Developer- Crytek
Publishers- Electronic Arts
Release Date- February 19th, 2013
Price- $59.99 MSRP
Review Platform- Xbox 360
Hunting and Nano-suiting
Crysis 3 takes place 20 years from the end of Crysis 2, and has players assuming the role of Prophet as he fights to takedown the human CELL forces, as well as the remaining alien Ceph threat. His fight begins back in New York, where CELL have dramatically altered the terrain with a biodome, changing New York into a real urban jungle. The visuals that Crysis 3 bring are still as impressive as ever, and the gameplay is just as good especially when using the new cross-bow that uses the nano-siut to amplify it's damage.
Crysis 3 in my opinion is a more open and engaging title that Crysis 2, but you'll still be plowing through the campaign in about 5 hours, so if you don't enjoy the game's multiplayer, Crysis 3 may be a quick rental to enjoy the conclusion to Prophet's battle in New York.
The CryEngine 3 still powers this game's visual appearance, and everything about it looks great in HD. From the lush jungle shrub to the metallic sections of the Ceph invaded area, Crytek has managed once again to wow in the visual department. I constantly found myself stopping to take a look around even when being shot at, which caused me to die more times than I liked, but I didn't mind. If you have the PC power to handle it, the game can look even better than it's console counterparts, something players had concerns about since Crysis 2 for PC had less configuration options than usual.
Gameplay in Crysis 3 hasn't strayed too much from it's predecessors, as you'll still have the choice to use the nano-suit's cloaking or armor ability to help fight against enemies in the game. Stealth and run-n-gun tactics work fine, and using the new ability to hack objects can help you get through areas with less frustration.
Aside from unlocking doors with the new hacking ability, players can also hack turrets to attack enemies, and bypass landmine detection to allow you to pass by safely and activate when enemies come around the field. Using the back button allows you to tweak your weapons attachments and modes of fire, and even the bow can be customized to fire quickly but less powerful, or fire longer and pin enemies with a longer draw duration. The bow also has several different ammo types including a stun arrow for neutralizing enemies with an electric current, dishing out explosive damage with the explosive tip arrows, or plain and simple arrows that can wound or kill enemies. Later in the game you'll also be able to use Ceph weaponry, and their arsenal includes some devastating power.
For the multiplayer side of the game, Crysis 3 has several available modes to check out. There's the usual array of deathmatch and objective modes, as well as the cool hunter mode, where players can start the game cloaked with a bow, and kill soldiers that upon death will turn into an invisible hunter. Level progression is apart of this game as well, and offers you the chance to earn XP to better cutomize your loadouts.
Overall, Crysis 3 tries to be an more open game in terms of exploration in the campaign in a similar fashion to the original game, and also have a more personal emphasis on the character of Prophet from Crysis 2. It's not the perfect balance, but it works enough to make the game enjoyable to play.
"Return to the fight as Prophet, the Nanosuit soldier on a quest to rediscover his humanity and exact brutal revenge. Adapt on the fly with the stealth and armor abilities of your unique Nanosuit as you battle through the seven wonders of New York’s Liberty Dome. Unleash the firepower of your all-new, high-tech bow and alien weaponry to hunt both human and alien enemies."
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
