Kotaku: crysis warhead

Crysis Warhead Performance Put To The Test

Mike Fahey — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:20:00 MDT

We know Crysis Warhead has some odd nomenclature for graphic settings, but how well do those graphics settings actually performed. After all of the complaints about the original game's outrageous system requirements, developer Crytek promised that this side story would be tweaked to run well on a much more affordable computer, but did they deliver? The guys over at TechSpot have gone in-depth to analyze the game's performance, providing benchmarks for 14 different video cards at each of the game's three quality levels, and the results aren't too spectacular. What they basically discovered is that said tweaks are negligible, and only a very high-end video card is capable of breaking past 32 frames per second at the lowest resolution they tested, 1440x900.

Hit the link for the full report on Crysis Warhead's performance, including more comparison shots of the three levels of graphical detail.

Crysis Warhead performance in-depth [TechSpot]

Crysis Warhead Has Stupid Graphics Settings

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 02:00:00 MDT

Did a memo go out saying that the accepted terminology for graphics settings in a PC game were no longer going to be used? We must have missed it. It must have been signed "EA marketing team", too, because no developer in their right mind (and we hope Crytek are in their right mind) would go changing "low", "medium" and "high" to "minimum", "mainstream" and "gamer". As for "enthusiast", Lord only knows where that's meant to go. An enthusiast of what? UFO conspiracies? North Korean military insignia? Cross-stitching?

How Not To Make A Video Settings Menu [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

EA And 1C Deliver Jewel-Cased Games To Russia

Mike Fahey — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:20:00 MDT

PC games in jewel cases aren't just for discount titles at Walmart and Target anymore. Electronic Arts has announced a distribution agreement with 1C Company which will see the latter releasing the former's newer PC titles throughout Russia in jewel case economy packaging. The first titles coming out this fall in the tiny plastic packages will include Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, Crysis Warhead, and NHL 09.

"We release jewel games for the first time especially for Russian market. Owing to 1C's optimized distribution system our cooperation will become the next step in expanding EA games on regional markets of Russia and CIS", – says Murad Shapiev, Sales Director for Electronic Arts Russia.

Of course jewel cases means that the folks in Russia, along with Ukraine and Kazakhstan (careful, they're sensitive) will probably be missing out pack-ins like bulky manuals, maps, posters, and other goodies, but considering the giant piles of such items cluttering my apartment that might not be such a bad thing.

Electronic Arts and 1C Company signed a distribution agreement

Electronic Arts and 1C Company signed a distribution agreement to spread EA games over Russia and CIS countries

MOSCOW, Russia – September 18, 2008 – Electronic Arts and 1C Company announce an agreement to create new channel for distribution of EA games. According to the contract signed 1C receives the rights to distribute EA titles for PC and consoles in Russia and CIS countries. The collaboration of these two companies is firstly aimed to consolidate and advance the largest markets (after Russia) – Ukraine and Kazakhstan. 1C Company already has offices in the region and has leading market share in these countries.

Another important stage in the cooperation of Electronic Arts and 1C Company is the distribution of EA games for PC in economy jewel packs in Russia. For the first time ever part of new games released by world's leading publisher will be distributed in economy packs (CD jewel case). Electronic Arts plans to release three new jewel packed games for PC - Crysis Warhead, C&C Red Alert 3, NHL 09. These games will be released in autumn 2008.

"Choice of 1C as our strategic partner is not a random decision. Nowadays 1C is a key player on the distribution market of PC games in jewels. Due to its professionalism this company gained high business reputation and we are interested in long-term and mutually profitable relations", – comments Peter Laughton, EA Vice President and General Manager of Central and Eastern Europe.

"We release jewel games for the first time especially for Russian market. Owing to 1C's optimized distribution system our cooperation will become the next step in expanding EA games on regional markets of Russia and CIS", – says Murad Shapiev, Sales Director for Electronic Arts Russia.

"The agreement signed is an unprecedented event for Russian market. World's leading publisher will unite its strength with the largest Russian software company. We greet Electronic Arts' initiative to distribute games in economy packs", - notes Nikolay Baryshnikov, International Sales Director for 1C Company. "1С became one of the first companies to introduce that scheme in Russian industry. I am sure that the experience gained along with our distribution network which is the biggest in Russia and CIS countries will contribute to effective collaboration and further growth of Russian game market."

In Crysis Warhead the player has to fit in the Nanosuit of Sergeant "Psycho" Sykes, one of the most memorable characters of Crysis. Occurrences in the story of Psycho, who has always been more aggressive and impudent than his comrade Nomad, take place at the same time with the original game in another part of the island. They turn out to be even more dynamic and intense. Fortunately, Psycho's Nanosuit can perform a lot as it is equipped with modifiable weapons and many new techniques, helping the players to find out the right way from any complicated situation. Besides of that remarkable campaign the player can also participate in multiplayer mode.

C&C Red Alert 3 presents a thrilling journey to the future of the alternative universe that appeared as the result of unsuccessful travel in time. Developed by EA Los Angeles Red Alert 3 sets new standards in real-time strategy genre, introducing campaign for co-operate mode. The campaign keeps renowned non-complicated style and classic rich gameplay.

NHL 09 introduces the opportunity to step on ice rink on your own! New "Be a Pro" mode allows to customize the character looking anyhow you wish. And in "Hall of Fame" you can not even simply create a character to play, but also to join him in the way to glory through AHL and NHL. Improved "Skill Stick" and control system, taken from NHL94 allows the player to command with his characters clearly and easily.

Crysis and Warhead Available on Steam

Owen Good — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:00:00 MDT

Crytek and Valve have reached an agreement to bring both Crysis Warhead and Crysis to Steam this weekend. So if you drop 7 hundy on your Crysis-branded PC rig but don't want to shell out or drive to the store for a retail copy of its namesake, there you go. And if you're keeping your old setup and want to know what you need on board, check the specs. Valve says both titles are available for pre-purchase now, and will release "mid-September." Warhead's commercial street date is Monday.

Complete news release is on the jump.

CRYSIS WARHEAD COMING TO STEAM

Latest from Legendary Studio Coming to Leading Online Platform

September 12, 2008 - Crytek and Valve today announced an agreement to bring Crysis Warhead® and Crysis® to Steam, a leading platform for the delivery and management of PC games and digital content with over 15 million accounts around the world.

"The millions of gamers logging into Steam every week to play today's best PC games are going to love Crysis Warhead," said Avni Yerli, Managing Director at Crytek. "Crytek Hungary has done a terrific job creating this new experience while optimizing CryEngine 2, and we're looking forward to delivering it and the original Crysis as our first offerings on Steam."

"Crytek is one of the industry's great success stories, emerging new technology and talent," said Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. "Crysis is one of today's leading PC franchises and delivering the original and Crysis Warhead via Steam is landmark for the platform."

The follow up to Crysis, one of the highest rated PC games of last year, Crysis Warhead will take players through the parallel story of Sergeant Michael 'Psycho' Sykes as he embarks on an intense, explosive adventure on the other side of the island. With waves of more challenging human and alien enemies to navigate through, players will once again be outfitted with the revolutionary Nanosuit and an arsenal of new weapons and vehicles to help Psycho complete his critical mission.Crysis Warhead will also come with Crysis Wars®, a tailor-made experience for multiplayer gamers, featuring three diverse match types and 21 maps.

Crysis Warhead and Crysis will be available for pre-purchase via Steam starting this weekend, and expected to be released in mid September. Both games are published by EA Partners. For more details, please visit www.steamgames.com and www.crysiswarhead.com.

Crysis-Branded PC: Full Specs, Comes Bundled With XP Pro

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:40:00 MDT

We saw some brief specs for the Crysis-branded "Warhead PC" the other day, but they were just that, brief. Today, ads for the system have started appearing, which not only give us the full tech specs for the machine, but also some new details. For starters - and this is most important considering the price tag - the machine comes bundled with XP Professional, already updated to the latest service pack. Also included is a Realtek HD sound card, keyboard, mouse, 250GB HDD and an assurance that the whole thing will have Warhead running on the highest graphical settings at 30FPS.

Warhead PC [GameCyte]

Crysis-Ready PC Specs, Price

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 03:00:00 MDT

First announced in July at Comic-Con, we now have the first hard details on the official, Crysis-branded PC that's due for release later this month. The end result of an assurance by Crytek that their games game could run - at "high" settings - on a $900 machine, the rig actually comes in at $699, has been christened the "Warhead PC" in honour of the upcoming expansion, and will launch alongside it on September 16. Specs are as follows.

- CPU: Intel Core Duo e7300 (@2.66GHz)
- GFX: Nvidia 9800GT
- RAM: 2GB

Bear in mind this isn't an official announcement, just some stuff reported by journo Chris Remo, who had a chance to check the machine out last week. The official word will come down later this week, and should be accompanied not only by the rest of the tech specs, but also some shots of the final exterior, since it's unknown whether the one pictured is the full retail model, or is just rocking the same hardware.

Oh, and you should check out the full piece below for some more peripheral stuff regarding the machine. Seems the PC is more than just a marketing gimmick, as it was used extensively in both the development and testing of Warhead.

The Remo Files: The Crysis Warhead PC Explained [GameSetWatch]

Crysis Warhead System Specs

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:30:00 MDT

Worried you won't be able to play Crysis Warhead? Check the specs. EA have posted these on the game's store page, meaning that while you may not find solace in them, you can at least be assured that they're official. Basically, if you could play Crysis, you can play this. If you couldn't, and still can't, we're sure you're still squeezing hours of fun out of Oblivion. Or Starcraft. Or Nancy Drew: Phantom Of Venice.

CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz (3.2 GHz for Vista), Intel Core 2.0 GHz (2.2 GHz for Vista), AMD Athlon 2800+ (3200+ for Vista) or better

RAM: 1GB (1.5GB on Windows Vista)

Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT, ATI Radeon 9800 Pro (Radeon X800 Pro for Vista) or better

VRAM: 256MB of Graphics Memory

Storage: 15GB

Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c Compatible

ODD: DVD-ROM

OS: Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or Microsoft Vista

DirectX: DX9.0c or DX10

Crysis Warhead [EA]

Crysis Warhead Launching Next Month

Mike Fahey — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:40:00 MDT

Well that was relatively quick, wasn't it? It was only two months ago that EA and Crytek announced the development of the next installment of Crysiss, Crysis Warhead, and now they've revealed the game is only a month away from release. Warhead should be hitting retail shelves in North America on September 16th, four days after the European release on September 12th.

“We think Crysis Warhead is going to offer a tremendous experience to a wide range of gamers,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek. “Fans of Crysis are going to enjoy more of the open-ended gameplay, cutting-edge visuals and huge, epic battles from the first game, while also finally finding out what kind of havoc Psycho was wreaking on the other side of the island.

Right now you can pre-order Crysis Warhead from the EA Store for $24.95 - $5 off retail - or pick up both the original Crysis and the new title for $10 off. Be sure to check out GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley this Friday for the exclusive premiere of the new Crysis Warhead trailer, should you be so inclined.

EA and Crytek Set Deployment Date for Crysis Warhead
Find Out if You Are ‘Psycho’ Enough This September

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Crytek GmbH announced today that Crysis Warhead®, the pulse-racing new installment of the Crysis® universe, will ship to retail stores in North America on September 16th and in Europe on September 12th. Beginning today, gamers can pre-order Crysis Warhead at the EA Store (www.eastore.com/crysiswarhead) for only $24.95; $5 less than the full retail price, or receive $10 off when purchasing both Crysis Warhead and Crysis. Crysis Warhead recently recognized by IGN PC as being the Best First Person Shooter and showcasing the Best Graphics Technology of E3 2008.

“We think Crysis Warhead is going to offer a tremendous experience to a wide range of gamers,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek. “Fans of Crysis are going to enjoy more of the open-ended gameplay, cutting-edge visuals and huge, epic battles from the first game, while also finally finding out what kind of havoc Psycho was wreaking on the other side of the island.

At the same time, we designed Warhead to be more accessible for gamers new to the Crysis franchise. It is a game with a story that can stand on its own, it has been optimized to run better on a wider range of PCs, and we are introducing Crysis Wars®, a tailor-made experience for multiplayer gamers within the Crysis universe – all at a great value.”

Crysis Wars features three multiplayer modes, including TeamInstantAction, a new match type that mixes fast-paced action in a team-based environment, in addition to the insanely frenetic gameplay style of InstantAction and the hardcore team-based PowerStruggle, both of which return from Crysis. The game will include 21 maps, six new maps for TeamInstantAction and InstantAction, and one for PowerStruggle and Crytek will also have a support team dedicated to meeting the needs of the Crysis Wars community.

A brand new trailer for Crysis Warhead will premiere exclusively on “GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley” this Friday, August 15th on Spike TV (check your local listings) and will be available online at www.GameTrailers.com immediately following the show.

Crysis Warhead is a standalone title and does not require the original Crysis to play. The game has been rated ‘M’ for Mature by the ESRB and ‘16+’ by PEGI. For more information about the game, please visit the game’s new web site launching today at: www.crysiswarhead.com.

Crysis Warhead Screens

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 04:30:00 MDT

Some new Crysis Warhead screens (along with bigger versions of some old ones) have been released, courtesy of Japanese site 4Gamer. We know they're for Warhead, and not the same-island-same-bad-guys Crysis, because Crytek were good enough to stick Psycho's (the expansion's protagonist) in half of them just to be sure of it. Particularly #s 5 & 6, which should make for a great "spot the difference" print-out for your next children's birthday party.
[Thanks Chris!]

EA Looking To Market Crysis Ready PCs

Mike Fahey — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:00:00 MDT

Now here's an interesting tidbit that came out of Comic-Con this past weekend. Electronic Arts is looking at marketing a line of desktop PC systems to coincide with the release of Crysis Warhead, branded with the Crysis name. The reasoning? More people who don't regularly use a PC to game will pick up a PC branded with a game name simply for the assurance that the system will run the title. They are looking at providing multiple systems at a price tag between $600-$800 to coincide with how well the gamer wants the game to run.

This is a brilliant idea. I've always felt that PC manufacturers were missing out by not marketing directly to gamers. I'm not talking high-end, higher-priced dedicated gaming systems here. Just a PC with a sticker on it that lists the games it will run out of the box - kind of like how console packaging shows popular titles available on that system. I wish EA the best of luck. Perhaps they'll start a trend!

EA wants to sell you a PC [Chris Remo's Remowned via Destructoid]

Crysis Warhead Screens

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:00:00 MDT

These aren't from the original Crysis. Promise! They're from Crysis Warhead, Crytek's upcoming sequel/expansion thing. We know, it's the same bad guys, same island, but you'll just have to take our word for it. Also take our word that it's probably best to call this a mission pack, like we used to in the good old days.

Crysis Warhead Sure Looks A Lot Like Crysis

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:00:06 MDT

Not that we were expecting the Crysis series to be turned on its head, but Crysis Warhead looks perhaps a bit too familiar. Maybe we're reading a bit too much into this action packed teaser trailer for the EA published shooter and, no, it's not a proper sequel and maybe Crytek has already spoiled us with the gorgeous original, but I can't shake the feeling of deja vu.

Crysis Warhead HD [GameTrailers]

Crysis Warhead Much Easier On Your Machine

Mike Fahey — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:20:00 MDT

It looks like Crysis Warhead won't be nearly as much of a strain on our gaming PC's as the original title was. In an interview excerpt posted at German magazine site PCGame.de, Crytek boss Cevat Yerli promises that a PC costing around €400 ($620) should be able to crank out a consistent 30 to 35 frames per second, whereas the original Crysis would have the FPS of a View-Master on a similar machine.

Cevat goes on to say that the performance tweaks included in Warhead can eventually be applied to Crysis via patches, but don't go digging out that sad little game disc just yet. The profound changes won't be easy to implement, and Crytek is dedicating their resources to completing the follow-up before any tweaks to the original are addressed.

Crysis Warhead läuft auf einem 400-Euro-PC - In der High-Konfiguration! [PCGames.DE Via Voodoo Extreme]

Crysis Warhead Revealed

Mike Fahey — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:20:00 MDT

EA and Crytek invite PC gamers to go completely Psycho this fall in the newly announced Crysis Warhead, teased yesterday via CrysisTheGame.com. Developed with a focus on story and game performance, Warhead isn't so much a sequel as it is a parallel story, told from the point of view of Sergeant Sykes, codenamed Psycho, probably my favorite character from the first game. He'll have his hands full on the other side of the island while Nomad is doing his thing. New weapons and vehicles will be at his disposal, and the game will also feature new multiplayer content for those of you who enjoy killing each other.

“We were very pleased with the reception of Crysis from both gamers and media after our launch last year,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek. “That being said, one of the key principles of our studio is to always raise the bar. With Warhead, we are focusing on refining our storytelling and game performance, while also delivering more of the visually stunning graphics and immersive, free-roaming gameplay everyone loved in Crysis.”

The game is the first to be developed at Crytek's new Budapest Studio using an enhanced version of the CryENGINE 2 tech. Hit the jump for the full release!

EA and Crytek Announce Development of Crysis Warhead
The Next Installment of One of the Highest Rated Games of 2007 Blasts Its Way Onto PCs This Fall

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Maximum freedom, maximum explosions and maximum Psycho! Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and award-winning independent studio Crytek today announced Crysis Warhead® – the parallel story to Crysis, one of the most critically-acclaimed first person shooters and PC games of 2007. Shipping exclusively for the PC this fall, Crysis Warhead is the first title to be developed at Crytek’s Budapest studio, and is built on a new, enhanced and optimized version of Crytek’s CryENGINE® 2 technology.

“We were very pleased with the reception of Crysis from both gamers and media after our launch last year,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek. “That being said, one of the key principles of our studio is to always raise the bar. With Warhead, we are focusing on refining our storytelling and game performance, while also delivering more of the visually stunning graphics and immersive, free-roaming gameplay everyone loved in Crysis.”

“The best result of a partnership that we can ask for in the EA Partners program is when a world class independent studio like Crytek chooses to continue to work with us,” said David DeMartini, Vice President and Global General Manager, EA Partners. “Crysis was an amazing game and is going to be a blockbuster franchise. We could not be more excited to be working with Crytek to launch another hit with Crysis Warhead this year.”

In Crysis Warhead, players will don the Nanosuit of Sergeant Sykes, also known as ‘Psycho’, one of the most memorable characters from Crysis. More brash and aggressive than his Delta Force squadmate Nomad, players will experience Psycho’s parallel story during the events of the original game, finding that life on the other side of the island is even more intense and explosive than they ever could have imagined. Luckily, Psycho’s Nanosuit is just as capable and he’s equipped with an even bigger arsenal of fully customizable weapons and new vehicles, giving players access to the tools they need to dominate any situation. Aside from this new, exciting single player campaign, Crysis Warhead will also feature new multiplayer content. Stay tuned for more details this summer.

Crysis Warhead has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI. For more information about the game, please visit www.crysisthegame.com.

Crysis Warhead Is Certainly Something

Mike Fahey — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:40:00 MDT

What's all this then? Awhile back developer Crytek filled for trademarks on a variety of Crysis-related names, among them Crysis Warhead, though back then we had no earthly clue as to what it was referring to. Well now we still have no earthly clue what it is referring to, but we can definitely tell you it is something terribly official if this image, which is appearing on the front page of the official Crysis website is any indication.

Is it one of the planned sequels to the original game? Perhaps a version of Crysis for consoles? A Broadway musical based on the events of the first game? I suppose they'll get around to letting us know when they damn well feel like it. Thanks to everyone who sent in the tip!