Crysis Preview

Possibly the most anticipated PC game this fall, Crytek’s latest game, Crysis, is getting ready for its release. Crytek, developer of the PC sleeper hit Far Cry, has really outdone themselves, making Crysis not only a great looking game, but also an absolute blast to play. Publisher EA had a build of the game on display at a recent press event held at their Redwood Shores headquarters, showcasing a game with some amazing production values and great gameplay elements.

The level on display at the press event was the Ice level, which took place on Earth in a formerly lush, tropical area surrounding a crashed alien ship. After the ship crashed, it let loose a blast that freezes the area surrounding the ship and turning it into an icy wasteland. You must then cross the frozen area to get to the alien spaceship while avoiding the alien creatures that get sent your way.

Upon beginning the stage, it’s easy to quickly notice the level of detail. Frost will appear on your visor as snowflakes and bits of ice fall, refracting the light into prisms and creating a cool rainbow effect. Enemies will float through the air as though they’re floating through water, striking at you quickly and with ferocity. You can catch them in mid-air as they attack you and punch them out. Yes, not since Will Smith welcomed an alien to Earth in Independence Day has said move been carried out with such gusto.

What was most surprising about the Crysis build on display was that it was running on XP, meaning that it was a DX9 build. The presentation was still incredible, with amazing lighting effects and well rendered enemies that moved fluidly and realistically. One thing that was apparent in the preview build was the level of scope throughout. Instead of focusing on a horizontal plane, objects will rise vertically. The result is huge objects on an epic scale, rising into the air to vertigo inducing heights. This looks incredible and gives the game a great amount of scope, no matter what operating system you may be running it on.

Start the hardware upgrades, as Crysis ships this November.