax of the game might cause your weapon not to lock-on to its target properly, bringing an incredible experience to an immediate crashing halt. We eventually finished the game by going back to a previous save and replaying the entire ending sequence, but it's a shame that players might encounter a showstopper at such a critical moment.
We were blown away by the visuals but we also had the hardware to handle it... sort of. Our main testing rig was an Alienware Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66MHz, with 2GB memory and a GeForce 8800 GTX. Even running as low as 1024x768, our framerate was usually solid but dipped on some intense scenes. If you want to crank the resolution beyond that you'll likely notice more slowdowns, which may disappoint a lot of hardware junkies who have otherwise killer machines. We recommend checking out the Crysis demo to see what kind of performance you can expect.
Again, it's worth noting that the open nature of Crysis means the gameplay can be hit-or-miss. Take the wrong approach to a level and you might find yourself getting killed over and over again. Even within the GameSpy headquarters our different editors all had different experiences. But if you've got a powerful enough system and the patience to work your way past some rough patches, the dynamic gameplay and spectacular visuals can lead to some of the most memorable gaming moments of 2007.
The "Power Struggle" multiplayer mode is a great deal of fun, but watch for those twitchy vehicles.
Multiplayer Goes Nuclear
Crysis features solid multiplayer, although it's a little rough around the edges. Players can opt for the deathmatch-style "Instant Action" mode, but the real heart of the online game is the "Power Struggle" game. There, two teams opt for control of a map. Capturing spawn points or weapons factories will help your team advance or bust out the big guns, but the special prototype factory building is the most important. Your goal is to capture the factory, power it up by holding power nodes scattered around the map, and use it to create uber-weapons (such as tanks with tactical nukes or alien singularity guns) that will destroy the enemy base with suitably spectacular devastation. Individual players will need to buy their own equipment, Counter-Strike-style, so you won't be able to buy things like helicopters or rocket launchers until you've proven yourself on the battlefield.
Multiplayer works great but for a few glitches. Vehicle movement is stuttery; it's far too easy to get run over by a friendly tank when you're trying to step up into the secondary turret. Only about half of the servers online are running the Punkbuster anti-cheating measures, and players seem to have discovered an unlimited nuke cheat for the non-Punkbuster servers. There's definitely a lack of polish compared with the single-player game.
But on the whole the Power-Struggle mode plays great. Tension builds as one team claws its way across the map, there's always a panicked scramble as the nuclear-armed tank rolls out of the factory, and the maps feature plenty of places for combinations of outdoor vehicular slaughter or indoor nanosuit gunfights. There may be better multiplayer PC games this year, but for Crysis the online play is just icing for the single-player cake.
Crysis pushes the envelope in the graphics department and experiments with some freewheeling gameplay. The end result may not be a perfectly polished game experience, and it might require a monster system to really appreciate, but it's hard to fault a game for pushing so far past the bleeding edge. Crysis puts some incredible things up on your PC monitor, and underneath that beauty is some enjoyable gameplay. This is definitely one of the landmark PC games of 2007.
Labels: GameSpot
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