Crytek: Crysis 3 is as wide as Crysis 1, as tall as Crysis 2
Plus: different arrow types, new Ceph enemies


Much as we adored Crysis 2, we'll admit that it lacked a certain girth in comparison to the first Crysis. The bust-up New York setting afforded plenty of things to jump on, but when it came to lateral movement, the options were limited. Crysis 3, thankfully, has other ideas.

You'll need to buy three new 70 inch monitors to appreciate the breadth on offer in this game, and that's not just some factoid I've pulled out of my arse - it's a factoid I've pulled out of my arse shortly after reading this Metro interview with senior creative director Rasmus Hojengaard, published milliseconds after the game itself went public.

"With Crysis 3 we wanted to combine the best aspects of Crysis 1 and 2 and add on top of that," Hojengaard explained. "You can certainly say that it builds on the foundation of the series - we have a lot of the wide gameplay from the original Crysis and a lot of the verticality of Crysis 2 and that we combine in a really stellar and beautifully unique setting: the New York City Liberty Dome that introduces the Seven Wonders and creates a real urban rainforest complete with jungles, swamps, grasslands, canyons and more.

Is this a reaction to much-voiced fan preference for Crysis 1, with its verdant island terrain? "Well, yes and no. We always listen to our fanbase and even before we shipped Crysis 1 for console, we wanted to address some of the feedback from Crysis 2 - and included in that was the more horizontal gameplay as you know it from the first Crysis.

"In other words - we were already thinking about this prior to shipping Crysis 1 for console. This being said, I can assure you that Crysis 3 will benefit from an exciting sandbox environment that reverts to the origin of the Crysis franchise."

Hojengaard isn't worried that the ubiquity of the Big Apple as a videogames setting will impact Crysis 3's fortunes. "We're pretty confident that our execution and interpretation of New York City as a rainforest will not only be very different from how others do it.

"It will also look above and beyond most other attempts to do a 'post-apocalyptic' New York City setting. Our Seven Wonders concept that executes on seven particular rainforest themes will create a diversity and richness not seen thus far in a game - or even in a movie. Don't forget that our setting is not just a city left to its own demise - it's a city that has been artificially grown into a rainforest by help of the Nanodomes."

He also dropped a few details on the new weapons roster, and promised brand spanking new Ceph enemies who have been adapted to tropical settings. Bring on the face tentacles! We liked the face tentacles, though given time and intensive/invasive therapy, we're sure we can be persuaded to like tentacle-free faces too.

"There are several new traditional weapons but more interestingly is the fact that you'll be able to fire Ceph weapons. This really adds a cool new flair to the look and feel of the game. Also as mentioned earlier there is a bow featured which you can equip with several types of arrows - both stealthy and loud as hell.

"In terms of enemies you'll be fighting both humans and aliens - with several brand new Ceph archetypes having been added to the mix as well as the oldies having undergone severe adjustments to fit them into the context of the urban rainforest.

Well good AI is hard to make - I think that's more likely to be the reason that it sometimes fails to deliver in certain games."

Watch out for more on Crysis 3 as and when we sneak up on a Crytek employee, hoist him by his throat and jam a shotgun up his nose.

Crysis 3: Crytek 'not so worried' about New York City fatigue
Urban rainforest themes "will create a diversity and richness not seen in a game or movie"

Crytek has shrugged off suggestions players are fed up with New York settings in games by promising that Crysis 3 will deliver a diverse "urban rainforest complete with jungles, swamps, grasslands, canyons and more".

Speaking to Metro to coincide with today's official Crysis 3 reveal, senior creative director Rasmus Hojengaard also said the shooter will feature the best elements of the first two numbered titles in the series.

Crysis 3 will see players take on the role of Prophet as he returns to New York, only to discover the city's been encased in a giant Nanodome created by the corrupt Cell Corporation. The Liberty Dome will feature seven distinct and treacherous environments dubbed the Seven Wonders.

Hojengaard said: "You can certainly say that it builds on the foundation of the series - we have a lot of the wide gameplay from the original Crysis and a lot of the verticality of Crysis 2 and that we combine in a really stellar and beautifully unique setting - the New York City Liberty Dome... I can assure you that Crysis 3 will benefit from an exciting sandbox environment that reverts to the origin of the Crysis franchise."

On criticism of the New York setting, he added: "We're not so worried about that. New York City is a landmark city and that's the reason many games and movies play out there. To be honest it's one of the richest and most diverse locations in the US.

"We're pretty confident that our execution and interpretation of New York City as a rainforest will not only be very different from how others do it - it will also look above and beyond most other attempts to do a 'post-apocalyptic' New York City setting. Our Seven Wonders concept that executes on seven particular rainforest themes will create a diversity and richness not seen thus far in a game - or even in a movie.

"Don't forget that our setting is not just a city left to its own demise - it's a city that has been artificially grown into a rainforest by help of the Nanodomes."

We're planning on seeing the game later this week and chatting to some of the team making it. Are there any particular questions you'd like us to ask? Leave your thoughts below and we'll see what we can do.

Earlier today publisher EA detailed the Crysis 3 Hunter Edition. Available to pre-order now ahead of the game's spring 2013 release, it secures early to access to a number of multiplayer unlocks.

Does this mean C3 won't have the CoD playstyle anymore?

Wut? The Crysis never had a significantly CoD-ish playstyle.