Crytek, the German-based video game company, developed a PC game titled Crysis in 2007. The game boasted what were deemed to be the best looking graphics ever seen in a video game, but consequently the game was known for the absurdly high computer system requirements needed to run the game.
It’s been just over three years since the original Crysis was released, though it can be argued that common technology has yet to catch up with the regular PC gaming demographic.
The sequel, titled Crysis 2, features improved graphics with Crytek’s updated CryEngine. However, the follow-up game will also be released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, albeit with graphics lowered to meet console platform limitations.
Alexander Suvorov, a senior in biological and agricultural engineering, said the requirements for the original game were way too high for its time.
“If the system requirements hadn’t been so high,” Suvorov said, “it would’ve been a really good game. It’s just not worth the money you’d need to spend upgrading your computer to play the game.”
Console platforms cannot be upgraded to higher specifications as can be done on a PC, but this limitation can serve as a standardized setting for developers so that console gamers can always expect a game to run on their system.
While many PC gamers take a sense of pride in the potential power a PC platform could possess, a large portion of the game’s target population simply could not run the game, much less play it.
Taylor Swann, a sophomore in computer science, believes that impressive graphics are only a small part of the equation.
“Nice graphics are cool,” Swann said, “but it’s not the look of the game that keeps you coming back time after time. It’s all about the game play. The graphics can be old-school Nintendo era, so long as the core game play is fun and has a high replay value.”
With game play quality taking precedence over graphical quality in the console first person shooter community, the limited but still impressive visuals of Crysis 2 will not stand alone to make the game a success.
Since the introduction of the Halo series, the first-person shooter market has grown to become the dominant game genre on console platforms. By releasing Crysis 2 on the consoles, Crytek seems to be seeking a wider audience for their flagship game franchise.
Crytek released a Crysis 2 multiplayer beta exclusively for the Xbox 360 in January, offering players a chance to experience the new game play early on and giving Crytek a chance to smooth out any online technical issues the beta testers encountered. The PlayStation 3 version of the beta was canceled due to severe network and connection problems early on.
The multiplayer mode is a mixture of the three most popular first-person shooter games on the console market. Based on the Crysis 2 Beta and subsequent multiplayer demo, the game featured the fast-paced style of Call of Duty, the special armor abilities seen in Halo Reach and general movement and controls similar to that of the Battlefield games.
Brian Li, a sophomore in computer science, said that Crysis 2 manages to capture and bring together strong elements of the top first-person shooters.
“Crysis 2 has the dynamics of Call of Duty with the abilities of Halo, such as having a super jump, but also a cool ground pound attack to complement it. You can also do [opportunistic quick-kill] assassinations like in Halo Reach, and your special suit allows you to go invisible with a cloaking ability,” Li said.
Li also added that the upgrade abilities combined the innovations made in tried-and-true modern game play elements and technology.
“You can upgrade your suit, special abilities and weapons as you progress further into the game. The environmental graphics are really realistic with most of environment being destructible from the glass to the leaves on a tree,” Li said. “Overall, it runs and plays smoothly even when there’s a lot of action on screen at once.”
Crytek has introduced the second installment of the Crysis series onto the console front boasting impressive visuals on an engine that has proven to run smoothly.
Offering game play features and styles found in the top first-person shooters of this gaming generation, Crysis 2 is coming in full force to establish a place in the crowded first-person shooter market.
