Crysis 3: Hunter Edition PlayStation 3

Released on 22-Feb-2013

• Crysis 3 - Review

  
  

  

  Dome, Sweet Dome!

  Crysis 3 is probably the prettiest game you'll ever see on a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. The PC version really pushes the boundaries in terms of tech, but its console cousins are no slouches, either. Look around and you'll see marvels: the rocks are slippery with rushing water, the sky is covered with shifting clouds, grass sways beneath your feet, and buildings and enemies are wonderfully detailed.

  It helps that the game takes you somewhere really special, too. After the first Crysis game dropped you into a tropical island mid-way through an alien invasion, and Crysis 2 whisked you to New York once the outer-space baddies had reached Manhattan, Crysis 3 wants you to have the best of both worlds. Twenty years have passed since you defeated the alien menace - or did you? - and in that time, the evil Cell Network has built a massive dome over the remains of New York City, imprisoning any remaining extra-terrestrial threats inside.

  

  Maximum Stealth

  Inside the dome, all is not what it seems, however: geological processes have been sped up, and New York has become an urban rainforest. Streets have split into canyons, and the financial district's become a network of caverns. Cast as Prophet, the Nanosuited superhero who's been sent to save the day, this means you get to explore a range of diverse environments, shooting up everything you come across as you try to work out exactly what the Cell network is up to.

  To help you on your way, you've got that futuristic suit of yours, of course: a weapons system that can provide you with bursts of super strength when you need to race across the terrain at double-speed or kick a car into a bunch of enemies, but which also allows you to either boost your armour capacity during firefights or turn invisible when you want to get sneaky. This is where Crysis 3 is at its best, in fact: alongside the suit you've got a new Predator Bow for sending arrows silently winging their way across the landscape, picking off foes without being seen.

  Like the game's guns, your bow can be customised and filled with different ammo - some of which is electrical, say, or explosive. You can also customise your suit in various ways by collecting upgrade kits. This should bring new life to the campaign as you kit yourself out with a variety of different skills before wading back into the action.

  

  Hunted

  That's the good news. On the down side, Crysis 3 sometimes struggles to live up to its promise. None of its guns are as memorable as the weapons you wield in a Halo or a Call of Duty game, for example, while the campaign's fairly short and filled with the sort of set-pieces you're likely to have played through in dozens of other games. There's variety - you'll get vehicle sections, bosses, and a handful of story moments - but, environment aside, there's little that you genuinely won't have seen before. It's prettier here, but you may still tire of the campaign before it reaches its conclusion.

  Luckily, that's when you'll want to switch to multiplayer, and this is where Crysis 3 really shines: there are twelve varied maps to play through, all the levelling up and unlock action you could care for, and plenty of great modes, from death match and a version of Capture the Flag and King of the Hill, to a brand new game type called Hunters, in which two players don the Nanosuit to track down and kill all the other players - growing their ranks with each kill.

  In multiplayer, Crysis 3 is fast and furious and endlessly entertaining. It's just a shame that the campaign can't quite live up to the same high standards. If you're looking for a really good-looking shooter with clever stealth options and a great multiplayer, this should still be well worth your time. If you're just after a truly outstanding single-player campaign, however, you're going to end up a little bit disappointed.

  GAME's Verdict:

  The Good:

  • Stunning visuals
  • Great stealth
  • Lots of multiplayer fun

  The Bad

  • Short campaign
  • Disappointing gunplay
  • Set-pieces are a bit predictable

  Published: 20/02/2013

• Next generation console titles won't look 'much different' to Crysis 3

  Crytek, the developer behind the Crysis series, has always had a reputation for pushing the envelope of graphical pizazz. Now boss man Cevat Yerli has boasted that the upcoming Crysis 3 looks as good on current hardware as the launch titles on the yet-to-be-confirmed new Xbox and PlayStation consoles.

  "I actually think people will be astonished that next gen launch titles from other companies might not be much different from Crysis 3," he told CVG, before promising even greater visual treats once new consoles are out: "Crytek's projects generally will be way above what we've achieved on the existing consoles."

  Yerli also took the time to comment on the environments created for Crysis 3, which finds New York sealed inside a series of biodomes that see the city streets overrun by a rainforest. "Crysis 3 has its own visual identity, [the urban rainforest] is a world that hasn't been done before, that kind of depiction, the quality and level of immersion," he said. "I think no game has ever done that kind of setting, it's a visual spectacle. "It has not even been done in Hollywood. People might suggest there are similarities with I Am Legend, but that is quite different to this. It has its own identity and I'm very proud of what the team achieved in this regard."

  Crysis 3 blazes onto PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on 22nd February.

  Published: 11/02/2013

• New Year Revolutions: The Top Games We're Looking Forward To In 2013

  
  

  

  Even though the excess of New Year is still fresh in our aching heads, this week sees the release of the first must-have blockbuster of 2013. Capcom's revamped and rebooted Devil May Cry has wowed critics and won over fans with its slick combat and slinky visuals, but that's just the start of what promises to be a spectacular year in gaming. Here are five games that we can't wait to play in the months ahead.
  

  

  Crysis 3

  Out: February 22nd
  Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC

  Why So Excited?: Because the Crysis series has always been the benchmark for the modern shooter in terms of lush visuals, and developer Crytek is promising to pull out all the stops for this trilogy-closing entry. You'll take control of nano-suited anti-hero Prophet as he returns to a New York enclosed in biodomes which have allowed tropical jungles to sprout on the familiar streets of the Big Apple.

  Using your high tech bow, and the various cool abilities that your armour provides, you'll sneak and slay your way through stunning open environments. Quite apart from the in-game thrills on offer, when most of the big shooters cluster around the pre-Christmas rush there's also something rather fantastic about a AAA shooter bold enough to stake its claim in the quieter early months of the year, where nothing can distract us from its groovy gameplay.
  

  

  Tomb Raider

  Out: March 5th
  Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC

  Why So Excited?: You really have to ask? It's the return of Lara Croft, arguably the greatest modern video game character, absent from our joypads for far too long, and often stuck in average or poor quality sequels before that. After inheriting the series from defunct UK studio Core Design, developer Crystal Dynamics finally gets to divert from a 1990s template and reboot Tomb Raider in its own style.

  The result is an action adventure that has more in common with the cinematic rush of Uncharted than the block-shoving puzzles and somersaulting tiger-shooting of old. There'll be multiplayer for the first time in a Tomb Raider game, and there's also the story to consider – one that's written by Rhianna Pratchett, and follows a much younger Lara as she learns to become the confident hero we already know, having been stranded on an island controlled by brutal pirates. Action and drama, with a gaming icon? What's not to love?
  

  

  Bioshock Infinite

  Out: March 26th
  Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC

  Why So Excited?: Because how often do you see a sequel so gleefully tear up everything from its predecessors? Bioshock Infinite may share the name of the 2007 smash hit, but virtually everything else is different. The gloomy and desolate undersea city of Rapture is replaced with Columbia, a steampunk city in the clouds. Dark is replaced with light. Water replaced with air.

  Can a game still be claustrophobic and scary in such bright, open environments? If anyone can pull it off, it's Ken Levine, the Bioshock creator who returns to the series after sitting out Bioshock 2. And it's not as if he hasn't had the time to perfect the game – Infinite's release date has slipped back more than once, but rather than a sign of trouble, it shows that Levine won't let this complex moral fable go until it's just right, even to the point of removing features – such as multiplayer – which weren't working to his required standard. When so many games tend to favour a kitchen sink approach, that sort of polish and focus demands to be rewarded.
  

  

  The Last of Us

  Out: May 17th
  Platforms: PlayStation 3

  Why So Excited?: It's Naughty Dog, one of a handful of big studios that effortlessly combine compelling core gameplay, brilliantly realised characters and staggering cinematic sweep. What happens when a developer with that pedigree tackles the survival horror genre? That's what we can't wait to find out. The Last of Us was sprung on the gaming public just over a year ago, and it immediately became a “must see” title.

  Set after a virulent plague wipes out most of humanity, it follows a grizzled survivor called Joel and Ellie, a young girl who he has taken under his wing, as they struggle to stay alive in the ruins of modern society, where brutal gangs and bloodthirsty maniacs lurk in the rubble. Unapologetically violent and with a gruelling storyline that explores the characters as much as the haunting landscape, The Last of Us brings us one step closer to gaming that packs as much punch as a big-name movie.
  

  

  Grand Theft Auto V

  Out: Spring
  Platforms: PlayStation 3

  Why So Excited?: If you have to ask, you must have been on Mars for the last decade. A new Grand Theft Auto game is a guaranteed event, not least because Rockstar doesn't turn these sequels out unless there's a good reason to do so. No annual updates for this series, so the news that players will be returning to the hot sticky streets of Los Santos for the first time since 2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is enough to put us on the edge of our seat.

  Ever the tease, Rockstar has released only a few trailers and handfuls of screenshots, but it's enough to whet the whistle. With stunning graphics, bringing the city to life in never-before-seen detail, the big selling point is that this time around we'll be controlling three characters as they navigate the underbelly of modern urban life. Swapping between them at will, and combining their skills for missions, this could well be the evolutionary kick in the pants that the free-roaming crime genre needs. Would you expect anything else from the maestros that created the genre in the first place?
  

  Published: 17/01/2013

• Crysis 3 will 'roll back' to include the best elements says developer

  It's just over a month until Crysis 3 arrives, and producer Mike Read from developer Crytek has been hitting the interview trail to talk up the sequel - and where the series will go next. Speaking with AusGamers, he teased that the team sees Crysis 3 as a way to bring back the best gameplay elements from the first two games in the ultimate stealth shooter.

  "Coming back in Crysis 3, there's a lot of different elements that we have from Crysis 1, and Crysis 2 that we sort of rolled back on," Read said. "And it's that rollback, mixed with the hunter theme, the jungle themes, and the introduction of the bow, sort of just fit in with all of these different things that we had to offer on that front," Read explains what the team really wanted to bring to the third game."

  "So that's really where we're at with it," he added. "We wanted to come and find a middle ground between the two, but not focus on one thing, as solely graphics, or solely gameplay quality, or cinematics. All of these things have been brought up to an equal level to create a great overall game experience."

  He also hinted, as other Crytek folk have recently, that the Crysis series may take a left turn in its next iteration. Referring to Crysis 3 as closing off the current "story bubble", Read talked up the potential of the Crysis universe for future outings. "We could go in so many different ways in this franchise at this point," he explained, "And weave in alternate storylines from different tech, to different realities and things like that. So moving past Crysis 3, we have a lot of opportunities moving forward outside of this."

  Crysis 3 is out on February 22nd for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3

  Published: 14/01/2013

• Crysis 3 is 'maxing out' current generation consoles, says developer

  As rumours continue to swirl around regarding the next consoles from SONY and Microsoft, at least one developer reckons they've reached the limit of what they can do with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

  "Crysis 3 is absolutely maxing out the consoles," Crytek's Cevat Yerli has told Videogamer.com, declaring that there's "not even 1 percent left" once the game has milked the technology dry. "No game will ever look technically better than Crysis 3 on these consoles, flat out. Most games are not even anywhere near Crysis 2 technically. I'm not talking about art style - art is subjective - but the pure fact of what we have been cramming in with Crysis 2 on Xbox and PlayStation, I've yet to see a game do that still today."

  And, yes, he really is throwing down the gauntlet to the other big action franchises, offering behemoths like Gears of War and Halo to step outside and prove who has the shiniest graphics. "Any day I will take a battle against Gears and Halo," reckons the bullish developer. "The amount of data we put in and the detail level is far superior."

  Them's fightin' words, alright. We'll see if Crysis 3 lives up to the boasts when it launches for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on February 21st.
  

  Published: 12/12/2012

• Crysis 3 takes aim at February release date

  Futuristic shooter sequel Crysis 3 will hit UK shelves on February 22nd, publisher EA has announced. The game sees the return of series hero Prophet and his super-powered nanosuit. The setting is New York, which has been transformed into a teaming urban rainforest after being sealed inside a biodome by the clearly evil Cell Corporation.

  Leading up to the launch, EA will release a narrative video series called The 7 Wonders of Crysis 3, introducing the location, characters and weapons. The title refers to the seven zones that the enclosed New York has been divided into. The short CGI films will be directed by Hollywood director Albert Hughes, using the same graphics engine as the game. Hughes is best known for the films Menace II Society, From Hell and Book of Eli.

  In the game, players will wield Prophet's stealthy suit powers, a powerful bow and various alien weapons in his quest for revenge against the corrupt Cell Corporation. Everyone who pre-orders the game will receive the special Hunter Edition, containing bonus multiplayer weapon attachments, suit upgrades and bonus XP.

  Crysis 3 is developed by series creator Crytek, and is out for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on February 21st.

  Published: 07/12/2012

• Crytek has big plans for the future of Crysis

  The third game in the Crysis series isn't out yet, but developer Crytek is already thinking about what will come next - and it has ambitious plans. Indeed, the game may not even be called Crysis 4 when it comes out.

  "We are excited about the DNA of Crysis and of the franchise," studio head Cevat Yerli told Eurogamer. "There can be literally tonnes of titles out there within the franchise. Unlike Far Cry, this time around we feel very flexible about Crysis."

  "I wouldn't name it Crysis 4 at this stage because it would be misleading," he said of the potential title. "Crysis 4 would imply the story just moves on."

  The game isn't even in pre-production yet, because the studio wants it to be such a dramatic reinvention of the popular shooter series. "Normally in this time right now we would already have pre-production going on," Yerli says, "but because we want to make this something much more radical and new we are looking at it as a bit more of a long term thing. It's too early to talk about it for these reasons."

  For now, we can look forward to Crysis 3, which is set for release in February 2013 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Far Cry 3, Ubisoft's second sequel to the game which put Crytek on the map, is out at the end of November for the same formats.

  Published: 13/11/2012

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