CRYSIS 3 [2013] STEAM PC REVIEW

🏆  MASTERPIECE  🏆

The positive:

💗 Phenomenal closure to the Crytek Trilogy

💗 Unprecedented graphics and visual art

💗 Compelling more personal storyline 

💗 An emotional depth never before portrayed in the series

💗 Answers many lingering questions and further expands the lore

💗 Engaging hybrid stealth-action combat loop

💗 The Ceph are imposing figures that look scary

💗 Post-human warrior difficulty forces players to master the suit

The negative:

👎 Both the Xbox 360 and Ps3 struggled to run Crysis 3 at 30FPS/720p

👎 Console players had to wait until the 2021 remaster to experience the Trilogy.

👎 The 2013 PC version was so demanding that I had to wait a couple of years to run it.

👎 The story ends too soon, not a biggie for me.

Crysis 3 brought a phenomenal closure to the Crytek Trilogy in 2013, blending the New York City streets from its predecessor with the Original Crysis deep jungle in the NY Dome,  in an effort to address fans and mainstream critics who branded Crysis 2 as the black sheep. While I personally loved everything about the game, others were turned off by its New York backdrop setting, or the lower scope level design with more linear environments. Crysis 3 lives up to the series' legacy, with unprecedented graphics and visual art, combined with a compelling and more personal story that answers all lingering questions, the game feels like Christmas all over again for fans of sci-fi action-oriented adrenaline rush experiences.

CAN IT RUN CRYSIS III?

Back in 2013 both the Xbox 360 and Ps3 struggled to run Crysis 3 at 30FPS/720p with even sub20 drops. My sympathies to those who had experienced that nightmare. Lucky me, I had a powerful enough PC to run the game at 60FPS/1080p stable with medium settings, and it was stunning to look at: the New York Dome looks amazing! Overgrown with lush vegetation and fields of grass with remnants of concrete structures poking out amongst the green. And as the story presses on, the conflict transforms the landscape and the visuals darken as the Ceph starts spreading throughout the city once again. This visual spectacle demanded powerful hardware to run it.

REMASTERED VERSION

In 2021 Crytek remastered the Trilogy, making the experience more suitable for modern consoles and new generations of gamers, both Ps5 and XsX run the Crysis Trifecta with stunning performance and visuals. But the only true remaster of the package is the Original Crysis. On PC both II and III received minor quality-of-life improvements. 

Crysis III now has Ray Tracing and DLSS features, which drastically improves performance and visuals. My RTX 2080ti struggled to run the 2013 version at 4K RT ULTRA at 60FPS, and now runs very smoothly and looks way better with improved textures and several visual bug fixes. I'm using the 2021 PC-remastered version for this review, but I'm still reviewing the game as a 2013 release as everything is just the same, they didn't enhance the game or change anything, just implemented modern tech to make the run smoother, and the results are staggering. 

BECOME PROPHET

Crysis introduced Raptor team back in 2007, a nanosuit enhanced super-soldier special forces squad, developed through nanotechnology and reverse-engineered alien tech, to become the ultimate military tactical weapon, or killing machine. Once again, you play as Prophet as he returns to New York in 2047, 24 years after the events of Crysis 2. The private military company known as CELL has erected a dome over the city to contain the remaining Ceph, turning the crumbling metropolis into a gigantic greenhouse controlled and operated by a futuristic PMC. 

Crysis 3 tells a much more personal story than the previous games, focusing on the main characters: Prophet & Psycho. Since CELL has "skinned" or ripped Psycho's nanosuit from his body -a painful process that has only fueled his rage and hatred- that leaves Prophet as the sole "post-human warrior" left to fight. The rebels who fight CELL along Psycho don't trust Prophet because of the alien suit modifications and his recombinant DNA, seeing him as more Ceph than Human. But this Alien DNA integration that started with Prophet's obsessing over his visions about the Alpha Ceph, ended up being a deterrent in his struggle against the Ceph Hivemind. This connection to the Alpha Ceph fuels much of the storyline, as does Psycho's personality and desire for revenge over those who took his suit and forced him to be simply human. I love those touching moments that spawn from rising tensions, a refreshing emotional depth that the series never before portrayed. You always see supporting characters express their anger, fear, and distrust from Prophet's perspective, which intensifies personal exchanges. I found this focus on characters and storytelling soothing for the trilogy ending.

IMPOSING ALIENS

The hybrid stealth-action combat loop is back and more satisfying than ever! To aid Prophet on his quest, Psycho provides a high-tech compound bow, designed to work with the nanosuit for efficient silent kills and with interchangeable heads for heavy assault combat encounters. You can switch between arrows that explode, electrify, or even melt heavy armor, like Thermite arrows, making for variety and exploration of combat puzzles. For players like me who are not much into bows in videogames that feature firearms, luckily the old arsenal is back, as satisfying as ever! the shooting and overall gameplay mechanics are supreme. The nanosuit powers like cloak and armor are back and feel as tight as ever to use, you become the ultimate predator, I never felt so badass playing a game, you face impossible odds yet you overcome them because you are, the ultimate killing machine. I remember back on the launch date many early mainstream critics stated that Crytek makes every other shooter his bitch, and I have to agree with that, but that was true before, as almost 10 years had passed already and Crytek is no longer king of the castle.

 

During the first part of the game, you aid Psycho and the rebels in taking down critical CELL infrastructure. After a catastrophic event, the Alpha Ceph emerges and a full-scale alien invasion begins. I love the sci-fi lore and how it's implemented. Turns out that IF the Ceph expeditionary forces encounter steady resistance from the locals, they can open an Einstein-Rosen Bridge or white hole to their parent galaxy M33 in order to bring their main invasion force to eradicate all humans, known as Ceph Colonization Stage 3. I love it! The Ceph are imposing figures, they really scare me. Even when you feel like a badass unstoppable force facing CELL mercenaries, the aliens arrive and they look so scary and aggressive in combat that not even the suit powers can make you feel safe. 

The optional objectives and improved level design with structural openness are welcomed. The original Crysis had mostly a linear structure but many forgot that and remembered the 1st level's open structure as the entire experience. That led to Crysis II getting heavy critics for its linear design, comparing it to a nostalgic or biased memory of the original. Crysis III addressed these critics and expanded the level design. It still feels like a missed opportunity as secondary objectives feel meaningless. 

CONCLUSION

Crysis 3 lives up to the series' legacy, with unprecedented graphics and visual art, combined with a compelling and more personal story that answers all lingering questions, the game feels like Christmas all over again for fans of sci-fi action-oriented adrenaline rush experiences. Many fans and critics found the game to be extremely easy and short. I think having 5 difficulty levels was a mistake, both recruit & soldier are way too easy, but completing the game on the hardest "post-human warrior" takes mastering of the nanosuit and combat encounters. I'm pretty sure those who found the AI too dumb and the game too easy did not experience the hardest difficulty. As for the length, I think it's perfect, when the combat loop starts becoming repetitive, the game ends as the combat reaches its climax before you can start feeling the experience drags on. And after a hard-fought battle, you get a satisfying conclusion of the trilogy.