Games

Crysis

Publisher: Crytek

Platform: Reviewed on PC

Price: £26.99

Certificate: 18

The competition is in crisis!

Just as Far Cry appeared seemingly out of nowhere and breathed new life into the first person shooter genre, with its latest game Crysis, Germany's Crytek have done the same again. They have given the big boys of shoot 'em ups a swift kick that goes to show that there's life in the old warhorse yet.

With its jaw-dropping graphics and incredibly immersive gameplay, Crysis bears all the hallmarks of being 'The Next Big Thing' in gaming

Crysis' plot revolves around a similar plot to Far Cry, in that the action takes place on a beautiful tropical island covered in lush jungle which is swarming with human bad guys, however this time there is an alien twist

Not to give too much away but the plot is like a classic 80s sci-fi B movie fare with sexy new special effects.

The first half of the game frequently recalls 'Predator' and the second half is like 'Aliens' crossed with 'War of the Worlds', complete with fighting machines and aircraft carrier sized spaceships.

Although it is well executed, the story is ultimately inconsequential to the incredible action as it unfolds.

Set in 2015, there are numerous 'future versions' of modern weapons on display that will be recognisable to the average FPS enthusiast and behave largely the same but with customisable improvements.

Later in the game there are energy weapons like the gauss rifle and heavier weapons like the mini gun.

Then we come to your character's nano suit. This is where the Predator aspects of the game come from; you see our hero wears a suit which allows you to access certain 'power up' modes.

You can choose between super strength, super speed, armour and the brilliantly executed cloaking device.

The balance of the gameplay means that the sheer number of eerily intelligent bad guys you face must be dealt with deft use of your nano suit as it has a limited energy which needs to be recharged by during lulls in the combat.

Jumping between the different modes is essential to the game and soon becomes second-nature. Executing a well timed sprint or a 'disappearing act' with the cloak is vital to your survival when you are swarmed by the brilliantly realistic enemy AI.

Also, the numerous drivable vehicles such as jeeps, tanks, boats and aircraft littered all over the island add another fantastic dimension of strategy to the gameplay.

Graphically, Crysis is incredible and the next generation of computers will make this game look unreal. However as it is, a fairly decent system is needed to render the almost photo realistic graphics in the game.

A good sound system also allows you to fully appreciate the incredibly convincing and immersive in-game sounds.

The advanced physics engine allows for fully destructible environments; fire off a clip into the jungle and individual branches tree limbs will fly off; club a flimsy wall whilst in strength mode and the structure will fall apart.

This 'sandbox' environment allows for innovative tactics such as strapping C4 to a jeep and driving it into a building or shooting a palm tree with a grenade launcher to send it crashing down on the heads of an enemy patrol; the possibilities are endless

So there you have it, Crysis has done its predecessor Far Cry proud. It is an example of a great leap forward in PC gaming - a top rate first person shooter set in an amazing environment, wrapped up in some of the most beautiful graphics ever to grace a PC monitor.

Don't miss out.