14 DAY TRIAL // 
Crysis games have delivered some pretty impressive experiences over the years, even if developer Crytek mostly used them to show off its technical expertise and the power of its CryEngine technologies.
With Crysis 3, the independent studio wants to close the trilogy that focused on protagonist Prophet by ending the story and combining some of the best elements from previous games, like the New York City landscape from the last game with the open jungle of the original.
Does Crytek manage to deliver on its promises or does Prophet need to put his Nanosuit away earlier than anticipated? Let's find out.
Story
Crysis games haven't exactly delivered award-winning plots as the narrative was mainly an excuse for different intense action sequences and blockbuster moments.
Crysis 3 wants to improve things and goes to greater lengths in order to remind players of events from previous titles like Crysis 1 and 2, and even Crysis: Warhead, as the protagonist of that often-overlook game, Psycho, makes a comeback.
The story kicks off 20 years after the last game. New York was partly saved, thanks to Prophet's actions, but the evil CELL corporation managed to install a giant dome around the city, prompting the rapid growth of a jungle-like environment around the concrete wrecks.
Prophet must now work together with a rag-tag team of rebels in order to take CELL down but also to prevent the destruction of the world, as the mysterious Alpha Ceph still has a plan for humanity.
The plot is actually quite impressive and takes Prophet on one hell of a ride. Sadly, some characters are extremely formulaic but there are a few exceptions, like Psycho, who makes a pretty impressive comeback. Prophet now has a voice and isn't afraid to use it, reminding players that he's still at least partly human underneath his Nanosuit.
While you'll have a hard time believing the various escalations of the situation, Crysis 3's plot goes for broke and combines all sorts of crazy events. Sadly, its short length, around 5-7 hours depending on your skill and desire to explore the open environments, only draws more attention to the leaps and bounds made by the story in terms of logic.
Gameplay
While Crysis 3's story won't impress you, its gameplay more than makes up for it, especially since the plot takes Prophet through a variety of impressive locations and environments filled with CELL mercenaries but also with Ceph aliens, often already engaged against one another.
The game is still a great first-person shooter, as Prophet can wield a variety of great weapons, ranging from the classic assault rifles or snipers, to special machine guns or grenade launchers, not to mention unique Ceph weaponry that are quite powerful. As always, you can customize your weapons on the fly by fitting new scopes, attachments, or silencers.
The main attraction, however, is the new composite Predator bow. With this new weapon and the Nanosuit's cloak, Prophet can become a true hunter, stalking and taking down his targets. This can also be customized with different arrows that have explosive or electrical tips.
While you're free to go in guns-blazing, the game has a variety of mechanics that encourage playing stealthily, or at least reminds players to use a slower approach. The Nanosuit now has a special visor mode that can be used to detect and tag enemies but also to hack actual machines, from CELL turrets to hulking Ceph Pinger.
Speaking of the Nanosuit, it's back and more powerful than ever, with Prophet packing a variety of abilities, ranging from the regular Stealth and Maximum Armor modes, to new ones like the visor and the power to remotely hack machines.
You can also upgrade your Nanosuit's circuits by finding special collectibles in the game's world. These can be used to improve your detection skills, increase cloak duration, or to allow you to soak up more bullets.
Enemies are quite varied and range from regular CELL troopers, to beefier versions not to mention the Ceph aliens, which once again feature the very fast Stalkers, but also new units, like the Scorcher. All of them are pretty smart although the CELL mercenaries are a bit too observant sometimes, spotting the player through walls or other obstacles when he's not cloaked.
Crysis 3's environments are much more varied than in other games and the whole urban rainforest style is refreshing, to say the least. Throw in the gorgeous graphics and the much more open levels and you'll have a lot of fun admiring the sights and sounds of the new game.
Sadly, there are a few downsides, besides the enemies that can spot you even if you're hiding behind heavy walls and other such objects. These include some of the weapons that aren't that impressive, but also the fact that in-between most of the open levels, you'll also spend some time within cramped corridors and laboratories that all look basically the same.
Multiplayer
Crysis 3's online mode features an array of competitive game types, from traditional variations on classics like Team Deathmatch or Capture the Flag, to all-new things like the Hunter one, in which two permanently cloaked Nanosuit-wearing hunters track down with a Predator bow the CELL troopers. Each killed trooper then spawns as a hunter and the match can end with a victory of the predators or the prey, if the timer runs out and the hunters don't kill everyone.
Regular game types also allow players to choose class loadouts that include various equipment like weapons but also bonuses for your nanosuit.
The maps are quite varied and very large, so expect to do quite a bit of exploration before you learn their nooks and crannies. Thankfully, the boosted sprint and the augmented jumps make navigating various stages much easier.
Social features like MyCrysis and the New York Newsfeed are also added into the multiplayer mode but they serve as distractions and won't really contribute to the experience all that much.
Graphics and Sound
Crysis 3 is a visually stunning game, as expected for an experience made by Crytek using the improved version of the CryEngine 3 technology.
As always, the PC version shines, as the studio built right into the game all sorts of extra benefits including high-resolution textures, DirectX 11-specific features, and plenty of different anti-aliasing methods.
In terms of sound, the game is also pretty good, with voice acting being decent, although a few characters impress, including Prophet. The soundtrack is also good but there aren't enough songs or orchestral scores that really stand out from the rest.
Conclusion
Crysis 3 is a great shooter that manages to impress through gameplay and visuals. There's pretty much nothing better than going into a battle, using the various abilities of your Nanosuit, not to mention the unique weapons, like the bow, to take down legions of enemies all with gorgeous effects.
Downsides include the short story, which constantly needs to escalate the adventures of Prophet in order to keep players invested in the plot, but also the AI, which can lead to errors and erratic behavior.
Even so, the game is still quite impressive and should delight shooter fans and those who want a feast for their eyes.
