Crysis 3 Review

The multiplayer hasn’t seen a dramatic change from its predecessor but the tweaks are usually for the better. One change is splitting the energy of the cloak and armor modes. This promotes the use of both powers and rewards players who can mix it up. Unlike the single player, the compound bow consumes a chunk of energy when fired in cloak mode. Alien weapons provide powerful offensive bursts for players who stumble upon them. The action is faster because there is no penalty for sprinting or jumping. This increased speed is challenging because it’s harder to hit other players. The skill ceiling is higher because you’ll need move gracefully through levels and jump or slide when the opportunity arises. Enhanced speed, alien weapons and the split modes makes multiplayer feel slightly different while retaining the solid foundation built from Crysis 2.

Mulitplayer maps like Brooklyn Bridge offer a lot of vertical action

Multiplayer maps are bigger and more attractive than those in the prequel. It’s great to see a crisp, beautiful world as opposed to the online blur in the last game. The increased level size works perfectly with the faster game speed. Many of the maps are based on, if not partial copies of, the maps from single player. The Chinatown map has multi-tiered buildings and tight alleys that surround a rusted ship wreck. The Financial District is more open, and has a central elevated area surrounded by a moat of shallow water. Players can jump aboard circling aircraft in some maps and use it to move to other areas or survey the battlefield from above. The detail in some of the levels is outstanding and the maps allow for a lot of intricate movement.

You only get short bursts of entertainment from the new Hunter mode. One team has unlimited cloak with bows and the other has standard weapons with no special abilities. The cloaked hunters eliminate the humans who then become additional hunters. This continues until the humans survive the time limit or are eliminated. This mode rewards players who avoid action, hide in constrained areas and camp at chokepoints. It’s similar to the underwhelming infestation mode from AvP 2010. Just like that mode, there are only isolated moments when it’s actually fun to play. The rest of the time you’ll be wondering why you are still playing a mode that encourages you to find a corner to hide in. It’s not really surprising that Team Deathmatch is the most popular mode when the Hunter gameplay is flawed.

The competitive online action retains a lot of impressive kills that are iconic to the series. Jumping high above a pair of enemies and air stomping them into oblivion is a real adrenaline rush. You can use a cloak to deceive enemies after escaping their gunfire. You are able to take a mounted weapon and unleash a stream of bullets while relying on armor mode to absorb damage. Jumping in the air and killing targets before you hit the ground is commonplace. Cars and other world objects can be used to kill enemies with physical force. Stealth players might prefer to use a bow and hide in elevated areas. The multiplayer feels like an open sandbox that encourages different play styles. If you enjoyed the online experience in the last game, you’ll quickly step into the higher speed action of this new iteration. Multiplayer is the best part of Crysis 3 although it may not be very popular in the months to come.

The Ceph pinger causes additional chaos during deathmatch

Whether online or in single player, Crysis 3 is the best looking game released to date. The amount of detail in a small patch of ground is breathtaking. You’ll move through an area and notice plants and objects beneath your feet. Then you’ll look closer, and see the rocks and ground textures come to life before you. This insane level of detail is all over the wonderful overgrown city. Nobody does vegetation as well as Crytek. The flowing, reactive grass would be a magical if only it could be burnt down. Still, the game would benefit from some additional visual polish. You might stumble on floating rocks, a twitching tessellated toad or a gap between a secure facility and the ground. Even tire tracks get a little freaky whe you come over a crest. Minor flaws don’t take away much from what needs to be seen to be believed.

Crysis 3 is a flawed entry in a series that held amazing creative potential from its first iteration. The sandbox qualities have faded behind scripted sequences, linear vehicle segments and frequently spawning enemies. The AI is inadequate because they fumble grenades, spot you unrealistically and execute bizarre tactics. The campaign is trapped between a desire to stay true to the franchise and an attempt to emulate shallow modern shooters. It is only during multiplayer that the game becomes open and engaging with its clever use of the Nanosuit on wondrous maps. The suit brings jolts of excitement regularly when facing real human opponents. Everybody should play Crysis 3 eventually, just to admire the jaw dropping visuals. It’s a shame the single player experience is a far cry from the tropical island in the original Crysis.