If you were a PC Gamer and wanted to test out how well your rig was holding up, there was one game series that pushed the boundaries of your battle station more than most and that was the Crysis Franchise. It has been well documented that these wonderful titles use to make high-end pc builds sometimes scream in terror and for almost a decade, it was the standard for Graphic Card Benchmarks. The amazing people at Crytek have brought back this franchise to the PC as the Crysis Remastered Trilogy.
The Crysis Remastered Trilogy collection brings together all three mainline titles in one glorious bundle. However, they just didn’t dust the games off, throw them together, and put them out to rebuy. They actually went above and beyond to update the graphics, soundtrack, and play style for the more modern standards.
Now I am not going to lie. A remaster was released for the first game not too long ago. For me, it was a complete lackluster of a letdown. As Crysis was leaps and bounds ahead of other first-person shooters at the time when it was released, I was curious how well the Crysis Remastered Trilogy would stacks up against the newer games a decade later. Also, I was hoping that the same state of visuals and such were not the duplicate copies of the first Remastered release.
Crysis was and is a Sci-Fi first-person shooter that follows a soldier and his team who are dropped into North Korea in the year 2020, outfitted with Nano suits that offers superhuman abilities and strength. This group of soldiers are trying to complete a rescue mission, but are quickly attacked by the Ceph. The Ceph are an alien force that is trying to invade the world. But wait there is more. There’s also a shady military group known as C.E.L.L. Without giving away any spoilers to anyone who has not been blessed to play this game, there are a plethora of events and things that just don’t go your way. This story continues in both Crysis 2 and 3, but the environment is changed. You end up having to face off against both the Ceph and C.E.L.L. again, this time in New York. There are a lot of complexities throughout the franchise plot line but simply put, there is a lot of revenge in the series finale.
Now although the story continues from game to game as most great stories do, the gameplay differs between each game and improves as the series continues forward. Despite Crysis 2 and 3 featuring more linear gameplay, both have notable improvements over Crysis and overall are more enjoyable to play throughout. One of the biggest reasons is that while the original title lays a solid foundation for the next two games in the core trilogy, it feels a little too basic, a little too simple, all these years later. Please do not mistake this as a complaint. Crysis is still a good time, and you need a great foundation to build on. Most importantly, Crysis is still fun to play the hell out of. The gameplay just isn’t nearly as smooth as the final two games in the core series, for me anyway.
Your greatest asset is hands down the Nanosuit. The Nanosuit gives you an amazing stealth option; the armor itself is not at all that realistic of a choice. Again though, Crysis lays a foundation for this to become a powerhouse in the next 2 games. Crysis 2 and 3 allow for much-needed Nanosuit upgrades and additional customizable options that are tuned to the different environments. In doing so, this provides more strategic options and creates more badass opportunities to take out the enemies. One of my favorite upgrades has to be the nanovison with the thermal technology instead of night vision, and scouting abilities to mark enemies and areas of interest.
Now, what first-person shooter would be complete without a growing arsenal of weapons? Crysis features your typical list of guns: shotguns, SMGs, assault rifles. Crysis 2 adds some different types of weaponry to test out and get the feel of, and then Crysis 3 lets you have Ceph weapons to build on.
There is also the Predator Bow which is one of the most iconic weapons for the whole trilogy. Now in the original release of the games, shooting was difficult and you missed most of your shots. However, this has all been corrected in the remastered bundle. The handling and aiming of your weaponry are both quick and smooth, especially with raised sensitivity.
The games in this series aren’t perfect in any sense. I found issues throughout all 3 games while playing. Enemies getting stuck halfway in trees or vehicles, inconsistent AI, and the enemies not seeing me when I am right in front of them about 2 feet out were some problems that I encountered. Oh, and the stealth is another issue at times. I was so stealthy I could have snuck up on a cobra, yet they’re shooting at me from like 50 yards out? I did get a little freezing a few times with checkpoint saves, but none of these issues caused me to say this game series is not worth it.
Now I have to state, that I am a huge multiplayer fanatic now. Warzone and COD Multiplayer are 2 games I can not seem to put down and I am so excited for COD Vanguard so that may have me a bit biased. However, the lack of multiplayer is disappointing but not detrimental. Just imagine how great this series would be if you did a multiplayer game with the Nanosuit and futuristic weapons? Can we say a dash of Halo with a sprinkle of Call of Duty and a hint of Battlefield? Oh My God, take my money now! Either way, there’s still a ton of hours to be spent here, about 10-15 per game, and a lot more if you want to find all of the collectibles and achievements.
Even without a multiplayer component here, it’s hard to dismiss the value of the Crysis Remastered Trilogy. For those who have already played these games, there’s nothing new and spectacular that’s going to blow your mind. But if you want to jump into it once again this time with better and more refined graphics, you won’t regret it.
It may not be as good as the new-age titles but it’s certainly no longer living in the past. Now for anyone who hasn’t played this franchise, this really feels like a no-brainer. The Crysis Remastered Trilogy is available now on Steam for PC for $49.99 and you’re going to have a fantastic time! This game is also available on Playstation, Xbox, and Switch.
This review was written based on a digital review copy of Crysis Remastered Trilogy for PC provided by Crytek.
