For Fun And Prophet: Crysis 3 Open Beta Next Week
In my more soulful, reflective moments, I can't help but look out into the vast sea of human suffering and ask myself, "Why? Why do we Crysis?" The answers, of course, are many and multifarious - like some kind of gigantic, infini-brained wisdom hydra - but they all boil down to one core: single-player. Case in point: Crysis 2's multiplayer wasn't terrible by any means, but it just didn't do enough to stand out. Crytek, however, seems to think the series has multiplayer greatness encoded in its nanomachine-bloated DNA, so it's once again aiming high with Crysis 3. And while things like the hunted-becomes-the-hunter, er, Hunter mode sound fun on paper, they're far from proven quantities. So that's where you come in, with your hideously calloused testing fingers and unrelentingly skewering skepticism. Details after the break.
BUT FIRST, here's a seemingly unrelated trailer focusing on single-player Nanosuit powers EA posted on the beta website today. Why? I have no clue. But it looks snazzy and focuses on one of the few more interesting aspects of Crysis' storyline.
Right then, about that beta. It's set to begin on January 29th, and - assuming you have an Origin account - you're already implicitly in. However, in order for it to actually run, you apparently "must" have a DX11-supported video card, so that's something to keep in mind.
From there, you'll be able to play two levels and two modes all the way up to a ceiling of level ten. Crash Site's basically King of the Hill, but with a mechanized, massively destructive robot twist, but Hunter - at least, to me - sounds like the real standout.
"This multiplayer game mode is all about the survival of the fittest. There are two teams, initially comprised of two permanently cloaked 'Hunters', and up to fourteen CELL troopers awaiting extraction. Each trooper slain respawns on the Hunter team to prey on their former allies, building to a frenetic climax. If any of the troopers survive the round, the hunters lose."
Crysis' super-suited shootery is ripe for asymmetrical antics, but it remains to be seen whether or not the mode balances out well. Granted, Crytek seems to think so, or else I imagine it'd have a) scheduled this open beta for more than two weeks and b) not set it to wrap up seven days before launch.
We'll see, though. If nothing else, this sounds slightly more beta-y than SimCity's weekend on the town, but - for better or worse - probably expect a pretty polished experience overall. So then, will you try this before you Crysis?