» Thu Dec 31, 2009 3:38 am
After playing the game for a couple weeks now, I have come to several conclusions.
Gameplay mechanics are admirable. The versatility of the Nanosuit provides an addicting experience, and is well balanced with its energy. Integrating this into multiplayer was an astonishing feat, but unfortunately, has become the sole clinch for my ownership of this game.
Single-player campaign was, sadly, very routine. Though level dynamics were both gorgeous and inspiring, enemy A.I. lacked the "I." Once I became familiar with the Nanosuit, Super-soldier difficulty proved to be less than super. The plot-line is well conceived, however dialogue is both stale and un-involving. (Although, i did find myself laughing at comments the C.E.L.L. soldiers would make, until they became repetitive). The ending anti-climatic, and not convincing enough for me to buy the third installment of the trilogy - however, that reason ties into multiplayer blights as well.
Multiplayer bodes mixed opinions from me. Weapons, while mildly balanced, are too few in number and variety. Secondary weapons unimpressive, and explosives are duds. The Suit modules on the other hand, are great in balance and variety. While the effectiveness of some are questionable (Rapid fire for example), overall they compliment the Nanosuit very well.
But multiplayer has been a nightmare of agony. Host advantage is dreadful, and a game-killing experience. The lack of dedicated servers, or even a reliable client/host system, makes the online experience one that instills emotions observed in serial killers and pedophiles. It could be suggested that this failure is also the cause of the previous MP grievances noted. In fact, if the connection issues could be resolved, i imagine i might find love in this game.
But that said, the connection issues are in fact the root of my contempt for this installment. People should die immediately when they are dead, and not have time to run around a corner to find their grave. Killcams should show me being shot to death, not killed by the wind spiraling from the bullets that missed me, or the melee hits that punched the wall behind me, or the stealth kill that blatantly came while i was facing them.
Running a 15Mbps Down/1.5Mbps Up connection
Open NAT
DMZ set Static IP
Wired Connection
Poor connection quality on my side factors very little into this equation. Without a strong Single-player, Online multiplayer is what keeps a FPS game's replay value, it is the pulse of the Game itself. I put forth that unless the online experience is improved, this game will return from whence it came, to live out its days in a used game bin. As for the future of Crytek, promises of a "better game next time" will not suffice, and unless the online experience improves, you may find your name tarnished in the gaming community, and hated come Crysis 3.