Crysis 3 Remastered Review (MadMaxxSimp)
Unpopular opinion: I like Crysis 3 the best of the Crysis trilogy. Crysis 3 returns to the jungle environs that I missed from Crysis 1. It refines upon the gameplay mechanics of Crysis 1 and 2, cutting a decent balance between the two. There are fans that wish this game was longer but I felt that the length was just fine. Where it lacks in length, Crysis 3 makes up for in terms of replay value.
Crysis 3 is slept upon among the fanbase. It deserves more love and appreciation, even if you prefer the first game more.
Recommendations for Specific Gamers
Gorgeous Graphics Lovers
This game is 12 years old. And yet, I catch myself staring at the freaking grass in awe! Or I'll stop for a moment, at the top of a dilapidated building, to gaze upon the sun kissed ruins of New York skyscrapers. Crysis 3 was a graphical joy to play. What's more: I can now play this game on high settings without breaking my PC! The game's graphics have not only aged well but also look much better on modern PCs.
Sadly, the remastered version lacks a photo mode to take screenshots of the beautiful world of Crysis 3. Still, you can make do with no HUD and wider FOV through console commands.
Games today are placing less emphasis on gorgeous cutting edge graphics that roast your PC. I get that. But there is something so appealing about the beauty of Crysis games. They make you keep coming back to them!
Deus Ex Fans
Being a Deus Ex fan, I crave that experience of being a high powered cyborg who can stealth and shoot around in games. Crysis does a good job at scratching that itch. Granted, it is an action game where shooting and linear action takes precedence. But there are moments of emergent gameplay that can only be described as Deus-Ex like. You can sneak through areas staying cloaked or Rambo your way through enemies. Each map offers you a variety of paths to get to your objective. You can upgrade your nanosuit to suit your specific playstyle; the same applies for your arsenal of weapons.
Themes wise, Crysis 3 has a dystopian future set in a post apocalyptic New York wasteland. There is a rebel resistance fighting a tyrannical megacorp. Oh, and there is freaking aliens taking over the world! The Deus Ex parallels are hard to miss with Crysis games.
Again, we are talking of a FPS shooter here. But, as I've said before, Crysis has so much potential to be an immersive sim! The devs should atleast consider adding more RPG elements in the next Crysis game.
Short Game Lovers
Maybe you're burned out from playing 100+ hour long games? Need something short and sweet then Crysis 3 is just right for you. The levels are short and fun to breeze through. And there's no grindy DLCs or annoying fetch quests to slog through. 100%ing a game always feels like a slog especially when I have finished the campaign. I am happy to say that was not the case for Crysis 3. The game levels have good replay value despite the short length.
Achievement/Completionist Hunters
This game is quite satisfying to 100%. Multiple playthroughs are not required which is nice. You can jump into the hardest difficulty setting which is manageable to play so long as you play smartly. The hidden achievements are also manageable to do for the most part. (Special mention goes to the one about riding a donut down the river. Wheee!)
FYI, the game only saves your progress when you reach a checkpoint. So don't die or reload the game. Just make it to the next objective and you'll be fine.
The collectibles are not hard to find except for the Nanosuit upgrade modules. For the latter, there is no level counter as with the other collectibles. This sucks since you have no idea where the upgrade modules are. I used the visor quite a bit during my playthrough so I was able to get most of the collectibles. Recommend that you do the same.
Lore Truthers
The lore of Crysis is quite thoughtful and accesible if you go through the intel items. Being a short action game, the lore isn't too deep but that's okay. Crysis 3 also has a codex database that is easily missable. The codex explains the world better and offers an enhanced experience for gamers.
Conclusion
Crysis 2 always left a bad taste in my mouth. I never liked playing C2 on PC. I am glad to say that wasn't the case for Crysis 3! Playing this game was a joy and it revived my interest in the Crysis franchise. I look forward now to playing the next game by Crytek!
Overall Rating
8.5/10, Maximum Fun