Superb Graphics, good gameplay and average story makes this a fun game but at the same time fear for your graphic card..
My verdict: Its not even close. And if you compare this with the quintessence of first person shooters like Half Life 2, this game simply falls flat. So first off if you are reading this review before playing Crysis please don't play this game like i did - with Huge Expectations like HL killer and all. Reduce your expectations a bit. You might even love this.
For those who have already played this game and love it, don't get me wrong, I regard Crysis as a really good FPS game. But its not as great as the critics and fanboys say it is. My review will make things clear why.
Gameplay: The most CORE element in any First Person Shooter i believe is the Shooting itself. Doom was a game which started it all. Half Life revolutionized shooting and also spawned Counter Strike which is still one of the most played Multiplayer games on the PC. The Call Of Duty franchise took its own step in Modern Warfare thus popularizing the aim and shoot feature.
But there is one game that will clearly define what to expect in Crysis and that is Far Cry. Why? Because Far Cry was also of Crytek and it was a good game too. Far Cry 2 btw had one of the worst shooting mechanisms and i can safely say that both Crysis and Far Cry are far better in terms of shooting as compared to the more inferior Far Cry 2.
However. The shooting isn't something out of the blue. Not something we haven't seen. There are those few problems of Far Cry that creep in for eg: Sometimes a headshot doesn't kill the enemy instantly. Sometimes the enemies have large health like bosses and you have to pump 50 or odd bullets in their body before they die.
The Suit is however an excellent addition to the game and maximum speed, strength, armor and stealth really add some variety to the gameplay. At higher difficulties however maximum strength is of no use as you will die in an instant if you expose yourself to an enemy.
The vehicle control is another good feature in this game and has good control and ammunition. Also the handling is realistic and the bullet and grenade hits that it takes are some of the most accurate i have seen in any game.
The graphics need not be described. Simply put it even outclasses the PS3 games of today and as far as PC goes like Gametrailers truly says this game is made for the FUTURE. It will never get old. Even in 2015 it will still be fresh in terms of the graphics. Even the likes of Uncharted 2 look pale in front of Crysis. My imagination is only as good as yours about what Crysis 2 can do Graphically to the PS3 and Xbox360.
More importantly will it run on our PC??? I shudder at that thought.
Anyways, inspite of so many good gameplay features and fairly good shooting like someone else said in the reviews below the game really takes time to pick up. At the start its only kill koreans, disable GPS system, kill more koreans, destroy more GPS system. But the real turning point is when the aliens step in and that's when you get to have fun. Not only does the graphics improve, the suit also starts to have Actual Use. Maximum stealth and maximum strength finally get equal if not more precedence over maximum armor.
Nomad is another Dull and Boring character to play with. Just like the Call Of Duty series the main character never has any importance and thus is not even featured in Gamespot's greatest heroes. I had more fun with Psycho though in Crysis Warhead. He is atleast a guy who not only behaves like a badass but is also a badass. If you still don't get it then Nomad is like Roach of MW 2 and Psycho is like Soap of MW 2 (not MW 1).
There is a good amount of weapons in Crysis. Also the weapons modifications are good. My fav was the Nuke weapon and the missile launcher. The other weapons especially the ones specialized for killing the aliens is also good. Though i still feel MW 2 has improvised in terms of plethora of modified weapons, Crysis 2 will really have something special in this department.
Ahhh! The Story or the lack of it............One of the main reasons that inspite of having such good gameplay features Crysis, really is like those games which you will play only for FUN and nothing else. Story is good. I am not saying its bad. But its poorly told and presented. I really wish more games present story in the way that Battlefield BC 2 did. I hope Crysis 2 does better with the story.
Final Thoughts:
Crysis by no means is even close to being a bad game. 7.0 rating mean good and Crysis is really a good game. The graphics are excellent.But the gameplay is slow. But the gameplay has many features. But the story is inconsistent and poorly told.
I am not reviewing Crysis Warhead because the story is fairly same. Only difference is slightly better graphics and you play as Psycho and not Nomad which is a good thing. Crysis 2 can easily be a better game if they focus on the story telling and the shooting. They already have the other things - Graphics, weapons, modifications, uber suit.
All in all, if you have played way too many First Person Shooters like me i.e. you are a FPS veteran and emphasize on shooting more than other unimportant gameplay features and emphasize also on the story then "maximum rent" this game.
But if you have a powerful rig and not too much into FPS then go for Crysis. Its a pure fun game that will make you ogle at your screen in amazement but at the same time make you fear for you Graphic card :D.