14 DAY TRIAL // Ryse: Son of Rome is not the video game to buy if you are only looking for one title that can show off the capabilities of the new Xbox One home console from Microsoft (that honor probably goes to Forza Motorsport 5 at the moment).
But this is certainly the title to get if you want to see the promise that the next-generation of consoles holds when it comes to beauty and spectacle.
Screenshots taken from actual gameplay do the game limited justice because they fail to show the way Crytek uses texture to great effect, to make the entire world, from armor and weapons to bricks and flags, feel real and used by real warriors.
There are some weird choices, like shields that continue to reflect the sun and seem just polished even after they were drenched in the blood of tens of barbarians, but overall, Crytek manages to deliver a consistent style and a beautiful experience.
There were people around me while I played who seemed to be having more fun just watching what Marius was doing and how he was fighting than I was while actually controlling the character.
The big question is how much graphics power and beauty can redeem when it comes to a video game.
Can it justify a purchase even if Ryse fails to create compelling gameplay and hold a long-term appeal?
Can it make up for the fact that the story is risible and any historical realism is just a long forgotten thought?
A very limited number of players would have gotten Ryse if it had launched as it was first conceived, as a showcase for the first version of the Kinect tech on the Xbox 360.
But the upgrade to Xbox One launch game status means that a larger audience will be exposed to the title and they will have to balance its beauty with its visible defects.