Here's how I would arrange all of the Crysis games (in rank order):
1. Crysis
2. Crysis Warhead
3. Crysis 2
4. Crysis 3
Even though the original Crysis lacks in terms of storytelling, its open-ended design and in-depth suit abilities give it a significant edge over the other games. The same goes for Warhead, but given its shorter length, I would put the original over it.
Crysis 2 was stripped of the original's open-ended gameplay, but still had some relatively consistent pacing to go with its linear design. The AI also saw somewhat of a downgrade from the original, and was exploitable with the suit's stealth ability. The end result? A decent enough game that tries to pull through with its cinematic ambitions, while sacrificing on certain gameplay elements. It also introduced a half-decent cover system that worked well enough once you got familiar with its kinks.
Crysis 3 starts off on a high note and manages to remain interesting up until the first few encounters with the Ceph in the open grass fields. Not being able to see through the thick grass, and having the Ceph attack you from all corners was an engaging experience. If only it could've kept the same momentum going for the rest of the game. However, everything takes a nosedive from the "Safeties Off" mission. Unfortunately, it's not just the safeties that come off lol. From there onwards, the entire game is an extremely boring romp through never ending corridors, ultimately leading to some relatively wider areas that hardly serve any purpose. Your objective is usually right ahead of you, and it begins to feel like you're traveling in a straight line for the entirety of the game. The level design is horrible, with hardly any sense of verticality. What's more, Crysis 2's cover system has completely been eliminated from the equation in the sequel. The bow is a pretty useless addition to your arsenal. I ended up switching to one of the other weapons even when the game encouraged me to use it. If all that wasn't enough, Crysis 3's AI hits a new high in terms of artificial stupidity. Not only are the classic "call for backup" moments from Crysis 2 intact, but enemies often end up refusing to acknowledge and respond to your presence. I literally had to melee a few to try and knock some sense back into them. It's great for comic relief
hah
, but that's just about it. Towards the end, the game does make a conscious effort to bring back some excitement, with a set-piece driven buggy ride through a hoard of enemies. The excitement doesn't last long, however, as the vehicle controls have to be the worst I have seen in a game this generation. Boss fights are ridiculous as well. Keep shooting a giant vegetable and dodge its limited array of attacks, and voila, it's over before you know it. This is by far the shortest game in the series (not counting Warhead), and when it was over, I was thankful for it.
I'd give the game's single-player mode a 5/10. Based on what I have played of the multiplayer beta, it isn't as bad as the single-player. Therefore, I'd probably give it an extra point for that. Hence, overall, it's a 6/10 game for me, and by far, the worst game developed by Crytek thus far.