Hello, this is my first review, one of a game which has received many an ambivalent comment since its release. Crysis, the latest in a line of unstoppable hype machines, games whose reputations preceed them to such an amount that can only be properly be described by hyperbole.
So, please read the ENTIRE review, if it bores you to tears and you cant read it then don't bother commenting, unless you have found a particularly nasty problem. As this is my first review , I would like comments that could perhaps apply to a future review (If I ever decide to do one).
And yes, I know someone has reviewed Crysis already, but it honestly is the only thing worth reviewing right now.
So here it is:
Crysis - A Brief......... Review
I'm sure that nearly everyone has, by now, heard of Crysis, a game which has caused many a content PC gamer to become self conscious about the size of their silicon planks. Because of this, it would be silly to focus on the hype and attention surrounding it. It would be even more so to undermine the game's fundamental attributes because of its roots as a benchmarking tool. Instead, I will base this review on my own experience of the game, pulling no punches in taking it to pieces when necessary.
Part 1
A new graphics card arrived today (I shall not name it for fears of a fanboy/techmanic slang-fest) with a copy of Crysis, which came in a rather unappealing paper wallet. Following the usual steps taken to ensure that the card was in full working order, I put the disc in the drive.
The usual plethora of silly add-ons were requested of me to install. I declined, and thusly chose the most basic install (that's just my style). I installed the game, then started it up. An annoying logo popped up to remind me that I had funded the great EA war machine in some way, but I had the strength to ignore it.
Upon being presented with a lacklustre main menu (something I'm sure not many people care about, but a lasting impression nonetheless) I immediately searched for the graphics options and turned them to High (not Very High because that's just ridiculous) and the resolution to 1024x768 for "Maximum Schmooove-ness".
Part 2 - The actual game: First/Overall impressions and Experiences
Singleplayer, the only thing I care about in most games (apart from one, which, again, I will have to leave out for fear of fanboy spam) revolves around completing objectives. No great surprise there, however, the way in which this can be achieved is not fixed. One can choose a path, of which there are normally many to choose from, and within that path can choose a strategy. The many permutations will skew all too often to 'What has worked before' or "My playing style". Despite the underlying linear nature, there is a great sense of satisfaction in: choosing a good path/strategy to use, moving along that path, perhaps having a new/strange experience along the way; killing a lot of people/aliens and moving on to the next challenge.
The only gripe I have with this is that, although it does open the game up for replay-value, it can all too often leave you disappointed the first time round. Sometimes I found myself deliberately trying some badass stunt so that I could replay a section following the inevitable death. There are a few explosions for the people who couldn't care less about tactics, and a lot of annoyances for those who get too confident.
Speaking of annoyances, here's a list:
- Helicopters that just wont go away unless you have a missile launcher handy
- Vehicles that have paper for armour
- The fact that making yourself invisible will either bring the enemy in or make them completely ignore you (a positive for those who don't like challenges)
- Enemies that, having dodged one bullet, will not go down after an entire magazine
- Enemy boats that have the accuracy of a sniper, compared to snipers with the accuracy of a battleship launcher*
- The ending that begs a sequel - Not enough for people to accept it, and not little enough for people to ignore it. (It would seem there are 2 sequels planned to keep EA's cash pile touching the ceiling)
(Okay, so maybe not one gripe...)
These can ruin the game for a minute or so every time they occur. I'm assuming that, because the parts when you are actually winning aren't involving enough for people, a balance is needed. The game does a good job in kicking you in the groin whenever you get too zealous.
Part 3 - Layout, Gameplay
The layout of Crysis is quite a roller-coaster, albeit one where the jumps are only 3' high. From the action packed introduction, there is a short introduction to your team of nano-buddies** which are instantly killed off in an attempt to scare you. They are more useful as a source of ammunition than a scare tactic, as corpses just cant kill you.
Following this depress-fest of an opening section, there is a large amount of jungle warfare, with subtle (or rather blatantly obvious) suggestions of aliens. This is the best part, I'm afraid; Tank warfare and on rails shooting should be left on the PS2***. However there is so much variety in this 'middle section' that, at some point, you will genuinely feel like a supersoldier, and will actually find something that appeals specifically to you, no matter how obscure your 'Gaming Fetishes' are.
The final section, although action-packed, is too much of a contrast to the middle section. The aliens, although far superior to the awful fleshpiles in FarCry, come in only 2 varieties. The 'Small Jumpy Ones' and the 'Big Flying Ones'. Both are just as aggravating in their own way. The flying aliens take an age to kill and keep respawning, so there is no sense of accomplishment in taking one down, notwithstanding the amount of noise and fancy lights they pump out. The Jumpy aliens tend to leap at you, as if asking for a mouthful of shotgun. They are quite easy to kill, however, the only time at which you get to fight them properly is the same time at which you have to protect a certain nano-buddy from freezing, whilst shooting down flying alien after flying alien.
The gameplay is the one thing that redeems Crysis to a level at which it is acceptable to talk about in everyday conversation. It plays smoothly; Someone has obviously spent more constructive time perfecting the control system than thinking about the clichéd story. Switching suit modes is swift, helped by extra mouse buttons (if those are available to you) and changing weapon attachments on the fly helps a lot in immersing you into the game (as if you needed that with all the fancy sounds and lights).
By far the best part of the gameplay is the way in which you become tactically involved in every move you make, choosing the right suit function/weapon attachment before acting out the plan formed in your head by surveying the landscape from afar. Cloak mode, despite having a number of questionable uses, is a great tool in scouting out an area to form a good plan. Taking out a bunch of enemies is so much more fun when they have no idea what hit them.
Part 4 - Rating/Recommendations
Throughout this review, I have based everything said about Crysis on its fundamental aspects, and not on its graphics (which are quite spectacular in parts). This seems a lot fairer; For some reason certain groups of people dislike games being judged on their graphics, even though without them the game would be a shell or a profoundly uninteresting experience.
I have tried to leave out anything that would lead to a great amount of bickering among the users here, as well as not mentioning the specifications of my computer etc. I hope that, because of this, you can make more structured and profound remarks about that which is my 1st review at the Escapist forums.
I would rate this game as follows:
Good for people who like flashy graphics
Good for military nuts (like me)
Good for an immersive experience
Bad for people who like an involving story
Bad for people who want a game that gives consistent experiences
Bad for people who don't want to upgrade their computer
Gameplay - 9/10 - Better examples of gameplay are few and far between in PC gaming
Storyline - 4/10 - Too clichéd, character interaction is ruined by constant death
Replay value - 8/10 - Worth playing again because of it's non-linear structure
Overall 7/10 - An excellent game, with a few too many flaws. It will be talked about for a fraction of the time it will be used for benchmarking/modding.
Worth buying? Yes, mostly because of CryEngine2's potential as a modification base.
*No such thing, really, although I'm sure it would be pretty inaccurate
**They are never called that in the game, I suppose that's just as well.
***A brilliant machine that has filled my childhood with nothing but killing prostitutes... I mean wholesome fun
If anyone feels that they could help me with any problems they have found, please message me or add me to MSN messenger: [email protected]
So, please read the ENTIRE review, if it bores you to tears and you cant read it then don't bother commenting, unless you have found a particularly nasty problem. As this is my first review , I would like comments that could perhaps apply to a future review (If I ever decide to do one).
And yes, I know someone has reviewed Crysis already, but it honestly is the only thing worth reviewing right now.
So here it is:
Crysis - A Brief......... Review
I'm sure that nearly everyone has, by now, heard of Crysis, a game which has caused many a content PC gamer to become self conscious about the size of their silicon planks. Because of this, it would be silly to focus on the hype and attention surrounding it. It would be even more so to undermine the game's fundamental attributes because of its roots as a benchmarking tool. Instead, I will base this review on my own experience of the game, pulling no punches in taking it to pieces when necessary.
Part 1
A new graphics card arrived today (I shall not name it for fears of a fanboy/techmanic slang-fest) with a copy of Crysis, which came in a rather unappealing paper wallet. Following the usual steps taken to ensure that the card was in full working order, I put the disc in the drive.
The usual plethora of silly add-ons were requested of me to install. I declined, and thusly chose the most basic install (that's just my style). I installed the game, then started it up. An annoying logo popped up to remind me that I had funded the great EA war machine in some way, but I had the strength to ignore it.
Upon being presented with a lacklustre main menu (something I'm sure not many people care about, but a lasting impression nonetheless) I immediately searched for the graphics options and turned them to High (not Very High because that's just ridiculous) and the resolution to 1024x768 for "Maximum Schmooove-ness".
Part 2 - The actual game: First/Overall impressions and Experiences
Singleplayer, the only thing I care about in most games (apart from one, which, again, I will have to leave out for fear of fanboy spam) revolves around completing objectives. No great surprise there, however, the way in which this can be achieved is not fixed. One can choose a path, of which there are normally many to choose from, and within that path can choose a strategy. The many permutations will skew all too often to 'What has worked before' or "My playing style". Despite the underlying linear nature, there is a great sense of satisfaction in: choosing a good path/strategy to use, moving along that path, perhaps having a new/strange experience along the way; killing a lot of people/aliens and moving on to the next challenge.
The only gripe I have with this is that, although it does open the game up for replay-value, it can all too often leave you disappointed the first time round. Sometimes I found myself deliberately trying some badass stunt so that I could replay a section following the inevitable death. There are a few explosions for the people who couldn't care less about tactics, and a lot of annoyances for those who get too confident.
Speaking of annoyances, here's a list:
- Helicopters that just wont go away unless you have a missile launcher handy
- Vehicles that have paper for armour
- The fact that making yourself invisible will either bring the enemy in or make them completely ignore you (a positive for those who don't like challenges)
- Enemies that, having dodged one bullet, will not go down after an entire magazine
- Enemy boats that have the accuracy of a sniper, compared to snipers with the accuracy of a battleship launcher*
- The ending that begs a sequel - Not enough for people to accept it, and not little enough for people to ignore it. (It would seem there are 2 sequels planned to keep EA's cash pile touching the ceiling)
(Okay, so maybe not one gripe...)
These can ruin the game for a minute or so every time they occur. I'm assuming that, because the parts when you are actually winning aren't involving enough for people, a balance is needed. The game does a good job in kicking you in the groin whenever you get too zealous.
Part 3 - Layout, Gameplay
The layout of Crysis is quite a roller-coaster, albeit one where the jumps are only 3' high. From the action packed introduction, there is a short introduction to your team of nano-buddies** which are instantly killed off in an attempt to scare you. They are more useful as a source of ammunition than a scare tactic, as corpses just cant kill you.
Following this depress-fest of an opening section, there is a large amount of jungle warfare, with subtle (or rather blatantly obvious) suggestions of aliens. This is the best part, I'm afraid; Tank warfare and on rails shooting should be left on the PS2***. However there is so much variety in this 'middle section' that, at some point, you will genuinely feel like a supersoldier, and will actually find something that appeals specifically to you, no matter how obscure your 'Gaming Fetishes' are.
The final section, although action-packed, is too much of a contrast to the middle section. The aliens, although far superior to the awful fleshpiles in FarCry, come in only 2 varieties. The 'Small Jumpy Ones' and the 'Big Flying Ones'. Both are just as aggravating in their own way. The flying aliens take an age to kill and keep respawning, so there is no sense of accomplishment in taking one down, notwithstanding the amount of noise and fancy lights they pump out. The Jumpy aliens tend to leap at you, as if asking for a mouthful of shotgun. They are quite easy to kill, however, the only time at which you get to fight them properly is the same time at which you have to protect a certain nano-buddy from freezing, whilst shooting down flying alien after flying alien.
The gameplay is the one thing that redeems Crysis to a level at which it is acceptable to talk about in everyday conversation. It plays smoothly; Someone has obviously spent more constructive time perfecting the control system than thinking about the clichéd story. Switching suit modes is swift, helped by extra mouse buttons (if those are available to you) and changing weapon attachments on the fly helps a lot in immersing you into the game (as if you needed that with all the fancy sounds and lights).
By far the best part of the gameplay is the way in which you become tactically involved in every move you make, choosing the right suit function/weapon attachment before acting out the plan formed in your head by surveying the landscape from afar. Cloak mode, despite having a number of questionable uses, is a great tool in scouting out an area to form a good plan. Taking out a bunch of enemies is so much more fun when they have no idea what hit them.
Part 4 - Rating/Recommendations
Throughout this review, I have based everything said about Crysis on its fundamental aspects, and not on its graphics (which are quite spectacular in parts). This seems a lot fairer; For some reason certain groups of people dislike games being judged on their graphics, even though without them the game would be a shell or a profoundly uninteresting experience.
I have tried to leave out anything that would lead to a great amount of bickering among the users here, as well as not mentioning the specifications of my computer etc. I hope that, because of this, you can make more structured and profound remarks about that which is my 1st review at the Escapist forums.
I would rate this game as follows:
Good for people who like flashy graphics
Good for military nuts (like me)
Good for an immersive experience
Bad for people who like an involving story
Bad for people who want a game that gives consistent experiences
Bad for people who don't want to upgrade their computer
Gameplay - 9/10 - Better examples of gameplay are few and far between in PC gaming
Storyline - 4/10 - Too clichéd, character interaction is ruined by constant death
Replay value - 8/10 - Worth playing again because of it's non-linear structure
Overall 7/10 - An excellent game, with a few too many flaws. It will be talked about for a fraction of the time it will be used for benchmarking/modding.
Worth buying? Yes, mostly because of CryEngine2's potential as a modification base.
*No such thing, really, although I'm sure it would be pretty inaccurate
**They are never called that in the game, I suppose that's just as well.
***A brilliant machine that has filled my childhood with nothing but killing prostitutes... I mean wholesome fun
If anyone feels that they could help me with any problems they have found, please message me or add me to MSN messenger: [email protected]
