S&S Review: Crysis 3

Title: Crysis 3
Format: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: February 19, 2013
Publisher: EA
Developer: Crytek
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: M

One of the best looking shooters has finally returned, and it looks to be the best yet.  Crysis 3 is Crytek's latest graphical powerhouse, and it looks to not only be the best looking, but it strives to be the best shooter around as well.

Story and Presentation: 

I've never really gotten into the story of any Crysis game, I just couldn't get into them.  Crysis 2 especially, I just found that game's narrative a little forced, and just flat out boring.  I felt that Crysis 3's story really managed to keep my interest throughout, and that's all I ask of a first person shooter, a genre that's plagued with mediocrity.  This time around, as Prophet, the story is definitely a lot more personal this time around.  Your surrounding characters are more stronger as well.  Psycho, former Raptor Team member, is a big part of this game, and he's actually a very interesting character.  Cell is once again serving as the "evil corporation" and they're responsible for stripping fighters of the nano-suit.  This leaves Prophet as the sole owner of the last nano-suit, and he uses it to go up against Cell.  I actually really enjoyed the story throughout, and although it isn't as long as Crysis 2, it feels much more focused and compact.  The visuals are just as great as you had hoped they would be.  This is takes back the crown as the best looking shooter found on a console.  You just don't see these types of visuals in any other game, except Crysis.  We've all come to expect the greatest from Crytek, and Crysis 3 is their best visual stunner yet.  Crysis 3 really separates itself from a lot of other first person shooters.  When you look at a screenshot, there's no doubt in your mind that the image is from Crysis 3.  The sound design is stellar as well, with some terrific voice acting from the main characters.  Prophet is voiced perfectly, and he brings a lot of emotion into his character.  The music is your standard fare, giving you a great score that rounds a terrific presentation.

Core Gameplay and Multiplayer:

The gameplay in every Crysis game has either turned people off, or made people fall in love with it.  We all know that a game's visual's can't carry the whole load, and it's safe to say that Crysis 3's gameplay doesn't hold the game back.  The shooting feels very smooth, and it may even feature some of the most balanced shooting found in a FPS.  Your nano-suit is still a big part of the game.  You can go cloak mode to approach an enemy encounter more stealthy, or you can use your max armor ability to absorb the max amount of damage, as you just mow down the enemies on screen.  This was one of the main reason I loved the last Crysis game, the enemy encounters were so open ended, you could approach each enemy encounter with just your imagination.  This created some pretty great set pieces, and Crysis 3's battle scenes are some of the best yet.  The big new weapon in Crysis 3 is the new bow, which is essential in stealthy gameplay.  You can stay in cloak mode while you use the bow, which makes the game pretty easy.  Enemy A.I. don't really adapt well when they figure out that their allies are being mysteriously taken down by electrical or explosive arrows.  In the end, using the bow is still a lot of fun.  Guns have gotten a overhaul as well.  You can now switch out certain attachments and upgrades for you guns on the fly.  The same goes for your nano-suit.  You can quickly customize different upgrades and abilites for your suit, you can even create different sets of abilities, which you can alternate through with a press of a button.  These big additions makes Crysis 3 a unique experience, that you really can't play anywhere else.  When the it comes to the multiplayer, it's good, just not great.  I played the beta, and although the developers fixed a lot of the problems, it's still missing something.  You have all your standard fare of modes, but the new Hunter mode is the obvious stand out.  As it pits Cell operatives against fully cloaked hunters.  Your goal is to hunt down each Cell operative, and as you eliminate them, they become apart of your team.  It's a cool mode that really captures a lot of tense moments.  There multiplayer is definitely better in Crysis 3, and with the shortened single player, it'll be great to have something to play after you finish the campaign.

Final Thoughts:
Crysis 3 is great game, there's no denying.  It doesn't reinvent the wheel when it comes to first person shooters, but it does do enough to seperate itself from other shooters.  The graphics are second to none, and will constantly leave your jaw on the floor.  The gameplay is refined and polished, and it offers a lot of new features to make it feel fresh and new.  If you're looking for a great FPS to play, I would easily recommend Crysis 3.

S&S Rating: 8.5/10

@whatsPlay