This game concentrates on blowing up things
December 02, 2007 - 08:18
By Rob Michael
Crysis
When Far Cry first hit the market it kind of snuck up on people.
The promotions campaign had seemed almost non-existent and gamers were surprised that a visually-impressive game had managed to slip in under the radar and onto store shelves. Far Cry had advanced graphics and great action gameplay, leading most gamers to become fans of the title. Now, a new title has hit the market that seeks to capitalize on Far Cry's success.
Crysis might be a new game, but it doesn't stray too far from the successful formula that worked for Far Cry. In Crysis, you play a soldier wearing a nanotechnology combat suit (more on that in a minute). You and your unit head to a tropical island to investigate the disappearance of a group of archaeologists that includes some American scientists. Once you arrive, you discover that the North Korean military is in full occupation of the tropical island. You have to extract the scientists while fending off the military and a newly-discovered alien threat.
The visuals are simply gorgeous. This game really pushes the graphics bar higher and you'll be surprised by the level of detail. The audio could have used some more work though. I spent a good portion of my time updating audio drivers, rolling back drivers, and praying to the computer gods but the game still snap, crackled, and popped its audio output, cutting out altogether at times. This is sure to be addressed in patches, but it's annoying enough that it had to be mentioned.
In the game you wear a combat suit made with nanotechnology. The way the suit assists you in the game is up to you. The suit has many different settings, including Armour, Strength, Stealth, and Speed modes. Need to make a quick escape Flip the suit to Speed and you'll streak across the battlefield. Turn on Stealth and you'll blend into your surroundings just like the Predator from the movies. Strength will allow you to hurl heavy objects at your enemies or flip annoying cars out of the way.
Storyline The game doesn't really concern itself with minor details like that. The Korean military is there to provide you with plenty of moving targets, but that's it. This game is about shooting things while blowing other things up, pure and simple. You will acquire an arsenal of weapons along the way that will help you reach your goal of causing massive destruction. Most of the weapons are upgradeable, so you can switch in silencers or different sights when the situation calls for it.
Should you buy this game If you have a computer with some pretty hefty processing power, then yes. You'll need plenty of memory and a great graphics card, but otherwise, you'll enjoy this action title.
If your computer isn't very well specced, then you'll probably want to wait on a title that might be less taxing.
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