Crysis (2007)

Author: Crytek

It's hard to believe that this game launched almost ten years ago. Despite its age, Crysis still looks incredible, with a well-designed environment and textures, models and lighting that almost rival today's games. That does wonders for its immersion, but it's Crytek's incorporation of story that made it special at the time. Crysis follows nano suit soldier Jake Dunn as he fights his way past both North Koreans and aliens in the Lingshan Islands of the East Philippines. Joined by the U.S. Raptor Team, you're tasked with evacuating a team of archaeologists and the world-chancing information they've found. It's a complex, arching story, made better by great voice acting and powerful antagonists. Between story elements, players fight through various levels, and Crysis is no less revolutionary in its gameplay. Using the nano suit, you can give Jake a temporary boost to strength, invisibility, armor or speed, introducing various play style and forcing you to think about the best setting for each scenario. He's joined by plenty of different weapons, each of which can be customized with attachments, scopes, and camo. Despite its linear and level-based nature, the game gives you a great amount of freedom, and that's only furthered by the game's two multiplayer modes, which are still playable thanks to third party support.