Just finished the console version on Hard. Now going back and replaying on Delta.

One key observation I came away with this time is that the submachine gun is really underrated. I stayed away from the thing when I played through the PC version and I dunno why. Crytek even removed it and replaced it with the AY69 SMG in the pistol slot for the Warhead expansion. However, I've found that it's actually a worthy weapon for the two main weapon slots. The way they've designed it makes it about as good or better then the regular assault rifles. You've got absolutely no bullet drop in the game, which means the SMG with a Sniper Scope attached is just as accurate as the FY71. Just switch to single shot, aim for headshots, and you'll get the same outstanding results. It's got a larger magazine and ammo capacity, which is always a nice attribute. There's much less recoil then a full size rifle, which means better accuracy on full auto mode. And really, when I shot the thing, Korean soldiers seemed to drop in about 3-4 hits, which is approximately the same amount you'd need to kill them with the FY71, give or take a bullet. It's kinda astounding, but the SMG's rounds are really just about as strong as the rifle rounds. So it's all upside, and no downside. I dunno why they made such an unbalanced weapon, but it's quite handy to have.

Of the three protagonists we've helmed in the Crysis games, I'd still have to say that Psycho is the best character of them all. Nomad in Crysis really strikes me as this sort of Master Chief-esque character, in that he's basically got no personality, but they still give him a few lines here and there to remind you that he's not a complete mute. Alcatraz, now he's the mute. Nothing there. Nomad still has some things on his mind he needs to get off his chest, and he speaks with this rather masculine curt voice, same as Master Chief. But honestly, there's nothing really there. All he ever says in the game is various exclamatory statements along the lines of, "Holy shit, what the hell was that thing?" "Oh My God!" "We gotta get outta here!" "Goddamn, what happened?" "Christ, that was insane!" "What was that?" "I dunno what that was, but it was crazy!" "God, that thing's huge!"

Just a lot of pronouncements about how fucked up everything is. Which is understandable and all, but it doesn't really show much of his actual personality. Now Psycho, he's got a colorful personality. You get a bit of his attitude and it's jovial and sarcastic in that delightful winsome British manner, but never ventures into the idiotic realm like a Gears of War character, where it goes over the top and you can't believe what you're hearing. You get a real sense for what Psycho is all about and he comes alive as a character in his own right, and not just a player avatar. Alcatraz is a player avatar, and Nomad is a player avatar who spouts lines when scary things happen, but Psycho has enough there that you could believe he was a real person (who might have some screws loose).

Now, I do feel like I owe a bit of an apology to Crytek. When Crysis 2 first came out, I got on their ass for putting in respawning enemies in certain spots of that campaign. I even took a video of the phenomenon, because it was so blatant and offputting.

However, it occurred to me that while playing through Crysis, it always seemed like the large North Korean bases had similar spawning of enemies, only I never managed to spot them red-handed. And replaying through this console version, I've figured out that yes, they do spawn in enemy soldiers. It's not as blatant as the Crysis 2 example, but there are times when you'll spot two soldiers patrolling, take them both out with silenced weapons, and immediately crawl back under cover. This is a technique I use often. However, while recharging the battery under cover, I'll suddenly notice that now 4 yellow arrows have suddenly appeared right about ten feet away from my location. Just out of the blue, they'll pop up, and in close proximity. Were these just reinforcements that got lucky and happened to rush over? Maybe, but when this sorta scenario continuously happens over and over again, in close succession, you start to get the feeling that the game is just spawning them in right around you.

Another example is the Korean checkpoint in the excavation site right outside the entrance to the Alien Mountain. Outside this entrance is about three or four machine gun sandbag emplacements. Now, you can stop at the very edge of the top of the excavation site and peer down into the defenses with a Sniper Scope on 10X. I did so, out of an abundance of caution, and noticed that only one of the machine guns was manned. I sniped him and found nobody else, so I went down. However, when you actually approach the sandbags yourself, you'll suddenly find that actually, all the machine guns are manned, along with about two other patrolling Korean soldiers. Now, is it possible that all these Korean soldiers were just hiding in some rec room while I was sniping that one lone gunner, and somehow all stormed out and manned their posts when I approached? Yes, that's possible, but the much more likely explanation is that the game spawned them all in when I got near and tripped some invisible script. I find this sort of thing unfair simply because if they'd all been in real, physical space the whole time, I could've simply sniped them while I was up above with a sniper scope, which would've been a valid and prudent tactic. Crysis's credo is to allow you to tackle scenarios any way you choose, but in this situation it didn't.