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| | Title:
Crysis
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System:
PC
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Genre:
First Person Shooter
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Publisher:
Electronic Arts
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Developer:
Crytek Studios
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Release:
Fall 2006
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Online:
Yes
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ESRB:
Rating Pending (RP)
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When the next generation of gaming begins to hit the gaming community, everyone waits for the game that really provides the big leap in next-gen visuals. The game where every gamer can look at the footage and without pausing declare, “now this is next-gen.” Every developer wants to provide this title, but only a few talented teams can actually pull off the feat. For the Xbox it was Halo, for the PS2 is was Metal Gear Solid 2, for the Xbox 360 it is the upcoming Gears of War, and for the PC it is the highly anticipated shooter from the team at Crytek, known as Crysis.
There is no way to convey into words just how amazing Crysis looks in motion. The game is gorgeous. Whether it is the human character models, the shadows of the leaves in the dense jungle, or the bark that actually looks like true bark, Crysis is delivering the full package in terms of visuals. How can VGcore say this so easily? Because Crysis is just one of those rare games that do not slack off in any area of the visuals. No matter how small or how big, the attention to detail is astounding.
But what good are visuals if the experience is not one to remember? While it is hard to get the true feel for a game when just watching gameplay footage and spending a few minutes on the E3 show floor, one word pretty much sums up the Crysis experience; epic. There is no better example of this, than the opening sequence of Crysis. The demo began in the bowls of a sinking aircraft carrier. Some unknown force has just ripped one of the USA’s most powerful war machines to shreds and it is up the player to survive the night. Entering the player finds the captain of the ship about to be killed by a hovering alien entity. It is here the first glimpse of the combat was introduced. Armed only with a shotgun the player had to dispense of the alien quickly. It took a few shotgun blasts to finally drop the alien as it fired ice energy blasts at the player, and gave the impressive that the human weapons are not very effective against the aliens.
After removing the metal support beam which trapped the CO, the captain yelled at the player to get above deck and help the remaining crew defend the ship. It is here the true mood and scale of Crysis finally emerged. After winding through the burning hallways of the ship, the player finally made it onto the flight deck of the ship. Slowly the ominous music began to boom through the speakers, and through the smoke and fire of the burning fighter jets the giant ice alien emerged. This alien was no laughing matter. Its roar not only shook the whole theater, but it could take and dish out a lot of pain. At one point during the fight (through a scripted event,) the ice alien grabbed a low flying helicopter and tossed it into the bridge of the aircraft carrier, sending flames and debriefs everywhere. The only way to hurt this alien was by using a rocket launcher found laying against a wall and even this was difficult thanks to the ice beam at the alien’s disposal. This weapon was lethal and would freeze anyone their tracks. If the player was unfortunate enough to get hit, the only way to break free was to shake the mouse furiously until the ice cracked away. Finally, when enough damage was taken the ice alien finally fell. The whole experience, whether it was the moody music, the huge alien, or the devastating weapons really created an epic experience few games have achieved. But the Crysis experience didn’t stop here.
There was also a jungle demo on display, which showcased another aspect to Crysis which can be summed up in one word; scale. Never has a game made me feel so small, and so immersed. The best example of this would have to be the moment the player is dropped off at the beginning of the mission and looks upon the ice sphere for the first time. The sphere is huge; it towers over the jungle and even disappears into the clouds. I’m going to fight my way into this thing? Bring it on. The jungle like said before is the best example of foliage creation seen in any platform. The leave’s allow sunlight to glow through them, the tree bark looks rugged, and the leaves break when hit by a medley of bullets.
The combat of Crysis is pretty standard fare for a FPS with just a few unique twists to the gameplay. In addition to the traditional firearms which so far include a machine gun, gattling gun, shotgun, and rocket launcher, players will also have the ability to switch the firing modes of the weapons through use of the mouse, and also take advantage of a few “abilities.” The only ability displayed so far was speed, and how they are acquired and used has not really been determined or stated at this point. But one can expect the fights with the Vietnam soldiers (whoa re vying for the aliens as you are) as well as ice aliens to be intense.
As a whole, Crysis looks extremely amazing. Whether it is the graphics, epic battles, or towering scale of some of the objects the game, Crysis wants to make sure gamers never forget the experience. So far they have ensnared one gamer, and he only got to play the demo for a few moments. Just imagine the entire game!
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