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The stairs lead to nowhere, danger lurks in the shadows, the blades of grass intermingle with the ruins of a city - this is the apocalyptic New York City of Crysis 3.
When the first Crysis game was launched back in 2007, it promised to (and did) bring the most powerful PC to its knees. So I unwrapped the shrink wrap with nervous fingers for the PS3, the aging console. And I was right.
Don't get me wrong. Crysis 3 (Rs 2,999 for PS3), powered by CryEngine 3, looks good on the PS3 as well, but if you were to enjoy the lush green fields and the jungles in all its glory, you need a killer gaming rig. That said, let's get on with the essentials.
The game begins with Prophet (aka Alcatraz in previous games) being roused from a Rip van Winklesque "sleep" by former teammate Psycho, stripped of the Nanosuit and struggling to come to terms with his mortality. At the other end of the spectrum, we have Prophet, more machine than man and struggling to hold on to his last shreds of humanity.
The opening sequence begins with Psycho rousing and rescuing Prophet. Both seek retribution from the evil Cell Corporation and have to deal with the alien Cephs, thought to have become extinct at the end of Crysis 2, once again. Well, this time Crysis gets personal and we have Prophet, who has been the silent protagonist all along, speaking up.
With Psycho minus his Nanosuit, Prophet is the last man (in a Nanosuit) standing against the Cell Corporation and any other dangers that may befall humanity. The franchise, often referred to as a great-looking game with a weak story, attempts a story with a personal touch with Crysis 3 - as a battle for retribution. We have characters emoting with their voices and facial expressions, and the music adding to the atmospherics.
Crysis 3 takes place 20 years after the happenings of Crysis 2. The Cell Corporation has built a Liberty Dome over the wasteland called New York City, turning it into part-jungle, part-dilapidated (and overgrown with weeds) metropolis.
Amid the lush foliage - or whatever little you see of it in the two chapters among seven in Crysis 3 that take place during daytime - you fight pitched battles with a rather inconsistent artificial intelligence (AI). However well you take cover, some enemies are able to spot you from a distance (we're used to a degree of realism) while decimating them becomes a cakewalk in stealth mode (all they do after being caught in the crosshairs is jump around). It would have been nice if we had some more action during daytime.
Crysis 3, as with all games in the franchise, is a visual treat and so is the gameplay and controls. While this time there's a strong story, Crysis 3 doesn't depart from what it's known for - a sandbox-style shooter which must be played with a game controller.
The game follows ably in the footsteps of its predecessors, and thankfully for newbies it has a more forgiving checkpoint system. The game features seven chapters, which seem short compared to the 19 in Crysis 2 and the campaign is shorter. But one does have mini games and theoretically infinite ways of progressing through the game. And a brilliant new mode.
Crysis 3 introduces the Predator bow, possibly the best weapon to come out of Crytek's armoury. It's so good you will seldom want to use something else. And along with the Nanosuit in stealth mode, it makes Prophet so powerful, he seems invincible.
Another new improvement is the Nanosuit's updated visor that lets you hack into stuff - for example hacking into an automated gun turret and using against the enemy. Or hack into a tank. Vehicle controls in Crysis 3 (on at least the PS3 version) are rather buggy. Very unlike a Crysis game.
What I liked best was the Hunter mode for multiplayer that pitches two Hunters in stealth mode against Cell troopers, who, on being killed morph into hunters. While it might not sound like a lot of fun, let me assure you this hide-and-seek ability in this game, which has brilliant visuals, is a treat.
Crysis 3 is possibly the best way now to break into the franchise. The campaigns may seem short for old faithfuls and the AI unpredictable, but the gameplay and visuals more than make up for it.
