Crysis 3: What a fine suit you have.

     The Crysis series has always been about gorgeous visuals and of course first person shooting action. Well the developers over at Crytek have gifted us with a third installment in the series. Once again you take the reigns as Prophet and it's your job to defeat the CELL Corporation and the nasty aliens known as the Ceph. You particularly are on the hunt for the big badass known as the Alpha Ceph. You are aided by your teammate and fellow soldier Michael Sykes, also known as 'Psycho.' The story in Crysis 3 really emphasizes the impact of humanity, choices, and living with those choices. As Prophet you are still inside the super powered Nanosuit. Psycho on the other hand was tortured by CELL and was painfully removed from his Nanosuit. This of course doesn't sit well with him. The story shows how Psycho is having to come to terms being a ordinary human and Prophet dealing with the past and future choices he's made too.

     Just like in the other Crysis games you will be using your Nanosuit and its abilities to take down your enemies. Returning abilities like cloaking and super armor are back. However, there's a new ability that comes in very handy. You will be able to use the visor to hack into control panels and enemy weapons. You can do this from a distance too. It's awesome being able to hack gun turrets and watch them mow down unsuspecting enemies. Weapons are a plenty in the game and the new predator bow is the star. It would be cool enough just to have the big, powerful bow. But a simple bow is not what Crysis 3 is about. You can equip multiple styles of arrows like shock, explosive, and an arrow that explodes pieces of shrapnel into multiple enemies. On top of that you can even select how strong the pull of your bowstring is to increase the damage. 

     As mentioned earlier, the Crysis series has always been a game people expect to see awesome graphics in. Thankfully the graphics do not take a dip in this game. The character models move smoothly and look great. Weapons are excellently detailed and each one looks completely different and awesome. The environmental textures on buildings and other objects make everything look more realistic, and the lighting effects are top notch and really make everything pop. It was cool to just stop, watch the blades of grass blow in the breeze, and really look at the destructed world around you. The levels are fairly large too. They are bigger than the levels in Crysis 2, but not quite as big as in Crysis. The gameplay is fast and smooth. One thing I loved is the ability to equip attachments for a weapon without going into a pause menu. It's a simple function but it makes all the difference.

     Once you are finished with the single player campaign it's time to hop on over to the competitive multiplayer portion. If you played Crysis 2's multiplayer you will have a very good idea of what is in store for you. The multiplayer is very similar to Call of Duty. You will be able to rank up, create a class, and choose loadouts, weapon attachments, and different Nanosuit abilities. Standard modes are present but the Hunter mode is a new addition. Hunter mode puts two players as the "hunter" and allows them to be cloaked and carry the Predator bow. Everyone else starts as a CELL soldier. Once the hunters kill a CELL soldier, the CELL soldier then becomes a hunter. It's a different take on the infected mode in other games. It works well and really makes for some tense game sessions.

     My only real complaint with Crysis 3 is that the campaign seemed a little short. There are seven levels total and it just seemed to end quickly. Part of that could be because I didn't want to stop playing because it was so much fun. So I guess it's not really a complaint! Of course depending on the difficulty setting and how much time you spend searching for hidden objects can lengthen the game. I just wish it had lasted a little bit longer.

     Crysis 3 is a great addition to the series and any fan will enjoy it. The visuals are excellent and the controls work very well. The multiplayer is good but I don't know how long it will keep you away from other multiplayer shooters. Even though the campaign seems a little short it's full of sci-fi shooting action and will keep you on the edge of your seat. So what are you waiting for? Slip on that Nanosuit and get to taking down some baddies!

Final Verdict: 9/10

Written by: Alter Ego 83