Crysis

Much like Doom 3 before it, Crysis is one of those games that comes around and would look absolutely beautiful if it weren't for the fact that the majority of our computers could not run at maximum settings at launch. Assuredly, in a few years the graphics of Crysis will be a thing of the past, as we reminisce in our photo-realistic graphics and virtual reality, to the days of bump-mapping and mouse-keyboard setups.  
 
Back in 2004, Crytek burst on to the scene with Far Cry, a game that crossed a lot of boundaries in PC gaming. It presented gamers with a simple idea: The entire island is your oyster. Sure, you can go and complete the game objectives, or you can indulge in your evil side and incur a mass genocide of the island's inhabitants. Far Cry brought forward a dynamic world where your actions in one sector could have an effect on another, such as massacring a battalion of backup soldiers, with the result being a lack of population in further areas. Granted, the game launched with some major oversights (checkpoints instead of quicksave, for instance), but those issues were quickly ironed out. 
 
Fast forward past several substandard console remakes, and in 2007 Crytek launched Crysis, promising to take your graphics card, melt it, and burn you with its liquid metal remains. Crysis retains the open world island (albeit a different island) of Far Cry and turns 2004-sexy into 2007-sexy, with some of the most impressive visual effects in any game to date. The mad scientist is gone, and in his place are the Korean People's Army. No, you won't be putting your nano-suit foot up Kim Jong Il's ass, but you have plenty of opportunity to massacre his seemingly endless army of soldiers who all look alike.
 
Nomad, the super-suited commando, may not be Jack Carver from Far Cry, but he carries a lot of Jack's abilities, and more. Your binoculars can still tag enemies and listen in on conversations (which is useless in the hardest difficulty, more on that later). You can alter weapons on the fly, changing everything from the scope (sniper-scoped shotgun is a valid combination) to the type of bullets, attachments, and more. The suit itself carries multiple "modes," that each have their own set of benefits and detriments. Super speed allows you to move very fast, but it degenerates fast. Super strength allows you to punch things hard, and jump high. Stealth mode will be your best friend, especially on the hardest difficulty. Super defense is the default mode.  
 
The A.I is also reminiscent of Far Cry, employing advanced techniques to seek out the player. If the AI knows you are stealthed, for instance, they will feel around and try to bump into you. AI will send signal flares to call for backup, and employ flanking and suppressive fire techniques. But the Korean People's Army is a group that is quickly out of sight and out of mind, as about halfway through the game they are replaced by aliens. What? You weren't expecting a down-to-earth story by Crytek, were you? 
 
Weaponry in Crysis is, without a doubt, basic. You have your standard lineup including the shotgun, pistol, automatic rifle, submachine gun, and sniper. Very late in the game, you'll have access to a weapon of, shall we say, unearthly origin. As mentioned previously, weapons can be outfitted with attachments that become available as you find them on other weapons. For example, find a sniper rifle and now any future weapon can be equipped with a sniper scope. The player will have the opportunity to man (and steal) a number of vehicles, from jeeps to APCs, and tanks. Each vehicle has its own weakness to be exploited, like the jeep which has a conveniently placed vulnerable gas can on its rear side.   
  
The ambiance in Crysis is just as wondrous as the graphics. The team took the time to include all the sounds you might hear on a tropical island, from birds to wind in far off places, the water coming up on shore, and everything in between. The developers even took the time to include small animals in the scenery, including toads, crabs, and more, all true to life. 
 
So Crysis runs down to an enjoyable shooter that looks beautiful, so you know it's time to gripe. My biggest issue with Crysis was not the fact that the game wasn't properly optimized (My system had no trouble playing on maximum settings), but the physics engine. More than once was I killed because the weapon my enemy dropped fell halfway through the floor, and began to spaz out, killing me when I walked past. In other areas of the game, I hit a non-explosive barrel with my gun, only to die as I attempted to step over it. These bugs aren't game breaking, but they are extremely irritating when they kill you instantly with no real explanation. 
 
The game also has a habit of limiting your ability to go prone or crouch, especially on sloped plains. In one area, moved over a ridge, and on my way down a group of Korean soldiers spotted me. Nomad, of course, refused to either crouch or go prone, resulting in my quick death. 
 
I played and finished Crysis on the highest difficulty level, which takes away almost all indicators, your crosshair, and offers Koreans with increased accuracy, heightened reactions, and the lack of ability to speak English (If you can speak Korean, Delta mode becomes easier). At least in Delta mode, the AI was often times inconsistent. For the most part, the AI reacted realistically, although there were several cases where they either bumbled around stupidly or managed to make a 180 degree spin with a bead right on my head when I took one shot from a silence sniper rifle from long range distance, at night.  
 
Crysis is the first in a trilogy, and although the game may be a tech demo at its roots, it's a title to look upon and say "to think that part 2 and 3 will just be even better." Of course, if you're one of the nasty pirates who downloaded the leaked pre-release copy of Crysis 2, you'd already have an idea. Crysis is a game that goes heavy on the gimmicks, but it just looks so damned good that the lesser faults can be ignored.  
 
I give Crysis a 3.5/5 because of the times I almost put my fist through the monitor after Nomad either preferred being shot over going prone, or when a rogue physics glitch killed me. If Crysis was still $50, I would consider it a must buy, but you can buy it on Steam for $39.99, if you buy with Warhead (and you should buy with Warhead.)   http://store.steampowered.com/app/17300/