Crysis (Console) Review

• Developer: Crytek
• Publishers: EA
• Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360
• Genres: Action, First Person Shooter, Sci-fi

Crytek’s infamous jungle-creeping FPS was first released exclusively for rocket-powered PC’s way back in 2007, and became known for it’s incredible graphics and rig-melting specifications. It actually became something of a gauntlet you would put your brand new computer through to test it’s capabilities. If yours could ‘Run Crysis‘, it was a bragging right among friends. Now, four years later, ambivalent console gamers like myself can finally jump into that lovely Nanosuit and see exactly what all the fuss was about, all for twenty bucks (or 1600 MS points).

Jungle is massive.

First things first, I should point out that I had never played Crysis when it was first released, so I’m not only coming to this version with fresh eyes, but the entire game itself. PC rig-hounds will have you believe this is a dumbed down, inferior version of the original – and they sort of have a point. While it’s strange to think that a title released four years ago can still put some of today’s AAA titles to shame, both graphically and mechanically, it’s even more strange that this version isn’t even running at it’s highest settings.

While it’s a fact that this version is NOT as boner coaxing as it would have been on an optimised PC, sporting some noticeable framerate issues and fidelity loss, it still looks absolutely gorgeous for it’s age. The lush jungle setting is absolutely stunning, and crawling through the undergrowth is impressive to say the least – but as we should know by now, graphics aren’t everything. While the Korean mercenaries certainly look great, it’s the act of killing them that’s seen the most fine-tuning for this re-release.

The gameplay mostly consists of a methodical, section by section clearing of groups of enemy soldiers, using the various abilities of your super-charged ‘Nanosuit’ to assist you in your efforts. These power ‘modes’ are enhanced strength (allowing you to throw objects and jump higher), a cloaking device, hardened armour and enhanced speed. Each power is extremely useful in and of itself in any situation, though the limited-yet-rechargeable energy means you have to manage your use of them quite efficiently. As I understand it however, the activation of these modes has seen a bit of re-jig with the XBLA version.

Attachments for your weapons are easily selected thanks to the re-worked controls

In the PC version you had to manually change mode, whereas in this version each power is simply activated automatically whenever you press the associated button. Cloak and Harden are mapped to the left an right bumper buttons, while Speed and Strength simply kick in whenever you sprint or jump in the environment. This means you can use more than one power at any given time, for instance sprinting away from a firefight while cloaked, which wasn’t an option before. I assume this is to ease in Crysis 2 players with a familiar control scheme, who will no doubt be the key demographic for this re-release.

That’s not to say this game is without problems, because it does seem to have one or two irks that may make or break the game for some. AI are unreliable and sometimes glitch their way into the scenery, or freeze to the spot and refuse to move even as a vicious firefight rages around them. The lack of a PC-style quick save makes the loss of progress a real threat, especially when you factor in the lethality of even the most knuckle-headed mercenary. It only takes a few shots to kill you, even with your armour hardened, which begs the question as to why your team even bother to put the suits on in the first place. Hell, the protagonists of Call Of Duty (and it’s ilk) can take twice the damage you can while wearing a tank top and a bandana, which seems strange to me. Then again, having to take the choice between Crysis’ under powered suits or Halo’s never-ending bullet sponges, I’d still pick Crysis, simply for the level of intelligence and tactic it brings to even the smallest of encounters.

Of course there are aliens. This is an FPS. It's the law.

This version is also lacking on content. Essentially, you’re just getting the campaign mode here – there’s no multiplayer, special features or even the Sandbox map editor; in fact, I’m also told it’s actually missing the penultimate level from the original campaign. Minimal, token Multiplayer, or a few ‘making of’ videos wouldn’t have gone amiss, but without them this really is only recommendable either to people who desperately want to play through a game they played four years ago again, or for people who missed it that time around and want to see what the hell people were talking about.

The score I’ve given is not entirely based on it’s merits as a game – this is a truly fantastic and immersive experience, sufficiently different to anything else around today – but I also had to factor in it’s relevance as a re-release. Is a four year old shooter, missing a bunch of it’s original content and some of that graphical appeal, really worth that kind of money today? I suppose that depends entirely on your interest in the legacy of the series. It’s definitely worth checking out, but with a largely superior PC version available on Steam for half the price, you might be better off heading in that direction – if you have the option, of course.

If you’re an exclusively-console gamer looking for something a bit different to the scripted, barely cerebral FPS nonsense coming out in the coming months, and you missed out on Crysis the first time around, then you could do a lot worse than jumping into this. Despite feeling a little bit short-changed because of the nakedness of the package, it’s a miracle we can even play this game on consoles today. There’s a certain sense of magic in this fact that we should be grateful to Crytek and EA for bringing this classic to a whole new audience, however minimal the port actually is.