Cryostasis

Product Details

Cryostasis From Aspyr List Price: $29.99 Price: $3.22 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Ships from and sold by buynowlv 28 new or used available from $3.22 Average customer review:

Product Description

Cryostasis: The Arctic Circle, 1968. Alexander Nesterov is a meteorologist sent to uncover the mystery of the abandoned ice-breaker ship, North Wind. This steel beast once fought for its country, but during a dangerous mission it drifted into an ice trap that slowly froze to death every living thing on board. A routine investigation quickly turns into a battle for survival against both the freezing elements and the terrifying evil that inhabits the lost ship. Cryostasis takes players on a terrifying trip into the unknown as they explore the dark, frozen, claustrophobic corridors and unlock the shocking secrets of the North Wind.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3739 in Video Games
• Brand: Aspyr
• Model: 11981
• Released on: 2009-04-20
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows XP
• Format: CD-ROM
• Dimensions: 5.51" h x 53.15" w x 75.20" l, .22 pounds

Features

• Terrifying first-person shooter/survival-horror gameplay
• The Hero?s Mental Echo ability adds a unique gameplay twist, allowing players to relive the final memories of the dead and change their actions, thereby altering the present
• Battle more than 15 different powerful enemy types, each with unique capabilities
• Fight for survival using historically-authentic weapons
• A completely new physics and weather system with realistic ice, frost and snow with advanced character/object physics

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Customer Reviews

A thinking person's game This is a truly wonderful game for people that regard storyline and ambiance over endless, mindless killing. Painkiller this game isn't; a cross between Penumbra and Bioshock is a much better comparison. Unlike many FPSs you don't have to choose between the weapons you carry. You have a full complement of everything you find; from a chain wrapped around your fists, an extremely effective axe, a bolt-action rifle, a sniper rifle, to a full auto machine gun. This is a game that forces you to be conservative with your ammo supply and, in some cases, to be very careful with when you decide to reload (these are older style firearms and you never know what's creeping up behind you). I know that most don't think that the graphics are particularly impressive; but I totally disagree. I think the game designers succeeded in creating a visually stunning experience. There's water perpetually flowing down the walls in warmer rooms, and the walls are covered with ice patterns in its colder rooms. When you get some warmth into colder rooms the icicles on the ceilings melt and fall to the floor. The shadows and lighting effects are absolutely breathtaking. I think people are used to wide open environments and constantly changing scenery. That is not Cryostasis--this game is all about close quarters and the inherently claustrophobic environment of a ship. The sound design is another high point. Your only companion is the groaning of the hull, the screaming wind and your footsteps--save for the occasional hair-raising moans and grunts from whatever hell-born creature is coming at you from the darkness. I've heard no in-game music at all. Try playing the game in the dark and I suspect you'll agree that sound is a big part of the success of this title. The fighting is this game is not constant. Not every hallway or room contains a bad guy. In fact, sometimes you'll go for several minutes before encountering one. But I personally think that this adds to the tension. The game is not difficult but it takes thought. The time traveling puzzles are fun and can be challenging; but you will not likely be stymied by this game. But if you enjoy a challenge it will satisfy you. Fighting is also not particularly hard, but there are points that are difficult and most encounters require some level of strategy. The one star I've removed is due to the lack of optimization of this title. I have a high end system and a good video card and I cannot run this game on particularly high settings. And occasionally when there's a lot going on on the screen it will turn into a mild slide show. But it's not so much that I would stop playing it. It could have also used some reason for searching. Firearms and ammo are usually out in the open. It would have added some fun to the game if you needed to search the prodigious lockers. But this is a minor gripe. You have no reason to not buy this game. It has no DRM and it doesn't even require a serial number. Have fun! Cryostasis- interesting morality tale Cryostasis is a first person game that sort of defies description. Some may call it a FPS, others an adventure game. I believe it melds these two concepts together, and does them well. You play a Russian scientist at the North Pole who is sent to investigate an ice breaking ship that has run aground and become incased in ice. The big hook of this game is the 'Mental Echo' ability that allows you to re-live the last moments of dead crew members and try to correct things that they did wrong before they died. This is a very unique premise, and I rather enjoyed it. There is a lot of trial and error with the Mental Echo ability, but it is pretty painless as you can retry as often as you like (with no loading or game over penalties!) Some people have been comparing this game to Bioshock, but that is an inaccurate comparison. Just because there is a lot of water and water effects around your character does not make this game even remotely close to Bioshock. The action is not very good, and you have several melee options, as well as some rifles to collect. The combat consists of approaching your enemy and hitting him, then backing up while they attack, then approach and repeat. The monsters subscribe to the jump out from the shadows (ala Doom 3) mentatilty to provide cheap scares, however there are some tense moments. The color palette is pretty bland as the ship is iced over, so lots of blue and grey. Some areas of the ship heat up to melt the ice, and the true colors come out, and look very good. Combat overall is actually pretty bad compared to current action games. Keep in mind that this game is not about the action, which makes me feel like this is more of an adventure game. Very good story, creepy atmosphere, and great graphics make this a good choice overall, just know what you're getting into. Also this game is a graphics whore, so have a good system to run it! This Is No Bioshock There has been a lot of talk that Cryostasis is a spiritual successor to Bioshock, given all the water effects and feelings of being stranded in a deserted environment. Well, that's pretty much where the similarities end in my opinion. Cryostasis is essentially a survival-horror game that is very eery, has some innovative elements, and has some features that don't work so well. This game is a bit of a resource hog. I tried turning everything up to high with AF and AA on, but the frame rate got so choppy it was barely playable. With AF and AA off, things got better (specs: Q6600 @ 3.0ghz, 4gb ram, 8800gt, XP 32bit, 24 inch monitor 1920x1200). Graphically, the game looks pretty nice. You can see frost crystals littering the walls of the ship. The water effects are pretty. The game is fairly monochromatic, but you're in the arctic. What do you expect? Game play involves your character investigating what happened on an ice breaker that became locked in the ice. You traverse various corridors trying to find some answers. You have what is called "mental echo" ability, which allows you to see what the dead experienced right before they bought the farm. While in the "echo state" you can correct the mistakes that the dead made and hopefully release their spirit (or something like that). This is probably the most innovative feature of the game. Also, you have to watch your body temperature so you don't freeze to death. Find light bulbs and torches to warm up with (which are littered throughout the ship) and you'll be fine. Combat isn't so great, especially melee. It feels very imprecise and looks like you are basically punching air. You never really feel as though you land any hits. The "zombies" that attack you are dead crew members (pretty standard). You get access to a few guns (no cross hairs, you have to use iron sights to aim). This is where Cryostasis is a bit lacking. Overall, this title is still intriguing. I would say more things work than don't work in terms of game play. For the price, it's worth a ride around the arctic circle.