| Crysis 3
Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC Genre: Shooter Publisher: EA Games ESRB Rating: M, for Mature Grade: 3 stars (out of 5) You can’t fault a franchise for slipping a little with its third game. Many franchises do just that, and as long as the game is more of a stumble and not a freefall, no one is worse for the wear. “Crysis 3” appears content to rest on what made it great while not taking the final step to outshine its predecessors. One can’t complain about the visuals. You once again play as Prophet, who retains his grit and mettle from the previous two games. Oh, and he still has that wicked nanosuit. He’ll need it, because when he awakes from his slumbers he finds that New York City has been placed under a dome by the shadow military company CELL. This turns the city into a luscious botanical hunting ground, with perky Ceph aliens lurking around trying to rip your head off. Sadly, the action doesn’t match the impressive visual landscape created by the developer, Crytek. One setpiece has you wading through neck-deep grass while aliens stalk you. You can’t see what is coming at you until it’s almost too late, and a sense of dread grips you throughout the sequence. But once it ends, so does any lingering feeling of fear, as you return to the normal actions of exploring buildings until a shootout arrives. The tension weakens because Prophet has too many toys to play with, and even the most challenging of gunfights and boss battles don’t get you terribly concerned. The nanosuit can take an awful lot of damage, and your weaponry easily dispatches most foes with well-aimed shots. Once you are given a high-tech bow, all bets are off since you can use it while remaining cloaked, which gives you more of an advantage that you really don’t need. (A side note: Seriously, a bow? Is this the 2013 gaming weapon of the year? After playing this and “Tomb Raider” back to back, were we gamers in dire need of putting arrows into the hands of our enemies? I’m kinda bowed out for the next few months, thanks, unless Mario wields one against Koopas, then I’m all in.) Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled review … ah, yes, online multiplayer. It’s here, and though it mostly treads on familiar “capture the flag” or “king of the hill” turf, the Hunter mode is a particularly smart standout. Cloaked hunters face off against heavily armed CELL soldiers, and when a hunter picks off a soldier, that soldier then joins the hunter team. It’s a smart, time-based mode brimming with tension, and teamwork among the CELL soldiers remains paramount as invisible assassins lurk all around. “Crysis 3” would have needed a pretty big leap to outshine the previous two franchise entries. It doesn’t get there. Amazing to look at, yes, but the game ends too quickly and lacks a true challenge to keep you emotionally invested. |